No matter where you live in the greater Phoenix Valley, insects and other pests can be a problem throughout the year. Whether its insects or rodents, regularly schedule pest control services can eradicate them and restore your normal quality of life.

Not only do these professionals play a significant role in eliminating pest infestations, a pest control maintenance plan can protect you, your family, and your home throughout the year. Even though you may not have hired a pest control service in the past, your life may have been influenced in some way by these professionals. The following is a list of several ways in which these companies can positively impact your quality of life:

Home protection – some pests, such as termites, can damage to your home’s structure over time if they are not eradicated. For being as small as they are, these pests can cause thousands of dollars in damages. Calling out a reputable pest control company to inspect your home and eliminate any existing problems is an integral component of home protection.

Pest expertise – pest control professionals undergo rigorous education and training when it comes to pest behavior. Basically, each one is an expert in his or her field of endeavor. As a result, they can advise you on the proper solution for your specific circumstances in order to protect your home and everyone in it.

Prevents physical health problems – certain pests are disease carriers, deliver extremely painful bites and/or stings, and in some instances, lead to health problems that are life-threatening. One of the biggest pest problems during the warmer months of summer are those varieties of mosquitoes that spread malaria and the West Nile Virus. Regularly scheduled pest control services will prevent them from becoming a problem.

Protects your food supply and keeps it safe – professional pest control specialists are instrumental in protecting our food supplies and keeping them safe for human consumption. From commercial and residential properties to food processing plants and restaurants, pest control is essential to controlling ants, cockroaches, rodents, and a wide range of other bothersome pests.

Your peace of mind – investing in regularly scheduled pest control services can go a long way to providing you with peace of mind. There is considerably less stress and worry when you know that your home and family members are well protected from insects and rodents. Plus, your quality of life and safety within your home will not be jeopardized by infestations and any resulting health problems.

Why put the health and well-being of your loved ones and pets in jeopardy? To ensure a better quality of life and a safer living environment, contact a professional pest control specialist today and schedule a thorough inspection of your home and property. There are plenty of companies online which can be contacted to ensure that you have a clean and healthy home. It is best to get a written quote before you work with a pest control company.

Many homeowners in the greater Phoenix Valley have benefited from preventative pest control services.  These professionals have been educated and trained at identifying the different types of pests, how they enter your home, and using the proper chemicals and equipment to eradicate them.  They can also customize a preventative pest control plan that is tailored to address the specific needs of your household.  However, there are certain steps that you can take in between treatments that will be helpful as well.

Block all entry points – if you find any exterior entry points into your home, you should block them or seal them up.  Areas that you want to be sure to inspect include doors, electrical sockets, plumbing, and windows.  Certain foam sealants are inexpensive, quick fixes.  Plus, weather stripping around doors and windows should be inspected and replaced as needed.  This not only prevents pests from entering your home, it makes it more energy-efficient as well.

Destroy their homes – depending on the pest, this may require a little bit of effort to find where they are living in your home.  Make sure you inspect exterior and interior storage areas.  This includes inspecting your attic and garage.

Eliminate their food supply – store food in the refrigerator or in sealed containers and be sure that you clean up crumbs, food debris, and grease from counters, cracks, and crevices and off your dining room and kitchen tables.

Eliminate their water supply – look for excess water accumulation in certain areas of the home such as A/C unit, bathtub and shower stall areas, hot water heaters, signs of over-irrigation in the yard, and under sinks.  Be sure to remove all debris and dirt from your rain gutters as well.

If you’re not seeing any results when using OTC pesticides, quit buying them – while some over-the-counter baits and sprays may be effective, most of them will not be residual enough to prevent any future infestations.  One of the benefits of hiring a pest control service is that they use industrial strength chemicals and prevent you and your family from being exposed to them.

Remove branches and trim plants that brush up against the house – by trimming everything out to a distance of 2 feet from the home, you eliminate any means for them to access your home.

Sign up with a local professional pest control service – preventative pest control is a must in the greater Phoenix Valley.  In addition to eradicating pest infestations, they can customize regularly scheduled preventative pest control plans that are tailored to you and your family’s specific needs.

The bottom line is that you can only protect your household against pest infestations as thoroughly as the products you purchase over the counter are effective.  So if pests are a recurring problem in your home, it’s time to consider signing up with a local area pest control service.

Earwigs are feared by many people due to their appearance. However they are pretty harmless to humans. When it comes to them being a nuisance or pest though, that’s a whole difference story. Earwigs can be found all over the country including cities such as Pittsburgh or Crafton, PA. Once an infestation is found, simply applying an insecticide will not rid them from a home. A homeowner will need to contact their local exterminator to rid of this pest problem as efficiently and smoothly as possible.

