Going on an Insect Safari
1. Scorpions
Scorpions are close relatives of spiders, mites and ticks, easily recognized by their front claws and long, segmented body and tail. While they're generally happiest in the desert, in the bark of trees, and hiding in leaves and debris, scorpions are scattered on every continent except Antarctica. Scorpions in Arizona are rampant! They tend to like cottonwood, sycamore and mesquite groves near rivers. When housing construction moves into these areas, it stirs up the local scorpion communities and they go places they wouldn't otherwise inhabit: like inside your home! When that happens, you may see them on ceilings, in curtains and even scaling shower doors. The scorpion's sting can be life-threatening, especially to young children and the elderly.
To control scorpions inside the home, start outside first. Seal all cracks on the outside of the home with caulk or a durable sealant. Then look outside for their nests. Since scorpions are nocturnal, you should conduct a hunt at night using a hand-held black light. Scorpions will glow when exposed to certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light. If you find their dwelling place, destroy each scorpion individually, usually by smashing them under a shoe or with a heavy rock. (Don't pick them up unless you're sure they're really dead.) Inside the house they like to hide in shoes, under blankets or in wet towels. You'll need to do a thorough sweep of every nook and cranny of your house to make sure they're gone once you remove them from the yard. If you have a bigger problem than you can handle, you can ask a pest control professional to set up an exterior barrier, even do wall injections and de-webbing of "scorpion hammocks!"
2. Ants
Controlling ants is complicated by the fact that all ants are not the same. Arizona ant control targets healthy populations of Southern fire ants, thief ants, carpenter ants, black carpenter ants and pyramid ants, while on the East Coast you're more likely to find fire ants, flying ants and pharaoh ants, as well as carpenter ants. Ant habitats are typically in shallow soil, in moist wood, under rocks, around walkways and foundations, under floors and around sinks and bathtubs, where water pools. With the exception of carpenter ants, which have a destructive effect on wooden structures, most ants can be dealt with using a few solid tips.
First, follow the ant trail back to their colony. Wipe down the area where they created a "scent trail," and then eliminate the food source (crumbs in the kitchen, snacks left on the porch, soda spilled in the bedroom). Using substances like Vaseline, chili powder, cinnamon or boric acid to block their trail usually works, though they're often persistent in creating new trails. Finally, seal the entrance they were using into your home. You may need to use a gentle, but toxic ant killer to destroy an established colony.
3. Black Widow Spiders
Black widow spiders aren't harmless, friendly characters like Charlotte in the familiar children's story, "Charlotte's Web." Their bites are 15 times more poisonous than that of a prairie rattle snake, with symptoms like dry mouth, profuse sweating, swollen eyelids and severe stomach pain. They love living in undisturbed areas like under a porch or stairs, behind a paint can in the garage, and in dark, moist spots both inside and out.
You can identify black widow spiders by the red/orange hourglass on their abdomen. Black widow spider control starts by cleaning up wood piles and cut shrubbery, and cleaning up junk piles around the yard, both organic and inorganic (clothing, newspapers, boxes). Putting eucalyptus branches around the home can deter black widows, as will horse chestnuts. Installing a bird feeder helps as well, as birds will attack all kinds of insects that live in your yard. Finally, there are plenty of pesticides that kill spiders, especially on Amazon, where you'll find the biggest selection of pest control products online.
4. Roaches
What most people don't know about cockroaches is they can transmit disease in their saliva and excrement. They can contaminate food you don't even realize is accessible to them, since they usually only come out at night. They can also cause respiratory problems for those sensitive to the allergens they produce.
Unfortunately, many species of roaches have adapted to living indoors with humans! Usually they prefer warm, dark, humid spaces, and can find cracks under, around or inside cupboards to hide. Once you have a cockroach infestation, the only way to end it is by removing the food and water source.
After you've cleaned the infested area, and gotten rid of the source of the roach's sustenance, you'll need to check dark, damp locations near food and water sources. Get rid of clutter where roaches are likely to hide. Use sticky traps (glue boards) near where the roaches are found. Some "baiting" products are available that draw roaches into an area to ingest a deadly gel. Other products include boric acid dusts for wall voids and dusts of silica dioxide or diatomaceous earth that destroy the roach's waxy cuticle. You can go it alone, or if your roach infestation seems persistent, you may want to call a pest control professional who's proficient in cockroach control techniques.
5. Bed bugs
Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans, and can transmit diseases when they inject saliva during feeding. You can detect telltale signs on bed sheets and even odors that indicate the presence of bed bugs. Bed bugs are seeing resurgence along the East Coast and throughout the west, as infestations have grown larger and become more difficult to control. These hemoparasitic insects feed on the blood of humans, usually while the host sleeps.
Bed bugs can be hard to find, as they hide in clothing, mattresses and in crevices in a floor or wall. They can come into the home on luggage, furniture or on items of clothing. A few simple tips like regular laundering of bed sheets and vacuuming furniture upholstery can greatly reduce the chance of a bed bug infestation. An invasion of bed bugs that's not controlled can expand to the point that only dramatic and draconian action-such as removing furniture pieces and clothing from the home-can resolve.
6. Ticks
Ticks feed on whole blood, then inject the fluid from the blood back into their host, spreading a variety of diseases and toxins. They can attach themselves for days while going unnoticed, making them very efficient disease carriers. They wait on the tips of grasses and shrubs to climb onto host animals or humans. They are most active on winter days when ground temperatures are around 45 degrees F.
The easiest way to avoid tick bites and related illness is to avoid wooded areas with tall grass and weeds. If you're hiking, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, boots and a head covering. You can also apply an insect repellant containing 10 to 30 percent DEET to clothing, and sparingly to skin. Don't forget to wash the skin after going indoors. It's also a good idea to check every 2-3 hours for ticks, as the first few hours after they attach are the least worrisome in terms of transmitting disease. If you find a tick on the skin, remove it promptly with tweezers, pulling it straight out. If tweezers aren't handy, use a tissue or cloth to gently pull the tick from the skin. Apply antiseptic to the bite site and contact a doctor if you have any fever or unexplained sickness.
You can keep ticks away from your home by mowing grass and keeping weeks cut back, and cleaning up areas that might attract mice. There are insecticides specifically for controlling ticks, that can be applied in weeded areas.
In many cases, you can "Do It Yourself" in removing unwanted pests from your home or yard. Follow instructions in this guide, and if a problem persists, don't hesitate to call a pest control professional. They can offer advice for preventing future problems, as well as compounds for treating infested areas. Enjoy this spring by sending your pests packing!
If you're interested in advice on pest-proofing your home, or
want the help of a professional in ridding your home of pests, call
Jameson Bevans at TruForce Pest. You can reach him at http://truforcepest.com.
Jameson is an expert on scorpions in Arizona, Arizona ant control,
black widow spider control and cockroach control techniques, to name
just a few areas of expertise. Finding pests in your home doesn't
necessarily mean you're not tidy, or your home isn't clean. It may just
mean you haven't acted proactively to seal pests out, and remove the
enticements inside your home to having them sneak in. Try our advice for
DIY pest control! Then call TruForce Pest, Arizona's premiere pest
control company.
