Now that summer is winding down, maybe you think that the risk of mosquito disease transmission should be winding down as well. Sorry, but not yet. In our Northeastern region, mosquitoes are most likely to spread disease June through September. But the risk of mosquito-borne illness continues in an area until there is a hard
VIEW MOREIf you live in an apartment or condo in multi-family housing, you know that you have to be even more vigilant to prevent indoor pests. If one of your neighbors has a serious cockroach or mouse infestation, there’s a chance that those pests will try to invade your space as well. Don’t wait for that
VIEW MOREI know that one of the sources for fleas in a home is the pet’s bedding, but I don’t know what to do about it. Will washing or vacuuming the bedding kill fleas? N. T., Medway, MA It’s not the adult fleas that are found in your pet’s bed (or the sofa, or wherever your
VIEW MOREDepending on your part of the country, you may call these insects fireflies or lightning bugs. We all know them from when we were children, when we used to catch them on summer evenings and put them in jars to light our bedrooms at night. It may surprise you to know that fireflies are actually
VIEW MOREIt’s happening again. When the weather gets warm, we start getting these tiny, annoying fruit flies (you know, the ones with the red eyes) in the house. I can’t enjoy my glass of wine anymore because they’re always hovering over it. What causes them to come out when it gets hot?–W. B., Atkinson, NH Blame
VIEW MOREFor the last couple of weeks, I’ve been bitten by fleas in my home. I don’t see them biting me, but every day I find a couple of new bites, on my arms mostly. How can I get rid of these fleas? –C. P., Londonderry, NH Fleas Bite People Only As a Last Resort If
VIEW MOREMy dog is scratching like he might have fleas but I can’t find anything on him. Do I need a magnifying glass to see fleas? What do baby fleas look like?–D. F., Rye, NH Adult Fleas Aren’t Easy to Find Fleas are not microscopic, they’re small but they can be seen with the naked eye.
VIEW MOREWe’re already getting complaints about both camel crickets and field crickets getting into homes. Field crickets drive people crazy with their chirping (see “That Annoying Chirping!”). Camel crickets are scary because they jump so readily, but at least they don’t chirp (see “The Annual Return of the Camel Crickets”). If you’ve ever tried to track
VIEW MOREI read somewhere that mothballs don’t really work to protect your clothes from moths. I’ve had a problem in the past with holes in my stored sweaters and wool blazers. What else can I use?–T. Y., Melrose, MA Mothballs Are Rarely Used As Intended It’s not that mothballs don’t work against clothes moths, it’s just
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