pack rats Archives - Arizona Pest Control - Pest Management Services

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Entry Points Rodents

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Entry Points Rodents

Often times we make it easy for entry points rodents access into our homes. Rodents will seek out any opportunity to get into the warmth and rain-free of your home. Why shouldn’t they, they are looking for the same things we are in life.

What should you look for?

Any holes, once a month check your home. Things settle and change.
Feces around pool pumps or a/c.
Nesting.
Bad construction, areas of access for birds and rodents.
Check sheds for opening and space beneath, I see lots of honeybee activity in those places.
Holes in the ground, indicating something present.
Check high and low, don’t let trees touch the home.
No vines or wood in the ground and then on the home.

If you are unsure on activity, call our office to discuss a professional inspection 480-831-9328 or 623-414-0176.

Snakes Good or Bad

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Snakes Good or Bad

Yes even the old man can wrestle up a snakes good or bad. OK we know its a Gopher snake and it is non-venomous. The point should be made that they are looking for food and if you have mice/rats they will be looking at your place. ProBest has this major account, 400 acres and the reptiles come into the main area in search of food. Often times its Rattlesnakes and nobody wants or needs this.

In general all snakes are good, they reduce the population of vermin. This is great except for those chance encounters in or near your home. King snakes and Gopher snakes are plentiful and will even eat Rattlesnakes. We often encounter snakes while hiking, our technicians often find them hiding out in rodent bait stations. This gives them a real start for the day, actually anything in the box will scare you.

What do you do?

Since we run across snakes frequently, we do move them for customers. There is a charge for this, especially if it is a rattlesnake. Our liability increases due to the bite factor. Another issue is if you call us, you need to keep an eye out – while we get to your place. If we arrive and the snake slithered away, they is still a fee. Time is money.

The key to living with snakes good or bad, is knowing what kinds of snakes are here in Arizona. See the guide and learn how to identify the good from the bad. As always if you have an issue call us 480-831-9328 or 623-414-0176 and keep an eye on snake so when we arrive we can catch and release down the road.

Snakes & Rodents

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Well it’s that time of the year for snakes to become a tad more adventuresome . They are looking for food and may be drawn into your property following their food. They like ground squirrels, rodents and smaller game. So, much like scorpions and their food, it is important to keep an eye out for rodent activity leading to snake activity.

Remember snakes are venomous versus poisonous, they bite and that is the difference. Anything that bites, injects is venomous while things like Poison Ivy is poisonous – if you eat it etc.

Snakes provide a real service by keeping the population of rodents in check. Many people would argue but even rattlesnakes have their place – as long as its not near or in your home. ProBest does have a service to remove those snakes from your property. The only thing I ask, please keep an eye out until we arrive so it doesn’t take us an hour to find it. Please call ProBest Pest Management today for any information 480-831-9328 or 623-414-0176.

BurrowRX underground rodents

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BurrowRx underground rodents

BurrowRx underground rodents. Do you have underground rodents (rats and mice), ground squirrels, pocket gophers, gophers, moles or pack rats? We have the solution to their constant burrowing, damaging of plants and holes which people and kids can fall into. Another issue that can occur is that these rodents are prey to rattlesnakes and other more harmful creatures. If they are present it may encourage snakes to wonder into and on your property.

The BurrowRx Rodent Control Device

The BurrowRx Rodent Control Device is classified as a pesticidal device. Secondary kills of nontarget species is not likely when used as directed. When the Carbon Monoxide dissipates there’s no longer a risk to anything entering the burrow system. It uses a smoke tracer to let you know where the carbon monoxide is going. It’s your prescription for any burrowing rodent problem. Carbon Monoxide can be used as an effective approach to control of burrowing rodents. As the Carbon Monoxide enters the burrow system, the rodent breathes it in. The Carbon Monoxide then replaces the oxygen in their blood. And without oxygen, cells in the body die and organs stop working.

Customers with pets love the BurrowRx underground rodents because there is no worry about primary poisoning by digging up poisonous bait, or secondary poisoning from gophers that have previously taken poisoned bait. Data efficacy is very effective at 95% at controlling borrowing ground squirrels.

