Episodes

  • The Hidden World of Drain Flies & Breeding Sites

    The Hidden World of Drain Flies & Breeding Sites
    Sep 30 2026
    In this episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, hosts Michael Wienecke and Travis McGowin dive deep into the murky world of household plumbing to answer a simple yet unsettling question: what’s in your drain? From hair-clogged shower drains and dried-out guest toilets to hidden breeding grounds in garages and commercial kitchens, they uncover the real causes behind pest infestations like drain flies and fruit flies. Tune in to discover why bleach isn’t the quick fix you think it is, how structural plumbing issues can trigger surprise fly surges, and practical steps you can take to keep your drains clean and pest-free. Visit our YouTube channel! Podcast Transcript:Michael Wienecke: So what’s in your drain, Travis?Travis McGowin: Probably moisture, crud, and buildup, I’d have to guess.Michael Wienecke: I would have much rather heard “which drain,” because I have multiple different ones.Travis McGowin: Well, I mean, that too. I mean, obviously, there’s, you know, drains everywhere in your house—bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms… Sometimes people have them in their garage. I mean, there’s, you know, potential for drains to be in quite a few places.Michael Wienecke: And in our line of work, we see a lot of things in drains that shouldn’t be in drains.Travis McGowin: (Laughs) Absolutely! I mean—when you get right down to it, when you think about drains, you think about bathtubs and sinks. That’s probably about as far as your mind goes, but if you really wanted to get to the reality of it, toilets are drains too.Michael Wienecke: That’s very true. That’s very true. I was thinking more of a shower drain, and if you’re married or, you know, have a sister or what—if they’re, you know, most…Travis McGowin: Anyone with long hair.Michael Wienecke: Anyone—(laughs) I think women because my wife, but my shower—my shower drain has—has hair all—all in it.Travis McGowin: Oh, yeah. And it—it’s amazing how quickly it builds up. And, you know, no offense to my wife or any other female, but sometimes it’s like, “Dear Lord, how are you not bald?”Michael Wienecke: It just keeps on growing, man! I—I don’t—I’ve often thought that myself. But, you know, with hair in that drain causes a lot of issues, other than just, you know, gagging while you’re cleaning it out.Travis McGowin: Oh, it always has a very nice, pungent odor to it when you pull it out of the drain.Michael Wienecke: It’s so funny watching—like, I’ve seen videos of people, you know, trying to be manly and take it out of the drain; they’re just like about to just lose it.Travis McGowin: Gag—gagging the whole time. (Laughter) It is, it’s gross. It’s gross.Michael Wienecke: As firemen, we’ve seen a lot, so I feel like—I feel like we can handle a lot. But hey, on—on a side note, since we’re talking about gagging, we just got a puppy, and—and it—it used the bathroom in the garage this—this morning. So when I went in there, I—I almost lost it. And I was like, I guess I’m just getting old, I don’t know.Travis McGowin: Was it like, the smell permeated the entire room?Michael Wienecke: Yes! Well, it—I guess it’d been sitting there since, you know, whenever it did. And it was just like, “Oh!” It just hit me in the face. But… Now we have flies, you know? Had to take care of that today.Travis McGowin: So, you know, with drains—and we’ll—we’ll harp a little more on the shower drains and, you know, hair buildup in the drains. I’m sure you’ve been in this position where you pull the drain cover off and you go to pull the hair out, but like, it’s literally not just hair. It’s this very long, just—it’s like it keeps going and going, and it’s like whatever hair you had, and then whatever growth is on that and buildup is on that, it—it just stretches like way down into the drain. Um, you know, the dead giveaway sign for us is when it starts to back up and not drain properly while you’re using your shower, and then inevitably you pull the cover off and it’s just like this long growth buildup with hair and all manner of other mess on it. But I mean, think about any drain.Michael Wienecke: You’re painting an amazing picture.Travis McGowin: I know, right? I—I should’ve taken a picture—I’ll take a picture next time and send it to you.Michael Wienecke: We—we have plenty of video footage of drains. Plenty.Travis McGowin: But moisture—moisture’s the, you know, to me—obviously you got matter and—and items that get put into a drain, but moisture is to me the key ingredient, and it’s—it’s always gonna be there. I mean, drains have moisture in them by design, constantly.Michael Wienecke: Well, and the problem is moisture or lack of moisture can bring on problems.Travis McGowin: Right. So I’ve—I’ve seen it both ways. I’ve seen where, you know, the moisture sitting in the drain along with some organic ...
