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Like the Grand Canyon, subterranean termites have been in the Arizona desert for many years. Feeding on cellulose products and constructing mud shelter tubes on landscapes, homes and businesses. Their mud shelter tubes are always connected to the soil acting as food chains where the foraging workers bring cellulose back to feed the colony. An average colony consists of 60,000 to 250,000 individuals but colonies numbering in the millions are possible. The queens might live up to 30 years and workers as long as 5 years. The winged reproductive swarm usually in the warmer rainy seasons of the year, find a mate, drop their wings, and start another colony.

Termite tubes can appear within a 24 hour period, usually in areas where moisture is prevalent. If the evidence goes unnoticed or ignored for a long period of time, they can do considerable damage to structures and furnishings. Inspecting your home or business at least once a year is crucial for early detection. Grand Canyon Pest Control has been treating and eliminating subterranean termite colonies in the valley for decades. Most importantly using a product that eliminates the colony. The more thorough your home/business is treated the first time covering any/all entry points are crucial for total success.

Termite Entry Points

• Exterior Stem Walls
• Interior Stem Walls
• Plumbing Protrusions
• Stress/ Control Cracks
• Porch Posts
• Crawl Spaces

Conditions Conducive

• Earth To Wood Contact
• Excessive Moisture
• Faulty Grades
• Plumbing Leaks
• Excessive Cellulose Debris

Scorpions are poisonous, the poison glands are in the last segment of the tail. Most species are not dangerous but inflict a sting comparable to a wasp sting. Female scorpions do not lay eggs, but produce an average of 35 live nymphs which she carries on her back from 7-30 days. The nymphs average six molts over several months to 4 years before reaching maturity. Adults live for 1 to 6 years, feeding primarily on insects and spiders. Scorpions are able to survive up to 6 months without feeding. They are active at night, during the day they hide under stones, tree bark, wood piles, and in masonry cracks. Entering structures seeking water, food, and shelter frequently found in restrooms, crawl spaces, attics, stone and block walls, foundations, under the eaves and in clothing left on the floor including shoes.

Bees

Honey Bees are social insects that live in a colony or hive as many as 20,000 – 80,000 workers. They collect nectar and pollen from plants and trees, inadvertently pollinating flowers and allowing plants to produce fruit. They also produce honey and a wax honey comb that they secrete. The queen is the only fertile female producing all of the eggs for the colony. She is capable of producing 1,000-2,000 eggs per day. Honey Bees are not naturally aggressive, however if a colony inside a structure is threatened they will sting. Honey Bees swarm when the queen begins to fail or the colony gets too large. Swarms are often seen on a tree branch and when this occurs, the bees are not usually aggressive. The swarm lasts 24-48 hours then moves to a sheltered environment such as a hollow tree, hollow wall or attic.

Wasps

Social wasps can have large nests containing queens, workers, and males. In the spring the queens seeks an appropriate nesting site building a paper nest using chewed up wood fibers. Eggs are laid in the nest cells, the larvae are fed bits of chewed up meat or insect parts by the queen and workers. Wasps can aggressively defend their nests and inflict multiple stings and become a nuisance building their nests in or near structures. They also can overwinter inside structures.

Pavement Ants are commonly found in Arizona. They nest outdoors under flat stones, under sidewalks, along curbing, and under slabs etc. They invade structures in search of food, feeding on insects, meats, seeds, and sweets but prefer meats and greases. Inside structures, they nest in walls, insulation, floors, and near heat sources during the winter. They forage in trails as far as 30 feet from the nest. Although they are not aggressive, workers can bite and sting. This is one of many species of ants we have in Arizona.

American

During her lifetime, the female American cockroach produces 9 to 10 egg capsules each of which contains 14 to 16 eggs.  The capsules are dropped in protected locations such as cracks and crevices near food sources. The nymphs molt 10 to 13 times before becoming adults. This requires about 600 days. Adult females live an average of 440 days and males about 200 days. American cockroaches are not common pests in most homes. They can be abundant in sewers, sprinkler valve boxes and commercial facilities, They prefer warm, damp locations. They are strong flyers and easily migrate from building to building and in the summer, large numbers accumulate in outdoor locations, and in the fall migrate into surrounding structures. Preferring fermenting food.

German

German cockroaches are some of the most common household insects within the United States. They typically infest kitchens and restrooms but will live anywhere inside heated structures with food, water and harborage. They are rarely found outdoors, and gain entry into structures in grocery bags. Cardboard boxes, infested refrigerators, toasters, dishwashers, and microwaves etc. During her lifetime the female German cockroach produces 4 to 8 egg capsuled with 30 to 40 eggs. Approximately one or two days before hatching, she drops the egg capsule in a protected area. Nymphs molt 6 to 7 times before becoming adults. Taking about 103 days, allowing 3 to 4 generations per year. Adults live 100 to 200 days.

