How Dangerous is the Kissing Bug?

A kissing bug perches on a flower without petals.

Kissing bugs may sound cute, but you’re not going to be affectionate toward these creepy critters. The reason for their nickname is that these minuscule pests are infamous for biting people in the middle of the night, usually near the mouth. Waking up covered in bites on your face is unpleasant enough but can kissing bugs actually be deadly? The pros at Russell’s Pest Control share the answer as well as advice on how to keep kissing bugs, and other insects, out of your home.

What’s a Kissing Bug?

Triatomine bugs, sometimes known as “kissing bugs,” are parasitic insects that feed on blood. They’re oval-shaped, dark in color, and normally reach lengths of between 1/2 and 1 inch. Although youngsters lack wings, adults have them and can fly. Their long, noticeable beak, which they employ for feeding, is their most distinguishing characteristic.

Kissing bugs are nocturnal so they typically hide close to animals or people who are sleeping. They tend to hide in small cracks or crevices. Although females may leave eggs behind, adults are mostly solitary and do not reside in large groups.

How Dangerous Are Kissing Bugs?

Kissing bugs are harmful, just like any other insect that feeds on blood. Although their bites are not extremely painful, they have the potential to spread infections. Chagas disease, which may have chronic consequences lasting a decade or more after the initial transmission, is the illness these insects are best known for spreading.

Chagas Disease: What’s That?

Typanosoma cruzi, a parasite that kissing bugs carry in their digestive systems after feeding on an infected organism, is the cause of Chagas disease. The parasite enters the bite wound through the feces that the kissing bug generally leaves behind after feeding; it does not spread while the insect is actively feeding. Chagas disease may be fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Early symptoms of the illness include:

  • Swelling around the bite
  • Fever and exhaustion
  • Body pains
  • Swollen eyelids
  • Headaches
  • Loss of appetite or nausea
  • Swollen glands

Get medical help right away if you think you might have Chagas disease, or another sickness. If you think your pet has been bitten, call your veterinarian right away because other animals might also be afflicted with this illness.

How to Avoid the Kissing Bug

The last thing you want to see looking in the mirror in the morning is bite marks on your face from one of these bugs. The best way to avoid being bitten is to keep them out of your home. Here are some methods for keeping kissing bugs away:

  • Seal any gaps around your foundation, windows, and doors.
  • Repair or replace any old screens or weatherstripping around windows.
  • Clear the area around your property of rubbish and keep your landscape tidy.
  • Put your yard lights further away from your home’s foundation.
  • Let your pets sleep indoors at night.
  • Check sleeping areas frequently for bugs.

What To Do If You Find A Kissing Bug

Seeing a pest in your house is never fun, especially one as ominous as a kissing bug. The CDC advises against coming into contact with the kissing bug, despite the fact that your first inclination might be to squish it immediately.

Instead of smashing it, place a transparent container on top of it and trap it. After that, call an exterminator. They’ll be able to verify the species of bug and check your home for evidence of other pests. 

Knoxville Pest Control Experts

Whether you’re worried that you have a kissing bug in your home or other pests, Russell’s Pest Control is here for you. We’ve been providing quality service at a fair price since 1971. Contact us today for your free inspection!

Why Are Earwigs Invading My Home?

Earwig in Knoxville TN home - Russell's Pest Control

Looking at an earwig up close, you would think it would be far more comfortable living in some alien landscape than on your bathroom floor. Its slimy appearance and foreboding pincers give it an extraterrestrial look, but these insects can be found just about anywhere here in Knoxville TN. These are insects that make their home in the soil around your home. However, there are certain conditions that will attract earwigs.

Knowing how to prevent these insects, then, means knowing how to avoid what attracts them in the first place! Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about preventing earwigs from invading your home with the experts at Russell’s Pest Control.

What Makes Your Yard Inviting To Earwigs?

Like most pests, earwigs are always on the hunt for food, water, and accessible shelter. Here’s what may be attracting earwigs to your home:

  • Earwigs love moisture. If you have a broken or obstructed gutter, a leaky spigot, or some other condition that is allowing moisture to dampen the soil near your home, you’re likely to invite earwigs in close.
  • Earwigs love plants. If you have a garden, flower pots, or some other vegetation near your home, earwigs will take notice.
  • Earwigs love decaying wood. If your home is being damaged by water, or you have wood in your yard that is slowly decaying, earwigs will be happy to live on your property.
  • Earwigs love to hide beneath items. Lawn clutter, construction materials, tarps, rocks, wood, and other objects that are left in your yard, especially in areas where there is vegetation, will be a magnet for earwigs.

Why Do Earwigs Come Inside?

If you are seeing a few of these bugs inside your Knoxville TN home, you may be wondering what drew them indoors to begin with. There are three circumstances that might compel earwigs to make their way into your home:

  1. While these are definitely insects that like moisture, they are capable of drowning. During a rainy season or even after just one rainstorm, earwigs may leave the soil around your home and attempt to enter your home to get away from the rising water.
  2. Being an insect that likes moisture, they can also enter a home when things get too dry outside. After a time of drought and dryness, it is not uncommon for homeowners to find these pests in their basement. But they aren’t usually content to stay in the basement.
  3. Sometimes they enter a house simply because it’s there. This is why it is important to reduce the factors above to reduce earwigs in your yard. It is also a good idea to have ongoing pest control treatments to make your property less hospitable to bugs.

