Earwigs: The Pincher Pests

Recently, I discovered that some new neighbors have taken up residence nearby. When I lifted up the lid to my outdoor garbage bin, a whole hoard of insects went scurrying away; they had been hiding in the crease where the lid fits onto the bin. I discovered a similar swarm underneath the trash can when I tipped it up on its wheels to roll it to the curb. The bugs in question were earwigs, and they seem to be out in large quantities right now. If that’s the case, we should discuss what you need to know about earwigs to make sure they don’t become a problem in your home.

Earwigs are bizarre-looking creatures that sometimes give people the creeps. They have long, thin bodies that are noticeably flattened. This body structure is important so that they can fit into tight crevices (like under trash cans) to keep safe in the warm months and to keep warm in the winter. Their most obvious physical characteristic, however, is their set of pincers on their back end (this has led them to be nicknamed “pincher bugs”). These pincers are quite large in comparison to an earwig’s body. They are often used for defense, though humans could suffer little harm from an earwig’s pinch.

Earwigs are omnivorous, which means they’ll cheerfully eat rotting plants or dead insects that they come across. Like centipedes, they are heavily moisture dependent and are most likely to be found in a home in a damp basement or garage or in a bathroom with a water leak. Urban legend would tell you that earwigs get their name from their tendency to hide in pillows so that they can enter the human ear at night. This is not true. A typical bedroom is much too dry for an earwig, and they have no interest in laying eggs in your brain. So, that’s good news, right?

If you have earwigs in your home, you should walk the perimeter of your house to try to find their primary harborage site. Like many pests, earwigs are extremely attracted to wood piles because they can hide in damp places underneath the bark. Wood piles should be moved away from the house as should leaves and other debris. If you have thick, leafy groundcover or climbing ivy, you are also at higher risk for an earwig invasion. Ivy in particular holds moisture incredibly well and does not dry out as grass does. If this ivy is on your exterior walls, it is a perfect, damp bridge that earwigs can use to enter your home.

Once exterior concerns are taken care of, you could also check the inside of your home for moisture issues. Sometimes, an earwig infestation is a good indicator of a plumbing leak that you might have otherwise missed. Also, be sure to take out your trash regularly and disinfect your trashcans often. I once visited an apartment shared by several college students. They had an earwig problem in the kitchen, and we quickly identified that the problem was that each student piled multiple (rather damp) bags of trash on the tile floor in the hope that one of the other roommates would take all the garbage out at once. Once the garbage removal was put on a regular schedule, the earwigs disappeared and no further intervention was needed.

If these suggestions do not work and you want to use a product to treat your home for earwigs, keep in mind that these are very quick pests and that a line of spray with an over-the-counter pest product may not really faze them. Running over the spray line certainly would not be enough to kill a healthy earwig. At Russell’s, we could approach the problem from a variety of angles, including targeted liquid treatments with products that will stick to the earwig’s exoskeleton or with baits. Give us a call at 865-584-8549 if you want to hear more about our treatment options or contact us here to get more information.

Ant Control And Lawn Maintenance

Yesterday while I was mowing my lawn, I had two unfortunate surprises. The first came when I stopped to breathe at one corner of the yard and found that I had my foot in an anthill that the mower had just demolished. The second came when I jumped out of that anthill and found that I had landed in the neighboring ant hill, which was also broken and covered in a sea of frantic insects. While working in this industry, one develops a degree of professional curiosity about the bugs that one encounters throughout the day. In this case, however, I found that I was not curious enough to risk an ant swarm going up my leg, and I set off mowing again at a brisk pace.

I know that I’m in danger of repeating myself too much, but this wet spring is really causing me to eye the peak pest months (which are approaching quickly) with great concern. The reality is that most pests, like ants, are extremely moisture dependent. Dry seasons are hard on them and make it difficult for them to expand their colonies. Wet seasons without too much heat provide an open invitation for a population explosion.

If, like me, you have found some ant hills in the yard, don’t panic yet. Ants belong in the yard, and you will be glad of the cleanup work that they do. They can also serve as excellent predators for other unwanted bugs, so we can appreciate their valuable place in the ecosystem of East Tennessee. But, we must accept their presence in the yard while recognizing that we would rather not share space with them in the house.

