Regional pest information

We have launched a new series of articles at our 'Bugs site to encourage homeowners to do their own pest control rather than relying on professional exterminator services.

We believe that in many, perhaps most, situations homeowners can manage pests more economically and with less environmental impact. New articles will be arranged geographically so that we can focus on just the most important pests in a particular region. Take a look a our first article that covers the most important pests in western Oregon (our first regional article).

Comments

nkmccarter said…

Please address Southeastern North Carolina. I live on a barrier island on the southern tip of NC, between Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC. We had an H2O breach in our home a few yrs ago and have been under siege with some of the weirdest looking things I've ever seen. It's like living in a star trek episode. Most critters appear to be mites. They are eating me and my pets alive one bite at a time. One of the strangest varmints is what appears to be a very tiny mite, difficult to see with the naked eye. The strange part is that they are "shape shifters." They often appear as a hair on a counter top, floor, shirt, etc. But they can wind themselves up into a tiny, tiny speck. My sister and I have seen them change from looking like a hair to a speck and from a speck to a hair. They are in our clothes, linens, furniture, walls, clothes, food, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, hvac, washer, dryer, toilets...We have a true infestation. No, I do not have parasitosis. I am a PhD psychologist and I even had a good friend (psychiatrist) check me out, because I really thought I was losing it. Fortunately, my sister can verify that this does happen. But when I tried to get help with these things, everyone treated me like a nut. Nothing seems to kill them. We have not been able to make much of a dent in the population. We believe this is some sort of critter that is usually not in contact with humans. They are parasitic and the bites I get often become infected.
Please help! If you have even a wild guess as to what these things are and what we can do about them, we will be most grateful.

5:07 AM

Tiny, Yellow, Biting Bugs

a thrips next to a leaf vein Have you every felt a sharp pinch while outside during summer only to find a tiny, yellow, sliver-like bug when you investigate the bite? These bites are from a tiny insect called a thrips (the name is always plural; one thrips, many thrips). Thrips normally feed on plants with very sharp, knife-like mouthparts. If they happen to land on us they can bite causing a sharp, stabbing pain. The bites are annoying but completely harmless and are more common in mid- to late summer. Unfortunately, insect repellents don't work against thrips. Continue reading to discover ways to avoid thrips bites at our 'Bugs website . Thrips can be important plant pests where they damage leaves and in some cases even infect plants with a virus. Greenhouse growers in particular often treat their crops with insecticide to prevent thrips damage. drawing showing feathery wings

What are these BIG black ants in my house?

carpenter ant In early spring or late winter people often encounter these large black ants in homes. These big ants are different than the more common small, brown "nuisance ants" that plague kitchens. The big ants are called carpenter ants ( Camponotus spp .) and unlike their smaller cousins, nest above ground in cavities. Nest building and cavity expansion by these large, powerful ants can cause damage if nests occur in our homes. Most of the ants you find in homes are small, less than 1/4", and brown. There are several species of small brown ants that can nest in our home's walls or nearby soil and enter homes in search of food and water (see House Ants for identification and control). Nuisance ants are just that, a nuisance. They won't damage your home and pose no health threat of any kind. There's another ant, however, that occasionally is found in homes that is much bigger (1/4"-5/8"), darker in color, nests in the walls, floors and c

Kudzu Bug - A Small, Brown, "Lady Bug" That Invades Homes and Gardens

Kudzu bugs clustered on wisteria. If you live in the south-eastern US you may have noticed a new insect this summer and fall (see photo): the insect is called the kudzu bug ( Megacopta cribraria ) and is characterized by - small, brownish/green in color shaped sort-of like a ladybug not seen prior to about 2 years ago invades homes in the fall congregates on garden plants, and especially, kudzu vine (For those that don't live in the southern US, kudzu is a highly invasive weedy vine, " the vine that ate the south !", that grows everywhere, on everything.) a new and important pest of soybean This true bug (Hemiptera) resembles a ladybug (a cocinellid beetle ) in size and shape, but not color (see this page for a picture of a real ladybug/lady beetle). Also, you don't generally find ladybugs clustered together like you see in the photo. This a new "lady bug" has some unpleasant characteristics. (1) Feeds on and weakens garden plants as well a

'Bugs News

Search This Blog