All posts in “termites”

Dr. Bug says “Meet my Friends”. Realtor Sandi Nilson

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Dr. Bug says “Meet my Friends”. Realtor Sandi Nilson

 

  1. What is your name and business?   Sandi Nilson, Associate Broker with Realty Executives.
  2. Describe something unusual about your business and why a customer might choose you over your competition? 32 years of full time real estate experience.  Almost 100% of my business comes from referrals from previous satisfied clients – and most real estate agents don’t come CLOSE to that number of referrals.    I also worked to attain the GRI and CRS designations which signify extensive experience and training; and I also have  accounting and business law education in my background.
  3. Can you describe a funny story or opportunity that happened while doing your work? There was the time I got a street name mixed up and showed the wrong house on the wrong street.   The listing was brand new, so it was typical that no sign had been installed yet; the owner of the correct house had said “there isn’t a lockbox yet but the back door is open, so go through the gate and go in the back door.”    The back yard had a somewhat familiar, but not so pleasant, smell.  Once inside,  I wondered why the listing said the pet was called “Dog”….. but the pet in THIS home  was a pot belly pig!  After leaving, I realized I had shown “Aspen” and the correct street was “Ash”.   When I went to the home to apologize, the owner thought it was hysterical (I was lucky).  I eventually was called to list a neighbor’s home (and eventually several in the neighborhood) after meeting that first homeowner – she passed the story on to her neighbors!   As a farm girl from North Dakota, I had smelled hog manure a few times before that day but never before or since in Arizona!
  4. How did you come across our little group of ANTS “A Network of Top Strategist“? I was introduced to the group by Lin Bourgeois, who I have known for many years, and also Mary Contreras.
  5. What one thing would you do to improve the economy of Arizona? BUY AMERICAN – the whole US economy would benefit!   And BUY LOCAL whenever possible.
  6. Anything else you would like to share with my readers of my home seal?  I want homeowners to remember that when it comes to selling real estate, there is no substitute for KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, and INTEGRITY.

Sandi Nilson can be reached at office 480-839-2600 – cell 602-579-8899 or by email at [email protected] and her website is http://www.sandi-sells-arizona.com and she also home seals frequently at http://sandinilson.wordpress.com/

Who takes the heat on pesticides?

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Who takes the heat on pesticides?

It’s difficult for me to side any other way than to say Pesticides are good! Many will disagree but the fact is that pesticides have saved countless lives throughout history. I was reminded of this through my distributor “Univar Environmental Services” in a story they posted in their monthly newsletter.

  • When mosquitoes are controlled, you help prevent West Nile Virus transmission.
  • When products help ensure proper termite control, they save you from massive property damage.
  • Helping to keep cockroach allergens at bay lowers asthma triggers for children.
  • And fewer ticks and rodents can mean less Lyme disease and Hanta Virus.

It all adds up to Univar supplying both the products and services to help you improve your customers’ environments.

Professional Speaker – Pest Control Expert

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Professional Speaker – Pest Expert

Does your organization need a Professional Expert to talk before your group, our resident expert Dr. Bug aka Keith V. Birkemeyer is an expert on bugs and critters of all kinds! ProBest can tailor a pest program or service on whatever your group may desire.

Bed Bugs

Scorpions  

    Termites

Southwest Pests of Concern         

Wildlife of Arizona             

Termites = damage and concern?

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Termites = damage and concern?

     

First off thanks to Chris Fitzgerald of Critter Getter in Mesa http://www.azcrittergetter.com 480-984-2660 for sharing these pictures. This piano was placed into the garage and pushed up against the wall over the expansion joint and the termites decided to attack. To late for the piano but a lesson for all of us to pay special attention to termites here in Arizona. For some reason termites just love garages and I think the main reason for this is in the construction phase of building the home. The garage floor is often the last area to be built and I think this is the reason for termite activity.

Before you replace the floor, treat for termites.

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Before you replace the floor, treat for termites.  (Yesterdays answer on picture – magnified picture of wasp nest….)

