Do you have ants in your Tennessee home?

It is not always easy to tell if your home has been invaded by ants. You would notice the obvious little black ants that turn your sugar bowl into their dinner plate or the sting of the fire ants in your back yard, but you could be harboring ants in the depths of your home and not even know it. Carpenter ants are one of the most destructive creatures to dwell in your walls, and if left unchecked, can chew away at the sills, studs and casings that support your home causing its structural integrity to fail.

You should inspect your home for signs of ants on a regular basis in order to catch these unwanted guests before their damage becomes severe – costing you time and money. Carpenter ants swarm in late winter to early spring and can be observed between sunset and midnight in the spring and summer. Look for small piles of sawdust or wood shavings which would indicate the presence of worker ants indoors. Also, the reproductive ants are winged, so look for piles of wings in sinks, tubs or along window sills. Make sure to check for any of these signs along foundations, outside walls, basements, around plumbing and vent entrances, and anywhere firewood is stored. Truly, inspection alone is not enough. There are steps you can take to prevent these creatures from finding your home an attractive new stomping ground. They include:

  • Trim overhanging branches from roof and eaves
  • Prune branches that touch electrical lines or wires connected to your house
  • Remove tree and shrub stumps and roots
  • Replace moisture damaged wood
  • Eliminate high moisture areas around your home
  • Elevate wood piles and store at least 20 feet away from buildings

Being diligent to follow these guidelines will help; but in the event that ants find your home too cozy to pass up – it’s time to call a professional like the pro’s here at Active Pest Control. Why call a professional, you ask? Well, ants are very social insects that live in colonies that can number in the millions. Because ants can communicate well, they warn each other of danger which makes over-the-counter DIY sprays mostly ineffective -killing only a few hundred before word gets out warning others to stay away. Besides, these colonies are often inaccessible deep underground, in walls, or under pavement. If you don’t eliminate the entire colony, they will repopulate in a very short amount of time. Active Pest Control is family owned and operated with decades of experience. We are Quality Pro certified and are listed in the top 25 pest control companies in the country! You can trust our trained professionals to eliminate your pest control issues.

Is There A Fly In Your Soup?

If there is a fly in your soup, be thankful you don’t have Grover helping you with your problem. In this classic scene from Sesame Street, a restaurant patron must rely on Grover–who can’t tell the difference between under, next to, on and in–to help him with a fly in his soup. After several failed attempts, Grover bursts out with a line that is probably one of the funniest in Sesame Street history. “You should have asked for a bowl of soup and said, ‘Hold the flies!'” The absurdity of this statement is only made more pronounced when Grover replaces the man’s fly-tainted soup with another: cream of mosquito.

Bugs may not be a big deal in Grover’s kitchen, but they can be bad news in yours. Flies aren’t only a frustrating pest, they are a known spreader of harmful bacteria. It’s not entirely their fault. They start their lives out as maggots and feed on rotted organic material in your trashcan and other unsavory places. It is only natural for them to continue to be drawn to filthy things for the rest of their lives. If you think it bugs you to see a fly land on your food, imagine if you could know where that fly’s feet have been. It would throw you right off the edge.

Flies are not an insect you should ever shrug off. They can’t be effectively controlled with a few strips of flypaper. This is a dirty insect that shouldn’t be in your soup, on your counters or in your kitchen. Here are a few ideas to make your kitchen a fly-free zone:

  • Make sure you screens are in good condition. Some flies will zip in through the front door when you open it, but a large number get in through poor screening and holes in window framing. Use fingernail polish to fix small holes, and invest in a tiny patch kit to get holes that are up to a quarter in size.
  • Don’t lure flies onto your property. Get trash cans that seal. Put compost several feet away from your exterior walls. And don’t provide any other food sources around your home.
  • Trash cans inside should be sealed as well. If a fly does get in, you don’t want to give it the perfect breeding site.
  • Soak dishes in soapy water rather than stacking them next to the sink. Flies can’t breed fast enough to use your dirty dishes as a breeding site, but they will definitely grab a bite and use the energy to find another more suitable site.
  • Commercial businesses use light traps to control flying insects. If a couple of flies get in, you might want to have a small light trap to take care of the problem.
  • Remember that the trash can in the kitchen isn’t the only trash in the house. If you have kids, there could be food in the bathroom trash as well.

It is no fun having flies in the kitchen. Use these tips and a year round pest control program from Active Pest Control to keep them out, for good.

