Depending on the time of year in Phoenix and surrounding communities, different pests are causing issues for homeowners and potential customers alike. From easy problems to fix to severe infestations, the seasonal shifts play a big part in knowing which pests to be aware of and when.
Unlike other areas in Arizona, Phoenix’s unique climate includes an inordinate amount of triple-digit temperatures nearly all summer long. Fortunately, the monsoon season (June 15 to September 30) helps bring the temperatures down a bit. The relatively mild winters do not typically include snow, but temperatures drop in the evening to the 40s and 50s. Therefore, desert-like conditions for most of the year typically bring pests that have adapted to this climate.
Phoenix’s desert climate brings unique pest challenges throughout the year. As temperatures rise and fall, certain pests become more active, migrate indoors, or begin to reproduce. Understanding how pests behave seasonally helps you stay a step ahead with prevention and treatment.
Spring in Phoenix brings a noticeable increase in pest activity. As flowers bloom and temperatures warm up, insects emerge from winter hiding spots to mate and seek food. This is the time to look out for pests that thrive in moist environments or swarm to establish new colonies.
Bees - commercially valuable and an important part of our ecosystem, and typically start arriving as temperatures rise in the spring, but in the wrong place at the wrong time, they can become pests. If you think you may have a bee infestation, you must first determine whether you are actually dealing with bees and not some other stinging insect. Wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets are just some of the nastier insects that are sometimes mistaken for bees.
Termites - Subterranean termites generally swarm in Phoenix (and Arizona) in the Spring and are the most common type of termites that infest homes. These termites need moisture to survive. They are closely associated with the soil, where they typically construct an underground nest or a series of interconnected nests, hence the name "subterranean termites." Soil is a source of moisture that helps protect termites from the drying effects of air. It also shields termites from predators (ants, birds, etc.) that feed on them.
Phoenix summers are intensely hot, pushing pests like scorpions and mosquitoes to seek out cooler, wetter environments—often inside homes. Monsoon rains can also create ideal breeding grounds for insects, making this a peak season for infestations.
Scorpions - since they don’t like temperatures over 100°F, it’s not uncommon to find them in Phoenix burrowed in the soil, sand, under rocks, or in shady spaces when outdoors. During the day, scorpions hide under stones, in piles of rocks, in cracks, in wood piles, under boards, under bark, or in rubbish. Crawlspace foundations and those constructed of block or stone provide excellent homes for scorpions.
Scorpions enter structures seeking water and shelter. In houses, they are most often found in undisturbed areas such as closets, seldom-used shoes, or folded clothing. During periods of hot weather, scorpions may move into lower, cooler living areas to escape the high temperatures in attics. During the night, scorpions seek water and hunt. In the morning, they’re often found in bathtubs and sinks, because they couldn’t climb out.
Mosquitoes - they live in a variety of Phoenix habitats, but they are mainly concentrated near sources of standing water in order to reproduce because mosquito eggs need water in order to hatch. Freshly matured mosquitoes enjoy water sources in new homes and businesses to lay their eggs, especially during summer months, while others simply lay their eggs in moist soil and then hatch once the soil is flooded with water.
These "floodwater" species lay eggs in the fall that can survive through the winter and then hatch once spring showers flood their habitats. One female mosquito can lay up to 200 eggs at a time, which can allow for an infestation to quickly get out of hand.
As the intense summer heat gives way to milder temperatures, pests begin to move indoors in search of warmth, water, and shelter. Fall is a critical time to address vulnerabilities around your home before winter sets in and populations grow.
Rodents - While most rodents have become year-round pests due to their proliferation during COVID, Autumn is typically the beginning of rodent season in Phoenix and most areas due to somewhat balmier temperatures and a desire for these pests to get inside and look for food, water, and harborage.
Spiders - Between mating season and looking for somewhat cooler temperatures, spiders are normally seen in Phoenix more often in the Fall than any other season. Spiders are also often a sign of a more serious insect infestation in the home.
Spiders often hide out in cracks and crevices in well-protected, undisturbed areas inside or outside of the home, such as eaves, vaulted ceiling corners, bookcase voids, under patio furniture or play equipment, etc. Some spiders are attracted to moisture, and can be found lurking in crawl spaces, basements, near leaky plumbing or other areas where moisture can be found. Others prefer warm, dry areas such as attics, near air vents and the upper corners of rooms or vaulted ceilings.
