Holiday Cooking And Cockroaches

Holiday Cooking And Cockroaches

We realize this is an unsavory topic. The last thing you want to think about while getting ready for some holiday cooking is cockroaches. That is unless you’re already dealing with cockroaches. If you’re already seeing a cockroach here and there, cockroaches may be “all” you’re thinking about right now. Here are a few tips to protect your holiday foods from contamination.

Cockroach Protection

  • If you’ve seen a cockroach running across your kitchen floor or zipping up your wall, there is a good chance there are many more living inside your walls, and crawling around in places you can’t see, like your silverware drawer. The last thing you want to do is use a piece of silverware that has had a cockroach crawling on it. Keep these items safe by putting silverware in plastic containers or hard plastic bags. It may be inconvenient to retrieve these items when you need them, but it could prevent harmful bacteria from getting onto foods.

  • Cockroaches love pantries. It is important to make sure your pantry is protected. If you have cockroaches digging in your trash, nibbling on rotting organic matter under your fridge or on the side of your stove, and crawling on your toilets, they will spread harmful bacteria to your pantry items when they chew through paper or cardboard protected items. Protect these items by storing them in sealed plastic containers.

  • Since cockroaches love trash, and your trash can is one of the places they will pick up bacteria, it is a good idea to buy a trash can with a lid that seals. This will keep those cockroaches from coming and going as they please.

  • When you’re sleeping, cockroaches will be walking around on everything. Be sure to clean all food prep surfaces before you start your holiday cooking. Make sure to also clean cutting boards and dishes that will be used in the preparation of foods.

These tips can help to protect your family from the diseases and harmful bacteria that can be spread by cockroaches, but it is much better to live without cockroaches. If you live in our Tennessee service area, and you would like to get those roaches out of your home before you start your holiday cooking, we’d be happy to assist you. You can probably live with cockroaches, but you and your family will be a whole lot healthier if you don’t. Reach out to Russell’s Pest Control for complete cockroach exclusion. Our team of educated pest specialists know what is necessary to exterminate these dirty bugs and seal them out of your home.

How To Keep Mice Out Of Your Tennessee Home This Fall

How To Keep Mice Out Of Your Tennessee Home This Fall

Have you ever dealt with mice in your home? Have you heard the chewing, scratching, and bumping noises inside your walls while you were trying to go to sleep? Have you seen the little black droppings in the backs of your kitchen drawers and cabinets? Or worse, have you actually seen a furry little critter running along the kitchen baseboard as you entered the room? If you have, we probably don’t have to tell how frustrating it can be to have mice. You know how they chew into packages, and leave a strong smell of urine in your pantry, storage areas, and attic spaces. It is no fun to have a mouse infestation.

Are you aware that, not only are mice a nuisance, they can actually be dangerous? It’s true. When mice find their way into your home, they can track in all kinds of filth. Before crawling around in your pantry, they may have walked through sewers, dumpsters, or a number of other bacteria-laden places. And, they also deposit urine and feces everywhere they go.

A few of the diseases mice are known to spread are lassa fever, leptospirosis, plague, and rat-bite fever. Mice can also bring mites, lice, fleas or ticks into your home. And, they never stop chewing on things. Never. If they accidentally chew on the wrong thing, like a live wire, it could spark a house fire.

What can you do to keep mice out of your home?

  • Keep your grass trimmed short and remove any overgrown areas. Mice hide in tall grass and weeds. Also, remove toys, cinder blocks, leaf piles, appliances, and other lawn clutter. If you have a wood pile, or stack of construction materials, store them as far from your home as possible, and get them up off the ground.

  • Remove food and water sources from your yard. Clean up after parties, don’t leave pet food out, protect areas where fruits or vegetables may be. M

  • ake sure your trash is secure inside cans with tight fitting lids. If you have bird feeders, keep them well away from your house.

  • Trim back any vegetation that touches your home. Mice and other pests use these as bridges to your home.

  • Inspect the outside of your house and seal up any gaps or cracks you find. Pay attention to areas around pipes, wires, air conditioning units, and other objects that pass through your foundation or walls.

  • Place wire mesh inside downspouts, and cover chimney or vent openings with screening to keep mice from climbing into these things.

  • Keep your house clean of any water sources or food particles, just in case a mouse does manage to get in.

