There’s no place like home for the holidays…

For some reason, the combination of the holiday season and the gathering of friends and family leads to humorous situations. Countless movies are based on holiday hilarity. Family traditions include watching some of those movies.

One such movie marvel is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. There’s the Christmas tree, the sled on the hill, the Christmas lights, cousin Eddie, the Christmas bonus, and…the squirrel.

Crazy things can happen when outside pests invade your cozy nest! Although The Bug Man doesn’t directly deal with squirrels, we do come to your defense when it comes to pests like spiders, ants, rodents, silverfish, termites, mosquitoes, and fleas.

As you celebrate this Christmas season, we hope you home is free of any pesky outside nuisances. However, if you find yourself in a bitter battle with pests, give us a call, and we’ll be on our way.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Although musicians live lives of notoriety, that does not make them immune to the threat of bed bugs. Those hitchhiking blood suckers show no favoritism. They don’t care who you are or what you do or how many albums you sold.

In the last week, two of the artists I follow on Twitter sent a tweet about bed bugs. At first, I felt sorry for them. Bed bugs are annoying. They can lead to panic and hysteria. And the marks of their meals leave welts on the humans on whom they feast.

Soon, my feeling of sympathy was replaced with a rising sense of duty to tell the rest of the music world about bed bugs. music notes

You see, I used to work in the Christian publishing industry. That’s actually the reason I moved to Nashvegas. I’ve met a lot of popular artists. I reviewed their CDs and attended their shows. I cared–and still do care–about them.

Without further adieu, here are my recommendations as a music lover and pest control professional:

* Each manager, publicist, and booking agent should explicitly explain the threat of bed bugs to their artists. Perhaps–between all the parties involved–the severity of the message will be conveyed. It may seem ridiculous to do that, but the threat of bed bugs is real!

* Update your tour rider. Specifically request that all of your accommodations are bed bug free. Seriously.

* Designate a personal assistant or crew member to check for signs of bed bugs at each venue. This includes rented transportation, green rooms, and especially hotels. Instruct one of the members of your crew to check for bed bugs before you unpack your clothing. For tips on what to look for, read our blog Snug as a Bed Bug in a Rug: Tips for Dealing with Bed Bugs.

* If you discover bed bugs in a hotel room, request a room that does not neighbor the original room. And try to move to a different floor. If one room has bed bugs, they can travel through the wall outlets to neighboring rooms.

* When traveling, never store your suitcase on a couch, bed, or the floor. Place the suitcase on a table or on one of the pop up suitcase holders usually available in hotel rooms.

* When you get home from tour, immediately wash all of your clothing! Often the heat of the washing/drying process will kill any bugs that are present.

* Tell other artists about the threat of bed bugs. This is a story worth swapping. You may save your fellow traveler some serious coin by informing them.

* If you discover bed bugs in your home, call a pest management professional. I’m not saying this because I work for a pest control company and I want you to call us. I’m saying this because I love you and I’ve read too many articles about DIY bed bug treatments gone bad.

* If you need more information on this subject, post a comment or call us at 615-217-7284. We will gladly teach you what to look for when you’re traveling. We can tell you all about the signs of bed bugs.

We’d love to discuss this with you and offer any educational resources you may need. If you live in the Nashville area, we may even be able to arrange a meeting with artists, record labels, managers, booking agents, etc. And if we’re feeling really ambitious, perhaps a seminar at GMA Week.

If you’re still reading and you are or you’re associated with a  country/rock/alternative/emo/punk/screamo/metal/kidz bop/opera/etc. music star, I also care about you. This blog’s for you, too.

It’s also for movie stars. Or TV stars.

Or anyone. Any human. Benefits to all!

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Baby, it’s cold outside. And, just in time for your holiday gatherings, rodents are moving inside your home to steal a meal.

To rodent-proof your home, here are a few tips and tricks:

1) Thoroughly examine the exterior of your home. If there’s a hole larger than a quarter or a dime, then a rodent can get through it. If a rodent’s nose fits through the hole, then their entire body can fit through, too. Check the area around pipes, heating/cooling hoses, etc., etc.

2) Use steel wool and/or caulk to seal up any holes you may find. Steel Wool

3) Remove any vines hanging down the side of your home, because rodents can use those to climb up to your roof and potentially get inside.

4) If your doors and windows have gaps, seal them. Not only will this help keep pests out, it will also keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. #winning

5) Trouble with rodents? We would be more than delighted to help you. Call us at 615.217.7284 to schedule an appointment.

We’re on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook. Introduce yourself, we’d love to meet you.

 

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Attention Homeowners Hosting for the Holidays:
If you’re noticing the beginning of an ant invasion, please call us as soon as possible so our products have time to take full effect. Because of the biology of ants, it may take a few days for their invasive colony to be wiped out. Please, read on for more…

King BooBugs are bootastic! You don’t want them in your house, but they show up anyway. You call The Bug Man, but sometimes the bugs still remain after a few days, even after a treatment is done. What gives? 

Biology. It’s all about biology.

Believe it or not, pest control is a sophisticated science. Products are created to fulfill different purposes. Some products kill things immediately, but don’t last very long. Other products take longer to eliminate the bugs, yet last a long time. And, still others use a combination.

Toad

To illustrate–and have some fun–let’s think of this in terms of Mario Kart.   Yes, Mario Kart.

Some products work like Toad. They take off almost instantly. Others work like Donkey Kong. It takes a bit to get that fella going, but once he’s moving, it’s hard to stop him.

Donkey Kong

When it comes to killing ants and termites, we use products that have a high residual and a transfer effect. Translation: We use products that are going to last awhile, and will kill the pests over time. The ants and termites walk through the products or eat the bait, and then they transfer the poison to their colonies. Then they will die off gradually. That’s how we’re able to offer you a warranty.

