AZ Pest Library

Ticks are referred to as inspects, but they are in the spider family (arachnids). Because ticks feed on blood, they can transmit disease from host to host, which makes them a health concern. Tick-borne diseases are rare in Arizona, but they can be serious. Different types of ticks transmit different diseases. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is the most common tick-borne disease in Arizona, although there are usually less than a dozen cases per year. In Arizona, the brown dog tick can be a “vector,” carrying the disease from host to host. The brown dog tick is found worldwide. It has adapted to living both indoors and out, so it can survive cold climates by staying inside a house. Its principal hosts are dogs, but if there is an extreme overpopulation of the tick they can also feed on humans. Control of ticks in pets and in the local environment is the best prevention for Rocky Mountain Fever. The Rocky Mountain wood tick can also transmit RMSF. This tick is found only in the very northern part of Arizona.

Treatment outdoors: Power spray areas monthly. Infestations would need additional services after the first treatment to control the ticks.
Treatment Indoors: Specification of the product label.

Springtails are very small jumping insects that congregate in large numbers in damp areas of your home and yard. Springtails are tiny insects. Their size ranges from 0.25 to 6 mm. They get their name from a spring-loaded structure, called the furcula, located on the underside of their abdomen. When the insect is disturbed, the furcula is released causing the insect to be flung into the air. One jump can cover 10 centimeters. They sometimes enter homes under door thresholds. When they get inside, they go to humid areas. Rooms that offer the needed moisture often are basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. They also find areas where there has been moisture damage. Springtails have been found inside walls where a pipe has been leaking. They have also been found in furniture that has become wet and mildewed. Overwatered potted plants and planter boxes, flower beds, are also places where springtails live

Springtails do not bite or sting people. They do not damage buildings or their contents. They develop quickly. It is common to find springtails in very large numbers. The fact that there can be thousands of jumping insects in an area can be very upsetting to homeowners.

Treatment:  We would come and inspect your property, note leaks, high moisture areas, and run-offs.  We will treat the areas where there are numbers of springtails found, but initially, they will migrate somewhere else if there is no moisture or conducive areas for them to thrive.

The housefly is the most common of all domestic flies, accounting for about 91% of all flies in human habitations, and is indeed one of the most widely distributed insects found all over the world. It is considered a pest that can carry serious diseases. They are often called Filth Flies and are highly annoying.

Treatment: A residual contact spray can be used for quick knock-down and kill of all flies, but has no long-lasting effect. Treatment should be done twice weekly for fly control.

Recluse, or “Brown Recluse” spiders are highly venomous. A brown recluse’s stance on a flat surface is usually with all legs radially extended. When alarmed, it may lower its body, withdraw the forward two legs straight rearward into a defensive position, withdraw the rearmost pair of legs into a position for lunging forward, and stand motionless with Pedi palps raised. The Pedi palps in mature specimens are dark, quite prominent, and are normally held horizontally forward. When threatened it usually flees, seemingly to avoid a conflict, and if detained may further avoid contact with quick horizontal rotating movements. The spider does not usually jump unless touched brusquely, and even then its avoidance movement is more of a horizontal lunge rather than a vaulting of itself entirely off the surface.

Brown Recluse vs. Wolf Spider and how to know the difference:

Size difference:
Wolf Spiders are shockingly large and can grow up to an inch and a quarter.
Brown Recluse can be a nickel to a quarter size

Appearance and key characteristics to identify:
Wolf Spider's appearance is hairy or kinda furry, the color has patterns of multicolor, and on its back has 2 stripes on the upper body.
Brown Recluse's appearance has smooth body parts, can be one color either brown, light brown, or black, and a very distinguishable violin-shaped pattern on its upper body parts.

Treatment:  We recommend monthly/bi-monthly treatment to kill them and continue to keep them out of your home and off your property.

Wolf Spiders are shockingly large and can grow up to an inch and a quarter. Wolf Spiders have venom but it is not deadly.  Wolf Spiders, though they look formidable, are not dangerous.  If you provoke a Wolf Spider he may jump/leap toward you. They will eat other pests out in your yard.

