At this time every year, we witness a cricket migration – from outside to inside. The cooler weather of fall sends crickets looking for places to spend the winter. They say that the worst cricket years occur when hot, dry weather is followed by late season rainfall. But of course, whether or not you consider
VIEW MOREWe’re right in the middle of the time of year when stink bugs try to move into our homes to spend the winter. In New England, so far, we have been lucky. While the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has been detected in every state in New England, it remains primarily a nuisance pest in
VIEW MOREDid you know that spiders can fly? Spider flight is actually called “ballooning” and, for spiders, it’s more like traveling by parachute. The spider climbs to a high spot, lifts its butt to the air while releasing silk strands, and waits to be lifted off of its “feet” by a passing breeze. If all goes
VIEW MOREQuestion We have several apparently feral cats that live around the apartment property next door. Could my dog be getting fleas from these cats? He’s confined to our fenced yard when he’s outside and I thought fleas stayed on the animal they were feeding on. Would fleas travel from the apartment property to our yard?
VIEW MOREQuestion Just in the last week we have seen lots of tiny mite-like things around our windows on the ground level. They’re red in color; does that mean they’re chiggers that suck blood? Answer The tiny pests could be a number of things: bird mites, brown dog ticks, rat mites — and you should have
VIEW MOREQuestion I sprayed an insecticide on several hydrangea bushes to kill aphids. The next day, most of the leaves had turned yellow and were starting to drop off. I’m heartbroken that I might have killed my hydrangeas. What did I do wrong? Answer What you experienced is what we call “phytotoxicity,” which is a fancy
VIEW MOREQuestion We seem to have a constant problem with spiders in our house. I know they feed on insects but I don’t really see a lot of insects inside. I’m tired of spraying insecticide all the time. What can we do to keep spiders out? Answer You may have discovered that insecticides are not very
VIEW MOREQuestion What are “pantry pests?” My mother who is staying with us told me that I had pantry pests in my kitchen. I think she meant the little beetles that I see in my cupboards. Answer Pantry pests are an assortment of beetles, moths, and other “bugs” that feed in dried food products like flour
VIEW MOREQuestion We’ve had our home professionally treated for fleas before but it doesn’t seem to work very well. Seems like in just a couple of weeks, we’re seeing fleas again. Is this normal? Answer It’s not normal. Maybe you need to try a different pest management company. Flea control, however, involves more than just treatment
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