Bulwark Exterminating Earns 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award
Angie's List Super Service Award 2011
Bulwark Exterminating has been awarded the 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award for the company’s excellent customer service rating in Arizona.
Super Service Award recipients have maintained an “A” grade average in Angie’s rating formula. Only an estimated five percent of companies listed on Angie’s List receive the prestigious award on an annual basis. This will be the 3rd time that Bulwark has received the award here in the Phoenix area.
“Our technicians and office staff deserve this award 100%”, said Mesa Branch Manager Joe Davey. “They work tirelessly to ensure the needs of our customers are met day in and day out.”
Bulwark Exterminating services over ten thousands customers valley wide from offices in Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix and Peoria. The family owned exterminating company has made a name in Arizona as the pest control provider in the valley that absolutely guarantees to eliminate scorpions with a money back guarantee. In 2010, 97% of Bulwark’s current customers said they would recommend their pest control services to a friend of family member.
“We appreciate that our customers take the time to recognize the hard work of the technicians that service their homes,” said Davey. “Our techs are the face of Bulwark. Receiving the Super Service Award is an honor and it validates the hard work of our entire staff across the valley.”
While the award went to the Mesa pest control branch of Bulwark Exterminating the owners feel that the award is shared by all of the valley locations as customers on Angie’s list don’t often realize which branch services them.
Phoenix Metro Locations include:
Bulwark Exterminating, 40 N Central Ave #1400, Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 652-2251Bulwark Exterminating, 10401 North 91st Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85345 (623) 572-3016Bulwark Exterminating, 1228 East Broadway Road Mesa, AZ 85204 (480) 969-7474Bulwark Exterminating, 18256 E Williams Field Rd # 2 Gilbert, AZ 85295 (480) 539-4933
About Bulwark Exterminating
Bulwark Exterminating LLC is based in Mesa, AZ and is an industry leader in providing high quality residential pest control service. Bulwark is fully operational in seven states, including eleven major cities. While Bulwark provides pest extermination for common insects such as ants, roaches, crickets and spiders, the company’s differentiating specialty is scorpion control. To do this, Bulwark uses the finest and most effective products in the world to solve common pest problems. Bulwark is privately and family owned, has approximately 250 employees and services over 50,000 customers nationwide, providing pest control in Raleigh, NC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Tulsa, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, St. George, UT, Phoenix and Las Vegas. For more information, visit http://www.BulwarkPestControl.com.
Awhile back I participated in the Phoenix Warrior Dash, well that was tough enough for me. But a couple of my co-workers here at Bulwark Exterminating decided to do the Tough Mudder. Here is their video clip… produced by the Bulwark Exterminating Marketing Department.
Yes that was a Back Flip into that muddy water… Yes there were 1000 watts running through those wires, which caused Derrick to fall forward after loosing muscle control. Certainly not an event for the weak. Crawling through water filled tunnels. Swimming through ice cold water, chilled to the bone by dry ice. But apparently not too much for the Phoenix Scorpion Control team that kills the most deadly US scorpions you can find on a regular bases. Kicking butt and taking names.
Bulwark Exterminating… Hiring guys who aren’t your average pest control guy. You may call it over the top… I call Bulwark Extreme.
Thanks Team Bulwark for the awesome event and awesome footage.
Are you a Bulwark fan, customer, or employee? Want a sponsor for your local sports event? Contact me:
Yes. The cockroach can jump… well at lest the Leaproach can jump, and up to 50 times it’s own length!
But this unique roach is the only 1 of ~4000 known roach species that can jump. While a few roach cousins like the American Cockroach are equipped with wings and do fly, the Leaproach has no wings. The secret to the roach jumpers success lies in it’s knees, modified with rubber-band-like resilin. Other differences from most cockroach species are in the antennae and eyes. The antennae also have an additional fixation point to apparently help with navigation. The eye’s are more rounded, perhaps an aerodynamic feature, and larger, possibly helping in sight for better landing. Oh one more distinction of honor for this particular roach…
Leapingroach wins Award for New Species 2011
Leaproach Awarded Top 10 New Species of 2011
According to the local Phoenix school of Arizona State University, the Jumping Roach made the top 10 New Species list for 2011! Who would of ever thought that cockroach would win a popularity contest? Hats off the this modern bug who is setting a new precedents for roaches everywhere.
And if you need Phoenix Roach Control then try Bulwark Exterminating… Shameless I know.
If you have recently moved to Phoenix, Arizona, there are some notable insect, bug and pest control concerns, that are prominent in the region. These common pests include a variety of aggressive ants, as well as venomous spiders and scorpions. These dangerous pests, travel from the surrounding arid desert environment, to the shelter of lush gardens and plentiful food and water, that is common in populous Arizona cities; like Phoenix.