What do earwigs look like?

As stated before, earwigs have a unique appearance that can frighten humans who encounter this insect. There are over 20 species of earwigs in the US alone. They can range from 5 to 25 mm depending on what type of species they are. Most are dark brown or black with flattened bodies. These insects also have pincers which are located on the back of the abdomen. The pincers are what frighten people the most. Many believe that these pincers can cause harm, but in reality, they are only used as a defense mechanism and rarely break the skin.

Where do earwigs live and what do they eat?

Earwigs prefer to live in dark, damp areas. They can be found under rocks, logs, in mulch, or damp areas like dark basements and unventilated crawl spaces. Earwigs often migrate into homes when they need to find food or if there is a change in the weather that makes their current living area unlivable.

These insects are omnivores and will eat both plants and insects. While it would take a very large population of them to do serious damage to plants, the question has been raised as to whether or not they are a threat to crops. For homeowners, they may find some earwigs in their flower pots and plants for feeding. Bug exterminators can easily identify areas they typically live and hide.

What to do if there is an infestation

Earwigs are commonly found outside of the home, but sometimes if the conditions are right, they will come indoors. Again, due to an earwig’s threatening appearance, seeing more than one in a home or apartment can cause panic and is considered an infestation. If multiple earwigs are found, it’s best for the homeowner or renter to call an exterminator to eliminate the problem. Local insect control companies such as Spectrum Pest Control have the expansive knowledge to serve homeowners and business and eliminate these pests from the premises.

In the words of Warren Buffett, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Bed bug infestations are a constant problem throughout hotels in the New York City and Long Island area. At Standard Pest Management, our biggest goal is to reduce the impact of any unwanted guests by providing discreet, effective hotel pest control in NYC.

The Hotel Bed Bug Epidemic Is Real and Pest control for the hospitality industry is an important aspect of modern hotel management. It really does represent a unique challenge because with every guest that checks in there is a chance of bed bug introduction. In fact the odds increase when guests have stayed in several hotels during their travels. for hotel managers and others in the extermination business.

Our Commercial Pest Management Hospitality Program

incorporates training of staff, monitoring for bed bugs, visual inspections, electronic data collection or canine inspections. Standard pest understands the needs of the hospitality industry and employs an action plan to provide for those needs. Whether it’s an individual technician assigned to your property for the day or a team needed to tackle a larger project, our goal is to make sure your hotel is kept clear of not just bed bugs, but from, cockroaches, rodents, and flies as well.

Ants still top the charts as a chief concern for homeowners. This news comes from research recently conducted and released by the National Pest Management Association.

Because ants reproduce rapidly, and because different species require different treatments, proper species identification and prompt control measures are good reasons why you need to contact Bug Guardian to keep these trailblazing pests in check.

Ants can find their way into many parts of your home, and Bug Guardian has identified some of the most common areas and below is providing helpful tips for keeping them out:

• Kitchen: Ants, particularly California’s most commonly encountered specie – the Argentine ant – love to feed on sweets and fruit, in addition to grease, oil, meats, and corn meal. This makes kitchens a prime target for a variety of ant species.
• Bathroom: Moisture makes bathrooms highly susceptible to infestations. Carpenter ants are known to build nests in damp areas, e.g., behind bathroom tiles or under sinks.
• Backyard: Ants nest under rocks, in rotting logs, and under piles of bricks or lumber.
• Driveway/walkway: Ants forage along sidewalks looking for a bite to eat, and pavement ants often tunnel under concrete slabs, sidewalks and driveways, or nest in nearby structures.

Bug Guardian Pest Prevention tip: Eliminate standing water around the home and ensure that gutters and downspouts are functioning properly.

Ants are social insects that live in large colonies, so if you see one or two, you can bet there are many more to follow. Bug Guardian can help identify the species, find cracks and crevices where ants may be coming in, locate nests, and eliminate the problem.

Bug Guardian offers some additional tips that homeowners can follow to reduce the ant threat:

• Seal cracks and crevices around the home using a silicone-based caulk.
• Replace weatherstripping and repair loose mortar around the basement foundation and windows.
• Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed away from the home.
• Store food in sealed containers and keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator.
• Routinely check under sinks for areas of moisture and repair any leaky pipes.
• Dispose of garbage on a regular basis.
• Keep pet bowls clean and wipe up any spilled food or water around them promptly.
• Store dry pet food in a sealed plastic container rather than in the paper sacks in which it often comes packaged.

If you’re having a problem with ants in and around your home, call Bug Guardian Pest Prevention today!