On our roof, we have a strange little alcove where a couple of different roof angles meet and form a hidden corner. We’ve had birds build nests there in the past which wouldn’t be so bad except that nest material and droppings end up on our front porch. I already see a couple of birds
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My daughter said she learned in her science class about a little beetle that feeds on prescription drugs and even eats things like strychnine. I know insects do strange things but is that really true? R. W., Alton, NH It is true. I’m sure that the beetle you’re talking about is the drugstore beetle, Stegobium
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Flies are an expected and very useful presence when a human corpse is discovered. Knowing the biology of flesh-feeding flies can give an investigator all kinds of important information, but not recognizing fly specks for what they are (basically fly vomit) can jeopardize an investigation. To the crime scene investigator, the “specks” left by flies
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I think I might have flour beetles infesting food in my kitchen cabinets. What do these beetles look like? I’ve found tiny brown things that look like beetles in a box of cake mix and a bag of cornmeal, so far. Did they come from the store or do I have a serious problem here?
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Here it is January, it’s frozen outside and we have these tiny flies flitting around inside. I can’t figure out where they could be coming from. Any ideas? V. B., Everett, MA The first thing you need to do is have a professional exterminator inspect your home to identify the flies and find the breeding
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For the holidays, a good friend gave us an “old country ham” that she purchased at a farm market. Apparently, these are hams that are cured or dried unrefrigerated for a year or more. They look terrible with mold on the surface (that’s normal) but supposedly taste great. The problem is that we have seen
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Last year when we put up our Christmas tree inside, we had these strange black bugs crawling all over. What can we do differently this year to make sure we don’t bring tree insects into the house? S. K., Loudon, NH You don’t say whether you cut your own tree or purchased one from a
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I’ve just realized that we seem to have a silverfish problem. I’ve seen a couple in the bathroom at night and also found one inside a cookbook. Can you tell me what they feed on so I know what to do to get rid of them? L. Y., Amesbury, MA Eliminating the food sources could
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For most of the U.S., Zika virus season is over, or at least has slowed considerably as winter approaches. Except for isolated portions of Florida, you could say we’ve dodged a bullet so far. In those regions, Zika is likely to remain at a low level this winter. We expect Zika to be a real
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