Phoenicians may already know this, but Southern Arizona is a haven for insects and rodents. Phoenix often ranks highest among the buggiest metropolises in the continental United States. Even though the fabled dry heat of Phoenix would seem inhospitable to any and all small creatures, it seems every bug and mammal under the sun can, in fact, thrive in the Valley of the Sun. We took the time to list out the most common pests in the Phoenix area and realized that there are so many, we would have to split the list in two just to keep it readable! For now, we’re going to look at at the most common pests from letters A to R and explain what to expect when you encounter them.
Ants
There are multiple species of ants that count Arizona in their native range, including fire ants, crazy ants, carpenter ants, forelius ants, pavement ants and odorous house ants. Fire ants and forelius ants are more commonly found outside, infesting separated buildings, wood piles and other abodes while carpenter ants, pavement ants and especially house ants have a tendency to invade human residence. While crazy ants, odorous house ants and pavement ants are a problem unto themselves, carpenters indicate there might be rotting wood somewhere inside the house. They don’t actually eat wood, but instead chew through it to make their homes. Crazy ants, meanwhile, have a fondness for electric currents and will usually chew through small wires just to grab a jump. While ant traps can help control the problem for a while, they can soon overwhelm any home not properly sealed against them. It’s only a matter of time before the scouts find a new way in and make a beeline antline for the food.
Fire ants in particular will require an exterminator because of the danger their aggressive, bite-happy behavior presents. The venom in their mandibles can be extremely painful. Carpenter ants too, are a serious pest because of the structural damage they might entail. You will want a pest technician to remove just so you know the full extent of the damage. Forelius, pavement and other house ants are not dangerous but will quickly overrun a home. Squishing ants is often no good as the dead ant will send off pheromones signalling other colony mates of both food and danger. Because ants are numerous organisms, they will just flood them home with numbers to scavenge what they want, casualties be what they may.
Ants are generally a headache for the busy homeowner, requiring constant supervision to eliminate. It’s often far more cost effective to call a pest control service who can identify the pest species, find the colony and exterminate them.
Bed Bugs
Despite what most people think, bed bugs are not particularly attracted to a lack of hygiene per se, but are rather symptomatic of the lack thereof. A bed bug infestation occurs because bed bugs constitute a family of smugglers. They hide themselves and their eggs in furniture, clothing or backpacks, spreading from already affected areas to your home. While their genus, Cimex, has been mostly wiped out due to modern pesticides, they can still persist in some areas and are detectable by the smell of rotting raspberries, the pox-like marks they leave after feeding on hosts and a variety of trap products from home improvement stores. Calling an exterminator, however, is probably the most surefire method of eradication. And nobody would blame a homeowner from seeking the control experts for bed bug extermination.
Bees
There are plenty of bee species in Arizona and they can all be a nuisance; sweat bees are attracted to the scent of human sweat, Africanized honey bees are an aggressive and invasive swarmer and carpenter bees will cause all sorts of damage to your home. Like carpenter ants, these unwanted guests just chew through the wood to make their home and they should be removed as soon as possible.
As honey bees are very important to our community’s ecosystem, pest management companies recommend finding extraction services. Most professional beekeepers offer humane removal services, smoking them out and capturing the queen then either crafting them a new home or finding them one. However, there are times where the hive is otherwise inaccessible and the queen has buried herself deep inside the home. In such cases, calling a pest control service is in your best interest especially if one of your loved ones is at risk of an allergic reaction.
Cockroaches
Nothing quite communicates an unenviable and unwanted presence like the cockroach. While it’s take for granted that these meek stinkbugs will inherit the post-atomic earth, that doesn’t mean they need to inherit your home!
You will smell these creepers before seeing them and then you will see them soon anyways.These insects from the order Blattodea have been crawling around the Carboniferous and have changed little from their ancestors; fossilized remains have been found dated to 50 million years ago and show how remarkably little these bugs have changed. What hasn’t changed is our evolutionary response to their presence. A fear of cockroaches is actually a survival trait passed down from our ancestors. The most common species of cockroach in North America is called the German cockroach or the Blatella germanica, which might be a misnomer as evidence has come to suggest they originated in warmer climates. The fight against this pest has developed to the point where sugar no longer works as a reliable bait for some, as they evolved to taste sugar as prohibitively bitter. While there are plenty of traps available on the market, it is recommended to call a professional exterminator to remove any infestation from the property.
Rodents
Mice, rats and gophers have a seemingly very simple rule of existence: follow the humans, but keep your distance. Where ever humans go, food produce and waste follows them, easy pickings for these scavengers.
Rats and mice prefer to burrow inside human settlements for easy access to food. Roof rats will nest in attics, while the average house mouse will look for real estate in the basement or garage. A colony of mice or rats will wreck the insides of your house, chewing through wires, insulation and siding to make any home their own. While both roof and norway rats are generally larger than mice, it’s harder to tell whether your house is beset by either because both mice and rats are speed demons and will avoid human confrontation. Wild rats in general are disease vectors and should be removed as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, gophers prefer to stay outside and will quickly ruin any garden or green space with their network of tunnels. Gopher holes are pretty easy to identify, as they will have a small patch of dirt surrounding them with a lateral incline into the hovel. Their call sounds like a high-pitched whistle and they will inform others of their presence usually every morning. While home improvement stores do sell traps, professional exterminators have the tools to flood these creatures out.
Pest Control Near Me
Anteater Exterminating Inc. is here to remove whatever creature ails you, rodent or insect. We are Phoenix’s most trusted pest-control company in the Metro area, providing prevention, removal and prevention for such varied pests as ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, gophers, scorpions, termites, ticks and wasps among others. If you need pest control in the Valley of the Sun, contact us today. Expert technicians are experienced in all forms of pest control. Count on the staff of Anteater Exterminating to provide you with the answers to your latest critter invasion and join us next time to read about common pests from letters S to Z!