Keep Pests From Haunting The House This Halloween

f you watch the local news, you may have seen the pest control industry got a fair amount of attention this fall since the overwintering pests like stink bugs caused more than their fair share of trouble (and are likely to continue to do so in the spring). It’s always good to have a reminder about the important steps you can take to pest-proof your home each season.  Check out a our recent press release below.

KEEP PESTS FROM HAUNTING THE HOUSE THIS HALLOWEEN

Knoxville, TN, October 2013 – Ghosts, goblins, and witches won’t be the only creatures trying to spook homeowners this Halloween. Russell’s Pest Control advises people to be on the lookout for real-life ghoulish pests lurking around neighborhoods, including rodents, bats and spiders.

“As the temperature continues to drop, many of these creepy critters will seek respite from the winter chill – often within the confines our homes,” said Mark Nadolski, Owner/General Manager for the Russell’s Pest Control. “Once inside, rodents and other pests can do more than just provide their fair share of scares. They are capable of contaminating food, spreading disease and posing a threat to our property.”

Rodents can spread salmonella and hantavirus and create fire hazards by gnawing through electrical wires in the home. Bats are frequent carriers of rabies, which is potentially fatal if left untreated, and some species of spiders can administer a painful bite when disturbed.

To keep these pests from haunting the house this Halloween, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recommends the following tips:

  • Seal any cracks or crevices with caulk and steel wool. Pay special attention to holes in the structure that lead to dark secluded areas, like attics and belfries.

  • Screen attic vents and openings to chimney.

  • Install door sweeps on exterior doors and repair damaged screens.

  • Eliminate sources of moisture, especially in crawl spaces and basements.

  • Inspect items such as boxes, grocery bags and other packages brought into the home.

  • Store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.

  • If you suspect a pest infestation in your home, contact a licensed pest professional to inspect and treat the pest problem.

For more information on common household pests and how to protect your home, please contact us today!

A Halloween Fright: Giant Hornets

It’s time once again to add a page to the chronicle of Russell’s Pest Control Halloween blogs. On some occasions, we’ve discussed local pests that are particularly creepy and alarming. Last year, we examined a frightful fungus that preys on ants. This year, we’re again going to travel far from home to have a look at a particularly terrifying little beast.

Perhaps you’ve heard talk of aggressive, predatory hornets in East Asia that are wreaking havoc on some cities there. These little beasties, whose common name is simply the Asian giant hornet, claim an average of 30-40 lives per year in Asia. In 2013, however, they exploded into public notice when they started attacking cities in China. More than 1500 people have been injured after encounters with these horrific hornets, and experts are scrambling to determine what has caused the increase in aggression (some reports are saying that the giant hornets may be attempting to reassert their dominance over threatened territory, but there are several theories out there). If this isn’t like the plot of some terrifying, modern Alfred Hitchcock flick, then I don’t know what is.

The average giant hornet in these large colonies is about two inches long, but those are just the every-day citizens. The queens (pictured here) are about the same length as the palm of an adult human’s hand. The drones have stingers that are about ¼ inch in length, and they pack a particularly potent venom. Those injured by the hornets compare the sting to a hot nail or a bullet, and as few as ten stings can be hazardous to a human, even if the person is not allergic to the venom.

Even before their sudden spike in aggression, these hornets were a major problem in the Asian agricultural economy. Giant hornets require protein in their larval stage, so the drones will often invade honey bee hives to steal bee larva to feed to their own young. Because the hornets have such a size advantage, a few invaders can completely wipe out a large honey bee hive in a shockingly short amount of time, and Asian bee keepers have faced the devastating effects of these gruesome giants. In case you were wondering, the hornets use their oversized jaws to kill the bees by decapitation. So, that’s just great.

When you’re fighting a zombie, a shotgun is supposed to be the weapon of choice. Werewolf slayers favor silver bullets, and vampire hunters usually carry around a trusty stake. When you’re fighting killer giant hornets…well, the list of appropriate weapons is fairly short. Pest experts were rushed to the area to try to eliminate the large hives as quickly and safely as possible. Those who aren’t willing to wait are resorting to gasoline-fueled fireballs, which is rarely a good idea but does, again, sound like something out of a movie.

And, just in case you needed a bit more creepy news to really set the Halloween tone, I should also mention that at least one country in Western Europe has reported seeing these giant hornets. We have discussed the dangers of introducing pests into new ecosystems before, so we’ll have to wait and see if these hornets can survive outside of their native environments.

Happy Halloween!

The Other Arachnid In East Tennessee

For something new and different, I thought we might cover a pest whose presence is often extremely surprising to East Tennessee homeowners. In fact, these creatures are so evasive that most people don’t know that they’re in the area. I’m talking about scorpions, a creature that, unfortunately, invokes the kind of fear responses that people usually reserve for spiders. They are cousins, after all.

Yes, there are scorpions in East Tennessee. They live mostly in the Smoky Mountains, which tends to surprise people since we often assume that scorpions must live in hot, dry areas. In fact, two species of scorpions live in our area, though they’re both quite small and fairly inoffensive.

Scorpions are easily identified by their arcing tail that they carry over their heads and the claws that they have in front like little lobsters. Yes, even our small scorpions can sting, but neither of the species in this state is considered dangerous. Unless you have a random allergy to their venom (which is quite unlikely), their sting is no worse than a bee sting. Their color can range from light tan to a dark brown, and they’re well-equipped with camouflage to help them blend in to the floors of the forests around here that are covered in leaves and pine needles.

Scorpions are most active during warm weather, which means that you are unlikely to encounter one in the wild before 2014. However, scorpions don’t mind the cold too much and can wait out bad weather with ease since they can go up to six months without eating. This is important since a scorpion can live 5-6 years and needs to be able to survive all the seasons.

