Shameless Plug: Calling the Exterminator Isn’t a Bad Thing

Calling the Exterminator Isn't a Bad Thing

Are you ashamed to call The Bug Man? We don’t think it’s shameful that you need our help. We’re proud of you for calling us and letting us help protect your family.

Customers are interesting.

Some of them rave about pest control.
“Now, honey, let me tell ya. I love your mosquito service. I can sit in my yard all day and not get a single bite. But my friend, Jeannie. Now she’s always gettin’ bit up real bad. But I’m not, cuz y’all come out here and spray my property and you do a real good job.”

Some of them have a lot of questions about pest control.
“So is your termite service separate from your pest control? Or is it all bundled together? What if I need one and not the other? Can I do that? Is that ok? How much does that cost?”

 And, still, there are other customers who call us, with what sounds like a sense of shame.
“Uh. Hi. My name is_________. Um. *nervous laughter* I’ve…*clears throat* I’ve never called an exterminator before. *sigh* Wh-wh-wha-how, uh, how much does it cost to get rid of bugs? I’ve got mice. And I have seen a few spiders. And I really don’t like bugs. I’m sorry, I’m not sure what to ask you. I’ve never needed an exterminator before…”

We named this post “Shameless Plug” because we want you to feel shameless when you call us. 

Rest easy, folks. It is ok to call the exterminator. It’s not a shameful thing to call The Bug Man. We don’t think you’re grimy and gross when you call us. Pretty much every homeowner has an encounter with bugs.

When you ask us to come treat your home, we don’t assume that it’s your fault that you’ve got bugs. We don’t imagine your home as a rickety shack destined to be featured on the show Hoarders.

Rather, we imagine you as a friendly Middle Tennessean. We envision you as a homeowner in Murfreesboro who wants to be educated on the best practices for keeping pests out. We think you’re a good mom or dad in Lebanon who wants to protect your family by keeping your home pest free.

Don’t be ashamed to call us, because we’re not ashamed of you. We are proud of you for taking care of your loved ones. And we’re honored that you let us help you do that.

Cooler Weather Brings Rodents Inside: How to Oust the House Mouse Louse

How to Oust the House Mouse Louse

Cooler breather is bringing pests inside, especially rodents. Check out this blog for quick tips on pest-proofing your home. As cooler weather chills our climate, the temperature isn’t the only brisk thing around. Rodents are beginning to scurry inside warm houses to hunker down for the winter.

With the ability to squeeze through holes the size of a nickel (mice) or a quarter (rats), rogue rodents are quite clever when it comes to finding a way inside your home. Sadly, though, they don’t bring you any lost coins when they enter. But they may cost you some coin if you need to get rid of them.

As we discuss on our website, the dust of a rodent nest can lead to hazardous bacteria. They can also damage your home or business by chewing through siding or wiring, increasing the possibility of a fire.

How to Oust the Mouse or Scat the Rat

Make rodents unwelcome by sealing up any cracks and voids around doors or windows that are larger than the size of a pencil. Also, divert the water from your gutters away from the building.

After rodents have nested inside a structure, it can be difficult to remove them. A professional pest management company is usually needed. Call The Bug Man at 615.217.7284. We’ll identify nesting areas and feeding grounds and then eliminate them. Upon completion of the ousting, your house will be free of the mouse louses.

Curbing Crickets: Tips on How to Keep the Chirpers Out of Your House

Tips on How to Keep the Chirpers Out of Your House

Read these tips to learn how to prevent chirpy, destructive crickets from entering your home.

Fall means football. That’s an undeniable, wonderful reality! That’s a guarantee.

For many, the fall season also means crickets. Swarms of chirpy, destructive crickets.

Crickets chew on field crops. But did you know that crickets also feast on your fabrics of cotton, wool, linen, silk, synthetics, leather, or fur? They especially enjoy clothes soiled with sweat or food stains. Imagine them chewing on your son’s football practice gear. And, as a final kicker, they even eat other dead cricket carcasses. Yeesh!

