All posts in “ProBest”

Its National Termite Awareness Week.

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Information by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) – check out the info at their site.

My Top 10 Tips on preventing Termites at your home or business:

  1. Don’t stack wood or firewood against your home.
  2. Trim trees so they don’t touch your home, better yet don’t plant trees to close to your home.
  3. In Arizona our termite season is really somewhere near August through December depending on monsoon rains.
  4. If you have a crawlspace, check to be sure that you don’t have any water leaks.
  5. Check the foundation for mud tubes, inside if you see mud trails or tubes coming from the ceiling call a Pro.
  6. Don’t store boxes over the expansion joint in garage, leave a little space to inspect the wall and foundation.
  7. Any structure like shed should be installed on blocks or concrete, wood to ground allows termites to damage the shed.
  8. Slope dirt and stone away from home, don’t allow dirt or rock to be higher than the stucco.
  9. Position sprinklers away from the house.
  10. Once a year call a Professional Termite Inspector, have them give you their opinion and advice on termite activity.

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Are you protecting yourself against bed bugs

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Recently I stayed at a  motel and as always I check the room, these are a few of the ways I protect myself. No sense bringing something home that you hadn’t planned on.

Some do’s and some don’ts…

Do – hang your clothes on shower rods and place luggage in bathroom. I just leave my clothes in the bathroom, helps with the wrinkles and I have never brought home pests.

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Don’t place on bed, chairs  or dresser – if bed bugs are in the furniture it is important not to allow them to come home.

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By the no bed bugs were present, they must know who they are dealing with…

A few days at our nations Capital..

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I love visiting our Nation’s Capital and all the monuments and history, so here are a few of the pictures that I took in my week attending Legislative Days by the way it was COLD, really COLD.

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The Marine Corps War Memorial

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Korean War Veterans Memorial

Termites are sneaky, aren’t they?

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Termites will do everything in their power to gain access into our homes and businesses. Here is a picture of a cardboard box that was riddled with termites and their damage.

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Thanks to Carrie for the picture

 

I’m not a real big fan of those cabinets in the garage, I find that all they do is coverup the expansion joint and prevent us from getting a good treatment into those areas. So my tip of the day, check your cabinets and the rest of your home often or better yet give ProBest Pest Management a call today at 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176

Ahhh the rain has come, termites more active – maybe.

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This next week the National Pest Management Association kicks off Termite Awareness Week (March 16-22). The Spring brings a lot more activity for termites on the East Coast, well what about Arizona? Our monsoon (usually in the late summer) brings the rain and this triggers the termites and other bugs to become more active.

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So as the cold disappears and the warm weather finally makes it to the Valley, keep an eye out for termites and other bugs. No freezing weather – less death of common food of the scorpions and that means that the scorpions didn’t succumb to the extreme cold either.

Will the winter weather help with Stink bugs?

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Well it turns out that “Polar Vortex” may actually help to keep down the numbers of Stink bugs. I won’t make a snide remarks about the snow, it was like evry other day and yet another storm was dumping tons of snow in the north. I did appreciate all the FaceBook cartoons of snow, my favorite was “whose tired of the snow, and all you could see was hands sticking up through the snow mounds.

Just for the record I grew up in Ohio, so I know what snow is all about. I’m also very thankful having lived in Florida and now Arizona. “Polar Vortex may slow down Stink bug invasion, reasearchers say.”

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Photo by J.Stoner

 

Have you ever witnessed a swarm?

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A swarm occurs when its time to divide the colony.

 

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Have you ever seen a swarm, maybe ants, termites or honeybees? Comment below.

Most insects are a benefit to man, what are the bad ones or good ones?

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I think if we had to say bad, the number 1 bad guy would be the mosquito and #2 would probably be the flea. But what about the good ones, such as honeybees except when they attack and ants. Some may fit into both categories such as honeybees – great honey and they pollinate but may also sting and hurt. I guess I can think of the good and bad as somewhat of a trade off, we need pollination and yet people die from bee stings each year. Termites are essential in the forest, composting trees and wood into vital nutrients within the soil.

Top 5 bad in my opinion

  1. Mosquitoes
  2. Scorpions
  3. Fleas
  4. Flies
  5. Rodents

Top 5 good in my opinion

  1. Honeybees
  2. Ants
  3. Butterflies or Moths
  4. Ladybugs
  5. ____________      Can you name a few more?

44_Bumble Bee

Its baby time, are rodents looking for ways to protect themselves?

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Just like us pests and rodents need 3 things: #1 Food #2 Water and #3 Shelter.

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Whether its warm or cold. opportunity is opportunity and pests will take every chance to push the edge. This could be your home and you need to be aware of the places where pest can set up a home for themselves.

  1. Check your home for exterior and interior holes.
  2. Trim trees and bushes away from home.
  3. Pick up fruit and/or encourage your neighbors to do the same. Give the fruit to St. Mary’s Food Bank.
  4. Remember rodents will gnaw on wires and pipes, you don’t need a headache like this.

Call ProBest Pest Management for help in dealing with pests.

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