Lots of New, New, New in Our Company News

The Bug Man in Central TN

We really are growing a lot here at The Bug Man! In early February, we moved into our new office at 606 S. Church Street. At the end of March, we added two new trucks to our ‘bugged’ out fleet of bug-busting, technician-toting work trucks. And here we are, already in April, and we even have a few new employees.

Here are a few pictures and a YouTube video documenting our recent changes. As you can see, the video was taken before our building was repainted. You can always find updates on our Facebook and Twitter, and even on our Pinterest. Please join us there. We’d love to talk to you!

Our new, freshly painted building
Our new ‘bugged’ out trucks

Experimenting with Ants

Experimenting with Ants

Reasons why DIY Pest Control May Not Work

Experimenting with ants is interesting! If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a 22-minute-long video is worth about eleven million words. 🙂 To spread the wealth, we split the video up into two separate segments.

One of our technicians put together an impromptu experiment to show what happens to ants when different pesticides are used. He experimented with water, a repellent, a non-repellent, granular bait, and gel bait.

If you’ve ever gone to the store to buy your own spray and wondered why that spray didn’t work, this video will answer that for you. If you’ve tried a bunch of different things and the ants are still there, this will show you why.

Without further adieu, we give you Ant Experiment, Part 1:

And Ant Experiment, Part 2:

Feedback in the comments is always appreciated. Or, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter at @TheBugManTN.

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.

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.

Tips for Reducing Mosquitoes

Tips for Reducing Mosquitoes

Here are a few tips to help ward off the mosquitoes in your area.

To aid in the effort to keep your home bite-free, check for mosquito motels around your property. It doesn’t take long to scope out your property to look for potential mosquito hangouts.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another!

That short, yet succinct statement is true right now in Middle Tennessee. Especially in the area of cicadas vs. mosquitoes.

Since they only come around every 13 years, it seems like cicadas would be the biggest news in the bug world. However, due to a lot of rain and hot weather in April, those pesky pests called mosquitoes are making quite a big bite in the pest popularity contest. Literally!

To fight the bite, The Bug Man offers a mosquito management program during the summer months that is intended to help reduce the breeding and resting areas of mosquitoes around your property. Call (615.217.7284) or email (service@thebugman.us) our office for more information.

To aid in the effort to keep your home bite-free, check for mosquito motels around your property. It doesn’t take long to scope out your property to look for potential mosquito hangouts. Here are a few tips to help ward off the mosquitoes in your area.

  • Dispose of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles, plastic sheeting, or any water-holding containers.
  • Clean debris from rain gutters to allow proper drainage.
  • Fill in or drain low places (puddles, ruts) in yard.
  • Keep drains, ditches, and culverts clean of weeds and trash so water can flow properly.
  • Cover trash containers to keep out rain water.
  • Check around outdoor faucets and air conditioner units and repair leaks or puddles.
  • Empty plastic wading pools at least once per week and store indoors when not in use.
  • Make sure your backyard pool is cared for while away from the home.
  • Fill in tree holes and stumps that hold water with sand or cement
  • Change the water in bird baths, plant pots, and drip trays at least once per week.
  • Keep the grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house where adult mosquitoes may rest.
  • Irrigate lawns and gardens carefully to prevent water from standing.
  • Eliminate seepage from cisterns, cesspools, and septic tanks.
  • Stock ornamental pools with top feeding predacious minnows.
  • Check window and door screens on the home.  Be sure they are in good condition to seal out mosquitoes.
  • Wear light colored clothing, plus long sleeve shirts and long pants for extra protection.
  • Use repellants on skin and clothing while outdoors.

Customer Service Testimonials

Customer Service Testimonials

Like most people, we love being told that we’re doing a good job. It’s encouraging and uplifting. Whenever a customer calls or writes in to tell us that they appreciate our services, it makes our day! Recently, Sean H. sent us an email to tell us how much he appreciated his technician. We’d like to share it with you.Like most people, we love being told that we’re doing a good job. It’s encouraging and uplifting. Whenever a customer calls or writes in to tell us that they appreciate our services, it makes our day!

