house Archives - Page 4 of 14 - Arizona Pest Control - Pest Management Services

Does black-lighting or exclusion work to control pests?

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So what in my opinion really works the best to control pests from getting into homes, without a doubt home sealing or exclusion. Here are my Top 3 ways to control scorpions and those other bugs that may want to make your home theirs.

Home seal or exclusion.
Black-lighting to reduce the population.
Consistent monthly pest control.

You hear me talk about IPM all the time and I’m telling you it works. Rather than spraying pesticides all the time, you can reduce the risk by helping your Pest Management Professional by doing a few things to improve the situation at your home. By black lighting you reduce the numbers and by doing so you reduce the numbers that might make it to your home. By sealing your home you again reduce the numbers that make it to your home and reduce the numbers that could make it in. The next way is to reduce the numbers of the food (crickets, roaches) and ultimately the scorpions themselves.

Now with all that said, I do believe in pest control but as I stated above it needs to be done in a consistent manner. If you have scorpions I think especially in Arizona it needs to be done monthly. I also believe that outside service is the most efficient along with home sealing and black-lighting. There are some in my professional that still don’t get it, they are the ones that still treat inside each month or power spray each month. Now don’t get me wrong I still occasionally do the inside ie: German Cockroaches or ants and if you have ticks I may decide to power spray. There are always exceptions to the rules. But soon the lack of water or water quality issues are going to trump the constant overkill of those outdated and impractical pest control techniques. (my opinion)

Have you ever tried DIY for German Roaches?

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The biggest issue I have with DIY (Do It Yourself) pest control is that most people don’t understand bugs. If you have the knowledge then you can deal with the pest. Same reason I don’t replace my own brakes on my vehicle. I don’t have a clue and frankly I don’t want to know. But let me tell you, I know bugs.

You know those cockroach stations that you just throw into the kitchen or bathroom cabinet, they might work if you get them close enough. But most people just toss them into the cabinet and that isn’t very helpful. Yes some roaches will find the stuff but if you place them near the source, it will work better.

So how would you control these roaches if the bait wasn’t close by, it’s far easier to just call a Pest Management Professional. 602-249-7378

What is a pretreat and why do I see termites in garages more often?

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A pretreat is done just before the pouring of concrete and is designed to prevent termites from coming up penetrations of the slab of concrete. Post construction treatment is done after a home is built.

I often see termites in garages and have been intrigued as to why they occur in those circumstances rather than inside homes. I have watched homes being built and I think I see the garages being worked on last. Sometimes the concrete is poured in the home and the garage is poured last. I also seem to remember that the pretreat originally was done on the home part and wasn’t redone or even done for the garage. Now I may be wrong but I have seen that and I think this is why I see more issues within the garages rather than inside the home.

What are people thinking?

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I know problems are bad, but before doing something this drastic please consider the consequences.

“Ann Arbor man sentenced to 1-10 years for touching bedbug-infested couch”

He could have injured or possibly even killed people. Please call a Professional.

Don’t move firewood, watch boat bottoms for unwanted pests

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I have seen it a few times, people bring in firewood and all of a sudden we have PowderPost Beetles or something else coming out of the wood. I have also seen the Arizona Fish and Game send out flyers and web information on the spread of quagga mussels on the bottom of boats. Here are two stories or updates on these issues.

“Park changes firewood regulation to protect forests”

Invasive mussels now confirmed at Lake Havasu as well as Lake Mead

It is really important to recognize that animals, wildlife and pests can travel. Just like Fire Ants in potted plants or termites in lumber or other materials. So always stay vigilant and be on guard against invasive species.

Photo from AZGFD site

Twas the night before Christmas and not a creature was stirring

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Oh yes they are, and we all need to be aware they are always out there and wanting into our cozy warm homes. What can you do to keep them out?

Seal all holes coming into your home.
Repair screens.
Install door sweeps.
Install garage door seals.
Close flue dampers or at least check them.
Pay attention to wiring around homes, rodents need to keep their teeth from growing to long.
Seal weep holes and check attic often.
When brining stuff down from attic, open boxes outside – prevents anything from getting loose within the house.

Photo by Univar

How do termites get into home?

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Any break or protrusion into the structure can be an avenue for termites, so any pipe or other object that extends past the concrete can be their entrance.

This was an easy entrance for the termites and once in they usually don’t leave without taking a bit of your home for food. So what do you look for:

Any mud tube/tunnel on the outside foundation wall.
Any suspicious dirt on the ceiling, small hole with dirt around it.
Drop Tubes inside the homes.
Baseboard that looks crinkled, subterranean termites usually run with the grain of the wood.

Sometimes it is and isn’t honeybees?

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Not sure exactly what is going on but at first thought that the bees had found a way into the home by way of a crack or space in the light fixture.

Next morning no bees at all, so maybe they were distracted by the light at night and couldn’t find the rest of the swarm.

When in doubt, check it out and call a Pest Management Professional

Photo by Zacc Cooley

Down tubes and termites

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Desert termites – yep these little gals are a bit on the weird side. They look for food 24/7/365 and they build tubes up and down. Instead of having to go back the same route, they go down possibly to save time on getting back to the ground and their source of water or moisture.

Termites are not generally a Do It Yourself pest issue, so call a Pest Management Professional for the best plan to keep them out.

A word of caution – Don’t stack wood against your foundation.

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I know you want to party but these are not the guests you want at your party. Termites will seek every opportunity to gain access into your home or business. Why then would you give them an invitation in?

A few tips:

Don’t stack firewood against the structure, pallets or wood of any kind.
If you must the put on blocks but don’t let it touch the house.
Firewood may attract more than termites, like carpenter bees and ants.
Cover the wood if possible, let it have a chance to dry.
When needing the firewood, bring in only what you need and if you don’t use it take it out. PowerPost beetles and other insects love to overwinter in the logs and if it get warm they think its Spring.

1st picture mud tube on foundation slab, 2nd picture the corner of pallet as it came into contact with foundation slab, 3rd entire pallet has termites.

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