Ants Move Indoors to Flee from Wintering Weather and the Rain

Ants Move Indoors to Flee from Wintering Weather

The forecast for the next two weeks includes the perfect ingredients for a big stew of issues with ants. To find out how to stop Middle Tennessee is about to weather a perfect (ant) storm.

The forecast for the next two weeks includes the perfect ingredients for a big stew of issues with ants.

Ant Ingredients 

    • Colder weather
    • Rain
    • Sugary Halloween candy
    • Empty candy wrappers

Ant Stew

The resulting stew produces a slew of issues for homeowners. As the rain floods out ant habitats, they will head inward to your home. And, if the ants discover a fresh batch of Halloween candy, it’ll be their treat and your trick.

Many homeowners choose not to use pest control services when it gets colder outside because they don’t see as much pest activity. While the pests seem to disappear, they actually don’t. This concept is called overwintering–when pests migrate, hibernate, or take up residence inside your home for the season. Check out our blog on overwintering, originally posted February of last year. It includes a link to a great article about overwintering by the Smithsonian Institution.

To make pests unwelcome this Halloween (and always)…

    • Clean up any candy wrappers or spilled beverages.
    • Don’t allow your kids, your siblings, your husband, your wife, or your sweet grandma to store stashes of candy in a secret hiding spot — chances are the ants will find the secret spot. Instead, follow our next tip…
    • Store candy in a sealed container, rather than out in the open.

If you do find yourself surrounded by ants, we’re standing by. We’re ready and willing to brew up our own batch of anti-ant stew. Call us at 615-217-7284.

Termite Swarms in Smyrna and Murfreesboro Tennessee

Termite Swarm

Termites are on the move in Middle Tennessee. They can be identified as ants with wings and can swarm by the thousands.

Termite Swarmers – A Termite Story from March 2011
The Bug Man received our first termite swarm call this week.  This occurred in Smyrna at a residential slab home.  The termites entered the structure behind the refrigerator through a crack in the concrete slab.  During the inspection, we found that the termites have damaged the walls and trim behind the refrigerator.  In this situation, we will recommend a soil treatment to eliminate the termite colony and recommend the damages be repaired.  In this case, the termites were discovered early and only minor damage has occurred.

Termite swarms are usually the first evidence a homeowner will discover when they have a termite infestation.  They are described by many homeowners as flying ants, or ants with wings. A homeowner may also discover mud shelter tubes on foundation walls built by the termites.  These shelter tubes provide a highway between the soil and the food source, and help protect them from predators.  Shelter tubes can be found on crawl space walls, exterior walls, on interior walls and in cracks between moldings.

If you ever experience a swarm of  “ant-like” bugs in or around your home, we recommend that you have them identified by a professional. Termites will usually swarm between March and June in the Middle Tennessee area.  The swarms are triggered by humidity and temperature.  We will usually have a significant number of calls after a heavy rainfall when the humidity levels are high.  Swarms usually occur between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  If you arrive home from work and find large quantities of bugs on the floors and windowsills, this is a good indication that you have experienced a termite swarm.   Catching a termite infestation early is the key to preventing damage to your home.  A trained professional knows where to look and what to look for when it comes to termites.

Termites are still swarming now in May. Here’s a video of a termite swarm in Murfreesboro in May 2011:

We are always here to answer any questions you may have about all your pest needs.  The Bug Man 615-217-7284

Storm Damage and Termites: What You Need to Know

Storm Damage and Termites

If you experienced storm damage that disturbed the soil surrounding your house and you have a termite treatment agreement with us, please call us at 615.217.7284. A re-treatment of your home is necessary to maintain your agreement and to prevent future termite damage. We will schedule a time to inspect your home and re-treat it.

With the recent damaging weather in Tennessee, many homeowners are cleaning up debris left over from the storms. While it’s not hard to remember to take care of the tree that fell over in your yard because you see it all of the time, checking the soil surrounding your home may be more elusive.

When we treat for pest or termite control, we establish an exterior barrier outside your home. Anytime the soil surrounding your house is disturbed, your home is at risk for pest invasions. If you add a deck or a sun room without adding pest protection, you may be involuntarily inviting bugs to join you for dinner. You may see a resurgence of ants or spiders after you do some landscaping. Or, termites may begin meeting for a feast inside your home after a night of bad weather.

