Did You Bring Bed Bugs Home From The Holidays?

Did You Bring Bed Bugs Home From The Holidays?

With the holidays behind us, you might be worrying about all kinds of things: sending the kids back to school, taking down decorations, and sticking to your New Year’s resolutions. But are you worried about bed bugs? These nuisance pests can invade your home undetected. You might have brought them home without even realizing it!

A bed bug infestation takes a lot of work to get rid of when it happens, so it is important to learn how to prevent bed bugs from getting inside in the first place and what to do if they invade your home.

How Bed Bugs Get Into Your Home

Bed bugs travel by clinging onto various objects. They don’t fly or jump. They use tiny claws to grip onto fabric, and then wait for people to transport them to wherever they need to go. They can hold onto furniture, clothes, backpacks, shoes, hair, furniture, and even fur. Once a bed bug enters your home, it can multiply and then soon there will be a whole family of bed bugs feeding on your family. The worst part is that these infestations can spread very quickly as the bed bugs travel from your home to other locations and vice-versa.

Bed Bug Infestation Signs And Prevention

There are several signs that indicate a bed bug infestation. The most obvious one is seeing the bugs themselves around your bed or on your mattress. However, since bed bugs are nocturnal and incredibly tiny, you might struggle to spot them. Look instead for the things they leave behind: molted skins, blood stains, droppings, bite marks, and eggs. All these signs indicate that you may have a bed bug infestation.

Bed bug bites are the easiest way to identify whether they’re the pest infesting your home. Their bites are small and red with a clear center. There are usually multiples of them in a line or zig-zag pattern. If you spot these marks on yourself, your children, or your family members, there are probably bed bugs in the vicinity. If you spot them on others while at their home, that means that bed bugs could be coming home with you.

Preventing bed bugs is quite difficult but not impossible. They die at extreme temperatures, so washing and drying your clothes on the hottest settings can kill them before they have a chance to spread. Vacuuming your carpets and steaming your furniture also helps to get rid of them. When vacuuming, make sure to empty the bag outside away from the home.

When traveling, make sure to keep your luggage off and away from the bed, and always inspect your room for bugs before settling in. After returning home, immediately empty your luggage and wash all clothes and fabric items on the hottest washer and dryer settings. Vacuuming your luggage is also a good idea.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Your Home

Even if you put in a lot of effort to prevent bed bugs from getting into your home, it can still happen. Once they’re inside, getting rid of them, using DIY methods, is nearly impossible. People can spend years fighting bed bugs and they still won’t go away. Some DIY solutions can do more harm to your family than the bed bugs themselves, and there’s no guarantee they’ll work.

Instead of wasting your money on ineffective and possibly harmful DIY solutions, call Russell’s Pest Control to get help with your bed bug infestation. We’ll make sure that your home is completely bed bug free with our comprehensive inspections, treatments, and follow-ups. Our friendly trained technicians will give you the best customer service and best treatment coverage you can ask for.

The Benefits of Year-Round Pest Control in Knoxville

The Benefits of Year-Round Pest Control in Knoxville

Some people think that they only need to deal with pests in the spring and summer. This is a misconception. There are plenty of pests that can survive and even thrive in the colder months, especially in areas that have relatively mild weather, like here in Knoxville. With constant, ongoing pest problems, investing in year-round pest control from Russell’s Pest Control for your Knoxville home is a wise decision. There are multiple benefits to having consistent protection 365 days a year.

Summer and Spring Pests

These two seasons are known for huge swells in pest populations. Particularly problematic pests common in these seasons are mosquitos. They are incredibly dangerous and can spread serious diseases like malaria, West Nile virus, and yellow fever.

Other troublesome pests are wasps. A single wasp near your home is probably nothing serious, but when they build nests on your property, they can start causing problems. Wasps are social insects that swarm when they are disturbed, delivering incredibly painful stings to whoever they pursue.

With year-round pest control, both of these pests are dealt with before they cause issues.

Winter and Fall Pests

Pests will still give you trouble even when the temperature drops. If you’re an arachnophobe, you’ll be disappointed to learn that this is when spiders become more abundant and may even start moving inside. While most spiders are harmless, some spiders – black widows and brown recluse – are highly venomous and can cause serious injury or even death in extreme cases.

Mice and rats looking for warmth and food can make their way into homes and start creating problems. Not only do they contaminate food, but they also dirty houses with their droppings, oily fur, and gross odor. Additionally, they can spread diseases with their excrement, by mere contact or through bites.