Recently, Sean H. sent us an email to tell us how much he appreciated his technician. We’d like to share it with you.

Hello Dan, I hope you don’t mind that I got your email from your receptionist, I just want to let you know that I had a great experience with Stan, a new employee of yours. He was very knowledgeable and personable. I was comfortable having him in and around my house. He answered all my questions with genuine interest and effort and made suggestions based on my questions. I had never used The Bug Man before, but you can be sure that I will continue to do so and also recommend them to my friends and family. Please give Stan another thank you from me. 

Thanks for the encouragement, Sean! It’s a pleasure to serve you.

If you Googled The Bug Man, you’d most likely find our Places page. A recent review from Wisegal had this to say about us:

Decided to give this company a try. They went above my expectations for service and I trust their product, being I was concerned about my animals.

Another review–written by an anonymous source and taken from Superpages.com–reads as follows:

I have had a few different exterminators come to my home. I lost faith in them until I called The Bug Man and they sent a technician named Dan Lambert to my house, I was impressed immediately, he showed up actually a little early after calling and treated my house very well. He explained everything he was doing, saw him do things I had never seen an exterminator do. Very professional. This young man took care of an ant problem in one visit, that two other companies could not do in three years. I believe The Bug Man is the only true exterminator company in Rutherford County. 

We are grateful for feedback from our customers. If you ever come across a listing about The Bug Man on the internet, we welcome your comments and feedback.

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.

“When you treat for bugs, will it hurt my pet?”

Will bug treatment affect my pet

One of the things we get asked most frequently here at The Bug Man is, “When you treat for bugs, will it hurt my pet?” This is a common question deserving of a clear answer. In short, when pest control products are prepared and applied properly according to label specifications, they will not hurt you, your family, or your pet.One of the things we get asked most frequently here at The Bug Man is, “When you treat  for bugs, will it hurt my pet?”

This is a common question deserving of a clear answer.

In short, when pest control products are prepared and applied properly according to label specifications, they will not hurt you, your family, or your pet.

Join with us now in a sigh of relief and a smile of appreciation. And, please read on to learn more.

The Bug Man takes great care in following the safety and application instructions for the products that we use. We measure the amount of product necessary for each pest control service and apply it specifically to a targeted area. We do not spray your home or workplace frivolously. There are some instances where we must use a technique called fogging, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Also, on the service tickets for our customers, we note how much of each product we apply.

In some treatment situations, we will request that pets and people vacate the premises for a particular period of time.  This is generally only required for flea and bed bug treatments.  Most other times, Felix and Fido can stay cozy on the couch.

We are a Quality Pro company. What that means is that we adhere to certain guidelines:

* Employee background checks

* Drug-free workplace

* Our technicians wear uniforms

* Customer service

* Stewarding the environment through following directions on product labels, applying products properly and disposing of products safely

We love information and education at The Bug Man. If you have any questions about blogs, bugs or anything else, please, let us know. You can post questions and comments on our blog, Facebook or Twitter. Or you can call us at 615.217.7284.

Stink Bugs on the Rise in Middle Tennessee

Stink Bugs on the rise

When considering the odoriferous occasional invader that is the stink bug, they can be described much like Mr. Grinch:

“The three words that describe you are as follows, and I quote, ‘Stink, Stank, Stunk!’”

Tennessee, as well as 32 other states in America, are dealing with the rotten reality of stink bug infestations.

Tennessee, as well as 32 other states in America, are dealing with the rotten reality of stink bug infestations. Unfortunately, because they secrete a smelly liquid when threatened, even a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole won’t help.

Stink bugs have already been reported in the Middle Tennessee area. Some species of the bug attack crops and can cost farmers millions of dollars in damage. Other stink bugs only attack the noses of people who happen to step on or disturb them.

