All posts in “Scottsdale”

Flocking

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Flocking

Flocking (is that a word) – Roosting and Nesting?

If you have an issue like this, you might have poop everywhere? Here’s your sign, right? They would gather and then fly to one roof where they would just roost and enjoy their day. At night they may go back to one particular home and nest. Poop everywhere and their nest are disgusting, poop and old dead bodies. Gross! I personally think pigeons are nasty, but there are ways to remove them from your home or business and you need a professional to combat them

  • Looks for signs like poop and feathers.
  • Maybe they nesting, check corners and areas where they can have their back against a wall.
  • Do they gather at your place or a neighbors?

Flocking

The Birds

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The Birds

I really hate the mess these birds make, they poop and we track it in. A lot of animals create havoc in our lives including rodents and pigeons. They can build nest within our homes and after we get rid of them we may have secondary issues with parasites and other potential critters. I also hate the idea of them spreading the germs and bacteria into our lives, but I guess they were probably here first.

What options do you have?

  • Bird spikes (I prefer the wire ones)
  • Bird shock tracks
  • Hardware cloth
  • Deterrents like flag and mylar
  • Hotfoot

Don’t use chicken wire or rocks to deter them. Chicken wire looks bad and they will go around the stones or bricks.

birds

Desert Shrew

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Desert Shrew

Desert Shrew – this little guy eats invertebrates such as worms, spiders and insects, but it also eats lizards, birds and small mammals such as mice. They hunt at night, restricting themselves to areas with thick brush to avoid owls and other predators. They rest in the burrow of another animal during daylight hours. In the hottest part of the day (Arizona 120), the shrews enter a torpor – an inactive state similar to hibernation and so would I. They prowl and search for their prey at night, so it often falls victim to nocturnal hunters such as owls and snakes.

Desert Shrew

Pigeon Crap

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Pigeon Crap

Pigeon Crap feces whatever you want to call it. I hate the messes these birds/pigeons leave behind. The other problem is what they leave behind in their nest or nesting areas. I’m just not a fan of these pigeons and their foul pooping crap they leave for us to navigate. I know I’ll get comments from people who just love these birds, OK I get it. Just from my point of view they are nasty. The rest of the story is that when you walk through this sh** you track it into your home. Little children, pets play on that floor = gross.

Pigeon CrapPigeon Crap

So what do you do? Hire ProBest Pest Management to clean it up and fix the problem 602-249-7378. Correctly install bird spikes and check them to adjust. If the birds move, you correct that issue and pretty soon they will move on.

Craft Beer

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Craft Beer

I’m a BIG fan of craft beer, I generally like the middle of the road usually less hoppy and not to strong of a taste. What has this to do with pest control? Well these type of places have a lot of grain and water on premise and this can bring in the pests. Nobody wants pests near the beer, especially me. I’m also a fan of local brewery’s because I like doing business with local businesses just like myself. So what is the key to keeping the pests out of a business like this?

  1. Watch for signs of activity.
  2. If you see signs don’t wait, the longer you wait the more of an issue may occur.
  3. Think outside and then inside, stop them from getting in but use caution you don’t want to trap them inside without a good plan.
  4. Seal up and maintain control outside.
  5. Watch out for drains, biggest issue is drain flies.
  6. Continue watching for signs and adapt as necessary.

Craft Beer

Corner checks for termites

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Foundation corner may contain surprises

Corner and indents may hide termite activity and the jtrim may also have huge openings. It is important to check your slab and house at least monthly for unwanted pests activity. This may help to avert any potential long lasting problems. If you don’t check often you might allow a bee colony to take over. That can bee a sticky problem down the road.

I find that most people stack stuff against garage walls and this allows a termite issue to go on a very long time. For some reason I think the garage is the most overlooked and usually the last to be treated by termite companies. Don’t place wood or cellulose items on the garage expansion joint. I’ve found books, posters and antiques full of termite activity and ruined forever.

corner

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.

hole

Valentine Day

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Don’t spend your Valentine Day with the bugs!

Valentine or bust – As many might be aware of, we had some sightings recently in Phoenix, Arizona. Spotted in several weird places, shopping carts and movie theaters. I often worry that my techs or myself might bring them home after an inspection or treatment. So what can you do to protect yourself?

  • Stay informed, if you hear about it – ask management.
  • If something is biting at the place, ask or inform management.
  • If you suspect bedbugs please check clothing or carry on stuff like purses etc.
  • Remove clothing in garage and immediately put in washer/dryer for at least 40 minutes on high heat.
  • If you suspect them in your house quarantine the room in question, don’t be moving things around and call a Professional.

Valentine

Tubes and termites

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Tubes, tunnels, termites and damage

Tubes and tunnels – We get calls all the time on these lovely little creatures, termites can cause a lot of concern. But in Arizona they are more of a nuisance than damage causing scourge. Probably the lack of water has the greatest influence on them.

What area do we cover in Arizona – ProBest services include phoenix home pest control and commercial pest control. We are in the Phoenix and surrounding cities. Gilbert. Mesa. Chandler. Queen Creek. Apache Junction. Gold Canyon. Johnson Ranch. Buckeye. Avondale. Surprise. Sun City. Glendale. Peoria. Deer Valley. Scottsdale. Tempe. Maricopa. Casa Grande. Goodyear. El Mirage. Litchfield Park. Tolleson. Laveen. Carefree. Cave Creek. Fountain Hills.  Paradise Valley. Youngtown. New River. Sun Lakes.

tubestubes

 

Rattlesnake Rattlers

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Rattlesnake Rattlers – What’s inside the box?

Rattlesnake Rattlers – I don’t advocate killing things unless you have to. Now with that being said, if you have rodents inside your home, they must die. End of story, why you ask? Because they can cause serious health risks, they urinate and cause other potential issues like asthma. I technically didn’t kill this rattlesnake, it crawled into a rodent station that had a snap trap within. I probably should have saved the skull but didn’t think that far but the rattlers were impressive. Also I somewhat relived I didn’t run into this snake when it was alive. It must have been a good size, probably a good 5 foot.

Rattlesnake Rattlers

A few of my accounts just relocate the snakes, taking them for a ride to a somewhat further distance away from the house or business. I was out the National Cemetery and there was a small 1 footer which I moved to a field just down the road.

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