All posts in “DE”

DE or Diatomaceous earth

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DE or Diatomaceous earth

DE overkill or not? OK you know how I am about Do It Yourself, right? Well this is a great example of over application. It looks like it snowed in Phoenix, Arizona. The weird thing about this, I’ve seen worse inside a bedroom. The bad thing is you can damage your nose and lungs breathing this stuff. It works really well on bugs/pests by dehydrating their exoskeleton and they bleed to death or absorb chemical faster.

First off only the food grade product works on bugs, not the pool stuff – it is cut differently. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects’ exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Insects die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, and  considered to be relatively low-risk.

DE

The Ghost of Scorpions Past!

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Is it a Ghost or to much Diatomaceous Earth?

Ghost or an imprint of a scorpion on a couch at a new clients home? Do you how it happened, not exactly sure how this happened but here is my 2 cents. The scorpion was either in the attic or the ceiling and fell and then deposited dust onto the furniture. So how do you scorpions get into the attic?

These pests crawl in under the stucco where that jtrim attaches to the foundation, they then crawl up the wall into the attic and fall out in any opening that is available. That is how in my opinion how you find them in toilets, bathtubs and showers, because that material makes it impossible for them to climb on. So a home seal is the best protection to keeping them out of your house.

ghost scorpions

ghost scorpions

 

A lot of times vacuuming can really help with Pest Control.

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We often get calls to rid homes of certain bugs and sometimes I just want to say – clean your house first. Its all in the approach to a customer, I have always believed that a home was meant to be lived in. Hoarding though can be dangerous, look I prefer a home that was clutter free but that isn’t always going to happen. So lets just say that your home leans a little closer to clutter than clutter free, what can you do?

  • If you have carpet vacuum often and make sure you empty the vacuum. We don’t have fleas here in Arizona but I have seen fleas hatch from a bag vacuum and re-infest the entire home again.
  • Carpet beetles are a problem and if you have a vacuum that really works well, it may be able to suck up the larva and they do all the damage.
  • Bed Bugs can also hang out near the baseboard and edges of the carpet, so vacuuming could help. Speaking of Bed Bugs if you want to use DE or DiatomaceousEarth – don’t go crazy this stuff can be dangerous when your breath it into your nose.
  • Don’t use Bug Bombs, they can make the critter go deeper and more of an issue on treating in the future.
  • Vacuum again.
Photo by PPMA

Photo by PPMA

It’s snowing in Phoenix

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It’s snowing in Phoenix

 

             

OK I’m just kidding it’s not snowing but someone thinks that if a little DE is good then a lot is better.

If I only had one tool to use for pest control what would it be?

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If I only had one tool to use for pest control what would it be?

 

      

The tool would be this little fellow, it’s a Bellows type hand duster. Now you’re probably saying why are 2 different colors of this handy little tool, glad you asked? Green = no pesticide, Red = pesticide. We often use Diatomaceous Earth or DE for short and since its not a pesticide is considered GREEN, this powder has a abrasive texture and cuts the cuticle on the insects and is not considered a pesticide. By the way there are different cuts of DE and you must use a food grade type not the pool stuff.

Now obviously I can’t use a duster for everything but this tool could just about take care of everything. I love to dust cracks and crevices where those little bugs hide. You can dust behind baseboards, tack strips excusion plates (those metal plates where pipes comes through the walls), kitchen and bathrooms vanities, inside walls oh any those bump-outs of the block walls ( Bill says those are called pilasters) I’m not convinced yet but everyone knows what a bump-out is.

Doesn’t it make sense that that is where the bugs are going to hide during the day? That is where I would hide to get out of the heat and stay away from predators. I’ll say this again, anybody can spray a bug but the real test is when there is a mega infestation, its all about the biology and habits of those bugs. Da da that’s where ProBest Pest management comes in, “Call a Pro… Call the Best. ProBest!

Does your Pest Company treat where the bugs live?

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Does your Pest Company treat where the bugs live?

     

A few years ago I received a call from a homeowner frantic about roaches, after my inspection I thought I had found the problem. It was long after I started that I knew I had done the correct job. In the block wall next to the garage wall I dusted the bump out and out came the roaches (100’s) I immediately located the homeowner and pointed out the issue and she was just amazed. I really do believe that I could do all my pest control with just 2 or 3 tools. Here is my secret:

  1. My brain = knowledge of Pest Control and bugs
  2. A hand duster
  3. Some kind of dust (Delta) and DE or Diatomaceous Earth.

Agree or Disagree? Comments please!

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