With year-round pest control, neither of these pests will bother you. Frequent inspections can spot any potential entry points for rodents and spiders while also noticing signs of any incoming or ongoing infestations. Our technicians can also remove spiderwebs frequently, which keeps spider populations down.

Year-Round Pests

Some pests aren’t tied to a season. They create problems regardless of the weather. Bed bugs are one of these pests, and they are not easy to get rid of. They’re incredibly tiny and can cling onto nearly anything, transporting them long distances to end up in your home. One they’re there, they can quickly multiply and start feeding on your family.

Like bed bugs, cockroaches are active year-round, and they multiply quickly as well. They spread dangerous diseases, like cholera and dysentery; contaminate your food; and dirty up your home. Not only that, they are incredibly resilient and resistant to most forms of DIY pest control.

Year-round pest control can help identify the signs of pest infestations involving these pests and outline/follow through with treatment plans to get rid of them.

Year-Round Pest Control Options

At Russell’s Pest Control, we offer four different year-round pest control options. Our regular Power plan covers over 30 common pests, has a pest-free* guarantee, and quarterly inspections. These carry over to all other plans, including Power Gold, which provides additional termite protection with the Sentricon® System with Always Active™.

If you’re struggling with seasonal pests like mosquitos, our Power Plus plan is the best option. It provides all the benefits of the regular Power tier and also monthly service during active months for seasonal pests. If you’re looking for complete coverage, our Power Platinum plan offers all the benefits of every single tier combined.

Contact Russell’s Pest Control today to get started with a year-round pest control program to help keep you and your family safe from pests.

Why You Are Still Seeing Boxelder Bugs In Knoxville During The Winter

Why You Are Still Seeing Boxelder Bugs In Knoxville During The Winter

 

Winter in Tennessee is upon us, and the unsuspecting homeowner might assume that the cold weather means a reprieve from having to worry about pests invading their home. Well, think again. Winter can still provide warm enough days for insects and other pests to seek shelter from the cold weather. That means they inevitably will look for ways into your home, where warmth is assured and food sources more plentiful.

A Common Winter Pest: Boxelder Bugs

One winter-time insect that’s caused the residents of Knoxville grief for decades is the boxelder bug. These black, beetle-like creatures are flat and ovular, with reddish-brown patterns on their backs. They have six legs and long antennae that often splay out from the tops of their heads. The adults have flatter bodies and small, narrow heads and can grow up to a half-inch in size while the nymphs are smaller and lack the wings that adults have. They are often bright red or orange.

Boxelder Bug Behavior

Boxelder bugs find strength in numbers, congregating in large groups to share and conserve body heat. You may find them around your home on winter days, looking for a way indoors and biding their time until they’ve got the numbers to push through cracks or holes in window screens. Once inside, they will flock to places where they can take advantage of pockets of heat. Within walls, underneath rugs and furniture are common places to see clumps of them. They are also attracted to central heating systems.

The Problems With A Pest Infestation

While boxelder bugs aren’t harmful to humans and don’t bite or transmit diseases, they can cause some serious damage to property. Outdoors, they can chew through foliage in huge numbers, stripping trees and bushes that you pride yourself on in the spring and summer. While they are looking for a way indoors, boxelder bugs clump in the cracks of patios and porches, eroding or damaging the wood with their excrement.

Indoors, boxelder bugs leave behind reddish-colored waste that is odorous and can cause damage to wooden walls and flooring, not to mention staining furniture or fabrics in the home. Since they’re looking for warmth, these bugs often make it into vents and electrical systems, which can gunk up the mechanics, not to mention help spread their foul odor around.

Prevention Tips For Tennessee Homeowners

There are some things you can do to prevent boxelder bugs from invading:

  • Seal up cracks in the walls, floors, and foundations of your home to protect against many pests.
  • Replace faulty or damaged window screens.
  • Keep trees, bushes, and other landscaping trimmed back away from your house. Trim fronds and limbs back to keep them away from windows and doors, since these are common areas for bugs to enter.

Professional Solutions

Once an infestation has broken out in the home, it’s often difficult to fully eradicate. Since these bugs are experts at hiding out in hard to reach nooks and crannies, the best option is to enlist the help of professionals.

At Russell’s Pest Control, we are experts at eliminating pests of all shapes and sizes and have been doing it since 1971. We know how to root out and eliminate boxelder bugs. Our residential services include inspection, eradication, and protection. We will help you every step of the way and do everything we can to help guard your home against future pests when we leave. Call us today before your pest problems get out of hand.

