Why A Heat Treatment Could Be The Perfect Solution To Your Bed Bug Problem

Why A Heat Treatment Could Be The Perfect Solution To Your Bed Bug Problem

If you’ve ever had a bed bug infestation or you have one on your hands right now, you know exactly how frustrating they can be! Bed bugs aren’t just a nuisance, they bite and leave clusters of itchy welts. They’re parasitic pests that require blood to live. This means they need us to survive. If you have bed bugs, you’ll notice small stains of blood on your sheets from their feeding sessions during the night. They’ll also leave fecal stains on sheets and furniture as well. These little bugs are about 3/8th of an inch long and oval-shaped. If any of these signs sound familiar, you could be dealing with a bed bug infestation! The best way to handle this is with professional pest control. DIY treatments require time, patience, money, and can’t effectively eliminate all the bed bugs of an infestation. This is why people turn to professional bed bug treatments to get the job done.

Heat treatments for bed bugs have many benefits compared to other treatments. Bed bugs are an extremely resilient pest. If you’ve experienced an infestation, you’ve likely learned just how resilient they really are. Heat remediation is one of the few methods that can actually wipe out all the bed bugs in your home at once. It works! And it’s fast. In a single day, your bed bug infestation can disappear. That’s music to the ears of many homeowners. The other good news is that you won’t have to throw out any infested furniture. It can be tempting to just throw out a mattress that bed bugs have invaded, but there’s no need. Heat treatments can penetrate a house and through the furniture, reaching past where chemicals can get to. It’s a win-win. Nothing in your house gets harmed and the bed bugs are eliminated.

So how does it work? Heat remediation is a process of raising the temperature inside a house to 120 degrees. This is done through the use of controlled heaters, temperature sensors, and industrial-strength fans. The professionals at Russell’s Pest Control are trained to perform the job safely and efficiently. Russell’s Pest adheres to the best management practices set forth for bed bugs by the National Pest Management Association. Rather than attempting to eradicate bed bugs on your own, let professionals do the job right the first time.

If you’re dealing with bed bugs, a heat treatment could be the perfect solution for you. The worst part about bed bugs is that they’re a year-round pest. If you find yourself with a bed bug infestation at any point in the year, you can turn to Russell’s Pest Control to take care of it! Schedule your free in-home pest evaluation today!

What National Pest Management Month Means For Knoxville Residents

What National Pest Management Month Means For Knoxville Residents

In April, organizations across the country observe National Pest Management Month for its role in helping homeowners and business owners protect their health, food, and property from common pests. The one thing pests need to thrive, more than anything else, is for residents and business professionals to be unaware of the measures that work to control them. Here are some helpful pest-proofing tips that National Pest Management experts and professionals here at Russell’s Pest Control recommend. Consider sharing them on social media to help spread awareness and stop pests from thriving in Knoxville and the surrounding area.

  • Eliminate all sources of standing water around the foundation perimeter of your home, including clogged gutters, compacted soil, and plumbing leaks to reduce biting mosquito populations.

  • Do an inspection of your exterior and use a caulking gun to seal cracks, gaps, and holes. Look closely around utilities, pipes, and door frames.

  • Replace weather stripping and door sweeps on doors that have gaps.

  • Repair loose mortar around the foundation of your home, especially around windows and doors.

  • Trim tree branches and shrubbery away from your home. Branches that hang over your roofline or touch your home can be highways for pests.

  • Fix fascia, soffits and rotted roof shingles. Many pests get on your roof in search of vulnerabilities.

  • Keep mulch at least 15 inches away from your foundation walls.

  • Ventilate your basement, cellar, and attic spaces and install dehumidifiers, where necessary, to reduce moisture that pests need to survive in your home.

  • Store all garbage in containers that have a lid and dispose of your trash regularly.

  • Do a routine cleaning of trash receptacles to reduce the smells that can attract pests.

  • Avoid leaving pet food on the floor or ground for long periods of time.

  • Consider partnering with a pest control professional to establish a protective barrier around your home and to provide ongoing pest control support for the health of your family and the protection of your property.

April is the beginning of the warm weather in Knoxville that leads to increased pest activity. Take steps to reduce the conditions that attract pests to your home and seal entry points to make it harder for bugs and animals to accidentally get into your home.

