Soon (on March 11) the time will change. Our days are getting longer. And pests are just itching to make you crawl with angst when they come and invade your living space.

You might have been wondering if a mild winter will lead to more pests in the spring and summer. Well, folks, it will.

Because we didn’t sustain truly wintry temps for any amount of time, a lot of the bug population was not killed off. Although bugs usually overwinter (read: check out from society and hibernate for awhile); this winter, they really didn’t.

Nope. They weren’t snoozing. They were throwing thousands of tiny little baby showers to celebrate the increase in their mischievous pest army.

So, ladies and gentlemen, start up your cell phones. Fire up your laptops. Break out your tablet. Because the bugs, they are a-comin. In full force, they will be here soon.

You can reach us at 615.217.7284 or email us at service@thebugman.us. We are here, ready and willing to help keep your home pest-free.

Reason #678 why you should call The Bug Man if you have a pest problem:

Arachnophobia at its finest

Although pea gravel was long believed to be the safest form of decorative landscaping material, recent research (as reported by Pest Control Technology magazine) has discovered that termites actually prefer pea gravel.

Pea Gravel

For years and years, home builders and landscapers recommended pea gravel to their customers because they believed it was better to have rocks around the foundation, rather than wood mulch. Wood attracts termites. And, termites are often found in batches of wood mulch.

Scientists have conducted lab feeding experiments with termites. During the experiments, they discovered that the soil beneath pea gravel retains the greatest amount of moisture. Termites also fed more on food sources located beneath pea gravel.

So tell ya kids, tell ya wives, tell ya husband, tell everybody out here (see videos below for context) that pea gravel is not only not “safe” and “termite proof,” it is actually the worst option for your home. Run and tell that!

Original Antoine Dodson Video:

Bed Intruder Remix:

I’m Lindsay. I’ll be your narrator today. I’m the narrator of this blog most days, actually. 

As an office worker at a pest control company, I hear a lot of things, especially funny stories from technicians. Allow me to share this with you, because this story is too good to keep to myself.

Once up on a time, not too long ago, a jolly technician made his way to a routine pest control service call. The customer was seeing grain beetles upstairs in their house, so The Bug Man came out to take a look.

The thing about grain beetles is they are usually found in the kitchen. It was strange that someone would see a multitude of grain beetles any place other than where food is stored. 

Upon the technicians arrival, he greeted the perplexed customer and did a little investigating to try to find the root of the problem.

He asked, “I know this is a strange question, but do you have any corn anywhere in this house?”

“No. No corn,” the customer replied.

So the technician kept looking. As the minutes ticked on, he began questioning his own ability as a pest control professional.

“Have I lost my edge?” he wondered. “What am I going to tell this lady?”

The technician imagined his response to the customer.

“Uh, sorry, ma’am. I have no idea where all of these beetles are coming from. Crazy weather these days. It must be bringing in strange bug activity.”

Jolting him out of his inner dialogue, the customer said, “Oh! Hey, I’ve got corn hole bags in my dresser upstairs…”

Renewed in his pest control vigor, the technician booked it upstairs and opened the door of the dresser to find thousands of grain beetles swarming the corn hole bags. In his astonishment, he completely forgot to take a picture of the discovery.

Just this morning, as we had our morning cups of coffee, The Bug Man staff discussed bed bugs. We are receiving more calls for bed bugs than we’ve ever had.

Find us on Pinterest.com/TheBugManTN

Back in the day, we’d get maybe one or two calls a year about bed bugs. Now we get one or two calls per week. That’s a big difference!

Now that the internet is so prevalent in our culture, you can find tons of different ways to take care of bed bugs. If you Google, “How do I get rid of bed bugs,” you’ll find home remedies, ads promoting pest control companies, and suggestions on what you can do.

In this economy, everyone is looking to save precious pennies, epecially in Middle Tennessee. It’s tempting to just go with the cheapest thing that you find. But how do you know if it will work? How do you know it won’t hurt your family?

Without the guidance and assistance of a pest professional, you don’t know.

So, let’s go with what we do know:

• Home remedies for bed bugs are often dangerous
• Bed bugs are incredibly difficult to get rid of
• Treating just one room for bed bugs is usually not effective
• In most instances, at least two rooms (the bedroom and the living room) need to be treated
• If you’ve had bed bugs, you need to get a bed bug certified mattress cover/box spring cover
• When in doubt, ask questions. If you’re unsure of if you have bed bugs, give The Bug Man call at 615.217.7284. We will help you identify what you’re dealing with and recommend a method of treatment.

