With the vanishing summer warmth and the approaching cooler, fall months, everyone gets ready for the fun holidays to begin such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. People decorate their homes with spooky things, kids plan their Halloween costumes and haunted houses open up everywhere. It’s easy to get sucked into the creepy spirit of spiders, witches and pumpkins popping up everywhere but the last thing you want is a real house of haunting spiders lurking around every corner. However, that is exactly what happens in the fall months as the weather turns chilly. Spiders seek warmth and protection, more specifically, a safe, cozy place to place their egg sac until it hatches in spring. Your home has all the necessities they need and they will stop at nothing to get inside. They won’t bother knocking and yelling “Trick-or-Treat!” either, they’ll just rudely waltz in and make themselves at home. Are you going to allow that?

Trick them, don’t treat them!

Bug Guardian Pest Prevention is experienced at hunting down the spiders and their eggs sacs. We know where they like to hide and our techniques will ensure that come spring, you won’t have a house full of unwanted baby spiderlings. Here are a few tips to decreasing spiders around your home during the winter:

1-Clear unwanted debris from outside your home
Spiders live love leave piles, wood piles or any other kind of pile you can think of. They live for clutter so de-clutter and remove all spider nesting spots.

2-Keep outdoor lighting to a minimum
Spiders don’t necessarily like outside light, but other flying bugs and flies do. Spiders will hang out where there is a decent meal and if you’re providing that with a well lit porch and patio, spiders will be frequent diners there.

3-Seal cracks in your home, windows, and doors
This is a given. If your home is sealed tight as a drum, you leave them outside and extremely disappointed.

Call the Bug Guardian Pest Prevention experts!

Last but not least, call in the professionals. We know how gross, creepy and annoying spiders are in your home and we want to help you make it a peaceful haven once again. Unless you’d like to invite them in to add to the spooky holiday spirit, spider control in Arizona is best left to the us. We use the best, most environmentally friendly methods of removing spiders. Our spider control is gentle for your family and loved ones, so you won’t need to worry about replacing scary spiders with dangerous chemicals. We have you covered! Give us a call today!

The holidays are coming and they’ll be here before you know it. If you’ve been meaning to get an exterminator into your home to diagnose your pest control issues, now is the time to get that taken care of. Our green pest control will not leave any telltale residues for your holiday guests to detect. If you’re planning on having out of town guests for the holidays you don’t want them sharing beds with pests of any type.

Once the leaves start to fall and Halloween comes and goes, everyone goes into holiday mode. The cooler temperatures tend to drive many different insects and critters into homes in search of a warm and comfortable place to spend the off-season months. No matter what they are and how they arrive, it’s imperative to get them dealt with before the holidays.

It won’t be long before you find yourself up to your elbows in seasonal preparations like decorating (inside and out!), shopping, baking, wrapping presents and neighborhood gift swaps. You want this time of year to be a celebration, not a battle with ongoing pest control issues.

Here are some suggestions to make your home less of a temptation for pests of any type.

• • Keep pantry foods in tightly sealed containers of plastic or glass, not paper.
  • Baking items that you will be keeping for an extended period of time are best kept in the refrigerator or freezer. This includes sugar, flour and spices.
  • Do not mix new product with old. Use up all the old flour and sugar and wash the containers well before pouring fresh product in.
  • Wipe countertops, cupboards and other kitchen surfaces often, including under appliances that sit out.
  • Check expiration dates and toss out anything past it’s sell by date.

Taking the above precautions should keep your pantry pests to a minimum and discourage new pests from moving in.

This is the time of year when you’re pulling out boxes that were stored after the holidays last year. During the past year it’s possible that rodents or other critters have set up housekeeping in your boxes. Be careful as you unpack to what you may uncover in the boxes. To avoid any nasty and unexpected surprises it’s best if you opened your boxes outdoors. When this holiday is over, repack all of your decorations into plastic storage bins.

While you and your family are out Trick or Treating this Halloween in Arizona make sure to keep an eye out for Scorpions. While the temperatures in the Valley are slowly dropping they are still warm enough that Scorpions are out.

Arizona Bark Scorpions are at home in the desert and can usually be found near rocks, hiding under them or in crevices. However, these scorpions are also able to climb, so they will sometimes take refuge in trees or on rock walls. Bark Scorpions have also been found in people front yard’s and walls.

At night Scorpions can be difficult to see especially while you are keeping an eye out for your trick or treaters. It is best to avoid areas with new construction as you are more likely to see them in these neighborhoods.