  • Call in the assistance of a professional pest control company.

Here at Russel’s Pest Control, getting rid of mice–or keeping them out in the first place–is easy as pie, since our pest control technicians have a Category 7 certification for general pest and rodent control and wood-destroying organisms. Don’t let mice run amok in your home, get fast, efficient help from Russel’s Pest Control.

5 Things Every Homeowner Should Know About Stink Bugs

5 Things Every Homeowner Should Know About Stink Bugs

Do you know what a stink bug is? If you live in our Tennessee service area, we’re sure you do. When temperatures drop, these crop pests start to become household pests. Here are the 5 things you need to know about stink bugs if you own a home.

  1. Stink bugs stink. This is not a pest you want to crush. Ever. They emit a foul odor when squashed. The better course of action is to suck them up with a vacuum and dispose of the bag. This is a great solution for inside your home and a reasonably helpful solution if you only have a few stink bugs come to crawl on your exterior walls, window sills, and screens.

  2. It is better to keep stink bugs out. If you have more than a dozen stink bugs visit your home this fall, it will be easier on your wallet to keep them out, rather than have them treated once they get in. Stink bugs get into wall voids and other hard-to-reach places. This makes them a difficult pest to treat inside.

  3. Screens. Screens. Screens. We can’t say this enough times. As a homeowner, your first line of defense against stink bugs is working screens. Stink bugs are notorious for exploiting entry points in–and around–window and door screens.

  4. It is important to seal gaps. When stink bugs crawl on the sun-warmed side of your home, it is only natural for them to look for a way to get under the “bark” of your home–after all, your house is nothing more than a tree or a log to those stink bugs. It is vital to do a detailed inspection of your exterior walls and look for any gaps, holes, cracks, or openings these bugs can use to gain entry. Cover vents with window-grade screening. Use mortar to seal foundation walls. Use a caulking gun to seal up gaps and holes you don’t have the time or money to fix right now. Exclusion is key in the fight against stink bugs.

  5. There are some things only a pest control company can do. Every home has its vulnerabilities. And sometimes it takes a trained professional to find them. A professional can also apply EPA approved products to make sure your defensive wall is impenetrable.

If you need help keeping stink bugs and other overwintering pests from getting into your home this fall, and you live in our service area, the pest specialists here at Russell’s Pest Control have the experience and the education to get the job done right.

The best defense against stink bugs is a good offense. Let Russell’s Pest Control help you pick out the best pest control options for your home.

Keeping Fall Invaders Out

Keeping Fall Invaders Out

Temperatures are beginning to dip. You’ve probably noticed. You may have also noticed that a few trees have a red leaf or two. That’s right. It’s coming. It comes every year. There is no stopping it. Winter is inevitable. You know it. We know it. And bugs know it. But allowing them to get into your home is not inevitable.

When stink bugs, lady bugs, and boxelder bugs, start crawling in your curtains, piling up on your window sills, crawling on your television, and landing in your morning cereal, it is too late to apply any kind of DIY pest control measures to deal with the problem. Once these pests get in, only an educated pest professional can fix the issue. But, there are some things you can do to keep them out. Here are some ideas.

Fall Pest Protection

  • When these bugs come to crawl on your window screens, make sure they don’t find any tears, holes, or gaps. Do a close inspection and replace or repair any damaged screen you find. There are some helpful videos online to help you make simple patches.
  • It is important to check around windows, as well. These bugs are small and it is easy for them to squeeze through tiny gaps between your screen and the window frame. If you find any holes, cover them.
  • If you have sliding screen doors, it is important to check the weather stripping to make sure there are no damaged bristles that will allow these bugs to squeeze in. It is also important to keep the screen door closed, even if the interior glass door is closed. If these bugs are on the glass or frame of your sliding glass door when you open it, you could bring them right into your home.
  • All of these bugs will exploit any gap or opening you have in your exterior walls. Make sure all of your vents are covered with screening, all gaps around pipes and utilities are sealed, and use a caulking gun or wire mesh to fill in holes that have been created by other pests.
  • Keep your garage door closed when you’re not exiting or entering, and ensure that the door sweep on the door that goes from your garage to the interior of your home makes a proper seal.
  • Consider having a pest control company do an exterior treatment to keep these pests away, and to bolster vulnerable areas.