Brown Recluse vs. Wolf Spider and how to know the difference:

Size difference:
Wolf Spiders are shockingly large and can grow up to an inch and a quarter.
Brown Recluse can be a nickel to a quarter size

Appearance and key characteristics to identify:
Wolf Spider's appearance is hairy or kinda furry, the color has patterns of multicolor, and on its back has 2 stripes on the upper body.
Brown Recluse's appearance has smooth body parts, can be one color either brown, light brown, or black, and a very distinguishable violin-shaped pattern on its upper body part.

Treatment:  We recommend monthly/bi-monthly treatment to kill them and continue to keep them out of your home and off your property.

Most earwigs are nocturnal and inhabit small crevices, living in small amounts of debris, in various forms such as bark and fallen logs. Species have been found to be blind and live in caves. Food typically consists of a wide array of living and dead plant and animal matter. For protection from predators, the species of earwigs can squirt the foul-smelling yellow liquid in the form of jets from scent glands on the dorsal side of the third and fourth abdominal segments. It aims at the discharges by revolving the abdomen, a maneuver that enables it simultaneously to use its pincers in defense. They love cool places to hide in your home. They can come from under baseboards, and like to hide in bathrooms too. If you have wood logs, tree branches, and bark laying on the ground it is advised to rid these common hiding places.

Treatment: This should be a Monthly/Bi-Monthly service, which will kill them and continuous treatment can keep them away.

Bees, Hornets, Wasps, and Yellow Jackets are all stinging insects. Some of these insects can be beneficial to your environment and some can be extremely harmful. Please call Scorpion King Exterminating before attempting to remove any of these insects, as they can be dangerous and may attack if their nests or hives are disturbed.

Treatment: Contact Scorpion King Exterminating for a proper ID. There are different methods of treatment.

Our suggested treatment is really going to depend on the type of Bee, Wasp, or Hornet. Contact us directly for a consultation.

Centipedes have a rounded or flattened head, bearing a pair of antennae at the forward margin. They have a pair of elongated mandibles, and two pairs of maxillae. The first pair of maxillae form the lower lip and bear short palps. The first pair of limbs stretch forward from the body to cover the remainder of the mouth. These limbs, or maxilliped, end in sharp claws and include venom glands that help the animal to kill or paralyze its prey. Centipedes eat many common soft-bodied pests, but you don’t want them in your home. If you pick them up they will give you an uncomfortable sting.

Treatment: A regular monthly/ bi-monthly service will kill them, and keep others away.

The box elder bug is a North American species of true bug. It is found primarily on box elder trees, as well as maple and ash trees. They are harmless, but a nuisance. They will travel in large groups and enter homes in an effort to escape weather conditions.

Treatment: Monthly/bi-monthly Service

Adult bed bugs are wingless insects about one-quarter of an inch long and oval in shape. Their color is nearly white after molting, then ranges from tan to burnt orange. After a blood meal, they’ll appear dark red or black.

Their flat bodies enable them to hide in dark, cozy cracks and crevices in beds, baseboards, sofas, and drawers, and even behind wallpaper and electrical switch plates. That’s where they nest during the day, typically not far from where they’ll find their host — that’s you — at night.

Where Bed Bugs Hide

Bedbugs may enter your home undetected through luggage, clothing, used beds and couches, baseboards, sofas, drawers, electrical outlets, and other items. Their flattened bodies make it possible for them to fit into tiny spaces, about the width of a credit card. Bedbugs do not have nests like ants or bees but tend to live in groups in hiding places. Their initial hiding places are typically in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they have easy access to people to bite in the night.
Over time, however, they may scatter through the bedroom, moving into any crevice or protected location. They may also spread to nearby rooms or apartments.

Because bedbugs live solely on blood, having them in your home is not a sign of dirtiness. You are as likely to find them in immaculate homes and hotel rooms as in filthy ones.

When Bedbugs Bite

Bedbugs are active mainly at night and usually bite people while they are sleeping. They feed by piercing the skin and withdrawing blood through an elongated beak. The bugs feed for three to 10 minutes to become engorged and then crawl away unnoticed.

Bedbug bites

Most bedbug bites are painless at first but later turn into itchy welts. Unlike flea bites that are mainly around the ankles, bedbug bites are on any area of skin exposed while sleeping. Also, the bites do not have a red spot in the center like flea bites do.

People who don’t realize they have a bedbug infestation may attribute the itching and welts to other causes, such as mosquitoes. To confirm bedbug bites, you must find and identify the bugs themselves.