Even in Phoenix’s relatively mild winters, pests are still active. Some pests slow down but don’t disappear. Cockroaches, ants, and other resilient insects continue to seek out the warmth and food inside your home, making year-round vigilance essential.
Roaches - There are nearly 70 different cockroach species found in the United States. Some species invade human dwellings and are considered pests. Autumn is a popular time because even with the slightest dip in temperatures in Phoenix, roaches, like any pest, are looking to get indoors and find food and water. Two particular types stand out in our area.
American roaches are generally medium to large-sized insects. The pest can spread various diseases because they are commonly found near waste deposits or in the kitchen, where food is present.
German cockroaches are typically found in homes, apartments, restaurants, and other buildings where food is stored, prepared, or served. German cockroaches eat all kinds of food and may hitchhike into the home in search of food and moisture. German cockroaches can proliferate quickly and usually nest around the kitchen and bathroom near food and moisture.
Ants - There are more than 10,000 ant species that occur worldwide; however, only about 25 species commonly infest homes. Ants will eat practically any kind of food, but are especially attracted to sweets. Ants can live from several weeks to several years.
Two typical Phoenix ants our team members see on a regular basis are Argentine ants and carpenter ants.
Argentine ants adapt easily and can nest in a variety of places. Colonies are massive and may contain hundreds of queens. Nests are usually located in moist soil, next to or under buildings, along sidewalks or beneath boards. The foraging trails of Argentine ants are their most visible sign. They travel with well-defined trails between their web of nests and their food sources. The trails can be observed traveling up buildings, trees and into homes.
Drawn to moist wood under and around windows, roof eaves, decks and porches, carpenter ants tunnel through damp wood to the solid dry wood inside your home. Carpenter ants also tunnel outside, constructing extensive underground tunnel systems, often leading to a food source. Outdoors, carpenter ants prefer to feed on the honeydew produced by aphids. Indoors, carpenter ants go for sugary, fatty foods in your kitchen.
Carpenter ants are foragers. Most species of carpenter ants forage at night, collecting and consuming dead insects. Workers surround dead insects, extract their bodily fluids and carry them back to the nest.
Sometimes, carpenter ants bring the heads of insects back to the nest, where they extract their inner tissues for food. Also, a few species of carpenter ants collect live insects. Worker carpenter ants forage individually or in groups, although they often opt to forage individually.
Every season in Phoenix presents new pest challenges, but you don’t have to handle them alone. Proactive pest control is more effective—and less costly—than dealing with an infestation. Know when to call in the professionals and what to expect from quality service.
There are definitely some ways to prevent pest problems before you need a pest control professional. Ultimately, in the event of a major infestation, a pest control professional can help with actual exclusion techniques to block off and seal possible entryways, especially for ants and rodents. It is important to determine and handle pest issues regularly, along with taking preventative measures rather than waiting for a pest infestation to occur to act.
Most companies, including ours, offer a FREE pest inspection to determine what type of pest problem you may have. Hopefully, your preventative measures will help you stave off even larger problems, but if they do not, you can rest assured knowing a company like ours stands ready to assist.
As pest control companies continue to find ways to provide eco-friendly pest control options to their customers, Truly Nolen knows that our job is to make your home or business pest and termite-free while protecting the environment and being a productive member of the communities we serve. We work to minimize our impact on the environment while providing a lifestyle free of pests for our customers. Our commitment to the environment and our customers is supported by the best choices for pest control from business practices to material application.
Our choices go beyond the products we use to address and prevent pest and termite infestations. Our commitment is supported operationally by modifying routing, increasing customer concentration, reducing drive times, to paperless billing and other efficiency factors that support sustainability.
Some do-it-yourself tips to help maintain a pest-resistant home include eliminating water (do not let water stand in sinks and eliminate outside collection areas), eliminating food sources (dispose garbage as soon as possible following your meal, pack leftovers properly, and wipe off counter tops often), and eliminate harborages (discard unnecessary cardboard boxes and pull mulch away from your home).
