Spider Prevention: When Are They Most Active?

Spider crawling across floor | Inman-Murphy | Spider Control in TN

Spiders are one of the most prolific fear inducing pests the residents of mid-South TN deal with year-round. Depending on the species, they can be found in window sills, high up in corners, down low in cabinets, in basements, attics, crawl spaces, and spaces left undisturbed for long periods of time.  

Traditionally spiders are thought to be most active in homes in late summer, but this is only true for a few species like the Giant House Spider and the Orb Weaver. Truthfully, spiders are active throughout every season, with each season presenting its own challenges for homeowners. Most species are non-aggressive, harmless to humans, nocturnal, and enter homes in search of their prey. A few species native to mid-South TN are potentially dangerous, making spider pest control an important part of home maintenance.  

Summer  

Summer is not when most spiders are active, but they will find their way into the milder temperatures of your home in search of their food sources as summer brings with it higher pest activity. In summer you are more likely to encounter large balls of Daddy Longlegs along the shady sides of buildings, and this is also when Black Widows are busy laying their eggs. Keep doors closed and repair any damaged screens, or gaps in door frames to ward off summertime invasion.  

Fall  

Surprising to many, fall is the true season of highest spider activity. Springtime eggs have hatched, matured, and are now seeking out mates. Sac Spiders, which typically live in gardens, will find their way inside at this time seeking warmth. Wolf Spiders have been known to enter homes during this season, so we recommend keeping grass mowed and leaf piles disposed of quickly as these are their preferred hunting grounds.  

Winter  

Spiders do not hibernate, and some even produce a glycol compound that acts like antifreeze to help them survive winter. Eggs laid at this time require warmth, so you’ll notice more activity around pipes, under sinks, and extra webbing as they insulate their egg sacs. Southern House Spiders are more apt to grow in numbers during winter, so be sure to dust and clean high spaces, and repair cracks or holes along walls, to discourage infestation. Huntsman Spiders will also find their way inside, as they cannot survive the falling temperatures of winter outdoors. 

Spring  

Spring brings with it more spider visibility, as this is when most spider species lay their eggs, and when fall/winter sacs begin to hatch. Hobo Spider eggs are hatching, and Brown Recluse activity is in full swing. Be sure to inspect windows, screens, cracks/gaps in foundation, and gaps/space between doors and doorframes to keep these typically non-aggressive but potentially dangerous pests out.  

Spider Pest Control You Can Count On 

Spiders have the potential to be a nuisance year-round. Most are harmless, but some have quite painful and potentially deadly bites, making regular spider pest control an important part of home maintenance. The highly trained team of professionals at Inman-Murphy have over 25 years of experience keeping the residents of mid-south TN pest free and are ready to help. Don’t hesitate to give us a call today and get started with a free quote! 

Dealing with Tick Bites on Your Dog

Person removing tick from dog | Inman-Murphy | Tick Control in TN

Ticks can spell trouble for our furry friends, causing irritation, infections, and even serious diseases. Understanding the impact of tick bites on dogs and learning how to protect them from these pesky parasites is crucial. There are many ways to keep ticks away from your dog, including preventative medications and property pest prevention.

Dangers of Ticks in Tennessee 

Here in Tennessee, we primarily deal with two kinds of ticks: the Deer Tick and the American Dog Tick. These ticks often live in taller grass, close to walkways and trails, waiting for a host to get close. Ticks are ectoparasites that feed on the blood of animals, including dogs. They often target areas with less hair and more blood vessels, such as the ears, neck, belly, and legs. Within 24 hours of biting, ticks can transmit diseases such as:

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • Lyme disease
  • Tularemia

Tick Preventative Measures

Preventing ticks on your dog is best achieved by using tick-preventive products that kill or repel ticks before they can bite. Various options are available, including topical products applied to the skin once a month, oral tablets or chews given monthly or every three months, and collars worn continuously for up to eight months. Your veterinarian can guide you in selecting the most suitable preventive product based on your dog’s age, weight, health condition, and lifestyle.