If you’re looking for a few easy tips to help you to avoid several thousand unwanted visitors, here they are. To begin with, do everything you can to avoid clutter in your lawn. Infrequently-used toys or lawn equipment can often turn into nothing more than a harborage site for many pests, including ants, mosquitoes, and rodents. This is particularly true if the item is often moist (either because it’s a water toy for your children or because it can collect rainwater). Setting up housekeeping underneath a moist object is good living for many pests, and you can greatly deter their presence simply by removing comfortable housing.

Additionally, make wise decisions about the kinds of plants you put near your house. Many ants, including the odorous house ant and the crazy ant that is gaining some notice from the press, are attracted to sweet-smelling plants that make a large supply of nectar. These ants will tend aphids that feed on sweet-smelling plants like foxgloves or roses. These flowers are beautiful, but they can attract ants to your home. If you want to have sugary plants in your garden, consider putting them in a bed out in the yard instead of right next to the house. This policy also holds true for hummingbird feeders, which always attract ants. If you want a hummingbird feeder, put it out in your yard instead of right by your window.

Finally, don’t go overboard if you decide to get some mulch this spring. Mulch is like a paradise for pests. It holds moisture well, but it’s also very warm since it’s full of decaying material. If you do get mulch, use it sparingly so that you don’t end up with enormous mounds that can be converted into ant or roach hotels. Try to avoid placing mulch directly against the house since that provides an access point for pests to get in without crossing through open ground. And, if you put mulch around your trees, do not mound the mulch up in a volcano around the trunk. If you leave a small, open ring around the tree trunk, you will save the tree from the diseases that some pests may carry to plants, and the pests will be less likely to damage the tree itself while foraging.

These are just a few tips to help you with ant control this spring and summer. Of course, a pest control prevention program is another very reliable way to make sure your home remains comfortably ant-free during these warm months. If you need to talk to a pest professional, I know where you can find one, or you can call us here at Russell’s at 865-584-8549.

The Sentricon System: Combining Termite Control And Earth Day Celebrations

Let us at Russell’s Pest Control wish you a happy, though somewhat belated, Earth Day (Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 in case you didn’t know). Lots of people think that the pest control industry and any event celebrating the earth and the environment are probably at odds with one another. We’re here to tell you that this is simply not the case. And, since it is termite season, let us give you the low down on why the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System with Always Active Technology is such good news to Earth-lovers around the globe.

The Sentricon System has been given the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, an honor presented by the Environmental Protection Agency for scientific developments that show a marked interest in changing old habits to help reduce the number of hazardous materials released into the world. In the past, the only way to treat a home for termites was to use hundreds of gallons of a diluted chemical around the entire foundation of a home. The Sentricon System completely turned the industry on its head by introducing a method where we can use very small amounts of bait to draw termites into the Sentricon Stations. This means that all of the bait that will be used to eliminate the termite colony is contained in one place, and those stations are equipped with a slide lock on the top so they can’t be opened by a child or by a digging dog.

However, my favorite thing about the Sentricon System is the bait that’s placed inside each station. Most of the time, when you think of a pesticide, you probably imagine that its box or bottle would come with a clear warning on it. We’re used to seeing things like that; in fact, most of us probably have several items in our homes with various warning labels saying things like CAUTION or WARNING. The most potent products get the high-level DANGER rating, which indicates that the ingredients in that item can be deadly if handled improperly. The bait used in the Sentricon System has no such label. Seriously. This means that the cleaner you use to scrub your shower is considered more dangerous to humans than the bait inside the Sentricon System! This is because the bait is specifically designed to target termites. Their digestion process breaks down the bait in such a way that it becomes deadly to them. No wonder the Sentricon System received that Green Chemistry Award!

I’ve got a whole list of reasons why the Sentricon System is an environmentally sound choice for termite prevention and elimination, but perhaps you get the idea already. You can hear more information by calling us at 865.584.8549 for a free termite inspection, or you can visit our contact page.