Knowing what to look for is the first step in preventing a full-blown infestation. From droppings and nesting materials to webbing and mud tubes, visible signs often mean pests are more active than you realize. Early detection leads to faster resolution.
Africanized bees are focused on increasing their numbers and will build nests in the hollows of trees, inside walls, on porches, in sheds, in attics, and in unlikely places such as trash receptacles and abandoned vehicles. Because they build nests and move more readily and more rapidly than other honey bees, homeowners may not be aware of Africanized bees until they unwittingly encounter this aggressive species.
Subterranean termites excavate narrow tunnels through the soil, creating a network through which they can travel long distances to reach food. They also transport soil above ground to construct mud tubes and to line their feeding galleries in wood. Subterranean termites are social insects that live in nests or colonies in the soil. Termite colonies are organized into castes depending on tasks - workers, soldiers, and reproductive.
Some areas where Phoenix homeowners may find areas conducive to scorpions include garbage, loose-fitting shingles, organic matter in an around gardens and plant pots, under and around rock beds, old lumber, bricks, J-Trim, decaying organic debris such as leaves or bark, stored boxes, shoes or soiled clothing, around light fixtures, wall voids and conduits, and attic.
To reduce your chances of being bitten by or contracting an illness from mosquitoes, eliminate standing water on your property, repair or replace all window and door screens and contact a trusted pest professional to treat your home and property.
Rodent infestations in or surrounding a home can prove extremely destructive. Different species are known for different nesting and feeding behaviors, but infestations cause damage to gardens and yards, as well as to the home and its contents. For this reason, it is best to be consistently on the lookout for signs of rodent presence.
These include:
Spiders building webs indoors can prove to be a nuisance for most homeowners when left untreated, and being sure to check shoes before putting them on is the two major ways most homeowners discover spiders indoors. A combination of good sanitation practices and a comprehensive pest control treatment program is necessary to eliminate spiders inside the home.
When it comes to roaches, remove debris from your yard that includes wood piles and other materials. Also, be mindful of where you put food, especially dog food, outside and inside. Anywhere with moisture would be another place to find them.
When foraging for food, Argentine ants leave trails of pheromones (chemicals that have different smells) everywhere they go, instead of just from the nest to the food source. This habit ensures they do not waste time visiting the same area twice. They prefer to eat sweets, but will eat almost anything, including meats, eggs, oils and fats.
Meanwhile, homeowners can search for indoor carpenter ant nests using a flashlight to look for foraging workers at night. From May through July, between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM, homeowners can check basements, attics, garages and their home’s exteriors, with the intention of following carpenter ants back to their nest or to discover where they are entering your home. Finding a number of winged reproductive ants at windows inside your house indicates you might have an indoor nest.
Understanding how pests behave gives you an advantage in keeping them out. Whether it’s ants following a trail, termites building mud tubes, or scorpions hunting at night, recognizing these behavioral patterns helps you take targeted action to stay pest-free.
Although bees may be solitary, many live in various types of communities. Bees most commonly live in colonies with three different types of bees in each colony - the queen bee, the infertile worker bee (female), and the drone (male). Only the queen bee can reproduce. The drone's only job is to mate with the queen and die soon after having fulfilled their task.
The queen's only job is to lay eggs for the span of her life. The worker bees perform many jobs necessary for the survival of the hive. They clean the hive, collect pollen and nectar to feed the colony, and take care of the offspring. Honey bee queens can live up to five years, though most average a lifespan of two to three years. By contrast, the average life span of a female worker bee is usually only six weeks.
Subterranean termites excavate narrow tunnels through the soil, creating a network through which they can travel long distances to reach food. They also transport soil above ground to construct mud tubes and to line their feeding galleries in wood. Subterranean termites are social insects that live in nests or colonies in the soil. Termite colonies are organized into castes depending on tasks - workers, soldiers, and reproductive.
Scorpions feed mainly on small spiders and insects but also enjoy a variety of crickets, earthworms, centipedes, and other scorpions. Although they do have a well-developed sense of hearing, scorpions have poor eyesight. So they must rely on the sense of touch for navigation and detecting prey. Scorpions do not stalk or chase prey, but locate their prey by sensing vibrations and then wait to grab it with their pincers. Even though scorpions are equipped with venom for defense, scorpions fall prey to a variety of predators such as bats, centipedes, lizards, mice, owls, shrews, and tarantulas.
