We at Homestead Pet Management know that one of the most disgusting and bothersome West Tn pests is the cockroach. According to the University of Minnesota’s Extension website, “Cockroaches can be carried into homes in bags, boxes, and luggage. Corrugated cardboard boxes are a particularly good source of infestations. Examine containers that are brought into your home carefully for the presence of cockroaches or their egg capsules, especially if they are brought in from locations known to be infested with cockroaches. Sanitation is very important to reduce cockroach infestations. Cockroaches need water and food to live. By limiting their access to these resources, you reduce their ability to survive and reproduce. It is difficult to make your home and other buildings completely unacceptable for cockroaches, but you can minimize an existing infestation when improving sanitation:

• Do not leave food out over night; keep all food stored in a refrigerator or in insect-proof containers made of plastic, metal, or glass with tight-fitting covers.
• Do not leave pet food and water out overnight.
• Wash your dishes, pans, and utensils as soon as you are done using them.
• Remove all food or spilled drinks from counter tops and clean counters, sinks, and tables with soapy water.
• Vacuum all cracks and crevices to remove debris and food. Also sweep or vacuum any food and debris on floors.
• Take garbage out daily in closed plastic containers; keep waste containers washed and clean.
• Repair any leaky water pipes or faucets.
• Recycle cans and bottles on a regular basis; wash and clean containers that hold recycling items.
• Increase ventilation where condensation is a problem.”

The key to keeping cockroaches at bay is to get rid of them if you have them, then practice ongoing preventative maintenance with professionals like our team at Homestead Pest Management.  We are West TN’s pest control experts, and we can help you rid your home of all manner of pests and provide ongoing maintenance to ensure that your property stays pest-free.  Contact us today to get a personalized assessment and treatment plan for your home and property, no contract necessary!

photo credit: creepypasta.wiki.com

According to the University of California’s statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, “Rats are some of the most troublesome and damaging rodents in the United States. They eat and contaminate food, damage structures and property, and transmit parasites and diseases to other animals and humans. Rats live and thrive in a wide variety of climates and conditions and are often found in and around homes and other buildings, on farms, and in gardens and open fields.

Because rats are active throughout the year, periodically check for signs of their presence. Once rats have invaded your garden or landscaping, unless your house is truly rodent proof, it is only a matter of time before you find evidence of them indoors. Experience has shown it is less time consuming to control rodents before their numbers get too high, and fewer traps and less bait will be required if control is started early.

Inspect your yard and home thoroughly. If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, you may have a rat problem.

• Do you find droppings around dog or cat dishes or pet food storage containers?
• Do you hear noises coming from the attic just after dusk?
• Have you found remnants of rat nests when dismantling your firewood stack?
• Does your dog or cat bring home dead rat carcasses?
• Is there evidence rodents are feeding on fruit/nuts that are in or falling from the trees in your yard?
• Do you see burrows among plants or damaged vegetables when working in the garden?
• Do you see rats traveling along utility lines or on the tops of fences at dusk or soon after?
• Have you found rat nests behind boxes or in drawers in the garage?
• Are there smudge marks caused by the rats rubbing their fur against beams, rafters, pipes, and walls?
• Do you see burrows beneath your compost pile or beneath the garbage can?
• Are there rat or mouse droppings in your recycle bins?
• Have you ever had to remove a drowned rat from your swimming pool or hot tub?
• Do you see evidence of something digging under your garden tool shed or doghouse?”

If you suspect that you have a rat infestation, contact us at Homestead Pest Management today and let us conduct an assessment of your home and/or property and develop an individualized plan for extermination and ongoing maintenance. 

When it comes to your family’s most important investment, have Homestead Pest Management come check your home for free and prescribe a treatment that is best for you and your budget. Yes, a Homestead professional will crawl into, under, around, and through your home to inspect all possible trouble areas. We will listen to your concerns and give you all the information you need to make an informed decision about the available options we offer. 

 Homestead Pest Management was the first company in Jackson, Tennessee to offer a termite-baiting system. We still believe that it is the best and Green Way to treat your home for termites, but if you feel that a liquid barrier is what you really need, we also offer liquid treatments. We live with our families in West Tennessee and understand that times are hard for everyone. For that reason we do not hold our fellow residents to a binding contract. If you need to cancel at any time you can and we will still be here for you when conditions improve.

Contact us today at HPM and let us help you fight or protect your home against these most damaging of invaders!

When you call Homestead Pest Management we listen to your problem and prescribe a treatment that will fit your individual needs after a thorough property inspection. We suggest the most beneficial service for your needs without overcharging for additional services you don’t need, because we feel that you should only pay for what is necessary to properly protect your property and not what makes us the most money. 
With Homestead Pest Control you have multiple options for Pest Control including:

• One-Time Service Visits
• Monthly Service Visits
• Bi-Monthly Service Visits
• Quarterly Service Visits
• Inside Only Treatments
• Outside Only Treatments
• And MORE!

At Homestead Pest Management we live with our families in West Tennessee and understand that times are hard for everyone. For that reason we do not hold our fellow residents to a binding contract. If you need to cancel at any time, you can, and we will still be here for you when conditions improve.

 
Homestead Pest Management can take care of all your pest control needs whether it be roaches, ants, termites, mosquitoes, spiders or anything else that’s bugging you. Contact us today to schedule a complete individualized assessment of your home and property.

