All posts in “home”

Bath Trap

Bath Trap

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Bath Trap

So imagine if you will, the construction company is building your dream house. Sounds like the Twilight Zone, everyone has different skill sets, mine is bugs and entomology. We or a pretreat company sprays the ground to treat the soil for termites before they pour the concrete. When the plumber comes along later, how do they deal with that mess from the bath trap. Generally they remove it away and don’t worry about it. Now I wonder where are the termites going to come into the house. Either on the outside of the home or where there is a hole.

Termite season

Termite season

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Termite season

Its termite season, as soon as monsoon hits and rain begins to fall. Those mud tubes seen in the picture are a sure sign. Now if they are inside and more noticeable its time to call ProBest Pest Management. If your home was built before they started raising the stucco, it is good to have an inspection yearly but at least every other year. Termite are crafty and often not visible, so a termite inspection by a Pro is often the best medicine again these little girls. 24/7/365 they are lurking for a way into your home and all they want is food = your home.

So what do you look for?

  • Those telltale tubes up the outside wall.
  • Those same type mud tubes inside, either at baseboard or the ceiling, these can be drop tubes or damage on walls. Subterranean termites always go with with the grain of the wood and always have dirt with those galleries.
  • Any damage that you are concerned about.
  • Any painting that is damage from behind.
  • Anything that you are concerned with call our office or send us a picture [email protected]
  • Termite Season is here, are you prepared – call ProBest today 602-249-7378 or 623-414-9176

Termites can cause significant problems, so watching you single biggest investment is worth it. If you watch a home for someone else it is equally important. Along with a 401K, it is an asset to you or a loved one. Pest control is also handy to have, as the technician is there on a consistent basis and can catch many issues.

 

Drywood Termites

Drywood Termites

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Drywood Termites are not a real BIG problems here in Arizona because Drywoods  get all their water from the wood. The most obvious sign of termites are the pellets they leave behind. Subterranean Termites use their fecal material with their waste to build tunnels and tubes. The fecal pellets from these termites are rounded with concave grooves, primarily from their anal glands reducing the amount of water escaping.

Subs:

Subterranean termites eat with the grain of the wood, while Drywood Termites  eat across the grain. You can always tell subs versus drywoods – dirt or soil is always included with damage of subs. I remember a building Daytona Beach, Florida – huge building with multiple floors and upstairs wood floor with piles of Drywood pellets. They were obvious little pyramids all over the floors. In this case the only (only method to absolutely get rid of them is fumigation. You tent the entire building and put gas inside. Here is Arizona you can get lucky from time to time and find the termites.

Drywoods:

On occasion I have found them in windows and or walls. Either take out the wood or use a product that can seep into the wood. This can only occur if the wood has never been painted or varnished. You can spray, paint or foam the unsealed wood, just follow label instructions. As you can imagine these Drywood Termites are quite common in areas with water like Florida and California. However, you won’t find them in colder climates and the actual size of the colony is limited to about 3000. Subterranean termites can usually have over 1 million, while Formosan termites (another type of Subterranean) can have 16 million or more.

Remember that the bugs will inherit the earth, one way or another they will be here forever. So call ProBest for all your bug needs 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176

Your Home, Your Fortress

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Your Home, Your Fortress

 

Where no bug should enter! I tell this story often – I don’t see bugs in my house, I think because they are scared of me. Oh occasionally I see a house fly or a Crane Fly slips thru my screens or doors but generally that is it. I did however have a problem with some rodents a few years back, but I dealt with them quickly. But trust me on this – they DO NOT go away on their own. Someone on Next Door app, tried to convince the neighborhood that if you picked up the fruit they would leave. Nope, Nope and Nope! I spend a long time learning this stuff and TRUST me on a few things – I know bugs.

Just like the picture above, most people might just see dirt. But upon closer inspection (yes I know to look closer) I see termites. I know the telltale signs and where to look and in what rooms I’m more likely to see them.