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    18 mins
  • Pest Control: American Roach Prevention

    Pest Control: American Roach Prevention
    Oct 14 2026
    Welcome back to the Peskies Pest Control Podcast! In this episode, hosts Michael Wienecke and Travis McGowin take a deep dive into the world of the American cockroach—from wild stories about roach-infested stadium concrete covers to skin-crawling encounters inside tight crawl spaces. The duo breaks down why these giant pests prefer moist environments, how natural harborage areas like pine straw and firewood attract them, and the most practical steps you can take to keep them out of your home. Tune in to learn why “American roaches come low,” what risks they pose to your family’s health, and how simple moisture control can make all the difference. Visit our YouTube channel! Podcast Transcript:Michael Wienecke: But today is the American roach. The longest, fattest, ugliest roach there is.Travis McGowin: It probably doesn’t appreciate you calling it that, all of those mean things.Michael Wienecke: Well, it’s funny because a long, long time ago I was being trained, and that’s how I was taught, that it had a, a large halo on its, on its head, and it was the biggest, just like, you know, Americans seem to be.Travis McGowin: Yeah, I would say between them and Smokey Brown, they’re… Most of what I see between the two are, are about, you know, the same or similar in size. Um, but fun story. I saw, I was at the football field last night, um, calling the game, and then afterwards the stadium got cleaned up, and then I was able to leave. And as I go to get in my truck, I crank my truck up, and I turn my headlights on, and I go to drive away, and there’s like a big concrete, um, and almost looks like the entrance to a well, like, you know, you’d see on someone’s property, um, big concrete cover, big circular, um, piece of concrete going into the ground.Michael Wienecke: Like a sewer?Travis McGowin: And it could be. I mean, you know, we don’t have sewer out there, but, you know, we do have, I guess, septic system, what not. But…Michael Wienecke: Outhouses?Travis McGowin: We’re not that rural. Um, so I look at it and it’s moving. And I took a video, and I’ll have to show it to you, but there were roaches scrambling all over the outside and going into this, uh, piece of concrete. I’m talking about all over the place. It was actually pretty epic to see. So much so that I stopped and pulled my phone out and like videoed this.Michael Wienecke: That’s nasty.Travis McGowin: Why wouldn’t I?Michael Wienecke: Well, and that’s why we always say, you know, American roaches come from below. You know, we see them a lot more in cellars, in basements, uh, wet, damp areas such as that.Travis McGowin: Right. Yeah, there, there, uh, there’s a significant population, it appears, um, in that area now. So, yeah, it was kind of gross, actually.Michael Wienecke: Well, um, are you, are we treating that area?Travis McGowin: No, we don’t treat the school.Michael Wienecke: Oh, I thought, I thought it was at the football field.Travis McGowin: No, no. Well, I mean, it’s close to the high school stadium, but no, we don’t treat anything at the school. They have their own people they’ve, you know, low-bid contracted with.Michael Wienecke: Well, all right then. Well, so let’s talk about how they enter your house in general. I mean, uh, we’ve talked about cracks, crevices, doors, windows, but, um, talk about some, uh, nature obstacles. Natural obstacles. There we go.Travis McGowin: Na- natural obstacles?Michael Wienecke: Yeah, some things that customers could do to help with, um, not letting American roaches in their house in the first place.Travis McGowin: Right, so first thing that comes to mind for me is trying to ensure that none of the areas around your property are harborage areas or places that that they want to live or stay, you know? And what that could look like is maybe not having so much pine straw or mulch, uh, and especially high amounts of moisture around those as well. Um, but just, I think eliminating some of the harborage areas is a really great start.Michael Wienecke: I mean, firewood around the house is a big one for me, cuz we see, we see that a lot. And I can just remember just as a kid watching, you know, like a stack of wood, you’d remove it for for the fire or something, and uh, roaches would come out of the woodwork. Literally. So, just for that, termites, I mean, ants. I mean, really, any kind of pest, you don’t want a bunch of wood that you’re gonna burn that probably was cut up and has some type of, uh, insect or larva already in it. So, want to keep that as far away as possible. Um, good seals on the windows, trees not touching the house. Um, that’s gonna be a big one, cuz again, those, those roaches can, they can fly, but I mean, they’re fairly weak flyers, so they’re gonna do more, more crawling. And then, of course, your, uh, water, water, na-, you know, um, like when it rains, your, your standing water issues and stuff like that...
