Fall Nuisance Pests

Fall Nuisance Pests

No matter what the season, no one wants to deal with invading pests. However, there are a select few pests that invade homes during the fall for the purpose of overwintering. Ladybugs, boxelder bugs, and stink bugs are all species of insects that seek out safe, warm areas where they can avoid the winter weather and wait for spring. Often, our homes become a target for these nuisance insects, which can be both frustrating and annoying to deal with.

Boxelder Bugs

These red and black insects become problematic in the fall because of their tendency to invade homes in large numbers. Boxelder bugs will flock to the warmest exterior wall of your home once the weather begins to cool, and will then come in through any cracks or gaps around vents, windows, walls, and doors. Once inside, boxelder bugs can become a nuisance because of the large numbers they come in, and their tendency to seek out the warmest spot in your home—which is often around A/C units. If they gather around your heating system in large clusters, it can cause your A/C unit to overheat. Additionally, boxelder bugs can stain curtains, walls, and fabrics with their feces.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs are another insect species that enter homes during fall to escape the cold. Once they find a way inside through gaps around windows and doors, they generally stay within attics, wall spaces, and underneath floors, but will emerge anytime there happens to be a sunny winter day to congregate on windowsills. Ladybugs also excrete a yellow liquid when they are threatened or squished, which can stain upholstery, walls, and furniture.

Stink Bugs

Usually considered an agricultural pest during other parts of the year, stink bugs become a nuisance for homeowners during the fall and winter months when they invade homes to escape the colder weather. Similarly to both ladybugs and boxelder bugs, stink bugs will cluster on the sunniest side of buildings and find their way inside through any crevices in exterior walls, vents, and windows. Living up to their name, stink bugs will produce a foul-smelling liquid if crushed or threatened, which can stain furniture as well as curtains.

For any issue with overwintering pests, it is always important to contact professional pest control once you realize you have a problem. Russell’s Pest Control offers a wide variety of pest control services, including our residential pest control programs. Boxelder bugs, stink bugs, and ladybugs can be difficult to get rid of, especially when they come inside in large numbers. But with Russell’s Pest Control on your side, your home can be pest free in no time.

The Pests Invading Eastern Tennessee Pantries This Fall

The Pests Invading Eastern Tennessee Pantries This Fall

Fall is finally here, and we all know what that means; the holiday season is upon us. Two months and two big holidays are on the horizon: Thanksgiving and Christmas! For many Americans, the coming holiday season is a time for celebration, a time to gather together with our family and friends, and a time to talk, laugh, snack, and all around have a good time. Until, of course, someone opens up a bag of chips to find moths and beetles crawling around. Nothing ends a party faster than bugs in the food. But how did they get there? And what exactly are they? If these are the questions on your mind, then you have come to the right place.

Indian Meal Moths

Indian meal moths are small pests with bodies that are only ⅜” long, however, their wings make them look to be ⅝”. A copper red in color, these 6-legged pests are known for their ability to invade stored products and are usually found in foods such as dried fruits, seeds, chocolate, grains, nuts, bird seed, dog food, powdered milk, and dried red peppers. Most commonly, Indian meal moths will invade dry foods before they ever get to the shelves of your home. It is a good habit to carefully inspect boxes of food for damage or holes that pests could have used to get inside, before bringing them home. When you get home, consider storing dried foods inside plastic or glass, sealed containers that have airtight lids.

Saw-Toothed Grain Beetles

Saw-toothed grain beetles are much smaller than meal moths, with flat brown bodies that are a tiny 1/10” in length. Just like the Indian meal moth, grain beetles infest dry foods. The same as moths, these beetles may be prevented by thoroughly investigating food before purchasing it, and by storing foods in airtight containers.

Dangers of Beetles and Moths

It is true that both of the above panty pests do not pose any direct risk to you and your family. However, they do pose a threat to sanitation, especially in the food they infest with the eggs and fecal matter they leave behind. And, as we talked about earlier, pantry pests can pose a threat to your holiday parties by the fact that they are an extremely unpleasant addition to any food you may be trying to serve to guests.

Warning Signs and When to Call a Professional

Once inside your home, pantry pests can get out of control, spreading from food source to food source in your cabinets till it seems that nothing you want to eat is edible. If the infestation is large enough, there will be no question that they are there—you will know when you see them crawling around in your box of cornflakes. If you do find bugs in your cereal, it’s safe to say it’s time to call a professional. If your home has pantry pests, do not hesitate and call Russel’s today and let us help keep your pantries, and parties, safe this holiday season.

Bed Bug Prevention For The 2018 Holiday Season

Bed Bug Prevention For The 2018 Holiday Season

Do you plan on traveling this holiday season? How many of your family members are traveling with you? Three? Four? Five? What if we told you that your vehicle, which is probably large enough to seat four to ten people, could actually fit hundreds? Of bed bugs, that is. That’s right. If you are not careful, this holiday season you may bring home more than some leftover Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham, you could bring home bed bugs. And even if you bring home only one bed bug, it could start an infestation, and bringing home a bed bug infestation is not a good way to end your pleasant vacation.

Traveling Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are most commonly referred to as hitchhiking pests. This means they will use items such as articles of clothing, or perhaps a newly purchased used piece of furniture, to invade your home. Inspecting these items before bringing them inside is a great first step in preventing bed bugs. If you plan on traveling this holiday season, and you find yourself staying a night in a hotel room, inspect the room thoroughly for signs of bed bugs, mainly around bedding. On sheets, look for things like small dots of blood, droppings, or even live bed bugs crawling about. These are all good indicators that it may be time to change rooms, or even hotels altogether. These same steps also apply if you are staying with relatives. Sometimes, due to their incredibly small size, bed bugs can be difficult to spot. For this reason, it is wise to take extra precautions while traveling. You can do this by storing clothing in airtight plastic bags, then when you get home, throw them in the washer and dryer on high heat. This will kill any hitchhiking bed bugs you may have not spotted.

What To  Do If They Invade

Keeping bed bugs out of your home is a lot easier than getting them out once they have invaded. If your home has fallen siege to bed bugs, the absolute best thing you can do is call a professional. Here at Russell’s, we have the top-of-the-line equipment used to handle even the most invasive of infestations. In addition, our staff of pest control professionals is highly trained to find and eliminate every last blood-sucking bed bug. If you want more information on our methods, or you would like to schedule an inspection, contact Russell’s Pest Control today! We work hard, so you can sleep well!