Outdoor Tick Question I’ve found a couple of little brown ticks on my kids and I found one crawling around downstairs. I’ve tried to get an exterminator to spray our house for ticks but no one will do it. Why? How are we supposed to get rid of them?—L. B., Boylston, MA Tick Control and Extermination
VIEW MOREOne reason that insects are so successful is that they are specialized. They even have mouthparts that are customized for their lifestyle and the type of food they eat. Some chew, some slurp, some pierce and suck. Piercing-Sucking Mouthparts Some insects have a mouth that is essentially a hypodermic needle. Mosquitoes, bed bugs, fleas, stable
VIEW MOREDespite its name, the wood-boring beetle known as the old house borer is not generally a pest of old homes. It’s mostly found in houses less than 10 years old. The old house borer is what we call a long-horned beetle (it has really long antennae) and its wood-boring larvae can be a serious structural
VIEW MOREWith the tough recent winter now just a faded memory, people are beginning to enjoy the great outdoors again as we’re heading towards summer. But as we come out of hiding to bask in the heat, so too do the ticks that carry Lyme disease. The majority of Lyme disease transmissions are reported between June
VIEW MOREEarwigs are those insects with the ominous-looking pincers on their rear end. They are outdoor insects that sometimes end up inside. Despite their appearance, earwigs are relatively harmless and are considered to be occasional nuisance pests. 18 Earwig Facts The species that most commonly infest homes are the European earwig (an introduced species about ½-inch
VIEW MOREHouse fly Question Why would I have house flies inside my house? I know they’re associated with garbage, but the kitchen garbage can is covered and I take the garbage out regularly. I see them mostly in the upstairs bedrooms, sometimes several each day.—T. Y., Chichester, NH Answer You sound like a candidate for a
VIEW MOREDogs and cats can get tapeworm from eating poop infected with tapeworm, but more commonly they get tapeworm from swallowing a flea. If your pet has fleas, it’s not unusual for a flea to be ingested during self-grooming. If that flea is infected with a tapeworm larva, the larva is now able to develop into
VIEW MOREGnat Question I’m a receptionist in a large office building in downtown Boston. In the main lobby, we have several indoor plants in a large brick planter. We have an ongoing problem in the lobby with little gnats. We had an exterminator spray but the gnats came back. I’m responsible for watering the plants and
VIEW MOREWood decay or wood rot is not only a problem in itself, but it also contributes to insect damage. Insects that feed on, or nest in, wood often start their infestation in softer, decayed or damp wood. In any home, there will be uncountable fungal spores, waiting in dormancy for the high moisture level needed
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