All posts in “pest”

Self Storage pests issues

Comments Off on Self Storage pests issues

 

“Why self-storage operators should use Professional Pest Management services“. Excellent article from the National Pest Management Association on the truth and myths of storage facilities. Here are few ideas that I had in regards to this topic:

  • I’ve actually used a few storage facilities over the years and I must say that the ones I have used have been extremely clean and well kept. But with that being said you never know what someone can or will bring in.
  • If the building is older – when was the termite work done. Termite treatments don’t last forever and something popping in and damaging someone’s personal possessions can account for some serious agony.
  • Each unit is maintained by the person storing the stuff and each person is different in how and what they see or don’t see. I’m sure you’ve seen the hoarders, so sometimes they may or may not see the problem until it spills out into another unit.

So my advice if you are using a storage unit, keep an eye out for possible pests and advise management if or when you see something strange. Maybe it won’t be anything and then on the other hand it may be something serious.

26_Earwig

Photo by PPMA

 

Do you remember my #1 pest tool, how about #2?

Comments Off on Do you remember my #1 pest tool, how about #2?

duster grn

My all time most useful tool is the compact Bellows Hand Duster, I still believe I could solve most issues with this handy tool. The next best tool in my opinion could be the Insider (see below).

insider01     insider02

Not everyone within the Pest Industry has any idea of these but I keep them on hand for those hard to reach jobs or places where I like to dust from time to time.

Remember it’s not just killing the bugs, who have to use tools which work the best for the customer.

Does your Pest Company have a Bat phone?

Comments Off on Does your Pest Company have a Bat phone?

 

I always loved the idea of having a Bat phone or a Red phone Hotline – my version of the Bat Signal maybe – that looked like it could call that one person you really might need or they might need you ASAP. By the way you know how difficult it was to find a red phone and it has a rotary dial not push buttons? Cool right?

probestpestmanagementIMAG1133

OK its really for show, but hey it could connect me to the one person I might really need in an emergency -pondering who that could be. Here is that list:

  1. National Pest Management Association (NPMA) Jim Fredericks (he is the staff Entomologist).
  2. Dr. Paul Baker – my colleague from University of Arizona, Tucson.
  3. My Pest Industry friend Fred – he knows just about as much as I do about bugs… just about I said.

or maybe they would call me     

   4. The President of the United States (I’m going to behave myself) when that giant spider or giant bed bugs gets loose and ravishes the Country.

   5. What if the Sheriff of Maricopa or Pinal County called for my help? Hey I’m just saying!

  Who would be on your list?

ProBest Pest Management – Pest Control

Comments Off on ProBest Pest Management – Pest Control

 Call a Pro… Call the Best. ProBest!

webpage

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.

Did you know about School IPM programs?

Comments Off on Did you know about School IPM programs?

 

There are a lot of friends and industry members that read and follow my home seal (thank you), so I wanted to be sure to update you on a fellow site that is full of resources. IPM Institute

“Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a prevention-based, highly effective approach proven to reduce pest complaints and pesticide use by up to 90% in schools and other public buildings.  IPM practices such as sanitation and exclusion also improve food safety, fire safety and energy conservation.”

Every day, 49 million children attend school in the United States, served by nearly seven million teachers and staff.   But they’re not alone.  Schools are also frequented by a number of pests including cockroaches, mice, dust mites and more.  Asthma is epidemic among children, impacting nearly 6% of school children nationally with rates as high as 25% in urban centers.  Cockroaches are potent asthma triggers.

I have said numerous times that it is absolutely important to use care in the delivery of pesticides. I believe so much in that principle – that we hardly ever treat inside homes any longer. With that said I still think there is a place and a necessity for the use of pesticides. Here are a few examples when it might be necessary:

  1. Africanized Honeybees inside the school
  2. Invasion of German roaches (probably from boxes delivered the night before)
  3. Rodent/wildlife loose in school
  4. Bed Bugs

QualityProSchoolLogo     QualityProFoodProt     greenpro-logo

Even the smallest can cause BIG issues, can’t they?

Comments Off on Even the smallest can cause BIG issues, can’t they?

 

“Rodents cause widespread phone and Internet outages“

 

So something as small as a mouse caused some issues with power and the internet in Bozeman, WY recently. It is really important that we keep out rodents, they gnaw on wires are may cause up to 20% of home fires.

VR05_91 This picture from Univar, clearly indicates that mice or rats love to chew  pipes or cables, if this had been inside an attic it could have caused a serious fire or explosion.

VR05_90

Now not only do wildlife/animals not have a place within your home, but if you do allow them access into your home seconday pests also may cause issues. Mites, fleas and ticks and all kinds of parasites may decide to bite you instead. So the simple answer is – keep those pests out!

 

Are termites on the prowl around your home?

Comments Off on Are termites on the prowl around your home?

Subterranean Termite Tube

probestIMAG0444

Termites are always on the lookout for water and some sort of wood, so they can eat. In Arizona inspect your home especially in the monsoon season when the rains come. The more irrigation or water increases your chances that you will see termites. They build these little tubes or tunnels to go from the ground up into your home.

About the only way sure way to control these termites is by placing a pesticide barrier between them and the wood, often this means hiring a Pest Management Professional. You need a complete exterior treatment and I suggest Termidor or Transport.

This is what happens when we don’t think!

Comments Off on This is what happens when we don’t think!

This is what happens when we don’t think!

 

How many times have you heard someone get tired of a pet and just discard it. Its a shame and really should be against the law, consider the pet and make a common sense decision. How long will it live,  the larger cockatoos can live 30–70 years depending on the species or occasionally longer and Cockatiels can live for about 20 years and is that a commitment you have time for?

Well anyway back to the actual story for the home seal – 18 ft 8 inch Python (Associated Press) recently caught in Florida and weighed 128 pounds. This new Python exceeds the old one by an inch. The speculation is that during a hurricane a building was destroyed and the snakes got loose. But you hears stories similar to this frequently, sometimes even the giant alligator in the NYC sewers.

If you can no longer take care of the pet please do some homework there are usually shelters and rescue groups that will help. My best friends in Ohio take care of foster dogs  and both of my dogs are rescues.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peace-and-Paws-Dog-Rescue/102601282167

https://www.facebook.com/SaveADog

probestIMAG0431

 

Oh oh Demon dogs….

New pesticide training manual released.

Comments Off on New pesticide training manual released.

 

Every day ProBest Pest Management uses its best efforts to use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) best management standards to prevent pests from gaining access into homes. There are some great sites to help every homeowner prevent bugs from getting into your family retreats. Recently Western Farm Press did an article on the great information http://westernfarmpress.com/management/western-ipm-center-releases-pesticide-training-material

probestpestmanagementDSC06302  This picture is from a tenant who decided that the weeds and termites could be treated with used motor oil, it is illegal and could be dangerous. Before we did the termite treatment we removed the oil and disposed of it properly.

PLEASE — USE COMMON SENSE! If that oil seeped into our water system we all suffer.

Contact Us