This high residual and transfer effect explains why you may still see ants in your kitchen up to 10 days after we came out to your house. It’s not that what we did in treating your house failed. It’s just that the product is rollin’ around your house like Donkey Kong, bustin’ up on those pests!

If you still see a lot of pest activity 10 days after we’ve treated your home, please give us a call at 615.217.7284. We’re pleased as Punch Brothers to come back and scope out the situation. Our One-Time Pest Control comes with a 45 day re-treatment guarantee. And our Quarterly Pest Control service is guaranteed in between visits.

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We love feedback!

Not really the kind that comes from a hot microphone that’s configured incorrectly. But the kind that comes from customers. Whether it’s a positive report, a clarifying question, or even a disappointment, we want to hear about it. Microphone

At The Bug Man, it’s our aim to continually improve. Take our new office on S. Church St., for example. We believe that a bigger office (with room to grow) will allow us to serve our customers better. We hope to be moved into our new space by the beginning of 2012.

In the pursuit of feedback, we’re very active on various social media platforms. You can find us here on our blog, on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and even YouTube. And let us not forget to mention that we’re available via phone at 615.217.7284, email (service@thebugman.us) and regular mail (606 S. Church St Murfreesboro, TN 37130).

We’re here to help and ready to listen. :)

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The 2011 Ruthies results are in! Ladies and gents, we won!

For the fourth consecutive year, The Bug Man won first place in the Favorite Pest Control Company category of the Daily News Journal’s Ruthies awards.

We send a virtual thank you to all who voted! We’re honored and humbled.

Just like us, you’re probably curious about who else won an award. Well, click no further than this website: RuthiesAwards.com.

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It’s our 10 year anniversary! To celebrate and commemorate, we wrote up a press release. We’d like to share it with you…

MURFREESBORO, TN — A lot can happen in a decade. Dan and Vicky Cassidy, owners and operators of The Bug Man Pest Control, know firsthand.

Since starting the business in a room next to their bedroom in the fall of 2001 with only one man and a truck, the Cassidy family business has come a long way.

“I guess you could say that our start was a result of the economic impact caused by 9/11,” Vicky shares. “Dan had recently been laid off and—after 9/11–jobs evaporated overnight. Starting our own pest control business was our way of providing for our family. And now we’re proud to help others provide for their families.”

Six trucks and seven employees later, The Bug Man is bigger than Dan and Vicky originally planned. “We attribute our success to the hard work and dedication of our employees–who we consider to be our extended family–and also our customers. It’s about people,” Vicky says, with a smile. “For us, it’s always been about people.”

After acquiring Advantage Pest Control in Lebanon, The Bug Man is now serving Rutherford and Wilson County, as well as numerous other cities within the Middle Tennessee area.

The Bug Man is a four-time Ruthies award winner. Since the Daily News Journal created the Favorite Pest Control Company category, The Bug Man has won first place every time.

New Location

This year, The Bug Man was also voted Best Bug Zapper in the Murfreesboro Post’s Besties awards.

As if adding a new set of customers and widening their service area wasn’t enough, The Bug Man is soon moving into a permanent office location in downtown Murfreesboro on Church Street. They hope to be up and running in the new space by the end of this year at 606 S Church Street.

To follow The Bug Man’s progress—especially as they get closer to the moving date—you can find them at Facebook.com/TheBugManTN, Twitter.com/TheBugManTN and also at TheBugMan.us.

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Middle Tennessee is about to weather a perfect (ant) storm.

The forecast for the next two weeks includes the perfect ingredients for a big stew of issues with ants.

Ant StewIngredients 

  • Colder weather
  • Rain
  • Sugary Halloween candy
  • Empty candy wrappers

Ant Stew

The resulting stew produces a slew of issues for homeowners. As the rain floods out ant habitats, they will head inward to your home. And, if the ants discover a fresh batch of Halloween candy, it’ll be their treat and your trick.

Candy Wrapper

Many homeowners choose not to use pest control services when it gets colder outside because they don’t see as much pest activity. While the pests seem to disappear, they actually don’t. This concept is called overwintering–when pests migrate, hibernate, or take up residence inside your home for the season. Check out our blog on overwintering, originally posted February of last year. It includes a link to a great article about overwintering by the Smithsonian Institution.

To make pests unwelcome this Halloween (and always)…

  • Clean up any candy wrappers or spilled beverages.
  • Don’t allow your kids, your siblings, your husband, your wife, or your sweet grandma to store stashes of candy in a secret hiding spot — chances are the ants will find the secret spot. Instead, follow our next tip…
  • Store candy in a sealed container, rather than out in the open.

If you do find yourself surrounded by ants, we’re standing by. We’re ready and willing to brew up our own batch of anti-ant stew. Call us at 615-217-7284.

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If you’ve received mail from The Bug Man recently, you’ve probably noticed a sticker or an insert talking about our online bill pay feature. If you don’t usually get mail from us, then consider this your announcement: Hey, Middle Tennessee, we’re going paperless!

Going Green

We cherish the opportunity to provide our customers with the convenience that comes from the Internet. Whether it’s paying your bill online or receiving a service notification reminder in your inbox, we like meeting you where you are. And a lot of you are online. Even right now. :)

We’ve created a tutorial for using our online bill pay feature if you’re new to the process. Or if you’re hip to the process, but forgot how the process processes. We all know how our memories fail us sometimes.

We also added a new widget to the sidebar of The Bug Man’s website that makes it super easy for you to sign up for paperless billing or email service reminders.

We’re going green. And you’re saving green on stamps. #winning ;)

Please call our office at 615-217-7284, send us an email (service@thebugman.us), or post a comment if you need assistance.

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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)nickel or a quarter (rats), quarterrogue 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.

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