I remember as a kid sort of being creeped out a bit by earwigs. Mind you, I was a guy who used to ‘play’ with spiders, keep praying mantises for pets, go looking for monarch butterfly caterpillars, etc. but there was just something weird about earwigs. The neighborhood kids would call them ‘pincher bugs’ referring
VIEW MOREBecause organic mulches (shredded wood, bark, or chips, sawdust, pine needles, grass clippings, straw) are made of plant material that gradually decomposes, they attract insects and arthropods that feed on rotting vegetation such as millipedes, sowbugs or pillbugs, cockroaches, slugs, earwigs, and crickets, to name a few. Arthropod predators like spiders, centipedes, ants, and ground beetles also occupy mulch where they find insects to feed on.
VIEW MOREThe first, and most important, step is to make sure the clothes are clean before you store them. Clothes should be dry cleaned after the last wearing. This is not just your mom talking, there’s a scientific reason for this. Fabric pests attack soiled clothing and woolens first.
VIEW MOREWhy is it that when you are phobic about something you seem to attract that ‘thing’ like a magnet? Spiders, for example, are probably the most feared creatures on the planet. I don’t have a problem with them at all. They fascinate me. I’ve even had a couple of black widow spiders as ‘pets’! But,
VIEW MOREMany people don’t realize that they can prevent ticks in ways other than wearing repellent and protective clothing. No only can you have your property treated by a professional exterminator, but there are steps you can take in the management of your property that will make it less attractive to ticks (see Ticks Should Be
VIEW MORELyme disease remains the most commonly reported tick-transmitted disease in the U.S., but newly recognized tick diseases seem to be appearing all the time. Babesiosis is a relatively new tick-borne disease, occurring in the Northeast and upper Midwest (see Emerging Tick Disease in Our Area). Two other tick diseases have appeared in Massachusetts recently: anaplasmosis, and the even newer miyamotoi.
VIEW MOREI can’t get my kids to play in the backyard because of little green worms that are dropping out of the trees and landing on them and on everything else. Now I’m remembering that these worms and their silk threads were all over decks and sidewalks last spring, too. What are they? R.N., Hampton, NH
VIEW MOREAccording to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services, most cases of Lyme disease in the state occur between May and August when the nymphal stage of the black-legged tick is most active. Nymphal feeding activity begins in April, peaks in June or July, and by fall the nymphs have molted into adult ticks.
VIEW MORECarpet beetle larvae remain hidden in or under their food source. They’re rarely seen unless you have a seriously infested item and the infestation eventually becomes obvious. After the larvae pupate and the adult beetles emerge in early spring, they are attracted to light in an attempt to get outside to mate. At this time, carpet beetles are climbing walls and flying to windows. You can find them dead on windowsills or caught up in spider webs near lights
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