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    15 mins
  • Don’t Burn the House Down: A Professional Guide to Bed Bugs

    Don’t Burn the House Down: A Professional Guide to Bed Bugs
    Oct 7 2026
    In this episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, hosts Michael Wienecke and Travis McGowin broadcast on-location right outside a residential home in Montgomery, Alabama, where a full-house thermal remediation is underway. From the spike in bed bug infestations following peak travel seasons to the science behind using a 500,000+ BTU propane heater to destroy pests and their eggs in a single day, Michael and Travis break down why heat treatment is the ultimate “one and done” solution. Tune in as they discuss practical travel inspection tips, dismantle the stigma surrounding pest infestations, and share a few hilarious past mishaps involving fire departments and unexpected flea encounters! Like us on Facebook! Podcast Transcript:Michael Wienecke: Travis, I feel like bed bugs are on the rise. I feel like we’ve done so many bed bug jobs. I’m losing count.Travis McGowin: Um, things are heating up. See what I did there?Michael Wienecke: Heating up! I like that. Yes. Just in case anybody’s listening, we do heat treatments, so that’s why I said that.Travis McGowin: No pun intended. No pun intended, like I said. But yes, I would say over the last, what, two or three weeks, we’ve done four or five now.Michael Wienecke: Yeah, and I think it’s due to a lot more people traveling. I just think people are traveling more.Travis McGowin: Well, and I think you’re going to only see more of an increase in that simply because the holidays are coming up—October, November, December. Peak travel season, people going visiting with their family. You know, the potential of someone bringing something into your house as they come in to visit, or even family members—you know, some families like to take a big family trip for the holidays. Maybe they go, you know, to the mountains or whatever and they stay in a big cabin or something together. Whatever that looks like for their family, there’s definitely a risk that these bugs can travel. Unbeknownst to them, and then of course, when they realize it, a lot of times it’s just too late.Michael Wienecke: Oh, 100%. I mean, by the time you get them, what, I’d say a month to three months is when they start really showing themselves.Travis McGowin: Yeah, absolutely. And depending upon what size the bed bug was, what life stage the bed bug was prior to you, you know, bringing it home with you. And for those that don’t know, we’re actually sitting outside of a house right now while we speak that we’re currently doing a heat treatment for. And I think it’s a great place to talk about, because earlier on this morning before we got started, we were interviewing and talking with the owner of the house. And, you know, we asked some normal questions that we ask most clients, which is, “Any idea how you got them? Do you travel?” And that’s the first thing that she said was, “Oh, we travel all the time.”Michael Wienecke: Yeah, yeah. And the consultation’s so important. I mean, we talk about this in every aspect of pest control, but asking those questions, “Hey, when’s the last time you went out of town? When’s the last time somebody came over?” We’ve had somebody bring bed bugs because their mother-in-law came and stayed for a month. So, unfortunately, unwelcomed guests on both sides can be, can not be great for your home.Travis McGowin: Absolutely. So, you know, there’s a lot of people who for work or for family, they travel all the time. They have to stay in hotels, they have to stay in Airbnbs or rental properties in general, and they find themselves, you know, at risk—or I would at least say at higher risk than your average everyday human being who’s a homebody. So, let’s discuss a little bit—we’ll talk for a minute here in just a second about what it is we’re doing with this house and how we’re moving the heat in and what it’s doing. But what are some ways that you can mitigate or potentially mitigate this from even being a problem in your own house, especially if you find yourself where you don’t have a choice, you have to travel, you have to move abroad and stay at random places?Michael Wienecke: Yeah, I’ll tell you what I do. So when I go to a hotel or if I’m out of town or something like that, I hang all my luggage up. Some people put it in the bathtub; that’s also a really good way to, you know, if you’re that worried about it. But I hang everything up, I try to put everything in a hanger in the closet. I do an inspection as well, so looking through cracks and crevices—just a quick inspection of the bed frame, behind the headboard. Doesn’t take that long, about five minutes. If you’re that worried about it, though, I would—if you travel a lot, I would carry, I don’t know the scientific term, but bed bug cups. They go up under the bed frame, and they’ll catch the bed bugs so you’d know right then and there. And then you could just talk to the hotel staff, and I think ...