Check out these handy tips for how to prevent crickets from invading your home:

  • Secure your doors and windows. Patch up any holes in screens, seal off drafty windows, fix holes in masonry. This not only deters crickets, but lots of other pesky critters, too. Check out this page for other pest prevention tips.
  • Change your outdoor light bulbs.  What a bright idea! By using yellowish-tinted light bulbs or a sodium vapor lamps, you’ll attract fewer crickets. And, like we wrote about in our blog about outdoor lighting, using different types of light bulbs will ward off lots of other pests, too.
  • Remove woodpiles. Not only is this good for crickets, but wood piles could spell disaster here in subterranean termite country. Read our blog about termite prevention tips for a helpful story about that particular problem.
  • Call The Bug Man! We are always willing to come cease the chirping. We want you to be able to sleep at night, chirp free.

Thanks for reading! We’ll catch ya next week for more Bug Basics!

Demystifying Red Velvet Ants: The Buzz on the Fuzz

Demystifying Red Velvet Ants

Some call them red velvet ants. Some call them cow killers. Most don’t call them what they really are: wasps.

Have you seen a fuzzy red bug that looks like an ant walking around lately? Check out our blog for the buzz on the fuzz! There’s a great buzz in Middle Tennessee over a pretty little bug called by a variety of names.

If you’ve seen a fuzzy red thing walking around on the sidewalk or in your yard lately, it’s probably a female red velvet ant. When left alone, they aren’t looking to threaten humans. However, when picked up and toyed with, a threat may emerge.

When most people see something fuzzy, they think, “Aww, cute! I want to touch it.” However, when it comes to velvet ants, it is not recommended that you pick them up, because they may sting you. And, if something can be called a cow killer, its sting hurts…a lot!

Velvet ants are wasps that cannot actually fly. They feed on the cocoons of ground-nesting bees. Essentially, the mama velvet ant bores a hole in the cocoon of bees nesting underground and lays her eggs inside the cocoon. Then, when the velvet ant eggs hatch, they prey on the eggs in the cocoon.

Interesting, huh? Wasps killing bees in a dynamic, underground battle.

In an even more interesting twist, velvet ants often prey on cicada killers. A cicada killer is a large wasp that preys on cicadas. Female cicada killers capture cicadas, sting them, and then place them in holes they’ve burrowed into the ground. As their young hatch, they feed on the burrowed cicada.

That shifts our food chain paradigm to wasps killing bees and/or other wasps who kill cicadas.

Is your head swirling yet? Or is that just the buzz of all of these insects swarming around in your yard preying on each other? 🙂

If you’ve got a question, please post a comment. As always, you can find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheBugManTN.

Termite Tips: Simple Fixes Make a Great Defense

Termite Tips

Like a helpful friend, we want to share these tips with you for termite protection. A few simple fixes could save you thousands of dollars.”Hey, Jess!” she said with glee. Tori hadn’t seen her best friend in a week. She was excited to catch up. “Thanks for coming over. Ready to go for a walk? Or do you need any water or anything?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Jess replied.  “Already got a water bottle. Let’s jet.”

“Ok,” Tori said with a smile. “Let’s go out the back door. The street behind my house is less busy than the one in front. You know me. I can’t even walk in a straight line. Don’t want to run into any cars.”

Tori dug for the house key in her pocket. Jess–in the market for new lawn furniture and always imagining ways to upgrade her own back yard–scoped out Tori’s brand new in-ground pool and fire pit. As she was gazing around the yard, she noticed a pile of firewood.

“Hey, Tor. You shouldn’t store that firewood on your back porch.”

“Why not?” Tori replied, still fumbling around with her house key.

“Termites.”

“Huh? What?”

“Storing firewood near your home is an open invitation to termites,” Jess explained. “So are those leaves in your leaky gutters.”

“I never knew that!” Tori exclaimed. “I wish someone would’ve told me.”

As your helpful friends–who happen to know more than a little about termites–we’re here to tell you a few things that you may not know about termite prevention. Please look at these tips on how to set up a line of defense. Special thanks to Termidor for the list.

