All posts in “fleas”

Essential Services

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Essential Services – In response to the Covid-19 virus

 

Essential Services and their providers are the FrontLine of defense to Pest Control.This virus has certainly made people think, maybe those Preppers were right? Maybe we all need to think about – what if? The President, Governor of Arizona all have weighed in and set guidelines and protocols to the Pandemic. So why is Pest Control an Essential Service?

We are the Protectors of Public Health!

As you quarantine in place, we continue to serve your home or business. I never in all my days ever thought this day would come, yet here it is. The scorpions, ticks, mosquitoes, and rodents will not go away on their own. They will continue to be a constant threat against our lives. While many carry diseases, we are the force needed to stop them. We have the tools and knowledge to keep them at bay. The key in my mind is knowledge, anyone can spray but do they know the enemy? There are numerous pesticides on the market one even touts yearly protection – if that was true I would use the stuff. Depending on time, weather conditions and other factors, most pesticides only last a limited amount.

Why has ProBest Pest Management stopped doing insides homes and when did you stop? I made this decision years ago, probably about 2005. The pesticides are mixed with water, put down wet which dry and children and pets can then come in contact with these pesticides. Once dry they can become airborne and nobody needs to breath that over time. Most all work can be done from the outside, this requires more time. These days pesticides have come a long way, only certain pests like German Roaches require inside treatment (can be done with specific pesticides such as dry baits or gels). Ants can also be treated with baits. Bed bugs are a different story but these days there are fungal spores ready to annihilate the blood suckers.

Long story short, we PROTECT the PUBLIC. I personally have almost 30 years of experience, many long hours of study and credentials ready to serve you. Read my bio and you decide, who do you want on your side? Someone who cares and loves his job, or somebody just in it for the money. ProBest Pest Management 623-414-0176 or 602-249-7378.

Fleas

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No fleas in Arizona – usually…

Usually I would suspect it is a lack of humidity that makes it less likely to have fleas in Arizona. Occasionally we have someone come in from another state and we have a case but not to often. We do have ticks and they can be a real problem with our pets. So what can you do to prevent them?

  1. Mow your grass.
  2. Be careful going to dog parks.
  3. If you and your dog walks, check them on the return.
  4. If your hiking, wear long pants and tuck them in.
  5. Put on some Deet oh and sunscreen or a hat.
  6. Be safe out there.

Fleas

 

Pandemic – How close are we?

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Pandemic

Just what exactly is a Pandemic, according to Wikipedia – an epidemic of infectious disease that has spread through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. One of the most devastating pandemics was the Black Death, killing over 75 million people in 1350 caused by fleas carried by rats or gerbils (new information). Mosquitoes continue to kill over 1 million people each year and have killed more people than anything else.

pandemic

pandemic

I don’t want to be the doomsayer, but the World is a scary place these days. Maybe more scary than the days of duck and cover which I don’t think I ever did in school. We did have Fallout Shelters in our school and I recall them being stocked with food and water. I also need to stop watching those shows on TV like “How the World will End”. What scares me the most is the ability of some to get their hands on weapons, like the IED in Manchester? Is it possible to acquire something and infect mosquitoes and to then transmit it to humans. As Rodney King said “Can’t we all get along”? I’m trying hard to not get political and in this day when people don’t just have ideas but are willing to fight in an instant instead of debating the virtues of their opinion.

Are we the smartest?

We are the smartest on this planet and yet often times the most opinionated and less likely to concede that our thoughts could be wrong. How will it end? I don’t know but anything could spark that moment – a trigger on the bomb, someone with a pandemic and the ability to spread it or as

Abraham Lincoln said “…At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

The Doomsday Clock is set to – two and a half minutes to midnight, the Clock is ticking, global danger looms.

Spring Is here and the bugs may be at your door

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Spring is here

So Spring has finally arrived ohhhh and we finally see that April the Giraffe had her baby boy. It’s a Facebook thing and this Giraffe has been expecting for well over a month and I all think we wish it would arrive and that includes April. This season is a time of rebirth, the trees and bushes start the process of new leaves and the animals including  starting the process of new babies. As Spring goes into Summer the temperatures will push the bugs into cooler climates such as your home or business. So please keep an eye on eaves, roof-lines and sheds where we see more activity from honeybees etc.