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    30 mins
  • Why DIY Pest Control Makes German Roach Infestations Worse

    Why DIY Pest Control Makes German Roach Infestations Worse
    Sep 23 2026
    In this episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, pest control experts Michael Wienecke and Travis McGowin share their wildest, most extreme job stories while diving into the reality of dealing with German roach infestations. From nightmare house calls and common DIY treatment mistakes to the surprising ways roaches invade clean homes, they break down why quick fixes don’t work and what it really takes to solve a serious pest problem. Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Podcast Transcript: Michael Wienecke: What’s the worst German roach service you’ve ever had?Travis McGowin: Ooh, I’ll be honest with you. I have one that still stands out in my mind that I went to in Montgomery several years ago. Uh, it was a residential property in, um, the northern part of Montgomery, and it was—it was bad. So, when they called about the infestation, on the phone, the lady advised me that, you know, it was mainly in one room. They’d been seeing them in the living room, um, and maybe a little in the kitchen.I walked into the house, and she looked at me, I looked at her, and I looked around the room, and I said, “This is, uh—this is a little bit more than just the living room and the kitchen, isn’t it?” And she said, “Yes, sir, it’s the whole house.” And I said, “Yeah, that’s kind of what I was thinking.” When I—when I tell you that there were German roaches in every single room, pretty much every single corner, any appliance, uh, piece of electronics, any piece of furniture, it—it was—it was the most, to date, since I’ve been doing this, it was the most significant one that I have ever walked into.Michael Wienecke: Were they trying to cure the problem themselves?Travis McGowin: You know, I—I don’t know 100%. I don’t remember seeing anything that gave me that indication, um, that they were trying to remedy it themselves. But, you know, that—that’s the problem, right? Is that when people get in too deep with some of these pest problems, you know, and specifically German cockroaches, and they try to remedy it themselves, a lot of times they exacerbate the problem and make it worse, and they move it from not only just being in one room to being in multiple rooms, to being in the whole house because they’re using the wrong products and the wrong methods.Michael Wienecke: 100%. So, um, I—I think that that would be the number one way that we get called out is that, would you say 90 days after trying to treat it themselves, it becomes an explosion that started probably in the kitchen or maybe in the bathroom, and now they’re seeing them in their bedroom, or they’re seeing them in, uh, you know, closets, things where they wouldn’t see them? And, uh, let’s explain why—why that’s happening.Travis McGowin: Well, I’ll—I’ll give you an example. Another, um, German roach infestation I went to that was actually in a mobile home. Uh, when I got there, I believe they told me I was, um—or I was with the third company that they had called. And, uh—Michael Wienecke: Wow.Travis McGowin: Yeah, absolutely. So, they were pretty desperate to get rid of them. I remember asking them—and I—and I typically ask most people this question, um, “All right, so after the other companies treated, did they ever come back?” And, of course, no, they did not, because, uh, I guess they thought that, um, this treatment for this customer was one and done, which it wasn’t.Michael Wienecke: Travis, it’s called a clean-out, okay? It’s—it’s a $199, and you’re good to go for the—for the next—Travis McGowin: Oh yeah, you’ll never have roaches again. Right, okay.Michael Wienecke: That’s—that’s right. Hey, they label it all day long. I’ve seen—I’ve seen the, uh—what are those things called? The yard signs. I’ve seen them.Travis McGowin: Well, we’ll go into in a minute why that’s not actually typically possible for German roaches. But, uh, but then I followed up with the question, “After they sprayed, was the problem any better, or did it get worse?” And the answer is most always, “It got worse.” And, uh, followed up by the third question, which is, “All right, so they started—you said they started in the kitchen. But after they sprayed, were they still just in the kitchen?” And that’s when the homeowner, of course, advised me that, no, they had moved, and that they had been in other rooms off of the kitchen as opposed to just being in the kitchen where they started.So, inevitably, what probably happened is the previous companies used a product that should never have been used. They got a little instant gratification by seeing some dead roaches. Um, but in reality, Michael, you and I both know that what happened was is that they just caused the infestation to relocate due to the product that they used that they should not have used.Michael Wienecke: Look, Bifen’s a great product. It’s a great product. It’s...
