Question Now that the weather is finally warming up, I am getting ready to store my wool sweaters and other clothes, and a few blankets, until next winter. What should I do to make sure they don’t get infested by moths? Are moth balls a good idea? Answer Woolens and wool blend fabrics can be
VIEW MOREInsects love mulch. Burrowing under mulch provides wonderful protection from the elements and from predators. Mulch retains moisture, vital for most insects, and remains cool in summer and warm in winter. Many insects feed on decaying vegetation, and that’s basically what decomposing mulch is. If you’re a predatory insect, the mulch environment provides easy food
VIEW MOREInsects often develop resistance to the insecticides that we use against them. When that happens, the insecticide becomes less effective until sometimes we can no longer control the population with this insecticide. Sometimes we can switch to a different insecticide and get results. But sometimes that resistance is broad spectrum, severely limiting the number of
VIEW MOREQuestion I found some information on the Internet about how you can hang bags of water on your deck to keep flies away when you’re eating outside. Somehow they see their reflection and are scared away. Does this really work? Answer I’ve been wondering when I would get this question. For some reason, this method
VIEW MORESpring certainly seems to be taking its time reaching the Northeast. The colder than usual weather has slightly delayed a spring phenomenon—the march of the hibernating bugs! Yours may be one of those unfortunate households that has served as winter headquarters for outdoor pests. This is the time of year when those insects that have
VIEW MOREYou’ve probably seen news reports about bed bugs infesting library books. The bed bugs come from books that have been in bed bug-infested homes. The bugs are simply hiding in the books as they would hide in any crack or crevice. There are, however, pests who actually feed on books. Some pests just graze on
VIEW MOREAll my life, I’ve been a weather watcher, but perhaps now much more so since I’ve become a homeowner and a very serious gardener. I’m also a winter sports enthusiast too and this winter so far has been a disappointment. There is lots of cold, dry, bare ground outside right now. It may change soon
VIEW MOREThink a few fleas on your dog or cat are no big deal? Think again. While fleabites to sensitized dogs and cats can make their lives miserable, (a condition known as flea allergic dermatitis) fleas can be very efficient transmitters of disease causing organisms and also intestinal parasites (tapeworm, and roundworm) to your pets and
VIEW MOREQuestion I’m a supervisor in a large data processing office. Several of my employees have complained about getting bitten at work although we can never find the bugs. We had a pest control company inspect the office. They said they couldn’t find anything but they sprayed the carpet. A week later, the biting has started
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