Did You Know That Most Homeowners Insurance Policies Will Not Cover Termite Damage?

Did You Know That Most Homeowners Insurance Policies Will Not Cover Termite Damage?

Many homeowners have the impression that home insurance covers everything. But it doesn’t. In areas where there is regular flooding, you have to request flood insurance. If hurricanes are an issue, you may need to make sure you have coverage for hurricane damage. And if a threat is considered to be preventable through routine maintenance, many insurance companies will leave you holding the bill. Termites fall into this category. This kind of damage can be prevented through routine maintenance. The problem is that most homeowners aren’t equipped to perform this maintenance. Protecting a home from termite damage requires termite control knowledge, experience with this form of pest control, and access to the right products for the job. That is why homeowners turn to certified termite control professionals who offer a termite damage warranty. This type of warranty is like investing in termite insurance. Here are some things you should know.

4 Reasons to Add Termite Insurance in Tennessee

  • Termites in Tennessee are destructive. The termites we deal with are subterranean termites, the most destructive type of termite in the United States.
  • Termites are sneaky. If you don’t apply termite control correctly, you may not realize your efforts have failed until it is too late and you are left holding a significant repair bill that could wipe out a lot of your savings.
  • Termites are persistent. If you have a hole in your termite protection, it is likely that termite workers will find it. They never stop searching for food sources and they can travel as far as the length of a football field in search of food.
  • A termite warranty means security. Not only will your termite damage warranty pay for termite damage, it also comes with ongoing termite service from a professional who has the experience and training to make sure they don’t have to pay that money out.

At Russell’s Pest Control, we protect Greater Knoxville homes and business with the Sentricon® System with Always Active technology. Sentricon® is backed by a $1 million termite damage warranty and is scientifically proven to eliminate termite colonies. On top of this, the Sentricon® System makes the detection of destructive, sneaky, persistent termites a piece of cake. When termites try to attack your Knoxville area home, not only will your technician know it, you’ll know it. You can’t put a price on that. With liquid termiticide barriers, you never know if the money you spent on termite control was worth it. This causes some property owners to give up on paying for this essential protection.
 
Get your property protected. Get Sentricon®. Get real peace of mind. Russell’s Pest Control is a Certified Sentricon® Installer for the Greater Knoxville area. Contact us for a free consultation to get started.  

5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Pest Control Company

5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Pest Control Company

We live in a time where pests are presenting more and more threats to our health. Tick-borne diseases alone have more than doubled in the last decade. And the diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rodents and other pests have become more than life-threatening, they can alter the course of a life. You can be moving right along through life raising a family, going to work, enjoying vacations, and with one bite, find yourself struggling every day with weakness, fatigue, depression and a long list of other medical issues. That is why it is vital to choose a pest control provider who can give you the best protection possible. But how do you do that? How do you read between the lines and find out which pest control company can really do the job?

Here are five things to look for in a pest control company:

  • The National Pest Management Association helps make the selection of a pest control company easy by awarding the QualityPro Seal of Excellence to companies that demonstrate a high grade in key areas such as business operations, consumer relations, employee training, environmental stewardship, and more. When you see the QualityPro stamp on a website, you can know that you’re dealing with a company that has achieved what only 3% of pest control companies in the United States have achieved. That is saying something.
  • Check to make sure the company you’re hiring has employees that are licensed and certified. Pest control is complicated. It requires ongoing training. The proof of this training is licensing and certifications.
  • See if the company you’re choosing has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. When complaints happen—and they do because pest control is complicated—you can see how well a company does at addressing these complaints by looking them up on the BBB.
  • While a nice uniform and a company vehicle is certainly not a guarantee of great pest control service, you should not trust your pest control needs to someone who does not at least demonstrate this level of professionalism.
  • At the end of the day, the best place to find out what a company offers is to check out their reviews on resources such as Google. It is extremely difficult to keep a high rating on review services because pest control is complicated.

If you live in the Greater Knoxville area, we want you to know that our team of licensed and certified professionals has earned the QuailtyPro seal of excellence and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. When you choose Russell’s Pest control, you’ll always have a professional show up at your door, and you’ll always get the highest level of pest control available. Just ask the over 600 customers who have left us 5-star reviews on Google. Let our team provide your family with the service you deserve. Contact us today to request a free pest control estimate. We’re here to help.