If you experienced storm damage that disturbed the soil within five feet of your house and you have a termite treatment agreement with us, please call us at 615.217.7284. A re-treatment of your home may be necessary to maintain your agreement and to prevent future termite damage. We will schedule a time to inspect your home and re-treat it.

Please call us if you have questions about how home improvements, storm damage and landscaping affects pest control. If any of your friends or family has damage that disturbed the soil around their home, please ask them to check in with their pest control company. If they don’t have pest protection, their home may be at risk.

Storms are hectic. Cleaning up after storms can be overwhelming. We are here to help you keep your home protected.

Spring is in the Air and Ants are on the Move in Middle Tennessee

ants on the move

At The Bug Man, we want to equip you with as much information as we can on how to keep your home pest free. Here’s your latest installment of Bug Basics. Follow these tips to help your pest control professional better protect your home.Inside Tips:

  • If you spill something, clean it up. That ketchup on your kitchen table that fell off your corn dog last week is singing, “Come to me, ants. I have succulent sweetness for you to devour. Invite your friends. It’s a party!”
  • Regularly take out the trash. Keep this task on your chore list, folks. It is important.
  • Before you throw jars and containers into the trash that you just vowed to take out with devoted diligence, rinse them out. This applies to containers in your trash and in your recycling bin.
  • Pick up and store Fluffy’s/Fido’s food before you go to bed. Unfortunately, you may have to train your furry friend that they cannot graze on their food all night long. Much like your corn dog’s spilled ketchup, pet food attracts ants.

Outside Tips:

  • Seal your doors and windows. Not only will this help with your house’s draftiness, it’ll keep bugs out too.
  • Clean those rain gutters! This declarative sentence reminds us of the line, “Get those nail breakers!” in the classic 90s movie Ladybugs, starring Rodney Dangerfield. Hey, we’re a bug company. Of course we’re going to reference a bug-themed movie every once in awhile. If you have no idea what we’re talking about (or if you do and you love that movie), watch this YouTube clip.
  • Trim the trees and shrubs near your house. Ants will use tree limbs and bush branches like a bridge to march right into your house. Imagine it as a sophisticated ant interstate. You could call it I-ANT40.
  • Store firewood off the ground and away from your house. As you sit by your fireplace enjoying the evening and the ambiance, you don’t want ants sitting there with you, enjoying it too.

You may not know this, but most do-it-yourself pest treatments that you buy at a store actually hinder the pest removal effort because they repel bugs. Instead of killing the bugs, they just cause the pest to move locations, ultimately leading to more damage in the home.

If you find ants in your home, give us a call (615.217.7284).

 

Ant Season, Termite Season

Ant and Termite season

Tell me folks, is it ant season or termite season?

Is it Bugs season or Daffy season?

“Duck season!”
“Rabbit season!”
“Duck season!”
“Rabbit season”

Remember Looney Toons? Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck used to argue back and forth about which hunting season it was. And ol’ Elmer Fudd was befuddled by all of the crazy commotion.

Similar to Bugs and Daffy, it’s the time of year where you could find yourself saying:

“Ant season!”
“Termite season!”
“Ant season!”
“Termite season!”

In our previous blog, we talked about how ant-like bugs swarming in your house can actually be termites. To help you identify termites easier, check out the information below:

* Winged ants have two pairs of wings. The front pair is larger than the hind pair. Termite wings are the same shape and size.
* Ants have antennae that appear to have elbows. Termites have short, straight, beaded antennae.
* Ants have long, segmented bodies. Termites have short, stubby bodies.
* Both pests vary in size and color.

When you encounter pests in your home, don’t be befuddled. Call the The Bug Man. We will help you identify exactly what “pest season” it is.

The Ant Institute

The Ant Institute in Central TN

Ants are one of the peskiest pest problems. To learn more about ants and how to protect and safeguard your home or business against them, visit the very informative website for The Ant Institute. Ants are one of the peskiest pest problems. To learn more about ants and how to protect and safeguard your home or business against them, visit the very informative website for The Ant Institute.

To learn more about termites, visit The Termite Institute.

For bed bugs, visit The Bed Bug Institute.

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