Below, is a list of the three Phoenix pest control problems, that I consider to be the most notable, dangerous and (at times) highly venomous:
Number 3: Not to be under-estimated, the Fire ants in Phoenix are highly aggressive, and (without hesitation) will attack anything that disrupts their nest. In fact, it is estimated that more than twenty million Americans are stung by Fire ants, every year. Furthermore, this dangerous pest will swiftly invade homes, yards and fields, consuming (almost) any plant or animal material; including other insects.
Black Widow Spider - Red Hour Glass
Number 2: Honorable mention and runner-up for most dangerous/most venomous pest problem in Phoenix, is the Black Widow spider. When disturbed, this spider will (most often) attempt to escape, rather than attack. Nevertheless, Phoenix pest control professionals strongly advise, that residents exercise extreme caution when confronted by an adult Black Widow spider; as they are highly venomous. How dangerous are Black Widow spiders? Well known prey of this pest include the other two members of this “Most Dangerous” list: Fire ants and scorpions!
Number 1: Likely the most feared of the local pests, is the Arizona Bark scorpion. Considered the most venomous of all scorpions in North America, the venom from a Bark scorpion can cause extreme and severe pain in adults, typically lasting between twenty-four and seventy-two hours. To the disappointment of local officials and residents, local studies are reporting that scorpion attacks are on the rise in Phoenix; and The Valley.
Just like much of the human population, common pests like Fire ants, Black Widow spiders and Arizona Bark scorpions, prefer the cooler temperatures of Phoenix properties, homes and businesses; over the blazing Sonoran Desert sun. As such, when the temperatures in Phoenix rise considerably, you can be certain that the number of calls for pest control will increase proportionately; as well.
Bulwark Exterminating created this video with K-9BedbugInspectors.com testing bug repellent against bed bugs. Could the solution to the EPA spending $550,000 on research be that simple? Does bug repellent prevent bed bugs? 1st test is in and the results look promising. Bedbug repellent just might solve the nation’s woes of the spreading bedbug epidemic. From the bedbug dog sniffing team in Phoenix AZ, and your local pest control company, Bulwark Exterminating, this is one video you will want to watch.
Wouldn’t it be great to know that bug repellent can keep your home bedbug free? After round one the results seem positive. The second part of this video we test the repellent after a short feeding to see if it works again. AJ Richards, owner of K9 Bedbug Inspectors, allowed this common bed bug to latch onto his untreated forearm. The bug did indeed begin the blood sucking process. Richards then moved the bug to his opposite arm treated with an advanced formula insect repellent, containing 7% Picaridin. The bed bug scattered around Richards’ arm, refusing to attach itself. Once returned to the original untreated arm, the tiny insect immediately resumed its feeding.
Bug Repellent seems to prevent Bedbug bites!
The bedbug did indeed avoid the sprayed arms on both test subject. Well call me crazy, but carrying some bug repellent in my suitcase is now a no-brainer. Spraying down my luggage with bedbug repellent? Yep. Spraying down my clothes prior to going to a movie theater that doesn’t carry a bedbug inspection seal? Yep. I would even consider spraying myself down prior to ridding a mass transit vehicle at night, airplanes included. Getting a bedbug infestation is not an enjoyable experience. Treating a bedbug infestation can cost a couple of thousand dollars.
Yes, two successful trials, and our hopes are soaring. Bedbug repellent here we come. But this is just the preliminary tests. We are currently under way testing how long the repellent will be effective in detouring the bed bugs. Will it last through the night? Is it only affective for 10 minutes?
So, we here at Bulwark tend to fancy ourselves at social media geeks. We all have facebook accounts. We all have twitter accounts. Naturally, we run the Bulwark accounts on a regular basis. We always check in with Foursquare when we go out to lunch. Whenever we get the chance, we always try to attend any local twitter events that A. sound interesting and B. interest us. We went to #SunsTweetup a couple weeks ago vs. the Portland Trailblazers. Both interesting, and of interest.
This week we had another fabulous experience at a local tweetup. ABC15 here in Phoenix hosted the first ever live and on air tweetup event during the Now@9 morning show. We documented the experience from start to finish, and this is how it looked.
Before we even got to the station, this is how the morning started as we got off the freeway in Phoenix…
High Voltage Warning Sign
Despite the warning, we pressed on, and within minutes found ourselves at the ABC15 studios. After a brief waiting period our group of 100 tweeps was escorted into the filming studio. We were lucky enough to get first row seats in front of the news desk where the anchors sit. The majority of our group was parked behind us at a different angle, facing big monitors and some green screens. The anchors soon made their way to the set and began all the last-minute prep work before showtime.
ABC15's Amber Sullins and Susan Casper
Camera #2 at ABC15's Studio B
ABC15 Tweetup Audience
Before we knew it, the show was off and filming. This was how the show began…
Our esteemed head honcho, Thomas, aka Thos003, has a thing for printing custom twitter shirts for the host of that particular twitter event. We look for a humorous tweet from that person (or people) and put it on the front chest of the shirt. For SunsTweetup, we printed one for Jared Dudley. We think he liked it! So of course we made shirts for the show’s anchors: Susan Casper, Rebecca Thomas, Amber Sullins and Kirk Yuhnke. We even made a couple for some of the producers. Here is Kirk showing his shirt on air and giving a little love to Bulwark and yours truly.
