Top 5 Signs it’s Time to Call an Exterminator

Most Phoenix residents expect to have to call in a pest control expert at some point, but you may not know which pest problems require professional treatment and what you can handle on your own. Scorpions and termites are very common in the area. Unfortunately, many of Arizona’s most destructive pests are great hiders. Knowing what to look for when inspecting your home for pests is an important aspect of Phoenix homeownership.

What happens if you do have pests in your home? When should you call an exterminator and when can you handle pest control yourself? Which pests should you get rid of in your home and which can be beneficial to the flowers and plants in your garden? Living in Phoenix, it’s good to know which pests pose an immediate danger to your home or family. Here are the top five signs that it’s time to call an exterminator. Note: all photos were taken by our field technicians from homes in and around Phoenix.

Termite mud tube coming up through carpet

1) You Notice Mud Tubes In Your Home or On Your Home’s Foundation

Termites travel between their colonies and homes and other structures via mud tubes. Mud tubes are usually the first visible sign of a termite infestation that a homeowner might notice. To look for mud tubes, examine the foundation of your home, including the block wall. Look at all visible support beams and joists in your home. Long tubes that look like dirt or dried mud are a sign of termites in your home.

Termites can do significant damage to your home’s structure over time. Be vigilant about inspecting your home at least twice a year for signs of termites and take preventative measures by hiring a pest control company to do a yearly inspection of your home. Homeowners can also re-establish the termite barrier installed around new homes. This barrier breaks down over time and is an excellent preventative technique.

2) You Have Bed Bugs (or suspect you do)

Bed bugs are a hot topic right now, and for a good reason. Over the last several years, news stories about bed bug infestations in metropolitan areas have caused a fear of these pests across the United States. Bed bugs are hitchhikers; they can easily come into your home on luggage after a trip or when you have visitors. They love zippers. Bed bugs can also enter your home on used furniture, mattresses, or even clothing.

Adult bed bugs are visible to the human eye, but they are excellent hiders and generally come out only at night. Many people first realize they have bed bugs when they start to notice bites on their skin. These bites are often present in clusters or small lines on your skin. However, more than 30% of people don’t react to bed bug bites. Inspect your home and mattress thoroughly for signs of bed bugs, and if you suspect you have a bed bug infestation, give us a call. It takes and expert and special equipment to eradicate these pests.

3) You Hear Crickets Chirping

While crickets themselves do not pose a direct threat to your home’s structure or your family’s health, they are a food source for scorpions. The bark scoprion is a dangerous pest that is common in the Phoenix valley. When we are called out for scorpion control, one of the first things we do is reduce the cricket population around a home. If you hear crickets chirping in your home at night, a pest control company can help you minimize the cricket population to help keep scorpions away from your home.

A scorpion sting is painful and can be life threatening to very young children and adults with health concerns. The best course of action you can take to keep your family safe is to seal entry points into your home and reduce scorpion food sources, including crickets and spiders, around your home.

4) Bees, Wasps, or Hornets are Crawling into a Block Wall

Bees and other flying insects are beneficial to your flowers and other plant life, however if you start to notice a large bee population around your home, you should call an exterminator for a professional inspection. Many bees in the Phoenix Valley are Africanized Bees. Africanized Bees defend their hives aggressively and are the most dangerous pest we deal with frequently in Arizona. Stings can be life threatening to people who are allergic or receive multiple stings.

Bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets love to build hives in hollow parts of perimeter block walls, eaves of your home, or up high in the trees. These hives are exceptionally difficult to access and eliminate them is best left to the professionals.

5) You Notice an Increased Number of Spiders

Encountering the occasional spider is a normal part of life in the Phoenix Valley, but if you start to notice a large number of spiders in and around your home, you should call an exterminator to inspect your home for spiders that pose a health risk to your family. Black Widows are a prevalent spider in the metro area, and they can produce up to 3,600 spiderlings in a single summer. Like crickets, spiders are also a food source for scorpions, so controlling the spider population around your home is an important aspect of preventative scorpion control.

If you have any concerns or questions about a pest infestation in or around your home, give us a call to nspect your home and help you develop a plan for pest control. Preventative pest control treatments and yearly inspections can help protect your home from damaging termites and pests that pose a danger to your family and pets.

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