Common summer pests in Phoenix, Arizona

People often say of the scorching summer heat in Phoenix, “Oh, but it’s a dry heat,” prompting eye rolls from native Phoenicians. Whether it’s dry or not, one thing that cannot be contested is that it gets HOT in Phoenix, Arizona during the summer. During June through August, the high stays around 104℉-106℉ with a low of around 80℉. The common summer pests in Phoenix all pretty much enjoy the warmth. If it gets too hot, no problem. They’ll just march on into your home or business seeking water, food, and shelter from the sweltering heat. Just kidding, that is a problem. If you’re like us, you do not want to share your summer oasis with pests.

We’ll explore the most common summer pests in Phoenix and tell you what you need to know about staying pest-free. If pests are bugging you, contact Western today and get back to enjoying your summer!

Scorpions

A pest nearly synonymous with the state of Arizona is the scorpion. As it happens, there are 30 species of scorpions in the state alone! Luckily, only one of 30 has life-threatening venom, and that is the bark scorpion. As animals of the desert, summer heat doesn’t bother them much. Their tough exoskeleton helps them in this environment, allowing them to retain water for an extended period of time. Scorpions do prefer to come out at night, when the heat is a bit less intense, which can make them more difficult to spot. If they want to escape the heat further, these stinging pests may try to enter buildings or homes through foundation cracks, broken weather stripping, or ripped screens. Scorpions may be even more visible in Phoenix this time of year as late July brings about monsoon season. Heavy rains provide the perfect opportunity for scorpions to come out and get a nice long drink.

Ants

There are few ant species that present an actual health risk to humans, but that doesn’t mean we want them trekking through our kitchens. During the summer, ants are often driven inside in search of food and water, and a great place to find those things is, in fact, the kitchen. There are some ants that you especially do not want making their way into your home. Odorous house ants are known to eat just about anything, including food found in garbage cans. Therefore, they can contaminate food sources when they come into kitchens and other environments containing food.

Wasps & bees

The warm weather of summer is ideal for pests like wasps and bees. Flowers full of delicious nectar are thriving, meaning there are veritable buffets everywhere - giving the pests plenty of energy to fly around and bother us. Wasps, bees, and other stinging pests are no strangers to Arizona. In fact, it was Dr. Justin Schmidt of the University of Arizona that created the Schmidt Insect Sting Pain Index, giving a scale on which to evaluate the pain of an insect sting. Dr. Schmidt allowed himself to be stung by 83 different insects in order to assemble a scale of sting pain from 1 (irritating, but not incredibly painful) to 4 (excruciating pain). The following image is a representation of these insects’ stings on Schmidt’s scale. The size of the circle correlates to the duration of pain and the color of the circle is tied to its rating.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are especially partial to warmth. Because it is relatively warm all year long in Phoenix, roaches can be a problem outside of summer too. These scavenging creatures will come into your home looking for sources of food and water, especially in the summertime,  and they are far from picky eaters. The contents of your garbage can will work just fine. Here are the most common types of cockroaches spotted in Phoenix, AZ:

• German cockroaches - Despite what their name suggests, German cockroaches are quite prevalent in the US, partially due to their rapid reproduction rate.
• American cockroaches - Watch out for these sewer-dwellers. They like to make their way into homes and businesses through pipes.
• Turkestan cockroaches - Turkestan cockroaches are hard to miss. The males can be an inch long!
• Brown-banded cockroaches - These pests are bibliophiles. They’ve been known to make a meal out of a perfectly good book!

Crickets

Crickets, on their own, are not cause for worry. Other than the obnoxious, incessant chirping, they don’t do much damage. Crickets feed on plants, fungi, and dead bugs, so Phoenix landscaping often attracts them. The landscaping provides an environment conducive to nesting and breeding as well.

The trouble is, something more dangerous is attracted by them. A favorite snack of scorpions, crickets in and around your property may make these stinging pests come running. Scroll up to be reminded of just why this could present a problem.

You have enough to deal with this season, just trying to stay cool in the summer heat of Phoenix. Don’t let pests put a damper on your summer plans. Contact Western Exterminator using our online contact form or call us at 888-444-6138 and leave the pest control to us.