Mosquitoes are common pests that are found in many areas of the world. Many people believe that the reason mosquitoes bite humans is that they need to feed on human blood, but this is not true. Mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, similarly to bees. Female mosquitoes suck blood in order to help with the development of their eggs prior to laying them. Male mosquitoes do not feed on blood at all. Although mosquitoes can be very annoying to humans and at times dangerous because of their ability to carry and transmit diseases, they play an important role in the ecosystem because they serve as a food source for many organisms.
Rodents are warm-blooded mammals that, like humans, can be found throughout the world. Rats live and thrive in a wide variety of climates and conditions and are often found in and around homes and other buildings, on farms, and in gardens and open fields. They have oversized front teeth for gnawing and cheek teeth, which are adapted for chewing. Rodents chew on a variety of items available to them and cause great damage in and around homes.
There are thousands of different types, sizes and colors of spiders found all over the world in nearly every type of habitat. Spiders rarely bite humans unless their nests or webs are disturbed. With the exception of a few species, the venom in spider bites is harmless to humans, but some individuals may be hypersensitive and can have a mild to severe allergic reaction when bitten. Spiders feed primarily on other insects, but larger species have been known to feed on small animals such as lizards, birds and millipedes.
There are nearly 70 different cockroach species found in the United States. Some species invade human dwellings and are considered pests. Below are the species most commonly found to infest your home. The pest cockroaches can spread various diseases because they are commonly found near waste deposits or in the kitchen, where food is present. Other species of cockroaches are beneficial to the environment as important recyclers of decaying organic material, dead or dying plants and animals.
Ants are social insects, which means they typically live in large groups or colonies. Depending on the species, ant colonies can consist of millions of ants. Their structured nest communities may be located underground, in ground-level mounds, or in trees. There are three kinds of ants in a colony: The queen (or queens), the female workers, and males. Ant communities are headed by a queen whose function in life is to lay thousands of eggs that will ensure the survival of the colony. Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens. Workers (the ants typically seen by humans) are wingless females that never reproduce, but instead forage for food, care for the queen's offspring, work on the nest, protect the community, and perform many other duties. Male ants often have only one role—mating with the queen, soon after which they may die.
Truly Nolen has over 85 years of experience bringing environmentally responsible and affordable pest control to many neighborhoods, just like our founder Truly David Nolen intended.
Our professional technicians will treat your affected area until your pests are gone, and you are fully satisfied — guaranteed.
A Truly Nolen technician will come to your house and assess it for pest problems. If you would like, the inspector will walk around with you and explain any pest activity found, along with recommended treatment. The inspection is a FREE service and does not require you to move forward with treatment.
For more information, call 800-GO-TRULY or use our online form for a FREE estimate regarding our Four Seasons Pest Control.
Truly Nolen has a large selection of pest photos on our website to help you identify the pest in your home. Simply hover over “Pest Control”, and click on any pest EXCEPT termites. You can then scroll down to “Species” or simply click on “See all (insect) photos and videos”.
For termite identification, hover over “Termite Control” and click on “What are termites?” You can then scroll down to “Species” or simply click on “See all (insect) photos and videos”.
With each new season comes new changes and challenges. Treating pests year-round is key to ensuring a pest-free home.
Truly Nolen’s approach using quarterly pest control is a year-round effort using the Four Seasons Pest Control Program (https://www.trulynolen.com/pest-control/, then scroll down). This program is designed to adapt to the changes pests undergo as the seasons change. Our research and development team created this program to effectively address changes in pest behavior from season to season in your area, from summer ants to winter rodents, we are prepared to keep your home and business pest-free.
Keep your garden buzzing with these simple tips to deter pests naturally and attract beneficial bugs.
There are two key times you should call a pest control professional:
1) When your do-it-yourself methods have seemingly stopped working or not worked at all, a call to a pest control professional can help you solve your problem.
2) When a problem appears and makes living in your home a challenge due to a rodent population explosion or a bed bug outbreak, for example, contacting a pest control professional can help take care of your issue with proper equipment, training, and knowledge of the situation.