In addition to using preventive products, there are practical steps you can take to protect your dog from ticks. 

  • Conduct daily tick checks, especially after outdoor activities, and avoid areas with tall grass, brush, or woods where ticks may lurk. 
  • Keeping your yard clean and well-maintained helps reduce tick habitats.
  • Wearing long pants and socks when venturing into wooded or grassy areas adds an extra layer of protection.
  • Having a professional tick exterminator treat your property.

Tick Removal Steps

If you discover a tick on your dog, it’s important to act swiftly but calmly. 

  1. Using gloves, tweezers, or a tick removal tool, grasp the tick’s base near your dog’s skin and pull it out slowly and straight. 
  2. Avoid squeezing or twisting the tick too forcefully. 
  3. Dispose of the tick in a jar with alcohol, clean the bite and apply antibiotic cream. 
  4. If you encounter difficulties removing a tick or if it’s in a delicate spot, like the eyes, mouth, or ears, seek assistance from your veterinarian.

Professional Tick Control Experts

Even with preventive measures in place, encountering ticks on your property or in your home is still possible. That’s where Inman-Murphy Termite & Pest Control’s PestFree365 services come into play. As a trusted pest control company serving Mid-South Tennessee since 1992, we have the expertise, knowledge, and tools to identify, eliminate, and prevent ticks and other pests from harming your family and pets.

By choosing our PestFree365 services, you can benefit from:

  1. A thorough inspection of your property
  2. A customized treatment plan. 
  3. Regular service schedule to maintain a pest-free* environment. 

We also provide a guarantee that covers any pest issues that may arise between services.

Don’t let ticks compromise you and your dog’s health and happiness. Contact Inman-Murphy today for a free inspection and estimate. Our team is dedicated to keeping your home and pets protected year-round.

Enjoy Sting-Free Summers: Stinging Insect Prevention

a wasp outside a windowpane

The arrival of summer brings with it the excitement of being able to finally spend time in your backyard, barbequing, and creating lasting memories with your loved ones. These beautiful summer days can quickly turn into a nightmare by a few stinging party crashers. Nothing ruins a fun summer afternoon quicker than a sting from a wasp or yellow jacket. These pesky stinging insects can leave you with painful stings or send some to the emergency room due to allergic reactions. Don’t spend your summer in fear of stinging insects. With proper preparation you can reclaim your outdoor space and enjoy a sting-free summer!

How to Identify Common Stinging Insects 

Wasps and yellowjackets are the most common stinging insects you may encounter in your yard. Like most common household pests, they come seeking food and shelter in and around your home. 

  • There are a few types of wasps that you may find in your yard such as mud daubers and paper wasps. Mud daubers are easily identified by their extremely long, thin waist and unique tube shaped mud nests. Paper wasps are brown in color and build papery umbrella-shaped nests, usually found hanging from tree branches or eaves of a home.
  • Yellow Jackets are bright yellow and black in color and have a stockier body compared to most wasps. Some yellow jacket nests will look similar to a wasp nest, hanging up high in a tree or eave but yellow jackets are also known to build nests in the ground or hollowed out areas, often in old rodent burrows. You will commonly see yellowjackets at your outdoor gathering. They seek out meat and sugary foods, whereas wasps prefer over-ripened fruit and flowers.

Preventing Stinging Insects in Your Yard

It is important to be proactive in preventing stinging insects in your yard. Below are a few tips to keep these stinging pests away!

  • Cover Food: Yellowjackets are attracted to meat and sugary foods. Make sure to cover food while dining outdoors to keep these party crashers away.
  • Pick Up Fallen Fruit: Fresh fruit from your fruit trees is not only your favorite snack; stinging insects will seek out over ripened or decaying fruit that may have fallen from your trees. If you have fruit trees, make sure to regularly check for and remove any fallen fruit.
  • Remove Old Nests: Most stinging insects will abandon their nests in the winter. Dispose of these nests while they are inactive. If the nest is active, many people choose to use canned spray treatments. Be extremely cautious when using these DIY methods. Wasps and yellowjackets are aggressive when threatened and are able to sting multiple times. Removing active nests is best left to professionals.
  • Close Garbage Cans: You will often find stinging insects buzzing around garbage cans looking to scavenge thrown out food or sugary snacks. To prevent these little dumpster divers from hanging out in your yard, make sure to securely close garbage cans.