Your house should be your castle, protect it. Check it over monthly, hey and your not alone in this endeavor. Call the Pro’s at ProBest Pest Management 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176. Ask me a question, show and send  e the pics and I’ll reward you with answers I hope. Don’t tell anybody – I don’t know everything about bugs but I know where to look.

Wood damage

Wood damage

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Wood damage can occur when termites get into the picture. There is a joke in here somewhere. Your house is just sitting there waiting to be attacked by these wood eating machines. There is an old saying “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when”, most homes in the South are vulnerable to these attacks.

If your home is over 15 years of age, the original pretreat may be gone. I believe if the termiticide is under the slab it last longer, so checking the outside of the home is important. If your home is stucco, and it goes into the dirt – maybe check it more often than yearly. Wood damage often will go unnoticed until someone notices a tube on the ceiling or wall. My personal belief is that you should have an inspection yearly.

Generic versus Termidor

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Generic versus Termidor, so lets imagine if you will. BASF the original maker of Termidor bought the fipronil from their source and manufactured the original with inert ingredients. Then came at least 10 years of testing, we did 16 homes with none having issues in Arizona.

Now when the patent comes off companies come out of the woodwork to make something just as good. So they can’t get their hands on the inert ingredient list from BASF so they concoct their own – see the problem? So is there an issue with Generics versus Termidor, I believe there is. Choose the original.

  1. Not the same ingredients.
  2. No testing has to be done. They piggyback off the data from BASF, not fair but legal.
  3. Not all generics are the same, formulations are not the same. Stick with the real product from BASF fipronil Termidor.

Public Health

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Public Health

Public Health and Human Health, go hand in hand to provide the cornerstone of pest treatments.

Approximately 100 Arizona residents die yearly due to asthma, and 651,000 are afflicted. Bed Bug & cockroach allergens can trigger asthma attacks. Low-income elderly housing residents are particularly vulnerable. Our Community IPM team reduced cockroaches by 87% and bed bugs by 93% in Phoenix public housing for elderly & disabled. Arizona Pest Management Center

Public Health

Photo by NPMA

Sub Termites

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Sub Termites

Sub Termites – They are creepy and they are always trying to find wood = your home or business. 24/7/365 ALWAYS LOOKING. Look for signs and don’t encourage them to come to your dinner plate. Stop them by eliminating what they want.

  1. Check your home monthly for sign of bugs/pests.
  2. Don’t over water.
  3. Reduce plants,  bushes and trees under the eave of the house.
  4. Don’t plant vines.
  5. Maintain a few inches of space between stucco and ground or rock.
  6. Look for tubes, grass eating termites and castles. Don’t put items over the expansion joint in garage, make it visible.
  7. Once every few years have a Pest Management Professional do an inspection. Pay them its worth it.
  8. Don’t cheap out – your home is an investment. Make it last.

Sub Termites    Sub Termites     Sub Termites

Kitchen tubes

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Kitchen tubes termites

Kitchen tubes and termites, always a freaky thing to discover. This was of course unusual and of course there was a shower bathtub on the other side. This makes it difficult to treat, almost making it impossible to get to the bath-trap. Maybe the possibility of angle drilling, but whoa pipes in the way.

Checking your home monthly for signs of termite tubes is helpful in determining an active infestation. Check for signs outside at the foundation and check inside for any signs of soil/dirt tubes and stains. In Arizona termites become more active after monsoon and the rains. This year we have had a lot of rain, so keep an eye out for signs.

 

It’s not the appliance but the hole that lets in the critters.

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The appliance and the hole.

The appliance and your home. It’s the hole that affects the entry of the pests. Often the wall socket is surrounded by the cover but may still allow pests. The cover may fit tightly but the technique is to fill in that gap with caulking. By sealing the outside, you stop the pests outside. But if there is a gap and they encounter it they may get in. Home-sealing is still the best option and helps to add one more line of defense against the possible invasion of pests.

Home-sealing eliminates the holes or crack that scorpions, ants and spiders may take into your home. You can do your own sealing or hire a professional company to do it. It is better to be done in the winter if you you-re doing it as it HOT and messy. You can do the inside any ole time and its easy enough to do, pull the cover down or off and caulk.

appliance

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