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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’s up with those crazy little termites?

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Enlarge the picture and notice the down tube (in the middle of the left hand basket). Our Arizona termites make these tubes to reach the ground and often times they can be in the strangest places.

The termites find wood and then focus on taking it back home, they are smart and they are attempting to find a quicker and easier, way back to the ground. Yep, amazing.

Termites in the kitchen – it does happen

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This little termite mud tube popped up inside a kitchen cabinet, actually came up the inside crack from the stem wall of the home. Homeowner quickly spotted the activity and gave us a call to perform a termite treatment on their house.

Always be on the lookout for mud or dirt staining with your home, termites build mud tubes or tunnels on the outside foundation wall to gain access into the house.

A clean kitchen is a wonderful thing!

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I’m often reminded as I make my way through a kitchen of cleanliness and sanitation.

Besides a great cook or chef, cleanliness is of the utmost importance. Once a German Roach infestation has occurred it is important to address it immediately don’t let it continue because it will not take care of itself. Populations can increase quickly and nobody wants bugs in their kitchen or restaurant. So keep it clean daily, weekly and monthly. What do I mean that that last statement – someone should be responsible for daily cleaning, someone should be responsible for weekly cleaning and someone should be held accountable for monthly cleaning. This should also be a part of managements role within the restaurant. There are numerous spreadsheets available online for managing a cleanup of a restaurant.

Keep it clean cause nobody likes a dirty restaurant.

You know theres trouble when ….

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This story caught my attention because of the following – “The reports states the inspection was not completed because the “inspector was not feeling safe.” This story is out of Maryland and I was caught off guard when the inspector said he didn’t feel safe because he heard crying noises from a storage area.

I think all restaurants need to have pest control, I check bathrooms before I eat any out at any establishment. If the bathrooms are clean generally speaking so is the kitchen and prep areas. From my point of view we always get that call when it’s an emergency and it has gotten to the point of State Inspections. Now don’t get me wrong there are numerous great restaurants that understand the word -clean. But if you own a restaurant here are a few of my tips.

Cleaning is a daily job, if the employee’s are taught right from the very first day and held accountable it will help.
Set up specific duties on different days to accomplish goals. For example Monday – clean all deep fryers, Tuesday specifically clean under all stoves, pull out heavy items, Wednesday – use Biovade or grease eating scum products to prevent build up – making sure to keep drains full of water and clean, Thursday – clean pantry taking stock of all inventory and making sure to use first in first out premise and Friday – clean anything else specific to that restaurant and no taking off duties on weekends.
Post duties and make sure it gets done.
Management must be just as accountable as employee’s.
Don’t tolerate bad behavior.
Praise staff for cleaning excellence – especially if you pass inspections, I suggest a party after work or free food. If everyone buys in, the place will be clean and draw in more consumers.

Grease traps should be checked and evaluated monthly, along with drains and other areas of spillage.

How important is a clean house or restauarant to keeping out the pests?

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After much research here it is – it appears this quote may have come from Rabbi Ben Yair (Hebrew Proverb) (2nd Century) and appears this way in text –

The doctrines of religion are resolved into carefulness; carefulness into vigorousness; vigorousness into absemiousness into cleaniness ; cleaniness into godliness. (spellcheck went crazy over these words….)

So not from the Bible or your Mother, but I’m going to say it should be right up as if it came from either. I’m not saying that if your home is perfectly clean you will never seen bugs. Ants can trail in looking for food and move right on along unless they encounter something. Moisture is probably another much bigger factor, cockroaches can go months without food but seldom a week without water. A speck of food could be a whole meal for a roach. I think the bigger issue – harborage areas for them to hide in. The more cracks and crevices = more availability to hide and stay hidden.

The BIG picture the cleaner the home or restaurant the less chances of hidden pests.

Photo by PPMA

“The doctrines of religion are resolved into carefulness; carefulness into vigorousness; vigorousness into abstemiousness into cleanliness; cleanliness into godliness.” As you can see, in the quote, ‘cleanliness’ is literally next to ‘godliness.‘ – See more at: http://donnaperuginichildrensauthor.com/2011/03/03/where-did-the-saying-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness-come-from/#sthash.TK7ImvmE.dpuf

German roaches

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German cockroaches are the scourge of the kitchen and sometimes the bathroom. Let them in and they are there to stay until you call ProBest Pest Management that is. Many people attempt to solve their roach problems and sometimes it works but you have to understand their biology. So maybe you kill a few here or there, you should realize that that is only the tip of the iceberg. I don’t recommend the use of bug bombs; they tend to make the roaches go deeper and further away for the time being. So here are a few tips to keep them out:

Don’t keep boxes in the pantry; put the food into plastic containers.
Don’t allow food to sit around.
Keep the kitchen free from dirt and grease.
Pull out the refrig from time to time and clean it, an extra tip – clean the condenser coils it will save you money.
If you see one, look deeper. Don’t panic but don’t underestimate the finding.

Termites can pop up in the weirdest places.

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Termites can pop up in the weirdest places.

With termites you never know where they will show up, I have seen them in bathrooms and garages. Really almost anywhere in the home, they are not real peculiar in where they show up.

Any crack or intrusion within that concrete slab allows them access. Given that crack – they will find it.

Technology continues to advance with new and unique termiticides, Termidor, Transport and Altriset.

“Call a Pro… Call the Best. ProBest!”

A Picture is worth a “Thousand Words”

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A Picture is worth a “Thousand Words”

I love this picture, this crack is about as thick as a credit card and this German Cockroach was making it’s way into it, without much difficulty. German Roaches love to have their top and bottoms of their bodies touching an object, it affords them comfort in knowing that they are out of sight and hidden. This is called Thigmotropic – The turning or bending response of an organism upon direct contact with a solid surface or object.

This isn’t the greatest picture but roaches and bugs are able to hide in the smallest of harborages, just think about the ability of Bed Bugs to hide behind baseboards and in dressers or just about any area in which they can flatten out and hide. Remember pests have adapted to us and have done so in remarkable a fashion, they can hide so well that it takes a true Professional to track them down.

If I only had one tool to use for pest control what would it be?

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If I only had one tool to use for pest control what would it be?

The tool would be this little fellow, it’s a Bellows type hand duster. Now you’re probably saying why are 2 different colors of this handy little tool, glad you asked? Green = no pesticide, Red = pesticide. We often use Diatomaceous Earth or DE for short and since its not a pesticide is considered GREEN, this powder has a abrasive texture and cuts the cuticle on the insects and is not considered a pesticide. By the way there are different cuts of DE and you must use a food grade type not the pool stuff.

Now obviously I can’t use a duster for everything but this tool could just about take care of everything. I love to dust cracks and crevices where those little bugs hide. You can dust behind baseboards, tack strips excusion plates (those metal plates where pipes comes through the walls), kitchen and bathrooms vanities, inside walls oh any those bump-outs of the block walls ( Bill says those are called pilasters) I’m not convinced yet but everyone knows what a bump-out is.

Doesn’t it make sense that that is where the bugs are going to hide during the day? That is where I would hide to get out of the heat and stay away from predators. I’ll say this again, anybody can spray a bug but the real test is when there is a mega infestation, its all about the biology and habits of those bugs. Da da that’s where ProBest Pest management comes in, “Call a Pro… Call the Best. ProBest!