Once again, protecting your home from termites and ants is a billion dollar proposition nationwide, and one Dr. Chris Christensen, Lexington Branch Manager, and I will be discussing on Wednesday, May 13 at 12:40 p.m. Eastern on WLEX-NBC 18 in Lexington, Kentucky. WLEX’s website address is www.lex18.com.

Our “Bug-Off” Competition for May continues through Thursday, May 14 on our Facebook page and also accessible through Twitter.

This week I wanted to briefly discuss bedbugs.

Bedbugs have been prevalent in the news throughout the country after investigative reports found some hotels crawling with them. And that is how bedbug infestations usually happen: People bring these unwanted guests home with them. Add in the fact that bedbugs can live up to 18 months without feeding, and that a female bedbug can lay over 500 eggs in a lifetime, and it’s not hard to understand how an infestation can occur.

Cleanliness has nothing to do with an infestation: Bedbugs are attracted to carbon dioxide, which every human puts out. They feed on blood, not dirt. So no matter how well-scrubbed a dwelling is, an infestation could happen. Heavily used hiding places are evident by black or brown spots of dried blood excrement on the surfaces where the bugs rest. Eggs, egg shells, and cast skins may be found near these places. Usually there is an offensive odor where bedbugs are numerous.

The following bedbug prevention tips will help you reduce your risk of bedbugs:

• Thoroughly check your belongings after a hotel stay.
• Wash all bedding regularly in hot water. The water should be at least 120 degrees.
• Vacuum floors regularly. Use the brush tool of your vacuum to vacuum your mattress. Use the crevice tool to vacuum crevices in the mattress and your baseboards.
• Use a plastic cover over your mattress. Bedbugs can’t hide on the plastic cover.
• If you purchase used furniture, examine it for bed bugs. Pay special attention to used mattresses and bed frames.
• Check your own bed for bedbugs from time to time. Catching them early will make bedbug treatment easier if bedbugs do occur.

You can also consult a pest control professional as they will be able to provide treatment for the problem and help assist you in finding where these creatures may be hiding.

In the meantime, be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

Protecting your home from termites and ants is a billion dollar proposition nationwide, and one I will be discussing on Saturday, May 2 at 9 a.m. Eastern on WTVJ-NBC 6 in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida. WTVJ’s website address is www.nbc6.net.

Beginning today, we’re starting a “Bug-Off” competition on our Facebook page and also accessible through Twitter.

This month’s Truly Nolen “Bug-Off”: Which insect do you like more?

We would like you, the reader of this blog, to vote for your favorite insect among the Ladybug and the Butterfly.

You can vote either in the comments section of my blog, on Twitter at @TrulyNolen, or the Facebook page for Truly Nolen Mousecar.

To access the company on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/trulynolen. To access my friend on Facebook, visit http://tinyurl.com/c899v2.

Voting will take place May 1-14, and on the 15th of May, the winning bug will be announced on Facebook, Twitter and in my blog.

In addition, three voters (one from each avenue) will be randomly chosen to win some fabulous Truly Nolen Truly-Wear merchandise.

I look forward to you helping us determine a Bug-Off winner each month from now on!

In the meantime, be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

Keeping pets safe from insect bites during spring and summer is an ongoing battle, and one I will be discussing on Monday, April 27 at 9 a.m. Eastern on WFTX-FOX 4 in Fort Myers/Naples, Florida. WFTX’s website address is www.fox4now.com.

In the meantime, I wanted to talk a little bit this week about an insect that seems to
harbor as many surprises as it has legs – the millipede. It’s a pet, the star of a game, larger than expected and sometimes beautifully colored, to name a few points of astonishment.

The millipede never struck me as especially popular with humans or glamorous. But people welcome this creature as a pet. And it’s the star of a Nintendo game released in 1988 that’s simply called Millipede. The Millipede on the game cover looks much scarier than most, though.

