rodents Archives - Page 5 of 21 - Arizona Pest Control - Pest Management Services

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Hole = entry points for rodents

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Hole the size of a dime = mice entry

Hole = As long as the diameter is the size of a dime and the mouse can fit its head through the opening he/she can make it in. Equally important is how you prevent the reoccurrence – don’t just fill in with foam, it must contain something that will prevent eating like steel or copper wool. Fill the opening and mix the wool within so the rodent will not gnaw through.

Hole the size of a quarter = rat entry

As long as the diameter is the size of a quarter and the rat can fit its head through the opening he/she can make it in. A crawlspace home may have more entry points and you must crawl and investigate those possibilities. Or hire a professional to do that service, hire one that is knowledgeable about pests and housing construction. Also be aware of termite issues and be prepared to further explore any signs.

Rodents include rats, mice and rabbits – they all may gnaw wires and be potential carriers of diseases. They may also carry parasites and remember when they are gone the parasites may remain behind and go after humans. I also believe especially in crawlspaces that all entry must be prevented, I’ve seen cats and other animals living in these areas and for sure they carry other critters like fleas and ticks.

Jumping cholla cactus

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Jumping Cholla cactus

Jumping Cholla – If you live anywhere in the desert you know about these cactus. They will attack if you get close. OK they won’t attack but it seems like it. Its like they are magnetic. But a question was asked recently why don’t rodents or coyote’s ever have them attached? Or better yet why not Pack Rats? It’s called behavior modification, they learn and they learn quickly. It’s amazing cause almost every time I’m in the desert I get a few. I kneel to check a rodent station and get one in my knee or there might be bits and parts inside the bait station. Sometimes I even get them in my shoes, right through the soles and you think its a rock but surprise a needle shooting pain.

The dangers of the desert

So a word of caution, there are many things in the desert that can do you harm, rattlesnakes, Africanized Honeybees, rocks and cacti – so use extreme care. I seem to find almost all of these dangers as I’m doing my work. Stay tuned for a resent find in a rodent bait station.

I have seen Pack rat middens or dens full of this stuff, how do they do it – I have no idea. I was training a technician once and mentioned to be careful, I had no sooner turned around and he had them from toe to waist on his right leg pants. Painful and barbed, did I say ouuuuuch? But yet the animals seem to be impervious or maybe it’s just that they are smarter. You decide!

Whats eating you?

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Whose eating the fruit?

Somebody is eating the fruit. I think it’s rodents eating the grapefruit and pumpkin, when you make it easy for the animals/wildlife the next step is entry into your home. I tell everybody, it is extremely important to pick up the fruit that has fallen. No sense feeding any unwanted pest from the neighborhood. Unless of course that is your idea. I know birds will also eat the fruit but uninvited pests are sure to show up.

Oranges, lemons, limes and left over pumpkins are open season for any animal or wildlife. Rodents are prolific breeders and require a lot of food to raise their young. Essential to the control of rodents, eliminate harborage or shelter, reduce water and eliminate food sources. If you can control these factors the rodent population should be controlled.

Kangaroo Rat -somebody doesn’t look good!

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Kangaroo Rat or Mouse?

Trick question – The Kangaroo rat usually have long tails, bushy at the end and big hind feet with four toes. They have large heads with big eyes and small ears. They are a sandy brown color with a white underbelly. Technically not a rat or mouse but a separate group on their own.

The Sonoran Desert kangaroo rats are remarkable in that they do not need to drink water, even though their diet is almost entirely composed of dry seeds. They survive almost entirely on water metabolized from the seeds they eat. The rats prefer seeds high in carbohydrates, from which they can produce a half gram of water from each gram of seed eaten. They even take a bath without water, keeping their shiny fur clean by taking dust baths in the sand.

Danger – rat bait

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Danger – rat bait off site

Danger – rat bait off site – to any child, and/or pet, off site transfer of rodent bait. I’m not sure if this is a consumer or what is going on, as most bait must now be contained and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen soft bait in those containers. But what happens when a child or pet gets into this bait? I was never a big fan of those throw packets, because people would throw them almost anywhere. I’ve seen packets being moved by rodents to an outside vent, dropping into yards where anyone could get at it. Also we need to be aware of what pests it is, is it a Pocket Gopher, Pack Rat or ????

I see tin cats used to capture mice – not rats because they are not big enough, I also see mice stations used for rats. So the first step must be identification and then what works the best to eradicate or better yet prevention. The IPM plan of attack – where are the rodents coming from and why are they in your yard. As always consider SAFETY first, this is a dangerous step to take to get rid of mice.

Always Read and Follow all label and Use Directions – This is the Law. Failure could put people and pet lives in jeopardy. As always we are concerned about the possible movement of bait from a container, this could pose extreme concerns for wildlife, communities etc.