Why Fungus Gnats Are In Your Knoxville Home

Why Fungus Gnats Are In Your Knoxville Home

One of the most annoying pests that get into Knoxville homes is the fungus gnat. Like other gnats, they are very tiny. A fungus gnat doesn’t look like much more than a tiny black speck. This black color can help you tell the difference between fungus gnats and fruit flies. Fruit flies are tan with bright red eyes. Here are a few more things you should know about fungus gnats, including why you have them in your Knoxville home.

“How do fungus gnats get in?”

These insects can come into your home through a hole in your screen and an open window, they can fly in through an open door, or they can be carried into your home within plant soil. When they’re carried in, they are in their egg, larval or pupal stage of development.

“Where are the gnats coming from in my house?”

Once fungus flies get in, they will begin to reproduce. They can do this in many locations. Wherever they reproduce, there is going to be decaying vegetation or fungi present. Some common breeding locations are:

  • Damp soil in potted plants or on portions of house plants that are dying.
  • Rotting organic matter in open trash receptacles.
  • Rotting organic matter in drains.
  • Overripe fruit sitting out on a counter.
  • Fermenting liquid in returnables.

“What are fungus gnats attracted to?”

Dampness will usually attract fungus gnats because, where there is dampness, there is usually fungus. They’re also drawn to any organic material that is decaying or fermenting. People sometimes put out traps for fungus gnats using apple cider vinegar but, if made improperly, these can allow fungus gnats to reproduce quickly in your home. It won’t be long till you’re finding apple cider vinegar-colored splotches on white door frames where eggs have hatched and larvae have slithered around. And it won’t be long till you’re finding bright-colored walls covered in tiny black flies that prefer to run away from you rather than fly away. The good news is that they’re easy to squish. The bad news is, they do fly around and they can be very annoying, especially when they land on your face and run across your forehead.

“How do you get rid of fungus gnats?”

Adult fungus gnats don’t live very long. If you really want to get rid of them because they’re driving you crazy, a vacuum cleaner can help get the job done. If made properly, a trap can help control them. But ridding your home of adult fungus gnats isn’t going to fix your problem. You need to figure out where the gnats are reproducing and address the breeding sites. This can be difficult. Fungus gnats don’t always reproduce in locations that are easy to find. They could be in your ventilation ducts. They could be in your walls. They could be in a dirty drain. It is best to contact a pest management professional to track down a fungus gnat infestation.

“Are fungus gnats harmful to humans?”

Fungus gnats aren’t a direct threat. They don’t bite people. But they climb around on rotting things. This can make them a mechanical vector for bacteria. If you have a cat box, you could have some very filthy fungus flies in your home. These insects are known to crawl on moist cat feces that aren’t properly covered. If a gnat goes from a dirty location to your food-prep areas or dishes, they can spread harmful bacteria and pathogens. But in a home that is clean, and where there is no cat box with exposed droppings, fungus gnats are low threat for illness.

Fungus Gnat Control

If you’re having issues with fungus gnats and you’re in our Greater Knoxville service area, we can help you resolve your issue. Schedule a free in-home evaluation to get started.

The Baby Beetle That Is Chewing On Your Knoxville Carpet

The Baby Beetle That Is Chewing On Your Knoxville Carpet

Too often, once a homeowner notices the signs of a pest infestation, it can already be too late. That’s certainly true of carpet beetles because once you see the flying adults, you almost certainly have their more dangerous larvae to worry about.

Identifying Carpet Beetles

There are two different life cycles of carpet beetle to watch out for:

Adults: Small, flat, and oval-shaped; these winged insects eat pollen and are attracted to light and heat sources. They have gray or brown, zig-zag patterns on their backs and typically only grow to a few millimeters in length. They fly in from outside and lay eggs immediately, hoping to find hidden spaces for their larvae to feed and develop into adults.
Larvae: Light or dark brown with worm-like bodies, these baby beetles are actually bigger than their parents. They have barb-like hairs and, as they feed and grow, develop distinct golden-colored hairs along their torsos.

How They Get In

Since the adults have wings, they can fly in from outside whenever a door or window is open. They can also crawl through holes in window screens or exterior walls to find spaces to lay their eggs. Often, carpet beetles get into a home carried in on already-infested items of clothing or other items brought inside. The adults, which typically live for only a few weeks, spawn dozens of larvae quickly so they can create a new wave of adults to start the process all over again.

Why They’re A Bother

Adult carpet beetles eat pollen and don’t generally bite humans, but they can be a nuisance by fluttering around light fixtures and lay eggs in furniture or under carpet fibers. It’s the larvae that can really cause some damage, though.