A Wet Season Is A Termite’s Delight

Let it never be said that an East Tennessee season change is anything but unpredictable! Over the last few weeks, we’ve basked in the glow of the spring sunshine and shivered through the return of a late-winter snow. However, one thing that Knoxville residents have done a lot of in 2013 is dodge rain drops. January was an astonishingly wet month, and March also dealt us above-average rainfalls. While Knoxville homeowners may have mixed feelings about this damp weather, you can be sure that one portion of the population is perfectly pleased by all this moisture: That would be the millions of termites that reside in Knoxville, Maryville, Lenoir City, Sevierville, and other surrounding cities.

As we’ve mentioned before, termites thrive in wet environments. Termites are the clean-up crews of our world. They cheerfully consume dead and rotting (in other words, moist) wood that we view as unsightly clutter. Unfortunately, termites aren’t picky about what they eat. You might be glad that they’re busily getting rid of the fallen tree in the back of your property, but you would probably be less pleased to find that they’re hollowing out the support beams in your crawl space.

Because termites are completely moisture dependent, they must make mud tubes or tunnels for themselves so that they can cross spaces above ground. When a crawlspace or basement holds dampness for an extended amount of time, this makes the termites’ job a lot easier. They can chew through damp wood very quickly and access areas that might otherwise be unappealing in dryer times. So, if you have excessive condensation in your crawl space or water pooling near your slab foundation, you are at a greater risk for termite invasion.

We try to make sure that this blog is as full of self-help tips as possible because we want Knoxville homeowners and business owners to be actively involved in preventing unwanted pest invasions. But, termites are tricky. The average person will likely have a hard time spotting termite activity (which can lie hidden inside your walls for an extended period of time), and effective over-the-counter termite treatments are extremely rare.

Because of this dilemma, we at Russell’s Pest Control like to make the termite prevention process as painless as possible. We do free inspections for termites, so you can have professional eyes on your property without having to pledge your first-born as collateral. Additionally, we use the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System with Always Active Technology.  That’s a long, intimidating product name, but let us assure you that it’s the best termite prevention and elimination system out there. The Sentricon System uses cutting-edge baiting technology to ensure that this product ends up in the mouths of every termite in the invading colony. And, because this system takes advantage of the specific structure of termite biology, we can achieve colony elimination without employing harsh chemicals that could have negative side effects on other bugs or animals in the area.

After just a few more warm, sunny days, the termites are going to wake up and start swarming, and that has potential to add unneeded stress to your already overly-busy life. We can’t make sure that you don’t get stuck in a traffic jam on the way to work or that your dog doesn’t track mud across the kitchen. Termite maintenance, however, is one stressful detail that Russell’s would be happy to take off your plate. Questions? You can always reach us on our contact page.

Carpenter Bee Maintenance: Winter Work For A Spring Problem

Because East Tennessee season changes are so unpredictable, it’s probably a good time to address any cold weather maintenance projects now before the spring sun wakes up the hibernating insect population. With that in mind, let’s revisit carpenter bees and discuss what you could be doing to prepare for them now even though they may not emerge for a few weeks.

You remember carpenter bees, right? They’re the large, loud bees that like to hover near your head when you’re enjoying the spring sunshine. Homeowners will often encounter carpenter bees on their decks. This is because carpenter bees are wood-dwellers, so they probably have nests in the deck, or the porch rails, or the wooden siding. It is quite unusual for carpenter bees to sting, but they’re still unpleasant and potentially damaging companions.

Although carpenter bees are not considered as destructive as termites, they can really do a number on your wooden structures. You may only see a few holes (although a badly infested location may have dozens of holes), but the nests behind those entrances can easily go on for over ten feet through your board or plank! Taking care of these creatures early can save you a lot of grief later when you have to treat for the bees and replace the wood that they destroyed.

What you may not realize is that carpenter bees are practical creatures, so they often re-use and expand the nests that they were born in when making plans for their own offspring. This means that if you had carpenter bee holes last year, they’re probably occupied right now by adult bees that are hibernating for the winter. You can recognize one of these holes because it will be fairly large and almost perfectly round, and it probably will have a small pile of saw dust nearby since carpenter bees eject the wood that they chew instead of eating it like termites do.

