What You Need To Know About Pests In Peoria, AZ
If you are tired of continuously having run-ins with pests in and around your Peoria property, we are here to help. Learning about insects, rodents, and other unwanted critters is the best way to avoid problems with these pests. The more you understand their wants and needs, the easier it will be to keep them away!
Ants
Ants, like any living creature, need food, water, and safe shelter to survive. Unfortunately for us, ants have discovered that people and our properties provide them with those basic needs. Ants are regular invaders to our indoor and outdoor spaces, and any Peoria property is at risk of becoming overrun by these small insects.
Food is the biggest attractant to ants. Once they discover a place with regular sources of food they can take advantage of, they will keep returning. Ants should quickly be dealt with because, besides being annoying, they are also problematic. Ants spread bacteria, contaminate our stored food, and are difficult to control and eliminate. The best solution to any ant infestation, big or small, is a professional solution. Reach out today to learn more about ant control solutions in Peoria, AZ.
Use these three easy-to-follow tips to avoid problems with ants in your home:
- Reduce food odors; keep lids on trash cans, regularly harvest gardens, and pick up uneaten pet food.
- Block entry points into your home; use caulk or another material to seal cracks and crevices. Place weatherstripping and door sweeps to seal gaps around and under windows and doors.
- Eliminate water sources; repair leaky pipes, remove areas of standing water, and make sure downspouts are directing water away from your home's exterior.
Spiders
Spiders are arachnids that provide a valuable service. Spiders eat mosquitoes and other annoying and dangerous insects, helping to control their populations. Having spiders in our yards is okay, but having spiders taking over our yards and moving inside our homes is not! Not only are there dangerous spiders in Arizona, but having large populations of spiders on your property is usually an indication of an overall pest problem. Like all predators, spiders live where their prey live.
Spiders naturally find their way to where we live because our yards and homes offer them many hiding spots and insects to hunt. In and around our homes, spiders often seek refuge in gardens, cardboard boxes, closets, clothing, and other dark spaces, all places people frequent. Spiders aren't aggressive toward people, but they won't hesitate to bite us to stop themselves from being squished.
It is important to be vigilant to avoid problems with spiders that call Arizona home. Make sure to reduce areas of excess moisture and standing water that spiders can utilize. Regularly inspect your home's exterior and seal cracks that provide entry points for spiders and their prey. Reduce insect activity around your home by keeping lids on trash cans and recycling bins, maintaining your lawn, and keeping outdoor eating clean. For professional help with spider identification and control, reach out now!
Bees & Wasps
Bees and wasps are stinging insects that regularly find their way onto our properties to nest and forage for food. The most significant difference between these two types of stinging insects is that bees are pollinators and wasps are predators. What they have in common is the stinger located at the back end that they use as a means of defense. The more bees and wasps there are nesting on your property, the more there is a chance you or a family member will be perceived as a threat and end up on the receiving end of a painful sting.
Our yards provide bees and wasps with a multitude of nesting spots and food sources which is why bees are a common problem for homeowners. We regularly discover their nests in trees, shrubs, roof eaves, utility poles, and any other spot that provide them with shelter. Bees and wasps gather around foraging sites like gardens, fruit trees, compost, and trash cans. While bees and wasps play vital roles in the ecosystem, you have to remove them when they become dangerous to people.
Four of our most helpful tips to prevent problems with bees and wasps include:
- Avoid placing flowering plants near your home's windows and doors.
- Maintain your yard.
- Remove standing water from your yard.
- Keep lids on trash cans and recycling bins.
If bees and wasps have taken over your property, call today to learn about our stinging insect control solutions!
Cockroaches
Cockroaches have survived the test of time as they are hearty, adaptable, and prolific breeders. Cockroaches have become such problematic, common household pests because our structures provide them with the perfect place to live. Our kitchens, bathrooms, and crawl spaces offer them access to food, moisture, and warmth.
Cockroaches are persistent pests which makes keeping them out of our homes difficult. Because cockroaches forage for food in things like trash cans, gardens, and sewers or drains, their bodies and legs are teaming with bacteria, viruses, and parasites. When cockroaches find their way into your home either on their own or by hitchhiking in, they will quickly take over and create serious health risks for you and your family.
It is important always to be vigilant to avoid problems with the cockroaches that call Arizona home. Keep cockroaches out of your house by inspecting deliveries, secondhand items, laundry bags, and grocery bags before bringing them inside. Remove entry points by repairing defects in exterior walls and covering open vents and drains. It is also essential to be proactive and implement a home pest control program to avoid problems with cockroaches and other household pests.
Common Pests
A wide variety of pests thrive throughout Arizona, taking over our yards and homes! Some, like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes, pose significant threats to people because of their health risks. Others, like beetles, silverfish, and crickets, are not necessarily dangerous, but they certainly shouldn't be made to feel at home on our properties.
It isn't a mystery why pests regularly take over our Peoria, AZ, properties. Where people live and spend time outside, pests thrive. Leaky pipes, hoses, and air conditions offer them access to water, and they forage for food and seek shelter in our gardens, compost, and landscaping. They won't hesitate to migrate into our temperature-controlled houses if the weather becomes unsuitable. Keeping pests away from our homes is a necessary but difficult task and is easiest accomplished with the help of an experienced professional!
Use the following four tips to keep common household pests from taking over your Peoria home:
- Maintain your yard, keep the grass cut short, cut back vegetation from your home, and remove yard debris.
- Repair torn screens, cracks in the foundation, and other openings that could provide entry points.
- Regularly vacuum and dusk your home to remove and dislodge hiding pests.
- Keep storage areas within your home organized and free of clutter.
Call today to implement a commercial pest control program for your Peoria, AZ, property.
Scorpions
Scorpions are arachnids and, like spiders, are fierce predators that help to control populations of many insects, including crickets and cockroaches. They also feed on spiders and small lizards. Though scorpions are eco-important, they should never become part of our households because they are dangerous pests. Scorpions have venom-filled stingers at the end of their tails used to defend themselves by delivering painful, sometimes life-threatening stings to people and pets.
Scorpions thrive in desert climates but do require water to survive. Water sources often draw scorpions and their insect prey to our properties. When scorpions become comfortable in our outdoor spaces, it won't be long until they find their way indoors. While scorpions prefer to live outside, they can't pass up the cool, dark shelter, moisture, and prey our homes provide.
Use the following four tips to make your Peoria, AZ, property less interesting to scorpions.
- Keep screen covers over vents and drains leading into your home.
- Remove yard debris that offers scorpions dark, sheltered spots to retreat within.
- Cut back tree limbs and shrubbery from your home's exterior that provide a highway for scorpions to move to and from your home.
- Scorpions in Arizona are attracted to moisture. Repair leaks, use dehumidifiers, and ensure your home has adequate ventilation.
Partner with us at Big Sky Pest Control to get rid of scorpions from your property once and for all!