Professional Extermination: The Safest Solution

Attempting to remove a wasp or yellow jacket nest on your own can prove ineffective and hazardous, potentially resulting in swarms of aggressive stinging insects. The best and safest way to ensure your yard is free of stinging insects is to enlist the help of a professional extermination service like those from Inman-Murphy Termite & Pest Control. Our expert technicians have both the experience and equipment to safely and effectively remove and stinging pests from your yard. Enjoy a sting-free summer this year and contact us today!

Mosquito Prevention: Some Do’s, Some Don’ts

A person spraying bug spray on someone else's arm.

For those living in the beautiful city of Memphis it seems mosquito season is never ending. Many people are looking for a fast and easy solution to ending the attacks by these blood-thirsty feeders. While mosquito bites are annoying, they also cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
According to the World Health Organization, mosquitoes account for over 700,000 deaths per year. Mosquitoes pose great health risks from vector-borne diseases they can spread, such as:

  • Malaria
  • Zika Virus
  • West Nile Virus

DIY Mosquito Prevention Do’s

It is imperative to start mosquito prevention early before an infestation can start. Ultimately, the best method is professional pest control. Yet, many methods of DIY prevention can work, including:

  • Remove Standing Water: Dumping anything that water collects in as well as fixing any leaky or broken faucets will prevent standing water from forming. Mosquitoes love stagnant water as it is a perfect nursery for laying eggs.
  • Use Outdoor Fans: Considering mosquitoes are weak fliers, air currents from fans can push mosquitoes out and disperses the carbon monoxide we exhale.
  • Mosquito Netting: By adding netting to your doors and windows, you place a barrier round your space to keep the invading mosquitoes out. This netting also prevents other insects from getting into your home.
  • Use Bug Spray: Many EPA-approved insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin are available on the market. Use any insect repellent in accordance with the supplier’s instructions.

DIY Mosquito Prevention Don’ts

While there are many DIY methods that work, many methods do not work. Steer away from these:

  • Citronella Candles: While these candles are great for ambiance and saving electricity, they do little for repelling mosquitoes long-term. They need to be replaced often as they lose potency quickly. These candles are effective for a short amount of time and only if you are directly next to the candle.
  • Coffee Grounds: There is no solid evidence that burning coffee grounds or spreading the grounds around your yard works  in repelling mosquitoes. Instead, use the grounds in your compost bin for the garden!
  • Bug Zappers: Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale and our body heat. Bug zappers do not have either of these qualities going for them. Instead, these zappers can kill natural predators of mosquitoes and other good-doing insects.

Professional Pest Control Services

The never-ending fight against mosquitoes can leave you drained from keeping up on the DIY methods you choose. Spend your spring and summer months pest-free* with the help of Inman-Murphy Termite & Pest Control. Our expert technicians come to your property to conduct an inspection and formulate a plan that suites your needs! Call today for a no-obligation consultation.

Recognizing Kissing Bugs in Tennessee

a close up of an orange and black kissing bug on a white background

Kissing bugs may sound charming, as if they were taken straight from a storybook. But upon learning more about their habits and behavior, they quickly lose their romantic appeal. The thought of a parasitic insect that bites and defecates on your face is the last thing to set off sparks.

Even worse, kissing bugs can be carriers of the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite through their feces, which can transmit Chagas disease. If left untreated, this illness can be very serious. With that in mind, it is crucial to identify and prevent kissing bugs through exclusion and extermination.

As of this writing, according to the Texas A&M Kissing Bug and Chagas’ Disease in the United States Community Science Project, kissing bugs have been found in 32 states, including Tennessee. 

What Kissing Bugs Look Like

The average kissing bug has an elongated, oval-shaped body, and typically measures between ¾ to 1¼ inches in length. They may be fully brown or black, but their abdomen may also have red, yellow, or tan splotches.

