All posts in “ProBest Pest Management”

Termites and your toilet – Ohhh what a crappy problem

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Any toilet or pipe penetration in the slab will do

Toilet pipes lead the way in. Pardon the pun. Any penetration in your concrete slab allows that tiny chance that the termites may make their way into your home. Typically not usual but it does happen. This goes for any crack in the slab, have you noticed tile or carpet buckling, it may be a crack. If you replace carpet or linoleum and you see a crack have it treated before putting down new tile. I hate to see drill holes when it was preventable. So if you see something like this, give ProBest Pest Management a call at 602-249-7378.

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Storage Firewood

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Storage Firewood

The correct way to store firewood, keep it high and dry and away from the pests. This keeps the air circulation around the firewood and allows the firewood to dry and age correctly. At the same time it prevents pests from coming straight up the ground into the wood,. Still have to be careful and rodents and other critters may still be able to hide within the spaces of the wood. Be especially careful of Black Widow spiders, and always wear gloves when moving firewood. This simple device below is ideal, it keeps the firewood dry and off the ground, you can also put a tarp over it. I also like the cement pads. You may get other pests like wasps or spiders but as I mentioned use gloves and check things out before you begin to move the wood.

Bring in only what you need and don’t store it inside. I have seen Powder Post Beetles come out of the wood, stored in the winter inside when it became wood enough to let them think it was summer.

Storage Firewood 20151217_130254

Who is eating my fruit?

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Don’t leave fruit on the ground

Well its that time of year when the critters might be trying to get in to stay warm. With the rains, the termites might be active as well. Are birds or rodents eating the fruit that has fallen from the trees. So keep an eye out for signs of activity, what do you need to look for:

  1. Any new holes or scratching of any previous holes or opening in previously damaged wood or screens.
  2. Remove any old firewood and only bring in what you expect to use immediately.
  3. Pick up any fallen fruit and keep a watch for activity within the tree area.

Is this Orange being eaten by birds or rodents? Looks like teeth marks to me but its a tough decision…

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Save money home-seal and keep the bugs out

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Save money

Do you want to save money? Home sealing is a critical and often overlooked piece of pest control! Sealing can save you money in the long run by saving on electricity and seeing fewer insects within the home or business. If you do a few things you can help yourself, blacklight to reduce numbers on your property. Pest control will help to reduce the food prey, which means that the scorpions may move on. Keeping clutter away from or reduced prevents hiding areas. Home-sealing prevents them from getting in.

We require an estimate, where we will look for entry points & propose a fix. For a typical home of 150 lineal feet (outside perimeter) your price would be $600 instead of $900 = a savings of $300! This includes a return visit to check caulking. Enter your contact information on the form to claim your coupon for $2 off per lineal foot!

 

 

 money probest2014-05-01 09.02.55      Home Sealing Special

 

Rats, they will do whatever to get in…

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Any hole may be BIG enough to let them in

Probably no single pest creates fear as much as rats or rodents, so why the fear? My first thought is due to the fact they live in some nasty places, like sewers. They also have been named the culprit in the Plague which killed 2/3 of Europe back in 1358 or so. I have people say “I can live with with a mouse in my house”. They can and do spread disease, so I recommend keeping them out of your home. So what can you do?

  1. Seal  any holes in your home.
  2. Check weep screens and those louvers in the attic.
  3. Keep the clutter down in your yard.
  4. Keep the grass mowed and keep the weeds from taking over the yard.
  5. Don’t allow trees to touch the house.

Here are a few facts about rodents:

  1. Mice don’t drink, they get all the moisture from their food.
  2. Consume or contaminate about 20% of the world’s food supply.
  3. They actually gnaw wires and are known to cause fires.
  4. Rats are omnivorous, they feed on grains, seeds meats and just about anything they can get to.

 

As always if you have any concerns give ProBest Pest Management a call 602-249-7378

rats

Active Arizona Termites

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Active Arizona Termites

Our Active Arizona Termites like water and there generally isn’t a lot of it for them.  So after it starts raining they get a little more active. So keep a sharp look out for them. Arizona termites are sneaky. They often follow lines such as this metal bracket or they will follow concrete lines and or pipes. So what should you look for?