For more information or to schedule service for your Greater Knoxville home, contacts us for a consultation. Russell’s Pest Control is an industry leader. We can give you the support you need to keep pests out.

How Russell’s Pest Control Protects Homes In Eastern Tennessee From Termites

How Russell’s Pest Control Protects Homes In Eastern Tennessee From Termites

Tennesse is home to what might be the most destructive insect pest that walks the earth, namely subterranean termites. These silent wood destroyers are responsible for over $5 billion dollars in prevention and repair costs every year, in the United States alone.

Termite damage can occur in a variety of areas where wood is present. It is important to know what types of wood termites invade. This includes wooden fencing in your yard, and wooden studs in your walls, of which you might not see the damage until the wood starts to crumble. Termites can eat away at your exterior wood siding and window shutters. This might look like wavy mazes of eaten wood and/or holes that go right through the wood.

Other signs of a termite infestation include:

  • Winged termites flying out to develop new colonies.
  • Discarded wings on windowsills.
  • Mud tubes around foundations and basement walls.
  • Termite nests in the soil, wood, or attics.
  • Warped floors, sagging ceilings, and peeling walls that look like they’ve been damaged by water.
  • Hollow sounding support beams.
  • Dull clicking sounds caused by termites banging their heads against tunnel walls in order to communicate with each other. You might hear this if you put your ear close to the wood that you think is infested.

Most termite damage will occur without a sound or a sighting of actual termites. This makes termites hard to detect and, therefore, extremely dangerous to the wood of your home. Tennesse homeowners are at high risk for termite infestations due to our ideal temperatures and weather conditions. The state has been ranked moderate to heavy in the Termite Infestation Probability (TIP) rating.

All homeowners including new homeowners in Tennesse should consider investing in professional termite protection to avoid costly termite damage. Being proactive can save you the headache of cleaning up and repairing the destruction after the fact.

Russell’s Pest Control offers professional termite control using the Sentricon® System with Always Active™. This system effectively protects homes in an environmentally friendly way. It will assure you that your home is continually protected from termites and allows the termite technicians to detect any new termite activity. Bait stations are discreetly installed around the perimeter of your foundation. These lure worker termites to consume the bait and bring it back to their colonies which will eventually eliminate the entire colony.

Give the experts at Russell’s Pest Control in Eastern Tennessee a call for more information about termite control options and get started today protecting your property from these silent wood-destroying pests. You will be glad you did.

5 Tips For Knoxville Residents To Keep Spring Ants Out Of The Home

5 Tips For Knoxville Residents To Keep Spring Ants Out Of The Home

Knoxville is a beautiful place in which to live. Unfortunately, our warm temperatures can drive unwanted pests into our homes. As we enter spring, ant populations will be on the rise, busying themselves with food gathering and growing their colonies. We can expect ants to be busy from April through late fall in TN. Fortunately, there are strategies you can employ to help keep ant populations down on your property and keep them out of your home.

Here are five ant-prevention tips for Knoxville residents this summer:

  1. Remove trash from your home frequently and keep outdoor trash in containers with tight-fitting lids. Ants are always on the hunt for food and your trash is one of their favorite places for them to find it.
  2. Seal up your home the best you can. This includes installing or fixing screens in all windows and doors, using sweeps or guards under your doors including garage doors, and making sure that all openings and vents are sealed or covered properly.
  3. Take care of your yard and landscaping. Keeping grass trimmed short, pruning landscaping, removing dead vegetation, and providing proper drainage around gardens can reduce the attractiveness of your property to pests.
  4. Store food properly. Clean up spills and crumbs quickly. Only put pet food down when pets are eating and remove leftovers promptly. Keep your pantry goods in sealed air-tight plastic containers.
  5. Reduce water around your home. This includes making sure that gutters are draining properly, hoses and spigots are not leaking, sprinkler systems are used only when needed (and have no leaks), and drainage is effective around your foundation.

Even when following these recommended steps, it is still possible to have an ant problem in or around your Knoxville home. Ants are small and resourceful and hard to contain. The best way to completely eliminate an ant problem is with a year-round pest-control service plan from Russell’s Pest Control. With over 45 years of pest service experience, we have the expertise to keep your home free from ants and other pests. We guarantee it. Contact us today to set up a home inspection and to choose a plan that is right for you and your family. We’d be happy to partner with you to keep your home pest free.