snakes Archives - Page 5 of 5 - Arizona Pest Control - Pest Management Services

All posts in “snakes”

What about those things that bite?

Comments Off

What about those things that bite?

I think all of us understand that there are many hazards out in the world, from a dog to a bat – these things bite. One of the biggest things I teach to the young kids that either frequent my business or attend my class at the Chandler Environmental Center – never touch something you are unfamiliar with.

Many people especially here in Arizona love to hike, you just need to be consistently aware of the surroundings. You may have to run or get away from something, so its always good to have a way out. Just recently we had some hikers on Camelback Mountain in Phoenix that were attacked by bees. One person died from injuries not from the bees but from falling. A number of years ago a Mountain Lion attacked someone in Sabino Canyon in Tucson and occasionally a bear gets to close to people in Flagstaff.

So along with the normal things that we should avoid like raccoons, skunks, coyotes, wild pigs & javelinas and don’t forget about the not so innocent ones like Gila Monsters, snakes, scorpions and spiders. Teach the youngsters that just because they look dead, they may not be.

The outdoors is a wonderful place but it also belongs to the wild things and they may not care for you intruding upon their areas.

biters

Phoenix Zoo – Phoenix, Arizona celebrates 50 years.

Comments Off

Phoenix, Arizona celebrates 50 years.

The Phoenix Zoo is one of the largest private non-profit organizations in the country. We rely on admissions, concessions, memberships, special event and philanthropic donations for our daily operations.

By supporting the Phoenix Zoo, such donations have helped the Phoenix Zoo to serve over 42 million people since opening in 1962, care for more than 1,300 animals, including hundreds of endangered or threatened species and become the second most popular cultural attraction in Arizona, behind only the Grand Canyon.

Congratulations to the Zoo, it’s a cool place to check out the animals and have some great family fun!

Interesting photo – ProBest Pest Management!

Comments Off

Interesting photo – ProBest Pest Management!

Merry Christmas!

Every once in awhile you run across something unique and the picture is worth a thousand words. This is one of those pictures.

photo snake skin

photo 1 snake skin

Snakes shed their skin to grow and discard this skin by brushing up against something rough scratching the old skin into peeling. We in turn shed our skin piece by piece, small flakes just fall off as we grow. Did you know that spiders and scorpions shed their skin as well. Sometimes you will see what you think is a dead spider in a web and it’s actually a shedded skin. We have a tarantula at the office and it is a freaky site to see when it sheds its skin. It turns upside down and pulls itself out. A spider can actually regrow a leg if one is lost. As I said freaky. This was probably the case here with the architecture of this building, rough edges creating the ability to start the process of shedding. No idea what type of snake this could have been, but we run into snakes all the time in the field. Just remember they were here before us and we need to use caution when in their area possibly hiking or camping.

Snakes eat a lot of small prey including mice, rats and rodents in general. So they can be a benefit to us, in that they can keep the population of rodents down.

Rattlesnakes and pest control

Comments Off

Rattlesnakes and pest control

Rattlesnakes just come with the territory out here in the Wild, Wild West and we do occasionally run across one or two or more a year. I try my hardest to relocate them, it’s not their fault that they get into our yards. They are usually just looking for food (rodents, ground squirrels etc) and they get trapped into enclosures or pool areas. We have them in electrical or water meter boxes, pool or drop down embankments and sometimes even in garages. A word of caution – don’t try this on your own! This takes skills and equipment and a very steady hand.

So let’s talk about two of the most dangerous – rattlesnakes…

Mojave rattlesnake – probably the most dangerous rattlesnake, it’s venom is neurotoxic. Generally found in the southeast of Arizona and with the expansion of its territories we could encounter them more often.
Western Diamondback rattlesnake – one of the largest venomous snakes in the U.S. and rivals its cousin the eastern Diamondback rattlesnake. It tends to be very aggressive and is one of the most common snakes in the Southwest.

There is an excellent book by Carl Ernst “Venomous Reptiles of North America” which I suggest you read if interested in snakes. I keep this book handy to identify any snake I think are dangerous or venomous.

What is a constrictor snake?

Comments Off

What is a constrictor snake?

Did you know that 17 people have died in the US due to constrictor snake related incidents since 1978? The picture above is our Brown banded Black King snake and it
kills it prey by squeezing it to death. The snake wraps itself around its prey and every time it move or breaths, the grip gets tighter. Pythons and Boa Constrictors use that method while rattlesnakes bite and stand back waiting for the poison to work.

This probably grosses you out but it is life in our woods and desert areas, the law of survival. This snakes are able to dislocate their jaw and swallow prey many times their size.

Unwelcome visitor in my driveway on Saturday .

Comments Off

Unwelcome visitor in my driveway on Saturday.

I absolutely love when our customers take photo’s and send them our way. Always on guard in Arizona, when the temperatures get HOT out come some of our friends including rattlesnakes. The Fire Department responded on Saturday and gently removed the snake and relocated it to the wash area.

Not everything needs to be killed, the snake was just out wondering and looking for food.

Thanks AJ for the picture and we will start the use of Snake Away immediately!!

Here is another picture of what can hide and where?

Alert – Snake Alert…

Comments Off

Alert – Snake Alert… Arizona

Within the last 2 weeks ProBest Pest Management has received 2 rattlesnake calls and STINGER the snake expert did his duty. Snake 0 and STINGER 2, both relocated and hopefully safe and sound.

Rely on the snake removal experts at ProBest Pest Management for all those close encounters.

602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176

This is too funny….. to much time on their hands… Blood – sucking spiders

Comments Off

This is too funny….. to much time on their hands…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT69oekJArs]

If you ever get the chance to hear Dr. Jerome Goddard University of Mississippi Medical Entomologist – you must, he is exciting and just full of knowledge. Thanks to http://home seal.myerspest.com/ for bringing this to my attention. He and some of his students put this little video together, don’t go out in the woods alone…. Here is his youtube site info, he has a few more informative video’s available – http://www.youtube.com/user/Jeromie1234/videos

What’s worse rodents or snakes?

2 Comments

What’s worse rodents or snakes?

I guess it all depends on your perspective, maybe you are not a fan of either one. Phobias get to all of us I think (recent article ProBest’s Blog Fear and Phobia’s) and from my earliest day spiders have not been a good thought. So which is worse – I think either could be but at least generally speaking snakes can kill you. I’m going to rank snakes higher on my list just because they can bite.

So this fall I received a call from a warehouse that was really having an issue with snakes and rattlesnakes to boot. They were wondering about near the bay doors and has people were coming around the corners they would get the shock of their life. So the fix is to take away the food, if you eliminate or reduce the numbers of rodents the snakes will move on. Now thats if they read the same book I read. But just for the facts it worked, reduced the number of rodents and the snake call went away.

Remember its not so much the technique as it is the knowledge. You can spend time trying to figure out the options and spend money often times with little or no effects. So call a Pest Management Professional at ProBest Pest Management and be ahead of the game.

Reptile Study w/Scouts

Comments Off

Reptile Study w/Scouts

Reptile, snakes and bugs. Just like a boy or girl to enjoy bugs and wildlife in general, I have a niece that just loves to play with bugs. Maybe she can take over when I retire (if ever) right? Merit badges afford the Scout the opportunity to learn about certain subjects. One of the merit badges I enjoyed was First Aid to Animals, I worked with a local Veterinarian and really had a blast. I was there when he asked for help in delivering a calf and still to this day will never forget it.

I think that I earned 38 merit badges, 21 required for Eagle Scout. I had a great time in Scouts and I’m please that I was able to help a few more on their way.