We’re getting close to that time of year when people start complaining about various insects trying to get into their homes, sometimes in large numbers. We call these pests “fall invaders” or “occasional invaders,” or simply “overwintering pests.” Overwintering is what they have in mind. When the weather cools, days get shorter, and an insects’
VIEW MORESac spiders get their name from the protective sac that they spin to hide in during the day (rather than in a web). The sac is a short, flat tube of silk that can be found in protected cracks or in upper corners where the wall meets the ceiling. The spiders rest in the sac during the day and also lay their eggs in the sac. Since each spider can construct multiple sacs, the number of sacs is not a reliable indicator of the number of spiders present. Large numbers of sacs can clog the inside of equipment, car parts, and outdoor appliances such as gas grills.
VIEW MOREWe almost never see mealworms as pests in a home, but they are pests in facilities that store or process grain. Even in these sites, they are not major pests because they rarely feed on clean grain that is food quality. They prefer grains that are old and moldy, and so they are found in dark, damp, musty sites where there is damp grain spillage. In addition to moldy grains, mealworms will also feed on meat scraps, dead insects, and feathers.
VIEW MOREThe eggs hatch in late summer into very tiny 6-legged tick larvae which remain near the ground so they can feed on white-footed mice or deer mice. If the mouse they feed on is infected with Lyme disease, the larval ticks may become infected. Tick larvae spend the winter and molt into nymphs in the spring. Nymphs feed from spring to fall on somewhat larger animals and can pass the infection on to these hosts.
VIEW MORENonporous surfaces like glass, glazed tile, or stainless steel don’t soak up insecticide so more remains on the surface where pests can come into contact with it. The downside is that pesticide that remains exposed on a surface is susceptible to evaporation and removal by cleaning or wear. If there’s dust , oil, or grease on the application surface, that will cut down on the effectiveness of the insecticide as well.
VIEW MOREThe house centipede is dirty yellow in color with 3 darker stripes down its back. While other centipedes have legs that are all of the same size, the house centipede has 15 pairs of legs that increase in length from the front to the back of the body. It actually uses its back legs to lasso and capture prey. It’s only about 1 to 1-1/2 inches long when full grown, but the long legs and very long antennae make the house centipede appear much larger. If you attempt to smash or capture a house centipede, the legs break off easily and will continue to twitch!
VIEW MOREMost U.S. cases of Lyme disease still occur in the Northeastern and upper Midwestern states. In 2013, 14 states accounted for 95% of all confirmed cases of Lyme disease. What’s changed is that even more areas within these states are now considered high risk for catching the disease.
VIEW MOREFortunately, fungus beetles can be one of the easiest pests to control. For small infestations, if you simply dry out the site where the mold is growing to kill the mold, the beetles will either die or move on. Drying the site might mean repairing roof or plumbing problems, or correcting drainage or condensation problems. In some cases, simply removing the moldy material (for example, wet cardboard boxes) will get rid of the pests.
VIEW MOREIt’s true that the blacklegged ticks that transmit Lyme disease are hard to see, even on people. They are some of our smallest ticks, particularly when they are in the larval or nymphal stage. Engorged ticks that have fed are larger and easier to see and remove on a dog, but they may have already transmitted disease when feeding.
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