I was sitting in my car on the overpass at the US 60 and Gilbert Road last week and a swarm flew right into and over us, glad my windows were rolled up. Watch the video on Honeybees . Take some time to smell the flowers life is to short to miss the fun stuff – relax take some time.

Spring blooming cactus

Spring blooming cactus

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQi9pZ8jE9M[/embedyt]

Cat ad 4 best pest company – ProBest Pest Management

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Cat ad delivers message to viewers

You know I’m really not a cat person, I like dogs. Yes I know more people these days own cats than dogs but hey what can I say. There is this World renown Entomologist in Florida that despises cats and he frequently makes fun of all types. He even includes jabs at training events and a magazine his University publishes. To me they are finicky while dogs will generally play and come to you no matter what. Cats are just cats, no more no less. Did you know that all dogs come from wolves, I mean there are all kinds small and large, tall and short, ugly and cute (all in the eye of the beholder) well you get the drift. I guess they have been around a long time, I guess their good mousers (well most of them). But at least the one below knows something good.[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v37FuUFfF0[/embedyt]

cat

cat

News from the Grand Canyon

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“Monthly plague monitoring to start at Grand Canyon”

 

So why would I post something like this? Several years ago I was visiting Montezuma’s Castle off I-17 north of Phoenix when I observed  people hand feeding some squirrels and I just was amazed. Then not a month later i heard about a bite that occurred and of course who paid the price, the squirrels.

They came in and trapped and relocated every single squirrel. Don’t feed the wildlife. Check out the article on other ways to stay away from possible issues , including prevention tips for pets.

Did you know that rodent teeth continue to grow?

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This story is from Grant County, Washington and just highlights the need to understand rodents. I have on occasion had people tell me “I don’t care if I have rodents or birds in my attic”. “I don’t care if they are under my crawlspace, they are not bothering me”. Well maybe not today but how about tomorrow? What happens when they leave, what parasites do they leave behind? What damage can be done to the structure? “911 outage in Grant County possible caused by rodents”

  1. Rodents incisor teeth continue to grow and they need to keep them in check.
  2. Fleas, ticks and other critters make their homes in the nest or on the bodies of wildlife.
  3. Animals/wildlife seek shelter within our homes but it is very important to keep them out. They produce feces, urine and other bodily secretions daily – you don’t want or need them in your home.
  4. Mice urinate almost continuously, if this becomes airborne you have the chance to breath it in. This is how Hanta Virus is spread.

Home-sealing is a key to keeping them out.

StormShield

The Plague rears its ugly head in Flagstaff area.

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From time to time the Plague comes to the front of the news, we occasionally have the Plague at the 4 corners area of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. Recent testing in Coconino County in Northern Arizona, tested positive on prairie dogs in the Doney Park area.

“Fleas in Flagstaff test positive for plague”

 

We generally don’t have fleas in Phoenix, I think mainly due to lack of humidity. Flagstaff is at a higher altitude and has greater humidity levels.

 

 

Why worry about the pests?

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Throughout history we humans have done some terrible stuff to each other, wars only to mention one. But did you know that compared to all the wars ever fought the bugs have killed more of us.

  1. Yes number one the list is Mosquitoes, they have killed lots of humans and animals. Malaria, Dengue Fever and Yellow Fever are among the biggest threats to us still to this day.
  2. Fleas probably rank as number 2 and may have contributed to killing 1/3 of the people in Europe during 1340’s  known as Bubonic Plague, still with us today.
  3. My number 3 may not have killed as many as above but worldwide cause more damage to food, foodstuffs including grains and other type products. Rodents including mice and rats may spoil 1/3 of all grains worldwide and may directly lead to food shortages or starvation than any other insect or wildlife.

So yes I worry that as we progress as a society that we consider the wise use of pesticides. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is very useful within the confines of general pest management but there are reasons why pesticide use must continue. This article “Kissing Bug disease prompts growing concern in U.S.” shows that the concerns are justified. Here is Arizona we deal with Bark Scorpions and there is no magic bullet to stop them. The only method is home sealing and proper use of pesticides, so until that day arrives where we can target this critter I see no alternative than to spray them before they make it into our homes.

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