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New discovery of insect

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A new discovery.

Well it turns out to be Vietnam, and this find along with a few others doubles the number of known stick species. The Phryganistria heusii yentuensis measures 32 cm and 54 cm if its legs are extended. OK I’m going to do some math for you, I really looked it up online but 54 cm is 1 foot 9 inches. That is one awfully big stick insect…

Stick insects really don’t do any damage, they can from time to time get into homes. This can cause distress for some people, freaking them out. I have seen grown men waffle at the sight of a cockroach and scorpion. This one guy had forgotten to keep his toilet bowl filled with water and there were numerous American Roaches in the toilet and bathroom. At first I couldn’t decide how to treat, I decided to just grab and crush and he went running. I myself cannot stand spiders and doesn’t really matter what type, they are all gross.

discovery

Tricky BedBugs

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Damn BedBugs, they are sneaky and will hide in any hole or crevice. Click on the picture and see if you can find the bedbugs in the hole. What should you look for if you think you have an infestation:

Red or black spots on bedding material.
Adult Bedbugs are the size of a apple seed, babies are much smaller and see through.
Smell of iron (result of blood).
Don’t just look at the bed check the cracked paint, wallpaper, any crevices in wood or holes in computer desk.

If you’re not sure, don’t waste time. The longer you wait the faster the problem can get out of hand. Check the following site http://www.pestworld.org for more information.

Right at my doorstep, 1st the VA in Phoenix now an Assisted Living facility.

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I won’t rant and rave on how we got to this stage of problems “Arizona: State finds filth, Bed Bugs, and the Assisted Living Home exposed on ABC15”

If I had parents in a nursing home I would say I would have to really think about some issues. Here is my list: I remember my Great Grandmother on a bed at my Grandparents home, back in those days people took care of their families. I will say that times are different, they lived on a farm and I really don’t recall any nursing homes available back then.

Is the facility clean?
How does staff seem to respond to issues.
I would drop by various rooms just to check on cleanliness and hygiene.
Ask other parties within the facility, people living there and visiting.
Since I’m a bug guy I would look for signs and evidence.

It’s not always about the Bed Bugs, how about visiting Arizona? Meteor Crater

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Meteor Crater

A lot of stories back and forth on whether a meteor annihilated the dinosaurs but this is a fun day to see what happens when something hits the Earth. Can you just imagine if you were here when this baby hit just north of Phoenix and east of Flagstaff? Meteor Crater Visitor Center is located off I-40 at exit 233, Meteor Crater Road, then 6 miles south on the paved road. 35 miles east of Flagstaff, 20 miles west of Winslow, in Arizona, USA

I love history and just learning, they have a small meteorite inside that you can touch, way cool.

If you spend some time looking around the site, you can spot all sorts of bugs, lizards and more. Be careful so you don’t accidentally fall in, its deep.

USGS photo

Are bed bugs continuing to be a big problem?

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Bed Bugs are continuing their rise to a real pest in the U.S. and according to Orkin it doesn’t look like they are slowing down. Orkin has been keeping track of bed bugs calls within their company and provide data to keep officials and the public informed. “Chicago tops bed bug cities list for second year in a row“.

Phoenix is up seven from 35 to 28, so here are a few tips from me to keep you informed as well.

Just be aware of the issue, don’t panic. Many people are bitten by various bugs like mites, mosquitoes and think they have bed bugs. If you are being bitten isolate the area (by that I mean the area in the home) see what you can see. Check beds for fecal spotting (when bed bugs bite they eject old blood feces etc), if you see something moving catch it and keep it handy for an expert.
If you travel take precautions, I hand my clothes from the shower rod and put my luggage on the bathroom vanity and that is where it stays. Check the bed and close furniture and if you see something inform management and move to another room.
Remember bed bugs just don’t hang out on beds.
When returning home, unpack in garage or outside and check luggage. Wash everything and high heat, wrap luggage in black garbage bag and if you’re AZ put it in sun especially during summer 113 – 120 degrees in ideal to bake them.
Keep an eye out if you have guests or frequent visitors, they can travel in backpacks.
I’ll repeat “Don’t Panic!” call a Pest Management Professional, as I think this is not a “Do It Yourself” (DIY) program.