If you know where the holes are, you can try to take care of your carpenter bee problem before it starts all over again. Using a spray that is labeled for carpenter bees in their holes ensures that the bees will come in contact with pesticide when they try to emerge. Please note that an on-the-spot product that you would normally use to knock down a nest of active wasps won’t work here; you need something that leaves a residue behind, not something that kills on contact and then immediately fades.

But, if you really want to create trouble for them, you should get some wood putty and block up the holes after treating them. Then, you’ve sealed the bees in with the product, and they are much less likely to successfully emerge. After blocking up the holes, put a couple layers of paint or sealer on the wood. While this won’t guarantee that other carpenter bees won’t use that nesting site, it is a deterrent to them.

It’s always possible that treating individual carpenter bee holes is not up your alley, and we at Russell’s Pest Control perfectly understand that feeling. Rather than fussing with finding an over-the-counter product that’s labeled for carpenter bees, you may want to call in the professionals. We can conduct a free inspection to evaluate the problem, treat as needed to get the population under control, and give you personalized advice about what to do to keep the carpenter bees at bay in the future.

Flushing Out The Drain Flies

At this time of year, I always expect it to be hard to find pest control topics to blog about since even East Tennessee’s relatively mild winters stop the majority of bug-related problems that homeowners in the area face. However, I’m always surprised to find that people have questions about pests during every month of the year because many pests don’t take much of a winter holiday. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had inquiries from friends about roaches, rodents, and spiders. But, the topic that took the cake was one that I didn’t expect: drain flies. I have heard from more than one person that drain flies (which include what we would often call gnats) are proving to be a problem in kitchens and bathrooms right now. So, let’s have a look at some likely culprits.

Drain flies (also known as moth flies) can crop up in any location where water stands for more than about a week without any movement. You are likely to notice the adults first. They’re very small with scaly wings that make them sort of dissolve into a feathery poof when you smash them. The larvae can survive nearly anywhere with moisture, but common breeding sites include floor drains in the garage, tanks for infrequently-used toilets, and trash cans that stay consistently damp.

Another common trouble-maker in this family is the fruit fly. Also known as red-eyed flies, these pesky invaders are pleased to feast on fruit on the counter that’s a little too ripe. They also like dirty garbage disposals, hair-filled bathroom drains, and trashcans. You can recognize them because they have small, brownish bodies and large bright red eyes.

These creatures are fairly unpleasant to share space with, but, quite often, getting rid of them is a quick process. All you need to do is locate their breeding site and clean it up! Of course, there are times when this is a tricky task since they frequent places that don’t often get attention from homeowners. However, we can direct you to some good starting places for your search.

Check your garbage cans first. A little pile of old food in the bottom is easy to blast out with the hose and could eliminate your entire problem. If those are all clean, try checking around your drains. If it’s not obvious at first whether the gnat problem is coming from a specific drain, run a little test. Take a disposable plastic cup of an appropriate size, coat the inside with cooking oil, and then place the cup over the questionable drain for a day. If you find drain flies stuck to the inside of the cup, you have just identified a problem area!

Russell’s Pest Control’s technicians know that prevention is a big part of keeping a pest-free* home. That’s why we promote the use of probiotic bio foam. This foam is loaded with eager little microbes (or good bacteria) that love to feast on decaying organic matter (which is also what those pests love to feast on). Putting bio foam in your drain allows the microbes to work on cleaning out the muck that is so appealing to the pests. Then, when the drain or trashcan is clean, the microbes die because there’s nothing left to eat. Unfortunately for the fruit flies, their food source and breeding site is gone as well. It’s a pretty handy method for cleaning up hard-to-reach areas like garbage disposals or bathroom drains.

Russell’s Pest Control can add bio foaming to a regular pest control service, or you can purchase bio foam from us and apply it yourself (this is allowed because the product doesn’t actually contain any chemicals, just microbes and citrus oil). Of course, if you want to do your own foaming, you should always read the label just as you would with any new cleaner.  Contact us today to learn more!

Parasitic Wasps And Zombie Caterpillars: A Halloween Chronicle

In keeping with tradition, it’s time to take a break from our typical timely pest control advice to check out a creepy critter for Halloween (see previous Halloween posts here and there). This post is not for the faint of heart (or stomach), but read on if you want to know more about carnivorous larvae and zombie caterpillars.