Family Pets And Household Pests

Do you have a furry friend running around your Rome Georgia home? For some of us, it is impossible to imagine life without a pet. Their antics are a constant source of enjoyment. They bring us healing on those days when we have to stay home from work or school, and, they are a fluffy companion on this journey called life. That is why it is so important to have proper pest control in and around your home. Here are a few creatures found around your home that can hurt your furry family member.

  1. Fleas. It is no surprise to see this pest on the list. Fleas are a tormentor for dogs and cats. They are responsible for horrible dermatological issues that can cause your pet’s fur to fall out and scabbing to appear. They can spread tapeworms to your pets, especially dogs, when fleas that have tapeworm eggs are ingested. Fleas can carry diseases that cause fever, heart disease and even the plague. The solution to this problem is protective gear and medicinal treatment for your pet and a routine flea treatment for your lawn.
  2. Ticks. If you allow your dog or cat to spend any time in tall grass, you’re going to have ticks. Though they aren’t too much of a problem to remove, ticks can transmit diseases to your pet, like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, hepatozoonosis, cytauxzoonosis, ehrlichiosis, tick paralysis and others. There are a few things that you can do to prevent ticks; Keep your grass cut short and put a fence around your yard to keep wild animals from transporting ticks into your yard. Remove bird feeders so that birds do not deposit ticks near your home. Seal and secure all trash to avoid luring wild animals onto your property, and, get a routine pest treatment to kill ticks and tick eggs in your yard.
  3. Little red ants. If you have fire ants in your yard, your pet could get into some trouble. A single fire ant bite is only mildly irritating. But several ant bites over a long period of time can cause severe irritation of the skin, and vision loss. If you have fire ant mounds encroaching upon your property, it is important to have them removed by a professional. Do-it-yourself methods can cause fire ant populations to split and multiply. With this veracious pests, it is important to act quickly and aggressively to stop the spread.
  4. Stinging insects. Your pet is as susceptible to the dangers of stinging insects as you are. If you have a wasp, bee, hornet or yellow jacket nest on your property, your pet could be at risk. Yellow jackets can be especially troublesome because they build their nests in the ground where animals can get near them. They are also an aggressive swarming insect that can sting multiple times without losing its stinger. If you have a nest on your property have it removed immediately. Stinging insects grow their populations all summer long and in early fall they pose an even greater risk to your pets and your family. When you have no nests, you have less risk. It’s that simple.
  5. Wildlife. There are many creatures that carry rabies in their bodies. If your pet gets into a tangle with one of these, the results could be life threatening for your pet. If you believe a wild animal is living on your property, call a pest control company immediately.

Your pet is a part of your family. Always be aware of where your cat or dog is playing, and keep those areas free of dangerous pests. Pet sickness can be costly, both financially and emotionally. Stay protected with help from the professionals here at Active Pest Control. Let us protect all of your loved ones, including your four-legged family members from pests with one of our home pest service plans. Contact us today!

 

Lyme Disease In Gwinnett, Georgia

Think there is no Lyme disease in Georgia? You may want to think again after you read this story of a Gwinnett, Georgia resident and her ordeal with this mysterious disease.

“If someone tells you Lyme disease doesn’t exist in Georgia, don’t believe them,” says Karen Huppertz, a Gwinnett, Georgia resident whose daughter battled the mysterious disease for years. It began with vertigo and swollen knees. She complained of headaches, low-grade fevers and abdominal pain that was oddly specific. All of these warning signs of Lyme disease, but her daughter never reported the signature bullseye rash most Lyme disease patients get around the bite mark.

Karen brought her daughter to one specialist after the next, hoping for a diagnosis that would lead them to a cure. But after blood work, CT scans, MRIs, lumbar puncturing and a number of other uncomfortable procedures, where her teenage daughter was poked and prodded, they were no closer to a solution than when they first began.

Headaches and fevers progressed into more serious neurological symptoms. Problems like numbness in her arms and legs, blurred vision, insomnia, and short-term memory loss. Though her daughter had aspirations to press forward and continue with college, everything had to come to a grinding halt. She had even begun asking about getting a wheelchair.

While doctors began to consider multiple sclerosis, Karen scoured the internet for answers, and came across the controversial disease known as Lyme disease. Not controversial because scientists or doctors questioned its existence, but that they didn’t believe it existed in the South. They had finally found the answer they were looking for. Now, after two years of treatment, Karen’s daughter is symptom-free. Now, she continues to spread the word about Lyme disease in Georgia.

