Emergency Pest Control in Tempe, AZ

Kekoa does not run a call center or a night shift. Kekoa is Kai Horner, and he works alone. That shapes everything on this page: what follows is what to do before anyone gets there, and what you can realistically expect from him when you call.

What counts as a pest emergency?

A real emergency has a person at risk or a pest loose where people sleep and eat.

• Bees or wasps: a swarm at a doorway, bees stinging, or a nest where children play. Read emergency bee and wasp removal in Tempe.
• Scorpions: one found in a bedroom or crib, repeat sightings at night, or a sting. Read emergency scorpion treatment.
• Rats and mice: a rodent loose in the house, in the kitchen, or chewing wires. Read emergency rodent removal.
• Fast-growing problems: a roach outbreak in a new home or a sudden ant invasion. Upsetting, but rarely dangerous. Read about same-day pest control and how scheduling works.

The Tempe calendar shapes which call you end up making. Bark scorpions move most on nights above 70 degrees, monsoon storms can flood them out of shelter, and Maricopa County says roof rats are most active from November through May. A useful test covers all of them: could someone get hurt before the next working day? If yes, treat it as urgent. If it is only upsetting, it can usually take the next opening.

Do these things first, before anyone arrives

Your first few minutes matter more than any treatment.

1. Get people and pets away. Close the door or windows between you and the pest.
2. If bees are chasing you, follow University of Arizona Extension advice: run to a house or car, cover your head, and do not swat or jump into water.
3. If someone has been stung, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. Call 911 for trouble breathing or other severe symptoms.
4. Leave the pest alone. Do not spray a colony, throw things or corner an animal.
5. Keep what you know: where it was, when, how many, and a photo from a safe distance.
6. Call (209) 563-1650 and describe it.

Poison Help answers day and night. For a scorpion sting on a child 9 or younger, or one weighing under 70 pounds, University of Arizona Extension says not to wait: use 911, Poison Help or the nearest hospital.

How fast can emergency pest control in Tempe, AZ reach you?

Nobody at Kekoa can give you a number before you call. Published hours are Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, with Sundays closed. Outside those hours, you may be waiting for the next working day. Inside them, Kai may be mid-job, and he cannot be in two places.

What reviews do show:

• In Sun Lakes, one customer's review says he responds to emergencies immediately.
• A customer with cockroaches in a new home had him there the next day.

Those are real results, not a standard response time. Kai will tell you on the phone what he can do and when, so you can make your own decision. If he cannot reach you soon enough, he would rather you know now.

A few details get you a quicker, more useful answer:

• What the pest is, or a clear description of it.
• Exactly where it is, and whether anyone can get in and out of the house.
• Whether anyone has been stung or bitten, and whether there are young children, older adults or pets at home.
• Your cross streets, so he can judge the drive from where he is working.

What happens when Kai arrives

1. He asks what happened and looks at the spot before touching anything.
2. He tells you what he thinks it is and what he recommends.
3. You agree on the work and the cost before it starts.
4. He deals with the immediate problem, following label directions, and keeps product away from where kids and pets reach.
5. He tells you when you can go back into the area and what to watch for.
6. He explains what caused it and what would keep it from coming back.

For the longer-term side, the scorpion control in Tempe, rodent control and bee and wasp removal pages cover the follow-up work.

What an urgent visit includes, and what waits

An urgent trip deals with today's risk. It is narrower than a service plan, and it helps to know the edges before he arrives.

• A look at the spot and a plain identification of the pest.
• The immediate work, as far as one trip allows.
• Product placed by label directions, away from where kids and pets reach.
• Re-entry directions and a list of what was used.
• The cause explained, with the next step named.

Repairs to walls, vents or doors are not part of it, and neither is a promise that one trip closes the matter. A rodent job means traps and return checks. A scorpion job usually leads to regular service. A bee colony inside a wall may need opening up, which can take another trade. Sting and bite questions stay with Poison Help.

How is pricing handled on an urgent job?

Ask before he comes. Kekoa does not publish an emergency rate, and Kai can talk through what affects the cost for your situation:

• The pest and where it is, since a nest in a wall takes longer than one on a fence.
• How much of the property needs work.
• How far you are from Tempe.
• Whether a return trip is needed, such as to check traps.

Google's listing describes quality services at fair pricing with "no sales gimmick", so expect a plain conversation.

Raise timing directly. Ask whether short notice changes the figure, and what is included if a second trip is needed. For a Tempe home, the job usually matters more than the address: roof height, attic access, a locked gate or a colony behind stucco can change the work more than the drive does. If you rent, find out before he comes whether your landlord pays, so the bill goes to the right person. Already on regular service? Say so at the start. A figure agreed before work begins is the one to hold on to.

Who handles what: 911, the county or a pest company

Public agencies do less on a private lot than most people assume. Maricopa County Vector Control investigates roof rat and feral bee complaints to find the responsible party, but it does not hand out traps or bait stations, and it says it is not an emergency responder. For a swarm or colony on your own property, it tells you to call a local pest control company. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue tells residents not to call it to remove colonies, and to use 911 when someone is stung by many bees or has an allergic reaction. So 911 is for people, and removal is usually arranged by whoever controls the property.

Even in a hurry, it is worth knowing that Arizona law (A.A.C. R3-8-201) requires a license for pest management businesses, issued through the Arizona Department of Agriculture Pest Management Division. The state license search takes a minute.

Why Kekoa when it is urgent

• You talk to the person who does the work. There is no phone tree between you and an answer.
• He tells you the truth about timing, even when the answer is not the one you hoped for.
• A Sun Lakes customer called him the most genuine contractor they have worked with in 18 years there.
• Ratings stand at 5.0 from 54 Google reviews and 5.0 from 8 on Yelp, checked November 2026.

None of that puts him in two places at once. It does mean one straight answer, from one person, as soon as you ask. Customers describe him as on time and as someone who explains what he is doing, which counts for a lot on a bad day.

Kekoa is based in Tempe and serves Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Phoenix. Closer homes are easier to reach quickly, so tell Kai your cross streets when you call.