There is actually an entire family of wasps with the common name Parasitic Wasps. These creatures can vary widely is size, behavior, and habitat, but they all have one thing in common: They all begin their lives by chewing their way through another creature.

Our parasitic wasps of choice for today are found in the caterpillar wasp family. These wasps find a vulnerable caterpillar minding its own business on a plant somewhere. They then use a hollow, sharpened spine on their back ends to puncture the skin of the caterpillar and lay one or more eggs inside the caterpillar’s body. Over a few days or weeks, the eggs hatch, and wasp larvae emerge. Luckily for them, they are surrounded by a convenient food source! These wasps literally begin to eat their host caterpillar from the inside out. By the time they have consumed enough of their food source to break through to the air, the young wasps are old enough to survive outside the protection of the caterpillar’s body. They can move on, eventually maturing into full- sized wasps that can repeat the procedure all over again. Of course, the caterpillar doesn’t survive to see the wasps grow up and fly away.

This process would be creepy enough on its own, but all sorts of crazy variations can be found in this system. For instance, some plants produce a chemical that, when combined with caterpillar saliva, attracts parasitic wasps in droves. The plants are saved from becoming a meal for the caterpillars because the caterpillars become a meal for someone else.

These wild wasps also have unexpected connections to zombie lore. For instance, some wasps inject a special virus into the caterpillar when they lay their eggs. This virus hijacks the caterpillar’s immune system so that it can’t attack the wasp larvae before they can hatch and take over their host.

In an even weirder twist, some parasitic wasps can actually “brainwash” the caterpillar host to protect the young wasps when they emerge. In those cases, the wasps do not consume enough of the host caterpillar to kill it when they hatch. Upon reaching the open air, the wasp larvae quickly spin cocoons so that they can complete their life cycle and emerge as adult wasps. The poor caterpillar then stands guard over the cocoons and thrashes to try to ward off other creatures that could potentially harm the developing wasps. The caterpillar typically doesn’t survive long enough to see the wasps emerge from their cocoons, but it will stay on as a zombie guard until it eventually expires.

In good news, pest control experts and homeowners in Knoxville and surrounding counties needn’t fear parasitic wasps and zombie caterpillars. It’s very unlikely you’ll ever even see one of these, much less see one in your home. But, if you do happen to come across a caterpillar in your house that’s groaning and says it wants to eat brains… well, go ahead and give Russell’s Pest Control a call. We’ll do what we can to help.

Hantavirus And The Deer Mouse

Recently, we’ve been hearing talk on the news about Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). This disease has been attracting the attention of pest control professionals because it is generally spread by a common rodent, the deer mouse. So, let’s go through some Q and A about HPS and how it intersects with the pest control industry.

Q: What is Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome?

A: HPS is a dangerous disease first identified in the U.S. in 1993 when a series of respiratory-related deaths occurred in the western part of the country. After intensive research, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that the deaths could be attributed to the Hantavirus. When people are exposed to the Hantavirus, they can (but may not) develop HPS.

Q: How could I be exposed to HPS?

A: Hantavirus exposure is overwhelmingly attributed to interaction with rodents, particularly the deer mouse. Please note that not every species of rodent caries the Hantavirus, and most of the rodents in East Tennessee are not known to be carriers of this virus. Knoxville and all of East Tennessee are on the very outskirts of the deer mouse’s habitat. Cotton rats, which are natives to the South East, can also carry the Hantavirus, but they are found to be infected less frequently than the deer mouse.

Q: What kind of activities could put me at risk for getting HPS from a deer mouse?

A: The Hantavirus is spread through contact with urine, feces, and saliva from an infected deer mouse or cotton rat. You should be on your guard if you are spending time in infrequently-used buildings that may have rodent activity, if you are doing yard work near wood piles or other habitats that could harbor mice, or if you are hiking or camping in areas that are attractive to mice (like campgrounds or trail shelters). If you are going to be working in an area with known mouse activity (like a shed or a crawl space), wear a surgical mask while you work. This is an airborne virus, so you are most likely to be exposed to it while breathing in mouse-infested areas. This virus is not transferable from human to human, meaning that if you are exposed to mouse waste, you cannot pass on the virus to friends or family members by touching them or kissing them.

