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Is there Lyme Disease in Arizona? YES!

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According to CDC surveillance statistics, only 52 cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Arizona in the past 10 years. These statistics may be misleading. Reported cases reflect the “tip of the iceberg,” or only a fraction of the true cases. The CDC states there are approximately 30,000 reported cases of Lyme in the US, and acknowledges that it is under-reported by 10 fold. This means that there are a minimum of 200,000 cases in the US that meet the CDC standard of diagnosis.

There are over 25 species of ticks in Arizona that may carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Tularemia, Babesia and tick fever, as well as Lyme disease. If the tick that bites you is infected, it can inject Lyme bacteria into your bloodstream within hours of attachment. The bacteria can also invade your brain and nervous system in less than 24 hours.

There is a Arizona Lyme Disease Association and is there an answer – YES. As with any wildlife issue, there will almost always be a bug problem. Wildlife can be cute and can also carry diseases and parasites. So why not prevent the issue without harming the wildlife. How is this possible you say? Brochure Tick Control

The mice or ground squirrels enter the box, feed on the non-toxic food and get a combing of fipronil on their fur. They can then carry this back to nest-mates and it absorbs into their skin, killing ticks or fleas that bite and suck their blood.

Here is another article “Lyme Disease in the U.S. is 10-times underreported.”

Certified Installers by State

Promoting the proper use and handling of pesticides

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I ran across some great information (BASF ran a home seal) and wanted to pass it along as it pertains to all you Do IT Yourselfers (DIY) pest control folks. The pest control industry is regulated and yes, I know there are some out there that just can’t seem to be honest and ethical about it. The use of pesticides – read the Label and understand before you use it, the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) or (MSDS) and all use directions.

So here is the homeowner site from “Pesticide Environmental Stewardship” site. You know my stance on the use of pesticides, they are essential to our lives. There are some that would argue and honestly I’m sorry that they just don’t understand the big picture. Without pesticides death would constantly be knocking at our doors. I’m not kidding we often hear of Hanta Virus and Bubonic Plague here in Arizona. Even West Nile Virus (WNV) rears its ugly head occasionally and in others states Lyme Disease. There are some that advocate oils and organics (if you want to argue – put your money where your mouth is and send me some to test – has to be labelled for scorpions) but they in general just don’t hold up long enough. If my tests are proved wrong I’ll tell you about it. We have scorpions in Arizona and in a perfect world we could exclude homes and do other things to keep them out and by the way we do that with home-seals. But not everyone has that kind of money, wish they did. I advocate Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and prefer to do our work from outside (trying to limit the amount of pesticides within homes and if possible outside as well).

Don’t get me wrong here; I don’t advocate power spraying unless there is a need. We do it every once in a while on ticks but if possible we recommend that the pets to get properly treated and try to solve the issues to the benefit of our customers. That is the reason why we are members of PESP and QualityPro, to protect and serve our customers from the bugs that might be harmful and nasty.

Are you up for some fun & interesting books?

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I want to thank Tosha for picking up some fantastic books that we can give as give-a-ways at our pest control/post office. They are a great read for ages 9+ and I think they help to spread the word about bugs in general.

Scurrying Cockroaches by Jon Eben Field

Feasting Bedbugs, Mites & Ticks by Carrie Gleason

Bloodsucking Lice & Fleas by Carrie Gleason

Infesting Rodents by Rachel Eagen

Published by Dalmatian Press, LLC http://www.funpup.com

Were you aware that May is “National Pet Month”?

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Were you aware that May is “National Pet Month”?

Lots of us own pets, from cats to snakes and because of this we can also from time to time get uninvited pests including ticks and other vermin. In Arizona we don’t get fleas very often but we do encounter ticks on a regular basis. So what can you do to stop those infestations from happening to your home.

Don’t leave food out for feral cats, this may bring in other unwanted pests.
If you see holes in the yard check for Pocket gophers, they can damage plants and bring in pests.
Even birds like pigeons can bring in pests, don’t allow them them to live on your roof.
Bats can make your attic a home, seal and block all access into your attic. Bat Bugs can take up residence within your attic and if you get rid of the bats, the Bat Bugs may come into your home space.
Check your pets frequently for signs of fleas or ticks. You can use over the counter medicines but if you do please mention this to your Pest Management Professional – some of those products may contain a similar products and cause an overdose to the pet.
Keep grass or vegetation trimmed around the home.
Don’t become a hoarder, keep debris away from the home and discourage rodent activity.
Never place firewood next to your home, don’t invite rodents or pests near the home. If you use firewood only bring in what you plan on using right away.
If you have rodents, it may lead to snakes. Snakes have to eat so don’t encourage them to come to your house.
Don’t allow water to stand, mosquitoes can bite and transit diseases and parasites to your pets.