They’re the reason these pests got their name. They can chew through natural fibers and seek out animal fur trapped on furniture, fabrics, or clothing. As they feed, they leave behind holes in precious home goods, not to mention their waste can smell and cause stains. Homes with pets can be hit hard since the larvae gravitate to surfaces covered in hair and lingering animal smells. However, even human hair is delicious to these little chompers.

Preventing The Pests From Entering

You may be wondering what you can do to keep populations under control or prevent them from coming in in the first place. Here are some tips:

  • Clean regularly. Since the bugs are attracted to dusty, hairy surfaces, regular cleaning is a must. Frequent vacuuming can keep pet and human hair off of carpets and furniture, leaving larvae with too little food to thrive.
  • Perform proper window and door maintenance. Holes in window screens or cracks near the hinges on doors provide easy access points for bugs to enter your home. Replace or fix these problems.

Don’t Let The Problem Get Out Of Hand

Since the first sign you see of these bugs typically means that the damage has already started, it’s better to turn to ways to eradicate the problem rather than bother with prevention tips.

The experts at Russell’s Pest Control can provide peace of mind knowing that pest infestations are a thing of the past. Our experts have decades of experience dealing with carpet beetles, and we’ll also work with homeowners to prevent future problems from arising. Call Russell’s Pest Control the moment you notice bugs in your home. We’ll get it sorted out in the quickest, cheapest way possible.

Why DIY Is Not A Great Idea When It Comes To Rodent Control In Knoxville

Why DIY Is Not A Great Idea When It Comes To Rodent Control In Knoxville

Rodents can get into Knoxville homes all year long, but during the cold winter days, they have more incentive. As a rodent scurries past an exterior door and senses heat radiating through the door or warm air leaking from a gap in some weatherstripping around the door, it will want to know where that heat is coming from. This can inspire a rodent to chew through the rubber protective barrier and slip right into your home. When they do, you may consider addressing your rodent problem with DIY rodent control methods. Let’s talk about some of the methods you might use and discuss some of the ways they fall short of appropriately dealing with a rodent infestation.

Not-So-Great DIY Rodent Control Ideas

We’re always being asked questions about natural rodent remedies, such as, “What scent will keep mice away?” “Do mothballs keep mice away?” “Does cinnamon keep mice away?” And, “Do mice like vinegar? All of these questions center on controlling mice and rats with natural products that rodents find repelling. But repelling rodents isn’t going to solve a rodent problem. These animals can climb up and down through your wall voids and chew access holes in locations you haven’t sprinkled with something repelling. They aren’t likely to leave your home, especially if it is cold outside. Repellents are best used for keeping mice and rats from getting into your home in the first place. Some common repellents that can be successful at deterring rodents are: used kitty litter in an open container, peppermint oil, instant potatoes, mothballs, vinegar, and onions.

Another solution people turn to is natural forms of poison, such as mixing Plaster of Paris and cocoa powder together. It is believed that mice will eat this mixture and then leave a home in search of water. When they do, they die outside. Don’t count on those rodents to eat this concoction or to go outside to die.

Once rodents have gotten in, the best solution to get rid of them is to trap them. This is another way DIY can fail. There are many traps that just don’t work. And if a trap does work, it can become ineffective when placed in the wrong location or when the wrong type of bait is used. There are many ways trapping can go wrong.

Effective DIY Rodent Control Tips

When we provide rodent prevention tips, we focus on environmental modifications to exclude and resist rodents rather than “control” rodents with natural remedies and DIY products. Some examples of natural rodent management are:

  • Removing unnecessary clutter and vegetation from landscaping.
  • Sealing holes, gaps and cracks in your exterior.
  • Addressing conditions that promote moisture or create puddles.
  • Putting trash in sealed receptacles.
  • Putting foods in sealed, hard plastic containers.

Using rodent management, you can make your Knoxville home less interesting to rodents. But, when it comes to “controlling” rodents, it is best to hire a professional. A rodent control professional uses tamper-resistant traps that are appropriately selected for the animal being trapped and placed in a way that will achieve the desired results. Most of all, a professional is able to monitor rodent activity and make sure that no rodents remain in your home once the service is completed.

Make Sure You Get All The Rodents

The best solution for rodent control in Knoxville is to reach out to the rodent control experts at Russell’s Pest Control. Our pest control team knows what is required to monitoring rodent activity and effectively eliminate rodents. Don’t trust DIY rodent control to protect your health and property from mice and rats. It just isn’t worth it.