All posts in “spiders”

Storage Firewood

Storage Firewood

The correct way to store firewood, keep it high and dry and away from the pests. This keeps the air circulation around the firewood and allows the firewood to dry and age correctly. At the same time it prevents pests from coming straight up the ground into the wood,. Still have to be careful and rodents and other critters may still be able to hide within the spaces of the wood. Be especially careful of Black Widow spiders, and always wear gloves when moving firewood. This simple device below is ideal, it keeps the firewood dry and off the ground, you can also put a tarp over it. I also like the cement pads. You may get other pests like wasps or spiders but as I mentioned use gloves and check things out before you begin to move the wood.

Bring in only what you need and don’t store it inside. I have seen Powder Post Beetles come out of the wood, stored in the winter inside when it became wood enough to let them think it was summer.

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I absolutely hate stories like this, don’t you?

Stories – Fact or Fiction?

Have you heard the stories? As many of you are aware I hate spiders, without any doubt the Brown recluse spider is right at the top of my list. I’m always the first to mention that is is very important to know your enemy, so even though they may not be in Arizona or Pennsylvania it is important to know that they may travel. “Venomous spiders close Pennsylvania elementary school” In Arizona we have a Brown spider, related to but isn’t the dread Brown Recluse. So just to reiterate, if your in the bug biz – know your enemy even if it doesn’t live in your area.

stories Photo by PPMA

Photo by PPMA

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween

Halloween should be my favorite holiday, right? All the spiders and bug things. Anyway, BOO! As an adult I remember that we used to go out with beer cups and Trick or Treat for booze. As I think back I think it was better than the candy. But just think about the bugs or things that scare you. The things that go bump in the night.

I noticed this tow accessory, I think I need one. Oh and just for the record the hourglass is on the wrong side…

Halloween

Does black-lighting or exclusion work to control pests?

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So what in my opinion really works the best to control pests from getting into homes, without a doubt home sealing or exclusion. Here are my Top 3 ways to control scorpions and those other bugs that may want to make your home theirs.

  1.    Home seal or exclusion.
  2.    Black-lighting to reduce the population.
  3.    Consistent monthly pest control.

You hear me talk about IPM all the time and I’m telling you it works. Rather than spraying pesticides all the time, you can reduce the risk by helping your Pest Management Professional by doing a few things to improve the situation at your home. By black lighting you reduce the numbers and by doing so you reduce the numbers that might make it to your home. By sealing your home you again reduce the numbers that make it to your home and reduce the numbers that could make it in. The next way is to reduce the numbers of the food (crickets, roaches) and ultimately the scorpions themselves.

Now with all that said, I do believe in pest control but as I stated above it needs to be done in a consistent manner. If you have scorpions I think especially in Arizona it needs to be done monthly. I also believe that outside service is the most efficient along with home sealing and black-lighting. There are some in my professional that still don’t get it, they are the ones that still treat inside each month or power spray each month. Now don’t get me wrong I still occasionally do the inside ie: German Cockroaches or ants and if you have ticks I may decide to power spray. There are always exceptions to the rules. But soon the lack of water or water quality issues are going to trump the constant overkill of those outdated and impractical pest control techniques. (my opinion)  PART_1437183843093_20150717_184143

Something sneaky came our way, what was it?

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Well it didn’t surprise at all, when you see this many crickets you are bound to see a spider or two. Let me tell you this Black Widow was huge, she was almost the size of a quarter. Rodent stations are ideal for hiding, minimal intrusion and plenty of space until we show up that is.

Beware the venomous spiders, DANGER!

Photo by PPMA

Photo by PPMA

I’m not a big fan of spiders, so when I’m doing work around the outside of my house I always wears gloves. I suggest anytime you do work around the yard, attic, outside or in the garage wear gloves. It’s been a long time that a death has occurred in Arizona but you really don’t need the aggravation or pain of a bite. What do you look for with Black Widow Spiders?

  1. Irregular webbing, sticky.
  2. A spider hanging upside down.
  3. A Black spider with a red hour mark on its belly, or we have the Brown Widow and it has spots sometimes.
  4. They like dark and quiet areas.

Freaky little bug?

Freaky Creepy bugs, what nightmares are made of:

Freaky is the word. Tailless Whip Scorpion They are nocturnal arachnids found here in Arizona. Most people who do see them are generally freaked out because they look so strange. They look like a flattened spider. They commonly use their long, delicate, whip-like, antenniform front legs as sensory organs to search for prey in the dark. I have seen some with large grasping hook like legs while other appeared to just have grasping legs without the spines. They don’t have stingers and technically they really aren’t spiders but they are in the same Class Arachnida. They have no venom. They do look rather odd but they eat cockroaches and other small insects. Have you seen any at your home?

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Freaky Thanks to Andon for the photo

ProBest Pest Management is on the job!

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Its a plane, its a bird no its the ProBest Pest Management technician ready to stop those pests at your home.

Problems with bees, cockroaches, ants, bedbugs, earwigs, wasps, scorpions, stored product pests, termites, flies, spiders, crickets, springtails and wildlife.

Happy Halloween

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The spider problem continues to be really BIG out here in Arizona. But not to worry – ProBest Pest Management is here to stop those pests and spiders.

Call us today at 602-249-7378 or (623) 414-0176

Enjoy the Scariest Night of the year – Happy Halloween!

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“Get out, remember that line from Amityville haunted house?

One of the scariest movies in my opinion, but let me assure you if my house started talking I would move. What does this have to do with bugs – “Spiders force family from upscale Missouri home“? Well this would have good enough for me to move out of my house, no questions.

At a civil trial in St. Charles County in October 2011, University of Kansas biology professor Jamel Sandidge – considered one of the nation’s leading brown recluse researchers – estimated there were between 4,500 and 6,000 spiders in the home.

Did he just say 4500 to 600- spiders – OMG, luckily there is a Pest Management Professional in town.

“There’ll be nothing alive in there after this,” said Tim McCarthy, president of the company hired to fix the problem once and for all.

Brown recluse spider photo by PPMA

Brown recluse spider photo by PPMA

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