What To Do If You See Spiders In Your Home

What To Do If You See Spiders In Your Home

No one enjoys having spiders in their home. Spiders are creepy, disturbing, and downright unpleasant to come into contact with. When dealing with spiders in your home, it is important to recognize the difference between the many nuisance spiders, and the spiders that could be dangerous to your health and safety. Knowing how to identify which spider you’ve been bitten by could determine whether you simply clean the bite and move on, or rush to get medical attention to avoid the many side effects caused by getting bitten by a poisonous spider.

Nuisance Spiders

Nuisance spiders include spiders that are not dangerous to your health. The common house spider and the cellar spider are two common nuisance spiders that invade homes fairly often. Bites from these spiders will not threaten your health, and will only create an itchy red bump at most. Many nuisance spiders prefer dark and hidden places in your home where they will not be seen easily. This makes attics and closets good spots for them to set up webs. House spiders can be identified by their yellow-white color and darkly striped abdomen. As with most spiders, female house spiders are larger than males.

Poisonous Spiders

The two spiders found in Knoxville that are dangerous to humans include the brown recluse and the black widow. Bites from these spiders need medical attention right away, as symptoms that occur after being bitten by one of these spiders can be quite harmful. The black widow can be identified by its midnight black body and red hourglass shape on its abdomen, while the brown recluse is a light tan color with a dark brown violin shape on its back. People bitten by these spiders may experience nausea, swelling, chest pain, tremors, and more. It is important that these spiders are dealt with properly by professional pest control.

Some DIY tips that will help keep spiders out include:

  • Keeping brush and wood piles away from your home
  • Installing door sweeps
  • Keeping storage areas free of clutter
  • Cutting back trees from the exterior of your home
  • Clearing away any existing webs in and around your home
  • Repairing torn window screens
  • Sealing all cracks and gaps in the foundation or exterior walls of your home

Professional pest control is always your best option when dealing with spiders or any other pest problem. Experts from Russell’s Pest Control have been dealing with spider problems for many years, so you can trust that we have the experience and tools needed to eradicate all your spider problems. Russell’s Pest Control understands the importance of keeping your home safe from spider intruders, which is why we offer ongoing pest control options for both homes and businesses. Contact Russell’s today to learn more about how we can help.

Roach-Proofing Tennessee Kitchens For The Fall

Roach-Proofing Tennessee Kitchens For The Fall

As you’re baking your apple pies and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this autumn, the last thing you want is a cockroach crawling around your kitchen! If you’ve ever seen a cockroach move, you know just how startling they can be. Their speed alone is baffling. Not only can these pests cause a huge scare, but they also pose health threats as well. And even worse news, when you see one, there’s likely to be many more you don’t see. An infestation could include dozens or even hundreds. Don’t let your fall be ruined by cockroaches!

What exactly are the risks that cockroaches pose? Good question. Aside from startling you and increasing your heart rate, these pests are very filthy creatures. It’s common for them to be found in sewers, dumpster, and other unsanitary places. Filth is what they love. They’ll enjoy feeding on rotting food, garbage, and even carcasses. The problem with this—if you haven’t already guessed—is they can enter your home after and run freely on your countertops. Cockroaches will gladly crawl around the toilet bowl one moment and find themselves up around your toothbrushes the next. Just thinking about the places they’ve been is enough to make our stomachs turn.

Their traveling and living habits bring an array of problems. Lots of bacteria can be spread from place to place through cockroaches. They’re known to collect bacteria on their bodies and disperse pathogens, spreading them to people. Some illnesses that have been spread from cockroaches include E. coli, Salmonella, typhoid fever, gastroenteritis, cholera, and many others. Food poisoning can also result from cockroaches as they can damage packaging and spoil foods. On top of that, cockroaches are also able to bite. They aren’t aggressive insects, however, they will bite in self-defense and if they are hungry enough. What is enough to cause nightmares and sleepless nights, is that cockroaches will most likely bite at night and they go for eyelids as they prefer eyelashes and dead skin! But their bite is not known to be harmful and they’re not venomous. But their bites won’t be the cause of diseases spreading.

Alright, enough of how scary cockroaches are! The better question is what can we do to prevent these infestations from occurring? Russell’s Pest Control has some prevention tips for you to put in place:

  • Make sure to take out the trash frequently and store it in sealed containers away from your home.
  • Caulk any openings or cracks around the exterior of your home that might allow cockroaches a way in.
  • Keep the kitchen clean of spills and crumbs.
  • Make sure all food is stored in air-tight containers or in the refrigerator.
  • Install screens.
  • Correct ventilation issues and moisture-prone areas. Cockroaches are likely to be attracted to moisture and can be found in kitchens, bathrooms, crawl spaces, and basements.

Inspect packages and boxes before bringing them into your home. Cockroaches can hitch a ride in a variety of items.

Controlling cockroach infestations requires persistence, patience, and probably multiple failed attempts with DIY solutions. The best thing to do if you are worried about a cockroach infestation is to get an expert involved. Russell’s Pest Control offers both home and commercial pest control services. Our professionals can eliminate more than 30 common pests in homes throughout Knoxville and eastern Tennessee. Contact Russell’s Pest Control today to find out more information! We’ll help you determine which plan is best for you.

Health Concerns Cockroaches Bring To Businesses

Health Concerns Cockroaches Bring To Businesses

When cockroaches show up in a home environment, there are many reasons to be concerned. But, when they show up in a business environment, there are even more reasons to be concerned. Cockroaches not only pose emotional and health threats to humans, they also pose threats to the very survival of a business.

Cockroaches Are Unhealthy For Customers

If cockroaches are present in your business, and you deal with customers, it is important to know that cockroaches can spread many forms of illness and disease. Cockroaches are proven or suspected carriers of the organisms that cause diarrhea, dysentery, salmonella, cholera, leprosy, typhoid fever and viral diseases such as poliomyelitis. They also carry the eggs of parasitic worms which may cause allergic reactions in some people, including dermatitis, itching, swelling of the eyelids and more serious respiratory conditions.

Cockroaches Are Unhealthy For Employees

The illnesses listed above are also a threat for employees. No business needs the added frustration of cockroach-related sickness. It is hard enough battling with colds, flu, and other health conditions that keep employees from coming to work.

Cockroaches Are Unhealthy For Your Reputation

If roaches are present in your business and they are not eliminated quickly, word will get around, especially if your business deals with customers. In this day and age of instant review sites, a few reports of cockroach encounters can have long-lasting and devastating effects on the reputation of your business. The internet never forgets.

Cockroaches Are Unhealthy For Your Bottom Line

If cockroaches are allowed to spread diseases to your employees or customers this can lead to all sorts of issues, including lawsuits. The presence of roaches in your business can also lead to failed inspections. And, failed inspections can lead to the complete closure of your business. Whatever the case, not taking care of cockroaches is almost certain to cost your business more than if you take action and eliminate these unhealthy creatures when they appear and, preferably, before they appear.

If you have questions or wish to schedule service to eliminate (or prevent) cockroaches in your business, reach out to Russell’s Pest Control today. We provide advanced pest control solutions in Knoxville Tennessee and the surrounding area. Give us a call to schedule a free commercial pest evaluation and get your business the protection it needs from cockroaches and other pests.