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    23 mins
  • Eights Legs & Extreme Heat: The Truth About Spiders

    Eights Legs & Extreme Heat: The Truth About Spiders
    Aug 21 2026
    On this episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast:Beat the summer heat with pest control experts Michael Wienecke and Travis McGowin as they spin a candid, humorous conversation about all things arachnid. From myth-busting brown recluse fears to sharing hilarious close encounters with wolf spiders and explaining why traditional sprays don’t always cut it, this episode dives into the practical dos and don’ts of managing spider activity around your home. Tune in for expert advice, a few cautionary lake house jokes, and a realistic look at why these eight-legged neighbors might not be so bad after all. Watch this on YouTube! Podcast Transcript:Michael Wienecke: How hot has it been outside?Travis McGowin: Can you… can you say expletives on here?Michael Wienecke: It’s been… Well, I think you can say hell on here. I mean, it’s—that’s a—that’s a fair one. That’s a fair one.Travis McGowin: Is the… is the devil’s armpit a good enough analogy?Michael Wienecke: Ooh.Travis McGowin: It’s uh… it’s pretty—it’s been pretty warm out here the last couple weeks.Michael Wienecke: I will say, some of the places I’ve been to have also been stinky, so that’s fair. That’s fair.Travis McGowin: Well, I mean, when you… when you are performing services and your clothes go from saturated to dry to saturated to dry over and over again multiple times, um… it’s… it’s pretty… pretty terrible.Michael Wienecke: Yes. Yes, it is. So, today we want to talk about spiders, man. We are dealing with some just hellacious spiders. Spiders are everywhere.Travis McGowin: Yeah, the… they are. Um, you know, and I understand that… I think you said you like spiders, right?Michael Wienecke: Man, I love spiders. Spiders… spiders are one of the most beneficial insects in all…Travis McGowin: Well, I agree with you in… in that regard. I think the… the vast majority of the population would heavily disagree with you in… in love of spiders, actually.Michael Wienecke: Oh, I have a really awesome video of a spider jumping out of the couch and… and at me as I was videoing it. So, I’ll… I could send that to you if you want to pop it up there real quick.Travis McGowin: The only way I want to see that is if you screamed like a girl.Michael Wienecke: I screamed like a grown man.Travis McGowin: No, the… you know, spiders, obvious—obviously, you know, you’ve got the vast majority of them being very beneficial, the vast majority of them are not venomous, and most of them, you know, don’t even bite. Of course, you know, here in Alabama, most folks, when they think of spiders, their… their brain automatically jumps to one of two, you know, either being the black widow or the brown recluse. And, you know, in my encounters in pest control, the vast majority of spiders that you encounter are neither one of those two spiders.Michael Wienecke: It is so rare to see a brown recluse or… or a black widow. I mean, if you stick your finger in a… a hose pipe or a crack or crevice outside, or just start picking up logs without… without gloves on, you’re probably going to meet a brown recluse or a black widow. But nine times out of 10, it’s going to be a… a wolf spider, excuse me. I lost my… my train of thought… thought there.Travis McGowin: Yeah, but I think most… I think most people, uh, automatically put spiders into this… this dangerous box. Um, now granted, there was… there’s a kind of a funny story. When I was a teenager still living at home with my parents, our… our house had always had this like darker-colored brown carpet. Um…Michael Wienecke: So, it… so, it didn’t show stains!Travis McGowin: I… I mean, I wouldn’t go that far. Uh, but it always had this dark brown carpet, and of course, what color is a wolf spider? Dark brown. Dark brown with black on it, you know, so uh they blended really well. And I remember there was one… one evening where I had went into my bedroom and uh and walked in to the doorway and turned the light on, and there was this massive wolf spider, uh, standing essentially in the doorway. And of course, I think I scared the wolf spider just as much as the wolf spider kind of scared me and startled me, because I wasn’t expecting there to be this massive spider. And uh so when I turned the light on, the spider came running directly at my feet, which I didn’t have any shoes on or anything, and uh so I picked up, you know, kind of jumped, picked up my foot, and the spider’s still running towards me. And when my right foot came down, the foot came down right directly on top of the spider, and uh of course, you know, I came down on the floor and then immediately picked my foot back up. Well, my… the spider had actually curled up and went underneath the… the little gap between my toe and the beginning of my actual part of my foot in that little, you know, raised area where your toes are, and he balled up…...
