Pest Library

Common Phoenix, AZ Pest Identification & Prevention

Pests come in different sizes, species, and habits. As such, even if you have a basic understanding of the pests local to our Phoenix service area, it's often not enough to keep your property pest-free. That's why we've provided this pest library, designed to educate you on everything you need to know to enjoy a pest-free life, without exception.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are every Arizona homeowner's worst nightmare. Difficult to prevent and eliminate and a source of sleepless nights and frustration, bed bugs are pests no one wants to find crawling around their home. Bed bugs thrive inside our temperature-controlled homes and businesses, moving from place to place on people or within our belongings. The sole source of nutrition for bed bugs is the blood of warm-blooded animals. Bed bugs live and travel with us because our blood is their preferred food source

These pests received their name because they prefer to hide close to where people sleep — giving these nocturnal creatures easy access to our blood. If you spot flattened, oval-shaped insects that are reddish-brown in the seams of or under mattresses and box springs, dark streaks or drops of blood on mattresses, linens, pillowcases, walls, or flooring, piles of shed insect exoskeletons under mattresses, or a musty odor developing in any area of your home, bed bugs are likely present. At the first sign of bed bugs, call a professional for help. Professional bed bug control services are necessary to ensure every bed bug is treated and eliminated from your Phoenix home.

To help protect your Phoenix home from bed bugs, we have put together a few of our most valuable prevention tips to make your property less attractive to these pests:

• Regularly vacuum your home and upholstered furniture to eliminate stray bed bugs that may have accidentally been introduced into your house.
• When out in public places, make sure to keep your personal belongings up off the ground and away from other people's belongings as much as possible. Doing so will help to keep crawling bed bugs away from your property.
• Keep your home free of clutter. While clutter doesn't attract bed bugs, it does allow them to hide. The longer bed bugs go unnoticed, the larger the infestation will become.

Pigeons

Pigeons are a common pest problem around Phoenix homes and businesses. These birds are quick to take over any property they deem viable as a roosting site or a place they can forage for food. A light gray body, rust or metallic colored feathers on the breast, neck, and head, and two dark bars going across their wings set pigeons apart from other species of birds. Pigeons have a varied diet, preferring seeds but really feeding on anything they come across. Open trash containers, bird feeders, compost piles, and garden areas may initially attract pigeons to your property, with your roof quickly becoming a place they return to each evening to roost

Having pigeons living in large numbers on your property is not only annoying but actually quite dangerous. These birds carry and transmit various diseases like salmonella, toxoplasmosis, and histoplasmosis. Pigeons are also damaging pests. Their nest and feces will damage roof eaves, gutters, air conditioners, and ventilation systems. In addition, their feces dropping to your property's driveway and walkway are unsightly and create slip and fall risks. Because they are problematic in urban and rural areas, spread diseases, and cause damage to property, it is no wonder people refer to pigeons as the rodents of the bird world!

To help protect your Phoenix property from problematic pigeons, we have put together a few of our most valuable prevention tips to make your property less attractive to these pests:

• Remove food sources by keeping locking lids on trash cans and compost bins, maintaining garden areas, and keeping outdoor eating areas free of food debris.
• Remove water sources by keeping gutters free of debris, repairing low lying areas in your yard, and storing containers that collect water upside down when not in use.
• Never purposely feed pigeons and remove bird feeders from your property if you are experiencing problems with pigeons.

Rodents

Rodents are a constant source of frustration for people living in Phoenix. Rodents, such as mice and rats, have come to want to live with people because our properties provide these pests with food, water, and shelter. Our hot weather can be stressful for animals, and they often seek relief in our temperature-controlled homes. Roof rats, pack rats, Norway rats, and mice are regular invaders of our Arizona properties. No matter their type, all rodents are identified from other mammals by their front incisors that grow throughout their life

There are many reasons why a rodent would view your property as a place they want to hang out. Your gardens, flower beds, and compost piles act as both a place to feed and hide. Rodents that are comfortable in your yard are very likely to eventually make their way into your home. Keeping rodents away from Arizona properties is difficult but important. These small animals not only contaminate our food sources but spread diseases and parasites and cause structural damage.

To help protect your Phoenix property from rodents, we have put together a few of our most valuable prevention tips to make your property less attractive to these pests:

• Repair openings in your home's exterior using a strong material like steel wool that rodents can't chew through. Keep caps on chimneys and covers over vents.
• Remove rodent food sources from your yard by keeping keep lids on trash cans, picking up pet food, and keeping grill areas clear of food debris.
• Remove clutter from basements, attics, and closets to reduce rodent hiding and nesting areas in your home.

