Nothing gets a Glendale homeowner more worked up than seeing a cockroach scurrying along the kitchen baseboard, or darting around on a shelf in the pantry when the light is turned on. Cockroaches have earned a nasty reputation, and deservedly so, which precedes them.

Let’s be honest: any pest that has been around as long as the cockroach – more than 300 million years, according to some researchers – can develop some less-than-desirable habits, which include infesting homes in search of food, water, and shelter.

While no pest will win an award for its sanitation habits, cockroaches seem to go out of their way to travel in areas where human and animal waste, grease, stagnant water, and rotting food are present.

Cockroaches are nocturnal pests, and will hide in dark, warm areas, especially narrow spaces where surfaces touch them on both sides. Their ability to hide in very small spaces – in cracks as tight as 1/16-inch wide – can make them a challenge to control.

Cockroaches tend to congregate in corners and travel along the edges of walls or other surfaces. The most commonly encountered cockroaches in residential settings are the German and American cockroach, respectively.

The repulsion homeowners feel when they encounter a cockroach is trumped by the threat they pose to food safety. Cockroaches – especially the American cockroach, which comes into contact with human excrement in sewers or with pet droppings – can transmit bacteria such as Salmonella if they come in contact with food preparation or serving surfaces.

Not to be outdone, German cockroaches are believed to be capable of transmitting disease-causing organisms, including those that can cause staph infections and hepatitis. They also can spread dysentery.

Top Seven Cockroach Prevention Tips

1. Keep kitchen counters, sinks, tables, floors, cabinets, and pantries clean and free of clutter.
2. Clean dishes, crumbs, and spills right away – cockroaches love grease and waste.
3. Store food in airtight containers where cockroaches cannot access it.
4. Seal cracks or openings around home foundations and inside cabinets.
5. Eliminate excess moisture buildup (i.e., a leaky faucet).
6. Inspect packages, school backpacks, and laundry bins for signs of cockroaches (and other pests). Don’t be afraid to give items a good shake!
7. Keep the landscape plants next to your house trimmed, and don’t use too much mulch, as it can provide an ideal harborage for cockroaches.

Remember, if your home has a problem with cockroaches, call Bug Guardian Pest Prevention

Infinite questions crop up in a Cave Creek property owner’s mind when a pest invasion takes place. How did the annoying bugs get in? Will they get away on their own? Should I call a pest exterminator? Which pest service must I get?

One-Time Pest Services are designed to deal with a current pest problem from general household pests such as ants, silverfish, cockroaches, earwigs, black widows, crickets and more in your home or business, without any ongoing agreements.

While many exterminators treat all pests the same by spraying pesticides everywhere. We want to diagnose and treat each pest control issue for the specific problem that it is.  We will use the proper techniques and products needed to resolve your specific problem.  We will spend as much time as needed to properly treat your pest control problem.  We will charge you as much as the job needs and no more, we do not believe in price gouging our customers.  You will like the fact that we do not engage our customers in contracts and do not charge start up fees.  We also offer 100% guarantee on our services.

Bug Guardian Pest Prevention offers pet & kid friendly, safe, non toxic, organic, natural pest control. Professional, licensed extermination, removal, control, management service for pests. Get rid of scorpions, ants, bedbugs, black widow spiders, crickets etc. Contact Bug Guardian Pest Control today to schedule a time for us to come out to your Cave Creek property today!

Here are preventative measures you can take to lower the number of flying stinging insects in your yard:

Choose your flower bed plants carefully.
If you want to keep bees, wasps, and hornets away limit the number of flowering plants in your landscape. Or, if you like flowering plants, plant them in a spot in your yard that is far away from your entrance(s), deck, pool, or patio.

Keep your landscape plants trimmed and away from your home.
Trim shrubs back at least one foot from your house. Trim trees back carefully to avoid overhang. Plants that are regularly maintained are less likely to become the home of nesting wasps and hornets who prefer to not be disturbed.

Cut down large rotted trees.
The holes in large rotted trees are perfect spaces for hives and nests.

Welcome the birds.
Having a yard that is friendly to birds may help keep flying stinging insects in control. Many birds consider insects a major food source.

Seal every crack, hole, or opening you can find.
Eliminate the possibility of wasps, hornets, and bees finding shelter in your home by eliminating those spaces they can enter easily. Silicone, putty, and other sealants are readily available at your local hardware store.

Keep the lids on your garbage cans.
If you have to store your garbage cans outdoors, make sure their covers are securely placed. Wasps, hornets, yellow jackets and bees are attracted to your garbage and can make a home in your garbage cans.

No bright colors or strong perfumes.
Floral designs and vivid colors are bound to attract insects that feed on flowers. Avoid perfume, as this also attracts pollinators.

Know when to call in the professionals.
If the preventative measures don’t work, rely on your local professional pest removal service to guide you. They can remove nests and provide you with additional tips for maintenance and prevention.

When you see evidence of cockroaches in your home, your first inclination may be to reach for the strongest bug spray you can find. But before you do, take a deep breath and think again. While pesticides will likely kill whatever unwanted visitors are infesting your home, they can also be harmful to you and your family.