Giant African millipedes are among the varieties kept as pets and reach an adult length of 10 inches – compare that to the most common millipedes that range from a half inch to an inch-and-a-half. The African millipede can live up to 10 years. Don’t break out that crystal-studded collar and leash, though. They’re kept in aquariums and fed fruits and vegetables.

The millipede is clearly not always the little bug I think of curled into a tight little ball as it protects itself in the moist soil of my garden. Large or small, millipedes have other protection mechanisms: They secrete a caustic compound that can irritate the skin and in some instances leave a stain. Primarily nocturnal, they like moist areas and usually they’re herbivores, feasting on slightly decayed vegetation. Their bodies are segmented, with two pair of legs per segment.

Millipedes are essentially harmless and aren’t damaging when they get in the house. They can be controlled by controlling the moisture and dryness in both home and garden. In the garden, don’t let fruit and vegetables rot on the ground.

Amazingly, despite its name, the “thousand legger” doesn’t have a thousand legs – at the very best, it has 750, but more commonly 40 to 400. Chalk it up to inflation.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

I hope everyone had a good week and is looking forward to a fun April. I will be discussing how to keep these termites and ants from eating you out of house and home on Tuesday, April 7 at 7:30 Eastern on WFTX-FOX 4 in Fort Myers/Naples, Florida and on Thursday, April 9 between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on WTSP-CBS 10 in Tampa/St. Petersburg. WFTX’s website address is www.fox4now.com and WTSP’s website address is www.10connects.com.

Now that spring has sprung, it’s time to guard our gardens against one of the most pervasive pests: the aphid.

Aphids are the bane of gardeners large and small. There’s a variety of aphid for just about every plant, and in large numbers they can do hefty damage. They’ll cause leaves to curl and yellow, as well as to become distorted – and may do the most damage in warm weather, up to 80 degrees. Grown plants can withstand the damage, but it still warrants controlling. Aphids can also spread viruses among crops such as pumpkins, melons and cucumbers.

The small insect, which emits a sticky substance known as honeydew, has many natural predators, giving gardeners a choice other than a chemical attack. Insecticides will kill beneficial bugs right along with aphids.

Other insects, ants in particular, may work to protect the aphid as their honeydew is a source of food. The presence of ants as well as insects that are the aphid’s natural predator – ladybugs and lacewings to name two – may be a clue that you have a large aphid population, according to the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program Online, a website that’s a great resource.

Check for aphids often, at least two times a week, to catch evidence of the insect before the population gets out of hand. Aphids become more difficult to control when damage appears, because they can take refuge from chemicals and predators behind the curling leaves. Before planting your garden, make sure to check surrounding plants and trees for aphids. If you find any, clip leaves and discard them.

Ladybugs, lacewing and syrphid flies can help control aphids. (The offspring of lacewing, called aphid lions, have a voracious appetite for aphids). The best enemies are those that are native to your garden. But buying a batch of ladybugs from your local nursery may help control the population, even if they’ll tend to fly away in a few days.

There are other chemicals that can be used if these remedies don’t do the job. But hopefully, this is enough to give you a starting point.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

First and foremost, a Happy Spring to all. Traditionally, this is the season where termites and ants do their worst damage. I will be discussing how to keep these pests from eating you out of house and home on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 p.m. Mountain on KVOA-NBC in Tucson Arizona and on Wednesday, April 1 between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Pacific on KMIR-NBC in Palm Desert. KVOA’s website address is www.kvoa.com and KMIR’s website address is www.kmir6.com.