Dr. Andrew Pugliese, a specialist who treats patients in Gwinnett and North Fulton says, “Lyme disease is very prevalent in Georgia, but highly under diagnosed.”

Help Karen and others spread the word about Lyme disease in Georgia. No one should ever have to watch their child suffer for 8 years with an illness that could be treated successfully with antibiotics.

Hopefully, Karen and her daughter’s ordeal is over, but the threat in Georgia still remains. Protect your home and your family from deer tick diseases by wearing proper clothing when you walk in the woods or in tall grass, and by getting a tick treatment for your yard from the professionals here at Active Pest Control. Let our family help to protect yours from ticks, mosquitoes and other pests with one our residential pest control programs. Don’t delay, contact us today!

Is Lyme Disease Really A Big Deal?

You’ve probably heard many times that you need to watch out for ticks because you’ll get Lyme disease. Is this really true? If so, how bad is it to get Lyme disease? Are my limbs going to fall off? Let’s take a look at the hysteria and controversy surrounding Lyme disease, and examine some practical ways you can protect yourself and your family.

The truth about Lyme disease.

First of all, not everyone who gets bitten by a tick develops Lyme disease. Though many ticks carry the harmful bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) that causes Lyme disease, they are not guaranteed to have it. So, if you find a tick on you, don’t panic.

Another misconception is that everyone who gets Lyme disease gets the chronic kind that can last for years–and even a lifetime. The truth is, each of us reacts to this bacteria in a different way. For some, there is no visible reaction. Others may experience a round bullseye rash, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. But after three weeks of antibiotics, all symptoms go away.

There is, however, a percentage of people who experience stronger symptoms that can last for years, and even a lifetime. This is usually in people who do not receive antibiotic treatments. In fact, 60% of people not treated develop recurring attacks of arthritis. And, on average 15% of people not treated develop chronic arthritis. Lyme disease can also lead to neurological problems which manifest as numbness in the hands and feet, shooting pains, and short-term memory loss.

Who is at risk of Lyme disease?

  • People who spend a lot of time in high grass risk greater exposure to ticks.
  • People who hike in wooded areas.
  • Children and young adults are more likely to get Lyme disease.

Prevention

  • If you find a tick on you, use a tick removal kit, tweezers or pliers to get the entire tick out. It takes 24-48 hours for a Lyme disease producing amount of Borrelia burgdorferi to enter the body. Catching ticks early can prevent this disease.
  • Keeping the grass cut in your yard will reduce tick populations.
  • Regular tick treatments from a pest professional can fully eliminate ticks.
  • Wear insect repellent when traveling in the woods or tall grass. Put your pants inside your socks. Wear light clothing so ticks can be easily seen. And, wear a hat.

So, is Lyme disease a big deal? It can be, for some. But of all the tips mentioned here, it is important to note that you’re going to be mostly safe if you simply check for ticks and remove them early. There is no need for hysteria–well, not yet anyway. But it is a good idea to stay vigilant. It is also a good idea to protect what you can protect. Keep your yard safe and be cautious when visiting friends and family. If you do this, you should be fine.

Contact us for more information on ticks in Georgia and Active Pest Control‘ pest control services for ticks.

Seeing Ants In Your Georgia Home?

It just so happens that your home provides everything an ant and several hundred of it’s friends need to survive. We’re talking about food and shelter. If gaps around doors and windows or cracks in the foundation are present, these pesky ants will slip right in. You’ll likely see them hanging out in the kitchen, bathrooms and other areas of the home you’d consider off limits to these foraging pests.

Here in Atlanta, we deal with both nuisance ants and wood destroying ants. Nuisance ants are relatively harmless. Their presence in your home is annoying but not considered threatening. If they trek through your pantry or across those cookies on your counter, you might want to throw out the food but you don’t have to worry about a bigger health threat. The carpenter ant is a wood destroying ant and again is not dangerous to your health. The same cannot be said for wood structures. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood like termites do but they do tunnel through to create galleries. They may even establish satellite colonies in your walls. Left untreated, carpenter ants can inflict significant damage to a structure.

So to recap, if you are seeing ants in your home, it’s because they’ve found a way in and are liking the accommodations. Now how to fix this problem.

To prevent ants from getting inside, you must start on the outside. You’ve got to make sure that the exterior of the house is sealed tight. That means any tiny hole or gap is identified and corrected. Next you will want to make sure that all hedges and shrubs are trimmed away from your home. Though they look nice, landscape elements often provide a nice bridge to the house.

