Luck of the Lady Bugs

Several years ago, the National Park Service released several million ladybugs into the park to fight a tree-killing insect that is destroying thousands of park trees. The ladybug actually eats the food source of the bug causing the destruction.

The Gatlinburg area is home to a large population of these lucky ladybugs. They do not come into our cabins on purpose but occasionally they do visit. Once inside they cannot locate an exit. Unfortunately there is no safe formula for getting rid of them other than to vacuum them up. Since these bugs were introduced to fight a problem in the national park, the Park Service will not allow us to spray specifically for Ladybugs.

The Ladybug likes warm sunny places such as windows. We are constantly removing Ladybugs from the cabins, only to find them back again within hours.

The Ladybug is a small harmless reddish or yellowish bug with small black spots. Some say they are good luck bugs. They do not harm humans, food or pose a health threat. We will continue to remove these critters upon checkout, but if they appear during your stay please be patient with them.

If you have any more questions about these lucky little critters please call our office.

Cluster Flies

(Pollenia rudis)

These insects, sometimes called "attic flies", also find there way into the cabins from time to time. They usually appear in late fall or early winter and again on warm, sunny days in early spring, sometimes in large numbers. They buzz around the home and gather in large numbers at windows. The cluster fly is a little larger than the common housefly and moves sluggishly. The best prevention of Cluster Flies is to vacuum them up once they have settled in the higher windows and upper rooms of the cabin. We are constantly removing Cluster Flies from the cabins, only to find them back again within hours. The flies are not your common house fly and do not buzz around food and humans, they are looking for a place to stay warm for the winter and usually pass away shortly after entering the cabin. We will continue to remove these critters upon checkout, but if they appear during your stay please be patient with them.

If you have any more questions about these little critters please call our office.

 Millipedes

All of American Patriot Getaways' properties are professionally sprayed by Ecolab Pest Elimination and we are doing all we can to help insure these pests are being dealt with in the most efficient way possible. We certainly apologize for any inconvenience Mother Nature may cause during your stay. We can certainly send someone out during your stay to help clean these little pests up. Just call our office at 865-774-5545 to request a millipede clean up.

As a household pest, millipedes are more of an annoyance or nuisance, rather than an indoor-breeding pest that causes destruction. Millipedes normally are found outdoors where they feed on damp and decaying wood, organic material, and will also feed on tender roots and green leaves that have fallen to the ground. This occasional invader has two pairs of legs per body segment (as compared to the centipede, which has one pair per segment,) except for the first three segments which have one pair of legs per segment.

Millipedes are not poisonous, but many species have repugnatorial glands capable of producing mild acids which may produce allergenic reactions in sensitive individuals. Millipedes do not bite humans nor damage structures, household possessions or foods. There are at least 1,000 species of millipedes in the United States, a few of which are capable of squirting their unpleasant fluids over a distance of several inches, *these are not the millipedes in our area. Persons handling millipedes will notice a lingering odor on their hands and the fluid can be dangerous to the eyes.

At certain times of the year (usually late summer and autumn) due to excessive rainfall or even drought, a few or hundreds or more leave the soil and crawl into houses, basements, first-floor rooms, up foundation walls, into living rooms, up side walls and drop from the ceilings. Heavy continuous rainfall in newly developed wooded areas with virgin soil (decaying organic matter habitats) are often troublesome sites. Generally, millipedes over winter in the soil near the foundations of homes, green houses or other structures. Homes are invaded (sometimes in huge numbers) either after heavy rainfall (spring through fall), sometimes hundreds or thousands (shovelfuls) of millipedes are found in garages, first floor rooms and basements. For some unknown reason, millipedes at times become restless and leave the soil to crawl into houses. This is most common with homes that have ground-level patio doors, basements or other areas that are easily accessible. Total control of millipedes during migration periods is difficult.

Large numbers of these structure-invading pests are easily controlled by vacuuming and discarding the collected material.

Wood Cockroaches

Wood Roach (Parcoblatta spp.)

Now is the time when homeowners will notice medium-sized cockroaches wandering about the house in the middle of the day. These are usually wood cockroaches, also known as wood roaches.

Wood roaches are similar in appearance to the household cockroaches, but they live exclusively outdoors. They live in rotted logs, tree stumps, hollow trees and under the loose bark of dead trees and firewood. They are especially noticed at this time when the males are active and attracted to lights.

Once indoors, wood roaches wander during the daytime rather than at night like the household roaches. They die within a few days of their accidental invasion into the house because of insufficient moisture. Wood roaches do not reproduce or establish indoors, and their presence is only an annoyance. They do not harm the house structure, furnishings or occupants.

Wood roaches can usually be identified by the presence of white stripes on the edges of the thorax and front portion of the wings. This characteristic is more readily apparent in the slender, straw brown-colored males than in the dark brown females and nymphs. The wings of the males extend slightly beyond the tip of the abdomen. The females wings cover only half of the abdomen, and nymphs are wingless.

The sprays and dusts used with success against household cockroach species are of very limited benefit against wood roaches. Exclusion techniques that prevent wood roach entry should be considered. Doors and windows should be tight-fitting and cracks, gaps and other possible entry points should be sealed. Outdoor insecticide barrier treatments of diazinon, Dursban, malathion or Sevin around windows and doors and along the foundation or firewood pile are a last resort that may reduce the number of wood roaches that get indoors.