Pest Library

Please read through our informative pest guide for information about the insects, rodents, and spiders that invade our Tucson properties.

What You Need To Know About Pests In Tucson, Arizona

The Tucson area and its hot desert climate provide the perfect place for many flying, stinging, running, and jumping pests to call home. To defend your home and family against these pests, learning about their behaviors and food and nesting preferences is helpful. Here at Bee Bustin, we want to help you understand the pests that call our region home and how we can work together to stop them from taking over your property!

Ants

Arizona supports large populations of ants; they are one of the most frustrating pests for homeowners to keep away from their properties. Ants are known for living together in large colonies, being difficult to control, and invading indoor and outdoor spaces wherever food is prepared, stored, or eaten. Ants are omnivores and capable of feeding on the same food we do, making our yards and homes optimal foraging sites.

Many types of ants live in our region, including:

Sugar ants (odorous house ants)
Fire ants
Argentine ants
Carpenter ants
Harvester ants

When any species of ant discovers that your property offers their colony suitable nesting sites (a single ant colony can support multiple nests), sources of water, and food sources, they are likely to settle in. Our region's warm temperature allows these pests to be active throughout the year.

Implement regular ant control services and the following tips to help prevent issues with ants. Keep your home clean and free of food debris. Seal common entry points – cracks in the foundation, gaps around windows and doors, and torn screens. Reduce excess moisture by repairing leaky pipes, using dehumidifiers, and being careful not to overwater your lawn or gardens.

Bees & Wasps

Arizona is home to some very unsavory pests, including many species of stinging insects. While stinging insects in Tucson are essential parts of the ecosystem, they are dangerous unwanted pests when they find their way into our yards and homes. Their ability to deliver painful, venom-loaded stings makes them dangerous.

Here is a list of our area's most common stinging insects.

Africanized bees
Bald-faced hornets
Common Eastern bumble bees
Hornets
Paper wasps
Yellow jackets

A sting from any of the above pests is painful, and the venom can trigger mild to severe allergic reactions. The Africanized bee looks similar to a regular honey bee but is noteworthy because of its aggression. Once agitated, they have been known to give chase for over a quarter of a mile. Their venom is potent and can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions, which is why they are considered one of the worst stinging insects to find their way to our yards.

Stinging insects are outdoor pests; short of placing an invisible shield around your property, partnering with a local pest professional is the most effective way to keep them at bay. Bee Bustin is proud to be Arizona's premier bee and bee removal expert. We act quickly and provide services to rid your property of unwanted stinging insects

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are formidable pests that hide out of our sight, move fast, and reproduce quickly. American, German, oriental, and brown-banded cockroaches have developed close relationships with people in our region. The cockroach is one of the most unnerving pests for Tucson homeowners to discover in their homes.

Though cockroaches live successfully outside in Arizona, these scavengers also regularly enter our homes. Common harborage sites include:

Alleys
Dumpsters and sewers
Lawns and gardens
Trees
Wall voids
Behind sinks and toilets
Drains

Because cockroaches tend to live in less than sanitary areas, they are in constant contact with disease-causing bacteria and pathogens. These pests pose people significant dangers, and we should never share our homes with them.

In Tucson, the best defense against cockroaches is to partner with a local professional and schedule regular home pest control services. Sealing defects in your home's exterior, eliminating excess moisture, and inspecting deliveries, potted plants, and secondhand items for hiding cockroaches can also go a long way in preventing problems with these pests. Call today to learn more about cockroaches in Tucson.

Rodents

Rodents are mammals with front incisors on the top and bottom of their jaws that grow continuously throughout their lives. Mice and pack rats are types of rodents in Tucson that commonly find their way into our yards and home. Though not a rodent, the mole (an insectivore) is another common small mammal that has learned that our Tucson yards offer them a suitable place to call home.

Preventing problems with rodents and moles is difficult because our properties offer them safety and necessities. Rodents thrive in the many harborage sites our properties provide, such as:

Lawns
Yard debris
Landscaping
Attics
Crawl spaces
Wall voids

Our kitchens, outdoor trash cans, yards, gardens, and flowerbeds offer abundant food sources. In Tucson, finding reliable water sources is vital to the survival of rodents. Things like leaky hoses, leaky irrigation, and dripping air-conditioners provide them with a consistent source of water.

Keeping rodents and moles away from our yards is essential because they are destructive, spread disease and parasites, and contaminate food sources. The longer these pests are on your property, the bigger their populations become and the more issues they cause. Call now to learn about the fast, effective rodent control services we offer Tucson homeowners.

Scorpions

Scorpions are one of the most well-known dangerous pests that call Tucson home. These arachnids are identified by their eight legs, claw-like structures (pedipalps), and curved tail. They use the stinger at the end of their tail to paralyze their prey after capturing it with their claws.

These exceptional hunters live in prey-rich areas that offer them many opportunities for shelter and access to water. Despite being desert pests, they have high moisture needs. Our yards, gardens, and homes provide scorpions and their insect prey with their basic needs and places to call home.

While scorpions in Tucson prefer to live outside, they move into our homes following their insect prey. Making your home and yard less attractive to insects will make both less attractive to hungry scorpions. Keep lids on trash cans, regularly harvest and maintain gardens, eliminate areas of standing water, and keep outdoor lights off when not needed. Call now for more scorpion prevention tips or to learn about our scorpion control offerings.

Spiders

Spiders are a common type of arachnid that homeowners regularly spot in their yards and homes. Outside in controlled numbers, they are extremely beneficial, helping reduce populations of insects. Inside, like the insects they are hunting, spiders are unwanted pests.

Nuisance spiders that regularly find their way into our Tucson homes are common house spiders, wolf spiders, and several types of garden spiders. These spiders may be unpleasant to share your home with but won't cause you or your family significant harm. Spider bites can occur, but usually only happen when the spider needs to defend itself.

In Tucson, homeowners must be aware of two species of dangerous spiders – the black widow spider and the brown recluse spider. A bite from either can trigger serious health issues. While all spiders have venom, dangerous spiders have venom that can harm people. To identify the spiders on your property, appropriately treat your property's spider infestation, and control spider populations throughout the year, please get in touch with us today!