Apr 3, 2023 | Pest Control
Tennessee Pest Control: Ant Control
There are several types of ants that can infiltrate your Tennessee home. Some of the most common are carpenter ants, Pharaoh ants, and odorous house ants. If you aren’t sure what kind you’re dealing with, here’s a quick breakdown of these three:
- Pharaoh Ants: About 1/8 inch long, these light brown or yellow colored pests are often found near water sources. If you see them in your home, check for leaks or standing water. They are known to carry diseases, such as salmonella or staphylococcus, so be sure to rid them from your home immediately.
- Carpenter Ants: They are larger than the pharaoh ant, measuring up to ½ inch long. If you see them in your home, there’s likely a nest nearby. They are known to damage wood in homes, so it’s important to prevent an infestation.
- Odorous Ants: Black in color and measuring up to 1/8 inch long, these pests got their name from the odor they emit when crushed. They are often found near food sources, so discovering them in your kitchen or pantry isn’t uncommon.
How to Prevent Ants:
- Seal cracks and crevices around windows, doors, foundation, or exterior walls
- Keep your plants and shrubbery trimmed back and away from your home
- Store firewood and other yard debris at least 20 feet away from your home’s exterior
- Consider utilizing a routine pest control service to help identify entry points, treat infestations, and prevent future infestations.
Give your local pest control company a call today for a FREE inspection!
Mar 13, 2023 | Pest Control
Tennessee Pest Control: Spring Pests
Spring season brings fresh air, warmer weather, and pests! Because of spring’s climate, household pests, including ants, roaches, mosquitoes, termites, rodents, and other pests start emerging from hibernation, looking for a food source and a place to nest. Before these pests emerge in droves, now is the perfect time to prevent them. Check out our tips on keeping unwanted spring pests away from your Tennessee home!
Seal All Entry Points
The smallest crack, crevice, or hole can let pests inside your home. Check around the exterior of your home, including your foundation, pipes, windows, doors, and HVAC units for these areas. Cockroaches, rodents, wasps, ants, and more will gain access and cause several problems in your home. If you notice any openings, seal them tightly with caulk. For doors, consider utilizing a sweep to seal the gap between the floor and the door. Utilize screens on doors and windows and make sure they’re always in good repair.
Eliminate Stagnant Water
The combination of warmer weather and standing water will attract pests like mosquitoes and roaches to your property. Standing water is a major pest attractant and allows them to multiply and thrive, making it essential to remove it. Check your exterior and interior for leaks. Even dripping faucets and loose fixtures can attract pests. Check your yard for any items that could collect water and remove them, including flowerpots, old tires, tarps, toys, etc. Also, consider enclosing your crawlspace to help reduce moisture and control temperatures inside your home.
Store Your Woodpiles
Many pests will utilize our firewood to hitchhike their way inside our homes. Place and store your woodpiles at least 20 feet away from your home. For extra protection, consider placing them in plastic containers with lids and elevate them off the ground to prevent termites and roaches from living in them. Before you bring it indoors, inspect it for pests and brush them off.
Clear Clutter
Starting early on your spring cleaning could pay off in keeping pests away! Consider starting at the lowest level of your home and working your way up to declutter. Clean the floors, dust, sweep, mop, vacuum, and remove unnecessary items from your closets and drawers. Get rid of old newspapers and cardboard boxes in storage, as these can attract rodents looking for a place to nest. In your yard, remove old tree stumps, twigs, and other debris. Likewise, rake up all the leaves and continue mowing on a regular basis.
Clean Up & Properly Store Food
Mice and rats are looking for food to survive, invading our kitchens to find it. It’s important to clean your kitchen and safely store leftover food. After each meal, wipe down your counters and clean up any leftover crumbs or spills. On a regular basis, sweep and mop your kitchen floors, and don’t forget to clean under your appliances too. Take your garbage out regularly, using trashcans with lids. When storing food, make sure you utilize airtight containers.
While utilizing these pest prevention tips will always help keep bugs from invading your home, sometimes it’s best to call a professional for extra protection. Your local pest control company can assess your home, identify any sources of pest problems, and provide you with a pest control and prevention plan.
Mar 8, 2023 | Pest Control
Macon Pest Control: Preventing Spring Pests
A household pest is any undesired animal that has a history of living, invading, causing damage to, eating food from, acting as a disease vector for, or causing any other harm to a human habitat. While most are considered a nuisance, household pests become dangerous when they pose a risk to health, property, or lifestyle.