Scorpions

Scorpions are unique arachnids; their physical appearance makes them relatively easy for most to identify. The problem is that scorpions are very good at blending in with their environment, so often, we walk by these pests without realizing they are present. Arizona bark scorpions are common in the Phoenix area and have eight legs, two pedipalps (thin claw-like structures), and a segmented curved tail. At the end of the tail is a stinger that injects venom. The venom helps a scorpion; they use it for hunting their prey and protecting themselves from danger. Unfortunately, their venom is strong enough to cause health problems in people – especially in young children, the elderly, and people with a compromised immune system

Scorpions thrive in the desert conditions that Arizona provides, but like any animal, they require a regular source of water and food and appropriate shelter. Properties that offer scorpions those basic needs will likely experience problems with scorpions. Most of our yards provide living conditions suitable for both Arizona bark scorpions and the prey they are hunting like gardens, landscaping plants, trees, garden materials, and rock walls. Moisture that builds up in or around your home also attracts scorpions. Things like leaky pipes, sinks, fixtures, and drippy air conditioners are often the cause of excess water in a home and why scorpions have made themselves comfortable inside your home. Avoiding contact with scorpions is a must, and it is always recommended to remove these dangerous intruders from your home and yard with a professional's help.

To help protect your Phoenix property from scorpions, we have put together a few of our most valuable prevention tips to make your property less attractive to these pests:

• Fix leaking pipes and fixtures in and around your home that can attract scorpions.
• Regularly inspect your home's exterior, making any repairs to structural defects that will allow scorpions inside, such as loose screens, cracks in the foundation or exterior walls, or gaps around windows and doors.
• Remove excess debris from your yard that provides hiding spots for scorpions and their prey.

Stinging Insects

Stinging insects can become a threat on almost any property. These pests are opportunistic and will take advantage of any water sources, nesting sites, and food sources they come across. Wasps, yellow jackets, bees, and hornets are well-known stinging insects living throughout Phoenix that regularly make themselves at home in our yards, and sometimes our homes. In the event of a sting, the venom stinging insects inject is strong enough to trigger health problems in those allergic. When on our properties, stinging insects are unwanted, but they are very much wanted when living outside and away from us. Stinging insects are an essential part of our ecosystem, pollinating crops and plants (bees) and keeping the population of nuisance insects in check (wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets)

When stinging insects decide to build a nest in our yards, they often choose a spot that makes them dangerous to have around. Wooden swing sets, decks, doorways, shrubs next to walkways, ground holes in a yard, and under roof eaves are examples of problematic nesting spots. Sometimes they will also exploit openings they discover in a home's exterior to build a nest inside the protected walls of your home. When there is an unwanted stinging insect nest in a less than ideal area of your property, it is crucial to contact a professional. Professionals can accurately identify and appropriately remove the nest. Honey bee nests should never be destroyed; protecting this eco-important species is important. At Arizona's Exterminator Company, we will come to your property and remove honeybee hives and relocate them to help protect the species.

To help protect your Phoenix family from stinging insects and their painful stings, we have put together a few of our most valuable prevention tips to make your property less attractive to these pests:

• Keep shrubs, bushes, and tree branches cut back away from the outside of your home.
• Seal openings in your home's exterior to keep stinging insects out by sealing gaps around windows and doors, cracks in exterior walls, and placing covers over vents.
• Regularly inspect common nesting spots on your property for signs of stinging insects and get professional help as soon as you notice their presence.

Termites

Throughout the year, the warm temperatures in Phoenix allow termites to be very active and continuously moving about, searching for food to bring back to their nest mates in their underground nests. Subterranean termites are common in our area and across the United States, causing more than five billion dollars in prevention and damages in our country each year! The termite's diet is unique — they feed on the cellulose found in wood and other plant matter, which means when they find a way into your Phoenix home, they will feed on and damage its structural wood

As termites travel through the soil or the mud tubes they create to maintain their moisture needs and protect them from predators, they will take advantage of any wood making contact with the ground. While traveling through the soil, it is common for the tiny pests to move into homes and other structures through tiny cracks that develop in the building's foundation. Once inside, they take advantage of any wet decaying wood they find, first under floors or behind walls near pipes, sinks, tubs, and other sources of moisture. After termites have discovered a reliable food source, they keep returning each day to gather food to bring back to the nest; termites can be present and working 24/7 for months or years before anyone finally notices them. Protecting your Arizona home from termites is vital to ensure the structural integrity of your home is never compromised by these wood-eating pests.

To help protect your Phoenix home from termites, we have put together a few of our most valuable prevention tips:

• Always fix leaky pipes or fixtures as soon as you discover them. Moisture building up in and around your home will attract moisture seeking termites.
• Regularly inspect your home's foundation, repairing any cracks or openings you discover.
• Remove fallen trees, wood debris, and other organic matter from your yard that will absorb moisture and attract hungry termites to your property.

Contact Arizona's Exterminator Company today so we can put together a plan of action to eliminate current problems with pests, or to protect your home from future pest problems. Learn more about our home pest control and commercial pest control service offerings.