Direct targeting of rodents within the burrow system.
No reliance on bait acceptance that sometimes hinders rodenticide and trapping efforts.
Our solution eliminates the worry about secondary or unintended kills.
It seldom requires handling of animals after treatment, which reduces the risk of disease and parasite transmittance to humans.
Allows you the customer to see that the technician and product is working.
Our commercial business approach is professional and builds customers’ confidence.
It can be highly efficacious.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFVX63irUH0[/embedyt]

Call ProBest Pest Management today to schedule your treatment – 480-831-9328

Kangaroo Rat -somebody doesn’t look good!

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Kangaroo Rat or Mouse?

Trick question – The Kangaroo rat usually have long tails, bushy at the end and big hind feet with four toes. They have large heads with big eyes and small ears. They are a sandy brown color with a white underbelly. Technically not a rat or mouse but a separate group on their own.

The Sonoran Desert kangaroo rats are remarkable in that they do not need to drink water, even though their diet is almost entirely composed of dry seeds. They survive almost entirely on water metabolized from the seeds they eat. The rats prefer seeds high in carbohydrates, from which they can produce a half gram of water from each gram of seed eaten. They even take a bath without water, keeping their shiny fur clean by taking dust baths in the sand.

Have you watched those shows where the dogs finds the Porcupine?

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This story immediately reminded me of that nightmare both for the dog, the owners oh and I guess the Porcupine too. “This rodents eats with needles” So to start this debate are Woodrats related to Pack Rats and the answer is yes. Pack rats are often called woodrats, pack rats build nests or middens and can collect quite the trove of neat stuff.

I didn’t know this but the cactus with the spines have a higher protein content.

Kohl and his colleagues believe that the rodent is choosing spines over an easier meal because the flesh of spiny cacti generally has a higher protein content and less fiber compared with naturally non-spiny cacti. In that sense, the woodrats are using the spines almost as a simple nutrition label.

Read more: http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/10779/20141128/rodent-eats-needles.htm#ixzz3KgU2ofxr

I don’t understand Pack Rats, do you?

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So yesterday I mentioned that you needed to understand your enemy, often times I think I do and then this happens. See these pictures below, I just don’t understand why rodents like to gather cactus, I would think it would be harmful.

The “jumping cholla” name comes from the ease with which the stems detach when brushed, giving the impression that the stem jumped. Often the merest touch will leave a person with bits of cactus hanging on their clothes or imbedding itself into your skin or to be discovered later when either sitting or leaning on them. The ground around a mature plant will often be covered with dead stems, and young plants are started from stems that have fallen from the adult. They attach themselves to desert animals and are dispersed for short distances. (Wikepedia)

Interesting photo – ProBest Pest Management!

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Interesting photo – ProBest Pest Management!

Merry Christmas!

Every once in awhile you run across something unique and the picture is worth a thousand words. This is one of those pictures.

photo snake skin

photo 1 snake skin

Snakes shed their skin to grow and discard this skin by brushing up against something rough scratching the old skin into peeling. We in turn shed our skin piece by piece, small flakes just fall off as we grow. Did you know that spiders and scorpions shed their skin as well. Sometimes you will see what you think is a dead spider in a web and it’s actually a shedded skin. We have a tarantula at the office and it is a freaky site to see when it sheds its skin. It turns upside down and pulls itself out. A spider can actually regrow a leg if one is lost. As I said freaky. This was probably the case here with the architecture of this building, rough edges creating the ability to start the process of shedding. No idea what type of snake this could have been, but we run into snakes all the time in the field. Just remember they were here before us and we need to use caution when in their area possibly hiking or camping.

Snakes eat a lot of small prey including mice, rats and rodents in general. So they can be a benefit to us, in that they can keep the population of rodents down.

Rodents will get in!!

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Rodents will get in!!

Rodents will do their best to gain access into a structure and once in they will continue to nest and quite possible raise their young. As you will notice from the damage to this structure, the rodents have brought in food (seeds) and this is mixed with fecal material and other nasty things. The trouble is not only the animals but parasites and all the nasty urine and fecal materials that are being left behind. Notice that everyone was wearing breathing masks to prevent the possibility of breathing in any fungal spores or contaminated urine or feces dust.