It is hard to completely exclude overwintering pests without a little help. If you need assistance keeping these and other pests out of your home, and you live in our Tennessee service area, let Russel’s Pest Control give you a hand. You can probably live with overwintering pests, but isn’t nicer to not have them crawling on your oatmeal, staining your furniture, and blocking your view of the game? Do not let them overwintering pests invade your home with helpful pest control service from Russell’s Pest Control.

Fall Has Arrived, So Will The Mice

Fall Has Arrived

Fall has arrived. The temperatures outside may be attempting to fool you, but the calendar doesn’t lie. It is fall. This means (I hate to say it) that winter is just around the corner. While our love for the warm, sunny weather may cause us to embrace the idea that it is not and those above mentioned warm temperatures are encouraging our misconception, pests like mice are not fooled for even a minute. They know full well that winter is knocking on the door, and they have rallied their troops and put forth the ‘all hands on deck’ order. Mice realize that the wind and colder weather will soon be settling in, and they do not want to be caught in it. The top worry to occupy their little minds is finding shelter for the winter – and your home is the all-inclusive resort they are seeking.

As tempting as it is for you to adopt the ‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it’ attitude, it is not the wisest choice for you to make. Remember that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” It is never a good idea to wait for the diseases and destruction that mice cause and react to them. When we react, we often over react, panic, and make hasty decisions – and it often comes with a much higher price tag not only where our health is concerned, but in repair and restoration costs. It is far better to think ahead and prevent an invasion and leave the germs and damage for someone else who is not prepared.

There are things that you can tackle right now that will help you to avoid hosting mice for the winter, including:

  • Inspect your home. Look for cracks and holes the size of a dime in foundations because that is all it takes for a mouse to squeeze in. Use caulk to fill these spaces. Also, check all exterior doors to be sure the door sweeps are correctly installed and in good working order. While you are at it, be sure to inspect screens on windows and screen doors. Make sure you check utility entrances and rooflines as well.

  • Clean, clean, clean. Do not give mice the food sources they are looking for. It doesn’t take much to sustain a mouse. Be sure to periodically clean under stoves and refrigerators. Also, check between these large appliances and the counters next to them and vacuum the crumbs that accumulate there. Carpeted areas need to be frequently vacuumed and so do couches and chairs. When you spill or drop food items, be sure that you clean them up right away, and do not allow dirty dishes to sit on counters, especially overnight. If you must put off this dreaded chore, leave those items soaking in soapy water in your sink.

  • Tidy the exterior. A mouse issue always begins with your yard. When you allow areas that will attract mice to your yard, you are also inviting them to search for a way into your home. Make sure garden areas are free from falling and decaying vegetables and fruit, keep mulch piles away from your home, and be sure to keep trash in canisters with locking lids. Also, be sure that all wood, leaves, and other debris are picked up on a regular basis. If mice find hiding spots, they will take full advantage of them.

  • Set up professional pest control services. Year-round pest control protection is the best and surest way to keep mice from using your home for theirs. When you partner with the trusted professionals here at Russell’s Pest Control, you can know that any existing mice will be removed, their nesting areas will be cleaned, and their access points will be addressed.

  • Don’t let time run out on you and neglect the important task of preventing pests like mice this fall. Let the team that has been fighting pest battles here in Tennessee since 1971 take care of that for you. Russell’s Pest Control, we are only a call or a click away!

How To Solve The Problem Of Stink Bugs

How To Solve The Problem Of Stink Bugs

Whether you have a small garden or a massive farm, brown marmorated stink bugs can become a problem. These bugs, that were originally soybean and fruit crop pests in Japan, deface fruit here in the United States when they pierce the skin with their mouthparts. This damage also allows other bugs to infest the fruit, making it unsellable and unfit for human consumption.

The brown marmorated stink bug attacks a wide variety of crops. They will eat most fruits, but prefer pears, apples, peaches, nectarines, raspberries, blueberries, and grapes. They can also be found eating snap peas, lima beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, field corn, soybeans, cucumbers, bush beans, and peppers. But their diet isn’t limited to these.

Stink bugs are also known to eat seeds and seed pods of ornamental trees and shrubs. This can make them a major pest to residential landscapes. And, when they feed, they can affect plant health because they spread plant disease from one plant to the next.