Tips for Avoiding Stored Product Pests this Summertime

Tips for Avoiding Stored Product Pests this Summertime

There are several pests that like to get into pantry foods. These are called stored product pests or cereal pests because they target products that are stored and many have a fondness for foods that have grains in them. Perhaps you’ve heard of some pantry pests. Does the Indian meal moth, the saw-toothed grain beetle, or the rice weevil ring a bell? There are several species of beetle and weevil that get into stored foods. When they do, they lay their eggs so that developing larvae have easy access to a food source when they hatch. Unfortunately, that can make your foods less than savory. Here are some of the best tips for avoiding stored product pests this summer, from the experts at Russell’s Pest Control.

Identification

The best way to stop this type of pest from getting into your home is to recognize signs of infestation. In the case of Indian meal moths, these tiny, rusty-brown colored moths only live for a short period of time because they aren’t able to eat. At this stage of development, those adults can give you a warning sign that larvae are in the foods these moths are found near. This is also the case with beetles and weevils. If you see insects, pay close attention.

Inspection

When you’re selecting foods from the grocery store, inspect the packaging. Do not purchase any products that have holes, gaps, or rips that pantry pests can use to get in.

Early Detection and Product Protection

The best way to detect pantry pests and prevent the spread of pantry pests from one product to the next is to put your foods in sealed plastic containers. When you do this, it will also give you the opportunity to inspect your foods. Look for the presence of webbing and, of course, tiny insects crawling around.

Good Practices

If you don’t use sealed plastic containers to protect your food, take steps to prevent food spoilage that can attract pests in from the outside of your home. Put new items to the back and old items to the front. Routinely check your due dates and throw out old items. Keep shelves clean and free of food debris.

Pantry Pest Control

When pantry pests appear, contact a licensed and certified pest professional. Throwing out the tainted product is not a guaranteed way to solve your problem, and if pantry pests are allowed to continue to feed on your foods and spread in your pantry, you could have a big problem on your hands.

For assistance with all pest problems in the Greater Knoxville area, contact Russell’s Pest Control. We have the licenses, certifications, and reputation for arresting pest problems.

Is My Knoxville Home At Risk for Spider Infestation This Summer?

Is My Knoxville Home At Risk for Spider Infestation This Summer?

We cover a lot of topics about Tennessee spiders in this blog (short for web log). As we update you on important pest information in this log, we cover topics such as the difference between nuisance spider and dangerous spiders, how spiders get inside and what to do if you see spiders in your Tennessee home. These are all great resources to help you understand the nature of this pest problem. Today, we’re going to look at it from another angle. Here are some conditions that can increase your chances of a spider infestation this summer and put your Knoxville home at risk.

Do you have lots of vegetation? If you do, you’re likely to have lots of spiders. Insects live in vegetation and spider eat insects. You can reduce spider populations by removing unwanted vegetation. Pluck your weeds. Keep your grass cut low. Trim your bushes and shrubs.

Do you have a moist foundation perimeter? Many spider species prefer to look for food in locations that are damp because the foods they eat prefer dampness. You can counteract this by keeping your landscaping as dry as possible. Clear obstructions from your gutters. Fix broken gutters. Put space between the plants in your landscaping to allow for better airflow. Trim tree branches to allow the sunlight into densely shaded locations.

Do you have lots of flying insects? Spiders catch flying insects in their webs. So don’t be surprised to see spiders if you have a high population of flying insects. A few ways insects are drawn to your home are white exterior lighting, open trash, and pet droppings in the yard. Consider replacing white lights with yellow lights or keep lights off at night. Draw your shades at night to keep the light inside. Keep trash in sealed receptacles. Cover or remove pet waste as often as possible.

Do you have entry points in your home? When spiders explore your exterior for foods, they can accidentally get in. A detailed inspection of your outside walls, particularly around windows, doors, and pipes, can reveal these possible entry points.

If you need assistance with an inspection or control of insects, bugs, and the spiders that eat them, we can help. Russell’s Pest Control serves the Greater Knoxville areas with industry-leading pest control. We can help you reduce a wide range of unwanted pests around your home and reduce the likelihood of a pest infestation inside your home.

