Pest Library

What You Need To Learn About Pests In Cookeville, TN

To be able to control pests, you first need to learn how to identify them. Learning about pests common in the Cookeville area will help you make changes around your property to keep unwanted pests away. Use this guide to better understand the pests that call our region home.

Ants

Ants are tiny insects; many species have adapted to living near people, calling our yards and houses home. Ants in Tennessee that homeowners regularly spot in and near their homes include Argentine ants, fire ants, odorous house ants, and sugar ants. These ants have discovered that the presence of people means a multitude of food, water, and plentiful nesting sites.

Prevention is critical to preventing the many problems ants cause. Below are reasons why you need to maintain an ant-free home:

• Ants contaminate food sources and food prep areas in your home.
• Some ants, like fire ants, have the potential to bite you, your kids, or your pets.
• Ants can cause damage within our structures.
• Ants will attract other predatory pests to your property.

At first notice of ants regularly trailing in and around your home, immediately contact us for home pest control in Cookeville. 

Make the following changes around your property to prevent ants from overtaking it. Care for your lawn; keep the grass mowed short, maintain gardens, and reseed bare areas. Keep ants out of your home by sealing any openings you discover and keeping caps on chimneys and screens over vents. Reduce food sources by keeping lids on trashcans, picking up uneaten pet food, and maintaining gardens.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are unique insects whose sole nutrition source is warm-blooded animal blood. These pests have adapted to living indoors near their favorite hosts: people. Bed bugs spread from structure to structure by crawling onto and hitchhiking on people or our belongings. 

These blood-feeding pests are primarily nocturnal and typically feed at night while their hosts sleep. During the day or when not feeding, they hide near their hosts in the seams of mattresses, cracks in bed frames, and behind wall hangings. In the case of a large infestation, they can also be found in the seams of upholstered furniture, inside electrical outlets, and cracks in walls. 

Avoid issues with biting bed bugs with the help of the following tips:

• Vacuum your home thoroughly and regularly.
• Inspect secondhand items for hiding bed bugs. 
• Regularly inspect your home for bed bugs.

If bed bugs are ever in your home, immediately contact us for bed bug control in Cookeville.

Fleas & Ticks

Fleas and ticks are two outdoor pests that thrive during periods of warm, humid weather. Both feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, and while these pests are primarily associated with pet owners, any Cookeville property can become overrun by these parasitic pests. Fleas and ticks move from property to property with the help of their rodent and wild animal hosts.

The problem with these pests is not just that they bite us and feed on our blood; it is the health risks they pose. As fleas and ticks move from host to host, they spread disease and parasites. Ticks are most well-known for the diseases they spread, including Lyme disease (deer ticks) and ehrlichiosis (Lone Star ticks). 

Our best prevention tips include maintaining your yard and making it unattractive to wildlife hosts:

• Keep your lawn cut short and regularly prune shrubbery and trees.
• Remove fallen leaves, weeds, and other debris from your home’s exterior. 
• Remove bird feeders, pick up uneaten pet food, and place all trash bags in lidded outdoor trash receptacles. 

For the best commercial pest control in Cookeville, turn to Axum Pest Management.

Spiders

We have many different types of spiders that call Cookeville home; some of the most common to find their way to our properties are listed below:

• Black widow spiders
• Brown recluse spiders
• Common North American house spiders
• Wolf spiders

While each spider has a unique appearance, people easily identify true spiders by their eight legs and two body segments. 

Spiders are predators that feed on other spiders and insects and are usually harmless to people. Only a few spiders considered dangerous to humans (the black widow and brown recluse) are found in the area. Spiders prefer to live outside but wind up in our homes after following their insect prey or moving inside to find a dry, safe place to lay their eggs, like attics, basements, and wall voids. They also like to spend time around the corners of windows and light fixtures. 

Reducing your property's attractiveness to its insect prey is essential to avoid issues with spiders. Maintain your lawn and gardens to prevent them from overgrowing. Keep lids on trashcans and recycling bins. Turn off outdoor lights when not in use, and keep outdoor eating and cooking areas near your home clean and free of food debris. For more helpful spider prevention tips, call us now!

Termites

Several types of termites live across the United States; the most widespread species is the subterranean termite. Subterranean termites live in underground colonies in moist soil. These termites have high moisture needs and prefer to feed on wet or decaying pieces of wood. Termites living outside in wooded areas are helpful recyclers but destructive, harmful pests inside our homes.

Because subterranean termites are attracted to moisture, things like poor ventilation and other moisture issues can make your home prone to problems with these wood-eating pests. Worker termites leave their nests daily to gather food, traveling through the soil or mud tubes they create to move safely above the ground. Common entry points that allow them into our homes include cracks in the foundation and pieces of wood making direct contact with the soil. 

To help keep termites at bay, here are some of our most helpful termite prevention tips:

• Ensure your home is properly sealed to keep rainwater and other moisture out.
• Make sure there is proper ventilation in your home to reduce humidity levels.
• Remove wood debris from your yard, near your home, and inside crawl spaces.

Axum Pest Management offers exceptional termite removal and control services. Call now to learn more.

Wasps

Wasps are common stinging insects that live throughout the United States. Mud daubers, yellow jackets, and the most common type, scarlet wasps, are examples of the many different types of wasps that live throughout Cookeville. We typically identify wasps from other stinging insects like bees by their thin, hairless bodies and well-defined waists. 

Wasps are attracted to our properties because they offer them food and shelter. Most species like to eat proteins and sweets. Along with other insects, wasps feed on meat scraps in trash cans, around grills, pet food, plant nectar, and fallen fruits. When wasps decide to nest and become permanent members of your yard, they are dangerous and can make it difficult for you and your family to spend time outside. 

To take back your yard from unwanted stinging insects, here is a list of our most helpful wasp prevention tips:

• Keep wasps out of your home by sealing cracks in exterior walls, installing weatherstripping, and ensuring screens are intact.
• Keep lids on trashcans and recycling bins.
• Place garden areas away from outdoor eating and seating areas.

Please call us now if you need help removing wasps from your property.