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    23 mins
  • Worse Than Fire Ants? Meet the Asian Needle Ant

    Worse Than Fire Ants? Meet the Asian Needle Ant
    May 26 2026
    Think fire ants are the worst thing hiding in your backyard? Think again. In this episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, Travis introduces a stealthy new invader that’s rapidly expanding across the Southeast: the Asian Needle Ant. Unlike common yard pests, these tiny, orange-legged insects don’t build massive mounds—instead, they lurk quietly in mulch beds and woodpiles, packing a sting described as ‘liquid fire’ that can pose a serious medical threat. Tune in to learn how to spot their bizarre behavior, avoid their painful sting, and protect your yard from this aggressive ecosystem hijacker. Podcast Transcript:Travis: Hey everyone, welcome back to the Peskies Pest Control podcast. I’m Travis, your host. You know, we talk a lot on this show about ants, we talk a lot about termites, uh, little crawling insects like that, and we talk about how they’re nuisances. Uh, you know, the ones that come along and ruin your outdoor gatherings in your backyard, um, or fire ants that, you know, leave itchy bumps on you and your kids’ ankles, you know, when you inadvertently walk through the grass and they, you know, you come into contact with them.But today we’re going to discuss another pest that’s been making some headlines this spring. You know, so we’re halfway through May at this point, uh, and if you’ve been keeping up with the news, there’s kind of a bit of a new insect in town. And that is the Asian needle ant.Now, I say new, although this ant has been around the United States for quite a while, um, but the “new” refers to the fact that they are currently exploding and invading across the Southeast. Uh, you know, a lot of experts refer to them as a medical pest, and there’s a very good reason for that. If you’re a gardener, uh, someone who enjoys hiking, uh, if you like to move a little bit of mulch in your backyard, then you need to know who these guys are before you reach into the wrong pile of leaves or dirt.So, you know, you may be asking, “Well, I’ve never heard of the Asian needle ant. What am I looking for exactly?” So, they’re tiny, maybe even about a fifth of an inch long, if that kind of gives you an idea of just how small these Asian needle ants are. Now, as far as color goes, they’re dark, they are kind of shiny and glossy, and almost black for most of their body.But there’s a dead giveaway that you need to look for when you see these ants, and that is that they have a distinctive orangish-brown color to their legs and their jaws. So, almost a full black body, but their legs and their jaws are orange to orangish-brown. And honestly, you might not even see them coming because, unlike fire ants, they don’t build these huge nests in the middle of your lawn. They’re a lot more stealthy. They do love moist and shaded areas. A lot of times you’ll find them under, you know, rotting wood or logs, even maybe under your stones or pavers in your yard, or way down deep in a mulch bed. You know, they don’t march in long straight lines like a lot of ants do when they make invasions on your house in your kitchen or, you know, in your bathroom. They are more likely to be loners and forage um, on their own, or solo.And you know, in fact, if an Asian needle ant actually finds a great food source, it doesn’t leave a scent trail to attract other ants. But it actually goes back and picks up another ant and carries the ant to the food with them. Uh, so they’re not communicating with those chemical trails that a lot of other ants leave. So, if you see what looks like an ant with two heads moving across a log or across a mulch bed, then you might actually be spotting this tandem carrying um, that these ants do, which is kind of classic needle ant activity.One more weird way to identify them is um, if you put them into a glass jar, a lot of ants can climb right up the side of a jar, but an Asian needle ant cannot climb any smooth surfaces. So, if it attempts to climb and it’s sliding down to the bottom of the jar like it’s maybe on a layer of slick ice, you’ve probably found an Asian needle ant.Now, let’s talk a little bit about why they are referred to as medical pests. So, the sting has been described as liquid fire, uh, or as if someone is driving a hot needle into your skin. But here’s the real danger: the ants are shy. They’re not really aggressive like fire ants that, you know, come and swarm you the second that you step on a mound. So, most stings happen a lot of times when you accidentally trap one, you know, maybe you’re wearing gardening gloves, one of them gets inside, or you lean against a tree where they’re nesting. So, for most of us, it’s just an intense localized pain. Uh, it can actually hurt for sometimes hours.But for about 1% to 2% of the population, it’s actually a lot worse than that. So, these ants have an incredibly high rate of causing anaphylaxis. Uh, and if you don’t know what that is, it’s...
