In the yard itself – 1. Move firewood piles away from the house – If you moved your firewood close to the house this winter for convenience, now is the time to get that wood farther away since firewood piles attract all kinds of pests and invite wood-feeding insects that could have an eye on
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Well, it’s time to welcome 2019 and begin to speculate on what our primary pest problems will be in the New Year. Much of it depends on what happens in the remainder of this winter. WINTER TEMPERATURES AFFECT PEST SURVIVAL Our weather will have an effect on the numbers of mosquitoes, and ticks, and flies,
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You may know that rats and mice can carry various diseases and can sometimes transmit them to humans through their droppings, urine, and other bodily fluids. Did you know that rodents can also have parasites such as fleas, mites, lice, and ticks, and that these sometimes affect people as well? Apparently if you ever combed
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Flea control is a complex issue since we are dealing with two different life stages, adult and larva, that live in two completely different environments. Adult fleas live almost exclusively on your pet. They don’t leave the animal so vacuuming your home won’t affect the adult fleas at all. VACUUMING TARGETS FLEA EGGS AND LARVAE
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My son just noticed some tiny white, wormy things in the dog’s bed. This may be out of your specialty area but do you think these are some kind of intestinal parasite that came out of the dog, or could they be some kind of insect that is chewing on the fabric in the dog
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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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I read on your website that you use a growth regulator for flea control. What is that all about? I don’t want them to grow, I want them gone! Bring on the pesticide! L. W., Beverly, MA We hear you. An insect growth regulator (IGR) is not an insecticide in the traditional sense but is
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Our dog just had a terrible bout with fleas. We’ve treated him thoroughly and he seems to be doing okay now. But I saw a few tiny brown things in his hair that don’t quite look like fleas. Could these be baby fleas? H. W., Framingham, MA I’m not sure what you saw, but I
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We’re getting my son a puppy for Christmas. The pet store suggests that we pick it up after Christmas since that’s less stressful for the puppy (and maybe for us too!). I’m worried about ending up with fleas in the house. What should we do to prepare and prevent that possibility? Thanks. L. W., Lunenburg,
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