Tennessee’s Most Wanted: The Pests You Never Invited

Tennessee has a long list of most wanted guests this spring. And they’re not the ones you actually invited…
We highly recommend you watch out for the following critters:

• Termites
• Fleas
• Ticks
• Mosquitoes
• Wasps
• Asian Lady Beetles
• Ladybugs
• Brown Recluse spiders

Don’t let these eight bugs ruin the warm weather for you. We want to keep your home enjoyable for you and the friends you do allow in. This weather is a key sign for pests to come out of hiding, burrowing, or lying dormant.

Spring is their green light. It’s prime time for them to start building their colonies for the summer. Besides expanding their colonies, they have to survive somehow. And that means, you might find them searching for food, moisture, and shelter inside your home.

From structural destroyers like termites to biting nuisances like mosquitoes, here’s how to stay alert this month and beyond.

Termites

Let’s start with termites. If there’s one pest that earns a top spot on Tennessee’s most wanted list, it’s these critters. Spring means swarm season. As the soil warms up after winter, subterranean termite colonies start to produce swarmers, winged reproductive termites that leave their nests to start new colonies. You may notice them flying near windows, doors, or any type of light source. Another sign could be small piles of discarded wings on windowsills or along the baseboards of your home.

Fleas

Fleas are small, but they’re capable of creating huge problems, especially for pet owners. While many people think fleas are only a problem in the summer, their life cycle can continue indoors throughout the colder months. Eggs and larvae hide deep in carpets, bedding, and deep in your pets fur. When temperatures rise, their development speeds up dramatically.

What starts as an occasional itch can quickly turn into an infestation because they reproduce very quickly. Once they make their way inside your home, they’re extremely difficult to eliminate without professional treatments. Besides being uncomfortable, they can cause allergic reactions in pets and even transmit parasites. This is why keeping up with frequent pest control services are important. We also recommend staying on top of vacuuming and washing everything in hot water when we’re not on your property.

Ticks

Ticks ruin everything. It’s hard enjoying time outdoors with your friends and family while you’re worrying about them getting on you. Ticks can be found in the following areas in Middle Tennessee:

• Wooded areas
• Tall grass
• Shaded landscapes

As soon as the temperature rises above freezing, ticks become active again. They aren’t able to jump or fly, but they do partake in a behavior called “questing.” If you’re unaware of this behavior, it’s when they cling to tall grass or landscape areas, and wait for someone to pass by. And unfortunately, humans and pets are their easiest targets.

Ticks are more than just an annoying bug. They can transmit diseases to both people and animals. If you enjoy eating red meat, don’t let these guys take over your life. You can prevent them from creating bigger problems by letting us develop a special plan that works for you.

Here are a few tips to help manage them before we arrive:

• Keep your grass trimmed.
• Remove leaf piles.
• Clear all debris in your yard.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes know how to ruin your summer, especially the female ones. Did you know that female mosquitoes are the ones that bite you? This is because they need your blood to reproduce.

Rain in the spring combined with warmer temperatures create the perfect opportunity for them to start breeding. Mosquitoes often require very little standing water to reproduce. They look for places like birdbaths, clogged gutters, plant pots, tarps, and low-lying areas in your backyard.

The mosquito population explodes in only a short period of time. Beyond the itchiest bumps they leave behind, mosquitoes also carry harmful diseases, which makes pest control services all the more valuable.

How to keep mosquitoes away before the pest control experts arrive:

• Dump standing water weekly.
• Clean gutters often.
• Schedule monthly or bi-monthly treatments.

Following these steps will help reduce mosquito populations before their peak season in the summer.

Wasps

As temperatures start increasing, queen wasps emerge from hibernation to begin building new nesting spots. Early on, nests start out small and are often found under patios, along rooflines, or in the corners of your home. At this point, colonies are still developing. By mid-to-late summer, those small nests will triple their size.

Wasps become more aggressive as their colonies start to grow. Disturbing a nest, even accidentally, can trigger their self-defense mechanism, which often results in stings.

It’s a great idea to address nests early in the spring to manage them properly. Please don’t wait until it’s peak season to start taking them down!

Regular inspections during spring can help homeowners enjoy their living space before wasps become a serious problem.

Asian Lady Beetles

These guys are often mistaken for traditional ladybugs. But they’re actually a common spring problem in Tennessee.

While Asian Lady Beetles are beneficial to the environment for feeding on aphids, they frequently invade homes in large colonies. They are attracted to light-colored homes and sunny exterior walls. Once they get inside your home, they find the nearest window or light source to survive.

If you disturb them, they’ll emit an unpleasant odor and leave behind yellowish stains. And trust me when we say nobody wants these stains around their home…

Fortunately, Asian Lady Beetles don’t cause any structural damage, but their presence indoors is very frustrating. By calling the professionals, we will seal up all cracks around your doors, windows, and siding before the temperature gets any hotter.

Ladybugs

Now that we’ve established the difference between Asian Lady Beetles, it’s time to discuss Ladybugs. These insects are very important to the environment because they act as garden allies. Meaning that, they feed on plant-damaging pests.

During the warmer spring days, ladybugs that found shelter within your walls in winter may emerge inside. Don’t get me wrong, they’re extremely harmless, but their sudden appearance can be alarming to many homeowners.

So, the key to managing ladybugs is prevention. Keeping up with methods like sealing entry points and repairing damaged screens will help keep them outside where they belong. Let’s work together on getting them back to what they do best: protecting our gardens!

Brown Recluse Spiders

If you’re afraid of spiders, you might want to pay close attention to this.

Why is spring prime-time for pest activity?

Winter doesn’t eliminate any pests. It just slows them down.

Most insects overwinter in protected environments, such as under your home, inside wall voids, beneath debris in your yard, or within certain structures. When temperatures rise in the spring, their metabolism increases, breeding resumes, and colonies quickly grow.

Spring represents more opportunities for pests. Food sources become more active, moisture levels increase, and outdoor conditions become ideal for nesting and reproducing. If you take your time getting back on your monthly services, smaller activity can lead to a bigger infestation.

As you can see, it’s better to act now than wait for signs!

Recap

Now you’re more educated on the best defense against Tennessee’s most unwanted pests. Early action.

Schedule your free inspection or give us a call at 615.590.1260. We can’t wait to protect your home from these annoying pests!