5 Ways To Prevent Lady Bugs & Stink Bugs From Over Wintering In Your Home

5 Ways To Prevent Lady Bugs & Stink Bugs From Over Wintering In Your Home

Did you know that stink bugs and ladybugs like to hibernate in the cold winter months? Hibernating is not just for bears anymore! Well, bugs don’t really ‘hibernate’ per say, they ‘over winter’. They basically try to find a warm place to rest and wait until spring. Your home is a perfect place for them to over winter. They certainly will be trying to get in to do just that. Here are some tips on how to keep them from overwintering in your house!

Seal up all cracks and crevices in window and door frames and sills. The wood trim around windows and doors can move and crack over time and these spaces are perfect entrance points for insects. Seal these up with some caulking or expanding foam.

Repair or replace damaged weather stripping around doors and windows. New windows and doors have nice foam or brush weather stripping that helps them to make a good seal when closed. Unfortunately, these important window and door components get torn, damaged and removed over time. Most weather stripping is easily replaced. Check with your window and door manufacturer for specifics.

Repair or replace any damaged insect screens on your door and windows. Even just a small tear is an open invitation for insects. Ladybugs and stink bugs are tiny enough to find their way in through the smallest of tears.

Fill or repair any cracks or holes in your basement wall. Insects and small rodents will find their way in through any imperfection in your basement.

Check all attic, roof, gable and eave vents for screening. Screening in these important areas will prohibit all insects from entering this stealthy way. This area is often overlooked.

As winter approaches, don’t let your house become a hibernating or over wintering home for any insect! Take these easy steps to sealing up all their entrances and enjoy a stink bug or lady bug free home this winter. If overwintering lady bugs or stink bugs are a problem for you, please call the Knoxville pest control professionals at Russell’s Pest Control and we can protect your home from these unwanted winter residents.

What To Know About Spiders In Knoxville

What To Know About Spiders In Knoxville

What has 8 legs and is quite possibly the scariest insect of all? Yep, you guessed it, spiders. Spiders come in every shape, size, color and personality. Some are actual hunters while others just sit and wait for their next meal to drop by. Either way, they are definitely creepy. The real question is, what spiders do you really have to worry about?

Most common spiders are almost harmless. If they do bite at all, it isn’t poisonous. They really are more of a menace than anything else. They make webs inside and out. These webs are their home and food source. Seems like you just clean them up, and they are back the next day. Common household spiders do serve a purpose, besides scaring and annoying you. They help rid you of other small insects.

The beautiful weather and climate that we all love about Knoxville is also the reason that lots of other spiders find it a great place to live. Some of the bites of these spiders can be a serious threat to people and other animals. Here are the top 2 spiders to be on the look-out for:

Black Widow Spider

These venomous spiders try to stay out of the elements and away from view. You can usually find their irregular shaped webs in outbuildings, under stones or amongst fallen wood. Mature females are the ones to look out for. They are black with red markings on their abdomen, often appearing like a red hourglass.

Brown Recluse Spider

The brown recluse also has a venomous bite. This spider has a stealthy bite though. Often people don’t realize that they have been bitten until later when the bite area starts to hurt. This anti-social spider usually only bite when they are disturbed. They can be found in dark areas, like under porches, woodpiles or buckets.

If you think that you may have been bitten by either of these two spiders seek immediate medical attention. Everyone reacts differently to a venomous bite from this terrible twosome.

Spiders can be found just about anywhere. Here in Knoxville, we are no exception. If spiders are becoming an overwhelming part of your summer, call the experts at Russell’s Pest Control and let us take care of them for you!

Doable Mosquito Prevention Tips For This Summer

Doable Mosquito Prevention Tips For This Summer

Mosquitoes are quite possibly the biggest menace of summer. These buzzing, irritating, blood sucking, disease ridden, flying menaces are all but impossible to avoid. They aren’t picky about who or what they bite in search of their next blood meal and they reproduce quickly and numerously. What can you do to protect your family this summer? Here are a few easy tips to help you and your loved ones have a safer mosquito season this summer!

Cover up! Cover as much of your skin as comfortable. The concept is simple, the less exposed skin, the less appetizing you are to a mosquito! Spray your clothing and exposed skin with an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellant. The C.D.C. recommends using products with ingredients like:

  • Picaridin

  • Deet

  • IR3535

  • Plant based oil of lemon eucalyptus

Avoid mosquito time. Mosquitoes are most active in the cooler morning and evening hours. Schedule your outside time around these mosquito prime hunting times. Less exposure to them equals less bites.

Remove mosquito attractants from your property. Mosquitos gravitate to areas with water. They are able to lay eggs in small amounts of standing water. Inspect your property for standing water. Be sure to check things like:

  • outside toys

  • toy boxes

  • flower pots

  • rain barrels

  • pool toys

  • lawn and deck furniture

  • shovels and yard tools

  • gutter and water removal systems

Standing water of any size is an open invitation for a mosquito breeding ground. Remove it, and decrease your mosquito exposure significantly.

Inspect all insect screens on your home. Check all the screens on your doors and windows regularly. The smallest tear or damage can allow mosquitoes (and other insects) free access to the inside of your home. Be sure to quickly repair or replace these damaged screens. Some types of screens can be repaired by replacing the screening, while others may have to be completely replaced.

Inform your family of the real dangers of mosquitoes. Educating your family about mosquitoes and how to limit their exposure to them is crucial in your war against mosquitoes. They can be their own best ally or worst enemy if they don’t know the proper precautions to take.

Contact a local pest control for some professional measures. There are many steps that professionals can take to help you defend your home, your family and your pets from mosquitos.

It is possible to get out and enjoy the summer weather this year without being pommelled by mosquitos or suffering from a plethora of their bites and side effects. Following these few tips will help you to enjoy the weather and your family mosquito free!

Every Yellow Jacket Stings

Every Yellow Jacket Stings

We’re having a little fun on the blog today.  This post about yellow jackets is best read to the tune of Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”.

We both live in Tennessee
In the heat of August.
Although we both live close together
We try to be miles apart outside.
Was it my foot on your nest or the lawnmower blade?
Did the dog sniff your nest?
Though I tried not to disturb you,
Though I tried,
But I guess that’s why they say

Every yellow jacket stings.
Just like every winter has its spring,
Just like every June
Knoxville gets hot, hot, hot.
Every yellow jacket stings..
Yeah they do.

I watch where I step in the woods,
Sticking to the trails.
Hear others cry in pain when they
Alarm you
But I wonder, do they know?
The grounds are your home,
And we know you that you will defend it,
If I could have let them know somehow

I guess
Every yellow jacket stings.
Just like every winter has its spring,
Just like every June
Knoxville gets hot, hot, hot.
Every yellow jacket stings..
Yeah they do.

Though I tried to avoid you
I am now in so much pain.
I head to the doctor
Because the stings, oh the stings, they inflame!
I know I could’ve avoided you today on my walk,
If I had paid attention,
Instead of playing with my iPod
I let my feet run away!

Now I wonder when I will learn,
Will I ever be stung again
To hear you get angry, makes
Me want to run and hide.

Every yellow jacket stings.
Just like every winter has its spring,
Just like every June
Knoxville gets hot, hot, hot.
Every yellow jacket stings.

If you’ve had it with yellow jackets in Knoxville, contact Russell’s Pest Control today!  Our experienced pest control professionals are ready to help you get rid of stinging insects and other pests this summer.