There are many things homeowners can do to prevent pest infestations on their own. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Secure your home from common pests by taking the proper measures to avoid or prevent their entry into your home. Some things you can do are the following:
• Store food on counters in sealed containers.
• Remove any standing water.
• Immediately repair gaps or cracks in the walls or foundation of your home.
• Always close garbage bins and move them away from the outside walls of your home.
• Avoid bringing in toys from the yard into your home until they have been cleaned.
• Keep dark areas, closets, and crawlspaces clean.
• Do not keep woodpiles close to your home.
• Learn to recognize common Arizona pests and understand their habits. By recognizing their behavior you can take steps to prevent problems before they occur. The glossary below lists common pest species and some of their behaviors.

Ants

There are thousands of ant species that can damage crops, plants, buildings and homes. Identifying the right ant species is the first step towards containing an ant problem. The most common ants are carpenter ants, black house ants, trailing ants, and fire ants. Typically, only 5% to 10% of an ant colony is out foraging at any one time, so it is crucial to locate it. Most ant infestations originate from the outside of the structure, so searching outside your home for the colony is a good place to start. Once you’ve identified where the ants are coming from, eliminate any food or water in the area.

Aphids

Aphids transmit viruses from plant to plant on certain vegetable and ornamental gardens. Although aphids seldom kill a mature plant, the damage and honeydew they generate can cause a need for control.

Aphids may be green, yellow, brown, red or black depending on the species. There are about 4,400 different species of aphids. Generally adult aphids are wingless, but most species also occur in winged forms. They vary in length from 1 to 10 millimeters. Most aphids reproduce asexually throughout most or all of the year with adult females giving birth to live offspring (often as many as 12 per day) without mating.

Bedbugs

Bedbugs are small, reddish brown in color, flattened, and wingless. Because of their small size (4-5 millimeters in length) they are hard to find and can hide in the smallest cracks and crevices. They reproduce very fast, laying up to 250 eggs during their lifetime which can be up to 11 months. Bedbugs come out at night before dawn with a peak feeding period of about an hour before sunrise.

Treat bedbugs immediately to prevent further infestation. If you see small rust colored blood stains on beddings and small red bite marks on the skin, call a pest control service immediately.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches have a broad, flattened body and a relatively small head. They like moist areas and feed on decaying organic matter and foods. They can be found in kitchens, bathrooms, basements, crawl spaces, cracks and crevices of porches, foundations, and walkways adjacent to buildings. Cockroaches can live up to a year. To prevent cockroaches in your home, keep your yard free of depris and clutter. Keep areas under sinks and in basements clean and dry.

Earwigs

Earwigs are long reddish-brown insects with pinchers at the end of their abdomen. Earwigs like dark, damp areas such as under sidewalks, stones or boards, in and around foundations, crawl spaces, and faucets. To prevent earwigs remove or reduce potential habitats but clearing clutter from the yard and creating a border between the house foundation and any landscaping. Inspect doors, windows, pipes, and foundations for cracks.

Fleas

Fleas are wingless insects that are 1/16-1/8 inch long, dark reddish brown in color. Adult fleas are capable of laying more than 500 eggs in their lifetime. They reproduce batches of 20 eggs in average that take 2 days to 2 weeks to hatch. Human, cat, dog, Moorhen, Northern rat and Oriental rat fleas are the most common species of a total of 2,000 kinds known worldwide.

Mice

Mice enter homes looking for food and shelter. They are common in areas with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, or fields. Being small (7 inches from nose to tip of the tail), they can easily get inside homes through small holes or tree branches that provide access to the eaves and roof of a home. To avoid mice infestation, do not leave food, including unfinished pet food, lying around and repair cracks and holes in the exterior walls to prevent entry. Outside, monitor your gardens and remove fallen produce.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water pools, which includes marshes, lakes, puddles or in water containers. While they can be repelled with bug repellants and “zappers,” removing sources of standing water is a more effective method of prevention. The use of natural predators like dragonflies, trapping and insecticides can also be effective means of reducing a mosquito population.

Rats

Rats are larger than mice, growing up to 16 inches from nose to the tip of the tail. Like mice, they look for food in homes and can often damage structures during foraging. To prevent rat infestations, do not leave food, including unfinished pet food, lying around and repair cracks and holes in the exterior walls to prevent entry. Outside, monitor your gardens and remove fallen produce

Scorpions

Scorpions can be common in many Arizona neighborhoods. To prevent scorpions from entering your home keep trees, brush, and grass neat and trimmed away from the walls of your home. Move woodpiles away from your home, and remove any piles of clutter. Inspect your home for any openings to the outside. Scorpions are known to enter through window and door screen holes, vents, garage doors, or other openings or cracks in the walls.

For most scorpion problems, call a pest control professional help protect your home.

Spiders

Spiders may differ in size and features according to species. While most spiders are not poisonous to humans, black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders, and wolf spiders can be harmful. Spiders are most commonly found in homes during warm weather. While the presence of most spiders can prevent other pest problems, there are many things you can do to reduce their number. Start by keeping brush, grass, trees, and bushes trimmed away from your home. Check door and window screens to be sure they are tight. You can also change your outdoor lights to use yellow lights as they attract fewer bugs that may attract spiders.

Ticks

Ticks are a little bit larger in size than fleas measuring 1/16 to 1/4 of an inch long. Ticks cannot fly or jump so they usually wait for prey from below or from areas where they can be brushed and can transfer to a host. Wooded areas, logs, cracks in buildings, or areas with tall grass are common hiding places.