Moxie Feeds Phoenix

As some lucky Moxie customers have noticed this week, there is something exciting happening here at the Arizona branch! Helping our Phoenix area community is one of our biggest goals, and United Food Bank in Mesa is helping us achieve this goal.

Throughout the month of March, Moxie Pest Control of Arizona will be collecting non-parishable food items to donate to hungry Arizonans all over the Valley. Your donations can help Moxie reach and exceed our goal of 2,000 food items donated by the end of March!

Not only have we set a goal for Moxie as a whole, but each employee is competing against each other to collect the most food items. The employee who receives the most donations gets to claim bragging rights and the grand prize at the end of the month! We will be posting updates of how our employees are doing throughout the month. Helping others and a healthy dose of competition - win-win, right?

So, if you have not had a service this week and have not had a phone call from one of our lovely office staff, here's what you can do:

1. Check out www.moxiefeedsphoenix.com. This website will give you all the information you need to help us reach our goal!
2. Call our office at (480) 656-2680 and ask how to drop off your food items (and grab some fliers to pass out to your neighbors and friends while you're at it!).
3. Share this on Facebook! The more the word gets out, the more people we will be able to feed!

Our mission has always been to increase the standard of living and quality of life for clients, employees and the community by providing safe and dependable pest control services in Arizona. Our mission this month is to take it a step further by providing meals for those in need in the community that we love. We need your help and we are counting on you to make it happen!

Don't hesitate - help us reach 2,000 items!

Busy, Busy Bee

When we say the word "bee," it may be your automatic reaction to search the area for any yellow and black buzzing nuisances. People tend to get up and do a little jig whenever that buzz enters their ears, but we're here to tell you not to fret. Although Moxie Pest Control of Arizona considers bees to be a beneficial insect, there are some tips we can give you to stay calm as the bees come out to play this Spring.

1. Calm down! 7/10 deaths related to bees are the victim's fault, like jumping off a cliff, running in front of a car, or drowning.
2. Bees get TO'd easily when you mess with their homes, so call a professional if you need them removed.
3. Run! If you're being chased, find shelter or run the length of two football fields before stopping. Bees are slower than an inside linebacker stampeding through peanut butter, so it should be a piece of cake.
4. Wash the sting immediately. Call 911 if you start to go into anaphylactic shock.
5. Don't dive underwater. You are not the little mermaid, and they will wait for you to come up to breathe.
6. Did we mention to calm down?

In all seriousness, bees just want to fly, dance with flowers, and buzz happy tunes. If you don't bug them, they won't bug you. Stay cool and you'll be completely safe.

Common Arizona Pests

Pest control in Arizona deals with dangerous pests more than any other state in the US. Among these pests, scorpions and brown widows pose the biggest threat.

Scorpions thrive in desert climates. Usually more of them are found in recently developed desert areas, but it is also common to find them in residential areas. One of the deadliest scorpions that can be found in North America is common in Arizona—the Arizona bark scorpion. They are small light brown scorpions that can grow up to 7-8 cm long. This type of scorpion has venom that causes severe pain and temporary dysfunction to the stung area. While fatalities are uncommon, the number of scorpion sting cases reaches to the thousands in Arizona. They are particularly considered threats to small children, adults with compromised immune systems, and pets.

Another common pest encountered by Arizona pest control professionals are spiders. Because of the dry summer and mild winter climate, some spiders thrive better in Arizona and other southwestern states since they are able to breed and live without the constant risk of being washed out by rain or cold weather. There are many types of spider species found in Arizona but a native to the area is the brown widow spider. This type of spider is a relative of the dangerous black widow and is also considered venomous. Like the black widow spider it is characterized by an hourglass marking on the underside of its abdomen although with a different color and has a black and white pattern on the dorsal side of its abdomen.

Other common pests in Arizona include ants, termites, bees, rodents and many more.

Due to the many different species that can be found on each insect/animal, proper identification is necessary to determine the effective measures needed to exterminate pests. Pest control Arizona companies do just that and have the expertise in efficiently solving desert pest problems. A trusted pest control Phoenix AZ business is Moxie Pest Control. With complete inspection, evaluation, treatment and maintenance service plans, Moxie provides the solution for any Arizona pest control situation.

Spring is in the air!

To bugs, "spring time" is also synonymous with "play time." Spring is the time of year that the bugs come out to feel the warm sun on their backs. This is when they decide that it's time to get a tan by the pool while drinking your lemonade and eating your scraps and crumbs. We know that it's not Spring yet and that December typically means cold weather, but here in Arizona the weather likes to trick us into thinking seasons start earlier than they truly do or that seasons don't exist at all!

Here are some quick tips on how to keep the Spring bug fever from early invasion this year:

• Clean all the beds in the house. You would think this is common sense, but you'd be surprised...
• Check to make sure there are no leaks in or around your home. As stated before, bugs love to take a little dip during the Spring time, and inside your home is the perfect place to do it!
• Vacuum your rugs often. Bugs thrive in dirt, so make sure the dirt stays on the outside of your house.
• Clean your kitchen. Nothing calls bugs into your house like a free buffet!
• Make sure that when you come home from vacation, you check your suitcase for hitchhikers.

But most importantly, call us here at Moxie Pest Control of Arizona! We will make sure that your home is Spring ready for you, and not Spring vacation for bugs.

The boxelder blues

Winter is the perfect time for bugs to take up a vacancy in your home with your warm, cozy floors and your plush, comfy couches. All those pesky summer bugs see your home and a winter ski resort - minus the skis. One such bug is that little ladybug wannabe, the boxelder. Don't let his name fool you - they'll run wild in your home and won't even knock before they do!

For the most part, these critters stay focused on the home they were named after, the boxelder tree. They basically are the tree's summertime vampire bugs, they bite down hard on the tree and suck out the sap. The winter is a different story. These little guys would rather the boxelder tree be burning in your fireplace than shivering in the cold moonlight. And that's when they strike.

Now, don't get me wrong, though they may make a nest in your house, reproduce all winter long, and poop on your carpets, they mean you no harm. That is, unless they mistake you for a boxelder tree and try to suck your blood...

Moving on.

How do you get rid of these pests, you ask? Well, you could always call your favorite exterminators at Moxie Pest Control of Arizona! But, if that isn't a quick enough fix for you, try these handy-dandy tips:

• How do you get rid of a vampire? Well, drive a stake through it's heart - but you can also get rid of the  host. If you have boxelder trees in close range of your humble abode, getting rid of them is the quickest way to ensure these bugs will never populate your living room again.
• Attack them when they least expect it. Spray the trees with horticulture oil or insecticide soap during the late summer. 
• Hit them with a shot of their own medicine - vacuum those suckers up!
• Treat any cracks and crevices in your home.
• Boil them with hot water - too bad they only taste good to ducks in soup.
• Invest in a duck.

...and, of course, if none of those work, you know where we live.