1. The most common cockroach living in homes in the Northeast is the American cockroach? TRUE or FALSE? FALSE. It’s the much smaller German cockroach. The large American cockroach is sometimes found in lower levels of commercial buildings such as office buildings or in sewers. 2. A German cockroach female gives live birth to an…
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If Japanese barberry is one of your favorite landscaping plants, you should think about finding a new favorite, especially if you worry about Lyme disease. Does that seem like convoluted thinking? What does a garden shrub have to do with a serious disease spread by the bite of a tick? Tick researchers at the Connecticut…
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Did you ever hear the term “urban wildlife?” No, it doesn’t mean rockin’ inner-city nightclubs. Urban wildlife refers to animals other than domestic pets and livestock that occasionally find their way into your yard, and sometimes stay. Animals like raccoons, opossums, skunks, woodchucks, and of course the wildlife that seem to be in residence all…
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If you’re worried about bringing bed bugs home from your vacation, pay attention to your dirty laundry. Dirty clothes attract bed bugs. Yes, this sounds like an old wives tale. Bed bugs feed on people’s blood, what do they care about those less-than-clean T-shirts and undies that you’ve been throwing into your luggage for the…
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Brown rat, or Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) is the most common rat species in New England. There have been isolated reports of populations of the smaller black rat, also known as roof rat (Rattus rattus) in coastal communities. Perhaps this is the species that is prevalent in places like Kittery, but we’ll see. Hopefully I’ll…
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