Children are especially susceptible to harm from pesticides, because their bodies and immune systems are still developing. They are also more likely to be exposed to pesticides by crawling on the floor and putting their hands and other objects in their mouths.

But household pests can also be a danger to your family. Cockroaches produce allergens that can trigger asthma and allergies. Mouse droppings can also trigger asthma or allergies. Flies and mosquitoes can carry germs and diseases.

Fortunately, there are ways to control pests and keep your family safe, too. Bug Guardian Pest Prevention has several options for pest control that work great in Peoria homes that are safe for pets and children. Call Bug Guardian Pest Control today to learn more and schedule your appointment!

Three signs it’s time to call in a pro

As a homeowner, you know there are some home projects you can take on yourself (painting the guest room) and some that are better left to the professionals (installing electrical wiring in the basement). The same logic goes for pest control. In some cases, do-it-yourself measures are fine but in others, it is best to call in a pest professional to ensure the job is done correctly and safely. So how do you know which pest scenarios are DIY-approved and which are pro-worthy?
In most cases, the answer depends on the several factors, including the type of pest, its threats to your family’s health, the potential for property damage and the size of the infestation. For example, one lone yellow jacket that found its way into your home is no cause for alarm. But a nest of yellow jackets near your front porch? Time to call in the pros.
Specifically, here are a few pests that you should leave to the pros:
 1.    Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are certainly not a pest that should be handled on your own. For one, they are notoriously elusive, often hiding out in hard to detect places like behind electrical switches and under wallpaper. A trained pest professional will know where bed bugs are likely to hide in your home and can develop a treatment plan to target the pests while ensuring the safety of your family and pets.
To effectively treat a bed bug infestation all stages of the bed bug life cycle must be treated, including bed bug eggs, nymphs (babies) and adult bed bugs. Unfortunately, DIY pest control methods are often ineffective against bed bug nymphs and eggs. Attempts to control a bed bug infestation on your own may only exacerbate the problem and give the infestation time to grow. And bed bugs reproduce quickly – one female bed bug can lay one to five eggs in a day and more than 500 in their lifetime, meaning that a small infestation can quickly grow out of control.
In addition, homeowners that attempt to control a bed bug infestation on their own often spend more money in the long run on failed treatments. Some residents with bed bug infestations unnecessarily throw out furniture, clothing and other personal property in an attempt to control an infestation. In extreme cases, homeowners have seriously damaged their homes or sickened their families by misusing pest control products.
 2.    Stinging Insects
Infestations of any type of stinging insect – such as wasps, yellow jackets or fire ants – should always be left up to the professionals. Stinging insects pose serious health risks. In fact, they send half a million people to the emergency room every year. A single colony of stinging insects can contain anywhere from a few hundred to 80,000 members, which can attack if their nest is threatened. Those with allergies to insect stings are especially at risk, but if a large nest of stinging insects attacks, it can be life threatening to anyone.
 3.    Reoccurring or heavy infestations
No matter the type of pest, if you have an infestation that keeps coming back no matter what you try, it’s time to contract a professional. Reoccurring pest infestations are a sign that your home is just too enticing for pests. Perhaps a small access point (such as a tear in a window screen or a crack in the foundation) is providing easy access indoors for ants. Or perhaps a drip under the bathroom sink is creating the perfect conditions for cockroaches. Whatever it is, a trained pest professional will inspect your home, determine the infestation and help you resolve it once and for all.
DIY methods are also no match for heavy pest infestations.  Because many pests pose serious health and property threats, a sizable pest infestation should be left up to the professionals to handle, before it can grow any larger.
As a homeowner, there are a lot of DIY steps you can take to help prevent pests from finding their way into your home, but even these are most effective when completed in partnership with a pest professional. And, if you suspect you have an infestation, your first step should always be to call Bug Guardian Pest Control. We will be able to properly identify your pest problem and recommend an appropriate course of treatment.

Scorpions are found all across the world. There are over 2,000 different species found on six of the seven continents. They prey on insects, arthropods and in some cases small vertebrates. Because scorpions can live in such hash environments they have adapted the ability to slow their metabolism to as little as one-third the rate for most arthropods. This enables some species to use little oxygen and live on a single insect a year. Even with lowered metabolism, the scorpion has the ability to spring quickly to the hunt when the opportunity presents itself something that many hibernating species are unable to do. Some species can have over 100 viviparous offspring, followed by the young climbing on the mother’s back for weeks until first molt and living independently. All scorpions are venomous, they use their venom to paralyze and kill their pray and in self defense. Even small young scorpions can inject you with the same amount of venom as adults.

There are more than 45 species of scorpions found in Arizona. Most common in the Phoenix area is the Bark Scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda) which also happens to be the most venomous and only lethal scorpion in Arizona.

Here is a list of most the scorpions that can be found in Arizona

Scorpions are often found in the desert, although there are many urban habitats that are attractive to the scorpion. Scorpions are often found near mountains, buttes and the outskirts where there has been little urbanization. New construction can cause scorpions to move from there habitat this explains why homes adjacent to new construction often find themselves infested. A water source such as a lake or canal will attract prey for scorpions.