'Bugs News

Our 1 year old basset hound Minnie is a tick "magnet" . She goes for a walk everyday in a grassy/wooded area near our home and likes to check out all manner of rodent holes and such. If we don't treat her with a flea and tick medication (see below) she comes home with ticks attached to her head or neck area. Spring and early summer are peak times where we live but others may see peak tick activity in mid to late summer. Ticks (left) are related to spiders. Unlike spiders, however, ticks are ectoparasites of vertebrate animals. This means that they feed o n the blood of animals ranging from snakes to mammals, including us and our pets. Like other blood-feeding invertebrates, for example mosquitoes, female ticks must get a blood meal in order to lay healthy eggs. Also like mosquitoes, ticks can transmit some important human and pet diseases while feeding. Lyme Disease is spread by the bite of ticks as is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and many others. Not all ticks carr

In some parts of the US honey bees are disappearing. During 2006 many beekeepers reported that the bees from some hives had simply disappeared . When opened the hives were empty and the bees were gone for no apparent reason. Researchers have subsequently determined that these die offs have occurred before but they are not yet able to assign a cause. Some believe it is a disease, some believe pesticides are involved. The condition has been named Colony Collapse Disorder. European honey bee with pollen sac Beekeepers and farmers who depend on bees to pollinate their crops (mostly tree fruits, nuts and some vegetables) are rightly concerned. In recent years bees and beekeepers have faced a number of new "pests". Varroa mite and tracheal mite are ectoparasites that attack adult and larval bees. Foulbrood is an important disease of honey bees, and Africanized bees , the so called "killer bees", are taking over European honey bee hives in the southwestern US. All in a

Where's John Goodman when you need him??? (In case you missed it, John Goodman plays "The Fumigator", a bug exterminator , in the move Arachnophobia about spiders gone wild . ) Most people refer to companies that provide pest control services as "exterminators". Exterminators prefer "pest control operator" or "pest control technician". By any name a good pest control company is like a good car mechanic -- when you need one, you really need one . While our main 'Bugs site is dedicated to helping you solve many household pest problems yourself, occasionally you'll need professional help. If you are having trouble deciding if you can do it yourself or if you need help take at look at this page . We've posted some suggestions for screening pest control companies for those (hopefully few) times when you need one, and some additional things to watch out for. Try to avoid the "maintenance treatment" trap. Some companies w

Termites are the only insects that are able to digest wood (actually cellulose, the "structural" part of wood). Most termite species require either relatively wet wood ( dampwood termites ) or contact with soil moisture ( subterranean termites ). One species, however, the drywood termites live in colonies that are constructed above ground in dry wood and need no contact with soil moisture. Drywood termites live in warm climates, in both desert and coastal areas. In the US drywood termites are generally found in a band along the southern and coastal states on both coasts (red area in map below). red area = both subterranean and drywood termites; green area = mainly subterranean termites Damage from drywood termites can be extensive and is often hidden inside structural beams, flooring, etc. Because drywood termites lack connection to the soil they can be difficult to detect and treat. Subterranean termites are usually controlled by treating the soil under and around structu

"A pesticide is a substance that disrupts or kills organisms that we consider to be pests , generally weeds, damaging insects, or microbes that cause disease. Natural pesticides are pesticides that are made by other organisms, usually for their own defense, or are derived from a natural source such as a mineral." from Natural Pesticides at LivingWithBugs.com By this definition nicotine is a natural insecticide . Nicotine is produced by plants in the nightshade family of which tobacco is one species. Tobacco farmers have long-known that an infusion of water and tobacco leaves makes a powerful, and highly toxic, insecticide. Until recently nicotine was available as a commercial insecticide product called Black Leaf 40. Imidacloprid (Merit) is a modern insecticide based on nicotine chemistry . nicotine (drawing from wikipedia) Nicotine is a powerful neurotoxin (nerve toxin). At low doses it acts as a stimulant while at higher doses it causes uncontrolled convulsions and res

Crane flies are medium to large insects that resemble large mosquitoes. In fact they are related to mosquitoes as both are "primitive flies"; delicate flies with long antennae. "Higher flies" like house flies tend to be heavier-bodied, stronger fliers with short, bristle-like antennae. Unlike mosquitoes, however, adult crane flies don't feed and are harmless. Crane fly larvae live in the soil and feed on plant roots . Most crane fly species are confined to wet soils but a few have adapted to dryer soils which has allowed them to invade lawns and turf areas. adult European crane fly Crane fly life cycle Crane fly eggs are laid in summer and larvae begin feeding on plant roots in fall. Larvae feed throughout winter and spring then pupate (pupae are the stage between larvae and adults) in early summer. Crane fly damage usually first appears during the dry days of summer as irregular patches. Grass dies because crane fly-damaged roots can't supply plants wit

Dust mites feed on the organic part of house dust (often, mostly skin flakes from us!) and then excrete an allergen , a substance that causes an allergic reaction, that can stuff up our nose or even lead to life-threatening asthma. Even if you could eliminate all dust mites, which is unlikely, their allergens would remain in bedding, carpets and other fabrics where dust mites live. When these fabrics are disturbed they release allergens into the air. One of the best ways to prevent an allergic reaction to dust mite allergen is to put a barrier between you and the allergen, especially at night. If the allergen never gets airborne, it can't end up in your nose! Since mattresses and pillows are a prime source of dust mites and dust mite allergen one solution is to cover them in special fabric that separates you from the allergens. Until recently these fabrics were made of plastic and tended to be very uncomfortable. Newer microfiber materials are more "cotton sheet-like".

White grub is the common name for larvae of scarab beetles like Japanese beetle , chafers and May/June beetles. White grubs feed on roots of grasses and can do considerable damage to turf grass. Because white grub larvae consume dirt along with plant roots their digestive track (visible from the outside) is usually packed at the back end with soil particles (see photo below). White Grub Larva Photo by Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org Professional turf managers, like golf course superintendents, generally use conventional insecticides such as imidacloprid to manage white grub populations. Homeowners can use less toxic materials because their tolerance for white grub damage is usually higher. Milky spore (milky disease) and entomopathogenic nematodes are two least-toxic choices. See this article about biology and control of white grubs for additional information.