Q. Can you give me some information about chiggers? Our doctor thinks that’s what has been biting my daughter. Should I have our house treated?
A. Treating inside your home won’t have any effect on chiggers which are outside pests. Chiggers (sometimes called red bugs) are the immature larval forms of a particular mite. They are pale to red in color and smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. So small, in fact, that most people cannot see them without magnification.
VIEW MOREQ. Different kinds of bugs keep getting into my house. I’ve had ants, earwigs, crickets, and a couple of things I don’t even recognize. I don’t understand how or why they keep getting inside? What can I do to keep them out?
VIEW MOREWho hasn’t caught fireflies (or lightning bugs, if you prefer) as a child and placed them in a jar to watch their blinking display?
Fireflies are true beetles, not flies, although they are very soft-bodied compared to other beetles. The female lays her eggs in the ground where the developing larvae feed on worms and slugs, which they first paralyze. Adult fireflies usually feed on nectar or pollen, but some species are predators on other insects including other fireflies. An adult firefly lives for only a few days; just long enough to mate and reproduce.
VIEW MOREEntomologists are specialists who study insects. And forensic entomologists are even more specialized. They sometimes serve as crime scene investigators and use their knowledge of insects and their life cycles to help solve murders. For the most part, forensic entomologists study fly maggots on decaying bodies—not exactly a specialty for the faint-hearted or weak-stomached.
VIEW MOREQ. I thought I read somewhere that bug zappers don’t really work. My neighbor’s zapper is driving me crazy with that ZZZZT noise all night. I’d like to show him proof that all he’s doing is annoying his neighbor. Any facts?
VIEW MOREQ. We always have a few of these insects in our basement that the neighbor kid calls pillbugs. They don’t seem to really do anything but I’d like to know where they’re coming from. Any ideas?
VIEW MOREQ. We have a nice elm tree in our backyard but every year we are overrun with elm leaf beetles from the tree getting into our house. I don’t want to get rid of the tree, but I sure would like to get rid of the beetles! Is there anything we can do?
A. The only permanent solution is to cut down your elm tree. No elm tree, no elm leaf beetles since they are pretty specific feeders and don’t feed on other trees. But seriously, there are preventive measures you can take to keep the beetles from getting into your house.
VIEW MOREQ. In the last week, we have seen at least a dozen large, metallic green flies in our kitchen. They’re a little bigger than a house fly and they buzz and fly into the window. Any idea what they are and how they got there?
VIEW MOREPreventing beetles and moths from infesting your kitchen takes a little common sense, good food storage practices, and some luck. Completely eliminating an existing pantry pest infestation isn’t easy, and requires a lot of effort.
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