  • Don’t attach wooden trellises to exterior walls
  • Keep wood debris, scrap lumber, sawdust and firewood away from your home
  • Don’t bury wood near your home
  • Remove infested trees and stumps
  • Repair leaking faucets and water lines, both inside and outside
  • Fix leaky roofs and gutters
  • Don’t allow leaves to accumulate in gutters or drains
  • Grade soil (meaning, make a natural downhill path) so that water–including condensation from your air conditioner–runs away from the foundation of your home
  • Cover at least 90% of the soil in crawl spaces with plastic sheeting
  • Keep wood siding, stucco, and form board at least six inches away from the ground or mulch landscaping

Subterranean termites are particularly evil. They are evil to the tune of $5 billion dollars of damage every year, actually. Many homeowners think their homes are safe because they don’t see any termite damage. However, for peace of mind and for protection, it’s best to call a professional to get an inspection. The Bug Man offers a free termite inspection and a customized termite treatment plan.

For more homeowner tips, read our blog on pest prevention for your home.

Using Technology to Feel Like a Superhero

Using Technology to Feel Like a Superhero

Hello. My name’s Lindsay. I do social media stuff for The Bug Man. Nice to meet you. This morning, as I was shuffling around and getting ready for work in my suburban apartment, I discovered a ravenous villain in my bathtub. An evil menace had set out to disrupt my pest-free* pleasantness. Although I work for a pest control company, I don’t have every bug memorized…yet. I’ve learned a lot while working at The Bug Man. I like to call myself an aspiring bug expert, but I’ve got a long ways to go. Some bugs look like other bugs. A few bugs have similar names and traits (i.e. centipede and millipede). Some bugs are different in Tennessee than where I grew up in Nebraska.

So what’s a girl to do when there’s a nasty, unidentified bug in her shower?

She supposed to pick up her smart phone. *nods matter of factly*

Wait! Pick up a smart phone?! You can’t kill a bug with a smartphone! Well, you could, I guess, but it’d be really messy and would gunk up your phone. But you can educate yourself. And you can envision heroic scenarios where someone else (The Bug Man) sweeps in to kill the bug so you don’t have to.

I grabbed my iPhone and opened up the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) app so I could figure out what bug was staring at me from my bathtub.

Through reading descriptions of common household invaders and looking at pictures, I discovered that a centipede had trekked up through the drainpipe to greet me. Now that I knew what bug it was, I somehow felt better. I felt empowered. I was also relieved to remember that the app also has this nifty feature that helps me find a pest professional.

Don’t get me wrong. I know where The Bug Man is located and I know my own office’s phone number. But it was comforting to find us in the list of pest professionals in the area.

I’ve got to admit that I’m a tech geek. And a superhero fan. And I have an active imagination. So I imagined that the NPMA app worked like the perfect weapon to combat the evil centipede. Because I had to kill the bug in order to take a shower, I thought of myself as The Bug Woman, using my new-found knowledge to muster up the guts to bag the bug.

And then, I jumped into The Bug Mobile. I mean…my car.  And I drove to work to continue the fight against the injustice of the bugs in the world.

If you have a smart phone, I highly recommend that you download the NPMA app. It’s pretty nifty. And if you’ve got bug issues, call your local superhero: The Bug Man. 🙂

Like a Moth to a Flame: Illuminating How Outdoor Lighting Affects Pests in Your Home

How Outdoor Lighting Affects Pests in Your Home

Learn about how the lighting scheme outside your house is related to pest control with these helpful tips. You’ve probably heard the cliche, “Like a moth to a flame,” before. But have you ever really thought about that sentence? Have you ever wondered why moths (and other flying things) are attracted to light sources? A lot of people are in the dark about outdoor lighting.

Well, here’s some illumination for you.

The lighting scheme outside your home affects how susceptible your home is to a pest invasion. Not only will flying bugs be attracted to lights, but spiders, scorpions, and bats may become attracted to the bugs that became attracted to your home because of your outdoor lighting.

On a balmy summer night, it’s normal to see bugs swarming around a light. It’s not unusual for a moth to fly inside a house after hanging out at the door waiting for such an opportunity. These two common pest problems–and many others–can be prevented.

Here are a few Bug Basics when it comes to outdoor lighting:

* Many pests are attracted to fluorescent bulbs. That kind of lighting may strain our eyes. Alternatively, it makes bug eyes happy.

* Some insects are picky about their lighting. They may only be attracted to your home on an idle Thursday evening at 11:14 p.m. in June when it’s 67 degrees. Seriously. Others may like your lighting all night, every night.

* Male insects may love the way you’ve lit up your house and be attracted to it. While some female insects couldn’t care less. Isn’t that funny?