To prevent stink bugs from entering your home, make sure you seal around windows and doors with silicone-latex caulk. Also, patch any holes or replace any damaged screens on windows, porches or doors. Vacuuming an affected area may help, as long as the vacuum bag is disposed of properly and not left inside to release the nasty odor.

The National Pest Management Association warns homeowners this week that the bugs’ growing populations are likely to make infestations significantly worse this year. “This season’s stink bug population will be larger than in the past,” says Jim Fredericks, director of technical services for NPMA.

If you encounter stink-stank-stunk bugs in your home or work place, do not squash them. Call us at 615.217.7284 or email service@thebugman.us. We’re happy to help you defeat those mini Mr. Grinches!

The Buzz on Bees and Other Sting Things

The Buzz on Bees

“Killer” bees. Yellowjackets. Wasps. Nests. Allergies. Pain. Do you feel the fear? Honeybee, carpenter bee, bumble bee… How do I tell them apart?“Killer” bees. Yellowjackets. Wasps. Nests. Allergies. Pain. Do you feel the fear?

With warmer weather comes more bug activity, including bees and wasps. In this season, there are many different kinds of stinging insects flying around your home, car and work place. But you may not be able to tell those insects apart–especially if you swat at them fiercely or run away.

Through this blog, we’ll try to teach you a few memorable points about a few of the stinging insects active in your neighborhood. However, this explanation will not be exhaustive. If you’re seeing insect activity, please call us. We’ll come out and identify–as well as try to remove–the wasp nest or beehive from your property.

Carpenter Bee

Though carpenter bees don’t pose a public health threat. They do have the potential to damage wood through the building of their nests. Sounds a lot like termites, huh?

Painting and staining the wood on your house may help prevent carpenter bees because they prefer to nest in untreated wood. However, they will occasionally make themselves at home even in treated wood. If you discover carpenter bees, we will assist you in treating them, and recommend having the holes filled or repaired.

Bumble Bee (not to be confused with Honeybees)

These bees have quite a fuzzy appearance. However, don’t let their apparent softness fool you, because bumble bees can sting more than once. In defending their nest, bumble bees will chase any threatening thing (that means you) a considerable distance.

Dealing with bumble bees can prove tricky because they defend their homes so aggressively and can sting multiple times. Please don’t try to take care of a bumble bee nest on your own. For your own safety, let us help you.

Honeybee

These little buzzers only sting once. That’s good news if you ever come in contact (literally) with one. Unfortunately, a honeybee sting is one of the most painful stings. Like bumble bees, honeybees chase invaders of their nest for a relatively long distance.

Taking care of a honeybee nest is the same as taking care of a bumble bee nest. Consider the safety that comes from a professional pest management company and spare yourself the stinging.  If we find a honeybee nest, we recommend contacting a beekeeper to have them relocate the hive.

Though they can harm you, both the honeybee and bumble bee are beneficial because they help in the process of pollination.

“Killer” Bees

By the way, don’t worry, because “killer” bees aren’t active in Tennessee. However, if you visit Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada or Texas, you would find them there. The name “killer” bee is applied because they attack as a group, which causes more damage to humans. If someone is highly allergic to bee stings and gets attacked multiple times by this species of bee, the person may die of an allergic reaction, if left untreated.

Yellowjacket

Wrapping up today’s little list of sting things is the yellowjacket. Getting stung by a yellowjacket can cause an allergic reaction. Over 500,000 people are sent to the emergency room every year because of stinging pests like these.

Yellowjackets often hang out at BBQs and picnics near the sugary beverages and meaty meals, or by trash cans and recycling bins. Remember to properly dispose of your meats and sweets. Overall, proper trash disposal is very helpful in pest control.

If you suspect yellowjacket activity, call a pest professional.

Those are your bug basics for today. Thanks for reading!