Need Help Getting Rid of Earwigs?

Sometimes there’s no telling how earwigs got inside your home. And once they’re there, Contact us today for assistance with earwigs and other household invading pests that live in your yard. The team here at Russell’s Pest Control has the answers you need to keep these bugs where they belong. Contact us today to get started!

Are Centipedes Dangerous?

Centipede in Knoxville TN home - Russell's Pest Control

Here at Russell’s Pest Control, one of the most common calls of concern we receive is something along the lines of, “I’m seeing a lot of centipedes in my basement. Should I be concerned?” This is certainly the time of year to see centipedes in your basement. These creatures have two things going against them when winter comes: They can’t control their body temperature, and they have a hard time regulating their body moisture. For this reason, they will sometimes enter man-made structures to protect themselves and wait out the winter.

Centipedes also lay their eggs in late spring and early summer, which means they will be adults when they come to overwinter in your home. This makes them hard to miss, but the real question is whether these legged insects are dangerous or not. The experts at Russell’s Pest Control are here to lay down the facts.

Dangers of Centipedes

  • If one centipede in your home is one centipede too many, you should be concerned. These creatures are just about as disgusting to look at as any critter you’ll find invading your home. For some people, the sight of them can instill an immediate sense of panic. If this is you, you should probably be concerned.
  • Centipedes can bite. It is quite rare, but they can do it. These pests are no more toxic to most humans than a house spider. There are some people, however, who experience severe pain when bitten. If you know yourself to be one of those people, you should be concerned.
  • If centipedes are getting into your home, you may have some rot issues and water problems that need to be addressed. These creatures like moisture and will often find a way into a home through areas where moisture has caused the wood to rot.

Are Centipedes Beneficial Insects?

House centipedes are known to kill arachnids. If you don’t like spiders, a basement full of centipedes may be a good thing. These creatures can crawl up through wall voids and reduce the spider population in your walls. But it is important to point out that this reduction is slight, and nowhere near as effective as direct pest control measures. So, if you don’t have a pest plan and you’d like fewer arachnids around, you may not need to be concerned. Overall, if bugs don’t bother you, you have nothing to worry about. These pests can crawl over your house with little or no effect on your health or well-being.

Need to Get Rid of Centipedes?

Are you concerned about a basement full of centipedes? The pest experts here at Russell’s Pest Control can give you a hand with that problem and help you assess entry points that are allowing these pests to get in. Effective pest control isn’t just a quality of life upgrade, it is essential to protecting your home’s equity and your family’s health. Contact us today to get expert advice or to schedule an inspection!

How to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs

Boxelder bug on siding at Russell's Pest Control in Knoxville TN

Every fall in Knoxville, one of the most common household pests we get calls for here at Russell’s is none other than the boxelder bug. These small red and black bugs are infamous for congregating on the sides of homes this time of year. When populations are large, they may even make their way into your property through tiny cracks and crevices. And while these bugs aren’t considered terribly dangerous, they are a nuisance nonetheless—if they do get indoors, they’ll likely look to stay with you through the holiday season. To learn how to keep boxelder bugs away for good, keep reading to learn everything you need to know with the experts at Russell’s Pest Control!

What to Know About Boxelder Bugs

These insects may look scary with their bold red markings, but it’s important to educate yourself about these potential pests that are, for the most part, pretty harmless.

  1. Boxelder bugs first emerge in late March or early April when the buds on a boxelder tree start to open. The adults will spend the warmer months in the host tree, feeding on fallen seeds before moving to seed-bearing boxelder trees or maple trees to eat new leaves.
  2. Females will lay eggs on stones, grass, shrubs, or in the crevices of boxelder trees. Once hatched, the nymphs will also feed on fallen seeds and new leaves.
  3. As the season shifts into fall, boxelder bugs will gather in the dozens to seek out sunny, warm spots on greenery or houses before migrating to nearby properties to overwinter. This is why fall is when people begin to notice these bugs more often.

 

Are Boxelder Bugs Harmful?

Boxelder bugs are not particularly threatening to humans and tend to leave your cats and dogs alone. They also rarely cause damage when they’re inside homes. That said, their feces are known to stain any light-colored material, such as curtains, clothing, or rugs in your home. Like several other pests, they will emit a strong unpleasant odor if squished or crushed. But do bed bugs bite? It’s rare. If and when boxelder bugs bite people, humans may experience slight irritation and redness, but they do not transmit diseases.

Tips to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs Naturally

To get rid of these pests naturally, the key is to prevent them in the first place by making your property impenetrable. Basic boxelder bug prevention tips include:

  1. Trimming back trees and bushes to keep all vegetation away from the perimeter of the home.
  2. Cleaning and repairing the corners of fences, decorative rocks, old piles of wood, and patio furniture.
  3. Replacing torn screens on windows and doors.
  4. Checking the caulk around the molding of the windows and vents.
  5. Repairing any cracks in stucco and bricks.
  6. Sealing up cracks around roof soffits, windows, siding, and foundation.

Fall Insect Control With Russell’s Pest Control

If you’ve done all you can to keep these fall pests out and still are noticing the little red-and-black bugs around your windows or curtains, the experts at Russell’s Pest Control can help. Our exterminators work to eliminate the conditions that let these pests indoors to begin with. To get started, contact us today!