All posts in “pest management”

Bug Control

Bug Control

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Bug Control

So at this point if you have read any of my previous posts, you know I’m a BIG fan of IPM and Schools should really be using this program. So how do I investigate before I propose for a bug control service.

  • I always check with the customer, what are they seeing, how many and when are they seeing them?
  • Then I preform an inspection.
    •  I carry a flashlight, mirrors and tools so I can get into areas and under things like sheds etc.
    • Transfer my notes to proposal sheet.
  •  Discuss options with the owner.
    • Is it insect pest or rodents, could be an issue outside with the shed or honeybees on exterior of home.
    • If it is rodents discuss what rodent stations look like and how they work, snap traps may also be involved.
    • I usually draw a graph, mandatory with termite but also good on pigeon work that needs to be done.

I have run into some problems especially in the Sun City, Surprise area of some Pest Control companies that either don’t issue a proposal before the work and/or jack up prices as they arrive to do the work. ProBest Pest Management doesn’t condone jacking up pricing – we will always issue a pest estimate on any work other than the typical pest control service. 480-831-9328 or 623-414-0176

Termite tube in my carpet?

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This picture is a termite tube coming up through the carpet, so termites work 24/7/365 and they won’t stop until they find food. Even if they find food, their search continues to the next food source. So occasionally they will enter through a crack in the concrete, so you need to look against the wall and inside the house. As always you can always call upon the best to look for these little girls. “Call A Pro… Call The Best. ProBest. 480-831-9328

By the way, now is a good time to look for termites in Arizona.

Look for tubes outside on the foundation.

Look for either drop tubes or tubes coming up from the soil or concrete carpet areas.

I see a lot of tubes in garages, so focus on garage along the outer walls.

Termite tube carpet

Termite tube carpet

 

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions?

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Maybe one you can add this year would be to make your home pest free.

  1. Home-seal your home.
  2. Clean up the weeds and stuff around the home.
  3. Check your attic before returning all that Christmas stuff.
  4. Hire a professional pest management company.Picture8

Insects and other vermin consume food on the street

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It turns out that millions of tiny bugs are consuming the equivalent of 60,000 hot dogs per year over a 150-block strip in Manhattan.

Just when you thought it was safe to go out into the streets of New York City – this amazing factoid “The bugs on a single NYC median can eat 14 pounds of food per year” Actually it is a good thing, if they didn’t eat all this stuff it might bring out more and possibly dangerous things like rodents.

My thoughts are just one rodent in the house is one to many. Wherever you live  there is probably a  Pest Management Professional…

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Researchers have sequenced the Centipede genome

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Strigamia maritime, a venomous and carnivorous centipede species that can be found on the coast of the Moray Firth in Scotland, has provided scientists with an insight into the evolution of myriapods (a subphylum of arthropods that includes centipedes and millipedes), a group that first evolved over half a billion years ago.

Published by PLOS Biology “The first myriapod genome sequence reveals…” this article might be easier to read “First centipede genome sequenced but scientists still grappling at multiple legs mystery”

 

Hantavirus – caution needed…

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A recent story in the news brings to light – the caution needed when doing work in crawlspaces or attic areas. If you live in the Southwest you need to be aware of hantavirus – “Adams County, CO man dies of hantavirus“.

 

Urine or feces which if dried, can be inhaled and brought into your lungs and then the symptoms  really begin – they include fever, chills, headache & severe muscle pain, especially in the lower back and legs.

 

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Photo by NPMA

My favorite bug in the news – “Kissing Bug”

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“Kissing Bug” aka Triatoma, Assassin Bug, Cone-nose, Wheel Bug, or Ambush bug and sometimes called the Masked Bedbug Hunter “Arkansans spot the dangerous “kissing bug“. This bug is considered a predatory insect, it generally goes after other bugs and suck their fluids right out of their bodies. It gets that Kissing Bug name from the way they attack humans at night if they get into your home – they go to the area of our bodies that allow easier penetrations, like our mouth.

There are a variety of species (7000) and most look cool with their coloration but watch out for their piercing sucking rostrum. They live in the Southern States and Mexico. They transmit Chagas Disease with that painful bite wound where people accidentally scratch and introduce the organism into their bodies .

Best way to keep them out of your home:

  • Make sure screens are in place.
  • Don’t leave doors open.
  • Use door sweeps or correct low thresholds.
  • Home-seal and prevent them from sneaking in.

Hey how did that Cicada Killer get in my home?

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Cicada Killer – Wasp or Hornet? Wasp it is.

 

Large digger wasp (inch to inch and a half) and solitary in nature. Females look for cicadas and then dig a hole and lay one egg on that poor little cicada. That little larva eats the cicada and then pupates and finally in the Spring digs it’s way out and looks for a mate.

So probably just accidentally flew into a door which was open and then became trapped. I’ve heard that they seldom sting, the one in my office looked mad and if it was able to get out I think it would have gone after me. OK probably not but if able to release it would go on its way to find some more cicadas, helping with pest control.

Palo Verde bug?

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We have a fairly huge beetle (3-4 inches) here in Arizona called the Palo Verde bug – it is a long horned beetle (named because their antennas are long) and by all standards a good size bug. I can only imagine getting hit by one while riding your motorcycle. It would probably knock you pretty hard, maybe hurting your head or at the very least disorienting you and knocking you off the bike.

The larva are cream colored , typically with a brown head, and feed on the roots of trees, which causes branch dieback. In the wild the most commonly affected tree is the palo verde and just after monsoon the mature insects exit and look for mates. These adults don’t eat and essentially are only interested in mating.

So if you see one, don’t panic and be aware that within a few weeks the adults will die and come out once again during the next monsoon.

palo verde bug

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