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    11 mins
  • The Alabama Spring Guide to Termite Swarms

    The Alabama Spring Guide to Termite Swarms
    May 19 2026
    Welcome back to another episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, your go-to guide for keeping your Alabama home safe and bug-free! In this episode, host Travis McGowin dives deep into a phenomenon every Alabamian knows all too well: the dreaded spring termite swarm. Picture a beautiful afternoon right after a rainstorm, only you look at your windowsill and see a shimmering cloud of vibrating insects. Before you slip into total “termite panic,” Travis breaks down the biology of these winged invaders, how to tell them apart from ordinary flying ants, and the critical “red light” warning signs that mean it’s time to put down the over-the-counter bug spray and grab the vacuum. Tune in to learn exactly what to do whether you find these pests inside or outside your home! Visit our YouTube Channel! Podcast Transcript:So, I want to give you a scenario. So, let’s just say that it’s a pretty spring afternoon. Storms rolled in, but the rain has just stopped. Sun’s peeking out through the clouds. And you look over to your windowsill to get a glimpse of how beautiful the day actually is becoming. Only to see a cloud of vibrating, shimmering insects on your windowsill inside your home. So, if you’ve lived in Alabama for more than a year, you probably know the feeling of what we will call termite panic. So today, we’re going to talk about the spring swarm. Why is it happening? Is your house currently being eaten, and most importantly, what do you do if you find this phenomenon on the inside versus the outside of your home?So first off, let’s talk a little bit about termite biology. These aren’t just any termites. These are termite alates. So, think of them as royalty in the termite world. So, they’ve got one mission. The termite colony itself is like a crowded city. So, once it gets a little too full, the colony produces these winged reproductive termites. Their only job, their only reason for existing, is to fly out, find a partner from a different city or colony, and establish a new colony. So, they’re waiting for that perfect weather window, which is usually, you know, a nice, warm, high-humidity spring day, and really after a rain is is uh definitely ideal for them. So, the ground is soft, it makes it new—or excuse me, makes it easier for a new queen to go in and burrow and start to establish that colony. However, they’re terrible flyers. Um they do flutter around for a few minutes, often carried and pushed around by the wind if they’re outside. But if they’re inside your house, they flutter around for a few minutes, they’ll shed their wing—their wings, and then attempt to go to work. So, if you see piles of, you know, translucent termite wings on your porch or on your windowsill, then that means that their nuptial flight is over and they’re trying to start the work of what it is they’re really trying to do.Now, before you call an exterminator uh in, you know, just a complete and sheer panic, let’s talk about it and make sure that you aren’t looking at flying ants. So, ants do swarm at the same times, look almost identical when you glance at them, but there are a couple of key and important differences that you need to know about to make sure that you identify whether or not it is a termite or an ant.So, termites have thick, straight bodies. Ants have a pinched waist kind of resembling an hourglass. So, if the body’s approximately the same size from head to toe, or from front to back, I should say, it’s probably a termite. However, ants have that pinched hourglass waist.The next thing you can look at to identify them is their antennae. So, termites’ antennae, um they’re straight and look almost like they have a bunch of little tiny beads that build their antennae up. If you look at ants, they have elbowed or bent antennae.And then, another unmistakable sign that can help you identify termites versus ants is the wings. That’s probably one of the easiest ways to tell what it is you’re dealing with. So, termites have four wings that are all equal length in size. Ants, on the other hand, have four wings. However, the front wings are a lot longer than the back ones, so you’ll have two long wings and two shorter wings. Uh so, if the other methods, the the body and the antennae are a little bit too difficult for you to identify, the wings are definitely almost always a dead giveaway.So, let’s get into what now if you discover this phenomenon, and that depends entirely on where exactly you found this going on.So, in the first scenario, which would be more ideal maybe, they’re outside. If you see them swarming from a stump in your yard, a fence post, a dead tree, something like that, do not panic. This is a natural part of the ecosystem in the woods around your property. It means that somewhere nearby, you have a mature termite colony and can kind of give you like a yellow light warning. If you picture a traffic light, you know, ...
