inspection Archives - Arizona Pest Control - Pest Management Services

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What are My TOP 10 Tips for keeping bugs out of your home?

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TOP 10 Tips

Watch the useful Tips video below to get useful, helpful techniques for preventing bugs from getting into your home or business. I have to think that most people dislike bugs getting into the home and frankly there is no reason to put up with them. Home-sealing is probably the most economical as it will help to lower electric bills both in Winter and Summer. Keeping the heat or cooling systems at peak efficiency and keeping $$$$ in your pocket.

Think outside your house, think about the roof and out buildings. You will have to think like that pests or at least think how they might enter the house or shed. While we might need a door, they can find access through a hole.

tips

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suiWKtQ97zs[/embedyt]

How is it possible to get water damage in Arizona?

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Water damage is a concern across the U.S. whether you are in Florida or Arizona. I guess the only difference is the abundance of moisture. With humidity levsls at 99+% in Florida the chances are greater that you will have issues. Anytime that wood gets wet and then dries, then gets wet and dries again you can expect some type of wood decay to take place. I often see this damage occurring at roof lines or at fireplace chimney areas.

Depending on where you live this wood damage may affect your termite inspection. So it is important to stop the water before it gets worse.

Is it worth the money to have a Termite Inspection done to purchase a home?

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I’m always amazed when people are willing to spend $100,000s of their hard earned cash and not ask for opinions on the important stuff. I would always (by the way I have always had a Home Inspection and Termite Inspection) when I purchased a home. One in Florida and one in Arizona, I wouldn’t skip this important second set of eyes for nothing! Even though I have years of experience I still have some company give me their professional opinion. We charge $57 cash day of inspection and $67 to go to escrow and honestly its not like its going to break the bank. But if there is an issue later I want someone that can answer some questions or give me insight into the problem. I have seen some realtors suggest that people not get inspections – are they going to answer those termite questions, and what happens if there are termites hidden?

If you look at a U.S. map, we have Heavy termite activity from Florida to Texas and North to South Carolina and Moderate to heavy from Texas throughout Arizona North to Nevada. Read what the National Pest Management Association has to say about termite inspections and what the says Arizona Department of Agriculture Office of Pest Management (Consumer Resources and Termites). So please think about the money as an investment in your home.

What does IPM Integrated Pest Management have to do with Bed Bugs

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IPM or “Integrated Pest Management is a process involving common sense and sound solutions for treating and controlling pests. These solutions incorporate three basic steps: 1) inspection, 2) identification and 3) treatment. Treatment options vary from sealing cracks and removing food and water sources to pesticide treatments when necessary.”

Bed Bugs and you – TIPS

Encasements keep the bed bugs trapped inside the mattress or box springs until they die if missed during the initial treatment.
Prevent bed bugs from hiding inside beds, making an infestation harder to find and treat.
Offers a first line of defense to stop bed bugs, even before they have been detected by you.

Encasements are a valuable tool to homeowners and people who either travel or have guest stopping by often. Encasements will also help to make that mattress or box spring last a little longer.

Photo by PPMA

What exactly is “A Peace of Mind Inspection”?

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My theory is that no one knows everything, period. I can assure you I know bugs and that includes the pests that can damage your home. Termites are right up there and cause about 5 billion a year in damage across the U.S. While our termites here in Arizona aren’t quite the most aggressive in eating your home they still cause damage.

So my advice, get a yearly termite inspection. Most companies provide free quotes for termite treatment options. ProBest Pest Management offers free quotes and we charge a nominal fee ($45) for a regular home inspection. We may also provide some recommendations concerning conducive conditions which might encourage termites gaining entry into your home. This is different from a Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report ($57-$67) required generally for the sale of a home and we generally provide a free warranty if we don’t find termites at the time of the inspection * disclaimers, to the new buyers.

What do we look for generally? (not inclusive) – You can also look for these signs.

Termite tubes, tunnels, dirt on drywall and drop tubes from the ceiling.
Termite damage, baseboards and wood.
Termite pellets from Drywood termites.
Water damage, including stains from leaks.
In out brief tour of your home we may notice other things maybe or maybe not related to termites such as mold or smells indicative of mildew etc.
Feces (such as rodent droppings).
Screening not in place.
Home-sealing.

ProBest Pest Management – Pest Control

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Call a Pro… Call the Best. ProBest!

Tagxedo turns words — famous speeches, news articles, slogans and themes, even your love letters — into a visually stunning word cloud, words individually sized appropriately to highlight the frequencies of occurrence within the body of text.

This is what our ProBest homepage looks like and it looks like Professionals is right at the top.

Tips for preventing pests at Christmas time.

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I’m not talking about uninvited people showing up at Christmas time and/or those over staying their welcome. Let’s talk about bringing in Christmas trees and the creatures we may be bringing in as well.

Always check your Christmas tree for things like squirrels, remember the “Christmas Vacation” movie (I really love that movie) hilarious.
Use caution when bringing things down from the attic, go through and make sure there are no rodents, bats or wildlife living in the boxes.
While you are in the attic, do a little inspection – check for termites (mud or dirt and damaged wood), do you see feces from rodents or bird nests.
Use caution when putting up Christmas decorations outside, you might disturb wildlife and you may accidentally fall.
Use caution putting decorations into trees or bushes, critters may live there.

What won’t termites eat?

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Termites don’t eat concrete or plastics, but they will build over it and many other products. There was a few years ago some type of foam which was filled with concrete and it always worried me as in my opinion it was just a space in which they could build a tube.

Garages are well known for termite activity, I guess when build it is the last concrete poured and who knows want went on after the pretreatment. That story for another day, but I find termites in garages often and this is not always what I find but it is interesting. Since the expansion joint is visible in the garage, this is what you look for when performing a termite inspection. Mud tubes or tunnels coming up the foundation wall into the structure, are often visible unless you have storage against the walls which most people do. So the lesson here is not to obstruct the expansion joint, better said than done since the garage is the catch all of our lives.

I recommend a yearly inspection which is free from ProBest unless it is for a sale of a home or business for termites if you live in the South or Southwest and if you notice anything that looks like mud inside the home call Professional Termite Company ASAP.

A stain is just a stain, right?

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During a wood destroying insect/termite inspection you find a termite mud stain, what is it? Termites build shelter tubes and if someone knocks them down all that may appear is this stain. Some people will go so far as to wipe it away and pretend that everything will be OK.

A few facts:

Termites don’t generally go away on their own.
In many places you must disclose that to a new buyer.
If their are no drill holes – then no termite was performed – refer to #1.
It must be noted on the inspection form.

If you find something like this it is important to find a Professional Termite Company to lend you a hand.

Why are termites swarming in Phoenix, AZ?

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Termites swarm as a form of reproduction and they are showing up everywhere in the Phoenix area and beyond.

This was what it looked like under almost every rodent bait station in South Phoenix yesterday. Termite swarmers (alates) break their wings off and then start to follow the opposite sex, ready to begin a new colony. The rain triggers the reproduction mode of ants, termites and other insects. Have you seen termites swarming at you home, if so now would be a great time for a termite inspection?

Rain = the beginnings of life…