Don’t Let Bed Bugs Ruin Your Summer

Don't Let Bed Bugs Ruin Your Summer

Do you know the warning signs of a bed bug infestation? If you do, you may be able to prevent a bed bug infestation and prevent these blood-eating pest from ruining your summer. Detection is key to prevention because bed bugs don’t come into your home from your yard; they hitchhike into your home. Here are some things you should know about bed bugs and how to detect them.

Keep these 5 Bed Bug Facts In Mind

  1. Bed bugs can be picked up in many places, not just hotels and motels. You can even get them from the home of a friend or relative.
    Bed bugs don’t live in dirty homes. They can be in any home. They’re not drawn to filth; they’re drawn to blood.
  2. Bed bugs don’t just spread at night. You can get them in the daytime. These insects have an aversion to the light but they will come out when they are in a dark environment.
  3. Bed bugs don’t just get carried into your home on your belongings, they can be in furniture and electronics.
  4. Bed bugs don’t just live in beds. They can live in furniture, under rugs, behind baseboards, inside outlets, in the cracks of crown molding, in wall voids, and more.

When looking for warning signs, pay close attention no matter where you are, no matter what time of day, and look in more than just beds for these signs.

  • Bed bugs leave shed insects skins as they develop through their 5 instars. These will be littered about in areas of infestation and you can find them sticking to fabrics.
  • Bed bug eggs are 1mm in length and pale in coloration. You may find individual eggs or you may see a bunch of eggs clinging together. Keep in mind that you can fit dozens of eggs on your thumbnail.
  • Bed bugs leave brown stains on fabrics. This isn’t urine. It is dried blood. So these stains can range from red to light tan in color.
  • Bed bugs excrete black feces. You may see small dots of black or you may see a patch of black staining due to many bed bugs in one location. If you see a black stain but no bed bugs, they may be on the inside of the item you are inspecting.
  • If bed bugs are infesting a location, you may see them. They range in size from 1 to 4.5 millimeters in length. They may be pale in color, tan, or rusty brown. In certain light, they may appear black. They are insects, so they have 6 legs and two antennae.

If you find bed bugs in your home and you live in our Greater Knoxville service area, we can help you eliminate those bugs. We offer comprehensive bed bugs services for all types of infestation. Reach out to us for immediate assistance.

How To Keep Fire Ants In The Yard From Getting Into The Home

How To Keep Fire Ants In The Yard From Getting Into The Home

Do you like it when fire ants show up at your backyard cookouts? How about your inside cook-ins? Outside fire ants may get inside if you don’t take measures to control these invasive insects in your yard. Red imported fire ants are like an insect army, marching across your yard. When they get to the walls of your home, they may not stop. And when they get inside, they can cause problems. For some people, fire ants can even be dangerous. Let’s take some time to look at what it takes to keep fire ants in your yard from getting into your Tennessee home.

Exclusion

An important step in ant prevention is to seal possible entry points around the home. While it may be impossible to find every hole and seal your home against these tiny invaders, you may thwart an invasion by applying silicone caulk to the right locations or by installing new door sweeps and weatherstripping. Common entry points for ants are door and window frames, holes created by rodents and other wood-damaging pests, gaps around pipes, accessible vents or weep holes, and water-damaged timbers.

Fire Ant Management

Many ant species can be reduced through the implementation of DIY methods such as moisture control, the protection of food sources, and landscape upkeep. We don’t recommend these for fire ants because they are a yard pest as well as an indoor pest. It isn’t enough to reduce the populations in your yard to reduce the risk of an indoor infestation. The goal with fire ants should be to get populations to zero or near zero. This is extremely difficult to do without an education in the entomology of fire ants and training in modern pest control methods.

The pest professionals at Russell’s Pest Control have earned the licenses and certifications required for the control of fire ants and other potentially dangerous Tennessee pests. There is no guesswork involved. Trusted strategies and products are used for the greatest level of control possible. There is no better way to prevent these little biters from getting into your Knoxville home. Reach out to us today for a free in-home pest evaluation. We’ll let you know what you’re up against and give you real solutions for your pest problems.