Tucson Monsoon Pests to Look Out For
There’s no doubt that Tucson pests love the monsoons just as much as we do. We’ve been hit with several monsoon thunderstorms in the past few weeks and this is welcome weather by many, pests and humans alike.
The added moisture turns our desert landscapes green and the cloud coverage provides cooler temperatures; these changes also bring out some of Tucson’s notorious critters – wildlife that can potentially cause harm to either you or your home. So keep on the lookout and make sure your home is protected from these little visitors this monsoon season.
Tucson Monsoon Pests
- By now you’ve probably seen a swarm of flying ants or perhaps the remnants of one around your home or neighborhood. These swirling dark columns are mating colonies where ants congregate in order to mate and subsequently lay their eggs. There is a significant increase in population because of all the food that is now available. There will also be many dead ant remains after one of these bevies; monsoon insects tend to have short life spans, living only a few weeks.
- These small rodents love to burrow and build their nests in shrubs and soil. Their teeth never stop growing, so they ware them down by chewing on whatever is available. They especially like to nibble on wires, so depending on where they’ve nested; your home or vehicle may be susceptible to costly damage. Trim the bottom of any shrubs around your home to reduce the risk of pack rats setting up shop nearby. If nothing works and you need Tucson rodent removal – you know who to call.
- The desert monsoons mark the peak of rattlesnake season as this is the time when the babies are being born. This is particularly hazardous because these newborns have not yet grown a rattle to warn other animals, such as humans, to stay away. Likewise, the rattle of adult rattlesnakes can become much less audible when wet, making them a more invisible threat to anyone not aware.
- Snake relocation is a Gecko Pest specialty, so if you feel threatened by the arrival of these venomous evil-doers make sure to get in contact with us.
- These familiar insects acquire more maneuverability in the wet soil and like to go searching for any soft wood to consume. This means they are able to enter homes through the vulnerable edges of the foundation, entering through the wood beneath the stucco and causing damage to wall studs or roof trouses. The best way to avoid this expensive damage is by keeping the ground around your home dry and making sure any water isn’t able to collect and pool.
- We all know what these little critters look like; this small cousin of the spider has its trademark pincers and stinging tail. There are more than 30 species of scorpions in Arizona, some more dangerous than others. In particular, the bark scorpion is small, yellow, has a penchant for climbing and a nasty sting that has a painful neurotoxin. They try to stay dry and have found our homes to be a nice place to hide, needing only 1/16 of an inch to gain entry.
- This list wouldn’t be complete without everyone’s favorite blood-sucking annoyance. Mosquitoes are active in Tucson from April through late fall, they also become very active during the time around sunrise and sunset. They like to lay their eggs in fresh or stagnant water, which means the containers or pools of water found around many Tucson homes are at high risk of attracting these itchy nuisances.
Types of Termites in Tucson
With the dry weather in Tucson termites aren’t as abundant as say they might be on the damper east coast, but that’s not to say they don’t exist in magnitudes.
This is somewhat misleading because it merely means that there aren’t as many prominent species of termites in Tucson as there are in other regions that contain more moisture.
In the science world, there are over 2,000 species of termites, only two of which actually exist in the Tucson area – those being subterranean termites and dry wood termites.
It’s important to know about the differences between to two, so as your local Tucson pest control professionals and termite experts we’ll be giving you a bit of a ‘bio’, if you will, on each of these types of termites.
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites are just that – they live underground, but that’s just where they colonize. To reach “food sources”, or rather your home’s infrastructure, they build what we call “mud tubes” and can do so even between small cracks in your concrete foundation.
These types of termites have a make-shift class system in place, so if you happen to find a tube in your home you would most likely find the workers inside.
Workers are the destructive force behind subterranean termite colonies and they appear about 1/8”-3/8” in size and are a creamy, sometimes brownish, color, hence why the Australians refer to them as “white ants”.
Typical treatment for these types of termites involves drilling evenly spaced holes either around a building’s perimeter or directly around the affected area and injecting it with the pesticide Termidor.
As the wood in Tucson homes can be extremely dry due to our climate, mostly you’ll find these types of termites are foraging through your home’s drywall and occasionally nibbling at the surrounding wood.
It may seem minimal as your home could be loaded with drywall, but with colonies of up to 2 million termites, they definitely pose a huge threat and prevention is key and highly recommended in order to avoid costly treatment and repair.
Dry Wood Termites
Dry wood termites are extremely rare in comparison to subterranean colonies in Tucson. Subterranean termites are essentially commonplace in homes here and most people have had some sort of pest control done within the last year either to prevent or treat a subterranean Tucson termite infestation.
On the other hand, you won’t find many people who have encountered dry wood termites. This is mainly because they don’t form large colonies (compared to those of subterranean termites); however, since they actually live within the wood, and the more space they chew out the more room they have for a larger colony, they pose a somewhat greater threat.
Colonies of dry wood termites, which are a bit bigger than the subterranean type and don’t operate under a caste (all the termites are destructive), can reach up to 2,500 and treatments are more direct meaning the termites are either sprayed down or the infested wood is injected with pesticide.
If there are multiple infestations in a home, or the colonies are thriving in hard to treat places this could mean “tenting” off your home for fumigation is necessary.
A Friendly Reminder
You don’t want to have to deal with time consuming, costly solutions like fumigation, so make sure to contact your local Tucson termite treatment specialists at Gecko Pest Control to prevent either of these types of termites from ruining your home!
Termites can go unnoticed for years and potentially destroy most of a home in that time, so don’t think you’re not infested just because you haven’t noticed any activity, or spotted any mud tubes. Do yourself a favor, and have your home checked and serviced for pest prevention regularly – it’ll save you in the long term!
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