If you are stung by an Arizona Bark Scorpion, seek medical attention immediately. Severe reactions to stings may require antivenin, which a doctor can administer. Expect pain and swelling at the site of the sting, and avoid drinking alcohol or taking any sedatives if you have been stung. An ice pack can also be applied to help ease the discomfort.

As the seasons change, the hot Arizona desert takes a change with cooler temperatures making Arizona a wonderful place to explore during fall and winter months. But even for the most enthusiastic nature and outdoors lover, even they don’t like nature waltzing into their homes to take up residence and neither do you. It’s one thing to admire a beautiful spider in its web or appreciate a vast ant hill, but it’s an entirely different thing to allow these exquisite pieces of nature to sleep next to you. That simply will not do.

Bug Guardian Pest Prevention appreciates nature too, so we only use the most environmentally friendly methods to remove infestations from your home. And as the months grow colder, this only increases their tenacity—they want inside! Your home offers the warmth and shelter they need. Here are the top 5 pests to watch out for as the temperatures drop:

1-Rodents

Rodents will stop at nothing to keep their families safe. They can chew through just about anything, thus it is vital to keep your home sealed tight. Regular inspections will insure that they haven’t chewed through anything to get inside.

2-Spiders

Homeowners often believe spiders “disappear” or die during the winter months. That isn’t the case. Maybe the female dies, but beforehand, she left you a gift—an egg sac with thousands of her offspring. She knew your house was warm and cozy. If you don’t call in Pointe Pest Control, you may not find the egg sac till it’s too late!

3-Ants

Like nearly all pests, ants are quite determined, little creatures who just want food. If the weather is inhospitable, they will move their colony somewhere safer, warmer and more accessible to food. If a scout ant has spotted your house, it won’t be long before his scent pheromone trail leads all his buddies inside your house.

4-Cockroaches

These pests definitely make this list. They want your kitchen, want your shelter and are assuredly one of the nastiest pests out there. Spreading disease and contaminating everything in their wake, it is definitely a homeowner’s nightmare to find an infestation of cockroaches.

5-Flies

In the fall, you’ll notice a surge of flies suddenly. The days are cool but as the nights get cooler, they want to prolong their short lives as long as possible. The frost kills them off but before they go, they want to get into your cozy house before the cold temperatures claim them.

Being extra vigilant with pest prevention and regular inspections during the fall and winter is important. It will minimize the risk of infestation once spring and summer hit.

Pests are attracted to sources of food, water and shelter – three things that restaurants and commercial food facilities provide in spades. Without taking proper preventative steps, restaurants and food service facilities could see populations of rodents, flies, cockroaches, ants and more. Commercial pest control services are paramount to ensuring your business stays open and clean.

Many restaurants and food service facilities have already contracted with pest professionals to prevent infestations from occurring. A working partnership between facility managers and licensed, trained pest professionals is critical in controlling pest populations.

Licensed and professionally trained pest professionals for commercial pest control are best suited to keep health and property-threatening pests in check. Today’s pest professionals have the training necessary to identify pest problems and recommend the most responsible and effective pest management methods available. But, restaurants and commercial food facilities should train their internal staff to work as partners with pest professionals.  While these locations may receive regular service from their contracted pest management firm, internal employees can take steps every day to help reduce pest populations.

Are there steps a restaurant or food service facility can take on their own to prevent/control pest populations?

1. Seal up any cracks and holes on the outside of the facility including areas where utilities and pipes enter.
2. Make sure vents are screened and gaps around windows and doors are sealed.
3. Keep tree branches and shrubbery well trimmed.
4. Inspect boxes, bags and other packaging thoroughly to curb hitchhiking pests.
5. Don’t allow food to sit on counters or shelves in open containers.  All food and water sources should be kept sealed unless currently in use.
6. Clean all food spills regularly.
7. Store garbage in sealed containers and dispose of it regularly.
8. Replace weather-stripping and repair loose mortar around the basement foundation and windows.
9. Never store food on the floor.  Always lift it up on shelves so that rodents and insects do not have easy access.
10. Comply will all regulations regarding pests in food service facilities.
11. A licensed and qualified pest professional is your best resource to ensure these steps are completed properly.

Bug Guardian Pest Control recommends that restaurants and food service facilities implement a regular pest control program.  This process involves common sense and sound solutions for treating and controlling pests. These solutions incorporate three basic steps: 1) inspection, 2) identification and 3) treatment. Treatment options vary from sealing cracks and removing food and water sources to pesticide treatments when necessary.