Q: What are the symptoms of HPS?

A: Generally speaking, the virus begins to express itself less than a month after exposure to infected deer mice. All victims of HPS complain of extreme fatigue, fever, and deep muscle cramps in the thighs, abs, and back. Most patients also experience some kind of abdominal problems (nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea) as well as dizziness and headaches. These are the early symptoms that are leading to the respiratory problems. Eventually, the lungs will start to fill up with fluid, and the patient will experience tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, and a suffocating feeling.

Q: What should I do if I think I have HPS?

A: Go to the doctor! The problem is that early HPS symptoms mimic flu symptoms, so people often wait too long to get help. If you start to get flu-like symptoms after being exposed to rodent habitats, go to the doctor immediately and describe your rodent interaction. About 40% of HPS cases are fatal, which means you shouldn’t mess around with this issue. Although there is no direct cure for HPS, a hospital will be able to provide respiratory help and can potentially alleviate some of the dangers associated with the symptoms of HPS while the virus runs its course.

Q: What does all of this have to do with pest control?

A: Are you ready to hear me sound like a broken record again? The CDC is very clear that the best way to handle HPS is to avoid it entirely. You do this by not allowing mice and rats the chance to build up habitats in your home or outbuildings. Caulk up those small openings. Use weather stripping to seal large openings. Put down snap traps (in safe, inaccessible locations) so that you’ll know immediately if mice try to invade your home. The fall and winter are the most likely times to see mice near your home, and this is particularly relevant since we are experiencing such an early fall here in East Tennessee.

Q: Where can I get help with rodent control?

A: You can get help from Russell’s Pest Control, of course! Give us a call if you want year-round rodent control, and we’ll help you in any way we can. You can also contact us online.

Overwintering Pests Are On The Move: Boxelder Bugs In East Tennessee

Fall is on the way! I’m not rushing along this beautiful weather, but the chilly mornings and evenings that we’re experiencing are a reminder that cool weather is not so far away. That also means that our fall and winter pests are coming into season. So, it is now time for your annual reminder about overwintering pests. This time, we’ll take a closer look at the boxelder bug, a fall pest that can cause trouble for Knoxville home and business owners.

Much of this article may sound like old hat to you if you’ve seen our ladybug or stink bug articles in the past. However, in case you’re just joining us, let’s briefly go over the trademarks of an overwintering pest. Overwintering pests like ladybugs, stink bugs, and boxelder bugs spend most of their lives feeding on plant matter in your yard. Many insects are truly spring and summer creatures, meaning that they may largely die out in the cooler months. However, overwintering pests survive the cold weather by moving somewhere warm and comfortable where they can hibernate until spring. Yep, you guessed it: That warm and comfortable location is often someone’s home! Overwintering pests will swarm into buildings by the hundreds. Unfortunately, the homeowner may not even know the pests are there until it is too late. Boxelders and their cousins generally hide in the attic or wall voids as soon as they move into the house; homeowners may not know about the problem until the spring when the pests wake up and get lost on their way back outside.

Now that we’re having some cool mornings, you may be seeing boxelder bugs around your house without knowing what they are. These insects can be identified by their distinct coloring, which changes drastically over their lifetimes. Young boxelders are solid, bright red and are very eye-catching (though they hardly resemble the adult form at this stage). As they age, they get wider bodies, develop wings, and begin to turn from red to grayish black. By the time they are fully mature, they are flat and gray, but they retain red markings on their wings, usually in the shape of an “X.”

Like ladybugs, boxelder bugs will bite if handled. The bite may seem surprisingly sharp, but it has no real effects or dangers for humans. However, like most overwintering pests, they can stain fabrics or paint with their feces. If you smash them, they will likely leave a stain and will also put off an unpleasant odor (much like the infamous stink bug).

You may be thinking to yourself, “I don’t have any boxelder trees, so I won’t have a problem with these pests.” That is good news that may help to decrease your risk. Unfortunately, their other favorite food source is maple trees; let’s face it, East Tennessee is absolutely covered with those. One quick way to see if you may have a boxelder bug problem is to go outside to your south and west walls in the mid-morning or early afternoon when the sun is just starting to warm up. There is a good chance that you might find some of these pests soaking up heat by basking on your walls. If they are there now, it’s quite likely that they will be wriggling their way through cracks and into the house before long.