* Some insects only like your lights if they produce a lot of heat. What do they think it is, a tanning bulb, or something?

Knowing what you know now, here’s how you can adjust your outdoor lighting setup.

* Though they aren’t as bright or as attractive to humans, tinted lights attract fewer bugs. Install lights with a yellow, pink or orange hue. If it helps, pretend it’s like Christmas in July with all of your colored lights.

* If you have accidentally set up a pest tanning bulb boutique outside your backdoor, replace high-heat-halogen and incandescent bulbs with bulbs that produce less heat.

* Consider indirect lighting. Meaning, install lights that aren’t right above your doorway. Set up lights 15 to 20 feet away from your doorway that shine on your door.

* Use curtains on the windows of the rooms you hang out in at night. Even interior lighting is attractive to pests.

* Avoid shining bright lights on white walls, especially near water. Light + White Walls + Water = No Good

* To avoid the bugs that only come out at dusk (i.e. midges) set up your lights to come on two hours after the sun goes down. Pull out that trusty Christmas tree light timer and set it up with your hue lights that we wrote about earlier.

While you’re spending more time outside in the evenings, observe the pest activity near the lights outside your house. If you notice an abundance of pests hovering around one of your light sources, give us a call. We can talk through solutions to your lighting scheme.

White-Nose Syndrome in Tennessee: How the Dying Bat Population Affects You

White-Nose Syndrome

A mysterious fungus has killed millions of bats in America. Bats are essential for controlling pests, especially mosquitoes. You may not know it, but bats are quite heroic. No, we’re not talking about the Dark Knight, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman.

We’re talking about the bats that need no special help from Alfred the butler or Lucius Fox. In the deep darkness of the midnight hours, bats patrol the skies. Pollinating crops and eating pests, bats sightlessly save farmers and consumers billions of dollars annually in pest control. In recent years, a one-two punch has knocked out millions of bats across America. The first blow comes from turbines at wind farms. Air pressure changes caused by the swirling, tumbling turbines cause the lungs of bats to explode and the swinging blades swipe bats right out of the sky. To combat this, researchers are trying to develop technologies to alert bats that wind turbines are in the area so they fly elsewhere.

The second lethal punch comes from a mysterious fungus called white-nose syndrome. Originating in Europe, it is unknown when exactly it came to America and who or what brought it “across the pond.”The fungus spreads during hibernation. Basically, when bats hibernate in the winter, their body temperature drops to match the coldness of the caves and caverns where they live. The cooler temperatures and the bats’ sleeping immune systems create the perfect conditions for the fungus to spread. Round by round, bat after bat is losing this bout. Once white-nose syndrome strikes one bat in a colony, it’s likely they’ll all die within a few years.

To prevent the spreading of white-nose syndrome, several states have closed caves and caverns to the public. Officials have also asked spelunkers, hikers and cavers to thoroughly clean their clothing and equipment before visiting a cave again. If you plan on visiting a cave in the near future, be aware that it may not be open because of this problem.

Consider the impact this way: Every dead bat is like 3,000 mosquito bites in one night. Ouch! That’s painful!

Have you noticed a decrease of bat activity and an increase of mosquito activity in your area? It could be because of white-nose syndrome.

At The Bug Man, we offer a mosquito service during the summer months.

Turn on the bat signal and we’ll come running to the rescue.

Or call us at 615.217.7284 to schedule an appointment. 🙂

Fruit Flies: Cause, Elimination and Education

Fruit Flies

Learn about the causes and elimination of pesky fruit flies.Tiny black minions. Foul flying fools. Little looney losers.

Fruit flies.

So you went to the store and bought some fresh fruit. You’re making a push to eat healthier. You’re going to the gym. You’re taking the stairs. You’re determined to learn how to make great smoothies with your collection of bananas, strawberries, grapes, and protein powder. You’re ready.

You’re set.

You’re UPSET!

Because you found fruit flies!

Now you wonder where the fruit flies came from. Instead of hitting the gym, you’re hitting the countertop, the table, the air, and your hands together, in an effort to smash the small, sickening sleuths.

Sad story. Sad story, indeed.