Moving indoors, you must be sure to eliminate any potential food sources. Food on the counters and open packages in the pantry must be outlawed in your home if you want to deter ants. Use containers that seal to hold food. Crumbs and spills should be cleaned up right away as well. Don’t forget to run a cleaning cloth under the toaster and sweep under the major appliances to get rid of crumbs hiding.

If you already have an ant infestation in your home, Active Pest Control offers effective home pest control services that get rid of ants and other household pests. Best of all, our program protects your home all year round. Contact us today to find out how our Atlanta pest control pros can help you solve your ant problem!

Get Your Chattanooga Home Ready For Sale

If you were considering the prospect of selling your home, it may be time. Last year, Chattanooga realtors saw the greatest number of home sales since the recession of 2006, and they are expecting 2015 to be an even bigger year. Not only that, median sale prices on homes in Chattanooga are up 5.9 percent from 2013, making the average home $147,900. And, the good news keeps coming, as last month Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reduced down payment requirements from 5 to 3 percent. It is finally time for millennials (ages 25-34) to get out there and buy their dream home. That home may be yours. Are you ready to sell?

Spring cleaning tips for prepping your home.

When those potential buyers stop by, you want them to leave with the best impression possible. It has never been more important to do proper spring cleanup.

  • Lawn: Now that winter has passed, make sure all twigs, leaves and other debris is picked up off your lawn. Use an herbicide to get rid of weeds. And, check to make sure your inground sprinkler system is still working, if you have one.
  • Deck or Patio: Sweep, clean, stain and reseal your deck or patio.
  • Water build up: Make sure your gutters are in good working order and that water is being channeled away from your home. To avoid injury, hire a professional to clean your gutter and downspouts. It is well worth the $100 to $200.
  • Roof: Look for cracks or missing shingles and make sure your roofline is in good shape.
  • Exterior walls: Look for any rotted or chew holes where water and pests have eaten away at your wood. Look in hard-to-see areas because a home inspector is likely to check these areas for their client.
  • Chimney: Examine your chimney for efflorescence, a white calcium deposit that is a warning sign of water absorption.
  • Windows and screens: Replace any broken or damaged screens, weather stripping and door sweeps.
  • Leaks: Inspect your home for leaky faucets, spigots or pipes. If you find puddles or areas of moisture, have a plumber take care of these trouble spots.
  • Lights: Make sure all your lights work.
  • Clean: Spring clean everything and get rid of unnecessary clutter.
  • Pests: Make sure all trash cans have sealable lids and that they are in a place where they can’t be knocked over. Get rid of spider webs outside. And do an inspection of your attic for nests or dens. Hire a pest control professional to do an inspection and offer options to keep your home pest-free* during the sale process.

Hopefully, you will have a quick and profitable sale. But sometimes it can take a while. Maintain a pest treatment plan to avoid damage from wood chewing pests and to give your home a pest-free* feel every time buyers come to visit.

Spring Ant Deterrents

Do ants make you want to squeeze both fists as tight as you can, look up into the sky, and scream, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaants!” Trust me when I say, “you’re not alone.” Ants are a pernicious and resilient insect. They breed like crazy, and an ant mound can have more than one queen. This makes them able to avoid all your attempts at do-it-yourself pest control. But you’re not completely without recourse. There are some things you can do to deter them.

Don’t give them a meal. If you have a superhighway of ants, it is because they found a food source. When you see one of these, your goal should be to figure out what they found. It might be a dish of pet food, an apple core that rolled behind the couch, some spilled cereal under the fridge, an open trash can, or any number of things. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a few chunks of toast that fell on the carpet. Whatever the food source is, dispose of it.

Once the food source is gone, find out where those ants are coming in. It will usually be somewhere low. Find the entry point and use a caulking gun to seal.

There is probably a good chance that those ants can find another way in, so it is also important to keep them from picking up the smell of trail pheromones, which allow them to find their way to a food source. Spray soap or window cleaner along the path the ants were taking. You’ll kill a lot of them, and get rid of the scent as well.

Keeping things clean and sealing up entry points are a good first step to keeping ants out. If they don’t have a reason to be in your house, they usually won’t bother to make the effort. But bothersome ants getting into your food isn’t the only issue you have to deal with. The ants also live around your home and can drive you crazy when you’re outside. To stop this, you’ll need a pest control company to pay you a visit and eradicate those colonies. This is especially important if you have carpenter ants. Carpenter ants burrow through the wood of your house, and can cause structural issues that are expensive to repair.