Like spiders, scorpions are predators, so they are drawn to debris where other bugs may be living. If residents do find scorpions in the house, it is likely because they were drawn there by a woodpile or leaves too close to the structure. They are also drawn to moisture (likely because moisture is attractive to their prey), so you are most likely to find them in a bathroom or laundry room if they are indoors.

Interestingly enough, scorpions regulate their hunting habits based on their size. Large scorpions out in Arizona and California (which can grow up to 5-7 inches) rely on their strength to catch prey and crush them to death before consuming them. Small scorpions like the ones in Tennessee must rely on stealth-based hunting since they have to ensure that they can immobilize their insect prey with venom before eating them. This is why most Tennessee residents have never seen a scorpion. They are nocturnal hunters and would always prefer to avoid a fight they think they can’t win (though they’re not afraid to have a go at a person if they feel cornered).

Scorpions aren’t like ants and spiders, and you’ll probably never have a problem with an infestation of them in your home. However, we at Russell’s Pest Control know that it pays to be prepared for the unlikely. If you do start to see scorpions around the house, we know how to take care of them. Contact us here; we’d be glad to come out and handle the little creepers for you so you don’t have to.

DEET Bug Spray Is Being Replaced By Natural Substances

There have been many examples in the past of how technology has driven the pest control industry and how the pest control industry has driven some great technological advances. Lots of research that was done early in the field of extermination was closely tied to American military efforts, particularly during the World Wars. American soldiers went to terrifying places in unfamiliar environments, but sometimes, one of the unexpected threats to them involved pest pressure.

If you have ever used a mosquito spray before a picnic, you have reaped the benefits of that war-time research. Most mosquito sprays contain DEET, a chemical that was developed during WWII when American troops encountered the health hazards associated with working in an environment that fostered mosquitoes carrying malaria. DEET helped to keep those soldiers (and thousands of people since then) safe, but now researchers are working toward replacing DEET with a naturally-occurring substance.

The problem with DEET is that it is only a short-term solution. As you may have realized, bug spray has to be re-applied frequently to be particularly effective. It often has a somewhat unpleasant smell, and the chemical combination in DEET products can damage some plastics and fabrics, making those sprays impractical in many situations.

Now, however, researchers are delving more deeply into the mechanics behind the effectiveness of DEET. They have discovered which portion of the mosquitoes’ antennae responds to the DEET, and they have studied other substances that can be used to trigger the nervous system response that makes the mosquitoes retreat. They have also cleverly narrowed their searches to natural substances that can be easily acquired. Four compounds have been selected for further testing, and all the early signs are very positive. Three of the four substances are actually already approved by the FDA for consumption as food products. They have been used for this because they all naturally give off a mild smell like grapes. The hope is that these compounds will eliminate the need for DEET while also correcting many of its defects.

In other good news, researchers have also found that the trigger point on the mosquitoes’ antennae that makes these compounds effective is quite common in many species of insects. It’s possible that this research could start off revolutionizing the bug spray industry and could, perhaps, transform the pest control industry as well. We’ll wait around for more information and keep you informed as new developments arise.

Debunking Myths About Stink Bugs

I have to say that right now I’m a little frustrated with the internet (no surprise there). There’s so much misinformation out there. People confidently post information or advertisements about topics they are almost entirely unfamiliar with, and they can seriously waste their readers’ time and money by doing so.

Recently, I was following a thread on a DIY forum about keeping stink bugs out of the house. Several of the participants had consulted someone about stink bugs (be it a hardware store employee or a one-man pest control operation) and had been told that there’s nothing that can be done about them and that their presence in homes is inevitable. Others had been told that winter treatments are crucial for stinkbug control to try to kill the stink bug eggs before they hatch in the spring. All of this misinformation is very troubling to us at Russell’s Pest Control because we would rather you be stink bug-free whether we do a treatment on your house or not. So, here we will give a brief repetition of some information about overwintering pests so that we can dispel some myths that are floating around on the uninformed internet.

Myth 1: Stink bugs are trying to get in the house so that they can lay their eggs.

This is just not true. Many pests in East Tennessee wait out the winter weather in their egg form, but stink bugs do not fall in that category. The adults move into warm, safe locations to hibernate during the winter and re-emerge to lay their eggs outside on leaves in the spring. If you have stink bugs in your house, they are NOT reproducing in your wall voids during the cold months.

Myth 2: Treatments during the fall and winter will eliminate the stink bugs.

We highly recommend that you do not have stink bugs treated in your home during the cold months if they are already inside in large numbers. Your options for doing so are very limited, and the treatment won’t really help much. Because stink bugs stay in attics and wall voids, treating them is extremely difficult and would involve using lots of product over large spaces. You might kill some stink bugs that way, but their bodies will be in hard-to-access places that you can’t clean. Those dead stink bugs will draw other pests (like rodents), thus making your problem worse, not better. If someone is trying to get you to pay for multiple winter treatments, then he or she is either uninformed or, worse, is hoping to waste your money. In fact, if you call Russell’s Pest Control in the winter and beg for the opportunity to pay us to treat your stink bugs, we still won’t do it; it just wouldn’t be right to do so when the treatment can’t possibly be fully effective.

Myth 3: Stink bugs are inevitable, and nothing can be done to keep them out of the house.

It is true that brown marmorated stink bugs have hit the United States hard, and they can prove to be quite a challenge, even for well-informed pest professionals. However, that doesn’t mean that nothing can be done. Contact Russell’s Pest Control on this page if you’d like to hear about our treatment options. Bear in mind that this treatment needs to be done BEFORE the stink bugs come inside, so you need to make an appointment before we start seeing frosts on the ground.