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. 🙂

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. 🙂

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.

Visit Murfreesboro’s Main Street JazzFest on May 6 and May 7

Main street

Dan Cassidy–owner of The Bug Man–has been on the Main Street Jazz Fest Committee every year since the beginning of The Bug Man. In honor of Dan’s very Tennessee-appropriate volunteerism, please make a trip out to Main Street Jazz Fest on May 6 and 7. Visit jazzfestmainstreet.com for more info. Dan Cassidy–the owner of The Bug Man–has been on the Main Street JazzFest Committee every year since the beginning of The Bug Man.

Let’s do a little math. He’s been on the committee since 2001. He’s volunteered at least 50 hours every year. It’s 2011 now. So that’s 10 years of 50 hours. Coming out to…over 500 hours of volunteering! Yeesh!

That’s a lot of volunteering, Dan-o!

In honor of Dan’s very Tennessee-appropriate volunteerism, please make a ‘note’ to make a trip out to Main Street JazzFest on May 6 and 7. Maybe you’ll see Dan sport the jazz hands he developed as a result of being on the committee for 10 years. 🙂

For a schedule of events (ranging from middle schoolers to college kids to high schoolers), visitjazzfestmainstreet.com.

A highlight of JazzFest is the U.S. Army Ground Forces Band the Jazz Guardians. They play Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Cicadas in Tennessee 2011

Cicadas

We’re using Llama Font to deliver bad news about the 2011 Cicadas in Tennessee…

Here at The Bug Man, we’re big fans of humor. It’s great to laugh! Because, honestly, some things are quite funny. If laughter is the best medicine, then we’ve got an entire medicine cabinet full of it!

While browsing Twitter today, we stumbled upon a funny little web page called Llama Font. It genuinely cracked us up to think about Tina the llama from the movie Napoleon Dynamite bending to make llama letters.

The creators of Llama Font suggested that their llama letters should be used to deliver bad news…

Bad News About the 2011 Cicadas in Tennessee

Though the news you just read is tragic, don’t be dismayed. Rather, take relief in knowing this good news…

Good News About The Bug Man

If you found this page on Google and really want legit info about cicadas, please read our previous blog post The 13-Year Cicada Set to Invade Middle Tennessee.

Have any questions about cicadas (or any other pest)? Please post a comment. Maybe we’ll answer your questions in Llama Font!

Just kidding. We won’t answer in Llama Font. 🙂

The 13-Year Cicadas Set to Invade Middle Tennessee

The cicadas are coming!

The cicadas are coming!

The cicadas are coming! You may have heard rumors that the dreaded 13-year cicadas are emerging this year in Tennessee. It’s true. They are coming between April and June.

You may have heard rumors that the dreaded 13-year cicadas are emerging this year in Tennessee. It’s true. They are coming between April and June. It is predicted that they will appear when the ground temperature reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Several have been spotted in the area already. In no time, there will be thousands of them!

What exactly are the 13-year cicadas? And why are they coming out this year? Don’t they come out every year? What makes this year special? What’s the difference between a 13-year and a 17-year cicada? What’s the difference between a cicada and a locust?

Cicadas are known for their beady little eyes. Contrary to popular myth, they are not blind. They can see just fine. However, fine eyesight does not prevent them from flying onto humans occasionally.

There are several different types of cicadas. You’re probably familiar with the annual cicadas that come out every summer, typically called dog-day cicadas. The rarer 13- and 17-year cicadas are growing underground all the time, feeding on nutrients in trees, but only come out after they’ve fully grown (after 13 or 17 years). The difference between a 13-year and a 17-year cicada is that one species simply takes four years longer to mature than the other.

When the 13-year cicadas appear and make a loud racket, it’s called an emergence. After maturing and growing into adulthood underground for 13 years–they are ready to emerge above ground and begin mating. The loud sound that you hear comes from the males. It’s their mating call. The females hear the mating call, find the males, mate and then lay their eggs in tree branches. Check out this informational page from The Tennessean for more details.

The reason the cicada emergence is so loud is because millions of cicada babies grew into adulthood underground together for 13 years. Then those millions appear above ground singing together in a shrieking chorus, ready to mate and create millions more babies. It’s an ongoing cycle.

The 13-year cicadas sing loudest during the hottest parts of day. They do sing at night, but not as frequently or as loudly. If you hear singing at night, it’s most likely a cricket, katydid or frog.

At The Bug Man, we don’t treat for cicadas because treating them with pesticides has proved ineffective. Other than producing a loud and annoying noise, cicadas are not harmful to humans. They don’t attack or sting. They don’t destroy the wood in houses.

However, if you have young trees growing in your yard, it’s recommended that you cover them with bird netting or cheese cloth, or to delay pruning until the cicadas have left because female cicadas cut and pierce the branches of young trees, making the trees weak.

Also, if you were planning on any outdoor painting project this summer, perhaps you should reschedule to another time because flying cicadas might ruin your paint job.

Although cicadas are often called locusts, they are not synonymous. Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers. Cicadas are an entirely different, plant-sucking creature.

The 13-year cicadas are a mysterious thing. Many people don’t understand this phenomenon and will respond in fear. If this blog was helpful and informative to you, please forward it along to your friends and family. Hopefully knowing more about cicadas will help you endure their courtship choruses.

The Bug Man Joins the Blue Raider Athletic Association

The Bug Man in Central TN

The Bug Man just became a member of the Blue Raider Athletic Association (BRAA). As a member, we help provide scholarships to MTSU student athletes. MTSU Raiders Ride!

The Bug Man just became a member of the Blue Raider Athletic Association (BRAA). As a member, we help provide scholarships to MTSU student athletes.

BRAA helps provide scholarships to 17 athletic programs, including:

Men’s: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Tennis, Indoor & Outdoor Track, Cross Country

Women’s: Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, Soccer, Indoor & Outdoor Track, Cross Country, Golf

Maybe we’ll see you while we’re watching the Blue Raiders score a goal unit basket to beat their opponents soundly in an upcoming skirmish!

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!