At a glance
- The city of Maricopa, Arizona is in Pinal County rather than Maricopa County, and much of it borders active farmland.
- Mice and field crickets often move from farm fields into Maricopa neighborhoods when crops are cut, disked or harvested.
- Irrigated turf in Maricopa lawns, parks and common areas gives pocket gophers soft soil and roots to feed on.
- Platinum Pest Management serves Maricopa from its office in Mesa and schedules Maricopa appointments on planned route days.
On this page
How farm fields affect pest control in Maricopa
Most of Maricopa has been built since the city incorporated in 2003, on land that was farm country. Many subdivisions share a road or a canal bank with fields of cotton and alfalfa, so the edge of a neighborhood is often the edge of a farm.
Growing fields hold large numbers of mice and crickets. When a field is cut, disked or harvested, that cover disappears within a few days. The animals head for the nearest shelter, which is often a row of houses with irrigated yards and gaps under the garage doors. Pocket gophers spread in a similar way, working from field edges and canal banks into lawns and parks.
For pest control in Maricopa, we pay attention to what the nearest field is doing. Sealing garage doors and treating the perimeter before a harvest keeps more mice and crickets outside than trapping after they have moved in.
Pests we treat most in Maricopa homes
Mice
House mice slip under garage doors and through gaps around utility lines after nearby fields are worked. Our mouse and rodent control pairs trapping with pointing out those openings so they can be sealed.
Field crickets
Crickets breed in crop fields and gather on stucco walls and garage lights in late summer, sometimes in large numbers. Cricket control around the lights and foundation keeps them from getting inside.
Pocket gophers
Gophers push up fan-shaped dirt mounds in lawns and common areas and chew through roots and drip lines. We treat their tunnels with bait and smoke through our gopher control service.
Bark scorpions
Arizona bark scorpions turn up in newer Maricopa subdivisions too, most often on lots next to washes or vacant desert parcels. Scorpion treatment focuses on block walls and door gaps.
Subterranean termites
Homes from Maricopa's early 2000s building boom are now about twenty years old, well past the point where a construction-era termite treatment can be counted on. Our free termite inspection shows where things stand.
Mosquitoes
Irrigation ditches and retention basins can hold water after monsoon storms. We look for standing water around the house and treat breeding spots through our mosquito service.
Pest control for new homes in Maricopa
New construction brings its own pest issues. Grading a subdivision disturbs ground where scorpions and rodents already lived, and those animals move into the first finished homes nearby. Door sweeps and garage door seals installed by the builder can leave gaps, and bare backyards waiting for landscaping are open ground where harvester ants set up colonies.
For a newly built Maricopa home, a first exterior treatment and a check of the builder's seals head off much of this. Leftover lumber and construction debris in the side yards should go, since scorpions and black widows shelter under them. From there, our general pest control plans cover the common insects and spiders.
Maricopa service visits and route scheduling
Maricopa is farther from our Mesa office than most of the cities we serve. The drive runs down Interstate 10 between Chandler and Ahwatukee, two other areas we cover, and then south on State Route 347. For that reason we plan Maricopa appointments by route and group visits in the same part of the city together. The office will give you the next Maricopa route day when you call (480) 518-1942, and regular plan visits are booked on route days in advance. You can also request a free inspection online.
A typical visit to a Maricopa home covers these steps.
- Walk the lot and the rear wall along any field or open land, looking for rodent burrows and fresh gopher mounds.
- Check garage door seals, door sweeps, weep screeds and pipe openings, the usual ways mice and crickets get in.
- Treat the exterior foundation, the garage door threshold and other entry points, then handle any indoor activity the homeowner has reported.
- Set or check rodent traps and bait stations, and treat active gopher tunnels with bait and smoke.
- Go over what we found and suggest a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly plan. Some homes only need a one-time service.
Distance does not change our re-service guarantee. Covered pests that come back between scheduled visits get a return trip and re-treatment at no extra charge.
Maricopa subdivisions we cover
Rancho El Dorado, The Villages at Rancho El Dorado, Province and Tortosa are among the Maricopa communities we serve, along with the neighborhoods off John Wayne Parkway. Homes on the outer edges of these communities, next to fields or open desert, usually see the most activity. Shops and offices in Maricopa can also set up commercial pest control.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I see more mice and crickets in Maricopa after nearby fields are harvested?
Crops give mice and crickets food and cover through the growing season. Once a neighboring field is harvested or plowed, both disappear and the animals move toward the closest houses. Sealing garage door gaps and treating the perimeter ahead of harvest helps, and rodent control handles mice that are already inside.
How far ahead should I schedule pest control in Maricopa?
Maricopa appointments are grouped into planned route days, so calling as soon as you notice activity gives us the most scheduling options. The office, which is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and until noon on Saturdays, can tell you the next Maricopa route day when you call (480) 518-1942.
Do new homes in Maricopa need pest control?
New homes in Maricopa can see scorpions, crickets and harvester ants in the first year or two, because construction disturbs the surrounding ground and yards are still being landscaped. A first exterior treatment, along with a check of the door sweeps and garage seals the builder installed, is a sensible start.
How do you get rid of gophers in a Maricopa yard?
Pocket gophers are controlled by finding the main tunnel between fresh mounds and treating it with bait and smoke. Surface treatments do little because gophers rarely come above ground. Yards next to fields or canal banks may need repeat visits, since new gophers can move in from the edges. See our gopher control page.
Do Maricopa homes get termites?
Maricopa has desert subterranean termites, as does the rest of central Arizona. The treatment most homes received during construction weakens with time, so homes from the early 2000s are worth inspecting. Signs include mud tubes on the slab edge or garage walls and winged swarmers after monsoon rains. Our termite inspections are free.