Arizona is home to a substantial and diverse population of arthropod pests, including several species of ants, scorpions, spiders, crickets, mosquitoes, termites and flies. No home in the world is completely free of arthropods, as studies have shown that no matter a home’s location, size and market value, a diversity of arthropod species can be found in every room of a house. Arthropods like house spiders and German cockroaches and bed bugs have adapted to prefer indoor habitats where they breed and live out their entire lives. Other arthropods, like house centipedes, American cockroaches and brown dog ticks, can dwell indoors for long periods of time despite their preference for outdoor living. As it happens, a home’s location can have a big impact on arthropod pest problems within a home.
According to many pest control professionals, older homes with outdated architecture and old plumbing provide arthropod pests with many access points into structures as well as an abundance of indoor areas where they can dwell unnoticed. Apartments and other multi-unit residential structures tend to see more insect pest infestations than single family households. This is because arthropod pests can easily travel to neighboring apartment units when resources in one unit become scarce. Parks are one of the few undisturbed areas within urban centers that provide arthropods with a large area of land that resembles their natural habitat. Naturally, arthropods are abundant in parks, and during the winter, homes located near parks often become infested by certain arthropods attempt to gain warm shelter from the cold climate. Surprisingly, homes located near restaurants also become infested with arthropods at an unusually high rate due to the high amounts of food and outside trash that attracts arthropod pests. There have also been cases in which residents have ordered take-out food that contained roach eggs that later hatched and infested homes where the food was taken. Wherever a home is located, regularly taking out trash, maintaining sanitary indoor conditions and avoiding clutter will help to keep arthropod pest infestations from occurring.
Do you believe that your home’s location puts it at a high risk of becoming infested with arthropod pests?
