All posts in “Phoenix”

Flocking

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Flocking

Flocking (is that a word) – Roosting and Nesting?

If you have an issue like this, you might have poop everywhere? Here’s your sign, right? They would gather and then fly to one roof where they would just roost and enjoy their day. At night they may go back to one particular home and nest. Poop everywhere and their nest are disgusting, poop and old dead bodies. Gross! I personally think pigeons are nasty, but there are ways to remove them from your home or business and you need a professional to combat them

  • Looks for signs like poop and feathers.
  • Maybe they nesting, check corners and areas where they can have their back against a wall.
  • Do they gather at your place or a neighbors?

Flocking

The Birds

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The Birds

I really hate the mess these birds make, they poop and we track it in. A lot of animals create havoc in our lives including rodents and pigeons. They can build nest within our homes and after we get rid of them we may have secondary issues with parasites and other potential critters. I also hate the idea of them spreading the germs and bacteria into our lives, but I guess they were probably here first.

What options do you have?

  • Bird spikes (I prefer the wire ones)
  • Bird shock tracks
  • Hardware cloth
  • Deterrents like flag and mylar
  • Hotfoot

Don’t use chicken wire or rocks to deter them. Chicken wire looks bad and they will go around the stones or bricks.

birds

Fake News

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Fake News

Boy oh boy, nobody can win these days especially with all that FAKE NEWS out there. So I wanted to clear the air about pest control or termite control.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Pest Control

Let’s start with Pest Control. Do you know what my biggest liability is, its not the pesticide its driving to the appointment. Everyone is complaining about the low wages, so what did we do? We raised the minimum wage to $10.50 – Let’s think about this for a minute – that means that the business must make more than that per hour to make money. The business must also take into account all those things that they must pay for (insurance, workman’s comp, vehicle if needed and then auto insurance, chemical, additional employees like schedulers etc and according to a NPMA survey that is about 32.8%) I recently saw a poster on a pole out in Surprise for pest control for $25 – NOBODY MAKES MONEY ON THIS!

How long do you think a person can spend at this account? How long will they be in business. Are they even using chemical/pesticide? Are they insured, (liability, workman’s comp and auto insurance) probably not? If you hire an unlicensed person and they mess up, who will pay for their mistake?

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Termite Control

Termite control – I recently saw an advertisement for $275 – I also remember an article from Florida that suggested termite treatments should be the range of $1000 to $1500 based on the cost in 1930 something. What do you really get for $275?

Termidor HE Label – “Structural termite protection is achieved by establishing a continuous treated zone along the exterior foundation of the structure.” When I read this and interpret it, to me it says there must be a complete barrier around the structure. So either the garage must be drilled or across the garage door must be drilled  and what about patio’s?  In my book either the patio is drilled or the outside of the patio is trenched. Now to achieve the label how can you sell it for $275? YOU CAN’T! Again you get what you pay for….

So why is this FAKE NEWS – because I don’t think you are getting the right deal for what you pay. Someone isn’t giving you the right pesticide, all the pesticide you are supposed to get and all the areas the label requires. Now I used the Termidor HE label, but check out the offer and see what they are supposed to give you and then compare the options.

Trivia fact – Termites have been reclassified into the same order as cockroaches, they are more closely to roaches than ants. Did you know that?

Fake News

Desert Shrew

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Desert Shrew

Desert Shrew – this little guy eats invertebrates such as worms, spiders and insects, but it also eats lizards, birds and small mammals such as mice. They hunt at night, restricting themselves to areas with thick brush to avoid owls and other predators. They rest in the burrow of another animal during daylight hours. In the hottest part of the day (Arizona 120), the shrews enter a torpor – an inactive state similar to hibernation and so would I. They prowl and search for their prey at night, so it often falls victim to nocturnal hunters such as owls and snakes.

Desert Shrew

DE or Diatomaceous earth

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DE or Diatomaceous earth

DE overkill or not? OK you know how I am about Do It Yourself, right? Well this is a great example of over application. It looks like it snowed in Phoenix, Arizona. The weird thing about this, I’ve seen worse inside a bedroom. The bad thing is you can damage your nose and lungs breathing this stuff. It works really well on bugs/pests by dehydrating their exoskeleton and they bleed to death or absorb chemical faster.