Some of them rave about pest control.
“Now, honey, let me tell ya. I love your mosquito service. I can sit in my yard all day and not get a single bite. But my friend, Jeannie. Now she’s always gettin’ bit up real bad. But I’m not, cuz y’all come out here and spray my property and you do a real good job.”

Some of them have a lot of questions about pest control.
“So is your termite service separate from your pest control? Or is it all bundled together? What if I need one and not the other? Can I do that? Is that ok? How much does that cost?”

 And, still there are other customers who call us, with what sounds like a sense of shame.
“Uh. Hi. My name is_________. Um. *nervous laughter* I’ve…*clears throat* I’ve never called an exterminator before. *sigh* Wh-wh-wha-how, uh, how much does it cost to get rid of bugs? I’ve got mice. And I have seen a few spiders. And I really don’t like bugs. I’m sorry, I’m not sure what to ask you. I’ve never needed an exterminator before…”

We named this post “Shameless Plug” because we want you to feel shameless when you call us. 

Rest easy, folks. It is ok to call the exterminator. It’s not a shameful thing to call The Bug Man. We don’t think you’re grimy and gross when you call us. Pretty much every homeowner has an encounter with bugs.

When you ask us to come treat your home, we don’t assume that it’s your fault that you’ve got bugs. We don’t imagine your home as a rickety shack destined to be featured on the show Hoarders.

Rather, we imagine you as a friendly Middle Tennessean. We envision you as a homeowner in Murfreesboro who wants to be educated on the best practices for keeping pests out. We think you’re a good mom or dad in Lebanon who wants to protect your family by keeping your home pest free.

Don’t be ashamed to call us, because we’re not ashamed of you. We are proud of you for taking care of your loved ones. And we’re honored that you let us help you do that.

Indianmeal moths are attracted to lights. You’ll find them in grocery stores flying around. And, unfortunately, sometimes you find them in your kitchen. According to PestWorld.com, “These moths like to feed on dried fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, chocolate, candies, bird seed, dog food, powdered milk, dried red peppers and candy.”

If you suspect that you have indianmeal moths (also known as indian meal moths), immediately dispose of the damaged product. And also dispose of any other products that aren’t tightly sealed. These moths are quite limber and can worm and squirm their way into tight spaces.

If you find them inside of a container, make sure to keep the container shut. You don’t want to give them the opportunity to fly to other foods.

Here are a few pictures of Indianmeal moths. We just discovered them at a customer’s home yesterday. Warning: These pictures may make you feel queasy.

David--our technician--found Indianmeal moths in Quaker Oats

If you look closely, you can see the Indianmeal moths inside

Indianmeal moth larvae on a Quaker Oats lid

Should you discover Indianmeal moths, we’re here to help. Call us at 615.217.7284. We hope your queasiness from the above pictures has subsided.

With mice on our minds for the last several months, we’ve had time to ruminate on just how many rodents show up in movies. Especially Disney movies! Let’s see. We’ve got The Rescuers. The crew of helpful mice in Cinderella. Then Ratatouille. And there are probably more that we’re missing. (Leave a comment below if we forgot a movie.)

Update: We forgot Mickey and Minnie! Thanks to those who left a comment.

In those fabled films, the rodents are the heroes! They are celebrated and cheered on! Humans are sometimes painted as antagonists. Movie-watchers can find themselves hoping that the human is defeated and the rodent rallies for a win.

How funny that rodents are usually jeered in reality. With all of the lovable Disney rodent characters out there, it leaves us wondering if people feel a sense of guilt or sadness when trying to keep rodents out of their homes. 

Do you feel like you’re denying a proverbial Gus-Gus a chance at life if you call The Bug Man? Are you breaking up the storied romance of Bernard and Miss Bianca if you tell us you need a service call for mice? And what about poor Remy the rat? Is he helping you cook your family feast?

If you’re not fond of rodents in your house, give us a call at 615.217.7284. We will help you have a happily ever after.

If you’re a northerner visiting Florida for a sunny vacation, you may discover roaches bigger than you’ve ever seen! Termites are terrible and dangerous in Tennessee, but they may not be so threatening in Nebraska.

Whether you’re a (rare) Tennessee native or you’re new to the area trying to become Nashville’s next big star, we’ve got a great resource for you: our website.

There is a wonderful pest library on our website. It showcases all of the local “buggers” that you may encounter. And, if some random other bug happens to pester people, you can rest assured that we’ll fill you in about it here on our blog.

Take cicadas, for example. While we don’t have a dedicated entry for them in our pest library, we’ve got a blog post featuring the loud and mysterious creatures.

If you’re ever curious about bugs, please leave a comment on our blog, on Facebook, or send us a tweet to @TheBugManTN.