Who cares about bugs and rodents?

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Who cares about bugs and rodents?

Each and every day I’m reminded of the valuable service ProBest Pest Management offers, why you ask? Let me share some of my most memorable days of Public Health:

Customer called me because they couldn’t even get into their home because the fleas were so plentiful.
In all my 20+ years I had never seen Bed Bugs until 2009, that year we received our first call. In 2012 I witnessed over 1000 Bed Bugs in a very small home – I was amazed and also creeped out and itched all day. We were able to alleviate the problem but it stills worries me that people will put up with something like this until it virtually becomes a real BIG problem.
A young woman continued to call about Ticks, we treated her yard but she wouldn’t let us inspect her home. We did find ticks inside under a couch and solved the problem after finally finding the source.
I may have mentioned this before but a mobile home with at the every least 5 million cockroaches. I’m not kidding, I felt almost hopeless for this family. It took some time but I think we did a good job for them.
I once had the task of doing some Drywood Termite work in a church, the tower or steeple had more pigeon feces than I had ever seen. It was probably 10 foot deep and went down walls and was just gross, we fumigated the building and they had someone remove the feces and prevent them from gaining entry anymore.
Sometimes architecture often allows entry points into a structure, stucco not properly sealed or pipes or cable opening not sealed. I once particpated with a fumigation for cockroaches and never thought about rodents until the job was completed. Many, many dead rodents, by the way do you know that rodents love cockroaches?

Well anyway you get the picture, Public Health equals quality pest control.

Is the IRS the bloodsuckers they are made out to be?

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Is the IRS the bloodsuckers they are made out to be?

So today is Tax Day, the day most of us dread because we have to pay the taxes we owe. The Tax Man Cometh! So you know we always talk about Bed Bugs, Ticks, Fleas or Assassin Bugs because we know for sure that they truly do suck our blood.

Now I’ll admit that I think it is important to pay our fair share, I don’t have any children but I still think it is important to make sure schools are funded. I also think that I want Police and the Fire Departments available.

I do have one pet peeve, you should never get back more than you paid. So pay your fair share and it all works, right? Well I hope it works but we will see.

Have you ever wondered why fleas can jump so far?

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Have you ever wondered why fleas can jump so far?

They can jump due to their very strong back legs and from pads of a rubber-like protein called resilin. Some fleas can jump up to 150 times their own body length. What would that be to a human – a 100 story building.

Fleas caused the Bubonic Plague back in 1358 and are found throughout the U.S. We normally don’t have much of a problem here in Arizona, I think mainly due to the lack of humidity.

Flea control is really a four-step process: Stop wild animals from coming into your yards and absolutely making sure they cannot get into your home, the pet should be treated, indoor and outdoor control. This process can also be used on ticks, which we do have issues with in Arizona. Don’t confuse Ticks with Bed Bugs.

So just how many babies can mice have?

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So just how many babies can mice have?

Mice are capable of producing six to eight babies in each litter, sometimes as many as ten.

The biggest problem with mice is that they have multiple litters each year. One male and female mouse can produce up to 40 babies in one year. Multiply that by the fact that each litter will start producing babies as well within the year and you can see how quickly a couple of mice can get out of control. In just that first year those original mice can product up to 139. In one year, a pair of little house mice could produce thousands and thousands of offspring. This could happen if every baby survived and carried on the family system of multiplication. So it is very important to seal your home.

So here is a quiz:

Mice are famous for their ability to multiply at breakneck speeds. The type of mouse we have here gives birth once a month, birthing 12 babies each time. Baby mice mature and can give birth two months after they are born.You picked up one of these cute baby mice at the pet shop and brought it home the day after it was born. In 10 months from now, how many mice will you have? Don’t peek, have a guess – see below

Answer

One, the mouse cannot have any babies by itself.

Pets and Ticks

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National Instiute Allergy and Infectious Disease – Tickborne Diseases, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease and Plague

What’s in your attic?

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What’s in your attic?

Have you ever been in your attic or crawlspace? I’ll bet like most you probably haven’t and I don’t recommend doing it from April to September here in Arizona. The temperatures could be in the high 150’s and you wouldn’t want to pass out up there and die from heat exhaustion. But anyway back to the real story: it is important from time to time to at least walk around your home and look up to the roof-line to make sure you don’t have openings in the soffett which would allow animals or birds to enter. The same can be said of insects like honeybees, which can also cause extreme conditions after they are eliminated. A quick glance will let you know what critters might be in the attic, rodent feces and rub marks could certainly be an indication of present problems and warrants a further look. Remember that secondary pests might become a nuisance after you solve the main problem of the original pest ie: bird mites, ticks or fleas – bat bugs etc. So if you can prevent the initial encounter – you may prevent the entire mess.