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Squirrel Intruder enters home

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Squirrel gets in thru Doggie Door

Can you only imagine the terror, what would your dog do? Or for that matter what would your children do when they encounter the squirrel? Well I guess most of us don’t want to think about what that outcome could be. But it is something to think about, right?

So most of us don’t consider that doggie door and issue, I once had an unknown cat decide to come in and my dog did not care for this at all. I also had a pigeon come into my house via the chimney and it got soot everywhere until I could get it outside. Lets take special care to check on these things, maybe the flue got stuck or the plastic door piece needs replacing. Prevention is with a pound of cure and as always call ProBest if you need an opinion or cure. 602-249-7378 and thanks

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYb3_jw5D9M[/embedyt]

Mice in Phoenix, AZ

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Mice in Phoenix, AZ?

Mice in general do their best to make it into our homes and businesses in Phoenix. What can be done to keep them out? I often read stories from the news sources on what people do to get pests out of their home. From the guy who torches his mattress, to the person using 25 aerosol bombs for bed bugs. And yet some people think having them in the house is cute. Remember these critters carry diseases and pathogens on their bodies. ProBest Pest Management often gets the call after the person has pretty much in their opinion done it all and can’t catch that one single mouse.

They know more than you think?

The bad problem is that that mouse already is wiser to our tricks and since they are now smarter it often takes more time. Mice will generally range for about 30 feet while rats may travel over 100 feet and remember they urinate and spread feces as they run. Often times people don’t put out enough traps, or they think it’s only one and it turns out there are more. If you see one estimate a few and take charge or better yet call a Professional. So don’t think that we can get them out in 24 hours, we will bring our A game but we will get it done. Mice are curious and that is in our favor, we might need traps, glue boards or mechanical traps but we will succeed. So my advice, don’t wait call a Professional right away – we have the tools. 602-249-7378

A few facts:

Mice rely on whiskers to touch and their noses to smell.
Their eyesight is weak.
They prefer to stay near the wall using their whiskers to feel there way.
They are curious while rats are shy.
Mice may visit multiple sites feeding on many food areas nightly.

Monsoon and Termites

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Monsoon brings out the bugs

Well the monsoon has arrived and with all that rain comes the bugs. I usually say the bugs come in for 2 reasons, #1 not enough rain or #2 too much rain. Just like us the bugs need water, food and shelter and guess what that may be our home of business. Termites become more active this time of year mainly due to the increase of water, on the East Coast water is more abundant and they just seem to be active all year long. Termites create a tube in which to enter a home but that tube can often be hidden and that is the main reason to hire a Pest Management Professional to do that yearly inspection. If you live in the South I recommend a yearly inspection especially for your peace of mind.

All that water.

So when the ground becomes saturated the other bugs make for dryer land and sometimes that just happens to be your home or business. This picture below was from last week and you can see our parking lot is flooded. If this was your home this might be right up against your foundation. The more water and over time this may diminish your active termiticide.

Pandemic – How close are we?

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Pandemic

Just what exactly is a Pandemic, according to Wikipedia – an epidemic of infectious disease that has spread through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. One of the most devastating pandemics was the Black Death, killing over 75 million people in 1350 caused by fleas carried by rats or gerbils (new information). Mosquitoes continue to kill over 1 million people each year and have killed more people than anything else.

pandemic

I don’t want to be the doomsayer, but the World is a scary place these days. Maybe more scary than the days of duck and cover which I don’t think I ever did in school. We did have Fallout Shelters in our school and I recall them being stocked with food and water. I also need to stop watching those shows on TV like “How the World will End”. What scares me the most is the ability of some to get their hands on weapons, like the IED in Manchester? Is it possible to acquire something and infect mosquitoes and to then transmit it to humans. As Rodney King said “Can’t we all get along”? I’m trying hard to not get political and in this day when people don’t just have ideas but are willing to fight in an instant instead of debating the virtues of their opinion.

Are we the smartest?

We are the smartest on this planet and yet often times the most opinionated and less likely to concede that our thoughts could be wrong. How will it end? I don’t know but anything could spark that moment – a trigger on the bomb, someone with a pandemic and the ability to spread it or as

Abraham Lincoln said “…At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

The Doomsday Clock is set to – two and a half minutes to midnight, the Clock is ticking, global danger looms.

Are you facing bug problems at your home/business?

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Got bug problems?

Bugs and bug problems are a realty of life but there is no reason to put up with them at your home or business, right? Your family is most important to you, how about friends and coworkers? I’m reminded of the recent issue with United Airlines. Not the one where they hauled that guy off the plane but the scorpion incident. Someone once told me there is no such thing as bad press, United Airlines may argue that point with you. So what is a good ad to project that you know bug/pest control? I think the ad below reflects a good sign of competence in Pest Management, along with knowledge of the bug business and good reviews. Tell me what you think?

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ZkyLGHwmE[/embedyt]

bug problems