All posts in “Human Interest”

See I told you this was going to happen!

 

This whole mess with the economy continues to add woe after woe to those you can’t or won’t follow good rules. Now if you can’t afford it then the City has to do something (remember when they cut the ranks of sanitation workers), don’t get me wrong if money is tight you have to cut things. Can’t cut Police or the Fire Departments, or the water department – well you get the picture.

An Eyesore Like No Other In Bronx: Tree Grows Through Dilapidated Home

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Hey, you talkin to me?

Is knowledge really important?

 

Do you really care whether someone has all the right knowledge on a given subject? I think that it is important to continue to gain knowledge. In my industry there are some that never let their employee’s go to class or other events because someone might steal that employee. I’m just the opposite – if they were looking and then left, they were looking anyway. So you need to figure out why they left.

I have always encouraged my employee’s to learn new stuff. One employee has his Qualifying Party license and he is excited that in just 6 months he can take his A.C.E. (Associate Certified Entomologist) test. I insist that each month they take an additional Continuing Education unit from a site like Univar and the best part is that it is FREE. Here in Arizona we are required to earn 6 CEU’s and in Florida where I also have a Certified Pest Control Operator Pest License I’m required to earn 2 for each category that I have and 2 for Core. On average I think I always have about 30 or so, you can earn them at places like Pestworld (which will be held in October 2013 in Phoenix) and other events sponsored by various groups throughout the year.

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What worries me?

What worries me the most is when I did a Google and Bing search for  “Do It Yourself (DIY) products for Bed Bugs”  (About 5,710,000 results (0.35 seconds) and Bing 8,900,000 results. There is so much information out there and I want to know who is right and who is wrong? Everybody is an expert these days, well I have to tell you – do your homework and if you need an opinion find someone knowledgeable. Remember the adage “If it sounds to good to be true”. Don’t fall for all these claims, make sure you get all the facts and don’t use things that could hurt you worse. Hire a professional because they know how better pest control helps protect public health and improves our quality of life.

http://www.pestworld.org this is the site for the National Pest Management Association and is a wealth of useful information.

Leave it to the Pros – Find a Local Pest Control Company

When pests find their way indoors, homeowners are often tempted to try and control the problem on their own. However, the truth is that most pests – from bed bugs and termites to wasps and other stinging insects – are better left to professionals. The professionals listed in our exterminator directory have the knowledge, tools, and training to safely and properly eliminate pest infestations. If you are concerned about an infestation on your property, it’s best to hire licensed, local exterminators to assist in proper identification and treatment of the household pest problem.

ProBest is a member of the NPMA - no worries

ProBest is a member of the NPMA – no worries

 

 

Somebody is becoming quite the eating machine.

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Our resident and pet snake has decided to be more of a pig recently – she will eat every day if I fed her that often. I fed her twice within the last few weeks and she is content to eat and shed often. She came to us about 5 years ago, from a linen store here in Phoenix. They thought she was a rattlesnake because she mimics the tail vibrating – she is a Gopher snake. This picture above is rather unusual in that she decided to eat the rodent back to front, normally they go after the head and then swallow.

There I was in the middle of the SWARM!

 

So there I was in my car in the middle of I-17 on Sunday afternoon sitting in traffic. Somebody wrecked , actually it was some type of 5th wheel and it blocked the entire interstate. 2 hours of real boredoom until the termite swarm happened. A little bit of rain and I noticed some flying bugs and all of a sudden one landed on the car and it was a termite swarmer.

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Desert subbterranean termite – mature colony is about 150,000, each colony can contain multiple secondary queens. The readily build mud tunnels over materials to reach wood. Thanks to ABC15 for the picture posted to FaceBook, check out their story.

If I saw this at my house, I may have to move – how about you?

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Spiders are not on my good list, big or small. I have always been terrified of these pests, especially one as large as this one. Big enough to carry a child away, OK I’m exaggerating a bit, right? Things to do to keep these monsters out of your home:

  1. Tight, really tight doors and screens.
  2. Home-seal your home.
  3. Install garage door seals.
  4. Use monitoring glue boards to see what is getting into the garage.
  5. Don’t bring in boxes from attic or outside without checking them.
  6. Always use gloves when moving anything from outside.

 

 

 

July 4th safety tips, for a safe holiday.

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  1. If you do any Independence Day holiday hiking, bring plenty of water for you and your pets, check your pets for ticks when you arrive home. Also keep an eye out for Africanized Honeybees, they might alert you by bumping into you.
  2. No drinking and driving, car, boat or anything else motorized. If you are going to party watch out for honeybees or wasp trying to get into your drink. Good way to get stung!
  3. The sun can do some damage to your skin, wear sunscreen. Some insects may be attracted to some sunscreens so bee aware.
  4. Picnics are great but ants may show up, so again keep an eye out as to where you place the blanket.
  5. Fireworks are nice (ohhhhh, ahhhhhh) you get the picture but mosquitoes may also be out and ready to bite.

So have a great time and join in on the fun and celebrations of July 4th, but be safe and aware.

 

 

Gotcha – one of those ah ha moments, what do you think?

Just when you thought you had heard every story in the book, I have a new one for you. The office staff in the United Kingdom thought there was a dead pigeon or something stinking up the place. So like any responsible person they called in a Pest Company to check their chimney. Ohhhhhh nooooooo – what do you think they found, yep a burglar had tried to get in and got stuck and died. “Pest Control man called called in to check stench in offices found dead burglar wedged in chimney“.

I’ll bet that will be a story to pass along to the Grand-kids, Guess what I found in a chimney once? No not Santa Claus but a burglar….

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Photo’s from the public and more…

 

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Eyed Click Beetle                                               Princess pretending to be a tree branch.

 

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