All posts in “ProBest”

Bugs are bugs, right?

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Untitled

Arizona Vegetable IPM Update “Aphid Identification, lettuce dieback, wheat herbicide sensitivity“. By John Palumbo, UA Research Scientist and Extension Specialist. (Western Farm Press) He’s got a point and in the business of bugs a very important point –

This is where the accuracy part comes in. Just because you can find a few winged aphids on produce crops does not mean these species are important to leafy vegetable and cole crops.

Most people call and say I got bugs, and when we ask questions they are hesitant to answer. There is a big difference between American Roaches and German Roaches and really, really important in the treating scheme of things. Yes you can kills bugs with any pesticide generally but you may not solve the problem or you may make it worse. I’ve seen floors covered with Diatomaceous Earth (DE) and still have bed bugs and I’ve seen people use can sprays to kill ants and still have ants. So here are my keys for pest control and they are fairly simple:

  1. Identify the bug
  2. Understand their biology
  3. Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
  4. Use the right pesticide if necessary

Geese and their migration to Arizona.

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If you are out and about driving you will see Geese in in v formation, why you ask? First lets discuss why geese migrate – usually they fly south for the winter, I would oh wait I did. Geese like to take  advantage of circumstances, warmer weather generally means more food and optimal environments for their off spring. The reason they fly in that v formation is that this affords them the opportunity to waste less work on flying it actually breaks the wall of air that they fly into. The swirling air also helps push the birds behind the other and it allows them to watch and communicate with each other.

Geese are great looking birds but if they become to numerous they can be a hazard, they will attack if you get to close and they will defecate anywhere. This defecating on cement or parking lots areas is really, really slippery so please be careful walking. This morning on the way into work along the 101 they were in a field eating and there were probably over 100.

probestpestmanagementDSC00356  probestpestmanagementDSC00357  probestpestmanagementDSC00353

Border Agents stop another bug from entering USA

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I don’t know how these agents do there jobs, can you imagine stiffing through tons and tons of stuff entering the USA daily. Each and every day these agents sort through trailers, box cars and of course just regular folks entering our borders. KTVU.com did an excellent “Feds find dangerous pest in basil shipment at San Francisco International airport“.

The east coast of the U.S. has encountered a similar stink bug and it is causing some real issues, damaging gardens and getting into homes. So it is very important to continue to stop these pests before they become a real big issue.

So again my hat’s off to the dedicated agents U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Stations across the USA.

The Puzzle of Pest Management.

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I love those shows on TV about crime, I always try to solve it before the end. Probably why I enjoy Pest Management – “the attention is in the detail”, right?

How did those termites gain access into the ceiling?

There is a mouse in the house and how did it get in?

There are moths flying in the pantry, did we bring them home?

Did we pick up our fruit or did we encourage rodents into our yard?

So become a detective and stop those pests from getting into your home, home-sealing is a must plus it will help save money on heating/cooling. Put the puzzle together and solve the buggy issues.

Photo by PPMA

Photo by PPMA

How tough is it to control House Dust Mites?

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First off let me address this from the very start, House Dust Mites are not a pest control issue. We deal with them in connection with Bed Bugs from time to time and really only as a matter of mattress or box spring encasements. I wanted to address this bug in that manner, encasements are the way to go with this bug.

Our homes are their homes, they love human and pet dander or skin flakes. This debris will fall everywhere, carpets, bedding, furniture and furniture. This dust or debris will become airborne and vacuuming is essential in keeping things in check. Along with cockroach skins and dust mites excrement may cause asthma or breathing issues.

A gram of dust vacuumed from carpeting may contain 100-400 and 1 gram of dust vacuumed from furniture may contain 3500 mites.

Encasements are a great way to protect your mattress or box spring investment and keep the dust mites out. Control is possible but it is a ongoing management concern.

MicronOne

A little Puzzler of bug terms

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Blood feeder – recent issue – 6 letters?

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What killed 2/3’s ? population in Europe in or near 1350? 4 letters

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Cockroach skins or feces can cause this – 6 letters?

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Major roach pest in U.S. 6 letters?

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Soaks up pesticides in restaurants, making it difficult to control pest – 3 letters?

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Very small eight legged parasite – 4 letters?

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answers-etim, lio,namreg,amhtsa,aelf,gubdeb – Good Luck

Do you remember my #1 pest tool, how about #2?

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duster grn

My all time most useful tool is the compact Bellows Hand Duster, I still believe I could solve most issues with this handy tool. The next best tool in my opinion could be the Insider (see below).

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Not everyone within the Pest Industry has any idea of these but I keep them on hand for those hard to reach jobs or places where I like to dust from time to time.

Remember it’s not just killing the bugs, who have to use tools which work the best for the customer.

What kind of service is right for you?

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What kind of service is right for you?

I often think about service and what is really necessay to control the pests in and around our homes. Every home is different and with that in mind every treatment is or could be different. So what is right for you Monthly, Every other Month or Quarterly? So here are a few questions with this in mind:

  • What is the pest pressure?
  • What time of year does the pressure increase?
  • What kind of pests are you encountering, scorpions?
  • Do you water by drip irrigation or flood irrigation?
  • Scorpion activity is different from cricket activity, why does that matter?

 

We try to customize each visit with those questions in mind, sometimes it is essential to change pesticide formulations and or change frequency but we will always discuss options with you.

SERVICE MATTERS!

service

Do you understand mice/rats/rodents?

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You have heard me say this many times, I don’t work on my vehicle brakes because I don’t know anything about brakes but I know pests.

  • You must understand rodents; you must know their biology and their quirks. Do you know how far mice or rats travel from their home that is might be important in control?
  • How will you attack the situation, are you using traps or repeat devices or outside stations?
  • Have you purchased enough and what are you using?
  • Have you thought about consequences in using this equipment, is anybody at risk?

So before you decide to tackle this by yourself, maybe it might be inportant to call a Pro.

Rodent loved the bait so mush he never left.

Rodent loved the bait so mush he never left.

 

 

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