Everyone Is Talking About Zika

Everyone Is Talking About Zika

There is a new virus on the block and it has everyone talking. That’s how it goes. When something new happens, it is big news. But when it keeps happening, we move on and start talking about something else. For instance, we all know that crimes happen all across the country every single day. But we don’t hear about the vast majority of them. Nor would we want to. It would get exhausting. The same things are true with mosquito viruses. People get horribly sick and even die, from mosquito-borne diseases each year. But it happens so frequently, it is no longer reported. So, I guess we should thank Zika for getting people to talk about how dangerous mosquitoes can be, again.

In the war against mosquitoes, we are actually winning. Do you know that mosquitoes are directly connected to over 3 million deaths worldwide every year? But we have considerably fewer deaths in the United States. This is due to several reasons: high standard of sanitation, an effective and accessible health care system, widespread mosquito abatement, and more. When compared to the countries around us, there is a stark contrast in the impact mosquitoes have. But that can change.

The Zika virus hit Brazil in 2015. In only one year it has affected millions of people. That is a staggering statistic. This is a virus that can spread quickly. But here in the United States, it has not spread to local mosquito populations yet. All current cases of Zika virus are travel related. Unfortunately, this is not the case for other viruses, such as encephalitis, that travels from animals to mosquitoes and back again. Viruses like West Nile, dengue, yellow fever, eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, and LaCrosse encephalitis, are here to stay. All of these viruses use animals and mosquitoes to incubate into an infectious disease, and all of these are characterized by a swelling of the brain. These can be very uncomfortable viruses to contract, and many of them produce joint pain, body aches, flu-like symptoms, and can lead to death.

So it is a good idea that Zika has everyone talking. This virus isn’t spreading locally yet. But since it has everyone talking, it has renewed the resolve of many municipalities, businesses, and homeowners to get mosquito services, which naturally work to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases that use mosquitoes as a vector.

If you would like to be part of the solution that is protecting our families from all of the many mosquito diseases that are currently spread in local mosquito populations, and help to reduce the threat of an outbreak of Zika, malaria, and other non-local viruses, reach out to us today and start the conversation.

Get Protected From Knoxville Stinging Insects!

Get Protected From Knoxville Stinging Insects!

Wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, and carpenter bees, are all species of stinging insects that can be found buzzing around during the spring, summer and fall months in Knoxville. Even though these types of stinging insects are very beneficial to the environment with pollination and insect control, our homes and families still need to be protected against their damages and dangers!

Carpenter bees, for example, can create nesting holes in the wood on the exterior of our homes in places like siding, decks, and porches. Female carpenter bees live alone in their nests, but many females may live in the same piece of wood. Over time, and with the help of woodpeckers who make the holes bigger looking for the larvae that the female carpenter bees leave inside the wood, the damages that these pests can create to the structures of your home can be quite extensive.

Stinging insects like wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets move from becoming environmentally helpful to dangerous when they decide to create their nest in the walls of your home, on your home near a window or doorway, or on your child’s play structure. Stinging insects will defend themselves and their nests by stinging whatever it is that they think is a threat. When their nests are too close to your home then the chances of you, your children, or pets getting stung greatly increases, especially if the nest is built in a high traffic area. While the sting is painful enough to warrant action, the venom from wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets is strong enough to cause some very severe allergic reactions in many people.

As a homeowner, there are several steps that you can take to help protect yourself and your property from stinging insects. Some helpful prevention tips from the professionals here at Russell’s Pest Control include:

  • Making sure that all the wood on the exterior of your house, like siding, porches, decks, patio and lawn furniture and swing sets is stained or painted because carpenter bees prefer to nest in wood that is untreated.
  • Chimneys should have a tight fitting cap on them.
  • Holes or small openings in your home’s exterior walls or foundation should be repaired.
  • Caulk spaces around exterior windows, doors and utility entrance points.
  • Gutters should be routinely cleaned so that debris doesn’t build up and collect rainwater that the stinging insects can use as a source of water.
  • Make sure that outdoor garbage cans have tight fitting lids on them.
  • Remove old tree stumps or fallen trees that stinging insects could possibly use as a nesting site from your property.
  • Reduce the amount of flowering, colorful landscape found outside the exterior of your home.

If stinging insects ever do decide to nest on your property and they start causing damages or become dangerous to you and your family it is best to contact a Knoxville stinging insect professional. Trying to take care of a stinging insect problem on your own can lead to stings and injury.

At Russell’s Pest Control we can safely remove a stinging insect nest from your property and offer continuous control services to prevent future issues through our Power Platinum program. The Power Platinum program provides year-round protection for your home and family against yellow jackets, wasps, hornets, and carpenter bees! For more information about protecting your home and family from stinging insects from the Knoxville stinging insect control experts here at Russell’s Pest Control, contact us today! Start your pest control program so that you can get back to enjoying your summer, your home and your property without a single thought of stinging insects!

How To Get Rid Of Roaches

How To Get Rid Of Roaches

Have you ever asked someone how to get rid of cockroaches and gotten the response, “Good luck!”? There is a good reason. Roaches are incredibly resilient insects. Do you know that a cockroach can live for weeks without its head? It’s true. And, when it finally dies from not having its head, it isn’t because of suffocation. It dies from thirst. Here are a few more reasons cockroaches are hard to get rid of, and what you need to know to rid your home or business of these resourceful bugs.

4 Ways Cockroaches Are Hard To Get Rid Of

  1. Have you ever watched a cockroach run up the wall at full speed? It is more than a little bit disconcerting. Have you ever seen them run across a table and seem to disappear when they get to the end? This is because roaches have an ability to immediately flip to the bottom of the table when they get to the end. That is some amazing mobility, but wait, there’s more! Cockroaches can go across ceilings. Some of them can even fly! If you want to get rid of roaches and keep them out, this is going to make that task hard.

  2. Cockroach eggs don’t need their mothers to hatch. How does this make cockroaches hard to get rid of? If cockroaches drop eggs in your home, they can lead to a new infestation, even if you kill the cockroach that laid them. If you’re not aware of it, you could track more cockroaches into your home without realizing it. Cockroaches can carry their eggs on their bodies in their ootheca. If you step on a roach, you could get eggs stuck to the tread of your footwear and, quite literally, track those cockroaches in.

  3. Cockroaches can go for months without eating, and these insects eat an extensive variety of foods you wouldn’t expect. So, good luck trying to starve them out.

  4. Not all cockroaches are adventurous. Have you considered using baits or poisons to kill those roaches? It is important to understand that roaches work together to survive. If you put something down to kill them, you’re only going to get a small portion of the roaches in your wall–if any.

Cockroach prevention and eradication is a science. It takes an understanding of the habits and habitats of these resilient and resourceful pests. If you want to get rid of cockroaches and keep them out, it is time to call a pest control professional.

For control of cockroaches and other invasive, illness-spreading pests in Tennessee, Russell’s Pest Control is the right choice. Our pest control team has a category 7 certification in industrial, institutional, and structural pest control as well as health-related pest control. We can protect your business and your family from the issues that can arise from having a cockroach infestation. Contact us and get started today.

What Makes Flea Populations Thrive

What Makes Flea Populations Thrive

Fleas can seem like a mysterious pest, appearing out of nowhere and multiplying like crazy, but the more you learn about these tiny little biters, the more you’ll realize that they’re not really all that mysterious after all. There are really only a couple of things that will allow them to thrive in your home and in your yard.

How they get into your home is pretty simple. They ride in. If you have a pet, it is pretty much a no-brainer. But, if you have a flea infestation and no pets, it can make you scratch your head. It wouldn’t though if you had an ability to see how they actually got in. They probably rode in on you when you came in from the backyard or took a trip in on a mouse, rat, or squirrel. The one thing you can be sure of is that they hitched a ride. So, the first item on our list of what will make fleas thrive in your yard is furry animals. More animals coming into your yard from the woods and more animals going in and out of your home will add up to more problems with fleas.

The second thing that will allow fleas to thrive on your property is the right temperature. Fleas are cold-blooded creatures, and, like most cold-blooded creatures, they must rely upon the outside temperature to thrive and stay alive. If it is too cold, they will freeze and die. If it is too hot, they will overheat and die; but between 70 and 85 degrees, these pests will thrive. If you want to stop those fleas from thriving, there are a few things you can do. Reduce areas of shade in your yard so that there is no place to hide from the midday sun, and fleas will be very unhappy. If you’re finding fleas in your home, take bedding and clothing and put it into the washer on the hottest temperature. This should take care of those fleas in all stages of their life cycle; but, just in case, be sure to also dry those items on the hottest temperature as well.

The third thing fleas need to thrive and survive is moisture. If it gets too dry, fleas will get dehydrated and die. Moisture is also necessary for the development of eggs in your yard. However, if you want a beautiful lawn, it can be problematic to keep things dry out there. The best way to reduce fleas in your yard is with pest control.

Most people don’t think of calling a pest control company when they find fleas, but the truth is, calling a pro can save you tons of frustration. Fleas can be hard–if not impossible–to get rid of.

Don’t let fleas torment you or your pet. Get Russell’s Pest Control and get control of those pests. Life has enough issues without adding flea trouble to the list. Take back your yard and your home from fleas today.