Q. We have these small, dark gnats inside our house. I don’t think they’re fruit flies because I’ve dealt with those before. They sort of look like miniature mosquitoes and they seem to hang around the family room windows. Do you think they’re coming in from outside or are they breeding in my house?
VIEW MOREQ. I was relocating a stack of firewood in our yard the other day and found several very large (over an inch long), shiny black beetles in the firewood pile. My wife said I should spray the wood with pesticide now so that it will be safe to use this winter. This doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Your opinion please?
VIEW MOREThe California Department of Pesticide Registration put together a list of what they call "interesting occurrences" that have been investigated in California. We added a couple of our own. None of the people involved died, but almost all required medical attention. When you have a pest problem, please call a professional. Don’t try to do it yourself!
VIEW MOREQ. What does invasive species mean? I keep hearing all these pests referred to as invasive species.
VIEW MORE1) Ticks are the only 8-legged insects. True or False?
False – Ticks are not insects. They are in the same larger group of arthropods as insects, but they are actually arachnids in the same group as spiders, chiggers, and mites (all 8-legged). The fact that the adult ticks have 8 legs instead of the 6 legs of insects is one clue.
VIEW MOREQ. I’m so embarrassed…and puzzled. In the last week, I’ve found several cockroaches in my house. I’ve never had cockroaches before and don’t know where they’ve come from. At least they look like cockroaches. They’re about one inch long, and light brown, and they fly!
VIEW MOREQ. I’ve been seeing these small moths flying around inside at night. I see them mostly around a table lamp and the television. Where are they coming from? Could they be clothes moths?
VIEW MOREToo many people don’t understand the connection between mosquito problems and standing water. Mosquitoes need water to develop. The first three life stages of mosquitoes (egg, larva, and pupa) occur in water. The adult mosquito is the only stage that doesn’t live in water. But most female mosquitoes look for still and stagnant water in containers like old buckets and cans, even tires and boats, in which to lay their eggs.
VIEW MOREIf you’re planning a vacation soon and you’ve had recent problems with fleas in your home, you should consider having a flea treatment done before you leave. Families returning home from vacation are sometimes met by spectacular flea outbreaks. The reason? The ability of pre-emerged adult fleas to lie dormant.
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