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    10 mins
  • Hantavirus: What You Need to Know!

    Hantavirus: What You Need to Know!
    May 12 2026
    Welcome back to the Peskies Pest Control Podcast, where we look beyond the common household nuisance to discuss the serious health risks associated with local wildlife. In this episode, Travis dives into the recent headlines surrounding the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak to explore the realities of Hantavirus—a severe respiratory disease with a staggering 40% mortality rate. While the news may be focused on the Atlantic, the danger actually begins on land with the rodents that enter our homes and workplaces. Join us as we discuss how professional exclusion and monitoring are your family’s best defense against these invisible pathogens. Podcast Transcript:Host: Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast. So today we don’t necessarily want to discuss the nuisance side of pests, but we want to talk a little bit about the dangerous side of pests. So anyone who has been on social media, watched the news lately, you probably seen headlines referring to the MV Hondius. If you’re not familiar with that, it is a cruise ship that was out in the Atlantic Ocean and is dealing with a now deadly outbreak of what is known as Hantavirus. So three people have died, there’s quite a few more being monitored around the world. CDC says they’re on high alert and it just sounds like something out of a horror movie, right? Or a suspense movie of some sort. You got a Hantavirus outbreak out in the middle of the ocean, but the truth is this is not a cruise ship problem, this is not an ocean problem. This is a rodent problem. Very often it starts on land, even in some of the places where you live and you work.What is Hantavirus?Host: So you may ask yourself, what exactly is Hantavirus? In short, it is a severe respiratory disease. So, you know, we have different strains of Hantavirus, but you know, the scary part is is that it has a mortality rate of nearly 40%. So compare that to the flu or even COVID-19 and you realize, you know, how potentially serious this can be. So, you know, you may be wondering how do you get Hantavirus? Well, you don’t get bitten by a mouse or a rat to get sick from this virus. It’s actually a lot easier than that and you don’t even have to contact a live rodent to get it. But the virus is carried by rodents, some mice, some rats, and they usually shed or disperse the virus when they urinate or when they defecate or even from their saliva. So you can get it from urine, their droppings, their spit. And when their droppings dry out and you sweep them up or you vacuum them or you clean them up, especially in large rodent infestations, the virus almost becomes aerosolized, you know, floating around in the air and then you breathe it in and you are at risk for Hantavirus in that moment or at that time.The MV Hondius ConnectionHost: So realistically, you know, how did this happen on a cruise ship? Well, the outbreak, you know, we can speculate all we want to but it likely started before the passengers were even on the boat. You know, there are reports that the first victims may have been exposed while birdwatching or visiting remote areas in Argentina. But two things to note here. The virus has quite a long incubation period, so somewhere in the upwards of 8 weeks. So you might not even really know that you’re sick until way after you’ve already been exposed. And you could see where somebody maybe got on the cruise ship having already been exposed to this virus. And it only takes one small interaction with an infested area, you know, to set this off. So on the ship, because it was a certain specific strain, it began to spread through close contact between the guests on the ship. And this is why we say, you know, that pest control isn’t just about property itself. Yeah, we love protecting your property from insects and from rodents and wildlife, but the big picture of pest control really is about public health.Bringing it Home – Why Pest Control MattersHost: So I know what you’re thinking now, it’s like, well, I’m not on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, or I’m not going to get on a cruise ship in the Atlantic. But here’s the unfortunate reality: every time that a rodent, a mouse or a rat enters your crawlspace, your attic, your kitchen pantry, they are bringing what is on the outside and bringing it in. So they’re not just looking for your food, they’re leaving behind a biological footprint that can in the long run affect you, your pets, your children. In Peskies, we don’t just kill bugs. You know, we create barriers between you and your family and your pets and we create the barriers between that group and these types of groups, the insects, the rodents, the wildlife, that sort of thing. So for rodents specifically, exclusion is extremely important and when I say exclusion, I mean sealing off the entry points so that they cannot get in in the first place. And then on top of that, sanitization is extremely important....
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    9 mins