Back to Their Roots
Fruit flies hail from organic matter. Translation: Fruit flies can breed in decaying fruit, drains, and house plants. Rotting fruit is a perfect spot for a flourishing fruit fly family. Bananas are especially responsible because fruit flies lay their eggs in the stems of bananas. Drains in the kitchen, bathroom, and utility room are also popular places. And, the oft-forgotten common house plant is another huge hang out for fruit flies.

Uprooting the Rebels
Eliminating fruit flies can be tricky at times. Upon scouring the internet for you so you don’t have to, we discovered several fruit fly removal formulas. Anything from homemade funnels in sports drink bottles to Drano© to strategically placed wine glasses was suggested.

Here at The Bug Man, we have a few recommendations.

  1. Store the fruit in the fridge or dispose of whatever rotting fruit is attracting the flies. And, make a note to check your fruit at the store before you buy it to make sure no flies are nearby.
  2. After you’ve disposed of the rotting fruit, take out the trash. And while you’re doing that…
  3. Scope out the bottom of your trash or recycle bin. Is it dirty? If so, clean it.
  4. Wipe down your counters, tables, and floor. Sticky, leftover residue may be attracting flies.
  5. If you have a house plant, try re-potting it. How long has that soil been in there? Was it re-potted after you bought it?
  6. Clean your drains. We recommend pouring a diluted bleach solution down your drains. Let’s pause 15 seconds for emphasis.

1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10…11…12…13…14…15…

A diluted solution. Please don’t douse your drain with a container of bleach in an attempt to be overly thorough in your cleaning quest. Use one capful of bleach per gallon of water. Little bleach. Lot water.

If you’re still seeing fruit flies after taking the steps listed above, there are several other things you can try. There are numerous variations of a vinegar/soap concoction. Opinions vary as to which one works the best. If you need a customized recommendation of what to do, please leave us a comment here. We’ll do our best to help you out.

You may now return to your pursuit of healthy living, fruit-eating, and workouts at the gym.

Finding Freedom from Frustrating Fleas

Freedom from Frustrating Fleas

Find freedom from frustrating fleas with these few flea facts! When it comes to pests, fleas are beasts! Small, but mighty, those minuscule monsters can really create chaos in your home.

A Few Flea Facts

  • Like a butterfly or moth, fleas go through a complete life cycle (egg, larva, pupa, adult)
  • Only adult fleas bite
  • Some fleas can stay in the pupa stage for up to six months; other fleas can hatch in a few days if the conditions are right
  • The vibration caused by humans and animals walking or vacuuming can cause adult fleas to instantly hatch

Finding Freedom from Fleas

If you suspect that you have fleas, identify the source of the problem. This especially applies to pets. If your pet dog or cat has fleas, take steps to treat the fleas on them. Then, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Pay particular attention to vacuum the spots where your pet commonly hangs out. i.e. A sunny spot next to the window, under the dining room table, next to the laundry basket. Dispose of the vacuum bag properly to ensure that the fleas don’t infest your vacuum cleaner.

Call a professional pest management company. Hey, that’s us! We can help you identify the source of the flea problem and work with you to eliminate those pests from your home.

If you have a flea treatment done in your home, here are a few important things to remember:

  • Make arrangements to be gone for 2-4 hours so the flea treatment has enough time to dry. Both your family and your pets need to be gone during the treatment.
  • Clean your floor. Pick up everything, even under the bed and in your closets. This includes pet dishes. After everything is picked up, vacuum-like you have never vacuumed before.
  • It’s time to move the furniture…so that you can vacuum underneath it. Who knows what treasures you may find! Or what stash of coins may fall out.
  • Fold over the blankets on your bed and/or couch so they are well away from the floor.
  • Tie window curtains or drapes to make it easier for the technician to treat your floor
  • Save the fish! Cover your fish tanks and turn off the air supply to the tank during the treatment.

Once the flea treatment has dried and you are back in your home, continue on in your quest to be a professional vacuumer. Because of the vibrations of you and your vacuum, the remaining pupa will hatch into adults. You want the eggs to hatch so that the product in your newly-treated carpet kills them. Once you have become the vacuum master, find others (*coughyourkidsoryourfriendscough*) who you can train to follow you in your Jedi vacuum ways. If you’re feeling frisky, perhaps you can train them to do chores too.