Originating in Mexico, Central and South America, kissing bugs have migrated to various locations in the Southern US as the climate has warmed. So while they aren’t native to Mid-South TN, they’ve been found here more and more in recent years. These insects are predominantly found outdoors, where they feed on both wild and domesticated animals. However, they can enter homes through open doors and windows.

How to Prevent Kissing Bugs

Good news – compared to other parasitic pests, it’s relatively rare for kissing bugs to infest homes in Mid-South TN. But you can still make an effort to prepare, just in case. It can be as simple as sealing gaps and cracks around your home and using screens to cover larger openings. This doesn’t just help deter kissing bugs, it also excludes a variety of other common pests. 

However, pest infestations can still happen, despite all the precautions we may take. If you find yourself dealing with a kissing bug infestation or any other type of bug problem, you can trust the team at Inman-Murphy, Inc. to handle it safely and effectively. Since 1999, we have been making pest prevention easy, and we can help you get rid of kissing bugs for good. Contact us today to get started!

TAP® Insulation: Your Path to a Pest-Free Home

silverfish on wall

There’s a lot you can do to deter pests around your home in the Mid-South TN area. You can de-clutter and properly store your garbage and dry goods. There are some DIY solutions that use essential oils to repel certain pests, or home renovation tactics that use screens or caulk to block others. These all can work to varying degrees, but is that all you can do? What if there was a way to always be killing pests without the need for traps? And what if you can fight pests while also making your home more comfortable and efficient? TAP Insulation makes all of this possible. It’s a form of home insulation beloved by certain pest control companies, and it’s a service we offer for households in Mid-South TN. If you’re ready to step up your pest control strategy with only one simple installation, Inman-Murphy, Inc. is here to help!

TAP® Insulation: A Basic Overview

TAP stands for Thermal, Acoustical, Pest Control insulation. It is made up of loose-fill cellulose that’s blown into the attics of existing home, or in the floors and walls of new builds. What separates TAP from other insulations like fiberglass or spray foam is how it’s been chemically treated with Boric acid. Boric acid is naturally occurring and is commonly used as a cleaning agent or in first aid, but it’s especially unique as being one of the most effective pesticides on the market today. It can kill a variety of bugs – including ants, silverfish and pill bugs – before they grow in numbers enough to truly infest your property.

The pests have easy access to the insulation – that’s how it starts. It coats their bodies, and since a majority of insect pests are surprisingly hygienic, they end up ingesting the boric acid when they groom themselves or each other. These insects are unable to pass the material, so they soon after die of dehydration or malnutrition. And just like that, you’ve solved a threat to the structure of your home with no effort on your part.

What TAP® Pest Control Insulation Can Do for You

Are there other benefits to TAP Insulation aside from its pest-killing properties? Yes, not only is TAP a persistent pesticide to insects as small as Formosan termites to larger cockroaches and beetles, it’s also a very good insulator. It’s made of cellulose, which slows the transfer of heat, keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Your HVAC system will work better with less energy, and you’ll quickly see that reflected in your monthly utility bill.

Inman-Murphy, Inc. for Proper TAP® Insulation

TAP Insulation is not considered toxic for children, adults, or any pets in the household. However, you still need to take the effort to get the material installed by a qualified professional. At Inman-Murphy, Inc., we’ve been treating households in Mid-South TN for pests since 1999. It’s only one of our residential pest control services, all designed to keep your home pest-free* on an ongoing basis. We think our friends and neighbors deserve a constant defender that can put a stop to potential pest infestations without you having to lift a finger, and that’s exactly what you’ll get from TAP Insulation. We’ll still be there on the off chance you have an infestation, but when properly involved TAP can greatly reduce the risk. So if you want to work smarter instead of harder Inman-Murphy, Inc. is here to help. Contact us today to learn more or schedule an estimate!

