All posts in “crickets”

It’s not always about the Bed Bugs, how about visiting Arizona? Caves

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I enjoy getting out and exploring, so please plan a visit to Arizona and see the beauty that is beneath your feet. All of these caves are unique in their own ways, dry, wet and breathtaking beauty but remember “Don’t Touch”, many of these formations take centuries to form.

Colossal Caves – outside of Tucson, my favorite cave in Arizona. I probably have been here at least 4 times. 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail Vail, AZ 85641 – 520.647.PARK (7275) I really love this cave, the tour takes about 45 minutes and the temperature is always about 70 degrees which is wonderful in the summer. You can actually witness bats and hear them making their little noise and cave formations like stalactites, flowstone, boxwork and helictites.

Kartchner Caverns State Park Kartchner Caverns SP Benson, AZ 85602 (520) 586-2283 This park has a recent history having been found in 1974 but kept as a secret until 1978/1984 and is considered a living cave.

Grand Canyon Caves – Mile 115 Route 66 63 Miles NE of Kingman AZ and 65 Miles West of Williams and the Grand Canyon Railroad

Photo from their site http://gccaverns.com/media/

This cave is unique in that they have a Sloth bear (Jesse), offer night stays and the only draw back is that it is way out there. But it still deserves a visit, its on my list of things to see in Arizona.

How do those scorpions get into your home?

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One of my favorite calls relates to how scorpions get into bathrooms or showers. People tell me they come up drains and that is incorrect. Arizona Bark Scorpions enter your home by crawling up stucco and gaining access into your attic. They then crawl around and under the insulation and finally they come to a recess light or something that was cut through the ceiling drywall. See all those cracks and if your home isn’t sealed well enough they will fall right into your house. Sometimes there are lights or fans right above the bath or shower and they just fall in. So here is my advice, pull down the plate that covers these holes and caulk the hole. This should be done on the top floor ceiling or if you live in a single story house the ceiling. On our website is a list of things we attempt to seal when we perform a Home-Sealing.

Ahhh the rain has come, termites more active – maybe.

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This next week the National Pest Management Association kicks off Termite Awareness Week (March 16-22). The Spring brings a lot more activity for termites on the East Coast, well what about Arizona? Our monsoon (usually in the late summer) brings the rain and this triggers the termites and other bugs to become more active.

So as the cold disappears and the warm weather finally makes it to the Valley, keep an eye out for termites and other bugs. No freezing weather – less death of common food of the scorpions and that means that the scorpions didn’t succumb to the extreme cold either.

What do you want to know by ProBest Pest Management!

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What is an Occasional invader?

Occasional invaders are critters that enter structures because outside conditions become hostile to their survival maybe because its too wet or dry.

Earwigs
Boxelder bugs
Crickets
Millipedes
Mites
Pillbugs/Sowbugs
Springtails
Caterpillars
numerous others

What kind of service is right for you?

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What kind of service is right for you?

I often think about service and what is really necessay to control the pests in and around our homes. Every home is different and with that in mind every treatment is or could be different. So what is right for you Monthly, Every other Month or Quarterly? So here are a few questions with this in mind:

What is the pest pressure?
What time of year does the pressure increase?
What kind of pests are you encountering, scorpions?
Do you water by drip irrigation or flood irrigation?
Scorpion activity is different from cricket activity, why does that matter?

We try to customize each visit with those questions in mind, sometimes it is essential to change pesticide formulations and or change frequency but we will always discuss options with you.

SERVICE MATTERS!

Most destructive insect?

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I’ll would bet that most people would say termites but not so, it turns out to be the desert locust. This locust you may recall is the one from the Bible and can eat its own weight in food a day. It is estimated that a large swarm could eat 20,000 tons of grain and vegetation per day. (“The Handy Biology Answer Book”)

In the U.S. I’m still betting on the termite, estmates suggest over 5 billon in damage each year. Termites are in search of food and when they find it they will eat and eat. 24/7/365 that is their schedule and they won’t waiver unless the building is under water.

What can you do to discourage termites from finding your home as a food source:

Check water drip and irrigation systems to make sure they are working properly.
Don’t plant plants or trees to close to the foundation of your home.
Don’t allow stucco to come in contact with dirt or stone, you need to see the foundation.
If you noticed any wood in the ground left over after construction, remove it.
Don’t stack wood against the home.

PPMA King/Queen Sub-termites

Hey it’s finally Fall, do you know where your bugs are?

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As the temperature finally, finally makes its way down (if you live in Arizona you know that feeling) “Thank Goodness”. The bugs are also going to start finding ways in, they like warm and cozy just as much as we do. They just don’t understand that your home isn’t really their home. They probably just think (OK they probably don’t really ) at least not in the same way we do, that a hole or crevice is just a hole or crevice and an ample place to hide for the winter.

So let’s make those crack and crevices impossible to get into, now that its cooler use that clear caulking to fill in those gaps. Do you like money? Most of us do and this measure alone – caulking could save you a few greenbacks $$$$$. Sealing your home is one way to save on heating and cooling bills. At the same time you will help to keep those bugs from getting in and its downright impossible to keep scorpions out unless you fill those crack in.

Just paying attention to your property or business can be helpful, this was a hive that was in the wall and had expanded to the outside (something you don’t see often). Lets make it a monthly habit to check out our homes, sheds and property –

just √ it.

Home seals, are they worth the money?

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Based on these pictures I would have to say – YES!

If your dealing with scorpions or crickets, you can see how they get in. So what do you do about it, seal it. Or pay somebody else to do it, by the way do it in the winter when its cooler. We use clear caulking, it goes on white and dries clear. It is very difficult because you are only working in an area of maybe 4 inches, don’t seal the round holes as they allow the house to breath and let water escape.

Even small Smith’s Black Headed Snakes might be able to get in….

New research on Phobia’s

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It appears that after therapy who can take a nap and wake up less afraid of whatever. “Afraid of Spiders? Try sleeping on it.” I may need something like this, I really don’t like spiders, at all.

This technique is usually very effective – and extremely speedy, with often just a few short sessions needed to see off the phobia. But it doesn’t work perfectly for everyone. The answer for this minority of phobia patients, it seems, may be surprisingly simple: schedule a nap immediately after the therapy session.

Photo provided by Univar PPS

Should you discontinue service if you don’t see bugs?

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Should you discontinue service if you don’t see bugs?

The one thing I can assure you, is that bugs can hide extremely well. They can hide in the smallest of cracks, under rocks, or just about any nook or cranny. Just because you don’t see them, they are there. The more harborage areas, that’s where they hang out during the heat of the day or the cold of night equals the possibility of hiding bugs.

So lets say you have crickets, well scorpions just love crickets so by continuing to eradicate the crickets means that the scorpions won’t have any food. The less food = less other predators. Less hiding areas = less predators.

So by continuing with a pest management plan = less bugs in general and the probability that you will continue to have less predators in place as well. The other issue in the southwest is the lack of real cold, enough to freeze or kill the bugs. This year as in the past year we haven’t had a real cold to kill off the bugs and that is going to mean bugs… and lots of them.

So I would keep the pest control going, less bugs = less bugs in your homes.