The primary way stinks bugs make themselves a pest to residential homes is in the way that they congregate on the warm, sunny side of homes and eventually find their way inside when temperatures drop. While stink bugs don’t reproduce inside homes, preferring to wait until spring to lay eggs on outside plants, they can be a serious pain for homeowners when they crawl around in curtains and congregate on light fixtures.

The effective solution for stink bugs is an application of EPA-approved insecticides to targeted areas. Insecticides are used by farms and orchards to protect crops and control these bugs. And, home and business owners have insecticides applied to exterior walls to keep these pests from overwintering. All insecticides should be applied by a licensed professional. Inappropriate use of insecticides can be a danger to humans and pets.

If you are concerned about getting stink bugs in your home, here are a few things to remember:

  • Your door and window screens are the first line of defense against overwintering pests.

  • Make sure all of your door sweeps and weather strippings are in good working order.

  • When stink bugs find an entry point, they release a pheromone scent. It is important to vacuum up any stink bugs you see crawling around on your exterior walls, balcony, deck, or patio.

  • These bugs can get in through vents. Make sure you have screens covering them.

  • They can get in through chimneys, so consider covering your chimney with a cap.

  • Do a close examination of your exterior walls and use a caulking gun to fill in any gaps or holes.

  • Sealing up exterior walls from the invasion of stink bugs is very difficult. Sometimes it is only possible to exclude these bugs with the added protection of an insecticide application.

If you live in our Tennessee service area, let Russell’s Pest Control protect your home from the invasion of stink bugs. We offer safe and effective management for these and other invasive pests.

Why Do I Have Fleas In My Home & What Can I Do?

Why Do I Have Fleas In My Home & What Can I Do?

“I have fleas in my home! Why do I have them, and what can I do?”

This is a statement we hear all the time here at Russell’s Pest Control. Fleas have got to be one of the most tenacious and irritating pests around. I mean, you don’t even have to own a pet to get fleas. How infuriating is that? And fleas can put rabbits to shame with the rate with which they are able to reproduce! Fleas seem to come out of nowhere in a hurry, and one seemingly lone flea on your sofa can turn into hundreds in no time at all. So how exactly did you get those fleas in your home and what should you do about it? Let’s take a look.

Pets are certainly the number one way that fleas come into homes, but they are not the only way. Fleas are looking for mammal blood. They don’t really care if it comes from your dog, your cat, your kids, or you. They will take whatever comes easiest. They are also lazy travelers. They will hop on anything that will bring them closer to their mealtime goal. They typically hitch a ride to your property on a passing raccoon, mouse, fox, squirrel, or any other furry wildlife friend. After all, what a deal! Free meal while you travel – it’s an all inclusive travel plan for fleas! Once in your yard, they’ll lurk around just waiting for the chance to pounce onto their next taxi (aka: your pet, your child, or you) and gain access to your home where they have shelter and ample access to blood.

You may be tempted to think that those fleas are nothing more than a nuisance. Not so! Fleas are known carriers and transmitters of disease to humans and pets. Dog tapeworm and rodent tapeworm are not only a danger to your pets, but to you as well. Both these parasites are introduced by fleas. Also, I am certain that you have heard of murine typhus and the plague! Yup, these are transferred by fleas too. Yes, the plague is still around and is still infecting people (even in the U.S.). Even if your fleas are not infected or hosting these, there is no denying that their bites are extremely itchy. Scratching of flea bites can lead to infection such as impetigo or staph. Any way you look at it, those fleas have got to go. But how?

Once fleas have gained access to your home, they are extremely difficult to eradicate because not only do the adults have to be eliminated, but you have to get to all those eggs as well. The good news for us here in Tennessee is that you can partner with Russell’s Pest Control to control fleas in our homes.

With a desire to serve his community by providing quality service at a fair price, Russell Bull began this company in 1971, and we have been living up to that goal ever since. When you partner with us for year-round pest coverage, fleas will not be a problem. Neither will a whole host of other common household pests. That’s because we utilize state-of-the-art technology and treatment options to safely and effectively control pests in your home.

If fleas are driving you crazy this summer, give us a call. Not only will we help you to eliminate those fleas, but we can also help you to identify access points and install exclusion methods to keep pests out. For good!