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Have unwanted pests?  Want quality and timely service?  Contact us for your free estimates today.

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AntsBirdsBox Elder BugsFliesMice/Rats RoachesSpidersTermitesWasps/Bees

Paul Berkenbosch, started Paul's Pest Control Inc. in 1989 as a family owned company.  The company soon grew to two full time staff and five part time employees.  With a high demand for this service, the business became incorporated in 1992 to handle the customers.

In 1997 a marketing survey was conducted and it was determined that the demand for pest control was a much needed service in many areas.  The decision was then made to expand into Des Moines, Newton and Grinnell.  In December 1999, Paul's Pest Control bought out Bill Mundy's AAA Termite.  The company later combined the two names making it, AAA Pest & Termite Control Inc.

Currently, AAA Pest & Termite Control Inc. services approximately over 400 customers each month.  These customers include both residential and commercial sites.

Paul Berkenbosch Charlotte Hunt Mark Hantsbarger

  Description of Service:

  *Pest Directory:

Ants
Ants are the most common pests in and around the home.  They feed on dead insects, sweets and meats.  One of their favorite foods is the sweet honeydew produced by plant sap feeding insects such as aphids and meal bugs. Ants commonly nest outdoors in the soil under stones, logs, mulch debris and other items.  They will also nest indoors in wall and floor voids, particularly in moist or warm areas.  If only a few workers (wingless ants) are observed in the house it is an indication that they are nesting outdoors and entering the house in search of food.  If winged swarms are found indoors, or if workers are consistently seen in great abundance, it likely indicates they are nesting within the house.

Birds:
Birds become pests when they create health hazards, feed on crops or gardens, congregate in large groups or roost around buildings or even eves of buildings.  The three most common types of birds are Pigeons, Sparrows, and Starlings.  There is several ways to manage these pests.  The most commonly used methods are repelling devices, trapping and toxic perches.

Box Elder Bugs:
(BEBs) is a common and well-known insect in Iowa that is most abundant after summers when the month of May is very warm and July is very dry.  However, the abundance varies greatly from place to place as well as from year to year.  There are some BEB problems even in years when a widespread outbreak does not occur.  During the summer months, (BEBs) live, feed and reproduce on trees, shrubs and other plants (including Box Elders, Maples, Ashes and others).  They feed on sap from their host plants but do not cause significant damage.  (BEBs) become nuisance pests in the fall when they leave the plants to find hiding places for the winter.  During their random search, they congregate in the sunshine on the south sides of buildings, trees and rocks.  Once there, they stray into houses through cracks and gaps in the foundation, siding along windows, doors, and other small openings. (BEB s) within walls or attics remain inactive while they are cold.  The nuisance occurs when the ones warmed by heat from the furnace or the sun become active during the winter and crawl into the rooms.

Flies:
The large, black, pesky flies that show up in bedrooms and on windowsills from late fall through early spring are a common household pest.  These flies are known as cluster flies a name that describes their habit of clustering in large numbers inside attics.  Cluster flies do not reproduce indoors, and homeowners bothered by these pests do not need to feat the flies are "hatching" from a dead animal or other unpleasant material within the attic or walls. Cluster flies develop as parasites inside the bodies of earthworms.  There are three generations of flies produced each summer and the fall generation of the season migrates to houses and other located on an exposed hill top or high ground are most attractive to these migrating flies.  Flies cluster on the warm side of buildings in late summer during the day.  Cool temperatures cause these flies to craw into buildings through cracks under eaves.  They also can enter around windows or though gaps in the siding.  Once inside Cluster flies will remain in hibernation until warmed by heat from the furnace or by the sun.

Mice/Rats:
Mice and Rats are most commonly encountered rodents adapting to nearly all-human environments.  These pests ruin stored food and fiber and damage personal possessions.  They also can transmit diseases and parasites to people and domestic animals.  Under certain conditions mice and rats may breed year round producing as many as ten litters a year.  Movement of these little creatures is determined by temperature, food and hiding places.

Roaches:
Only four species are commonly found in doors throughout Iowa and the United States, they are:  German cockroach, American cockroach, Oriental cockroach and the Brownbanded cockroach.  Cockroaches are nocturnal and stay in the dark whenever possible.  They hide during the daylight hours in gaps, gaps, cracks, crevices and other tight places.  Cockroaches move in-groups but do not construct nests.  They feed on starches, and carbohydrates, but will consume and food of people or pests.  Removing available food and water and eliminating hiding places used alone, are not enough to eliminate the problem.

Spiders:
Spiders are the most common arthropod seen by homeowners.  Few people consider them a serious pest. In Iowa there are two spiders that may cause harm to humans, the Black Widow and Brown Recluse.  Neither spider will bite unless provoked.  The Black Widow spider is shiny and black with a distinct red or yellow marking usually in the shape of an hourglass.  This spider lives under rocks, boards and in or around buildings.  The Brown Recluse spider is either tan or brown with a dark brown fiddle shaped pattern on the front half of its back.  They are usually found in barns, outbuildings, sheds, garages and houses.  Cellar spiders are another common arthropod in Iowa. Most commonly found in houses, basements, barns and damp areas.  This type of spider builds a web that covers large areas.  The webs are usually seen on ceilings and walls.  Since Cellar spiders do not leave their web, they can be hard to control.

Termites:
Termites are insects with bodies divided into three parts, six legs and usually white in color.  These destructive pests need certain conditions to survive.  Moist soil is crucial for these pests.  Termites need a water supply in order to construct mud tubes to protect them from predators.  The mud tubes or Runners that one sees, is the pathways used to access their food supply.  Termites always remain in contact with the soil unless there is an above ground water supply.

Wasps/Bees:
Late summer is the time of year when populations of Yellow Jackets (commonly called "bees") and other social wasps become large and noticeable.  The populations of bees reach a peak around the time of the County Fairs. Each nest may have up to approximately 5,000 adults.  Yellow Jackets build paper nests similar to hornets, but either in the ground, logs, landscape timbers, walls or attics.  These bees are commonly observed hovering back and forth at the small nest opening or around garbage cans and other areas where they forage for food.