Home Remedies to Repel Mice in Winter

A mouse crawls along a foundation of a home

As winter approaches, temperatures drop and everyone is just looking for ways to stay warm. This is true for local homeowners as well as pests, particularly rodents. Mice can enter your property through cracks or holes that are even just 5 mm wide (that’s less than ¼ inch) surrounding your property. Although they seem cute, mice are dirty, destructive animals that can harm your property and carry disease. 

If you have mice in your home, Inman-Murphy Termite & Pest Control has a group of skilled rodent exterminators who can get rid of your mouse infestation. But if you never developed a rodent problem in the first place, that would be preferable. Here are some methods and tools you can use that may help keep mice away. One word of caution: DIY pest repellents are not as effective as professional rodent control. If you have a rodent infestation, you should contact us for an estimate.

Non-toxic DIY Mouse Repellents

There are several types of simple-to-use DIY mouse repellents. They have the added benefit of being non-toxic. Here are four common strategies for attempting to keep mice away using items you might already have around the house:

Peppermint oil: Mice don’t generally like the strong aroma of peppermint. In order to prevent them from entering, you can put a few drops of the oil on cotton balls, and then scatter them about any potential access sites. Even better, plant mint throughout the perimeter of your property as a mouse-repellent barrier!

Another odor mice detest is that of apple cider vinegar. To preserve the repellent effect, mix it with vinegar and spray it once a month along the perimeter of your home and around potential access points.

Mice are unable to tolerate the scent of fabric softener sheets. Put one of the sheets inside any openings you find that you believe could be entry locations. 

Steel wool: Mice can chew through a variety of materials thanks to their strong incisors. But research has shown that they are unable to bite through steel wool. Therefore, if you use the material to cover potential access points, it will prevent them from entering your home.

How to Keep Mice Out

The likelihood of developing a mouse infestation is strongly influenced by whether or not your home is a desirable environment for rodents. When it’s chilly outside, mice want the same things any mammal does: food, shelter, and warmth. They’ll look for any means to sneak inside and stay there if your home has those attributes. This is why it’s important to start your mouse prevention efforts before it starts to get cold. Let’s look at some techniques you might adopt to deter rodents from entering your home:

  • Check the dark corners of your home’s interior frequently for evidence of mice.
  • Locate every potential point of access into your home and seal or close it
  • Keep food covered, sealed, and stored.
  • Remove clutter from your home, both inside and outside.

Mice won’t want to stay for very long if there isn’t easy access to food or a quiet, dark location to nest. 

When DIY Approaches Fail, Turn to Inman-Murphy

Even if you take all of these precautions, rodents might find their way into your house. If they do, we can help. Since 1999, we have offered rodent extermination services to homes and businesses in the Mid-South TN area. Our rodent pest control technicians are ready to get to work making your home rodent-free. Want to learn more? Get in touch with us today!

Babies on Back: Identifying the Wolf Spider

Wolf spider on white background

Imagine this: you’re walking to the kitchen to get a late-night snack when you find a spider in the middle of the floor. It’s not one of those benign Daddy Long Legs – it’s big and dark and roughly the length of a Twinkie. Your brain goes into autopilot, and you run to grab your nearest and heaviest shoe. It’s worked for other bugs, hasn’t it? That’s what you keep telling yourself as you approach the spider and slam your boot over it. That should be the end, but you’re suddenly horrified to find a rippling wave of tiny spiders rushing out from underneath your shoe. There are hundreds of them, all moving frantically in different directions and gradually taking over your kitchen.

Yes, this is a horror story just in time for Halloween. It’s also a very real possibility if you cross paths with a wolf spider and react without thinking. If you take a moment to stop and look over the bug that has invaded your home, you can avoid casting yourself in a one-person scary movie. Inman-Murphy can help residents of the Memphis metro area make sure the only creepy spiders in their home are Halloween decorations.

Identifying the Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders are often mistaken for other, more dangerous spiders, mainly the black widow and brown recluse. They all have two body parts (the cephalothorax and abdomen) and large, fang-like chelicerae. What separates them in many cases is the size – brown recluses are about the size of a quarter, while wolf spiders can be three, sometimes even four inches depending on the region they’re found in. Wolf spiders are also one of the only members of its species that don’t live on a web. Instead, they run to catch their prey with a staggering gait of two feet a second. That’s how they manage to catch and eat larger insects and other, smaller spiders.

