Pest Prevention Tips To Consider While Spring Cleaning

Pest Prevention Tips To Consider While Spring Cleaning

There are so many reasons that we look forward to spring! We can spend more time outdoors, fire up the grill, and play games with the kids in our backyard. But, there is one big reason to not look forward to spring, which would be spring pests and the problems that they cause. With spring will come mosquitoes, ticks, boxelder bugs, odorous house ants and many others.

Mosquitoes flock to yards that provide areas of standing water in order to breed and lay their eggs. This includes man-made ponds, bird baths, and fountains, but also includes miscellaneous items that get left outdoors that collect water like buckets, toys, wheelbarrows, and containers. They also need to feed on hosts in order to survive. Mosquitoes can harbor and transmit a multitude of diseases like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, encephalitis, West Nile virus, chikungunya, and the Zika virus. These diseases can be extremely harmful if left untreated.

Ticks are harmful parasites that embed in the host’s skin to feed. They live in tall grasses and wooded areas and will latch on to an animal or human as they pass by. Ticks need blood to survive. A tick bite can cause Lyme disease, which can affect the nervous system, joints, skin, and heart.

Boxelder bugs attack maple, ash, apple, and plum trees to feed. If they get inside a home, they invade in very large numbers and can be a huge annoyance for the people living there. They are not dangerous but their feces can stain items made mostly of fabric.

Odorous house ants primarily nest outside underneath wood or in exposed soil. During long periods of rain, these ants move to higher ground or indoors for shelter. They are not dangerous, but they can be a nuisance in large numbers and contaminate food.

Use these cleaning tips to avoid spring pests this year:

  • Seal off all entry points

  • Fix or replace broken or missing screens and vents

  • Keep food in sealed airtight containers

  • Eliminate standing water in your yard

  • Keep wood and debris away from your home

  • Use a dehumidifier in damp rooms

After using these spring cleaning tips, you may find your home is still penetrable by pests. If so, you are going to need the help of a professional pest control company like Russell’s Pest Control. Our Power programs are designed with our customers in mind, and are designed to keep harmful, damaging, and nuisance pests from becoming problematic in your Knoxville home.

Bed Bug Awareness Week Starts June 3rd

Bed Bug Awareness Week Starts June 3rd

Are you scratching your head, wondering what Bed Bug Awareness Week is? If so, you’re not alone. There are lots of people who have never heard of it. Hopefully, you’re not scratching your head because you have bed bugs. Because, if you are, we’re too late. The whole purpose of Bed Bug Awareness Week is to empower home and business owners to prevent bed bug infestations from taking root. Bed Bug Awareness Week is coming soon and here’s what you need to know.

Bed bugs are hitchhiking bugs. The more we understand this, the better off we’ll all be. Bed bugs depend on us missing the signs. Sometimes, we even miss identifying these bugs when we see them. When we don’t recognize the threat, we become a carrier for these bugs. Sometimes, the place we carry them is into our own homes.

During Bed Bug Awareness Week, consider sharing the following bed bug facts with your friends and family on social media:

  • Bed bugs aren’t just found in hotels and motels. They have been found in libraries, movie theaters, taxi cabs, police call centers, senior living centers, daycares, college dormitories, and more. While you can definitely pick up a bed bug infestation while on vacation, be aware that bed bugs can get on you anytime you leave your home.

  • You may have heard that bed bugs are too tiny to see, but they aren’t. When they first hatch, they’re pretty small at only 1 mm in length, but they’re also semi-transparent. If a baby bed bug has your blood in its abdomen, you’re going to see it. And you’re going to want to see them. Recognizing a bed bug could alert you to an infestation or help to prevent an infestation from coming home with you. If you see a pale bug with a bright red abdomen, six legs, and two antennae on your skin, it is probably a bed bug. Use a piece of clear tape to trap it for closer inspection.

  • Bed bugs lay their tiny white eggs in cracks, crevices, creases, and other hidden places. These eggs are 1 mm in length and may be in a small batch. A quick inspection of sleeping bags, backpacks, book bindings, and other objects your kids bring back from a sleepover could prevent an infestation from taking root.

  • Always call a professional when bed bugs appear. These insects are extremely difficult to get rid of and DIY bed bug treatments have led to property damage and a loss of human life.

So, there you go. Now you have some sweet bed bug facts to share during Bed Bug Awareness Week which starts June 3rd. If you live in Tennessee, you can trust Russell’s Pest Control to help you get complete control of those tormenting pests.