“Net Neutrality” was the big topic of the morning across the country, and Now@9 took time to read a few Facebook comments regarding the issue.
Next national controversy of the morning was the decency of Hooters Restaurant girls. The business model is a little too liberal for places like San Francisco, and apparently there is a pending lawsuit against the famed restaurant. The anchors weighed in…
The hour went by rather fast. After the anchors closed up the show they glad-handed all the tweeps and snapped a few photos with us. As planned, each anchor got their own shirt with their own tweet on the front.
Steve and Thomas with the Now@9 anchors
Big thanks to ABC15, Susan, Rebecca, Amber and Kirk for holding the tweetup and allowing us to come share the morning with them.
Michael Gurevitz has been featured in a number of recent news reports for his research into practical and useful uses of scorpion venom. His research has found varying types of venom and varying effects based upon the chemical proprieties of the venom. Documenting and researching these properties has further proven that some toxins can target specific mammalian channels, and others will attack insect channels that are non existent in mammals, i.e. humans. But Michael hopes to take this information to a whole new level by identifying how these toxin interact with sodium channels, which make up mammal and insect nervous systems. That information could lead to a pesticide based on scorpion venom and a morphine like medicine based on scorpion venom. But what are benefits of using scorpion venom and are there possible cons?
On the subject of venom toxins Raymond St. Leger, an entomologist at the University of Maryland, states that they are “a resource with almost limitless potential,…But you need a way of getting them into the insect.” Herein lies one problem. Genetically altering a plant to produce a similar compound to the scorpion venom will be useless as a pest control technique if ingesting the plant and its newly acquired compound does nothing to the pest because it is ingested rather than stung/injected into the blood stream. Exterminators that will hunt and manually inject the compound are going to hard to find. Clearly this is not the intent. The objective is to develop a pesticide that will be absorbed through an insect’s exoskeleton. The pest control products need to penetrate into the insects and attack their nervous systems, leading to paralysis and death. Determining the venom’s effective life span and how long it will take to be absorbed will determine the success of this natural alternative. In order for a pesticide to be effective it must have a decent residual, something many natural products lack.
Individuals must further investigate the human health effects of occupational exposure. What dangers do these bio-pesticides and bio-insecticides poise with frequent and regular use to the applicators? What danger does this put on those that milk the scorpion’s venom? Adam Seever, put it this way, “I know it may seem backwards, but I don’t focus on how the products we use will effect my customers. I focus on whether they are safe for my technicians to use on a day in and day out bases. If my techs are safe then the customers will be safe as well.” On a pound per pound base is the scorpion venom more or less toxic then your average pest control product? Lastly, the most severe problems that occurs with products and even with scorpion toxins are caused by a mammals allergic reaction to the products. This varies on a case by case base, but one must wonder if this reaction would be higher in a pyrethrin based product or a scorpion based product.
The response that Michael Gurevite gave us on the potential allergy’s and dangers of the scorpion venom is as follows:
“In the venom of scorpions of the Buthidae family, to which the Israeli yellow scorpion belongs, one can find a large variety of peptide toxins that affect ion channels. We work on those that affect sodium channel. Among these toxins there are different classes divided according to their pharmacological effects (alpha and beta), and further divided to groups by their ability to compete for the same receptor site, and their activity toward mammals and insects. Some of the toxins would be active against practically all animals, some show preference for mammalian channels, and some are anti-insect selective. All these differences in activity and preference are those that interest us at the molecular/structural level.
The desert bark scorpions belong also to the family Buthidae, the most common is Centruroides sculpturatus in Southern US and Mexico. Their venom contains mostly toxins of the beta class that affect mammals and insects. We work on toxins of both the alpha and beta classes.”
Hopefully Micheal’s research pays off. It is very fascinating that he is documenting these effects and classifying them on a molecular level to the point that he can determine a “alpha” or “beta” class. This will in no doubt be beneficial in developing more pest solutions that will only effect insects and not humans. Or taking that one step further, that can target specific insect species.
And yes there is a sinister side of this in that we could use the scorpion’s sting against itself. Imagine the novel title now, “Scorpion’s recruited for Scorpion Control.” And homeowners that deal with scorpions would welcome the opportunity to use an effective scorpion insecticide against scorpion infestations in Phoenix, Austin, and Las Vegas. Especially using their closely related Buthidae family members for Scottsdale scorpion extermination.
There is also a potential that the research could lead to a scorpion based “morphine”, or other scorpion related health care products. Scorpion venom has even been tested in fighting off cancer. Could it be possible that a pesticide and a cancer “fighting” agent could use the same chemical makeup? Perhaps some day sooner than you think.
Bulwark Exterminating,1228 E Broadway, Mesa, AZ 85204 (480) 969-7474
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