National Pest Conference – Phoenix, AZ. A home sealgers view.

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They are taking down the booths and all the exhibits and they are shipping them back to corporate headquarters and the folks are heading home, so was it any fun?

I always have fun when I’m at a bug conference, I enjoy meeting or seeing people I haven’t seen in awhile. I love attending the classes on leadership, marketing and of course new bug stuff. But again I love seeing my ole friends and share the tales of the bug issues we faced since last year. This year my task was to meet up with the people that either read my home seal or share FaceBook stuff or maybe people that ask questions.

FaceBook has opened the world or maybe a better explantion is that it has made the world smaller. I get asked questions about how we do business in the U.S. and get asked questions about the different types of bugs etc.

Maybe we can all learn something here about the pest industry and world issues. maybe we can all get along and quit complaining about things. Anyway to all my friends that I got to see this last week and the others who couldn’t make it to Phoenix for “PestWorld 2013” thanks for the fun and maybe next year we will see you in Orlando, FL. Here are a few pictures I took of all the fun.

QualityPro Booth

QualityPro Booth with Fred Willey (Invader Pest Management) and Caleb Tannenbaum (Marketing For The Future)

NPMA Board Session

Yes I voted…

Tags – Blog – ProBest Pest Management

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The art of marketing, how do you market and spread the word about a great local company?

Scorpion versus Tarantula

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This place is touted as a Dive Bar, I may have to check it out merely because of the title of the marquee. Not sure what is going on.

Rips Bar is a historic part of Phoenix Arizona’s past and future. One of the few “old school” establishments that is still standing even during this time of renewal in Phoenix.

A very unusual email, time to call in the military.

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—– Forwarded message —–
Subject: unusual pods
Date: Thu, Aug 8, 2013 5:13 pm

My wife Becky and I have discovered some strange pods out in the garden. They were big…about the size of a toddler, resembling bundles of wrapped, dark-green leaves. We didn’t plant them, so we figured they must be some sort of weed. I have found that they can be destroyed with either a pitchfork or a garden hoe.

Some beautiful pink flowers blossomed on one of them. Our friend Elizabeth brought some of the flowers to her house.

A while later I went out there and one of the pods had opened, revealing something that looked like a human! It had some adult features but It has no details, no character … It’s unformed. It lacked distinguishing characteristics and even bore a slight resemblance to me. Creepy! I got scared and went to Elizabeth’s house and found the same thing happening at her place, where the pod by that time had formed into something that was nearly her exact double. When I got back to my place, my pod person was gone.

The police have been no help, so I’m turning to Pro Best. Everyone says you’re pros, and you’re the best! We trust you to help with these creatures, in their invasion into our back yard and into our lives. Thank you, Pro Best for your quick reply!

—Scott L

Wasn’t this a movie, I think I recall “Invasion of the Body Snatchers“ “A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.” Taken from International Movie dataBase.

Is knowledge really important?

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Do you really care whether someone has all the right knowledge on a given subject? I think that it is important to continue to gain knowledge. In my industry there are some that never let their employee’s go to class or other events because someone might steal that employee. I’m just the opposite – if they were looking and then left, they were looking anyway. So you need to figure out why they left.

I have always encouraged my employee’s to learn new stuff. One employee has his Qualifying Party license and he is excited that in just 6 months he can take his A.C.E. (Associate Certified Entomologist) test. I insist that each month they take an additional Continuing Education unit from a site like Univar and the best part is that it is FREE. Here in Arizona we are required to earn 6 CEU’s and in Florida where I also have a Certified Pest Control Operator Pest License I’m required to earn 2 for each category that I have and 2 for Core. On average I think I always have about 30 or so, you can earn them at places like Pestworld (which will be held in October 2013 in Phoenix) and other events sponsored by various groups throughout the year.