We're the neighbors who show up for termites, bees, and the rest

Metro Phoenix and Tucson have been the work area for 26 years. In 1999 that meant pest routes and termite pretreatments on large subdivisions, when the Phoenix metro was much smaller.

By 2002 the regular jobs were general pest control for houses. An interior and exterior service was about $30, bee removals about $125, and termite treatments about $350.

After Hurricane Katrina, many residents relocated to Arizona. The Valley saw a massive influx of bed bugs, and heat treatments showed up in homes and commercial buildings. Some of the worst infestations were in those years, including tough commercial accounts. Ugly jobs still get taken seriously.

The Great Recession of 2008 turned into termite years. For a stretch the jobs were almost all termite treatments, because realtors and banks needed them on foreclosures. In Queen Creek, whole blocks were for sale, and copper and other fixtures were stripped from homes. It was a dark time for the Valley. Those days ended.

Property-manager work spread across the Valley and into Tucson. The jobs grew past pests: weeds, irrigation, trees, and rock, because managers needed more than a spray. Desert Standard still handles tree trimming and tree removal when you need it.