April Is National Pest Management Month

April Is National Pest Management Month

It’s that time of year again; the time when bugs and wildlife around, or inside, your home are going to start waking up. The warm temperatures get all those creatures moving. And, when bugs and animals get moving, they can become pests. National Pest Management Month is the perfect opportunity for each of us to share important pest control facts with each other.

Homeowners

If you own a home, you should know that termites cost U.S. property owners over $5 billion annually and that this damage can be prevented with the Sentricon® System with Always Active™. When you have ongoing termite protection, you decide how much you’re going to allow termites to cost you.

Every homeowner should know that moisture issues around a home is not only bad for the home, it also inspires pest infestations. Fixing gutters, leaky spigots, and trimming vegetation to allow sunlight to dry wet areas, can make a big difference in keeping pests out of a home.   

It is important that you not only stay informed but that you inform others. Bed bug infestations are a perfect example of this. When you share bed bug facts with those who live with you, you will help to prevent them from bringing bed bugs home with them. If your school-age kids know what bed bugs look like and what signs they leave behind, it could keep them from bringing these bugs home from a sleepover. If your college-age kids know important bed bug prevention tips, they are less likely to carry bugs home for the holidays. When you tell your friends and family that bed bug infestations have been found in movie theaters, libraries, senior living centers, taxi cabs, and many other places–that aren’t hotels and motels–you could save them, and you, from a bed bug infestation.

Business owners

National Pest Management Month is the perfect time of the year for business owners to remember that an Integrated Pest Management plan implemented by a trusted professional helps to manage financial and reputation challenges created by pests. It also helps a business stay in compliance with all governmental regulatory standards.

If you own a home or business in Tennessee, find out if you’re in our service area. Russell’s Pest Control provides industry-leading commercial and residential pest services in Knoxville and the surrounding area. April is the perfect time of year to get ahead of those pests.

How To Identify Pest Entry Points In Your Home

How To Identify Pest Entry Points In Your Home

Knock, knock, knock. Family, friends, the mailman, or a salesperson—these are all reasonable options for who could be knocking on your front door. You know who won’t knock on your door and ask politely if they can come in? Pests. Nuisance pests, destructive pests, rodents, you name it. You can be sure that they probably aren’t using the front door to get into your home, and they won’t be asking your permission either. Pests are very sneaky about how they get into homes. The most common ways that they get in are through the small spaces or damaged areas that you didn’t even realize you had. Homeowners will want to look out for cracks and crevices in the foundation and structure of the home, holes smaller than a dime, gaps or spaces under entry points, vents and chimneys, unscreened windows, and loose shingles or other damage on the roof of the home. These are all easy ways for pests to sneak their way in without you noticing.

As mentioned before, pests aren’t going to knock politely and ask to come in. This leaves homeowners with no choice but to take charge and prevent pests from doing so. The best way to do this is to first identify where potential pests could be entering by inspecting your home. Keep an eye out for any of the common ways of entering that are mentioned above. If you notice any cracks or crevices you can fill them with sealant, and you will want to repair any loose or missing shingles. It also helps to trim back bushes and tree branches away from the home, as they can act as a bridge for pests to climb onto the roof and enter attics. Along this same line, you may want to move firewood away from the home and properly dispose of garbage. If you haven’t yet invested in mesh covers for vents or chimney screens, you will want to do so to avoid pests crawling in through those open holes. Lastly, you will want to make sure that all windows and entry points have proper rubber sealing around the frames, and repair any torn or loose screens. These tips may come in handy, but your best bet to avoid unwanted pests is to set up a year-round pest control plan with Russell’s Pest Control.

Here at Russell’s, we realize that pests just happen—they have their tricks of finding a way inside homes all throughout Knoxville and Eastern Tennessee. Luckily for you, our technicians do their best at preventing any intrusions as well as eliminating any pest that does sneak its way in. They do this using only the safest technology to solve pest problems. All of our services include quarterly visits where we monitor your home’s defenses. You can decide what works best for your home and family. If our initial treatments don’t work, we provide our Russell’s Pest Free Guarantee and will return to retreat at no extra cost. Russell’s has been protecting homes and properties since 1971, and we’d like to continue to do so with you. So if pests won’t bother knocking on your door, don’t bother waiting any longer to invest in a pest control plan that will surely keep them out!

Spring Cleaning Tips To Avoid Spring Pests

Spring Cleaning Tips To Avoid Spring Pests

Now that spring has sprung, if you’re like most folks, you’ll be turning your attention to doing a little spring cleaning. Raking up the yard, cleaning out the garage, and getting rid of the piles of accumulated stuff that has gathered in every corner of your home will give you a fresh start to the warm weather season ahead. So take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then, take a peek at the following list of to-do’s that will not only help you get your home spic and span, but help you keep all those household pests at bay as well.

Tips for the KITCHEN

One pest that loves to invade kitchens in spring is ants. They do this because kitchens are the most likely place they will find food. While you may think your kitchen is already clean, take note that there may be hidden sources of food for ants and other pests that are out of sight, out of mind.

  • Remove all items from your pantry and cabinets, and discard out-of-date or stale items. Things like spices and flours tend to attract pantry pests such as beetles, moths and ants.

  • Wipe down the inside of all of your cabinets and consider installing fresh shelf paper.

  • Pull out all appliances and vacuum behind them.

  • Scrub down your kitchen counters and the floor with a pail full of dish liquid and warm water.

Tips for the BATHROOM

Pests that love to invade bathrooms include silverfish and cockroaches. These insects love moisture, so eliminating sources of moisture in your bathroom will go a long way to making it a less inviting environment for these and other moisture-loving pests.