I just got back from a trip last week to both Las Vegas and Carson City. On March 17, I visited Mr. Slater’s 4th grade class at Beatty Elementary – their essay about the Vivid Dancer Damselfly was selected from over 70 entries as the winning essay for the Truly Nolen-sponsored Nevada State Insect Contest. Below is a photo of the children seeing the Truly Nolen Mousecar from our North Las Vegas Branch (702-798-0010) for the first time up close:

After the students explored the mousecar, we brought out the stars of the show – Five hissing cockroaches – and I showed them to the students:

The following day (Wednesday, March 18), Mr. Slater, three of his students and I flew to Reno, Nevada and then drove to Carson City, the Nevada state capital, to testify on behalf of Senate Bill 166 and why the Vivid Dancer Damselfly should be adopted as the Nevada State Insect. Here is a photo of Megan Anders (left), Ryan Underwood and Lexie Arancibia testifying:

Following their testimony, the five of us posed with State Senator Joyce Woodhouse (left) and Clark County Representative Clark County Assistant Superintendent of Schools Joyce Haldeman – two of the catalysts who helped get the contest off the ground:`

It was a great trip, and I thank Judy Myers, Clark County Coordinator, School-Community Partnership Program, for her tireless work on this project, and for with whom none of this would have been possible.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

As we spring into March, we are excited that the Nevada State Insect Contest’s winning submission has been chosen from a field of 74 entries! We also thank Stan Parris, Branch Manager for our North Las Vegas Branch for being one of the judges for the contest.

Here are the results from 1st place through 5th place:

1st – Vivid Dancer Damselfly, Beatty Elementary, Mr. Slater’s Class
2nd – Desert Marble Butterfly, Bunker Elementary, Ms. Fife’s Class
3rd – Thistledown Velvet Ant, Dooley Elementary, Ms. Tallant’s Class
4th – Jerusalem Cricket, Westergard Elementary, Ms. Gillette’s Class
5th – Juba Skipper, Forbuss Elementary, Ms. Nagel’s Class

For winning the contest, Truly Nolen will be providing mousecar fun at Beatty Elementary later this month where the class will be recognized for their achievement. In addition, I am flying with Mr. Slater and three of his students to argue for the passage of the Vivid Dancer Damselfly State Insect Bill in Carson City the following day. We are also providing bus transportation for the rest of Mr. Slater’s class to appear at the government building to observe the democratic process.

We are so elated as a company to have had such a great partner in the Clark County School District in this endeavor, and we are tickled yellow that state Senator Joyce Woodhouse and State Assemblyman Lynn Stewart have championed this project from the very beginning.

To read the winning essay, click here.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

After 12 years of touring this great country and providing information about insects and how you can take care of pests, I am excited to announce I will achieve a historic milestone when I reach my 1,000th television appearance this month.

My February schedule has already taken me to San Antonio, Las Vegas, Palm Desert, Calif., and Tucson, and my February 23 appearance on WFTX Fox 4 in Cape Coral will be my 1000th appearance.

For those of you that don’t know, I discuss a wide range of subjects during my television appearances, including West Nile Virus, termite infestation, fire ants, rodents and a host of other pest control problems facing home- and business-owners.

Being “The Bug Guy” has significantly increased the exposure and market presence for Truly Nolen in all of our domestic cities; however, as many miles as I’ve logged, our primary marketing element for visibility is our Mouse Car, and its ears and tail make it a lot more attractive than me.

In addition, just a reminder to those Nevada students participating in the Insect Contest – the deadline to submit your entry in your local public school is Friday February 20.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook and tweeps on Twitter – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

With Super Bowl Sunday on the horizon, we are involved with a fun event Sunday, February 1 in Fort Myers. Seventeen talented student groups and their teachers joined with the Edison & Ford Winter Estates to create imaginative and artistic sculptures of big bugs for a new exhibit entitled “Art & Science in the Gardens of the Estates.” As part of the exhibit’s kickoff event, a Truly Nolen mousecar and five hissing cockroaches will be on hand as well as other assorted insect-related tools for the students and visitors. We were happy the Edison & Ford Winter Estates staff invited us, because our mousecar would have felt left out if they had held a “Big Bug” exhibit without inviting him!