First off only the food grade product works on bugs, not the pool stuff – it is cut differently. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects’ exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Insects die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, and  considered to be relatively low-risk.

DE

Cupcake ants

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Cupcake ants

Ohhhhh nnoooooo Cupcake Ants! OK so these are edible cupcake ants, but have you ever made something and found ants on it. You may notice them on or near the kitchen sink or maybe even the bathroom. Some ants are attracted to sugar or protein, I’ve seen them on bars of soap (don’t get me started on Tide Pods) and they will eat just about anything. I wonder why they don’t blow small little bubbles?

No one likes bugs in the house?

So it’s no surprise that we get calls all the time on ants, usually indoor Pharaoh ants or as we use to all them Sugar or Piss ants. The ideal method of control is to bait them with either sugar or protein. Then wait for them to carry it home to the Queen. When she dies they all die. Many folks just grab a can of XYZ and spray away, this only kills the ants present and does little to no good on terminating the root of all evil – The Queen. Until she is dead, she will continue to lay eggs and march on.

Cupcake ants

Craft Beer

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Craft Beer

I’m a BIG fan of craft beer, I generally like the middle of the road usually less hoppy and not to strong of a taste. What has this to do with pest control? Well these type of places have a lot of grain and water on premise and this can bring in the pests. Nobody wants pests near the beer, especially me. I’m also a fan of local brewery’s because I like doing business with local businesses just like myself. So what is the key to keeping the pests out of a business like this?

  1. Watch for signs of activity.
  2. If you see signs don’t wait, the longer you wait the more of an issue may occur.
  3. Think outside and then inside, stop them from getting in but use caution you don’t want to trap them inside without a good plan.
  4. Seal up and maintain control outside.
  5. Watch out for drains, biggest issue is drain flies.
  6. Continue watching for signs and adapt as necessary.

Craft Beer

Entry points

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Entry points

This entry point – I couldn’t see this opening really well, but was sure something could gain entry. Could it be a bird or a rodent? This opening in the attic is important to annual checks. I would be concerned just looking at it but still needs to be sealed tighter to not allow unwanted guest. At least the door was closed but what if it was open, who would check and who might be able to close or lock it?

My opinion is that this is a perfect opportunity for rodent activity. The minute that mice or rats get into this space opens the chance for bacteria, urine and feces to become part of this home or business. Mice urinate while on the run and feces may be spread throughout the space.

Annual checks is what I’m saying, top on my list.

entry

Corner checks for termites

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Foundation corner may contain surprises

Corner and indents may hide termite activity and the jtrim may also have huge openings. It is important to check your slab and house at least monthly for unwanted pests activity. This may help to avert any potential long lasting problems. If you don’t check often you might allow a bee colony to take over. That can bee a sticky problem down the road.

I find that most people stack stuff against garage walls and this allows a termite issue to go on a very long time. For some reason I think the garage is the most overlooked and usually the last to be treated by termite companies. Don’t place wood or cellulose items on the garage expansion joint. I’ve found books, posters and antiques full of termite activity and ruined forever.

corner

Hole = entry points for rodents

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Hole the size of a dime = mice entry

Hole = As long as the diameter is the size of a dime and the mouse can fit its head through the opening he/she can make it in. Equally important is how you prevent the reoccurrence – don’t just fill in with foam, it must contain something that will prevent eating like steel or copper wool. Fill the opening and mix the wool within so the rodent will not gnaw through.

Hole the size of a quarter = rat entry

As long as the diameter is the size of a quarter and the rat can fit its head through the opening he/she can make it in. A crawlspace home may have more entry points and you must crawl and investigate those possibilities. Or hire a professional to do that service, hire one that is knowledgeable about pests and housing construction. Also be aware of termite issues and be prepared to further explore any signs.

Rodents include rats, mice and rabbits – they all may gnaw wires and be potential carriers of diseases. They may also carry parasites and remember when they are gone the parasites may remain behind and go after humans. I also believe especially in crawlspaces that all entry must be prevented, I’ve seen cats and other animals living in these areas and for sure they carry other critters like fleas and ticks.

hole

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