What you don’t know can hurt you when it comes to bites and stings – prevention is the best medicine.

Many people are surprised to discover that the Sonoran desert in Arizona is alive with a variety of plants and living creatures. A few of these creatures are venomous and feared because of their bite or sting.

What can you do?

• Learn which creatures can bite or sting
• Understand what you can do to avoid a problem
• Know what to do and whom to call if you get bitten or stung

Things you can do to prevent a venomous bite or sting around your home

• Remove litter, wood, paper, logs and debris from your yard.
• Wear heavy work gloves when working in your yard.
• Keep doors and windows tight fitting with good weather stripping.
• Have your home professionally sealed.
• Make sure that openings such as where plumbing pipes, air conditioning, swamp coolers or exhaust fans access your home are closed, sealed or encircled with double-sided sticky tape.
• Fill all cracks in the foundation of the home and around all water faucets.
• Look before you place your hand under or into something.
• Make periodic checks for bee hives or swarms; if found, have them immediately removed by Phoenix pest control experts. Do not try to remove or burn them out yourself.
• Be alert for trouble when operating equipment e.g., lawnmowers, chain saws, weed eaters, etc., that produce sound vibrations which can disturb a beehive or wasp nest.
• Examine all outside, line-dried clothing prior to bringing them inside the home.
• Do not leave shoes, boots, clothing, and towels outdoors.
• Wear shoes when outdoors, especially around the pool and at night.
• Call your local fire department for help in removing rattlesnakes that do not leave on their own.