Bugs!! There are a lot of them in Arizona and it doesn’t matter where you live in the valley! Near the mountains, in the heart of the city, in remote areas, bugs and things that crawl will be a part of your life.
So, what can you do so that you can cohabitate?
When I moved into my first home, the very first day that we were there, my doorbell rang. I couldn’t imagine who would be visiting, perhaps a neighbor welcoming me to the neighborhood! A nice gentleman said hi “I’m here to do your monthly pest service”! I never heard about any pest service and who would need monthly service? Well, I sent him away and decided to do some homework.
The prior owners left me some pamphlets about a service that actually came with the house, so I called them. The company came over and delivered some interesting facts about pest service.
My home came equipped with “tubes” in the walls. These tubes had never been activated but once they were activated, they would hold pesticides to fight against a lot of the bugs that could be around. Mostly they treated for Scorpions, Black Widow Spiders and Crickets! It was too late to not move in, so let’s get this service started.
This is very common in the Phoenix – your job will be to decide who should provide pest service or should you try to do it yourself. I know a lot of people that treat their homes successfully but that wasn’t the path I took. I opted to go with the tubes in the wall. Here comes a plug; the company’s name is Hometeam*, and they are the only servicer of the wall tube systems. The system is called “Taexx”. You could call it cornering the market but (another plug) it’s the best thing ever!
When faced with the prospect of seeing spiders and crickets and other crawling things, that made the most sense to me. Drawback is that if you don’t already have the tubes installed during construction then this doesn’t work. I did recently speak to them, and they do treat homes that don’t have the tubes installed.
The service is bi-monthly and they check for infestation and fill up the tubes (if you have them), spray the perimeter of the property and any areas that you are concerned about, inside or out. During the period between service, if you see any activity, they will come back out and re-treat.
I have found, particularly in my latest home which was treated inside and out before we moved furniture in, that I don’t need inside service. Just keeping up the outside has been enough. The first treatment will probably have your porch covered with dead crickets and small bugs but after that, if you see any bugs, they will be already dead! Only drawback is that they are pricey, but it’s worth it to me – I hate crawling bugs!
Every home and geographic area will be different and there are a lot of pest control companies out there. There are also a ton of different bugs that will invade your space. My son lived in Scottsdale close to the mountains and he was regularly visited by spiders of the large kind! You just need to find a company that provides the service you want, is effective and at a price that works for you. Google can be your friend when searching and ask your neighbors who they use. You will get some great information and suggestions!
#Transplanted