All posts in “ProBest Pest Management”

Got odors or smells?

Odors or smells

Odors or smell that just would leave your house? This machine is great for getting rid of those lingering strange smells. Its great for mold and mildew smells and old cigarette smell. ProBest Pest Management just happens to have this machine. You purchase a canister and air gently filters to get rid of that obnoxious smell.  Call us today to rent the machine 602-249-7378. Cartridges last from 30 to 120 depending on use and can treat approximately 20,000 cubic feet. The canisters do come in additional smells, like lavender etc but it often times can overdo the smell so I like the general heavy duty canister.

Ken B. used this machine when he purchased a home. He had a smoky musty older from a partial basement, ran the machine for several days downstairs and upstairs and the smell is gone.

Odors or smells

 

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Odors or smells

Coyotes out on local walk

Coyotes, looking for food.

This morning as I was out and about, I ran into a few friends. Not unusual for coyotes to be out during the day, they are opportunistic. On average they weigh between 18 and 40 pounds and did you know that they have mated with dogs causing a coydog.

They often will hunt in small groups and that is why you must be cautious while your pets are outside. Their territory may be up to 9 miles and often hunt small prey. They do carry a few diseases and parasites, so you should steer clear.

I have seen them in all parts of the country.

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35th Anniversary to ProBest Pest Management.

    1981 -2016            Happy Anniversary

Anniversary of ProBest Pest Management – in 1981 Donna and Jerry Probst started ProBest and in 2005 they sold to us. It has been fun and there have been tribulations and a major housing collapse. But that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

We offer a host of services including Termite post construction, termite inspections and the occasional pretreat. We also offer pest control, from ants to scorpions and rodent control. we also offer weed control including pre-emergents and the elimination of the weeds.

We are here to lend you a hand on pest control, many people say well we can do that? Many start out doing a good job and then fail to adequately identify the insect or forget to make it a monthly event. We are the experts and we have on staff a Associate Certified Entomologist who can identify that pests.

Anniversary Pro Best Logo

ProBest Logo

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Your home and Rodents

Your home versus rats and mice

Home checks – always quite handy to keep a check on things, if you notice something unusual check it out and call your Pest Management Professional at 602-249-7378. I’ve advocated for years that you do a monthly check of your house and out buildings. This goes goes for your business as well, never hurts to just take a walk and check things out. Oh and another idea, when the Pest Operator shows up, explain what you think is going on. Always helps to get your perspective on the problems.

  1. Check roof and base of house.
  2. Fill in any holes.
  3. Pick up fruit.
  4. Check weep hole.
  5. Check inside and outside.

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Take a guess as to what it is and why I’m showing it?

What is your guess?

Your guess is what? OK this is a cap for a beer keg, it is being gnawed by rodents. I don’t blame them I would do whatever it took to get to the beer as well. So what signs do you look for in an infestation?

  1. Teeth marks (as above).
  2. Holes on outside or inside of buildings.
  3. Trees touching the house.
  4. Feces or a smell of urine.
  5. Rub marks (the have an oily coat so that may transfer to paint or wood).
  6. Damaged goods, especially food products.

Oh and by the way Happy Leap Year….

guess 2015-12-30 14.20.34

beer cap

 

Sneaky Pests?

Sneaky pests

Sneaky and surprised to see this fellow out and about during the day, but surprise was right! I guess when pushed they will do what they have to do.

Rodents can be difficult to keep out of structures. Mice can squeeze through spaces as small as a dime and rats can fit through holes the size of a quarter. For proper rodent pest control, seal any cracks and voids. Ensure there is proper drainage at the foundation and always install gutters or diverts which will channel water away from the building.

If you do find signs of a rodent infestation, contact a pest professional promptly. They will be able to inspect your home, confirm the species and recommend a course of rodent control treatment. Recommendations from the National Pest Management Association and ProBest Pest Management, 602-249-7378.

sneaky IMG_0831

sneaky

Seal to keep out the bugs?

SEAL – You have to think like a bug

Seal – One of those things that can be done to prevent bugs from hiding on your property is to seal as many of those hiding places that you can. This includes those block walls around your property, I once found about 50 cockroaches living in a crack along side a home with a block wall. I used a little dust and they came running, it was a sight to see and of course I had to show the homeowner.

We often get into a debate over inside and/or outside, I try to think like this – where do the bugs generally come from? Outside most of the time, so let’s prevent them from getting in and cut down on the pesticide in the home. Now doesn’t this just make more sense? Now if they come in a bag of food, then you have to decide on the best option inside. Many times it might be ants and the use of a bait is right up the alley to get to the Queen ant and no harm no foul with having to spray the whole house.

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Seal

 

Does this look like your dryer vent?

Is this what your Dryer vent looks like? We offer cleaning service. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that 15,500 fires associated with clothes dryers occur annually. These fires account for an average of 10 deaths and 310 injuries and more than $84.4 million in property damage annually.

  • One of the most common causes of dryer fires is lack of maintenance. When lint traps aren’t cleaned as often as they should be, the resulting build-up in the screen or other areas can cause the dryer to perform poorly, operate at elevated temperatures and possibly overheat – with dangerous consequences. Vent systems must also be checked and cleaned to maintain proper air flow for the same reasons.
  • Lint accumulation and reduced exhaust airflow feed on each other to provide conditions ripe for a fire. Lint is highly combustible and decreased airflow causes overheating of the exhaust environment, demanding excessive cycling of the high temperature limit switch and eventual failure.
  • If your clothes are taking longer to dry or if the velocity of air exhausting from the dryer vent hood is minimal, maintenance is needed. Clothes dryers are prone to lint build up if there are numerous 90’s in the system or the distance is excessive.
  • Call ProBest Services today for a quote, 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176
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vent

 

DIY home repairs , do it right…

DIY home repairs –

In DIY home repairs – don’t use chicken wire, spend the time and do it right with hardware cloth. Or better yet give ProBest Pest Management a call and have us do the the job correctly. The nice thing about hardware cloth is that it can be bent into angles which looks 100% better than chicken wire.  Also I suggest the metal bird spikes, the plastic fades and weathers. Just a few tips to point you in the right direction.

Also just think about the height of the job, should you really be up there? I don’t do roofs… anymore.

DIY home repairs20151118_085929

 

Top pests for ProBest Pest Management in 2015?

Top Pests

Throughout the day in sunny and hot Arizona we run across a plethora of pests and I thought we would share with you are Top 5.  I had really thought that Bed Bugs would be in the list but alas No. So the Top Pests for 2015 and ProBest starting with

# 5 on our countdown – mice/rodents

# 4 on our countdown – crickets

# 3 on our countdown – ants

# 2 on our countdown – termites

 

and the Winner topping our most frequent calls are scorpions.   top pests PART_1437183821806_20150717_183915

  https://callprobest.com/

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