So you decide its time to replace that old flooring in your home and as you take up the old floor you discover damage and concrete cracks. Now is the time to call your termite experts because and trust me on this one you don’t want to put down the floor and then discover you need it treated. This will destroy or at the very least make the new flooring look terrible. Here is some damage from termites and some water damage, I don’t know which came first but my guess is the termites.

                           

Nothing worse in my mind than having to drill grout lines in stone tile, because no matter how good you are it will never look as good as new. So please take a moment and think it through, treat the concrete and then lay the new floor. It will save you money in the long run and more importantly the aggravation of knowing where those drill holes are. Because your mind will focus on those marks, trust me.

PestTube! What is this thing

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PestTube! What is this thing.

Pestubes-In-The-Wall™is a proactive, centralized pest control system designed to deliver a mild residual pesticide inside the walls of your home where bugs live and breed.

Pestubes-In-The-Wall™eliminates 90% of the need to spray within in your home’s living area by equipping your new home with a fundamental barrier against pests. Pestubes-In-The-Wall™ is a reliable, modern approach to pest control that can help keep your family and home free of harsh pesticides.

The innovative Pestubes-In-The-Wall™system, shown below, incorporates a network of precision perforated tubes built into your home’s framing, which are linked to a pesticide injection port located on the home’s exterior.

OK for my take, I have investigated numerous versions of this device both under concrete and in walls. The version under concrete which I have seen in action was more of a pvc pipe versus tubing (TermGuard) and I really liked the ability and adaptability of this product. The only issue is pricing and with the advent of repellent termiticides such as Termidor or Transport I just don’t see this catching on.The stuff in the walls I’m not sold on, I think the tubing kinks to often and this prevents the products from being delivered to the area in question. The other problem is the product used whether dust or liquid often blocks the tubing and now we have to address the propellent. This propellent needs to ensure that the product is pushed to where it is needed and unfortunately I just haven’t seen anything that really gets the product to the end source.

Have you seen these? Termite tunnels or tubes.

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Have you seen these? Termite tunnels or tubes.

So you’re walking around your home and you look down and see this thing made out of mud or dirt, what is it? These are subterranean mud shelter tubes or tunnels. It’s the super highway for termites, it protects them from air, sunlight and predators. Here is Arizona we have another termite (Gnathamitermes) and this subterranean termite often plasters fences, tree trucks and cactus.

     

They may be small, they may have small mouths but they work 24/7/365 – termites

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They may be small, they may have small mouths but they work 24/7/365 – termites

         

So here are 10 interesting facts you might not have known about termites:

  1. Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music.
  2. Although many people think termites resemble ants, they’re more closely related to cockroaches.
  3. Termites have the biggest nests.
  4. The largest termite in the world, the African species Macrotermes bellicosus, reaches a length of 5 inches. WOW glad they’re not here!
  5. Did you know that ProBest often works with manufacturers on the testing of new termiticide products, currently still in testing are 16 sites in North Phoenix testing the new Termidor HE Copack
  6. Termites don’t eat plastic or concrete, but if there is a crack in the concrete or a hole in the plastic then they can enter the home of business.
  7. Termites can create small pin-like holes in the swimming pool liners; I have personally seen this on one occasion.
  8. There about 2,500 kinds of termites living all around the world. With only 50 being found in the US.   
  9. Termites have been around since the time of the dinosaurs
  10. This last one was fascinating – Research conducted in southwestern deserts and desert grasslands by New Mexico State University’s Walt Whitford estimates that without the action of termites, cow pies would smother the land, covering 20 percent of the surface in 50 years.

 

Gotta love those Arizona termites…..

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Gotta love those Arizona termites…..

Look at those Subterranean termite tubes under that crawlspace, (Seth took these pictures) at some places over an inch in width. Our termites here in Arizona aren’t as aggressive as the Eastern subs on the East Coast but under a manufactured home – it’s very important to have yearly inspections. The damage to the wooden floor can be significant and potentially dangerous.

Call a Pest Management Professional for a termite inspection, today!

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