The Most Common Household Pests In Brentwood And How To Keep Them Away

Top Pest Threats For Area Homes

When a Brentwood resident calls us for local home pest control, it is generally for one of the following:

• Acrobat ants
• Fleas
• House spiders
• Brown recluse spiders
• Mosquitos
• Termites
• Ticks

Many people can identify an ant or a spider but don't know about specific species mentioned on our list, so let's describe these problematic pests in more detail. 

Acrobat ants are insects with a 1/8-inch light brown to black body. One of the characteristics of an insect is its three-part body consisting of a head, thorax, and abdomen. When viewed from above, an acrobat ant's rear section looks like a heart. You may be wondering why they call these ants "acrobat ants" and not "heart ants"; the answer lies in how they respond to threats. When threatened, acrobat ants appear to stand on their heads, and in some species, they emit an unpleasant odor. A sign of an acrobat ant infestation is long lines of ants traveling on wires, pipes, and other items entering the house. Once inside a Brentwood home, these ants build nests in wall voids and wood in high-moisture areas. 

Fleas are another common insect inside Brentwood homes. These pests have a 1/2 to 1/6-inch dark brown or reddish brown flat-shaped body with large hind legs and backward pointing bristles. Unlike acrobat ants that forage on sweets, high protein foods, live and dead insects, and honeydew, fleas feast on animal and human blood. Once inside a Brentwood home, fleas live in pet bedding, carpet, hardwood floor cracks, and carpet. 

House spiders are arachnids with eight legs, a 3/16 to 5/16-inch yellowish-brown body and eight eyes. Unlike the three-part body of an insect, the head and thorax of an arachnid fuse to create the celophorax, but they still have an abdomen. In the case of a house spider, their rear section is off-white with dark stripes. House spiders create tangled webs in the upper corners of garages, crawl spaces, and closets; they also build homes underneath furniture. 

If there is one spider species we could do without in the middle Tennessee area, it would be the brown recluse spider. These venomous arachnids have a 1/4 to 1/2-inch light to dark brown body, a violin-shaped design on their backs, and six eyes arranged in three groups of two. They prefer to dwell in dark, warm, and dry areas of the crawlspace, basement, attic, and garage.

Mosquitoes are flying insects that create problems for many Brentwood homeowners from late spring and fall. Although plant juices and nectar meet their dietary needs, a fertilized female needs protein, amino acids, iron, and other nutrients, which only human or animal blood can supply to enable egg production. When the females sense carbon dioxide, body heat, odors, and sweat, they land on their victim, penetrate the skin with a mouthpart known as a proboscis, and enjoy a blood meal.

Eastern subterranean termites are another insect that we find in Brentwood homes. This termite species has a 1/8-inch creamy-white to dark brown or black oval-shaped body. Although they eat wood, they live in large colonies in the soil near their food source. Mud tubes on foundation walls are a sign of a termite infestation.

We complete our list of types of pests in Brentwood with another arachnid, the tick. These pests have a 1/10-inch reddish brown body that swells to the size of a pea and becomes grey after they consume a blood meal. Although they are more problematic for livestock and wild animals, many Brentwood homeowners call us to stop tick infestations on their properties. 

Whether it is one of these creatures or another, our All-American Pest Control trained technicians can handle any pest invading your Brentwood home.

Pests Are A Risk To The Health Of Your Family And Home

All ant species contaminate food and items inside a home. Ants forage for food in trash, compost piles, dirty floors, and other unsanitary areas where plant and animal matter are present. As they move through these areas, the tiny claws on each of their six legs pick up bacteria lying on the surface. When they enter homes, the bacteria transfer to cooking and eating surfaces, food items, and other objects in the house as they travel over them. Acrobat ants do not spread disease but can bite when threatened and cause momentary pain.

Fortunately, house spiders are not known to bite, and brown recluse spiders are not aggressive toward humans. When threatened, however, a brown recluse spider will bite and inject its venom in self-defense. Restlessness, fever, sleeping difficulties, and pain are the initial symptoms, followed by a blister at the bite site; however, the toxin may be killing underlying tissue underneath the blister. If left untreated, the venom may eat tissue to the bone, creating a nasty scare and the possibility of infection. 

Fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks can spread diseases to their victims. These insects draw blood from animals and people for nutrition; if the blood is infected, they can pass it on to their next victim. West Nile virus, dengue, chikungunya, encephalitis, and tularemia are diseases spread by mosquitoes in the United States. Fleas transmit murine typhus, tungiasis, tularemia, bartonellosis, and tapeworm to their hosts. Illnesses caused by ticks depend upon the species. Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are the most famous tick-borne illnesses, but ticks can transmit other bacterial and viral diseases. Remember, not every bite results in an infection, but there is a risk each time one of these blood-eating insects attacks. 

All-American Pest Control protects your family from these common Brentwood pests by providing dependable pest control. Our service pros arrive on time, listen to your concerns, and stay as long as needed to address the pest problem around your home.

Things You Can Do To Prevent Pests In Your Home

The following are general suggestions that will deter these common household pests from living in your home:

• Remove debris, trash, and rotting wood from the yard
• Eliminate water-collecting items around the home
• Ensure proper drainage of ditches, gutters, and low-lying areas 
• Repair leaking plumbing fixtures inside the house
• Provide adequate ventilation or a dehumidifier in the crawl space, attic, or basement
• Remove overgrowth and dense vegetation on the property
• Close and seal outdoor and indoor garbage containers
• Keep the grass mowed short 
• Relocate firewood 20 feet from the house and elevate it for pests

When an All-American Pest Control technician arrives to provide quality pest control around your house, we will share additional tips for your locations and the specific pest invading your home.

Professional Pest Control Offers Lasting Protection For Your Home

All-American Pest Control is the answer for all your green pest control needs. We will dispatch an experienced, trained, and fully vetted service pro to inspect your property for entry points, attractants, and pest hot spots and to identify the pest causing you problems. After we gather the necessary information, we will create a strategic plan to eliminate the problem. We use the latest pest control products that are effective in stopping pests from invading your home. Because each pest control situation is different, we offer many options to ensure you get the best protection for your investment.

Whether it is one of the common household pests highlighted in this article, cockroaches, flies, beetles, stink bugs, crickets, and more, All-American Pest Control is here to help. We are your hometown company with the highest pest control certification, the honor of being an Inc.5000 company, and a Better Business Bureau A+ rating. Contact us today to request your free home evaluation.

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