Now that winter is done, ants are going to start building their populations, and spreading. Spring is the best time to stop them before they damage your home and drive you crazy.

7 Ways To Prevent Pests This Spring

Are you looking for help with home pest control in Rome, GA? We are here to help you get started on protecting your home from pests this spring season. As the weather warms up, pests will begin to emerge, looking for food, water and possibly a new shelter. If they can find access into your home, then they have hit the jackpot. Your home provides a large, warm sheltered area to live and hide out in. There is plenty of food sources and water that is available, no matter what season. If pests find these items, food, warmth and water, then your home will become the new hot spot for pests. They will try their best to stay out of your sight, adapt quickly and start to multiply. This means that by the time you notice pests in your home, there could already be a full infestation in your walls, attic, basement or crawl space.

Here are seven helpful tips to keeping your home pest free this spring season:

  1. The first step to keeping pests out of your home is to not allow them access into your home. This means making sure to seal up any cracks on the exterior of your home. There may be cracks or gaps found around venting, window, doors, piping and wiring. You may also want to double check your foundation for any entry ways. These gaps do not have to be very big to let pests in.
  2. You are also going to want to make sure that all your food is sealed in airtight containers. If pests do get into your home, you are not going to want to give them access to any food sources. This also applies to pet food as well.
  3. Make sure that you also seal up trash containers inside and outside your home. Rodents, like raccoons, are notorious for getting into trash around homes.
  4. When you are landscaping this spring, make sure that shrubs, bushes and trees are well groomed and kept away from your home. These items can help make a bridge for pests to cross to get into your home. They also offer a good hiding place for pests while they forage around your home for food.
  5. Store any wood items at least 20 feet from your home. Wood piles attract pests, like termites and carpenter ants, to your home.
  6. Make sure that your home has proper venting in attics and crawl spaces so that there is no moisture build up. Also, make sure to fix any leaking pipes as soon as possible. Pests are attracted to moist areas in your home.
  7. If you would like help dealing with home pest control in Rome, you can contact a local professional pest exterminator to help you eliminate pests and setup a year-round pest control program to protect your home.

Rome pest control can be a daunting task. Take your time and call a professional, if you would like assistance dealing with pests. Don’t let pests put a damper on your spring, call the pest professionals at Active Pest Control today to learn more about spring pest prevention and control!

Do You Have Pests Hiding In Your Home?

Winter doesn’t last long in Atlanta. Even though this winter was one of the worst on record, it came and went in a matter of weeks. But those weeks were enough to drive pests into your home. It only takes a tiny hole for ladybugs, cluster flies, stink bugs, house spiders, box elder bugs, and a host of other nuisance pests to get inside. During the cold, insects go into a form of hibernation called diapause. This is a low energy state in which all development of the insect stops. They simply wait for the cold to pass and allow their bodies to eat themselves in order to get the energy they need. Now, with spring temperatures returning, they are going to start becoming active again.

If you already have these pests inside your walls you may have had them coming into your common areas all winter: stink bugs in your curtains, house spiders in the bathroom, cluster flies on a wall that gets some sun. This emergence is only going to get worse. Here are the two ways you can control these bugs.

Take care of your current infestation.

You can deter overwintering pest from coming into your common areas by reducing food sources. Clean spills and crumbs up off the counter and underneath the toaster. Clean floors and carpets regularly. Don’t leave fruit or other food out. Put pet food down only during a set meal time. Keep your trash sealed. And don’t leave dirty dishes with food on them. You’ll still get the occasional scout passing through, but those are easily taken care of with a fly swatter or a shoe. You might also want to have a pest control company do an inspection and offer you some ideas on how to effectively rid your walls, attic, and basement of all pests present.

Protect against a future infestation.

The best way to get rid of spring pests is to not allow them into your home in fall. Use a caulking gun to seal rotted holes, gaps, and cracks. Be sure to get around the air conditioner, pipes, outlets, and other objects that pass through your exterior walls. Look closely, because it doesn’t take much of a hole for bugs to squeeze in. Be sure to inspect all your screens, door sweeps, and weather stripping. And, look into having your eaves pest proofed. This is a popular entry for many pests.

Now is the time to seal your home and keep it sealed. Pests are active through all the warm months, and they can look to get into your home at any time. Keep them from nesting and overwintering by removing all entry points this spring.