Treatment: Call Scorpion King Exterminating for an inspection to be sure you have bed bugs. Severe infestations will require a 21-day follow-up depending on severity.

Description/Identification Male, Female, and Juvenile

The female black widow spider is considered the most venomous spider in North America. The venom of the black widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the prairie rattlesnake.

Only the female black widow is dangerous to humans; males and juveniles are harmless. The female black widow will, on occasion, kill and eat the male after mating. More than 35,000 species of spiders occur worldwide.

We believe in proper ID first to know what you’re dealing with.

Female black widow spiders are about .5 inches long, to about 1.5 inches long when the legs are spread and are the most dangerous, and are the only ones with the red hourglass marking.

Males are about half the female’s size, with smaller bodies and longer legs. The male has an hourglass marking, but his hourglass marking is more orange-tan.
Both females and males have shiny, globular abdomens and are mostly black, and sometimes brown.
Females usually have a reddish hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomens. In some species, females have a series of red spots and two crosswise bars on the underbelly.

Male black widows frequently have yellow and red bands and spots over their backs, as do both sexes of black widows in their immature stages.
Newly hatched baby widow spiders are predominately white or yellowish-white, gradually acquiring more black and varying amounts of red and white with each molt.
Juveniles of both sexes resemble males and are harmless to humans.

Physical Affects if bitten by a venomous Black Widow

Black Widow spiders are highly venomous arachnids that are common throughout the Southwest United States. Due to the presence of latrotoxin in their venom, black widow bites are potentially dangerous and may result in systemic effects including severe muscle pain, abdominal cramps, hyperhidrosis, tachycardia, and muscle spasms. Symptoms usually last for 3–7 days but may persist for several weeks. Contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no serious damage, let alone death. But bites can be fatal, usually to small children, and the elderly.

Latrotoxins are the main active components of the venom and are responsible for the symptoms of a widow's bite. Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by abnormally increased sweating in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature. Tachycardia, also called tachyarrhythmia, is a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate. In general, a resting heart rate of over 100 beats per minute is accepted as tachycardia in adults.

Treatment to kill these dangerous spiders and other species of spiders is Monthly/ Bi-Monthly spraying to kill them and keep future intruders like these away.

Fleas are an insect that is wingless, with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas are external parasites, living off the blood of mammals, and yes humans.

For humans: Fleas can settle in a person’s hair in less than ten minutes, causing soreness and itching. The itching associated with flea bites can be treated with anti-itch creams, usually antihistamines or hydrocortisone.[18] Calamine lotion has been shown to be effective for itching.[19] For Pets: Flea and tick repellant powder being applied to a dog.

Treatment: Besides treatment of fleas on the pet, insecticide applications are required indoors and, frequently, in selected areas outdoors. No people or pets are to be on the premises during treatment at your home or until all spray residues have dried. All flea areas should be treated, including carpets, other floor areas, pet resting areas, and upholstered furniture.

Identify before you apply is our motto

Cockroaches are very common invasive household pests that carry microbes and allergens that are dangerous to humans. Cockroaches leave chemical trails in their feces, as well as emit airborne pheromones for swarming and mating. These chemical trails transmit bacteria onto surfaces. Other cockroaches will follow these trails to discover sources of food and water, and also discover where other cockroaches are hiding. The smell they leave can be overwhelming with most infestations.

Treatment: An inspection and identification of the cockroaches is significant to clarify the proper procedure and product application. Start by eliminating the food source and then sanitize. Monthly or bi-monthly spraying is necessary, especially in the kitchen area and treatments in the cracks and crevices are very effective in keeping those cockroaches out of your home.

Scorpion King Exterminating Rodent Control provides quality service to rid roof rats, mice, and general rodent control for your home or commercial structure. We can provide service with our proven methods.

This service prevents rodents from entering your home or business, instead of controlling them after they are already inside. Inspection by us can determine if you have mice or rats as different rats and mice leave distinctive droppings and other identifying sources. The service is environmentally friendly for you and your family or business. Infestations may require several visits.

Termites are destructive pests that cause serious damage to the valuable wood structures that form the skeleton of homes and buildings. In order to get rid of these critters, it is necessary to do an inspection and find out where they are nesting. To keep away termites and other pests, we now offer Termite inspections and service.

Treatment: Don't allow termites to create havoc in your home. Contact Scorpion King Exterminating for a termite inspection.