The best way to stop them from getting inside is to seal up all of those cracks. Enjoy the outdoors while walking around your house with some caulk and weather stripping. If boxelder bugs can’t find any openings, they won’t be attracted to your house. If you know overwintering pests are a problem at your home (or if you don’t want to take any chances), give us a call or contact Russell’s Pest Control here. Our technicians perform very thorough treatments that can make the boxelder bugs, ladybugs, and stink bugs think twice before setting up housekeeping in your home.

German Roaches: The Worse Roach You’ll Ever Meet

Since we’ve been covering pests like odorous house ants and wolf spiders that cause frequent problems for Knoxville home and business owners, we might as well discuss another pest that probably ranks near the top of a list of East Tennessee’s most troublesome creatures. Today, we’ll cover some information about German cockroaches, the most problematic roach species in our area.

A lot of people in the South think of roaches as big insects (the infamous “water bug” in Florida is really just a species of roach). German roaches defy that stereotype. They are dwarfed by their larger cousins and are likely to only reach half an inch in length. This species can also be distinguished from its relatives by its pale brown coloring with two darker brown or black stripes running from the tip of their heads back toward their wings.

There are few pests that give people the creeps the way that roaches do. This is reasonable because they are completely filthy. During a night of feeding, it would not be at all uncommon for a single roach to look for food in the toilet, on your toothbrush, in the garbage disposal, and inside the pantry. They are shamelessly indiscriminate eaters, so you should expect that if roaches are moving through a structure, they are spreading germs as they go.

However, the real problem with German roaches is not just their poor eating habits; it’s also their unbelievable biological potential. The average female German roach will lay about thirty eggs in a little package that she’ll carry around until the young are ready to hatch. That same female will lay about five batches of eggs, which means her reproductive capacity is about 150 young.

But here’s the kicker. Most roaches take a full year to reach adulthood, so you have twelve months to kill them before they have the chance to add to the population. German roaches reach sexual maturity in three months. That means that you will get four generations of egg-laying females in the time that it takes another species to produce one. The rate of reproduction grows exponentially with each generation. In other words, it is not even slightly difficult for a single female cockroach to start the creation of hundreds of thousands of roaches in a single year. We have seen well-founded speculation that several million roaches could be produced under ideal conditions in that amount of time, but we don’t need to consider only their maximum breeding potential if we’re looking for alarming numbers.

Now that you’re completely disgusted and worried, what should you watch out for when trying to avoid a German cockroach infestation? Unlike most other roaches, this species actually prefers to be inside. You are most likely to have them come to your home or business inside something you brought in yourself. One of our customers bought a very nice toaster at a garage sale that had a blossoming roach population in the bottom of it. In fact, all second-hand electronics are potentially risky (particularly if they’ve been stored in the garage) because, for some reason, roaches are fond of making nests inside electronics. Cardboard boxes also provide pleasant housing material for them, so be sure to throw away packaging in a timely manner (this is particularly relevant for boxes that come from warehouses, like those used when you order an item online).

In addition to paying careful attention to what you bring into your home, you can also make your house unattractive to roaches by keeping it clean and relatively tidy. Dishes left in the sink for long periods provide easy meal access to roaches, and excessive clutter offers them comfortable shelter away from disturbances.

If you think you have a German roach problem, act immediately before they have a chance to establish a thriving colony at your expense. Baits are almost always the best course of action against roaches; they will carry the bait back to the nest, thereby killing many young roaches that you could never find. Also, roaches are cannibals, so if you use a slower-acting bait, you increase the chance that a roach will die in the nest and provide yet another poisonous food source for its family.

If you are unable to get control of a roach problem immediately, call a trusted professional like Russell’s Pest Control. A roach problem that is identified early can be treated quickly and effectively. Waiting until the population has exploded will only increase the amount of time needed to exterminate them. If you have questions, you can reach Russell’s on our contact us page, or just give us a call.