All-American Employee of the Year 2009: David Earheart

Have you met David? David is our Employee of the Year for 2009. Voted on by fellow employees, the winner was announced at our Annual Employee Dinner & awarded a one-week paid vacation to his destination of choice! David and his wife, Barbara, have chosen to spend their vacation in San Diego, California in August. 
   After serving for 26 years and retiring with Coca-Cola Company, David joined All-American over 3 years ago. David works in the Sentricon Department. He has two daughters, Carey & Megan, and he has one granddaughter, Chloe.  Tell David Congrats!

Now is the time for Carpenter Bees in Nashville, TN

As of yesterday, we have started getting our annual calls regarding carpenter bees. Carpenter Bees look much like a bumble bee. You don't have to worry about nasty, painful stings... because carpenter bees won't sting you. They will dive at you and try and scare you away, but they won't sting.

What they will do is burrow into wood decking, wooden eaves or just about any unpainted, unsealed wood material.  They burrow into the wood and then neatly (nearly perfectly) clean out a hollow with the grain of the wood. This is where they will nest and the larvae will grow.

Carpenter Bees are covered under our Perimeter Pest Control and our Green Choice Pest Control program. If you are a customer and have a carpenter bee problem, just call us and we'll schedule a time to come out to provide an additional service for no additional charge.

About 1 week after our treatment, it's best to caulk the holes where the carpenter bees were and paint or seal the wood. Painting and sealing untreated wood and maintaining the paint and seal is the best way to prevent Carpenter Bees in the future.

Here is a picture I found of the holes and runs that the perfectionist carpenter bee creates...

All-American Pest Control's eNewsletter

 

I sent out All-American's April eNewsletter this afternoon. Below are some quick links to some of the articles. If you would like to subscribe to our bi-monthly eNewsletter, go to our website home page and click on the "subscribe to our eNewsletter" image on the right hand side.

April eNewsletter

The Buzz of Nashville: In Like a Lion...Out Like a Lamb
Questions I Get Asked: Why doesn't Windex or other Household Cleaners get rid of my ants?
News & Events: Lipscomb's Green Business & Living Summit and Expo
A Nashvillian You Should Know: My Mom!

In like a lion... out like a lamb

In like a lion... out like a lamb

March weather can be wildly unpredictable... from snow to 70 degrees.  But, one thing we can predict... is that spring is just around the corner!  The number one indicator of spring in our business is household ants & termites.  Yep... those little pesky colonies keep us busy all spring long and into the summer.  Ants and termites can surprise you with swarms.  To tell the difference between a ant swarm & a termite swarm, take a look at the attached diagram.  A swarm isn't anything to fear... call today for preventative pest control or a free termite inspection.

Mark Your Calendars for LIpscomb's Green Business & Living Summit, April 2-4

All-American is a Gold Sponsor for The Green Business and Living Summit and Expo. The Green Business and Living Summit and Expo will be held on the Lipscomb University campus, April 2-4, 2009. This event is hosted by Lipscomb’s Institute for Sustainable Practice, and focuses on growing green business opportunities in Tennessee such as green building, energy, transportation, home, office, electronics, waste elimination, and the environment. There will be a 2 ½ day Green Expo showcasing green products and services for consumers as well as a one day Business Summit for business leaders interested in this rapidly growing market and in greening their business practices. All will begin with a community wide kickoff event and keynote address by Gary Hirshberg, President and CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farms, as well as a green art show, product demonstrations, green job fair, and more. Additional information is posted on the web site at www.greenbusinessandliving.net.

Join Us! The inaugural HBA Middle TN Green Building Council

HBAMT's newest council will hold its first meeting next week!

Wednesday, Jan. 28th, 11:00 AM

An Introduction to the HBAMT's GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL!
Presented by the Green Council Leadership Team:
Jay Elisar, Bill Lawrence, Erin Richardson & Beth Taylor

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
The HBAMT; 9007 Overlook Blvd., Brentwood, 37027
RSVP  (615) 377-9651, ext. 308
PRICE* $20 with RSVP; $25 w/o RSVP

*FREE for Green Building Council members
thanks to our meeting sponsors InkFlip, Tate Ornamental, and Woolf Harris.

Pictures from Donelson/Hermitage Christmas Parade

Here are a couple of pictures of a great float from Hickory Bend United Methodist Church.  All-American was glad to help in a small way by providing the truck to pull the float. Great job Hickory Bend UMC! Jim Bilbrey our Entomologist on staff is a member of this church and the driver. The Donelson/Hermitage Christmas Parade is held around the middle of December by the Donelson/Hermitage Chamber of Commerce.

 

Merry Christmas from All-American Pest Control

All of us at All-American Pest Control would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!  Thank you to all our friends, family, customers, partners, and vendors. We greatly appreciate your support and business! Blessings for a wonderful 2009!

How do I get rid of moles?

The eastern mole is quite a nuisance here in Middle Tennessee.  This 8-9 inch creature rarely sees the light of day, can eat it's body weight in earthworms on a daily basis, and can make havoc of your yard.

In response to customer feedback requesting mole control service, we have done our research & field studies.  We are happy to announce All-American's Mole Control program. 

The initial service involves three visits to your home including inspection, mapping, identifying the most active runs, baiting, and reassessment. We are confident that we can get rid of the moles in your yard. All of our test sites have been mole free for over 1 month now.

What we can't do is prevent new moles from re-entering your yard. Moles are very territorial and there will only be 1 mole per 1/4 -1/2 acre, but when neighboring moles learn of new available territory, they will make use of existing runs and move on over. What we recommend is an ongoing mole control service to quickly take control when a new mole moves in. We will come back to reassess the situation and bait for new moles every other month. If you would like to learn more email or call.

Ants are the new termite!

Termites are still an ongoing problem in Middle Tennessee, but termite control measures have come along way since the 1900's when attempts were made to protect homes when arsenic dust and DDT. Since then, there have been many technological advancements made in the termite control industry to help us better protect our homes from structural damage due to termite infestations. While nothing is 100% fool proof when it comes to nature and protecting homes from termites, we have arrived to an age in the development of termite control where we have sensible, environment responsible, and effective termite control measures available to us.  These advancements are nothing but great news to homeowners, and pest control companies now feel more confident than ever before in their control measures and service offerings. My company, All-American Pest Control, is so much more confident with our termite protection service offerings that we now offer a termite damage repair agreement for 90% of all homes. In the past, we only offered termite damage repair agreements for 20% of homes.

Ants are the new termite!  These days ant infestations can be much more of a headache for home owners and pest control companies. Ants will never cause as much structural damage as termites so the fear will never be as prevalent as termite- but ants are sure quite a nuisance and can be difficult to control. Two species of ants that we regularly encounter in homes in Middle Tennessee are the Carpenter Ant and the Odorous House Ant. Ants can be eliminated.  Successful control measures include inspections around moisture sources to uncover a primary and/or secondary nest, study of the behavior and trailing of the ants, identification of the ant, removal of any competing food sources, a baiting treatment when necessary, and a bit of patience. We generally recommend an on-going service for ant problems.  Often it may take 2-3 trips to successfully eliminate an ant problem.  With our on-going service, additional trips are covered for no additional charge.