The most distinctive quality of the wolf spider, though, would have to be how the female carries her young. There is no web to store her eggs, so instead, she moves about the environment with her egg sac on her abdomen. Once they hatch the babies stay in their makeshift carriage, so at nearly any point in time the mother wolf spider has hundreds of spiderlings hanging on her wherever she goes. So if some unsuspecting passer-by gets a fright and disturbs or tries to squish the mother, the babies will scatter in all directions. Not a fun sight for anyone, so what can you do to keep from ending up in that person’s unfortunate, spider-covered shoes?

DIY Spider Control Strategies

Spiders are inevitable living around Tennessee, but there are things you can do to control the access these eight-legged nuisances have to your home. Some of these tips are things that are good to do anyway, like sweeping and vacuuming on a regular basis and keeping closets and other undisturbed places free of clutter. Because all spiders – wolf spiders included – like little nooks where they can sit and wait for their next meal. In that same vein, we also advise moving any firewood or other piles of debris away from the exterior of your house, as well as trimming low-hanging branches or anything else that a spider can use as direct access to your home.

These are all easy precautions to take, but if you do all that and still find yourself running a “Mommy and Me” for wolf spiders and their many, many children, Inman-Murphy can help!

Spider Control with Inman-Murphy

Halloween is a great time to go out and get scared, but when you get home you want a place you can consider safe and free of any giant spiders. Home remedies can be useful in spider prevention, but there comes a time when you need professional help. Inman-Murphy has expertise in long-term spider control. A happy ending for your no-longer horror movie. To get a free quote, contact us today!

DIY Pest Control: 3 Major Risks

DIY pest control - an insecticide fogger spraying in a room

DIY pest control may seem like a good way to save money, time, and unnecessary hassle: You don’t have to choose, pay or wait around for a professional exterminator. You can simply purchase some pesticide products at your local hardware store and you’re ready to go. However, DIY pest control carries significant downsides. If you’re considering this approach, you need to make sure you understand the downsides so you can take steps to mitigate the risks.

What Are the Risks of DIY Pest Control?

Do-it-yourself pest control carries several different risks, including the effects of overusing pesticides, killing beneficial insects, and wasting money on ineffective pest control products. Misuse of pesticides is the most common cause of illness and injury from pest control but you could also be injured by pests themselves, like getting bitten or stung while applying pesticide.

Here are the three categories of major DIY pest control risks: 

Pesticide Exposure

Exposure to pesticides can cause adverse health effects, even when used correctly. Improper use of pesticides may lead to chemicals leaking into water supplies, the soil, and possibly the air inside your home. Many DIY pest control chemicals have the potential to contaminate the ground around your home if not used properly. It’s important to read instructions carefully and use the right amount for the right job. 

For example, pesticides should be kept away from food and water supplies to avoid contaminating or poisoning people. When applying exterior treatments, oftentimes people forget that fish, frogs, and other animals may be living in or around their backyard ponds. If the product is applied too closely to that water source, it can be harmful to all species that are using it. 

Another common example of misapplication in DIY pest control is that homeowners forget to look for open windows while applying products on the exterior of the home, sometimes exposing those inside without realizing it. Pesticides should also be stored out of the reach of children and pets so they don’t come into contact with them. If you’re spraying pesticides inside a home, it’s crucial to ensure there’s adequate ventilation to allow the chemicals to dissipate. 

Health and Safety Issues

There are several potential health and safety issues to be aware of when undertaking do-it-yourself pest control. For example, you should always wear protective clothing and gloves when handling pesticides and other chemicals. Pregnant women and young children should avoid entering areas where pesticides have been used. You should also wear protective equipment like a mask and eye goggles when you are working in areas where there might be pests or rodents. This will reduce the risk of getting bitten, stung or sick. You should also clean up any mess that pests leave behind so they don’t attract more pests. Some pest droppings can contain harmful bacteria or roundworms that can cause serious illness. Proper sanitation of areas should be done carefully and after sufficient research, if you aren’t aware of the possible risks involved. 

