It’s summer in Arizona and that means the heat is on. When you’re outside by the pool, you may notice a few more bugs that seem quite comfortable in our hottest months. Some of them actually thrive this time of year. The Alpha Pest Control team can help keep your home free of pests this season and all year long. Here’s the inside scoop about some common Arizona bugs found in houses and outdoors. Call us for a free quote when you’re ready for some help!

Ants

There are many types of ants in our desert. Some common types are fire ants, odorous house ants and crazy ants. Fire ants typically build their mounds in grassy areas; yards, playgrounds and golf courses are common. They have a painful sting.

Odorous house ants, just like the name implies, find their way into your home by sniffing out food that might not be properly sealed. They move in an orderly line and you’ll commonly find them in kitchens and bathrooms. They can enter your house from the smallest crack or under an unsealed door.

Crazy ants are appropriately named. They don’t move in orderly lines. They scramble in a random pattern and can take over a sidewalk with a ton of erratic movement.

Cicadas

If you hear a loud buzzing in the air when you’re taking a walk this summer, you can guess that cicadas are to blame. In Arizona, cicadas are bugs that are common from May to September. The Apache cicada is the most common. They have long dark bodies with large wings and eyes. That loud noise that they make is their version of a rom com. The males make that sound to attract females. There’s someone for everyone, we suppose.

They like to hang out outside, but they can fly in when you open a door.

Black widow spiders

These spiders are easy to spot. Female black widow spiders have a shiny black body with a reddish shape that looks like a dot or an hourglass. They have a poisonous venom and their bites can cause a fever, nausea and other symptoms. They make messy webs and can be found in woodpiles, under rocks, in the corners of outdoor furniture and in sheds and garages or closets where items do not get moved often.

Crickets

You know you have crickets in your house or yard if you hear their distinctive, repetitive chirp. They are a brownish color and are most active at night. They aren’t harmful, but they can attract other insects like scorpions (crickets are a favorite snack). Crickets can cause some damage in your home by eating plants, wallpaper or wood. Keep your grass cut short so you don’t give them a hiding place. They can also be found near garbage piles. 

Grasshoppers

Did you know there are two seasons for grasshoppers in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert? They come from eggs that are buried in our soil. You’ll see the first batch of grasshoppers in April and May after the winter/spring rains. The largest numbers of grasshoppers emerge in the late summer, August and September, after our monsoon storms. They can jump extremely far for their small size and are noisy creatures too. And, you’ll notice a trend here, the noises that they make attract grasshoppers of the opposite sex. The males also use their sound to mark a territory.

There are many types of grasshoppers but they all feed on plants. There is one species that only eats creosote, a bush that is very common in Arizona.

Cockroaches

Perhaps one of the most loathsome Arizona bugs found in houses are cockroaches. They are attracted to moisture and can be found outside or inside where water is present. That is why you may see them in a sink or a tub. Read our blog, “Do cockroaches come up from the drain?, to find out how they commonly enter a home.

Cockroaches are fairly common in Arizona because of our warm climate year-round. There are several kinds but the two are commonly found are German cockroaches and American cockroaches. You can tell them apart by the types of markings on their brown bodies, but we’re sure you don’t want to get that close. And to make them even more unlikable, they move FAST.

How do you eliminate Arizona bugs this summer?

The best place to start is by having regular pest control. The Alpha Pest team will evaluate your specific issues and help you come up with a solution that will help eliminate these pesky bugs. We spray inside and outside when we first start your service and then focus mostly on the outside during regular monthly service. This creates a barrier to keep Arizona bugs from coming inside your home. We are also trained to look for places that might make easy entry points, like cracks in a window or door seal or cracks in stucco.

If we can help, or answer any questions, please call or text Alpha Pest Control at 480-968-0414 or fill out our online form. Our local and Veteran-owned business serves residential and commercial clients in the metro Phoenix area, including Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes and Ahwatukee.