Common Pests Tennessee
Priority Pest Protection: Nashville, TN

Harmful & Poisonous Spiders in Middle Tennessee

Tennessee is a popular state for many species of spiders. Many of us have a fear of spiders and some of us have developed arachnophobia (a pathological fear or loathing of spiders). There are a number of harmless spiders in Tennessee and many actually are beneficial to humans by preying upon nuisance insects such as flies and crickets. The only two which are poisonous are the black widow and the brown recluse spiders.

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Cockroaches

Types: German, Palmetto, Oriental, American, Brown-Banded, Smokeybrown

Cockroaches can wreak havoc on your home. To win the war against cockroaches, here’s what you should know:

• Entry: Cockroaches can enter your home in many different ways, from the outside through cracks and crevices, vents, sewer and drain pipes, even in grocery bags.
• Ideal environment: Your home is an ideal breeding ground. With plenty of food, warmth, water and nesting sites, they can remain active all year round.
• Reproduction: Cockroaches reproduce quickly. For every one you see there can be 200 more hiding and multiplying behind your walls.
• Evasiveness: Because cockroaches are nocturnal, if you’ve seen one, you haven’t seen them all. The few cockroaches you see by day were likely forced out by overcrowding; a possible sign of severe infestation.
• Allergies: The dust created by cast-off cockroach skins, dead bodies and droppings can aggravate allergies, especially in sensitive individuals.
• Do-it-yourself ineffectiveness: Cockroaches are better at hiding than you are at finding them, and their eggs are naturally protected from insecticides. Without special equipment, materials and know-how, it can be a losing battle.

Ants

Types: Carpenter Ant, Fire Ant, Thief Ant, Argentine Ant, Pharaoh Ant, Odorous Ant

Ants are becoming a major problem all over the country. They can be difficult to control, but there are some things you should know about how ants’ behavior can lead to big headaches for you and your home:

• Entry: Ants can enter through even the tiniest cracks seeking sweet or greasy substances in the kitchen pantry or storeroom areas.
• Scent trails: Ants leave an invisible chemical trail known as pheromones for others to follow once they locate the food source.
• Nest locations: They can nest about anywhere in and around your house; in lawns, walls, stumps, even under foundations.
• Colony size:Can number from 300,000 to 500,000 and whole colonies can uproot and relocate quickly when threatened.
• Nature’s way of protecting the colony: With comparative freedom from natural enemies, a colony can live a relatively long lifetime. Worker ants may live seven years and the queen may live as long as 15 years.
• Do-it-yourself ineffectiveness: Most do-it-yourself approaches only kill the ants you see, whereas a truly effective treatment will penetrate and destroy their nest to prevent them from returning. Also, home remedies don’t account for the fact that different kinds of ant infestations require different treatments.

Rodents

Types: House Mouse, Norway Rat, Roof Rats

Rodents’ instincts make them difficult to control, and they present a serious menace to your home. Here’s what you should know about these pests:

Rats

• Difficult to control: Rats are instinctively wary of traps and bait, and colonize in attics, burrows, under concrete and porches, in wall voids and other hard to reach places.
• Disease: Rats can harbor and transmit a number of serious diseases. They can also introduce disease-carrying parasites such as fleas, lice and ticks into your home.

Mice

• Access: They invade your home seeking food, water and warmth. One pair of mice can produce 200 offspring in four months.
• Contamination: Each mouse can contaminate ten times more food than it eats.