House mice are considered one of the most destructive pests in the United States. They can survive in very small areas with limited food and barely any shelter under a variety of conditions in and around homes and farms. House mice eat and/or destroy food meant for pets and humans. They contaminate food-prep areas with their feces and urine, which can contain salmonella and lead to food poisoning. Their constant gnawing causes damage to structures and property. If you suspect you have a mouse problem, let Homestead Pest Management come into your home or other structure and do a thorough assessment to determine the best course of action.

If you have seen tracks, gnawing marks, or droppings, these indicate areas where mice are or have recently been active. Their nests, made from fine shredded paper or other stringy materials, are often found in dark, dry, sheltered locations. Though mice usually stay out of sight during daylight hours, if there are many, they may be seen before dark.  They have a distinctive, musty smell that is evident in their nests or in large groups. They are gray or brown rodents with relatively large ears and small eyes. An adult weighs about 0.5 ounces and is about 5.5-7.5 inches long, including the 3-4 inch tail.

House mice will eat many kinds of food but usually feed on cereal grains and corn. They eat often, nibbling bits of food here and there. They have keen senses and are excellent climbers. Mice can run up any rough vertical surface by clinging with their toenails and toes. They can fit through a crack small enough that only a pencil will fit into! They are also very prolific – in a single year (the average life span of a house mouse), a female may have 5-10 litters of usually 5-7 young each litter. That’s a bunch of mice!

Homestead Pest Managment is your best stop in West TN for the extermination and prevention of a house mice infestation as well as all other types of pest control. We pride ourselves on our accurate, thorough assessments of your home and property, and are known for our personalized ongoing pest-control plans.  Contact us today and let us help you rid yourself of any pest problem that you may have.

“Termites date back more than 120 million years to the time of the dinosaurs. They are known as ‘silent destroyers’ because of their ability to chew through wood, flooring, and even wallpaper undetected. Each year, termites cause more than $5 billion in property damage – costs that (usually) aren’t covered by homeowners’ insurance policies” (PestWorld.org). Your home is one of your biggest and most important investments, so you really must trust its care and protection from these pests to professionals who understand the magnitude of potential problems termites can cause, and who are dedicated to both thorough extermination and ongoing prevention of infestation. Homestead Pest Management’s team of professionals offer such care for your valuable home and properties.

According to Ron Harrison of Realtor.com, there are “5 Signs Your Home may be Infested with Termites”:

• Hollow-sounding wood: Termites prefer to be in dark, humid environments, so they do not typically feed on the surface of wood, where they would be visible to the human eye. In fact, the wood’s surface might appear smooth, even if termites are inflicting damage. If wood sounds hollow when tapped, it may be because termites are eating the wood from the inside out. 

• Groups of winged insects (“swarmers”) or discarded wings: Reproductive termites called swarmers take flight to create new colonies. Subterranean termites typically swarm in the spring, whereas drywood swarms are less predictable. If you see a swarm of insects or groups of discarded wings, call a termite specialist to inspect.

• Cracked or distorted paint on wood surfaces: Swarming drywood termites can enter through openings smaller than the edge of a dime, so monitor and seal any cracks in the home’s foundation and near roof siding, vents and windows.

• Mud tubes on exterior walls: Subterranean termites build mud tubes on surfaces, such as a home’s foundation, to provide moisture while they are searching for food. Store mulch, firewood and wood chips away from the home to avoid creating moisture-rich habitats for termites to survive and thrive.

• Frass: Drywood termites produce wood-colored droppings called frass as they eat their way through infested wood. Keep gutters, downspouts and crawl spaces free of debris and cellulose materials to prevent food sources for termites.

Homestead Pest Management was the first company in Jackson, Tennessee to offer a termite baiting system. We believe it to be the best and greenest way to treat your home for termites, but if you feel that a liquid barrier is what you really need, we also offer liquid treatments. We can treat your home with the Perimeter Plus Treatment using Termidor®. This offers the best liquid protection that we can give you, and it is backed by a 10-year damage warranty on any new damages.

If you need a personal assessment of your property for termites or any other type of pest, contact us at Homestead Pest Management for all your West TN pest-control needs.

If you wake up with itchy areas you didn’t have when you went to sleep, you may have bedbugs, particularly if you got a used bed or other used furniture around the time the bites started. Other signs that you have bedbugs may include blood stains on your sheets or pillowcases; dark or rusty spots of bedbug excrement on sheets and mattresses, bed clothes, and walls; bedbug fecal spots, egg shells, or shed skins in areas where bedbugs hide; and/or an offensive, musty odor from the bugs’ scent glands. If you suspect you have bedbugs, Homestead Pest Management can assess all the rooms in your home an come up with a specific plan for stamping them out and keeping them gone!

Contrary to popular opinion, bedbugs do not result from someone being dirty; they live soley on blood, so having them in your home is not a sign of poor housekeeping; they will infest any place that gives them a ready supply of blood.  They do not carry diseases, but their bites are very itcy and uncomfortable, and if scratched may become infected. Bedbugs may enter your home undetected by hitching a ride on luggage, clothing, used beds and furniture, and other items; their flat bodies make it possible for them to fit into the tiniest of spaces.  Bedbugs do not have nests like ants or bees, but tend to live in groups in good hiding places. Their initial hiding places are typically in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they have easy access to people to bite in the night. Over time, though, they may move through the bedroom, moving into any tiny, protected space. They may also spread to nearby rooms or apartments. Early detection is key in getting rid of these annoying pests as soon as possible.

Homestead Pest Managment is your best stop for total pest management in West TN. We pride ourselves on our accurate, thorough assessments of your home and property, and are known for our personalized ongoing pest-control plans.  Contact us today and let us help you rid yourself of any pest that is bugging you.