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Showing posts from 2008

Pre-baited hobo spider traps?

What are "baited" spider traps?   I saw a package of "Pre-baited Hobo Spider Traps" at Home Depot the other day. Hobo spider is a species here in the northwestern US that many people are concerned about.  So what are these "baited" traps all about? First a little background. Only a few spiders ever wander very far from their webs. Most construct complicated silken webs that they use to capture prey. Because of this sedentary existence relatively few species of spiders end up indoors . Some spiders, however, spend all or part of their lives away from any sort of permanent web and wander in search of prey or mates, and thus sometimes do enter homes. Two spiders that move readily from place to place are the brown recluse spider and male hobo spiders (drawing above). Brown recluse spiders build a simple web generally hidden away from activity. They spend daylight hours in the web but wander away at night in search of food. Hobo spiders make a more permanen

LiceMD (tm) and similar products for head lice

A new nit-combing aid   Just in time for the start of school we have a new head lice treatment . LiceMD (tm) is a liquid gel of a silicone lubricant called dimethicone . Like similar products, LiceMD (tm) detangles and lubricates hair making nit combing with fine-tooth lice combs easier and more effective. Nit (louse egg) removal is the single most important part of any lice control procedure. LiceMD contains no pesticides and is odor free and hypoallergenic. The manufacturer claims that LiceMD eliminates hea d lice in 10 minutes but I think this claim is a bit of an exaggeration because it is the comb-out that actually removes nits and even the manufacturer's website states that the comb-out will take " 1-2 hours ". Nonetheless, if LiceMD or another product will make nit-combing easier and more effective it is probably worth a try. Head lice and school kids - background information   As kids return to the classroom this fall head lice will once again be an issue in

The Birds and the Bees

The following post was sent to me by John Green of Longview, WA and concerns the possible link between certain insecticides and Colony Collapse Disorder in honey bees. The suspect insecticides belong to a new class called neonicotinoids and one of the more common active ingredients is imidacloprid . In 2007, many newspapers ran articles concerning the disappearance of bees, crop pollinators and songbirds. Farmers are becoming alarmed that there will not be enough bees around to pollinate their crops. These crops are our food supply. So what is happening to the bees? A look at our life styles gives us the answer. Our dependence on chemicals permeates every aspect of our lives. Walk through garden supply departments and see rows and rows of chemicals. When citizens douse their lawns and gardens with pesticides to try to have the greenest lawn or the prettiest flowers in the neighborhood, they use chemicals that are toxic to bees. In our pursuit of perfect produce, fa

Spider Bites - Myth vs. Reality

spider fangs (lower 1/4 in photo) We get more visitors to our Bugs site looking for information about spiders, spider identification and spider bites than just about any other topic. Most people have an innate fear of spiders and believe that most are dangerous; even small spiders provoke this fear. The truth is most are harmless or even beneficial and the few that do have a venomous bite may not be as dangerous as we once believed. In the US there are three spiders that get blamed for most of the so called "spider bites" that end up in emergency rooms. Where you live largely determines which species gets the blame. The three common culprits are: brown recluse , black widow , and hobo or aggressive house spider. Brown recluse spiders are only found in the south central US . Researchers have tried to find specimens of the spider outside this range but have repeatedly failed. Despite the lack of actual spiders, even the medical community continues to report bites and u

Drain Flies Breed in the "Gunk" In Your Drains

Every once in awhile I get an e-mail with a question about the " small, black bugs that seem to be coming out of the drains in the bathroom and kitchen ". These are called drain flies (see photo) and are common and usually no reason for concern but it may mean it is time to clean out the "gunk" in your drains! Drain flies, also called moth flies ( another image of drain fly ) are small (~1/10") hairy flies that are commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms. Larvae of drain flies can develop in the organic, gelatinous material that builds up inside pipes and hence can be very common around sinks. They are also common outdoors near sewage plants and waste ponds. Adult drain flies are covered with scales that makes the fly look like a tiny moth. Flies may be attracted to lights and windows. Eggs are laid on the gelatinous film that forms in pipes or in sewage treatment facilities. Larvae develop in this rich organic material. Drain flies are harmless but a c

What do crab lice, pubic lice and "crabs" look like?

Pubic lice are sometimes called crab lice , or simply " crabs " because of their overall body shape and the crab-like claws on the back two pairs of legs (see drawing left). The claws are adapted to hanging onto the relatively course hairs of the groin, armpit, chest and sometimes eyelashes where these insects live. See this page at our 'Bugs site for a color photograph of a pubic louse shortly after feeding. Pubic lice are very small insects (less than 1/10") that bite to feed on blood. Their bites results in very itchy lesions but pubic lice are not important in disease transmission . Pubic lice eggs are laid on the hair and, like head lice, removal of these eggs, or nits , is important for effective treatment. Treatment should include nit combing and use of medicated lice shampoo or lotion . Pubic lice infestations are highly treatable and should be no reason for panic. Since pubic lice can be transferred during sexual contact, partners of infested individuals s