  • These pests can’t survive longer than a week without water. So make sure there are no wet areas around your bathroom fixtures. Fix any leaks you find, and use fans or dehumidifiers to dry out the air.

  • Thoroughly clean your shower curtain (or install a new one).

  • Take all items out of your medicine cabinet and wipe the shelves down.

Tips for the BASEMENT

Rodents and spiders are the pests that love to encroach upon basement spaces. The main reason for this is that basements tend to have dark corners and lots of clutter to hide behind or inside.

  • Sort through your belongings and discard, sell or donate unwanted items.

  • Replace paper or cardboard storage containers with hard plastic a tight fitting lids.

  • Seal up any gaps or cracks you find in your basement walls.

Tips for OUTSIDE

There are many steps you can take to make the outside of your home less inviting to spring pests.

  • Remove all lawn clutter and weeds.

  • Trim bushes and trees back away from your home.

  • Clear out gutters and downspouts.

  • Repair any damaged areas to the outside of your home.

While these steps will help you keep pests at bay, if you are finding that pests have already made their way inside, consider reaching out to a professional pest control company. Here at Russell’s Pest Control, we can take care of pest elimination and prevention for you, so you can sit back and enjoy your spring.

Are Wolf Spiders Dangerous?

Are Wolf Spiders Dangerous?

Wolf spider – It sounds like a very dangerous name for a very dangerous pest, doesn’t it? Doesn’t your mind just instantly jump to a pack of spiders surrounding a ‘herd’ of crickets and running them ragged until the weakest falls behind so they can pounce on it and kill it? Or maybe your mind envisions super extra-large howling spiders with heavy footsteps that chase people down to feed off from them? Perhaps your mind can see thousands of wolf spiders sitting atop a hillside howling at the moon? Well, if your mind automatically jumped to any of these conclusions, you will be happy to know that none of these are true.

In fact, wolf spiders are relatively harmless creatures. They only bite when they feel threatened or when handled, but their venom isn’t potent enough to cause any harm. Truly, the biggest danger to you is a good scare from their unique and creepy eyes. They have three rows of eyes with 4 small eyes on the bottom, 2 large eyes in the middle, and 2 medium eyes on top. All of those eyes peering at you can tend to elevate your heart rate!

If you are seeing a lot of wolf spiders in or around your home, it may be that you actually have a problem with small insects. These spiders go where their food sources are; which is why it is a really good idea to get a pest inspection done by a professional pest control company if you have these guys in moderate numbers. Remember, wolf spiders do not have webs; therefore, webs are not a good indicator of wolf spider activity.

There are several things that you can actively do to reduce the occurrence of spiders, and small insects, in your home. These include:

  • Inspect your foundation and fill any small holes, cracks or gaps.

  • Make sure that all doors and windows have properly fitted screens that are completely intact.

  • Install door sweeps under all exterior doors.

  • Install yellow bulbs in outside lighting sources to keep from attracting insects which are a food source for wolf spiders.

  • Be sure that all utility and pipe entrances are securely sealed.

With a bit of common sense and hard work, you can keep wolf spiders at bay; but if you have done all of these modifications and you are still seeing wolf spiders in your home, it is time to call the pest control experts here at Russell’s Pest Control. We offer several affordable pest control packages with year-round protection from insects, spiders, and other pests. Contact us today and rest assured that when wolf spiders come crawling around your home, Russell’s Pest Control has you covered.

Is Dropping The Ball A Good Thing?

Is Dropping The Ball A Good Thing?

We think it is safe to say that most Americans (and probably most people in the English-speaking world) have all seen the ball drop at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps only on television, but they’ve seen it. But do you know how this time-honored tradition came to be? Well, it turns out that the actual notion of a ball dropping to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year’s Eve in Times Square. The first “time-ball” was actually installed on top of England’s Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833. This ball would drop at 1:00 p.m. every day, allowing the captains of nearby ships to set their chronometers precisely. After this, around 150 public time-balls are believed to have been installed around the world.

In the case of New Year’s Eve in Times Square, it can be said that dropping the ball is a good thing. However, there are a lot of other times and places where dropping the ball is definitely not a good thing. Take controlling pests for example. If a homeowner does not keep up with pest management and their home becomes infested with pests, this “dropping the ball” is definitely bad.

There are many things that can be done in order to deter pests from coming into your home. The following is a do-it-yourself list of tips:

  • Keep your yard free of clutter. Bugs and rodents love clutter to hide in.

  • Trim trees and bushes back away from your home. Pests can use leaves and branches as bridges to climb onto your home.

  • Make sure all screens and door sweeps are in good working order.

  • Seal up any gaps or cracks in your foundation, walls or roof area using a caulking gun.

  • Remove any standing water from your yard.

  • Thoroughly clean your home, paying close attention to areas where food is prepared and served. Don’t forget hard-to-reach areas, such as under the refrigerator and between the stove and counter.

  • Store all food in the refrigerator, or in tightly sealed plastic containers.

  • Only put pet food down at meal times, and make sure pet food is also stored in sealed containers.

  • Don’t leave dirty dishes stacked by the sink. Either wash them right away or put them in a sink full of soapy water.

  • Make sure your drawers and cabinets are free of crumbs and other food particles.

If you are serious about keeping household pests out, or if you need to get rid of pests, you might want to consider contacting the professionals. In business since 1971, the folks here at Russell’s Pest Control have learned a few things. With pest packages starting at just $29/month, our locally owned and family operated pest control company is fully geared to help you get rid of household pests, and keep them out. If you don’t want to drop the ball regarding pest control, give Russell’s a call. We’ll make sure you have a pest-free new year!

Happy New Year, from your friends here at Russell’s Pest Control!