While they can be common year-round, some are common in the spring months. Here are a few common spring pests you can find in your Georgia home:
Termites
Termite swarming season begins in the springtime. Swarming season is when young termites leave their current colony and go off to find mates and establish new colonies. If you begin to see swarmers, it might mean a colony is nearby.
Ticks
Ticks are problematic to humans and pets because they spread diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. You might begin to see an increase of tick bites in the springtime. The mild winters in Georgia don’t help with keeping ticks away for long, so you should always be aware of ticks at any time of the year.
Ants
With heavy rainfall in the early spring, you can expect to see ants finding their way inside your home. They will begin to search for food and water, which your home has plenty of.
Flies
These pesky pests will find their way inside once the weather begins to warm up. They can spread many pathogens by picking them up on their feet when landing on different items.
Prevent Spring Pests:
- Keep windows, doors, and vents sealed
- Use garbage cans with sealed lids
- Keep plants and tree limbs cut away from your house
- Fix leaks to prevent excess moisture
- Wear insect repellent
- Keep home clean and free of crumbs, especially the kitchen
- Keep up with quarterly pest control
If you’re ready to begin prevention of these spring pests, reach out to your local pest control company to receive a free quote and the best plan of action to keep pests away!
Mar 2, 2023 | Pest Control
Laurens Pest Control: Keeping Pests Out
Having a secure pest control plan isn’t always top of mind for homeowners. But once you spot that first sign of a pest infestation, it surely becomes top priority! We want you to be ahead of the infestation game and have a strong relationship with a local pest control company. Let’s go over the benefits of maintaining a regular visit from your technician.
Preventing Problems Before They Occur
With the assistance of a reputable company, your home will be set up to combat any potential pest threats including termites, mosquitoes, cockroaches, ants, and more! A pest professional will work with you to provide the best plan of action for your home to ensure the health of your property and family.
Saves Money Overtime
Up front it might seem like a waste of money to continue with scheduled visits from your technician, but keeping that regular schedule will help keep the chance of infestations low. With lower chances of having a major problem, it saves you money in the long run. No need to worry about bigger problems taking over when you have a solid plan.
Keep Pests Away in Between Visits
With months in between visits, it’s always good to know some easy DIY pest control methods. Making sure you clean your kitchen after each meal by cleaning up spills and crumbs will help lower the chances of spotting a pest. Another great DIY is to walk around your property and look for any potential openings to your home. Be sure to seal them immediately.
Dealing with a pest problem is never a homeowner’s idea of fun. If you think you’re ready for a solid pest control solution, then reach out to your local pest control company and receive a customized plan perfect for you and your property.
Mar 1, 2023 | Pest Control
Ranging from 12 to 19 mm in size, silverfish are household pests that are attracted to dark, damp areas. They range in colors including white, brown-grey, and bluish-silver. Silverfish are wingless with a flat appearance and 3 thread-like tails. Their size and shape allow them to hide in small spaces.
They feed on starch and sugar and find a lot of these options in your home. You can find them eating paste from book bindings, photos, clothing, bedding, curtains, old papers, wallpaper paste, shampoo, dead insects, pasta, flour, cereal, and other common starches. Because of this they are typically found in kitchens and pantries.
Beyond the kitchen, they can be found in bathrooms, basements, attics, and laundry rooms, which provide dark, damp spaces. They usually find their way indoors when the weather begins to get warmer and drier or when there is excessive rainfall.
Their jaws aren’t strong enough to pierce human skin, but they are fast and can usually escape predators fairly quickly. They will cause damage to your home by chewing fabrics, contaminating food they are eating, and triggering allergies.
Common signs of silverfish include:
- Holes, notches, edges on surface they eat
- Yellow stains or discarded scales
- Feces in the form of tiny black pellets
Prevent silverfish by:
- Cleaning out closets and cabinets and dusting bookshelves
- Storing food in airtight containers
- Removing piles of wet leaves from your yard
- Using a dehumidifier in damp areas like basements and crawlspaces
- Keeping the perimeter of your home clean and dry
- Sealing the exterior of your home
If you notice an increase in silverfish in your Georgia home, contact your local pest control company for a thorough evaluation.