  1. Wood to ground, this gives termites a free pass into your home.
  2. Excessive moisture, don’t water to near the foundation of the house. Check drip irrigation and only water was is necessary for the plant if possible. In Arizona we often use flood irrigation, so be careful you are not interfering with the termiticide along the foundation of the home.
  3. Don’t store firewood or wood on the ground.
  4. Look for visible signs of termites, mud tubes, tunnels and/or drop tubes and damage.
  5. Garages are a noted area, so keep a watch for termite tubes coming up the foundation or in the expansion joint.
  6. Sometimes  you might see little spots of dirt, check it and if it continues to grow get a pest professional to take a look. Our Arizona termites make some funky little drop tubes, it’s their way of trying to get back to the ground.

 

Active Arizona Termites  20151209_085004

 

Bees are busy these days

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I often have to walk around bushes and trees and sometimes they are just a humming with activity. This is the case in the Spring, people often get freaked out with all the activity. Honeybees are very important to our lives, 1/3 of all the food we eat are pollinated by bees. The only real time to be worried about honeybees is when they have taken up a home within your home. In this case they have something to defend, and defend it they will especially Africanized honeybees. Africanized honeybees are more prone to attack just because of a smell or lawnmower noise. They are virtually the same size as European honeybees and swarm 2 to 3 times more often Just use caution, unless you are allergic and then use extreme caution especially if there is a hive close to your home. If you are hiking some colonies will bump you to tell you they are close, just back away. Generally speaking swarms won’t attack unless you mess with them, they are full of honey and not yet defending a hive or colony. So don’t mess with them and they probably won’t mess with you.

Bee careful out there.

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bees

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Tumbleweed versus Wild West

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tumbleweed

Not a tumbleweed but a cactus

Do you remember watching those wild west cowboy movies and watching those tumbleweeds aka Russian Thistle? Not everything is a cactus in Arizona.

They aren’t native to Arizona and probably were brought in from Asia with the pioneers.

The picture above is that tumbleweed but in its green and growing stage. When they die, they turn brown and wither but there is a secret you may not know about. That tumble thing they do, its really about spreading their seeds about 100,000 per plant. The old dead tumbleweed blows around with the help of the wind, spreading their kind to the four corners of Arizona – OK every corner of Arizona not just Four Corners (if you understand this reference post a comment) lets see how quick you folks are? On a serious note after the weeds life comes to an end, it becomes extremely brittle and become a target for any brush fires.

Weather cooler, watch out for rodents

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Weather may bring in the rodents mice and rats and other critters may be trying to gain access into your home. Just like any warm blooded animal, rodents want to be snug as a bug in a warm environment and that could be your home or attic. So I suggest that you take a look at the areas around your home that may be inviting to a critter, that doesn’t have to be a rodent exclusively. Pigeons, bats and even cats may try to get into your attics or crawlspaces and set up a home, so what can you do?

  1. Check your home quarterly inside and out and repair:
    1. Check weep screens.
    2. Check those louvers that allow your attic or crawlspace to breath.
    3. Caulk all holes or cracks that may allow access – remember mice can enter holes that are about the size of a dime and rats the size of a quarter.
    4. Here’s a biggie – think like a rat, how would you get in? I had a family of rats once that were coming in on telephone wires.
  2. When you bring down that stuff in the attic, open boxes either outside or in the garage oh and wear gloves as well. You don’t want any surprises jumping out of the box inside your home.
  3. Trim trees of your home, don’t allow vines to grow and attach.
    1. I suggest not planting plants to close to the house.
    2. If the trees did touch, make sure you repair and check the tiles.
  4. Read up on the enemy and become familiar with their habits. Always better to know more than you need to know, especially if you own a home.
    1. http://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/rodents/
    2. Remember ProBest Pest Management is just a phone call away, 602-249-7378 check out our home seal page and specialized foam treatments..
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weather scorpion

I absolutely hate stories like this, don’t you?

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Stories – Fact or Fiction?

Have you heard the stories? As many of you are aware I hate spiders, without any doubt the Brown recluse spider is right at the top of my list. I’m always the first to mention that is is very important to know your enemy, so even though they may not be in Arizona or Pennsylvania it is important to know that they may travel. “Venomous spiders close Pennsylvania elementary school” In Arizona we have a Brown spider, related to but isn’t the dread Brown Recluse. So just to reiterate, if your in the bug biz – know your enemy even if it doesn’t live in your area.

stories Photo by PPMA

Photo by PPMA

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