Negligence

There are situations where you can be held negligent or liable for your pest control practices. If you spray pesticide in a stuffy room or trap pests in a building without proper safety precautions, you could cause significant harm to other people creating civil and possibly even criminal liability. This is doubly true if you’re trying to eradicate a species of pest that’s protected by law.

Some products require you to vacate the area after application and you need to ensure that no one would come in contact with that product for the proper amount of time. 

Conclusion

While DIY pest control could save you money and time, it also comes with considerable risk. If you’re not careful, you could make things worse by harming yourself or other people with pesticides or getting bitten or stung by the pests you’re trying to eliminate. Professional pest control specialists know how to find the pests on your property, where they are coming from, how they got in, and how to stop them. Plus, they are trained to find the reasons why the pests are there and offer methods of preventing further infestations. 

With the integrated pest management approach, your professional pest technician will also be looking for ways to improve your landscaping and other habitats around the home. This will help lead to less pest activity over time. When factoring all of this in, hiring a professional exterminator is more effective and more efficient than a DIY approach.

Professional Pest Control in the Memphis Metro Area

Inman-Murphy, Inc. has been providing affordable effective pest control services in the Mid-South metro area since 1999. Before you do it yourself, contact us for a free quote!

Common Late Summer Pests

A mosquito

You might think that the late summer means the end of the pest problems you’ve been facing since early spring, but some pests are made for these conditions. With the right amount of warmth and plenty of people participating in outdoor activities, many kinds of insects and animals can find a meal or a suitable place to stay. If you want to make sure that pests don’t take over the last month of your summer, you have to be consciously preventative in your routines. Read on to learn about pests to avoid in Mid-South TN‘s late summers with Inman-Murphy, Inc.!

Common Late Summer Pests in Mid-South TN

There really is no season in which you can avoid pest problems outright. The late summer is a deceptively pest-ridden season because we often think of late spring and early summer as being the most problematic. However, these pests stick around to capitalize on the lingering warmth:

  • Bees and wasps: Bees, wasps, and many other kinds of stinging insects take advantage of heightened outdoor human activity during the late summer. They will not hesitate to stop by your cookout for a free meal or build a hive in your yard for a consistent and close by food source.
  • Ticks: These parasitic pests thrive in the warmth and growth that sticks around into August and September. Walking through tall grass or dense vegetation could put you in tick trouble.
  • Wildlife: Wild animals, especially those that hibernate during the winter, are out and about all summer looking for food and safe places to stay. Raccoons, possums, and squirrels are common offenders in the late summers here in Mid-South TN.
  • Mosquitoes: If mosquitoes are able to develop a consistent breeding population around your property, they can remain a serious nuisance all the way until temperatures drop below 50°F.

Preventing Pests in the Late Summer

While it should be stressed that severe pest infestations should always be taken care of by an expert, there are a few pertinent strategies you can try on your own to keep pest presence on your property at a minimum. Try the following:

  1. Keep a tidy yard: Trimming your trees and shrubs, quickly disposing of grass clippings and piles of vegetation, and decluttering in general will all discourage pests from looking for shelter in your yard.
  2. Look for cracks: Check around the outside of your home and structures on your property regularly for openings in roofing, siding, foundation, or around windows.
  3. Guard your trash: taking out your garbage regularly and using sealable lids on your outdoor trash bins can prevent many kinds of pests — most notably, wildlife.
  4. Eliminate standing water: Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, so covering up or pouring out any that you find around your yard can cause mosquitoes to look elsewhere to breed and feed.

Expert Help with Summer Pests

If you think you’ve done everything you can to prevent pests without success, it’s time to reach out to your local exterminators. We are proud to employ only licensed, certified, and highly trained technicians here at Inman-Murphy, Inc.. Our pest experts have seen every kind of problem that develops in our area, so we can efficiently and effectively put together a plan to eliminate pest presence and keep your property pest-free* for good. Contact us today for a free quote!