In addition, I will be discussing the topic of Thermal Warriors on WOAI-NBC San Antonio during the 10 a.m. central hour on Tuesday, February 3 and then the Nevada State Insect Contest on KLAS-CBS during the 6 a.m. pacific hour on Wednesday, February 4. Their websites are and www.woai.com and www.klas-tv.com, respectively. The trip to San Antonio is my first in almost two years and the trip to Las Vegas will focus on a school project I discussed in this space last week. With these two segments, I am rapidly approaching 1,000 television appearances!

Our voice on Twitter, @TrulyNolen, has laid down the smack and made his Super Bowl prediction – His Home State Arizona Cardinals 27, the Pittsburgh Steelers 20. So what if the Steelers have yellow in their colors? We’re based in Tucson, so go Cardinals! And speaking of Twitter, thanks for the love, @FranchisePick: http://www.franchisepick.com/truly-nolen-the-truly-outrageous-mouse-limo/

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook and tweeps on Twitter – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

Although our company is based in Tucson, Arizona, Southwest Florida is where Mr. Truly Nolen resides and it’s a community that’s near and dear to his heart. As a result, I am excited to announce I will be appearing on the Morning Blend in a recurring monthly segment on WFTX Fox 4 Cape Coral/Fort Myers that will feature insects, chances to win prizes and much more. Wild Bill Wood and I go way back, and my first segment will air Monday, January 26 at 10 a.m. eastern. Among the insects I will have on hand are hissing cockroaches and a tarantula. To visit the Morning Blend online, go to www.fox4morningblend.com.

In addition, I will be discussing the topic of Thermal Warriors on Wednesday, January 28 on Fox 35 WOFL Orlando during the 7 a.m. hour eastern and Tuesday, February 3 on WOAI-NBC San Antonio during the 10 a.m. hour central. Their websites are www.myfoxorlando.com and www.woai.com respectively.

Although more information will follow about this next week, I am extremely excited to announce our company and our branch in North Las Vegas is partnering with the Clark County School District in Nevada on a contest to determine a state insect.

Did you know Nevada is presently one of nine states that does not have a state insect? We researched this, and after approaching their school system with an idea for a contest, Nevada State Senator Joyce Woodhouse and State Assemblyman Lynn Stewart decided to hold a spot in late-December’s Nevada legislative session for a bill to be drafted this March.

The contest is open to all fourth grade and Gifted and Talented Education classrooms in Nevada. Among the prizes the winning student will receive include a trip to and from school in our mousecar the day they are recognized as the winner and a trip to Carson City for the construction of the insect bill. More details will follow in my next entry.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook and tweeps on Twitter – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

Happy New Year, everyone. With the recent dip in temperature, I wanted to quickly give you my two cents on rodents and how to keep them away.

Rodents adore warmth, so as colder winter weather moves in (which led to snow in places like Las Vegas and Malibu, California recently!), these pesky creatures – one of mankind’s oldest and most reviled pests — are also on the move: into houses, apartments and other climate-controlled buildings searching for grease and fat, which are parts of any self-respecting rodent’s balanced winter diet.

These pests (and their furry cousins) can be extremely destructive, chewing through cables and wirings and building materials such as glass, cinder block, aluminum and lead. These varmints can enter a building through a crack as small as one-half-inch.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a disease caused directly from rodent droppings and urine and can mimic the flu. Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, nausea, abdominal and back pain and gastro-intestinal issues.

Here are some simple steps you can take to prevent rodent infestation that should include the following:

• Seal all food tightly and never allow food to accumulate in open containers.
• If rodent droppings are found, they should be immediately cleaned.
• Check for torn screens and loose attic vents. Seemingly insignificant openings can give rodents access to your home or business.
• Be certain that garbage can lids fit securely.
• Do not allow piles of lumber or other debris to accumulate and eliminate overgrown, weedy patches of flora. They provide attractive shelter for rodents.

By doing these simple things, you can protect your home from becoming a winter wonderland for pests.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook and tweeps on Twitter – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy