Tips To Avoid Ticks

Tips To Avoid Ticks

Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks or bear ticks, live in wooded, brushy areas with high humidity. When you walk through wooded trails or the fringe area between the woods and grass areas, you may become a host for the tick. They wait on low-lying vegetation and shrubs for an animal or person to pass by, and then crawl on to attach themselves for their next meal! Adult female blacklegged ticks and the nymphs can transmit infections and disease through their bite.

Commonly transmitted tick-borne diseases in the United States include Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, tularemia, and ehrlichiosis.

How Can You Control the Tick Population?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely eliminate ticks from your yard or wooded areas. But you can make some changes to help reduce the number of ticks around your home as well as take precautions to reduce your risks of getting a tick-borne disease from a tick bite.

To reduce the number of ticks living around your home, you can take steps to change environmental conditions so your yard and property are not as attractive to ticks. For example:

  • Eliminate sources of water and moisture.

  • Trim brush and keep leaf litter away from your home.

  • Mow lawns frequently to keep the grass short.

  • Clear vegetation from the trails or paths in your wooded areas.

  • Use tick control collars or topical solutions for pets.

In addition to cleaning up your lawn and wood areas as much as possible, you can also take steps to reduce your individual risks for getting tick bites by:

  • Using DEET tick repellents.

  • Checking for ticks whenever you come inside after being outside and removing any that you find.

  • Showering after being outdoors.

  • Drying clothes worn outside on high heat for ten minutes to kill any ticks on clothing, or washing in hot water.

Get Professional Year-Round Control for Common Pests and Ticks

Our Power Platinum program provides year-round pest control for over 30 common household pests including ants, spiders, mice, cockroaches and more, as well as wood destroying termites. The program even extends your protection to the outdoors with seasonal treatments for mosquitoes, ticks, bees, and fire ants. It’s the easiest way to enjoy your home and property pest-free and starts at just $89 per month. With the Power Platinum program, you’re also covered by Russell’s Pest Free Guarantee – if the pests return in between visits, we will come back and re-treat for no extra charge.

We Know Fleas Are Annoying But Are They Dangerous?

We Know Fleas Are Annoying But Are They Dangerous?

As any pet owner can tell you, the flea is the bane of our favorite furry friend’s life. But, a lot of people have no real idea that a home without pets can also become infested with these easy to get, hard to get rid of pests. These little beasts can be deposited near our homes by stray animals as well as by wild animals that rest a bit too close. They can also be introduced by rodents who might have snuck in while the homeowner wasn’t looking. However they came to be, a flea problem is so much more than a biting annoyance hopping from the carpet to an unsuspecting leg in the living room.

The flea bite can leave a red, welted, itchy reminder that can last for days on both a human host and a beloved pet. Continual scratching can, of course, lead to an open wound and infection if it is not cared for. It is also not uncommon for people and pets to have allergic reactions to flea bites making the matter so much worse. The flea carries around the larvae of the tapeworm. If the flea is accidentally ingested either by the pet or by a person, they stand the chance of developing a tapeworm. And still worse news, the flea is also a carrier of several diseases that their bite can be attributed to. Cat scratch fever and even the plague have been proven to have been caused by flea bites.

It is important to do your part to make sure that fleas do not become an accidental part of your household. If you have pets, make sure that you are using the flea and tick prevention treatments your vet recommends on a regular basis; and make sure that you are taking the time to regularly vacuum pet bedding, carpets, and furniture thoroughly as well.

The flea is a tiny bug, looking more like a speck of dirt then a pest on first glance. But, the moment it bites or jumps when you try to brush it away, it becomes quite clear that it is a flea. Once you see one, you need to be very aware that there is not just one in the house. Fleas breed very quickly and are extraordinarily difficult to eliminate.

When you begin to see fleas is when it is time to call Russell’s Pest Control. Our licensed pest control team is well trained on how to deal with problem fleas in a home. Our methods remove not only the adult fleas but also the eggs which so many over the counter solutions will generally not touch. A call to Russell’s Pest Control will put you back in control of any problem pest in your home, including fleas.

Top Earwig Prevention Tips

Top Earwig Prevention Tips

Many of us remember, back in the day, being sent out to the front yard to get the laundry off the line in the summer time. Each time, you were instructed to be sure that every item was shaken out thoroughly to ensure that no earwigs came inside with the freshly dried clothes; and each time the whispered warning from your brother as you walked out the door typically included something about earwigs getting inside your ear and making a nest. You approached the clothes line with fearful trepidation, making sure to keep your guard up for these dreaded creatures as you would fold the clothes – the hair on the back of your neck standing straight up the whole time. The sighting of one tiny earwig would send the article of clothing flying through the air as you ran wildly screaming and crying into the house and your brother stood by laughing hysterically, tears rolling down his cheeks. Oh, the memories…

The truth is that earwigs do not crawl into your ears. Most earwigs prefer life outdoors hiding in moist soil under rocks and other damp places. If they find their way inside, it is likely because they were accidentally introduced to the area by us. Laundry, boxes from the garage, bags of soil stored outside, plant pots, and many other items can all become transporters of earwigs. Sometimes, a lot of dry weather can force them to look for more appealing accommodations, and a damp crawlspace or basement might be just the ticket.

To prevent an earwig infestation, first, make sure that anything that is stored outside is thoroughly checked before bringing it in. This includes recycling such as newspapers, potted plants, boxes, books, and yes, laundry. Make sure that any openings around your home are sealed. Be sure to check vents, areas around windows and doors, and your foundation. Earwigs do not need a lot of space to get in; so make sure these areas are checked thoroughly. Also, be sure to use dehumidifiers, vents, or fans in high-moisture areas like basements and bathrooms.

Russell’s Pest Control can help you prevent earwigs and a multitude of other pests from invading your home. Our year-round pest protection plans are tailor-made for homeowners just like you who want to make sure that their home and their family are protected from infestations of dangerous and obnoxious pests. With one call to us, a trained technician will be on the way to do an initial inspection and to go over which plan will suit your needs and your budget best.

A Whole Week In Honor Of Bed Bugs

A Whole Week In Honor Of Bed Bugs

The pest management industry is “celebrating” Bed Bug Awareness week from June 4th through June 10th. The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) designates this event every year to help spread awareness about bed bug infestations and how to protect yourself from this bug – particularly this time of year, as the peak travel season is coming up.

Why Bed Bugs Are a Bigger Concern When You Travel

When you think of bed bugs, you think of tiny, man-eating bugs that attack you when you’re asleep in your bed, right? That’s the perception most people have about bed bugs and the reason why many people unknowingly bring bed bugs into their home after traveling. You have to look at more than just the hotel bed when you’re checking for bed bugs!

Bed bugs can be found in the chair or sofa in your hotel room. They could be on the rug, in the closet, in the extra blanket or pillows stored on the top shelf of the hotel room closet, inside the dresser or end table drawers, and they can even travel from one room to another through the outlets.

So, as you put your suitcase down on the floor and move your clothes into the hotel dresser – you could be inviting bed bugs to travel home with you from the inside of your suitcase or on your clothing.

If you take public transportation to and from your destination, such as the train or a bus, you could unknowingly allow a bed bug or two to hitch a ride into your home. They’ve even been found in retail stores and pretty much any public place – making it necessary to devote a week to spreading bed bug awareness to the general public.

Bed Bug Infestation Troubles

You may think having just one or two bed bugs travel home with you isn’t a problem. They can’t possibly survive and reproduce enough to cause a full infestation right? Wrong! A single, fertile female bed bug can produce as many as five eggs per day… up to 500 eggs during her lifetime. Before you know it, that single bed bug that found its way into your suitcase and then into your bed can result in thousands.

If you notice a bed bug, bed bug skins (they molt and shed their skins), or tiny bed bug excrement on your sheets – you need to call the professional bed bug experts at Russell’s Pest Control. The sooner you treat the infestation, the easier it is to eliminate them completely.