Black Widow spiders (poisonous) prefer to build their webs in dry protected locations. Their webs are irregular in shape. Approximately one foot in diameter, they paralyze their prey with venom. Females often eat the males after mating. The female produces from 6 to 21 egg sacs during her lifetime, each containing 185 to 464 eggs. Development time from egg to adult is approximately one year. Females live up to 3 years and males about 180 days. The female is best identified by the red hourglass under her abdomen.

Brown Recluse spiders (poisonous) constructs an irregular web that is used almost exclusively as a retreat. The web is built in hidden, secluded locations such as stored items in the garage. Storage rooms, attics and crawlspaces. The Female produces 1 to 5 egg sacs in her lifetime, each 40-50 eggs. The development time from egg to adult takes an average of 336 days. Females live on average 628 days and best identifies by a violin shaped dark mark just behind the eyes on the prothorax.

Crickets are seldom a major problem in structures as they prefer to live outside during warm weather. They move indoors when it gets colder. Crickets eat large holes in fabric. People object to their chirping noise as the males rub their wings together. They are active at night and are attracted to light. The female lays an average of 728 eggs in protected areas like the inside walls of your home. Crickets in the wild have only one generation per year. Indoors crickets lay approximately 104 eggs on cracks and crevices behind baseboards. The complete development happens in 53-56 days.

Ticks are almost exclusively a parasite of dogs but is frightening to home owners because often it is seen on walls and furnishings. The engorged female drops off the host dog seeking a quite location to deposit 1,000 to 3,000 eggs in cracks and crevices around wall hangings, mattresses, furniture, baseboards and the ceiling. The female dies soon after laying her eggs. In 19 to 60 days the eggs hatch and move to attach to a dog as soon as possible. The entire life cycle can be completed in 2 months, and there are usually 2 to 4 generations per year. Adults can live unfed for 18 months.

Adult Fleas seek a blood meal within 2 days of becoming an adult. Fleas usually feed on cats but will feed on dogs, and other animals like raccoons, rats and humans. Wild animals nesting in structures can initiate indoor flea populations. After each blood meal, females lay 4 to 8 eggs at a time but 400-800 total within her lifetime. Eggs hatch in about 10 days and development time from egg to adult requires 16 days to a year or more.

As the female Bed Bug lays her eggs, 1 to 5 per day and 200-500 within her lifetime she uses a clear substance to attach them in cracks on rough surfaces. The eggs hatch in seven days and the nymphs molt 5 times taking a blood meal between each molt. Development time from egg to adult is 21 days. The adult can live for almost one year. They hide in cracks and crevices during the day preferring to rest on wood or paper surfaces instead of stone or plaster. It leaves these harborage areas at night to feed on its host which includes humans, birds, hogs, and family pets. The blood meal required 3 to 10 minutes and goes unnoticed by the victim. After feeding, the bite site may become inflamed and itch severely in sensitive people.

Rats produce 4 to 6 litters per year each averaging 6 to 8 young. Adults live from 9 to 12 months. They have poor sight but keen senses of smell, taste, hearing and touch. They are nocturnal and prefer to nest in trees but occasionally nest in burrows and vegetation. They easily enter buildings through ½ inch gaps. Inside buildings they prefer to nest in upper levels, occasionally in basements and sewers. Preferring to eat fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals with a foraging range of 100 to 150 feet from their nest. Rats can cause significant structural damage along with product destruction.

Female mice reach sexual maturity in 35 days and average 8 litters per year, each of which average 6 young, producing their largest litters in the spring. They begin to breed at 5 to 6 weeks of age, life span is one year. They are good climbers, jump 12 inches high and can jump down from 8 feet. They easily squeeze through gaps wider that ¼ inch and prefer dark secluded areas with little chance of disturbance. Foraging territories are usually no more that 20 feet, they feed on seeds, nuts, and cereals from dusk to dawn.

Earwigs usually live outdoors and feed on plant material not casting much damage to any particular plant. They are active at night, hiding during the day under stones and other objects. They usually infest areas with excessive moisture deep in the ground. When the moisture in the ground drys out in their infested areas they will enter homes looking for a more suitable location. Indoors they are usually found in cracks and crevices under furniture and carpeting. The female lays batches of 50 eggs under stored items or landscape materials outside. They hatch in about 20 days, and molt 4-5 times before becoming adults which takes about 56 days.

(I.P.M) Integrated Pest Management is taking Pest Control to the next level. Sealing your home can solve many in home infestations. Chemical treatments alone will kill and control insects, however when it comes to scorpions the end result usually doesn’t happen fast enough for most and certainly will not stop all insects from entering your homes. Any entry points into a structure that is thoroughly sealed will deny them access to that area. Whether it be doors, lower foundation, windows, under the eaves and vent pipes on the roof.