'Bugs News

Indian meal moth trap catch This question was sent to our 'Bugs site : Briefly, the top floor of our small church building is simply full of grain moths ( meal moths ) and despite our best efforts, we seem to be losing the battle. The problem came to light over a year ago, primarily in the kitchen. Problem areas were located and much work was done to clean everything in the area. Even at that time, traps were catching many, many moths (see photo) in areas that spread far from the kitchen. We did what we could, then the weather cooled and things seemed pretty quiet. We kept monitoring traps and replacing as needed, rarely seeing activity. As the weather warmed in early summer, boy oh boy did we see a resurgence. Traps needed replacement as often as every 3 days. We continued to seek sources of infestation and clean, clean, clean. Then we realized our sanctuary -- a significant distance from the kitchen -- was heavily infested. Again, we've done what we

Which "Bugs" Are More Common In Homes? hobo spider (drawing) Almost every home harbors at least a few insects, spiders and mites. Most of these critters are harmless or can be managed in simple ways that don't use insecticides or other harsh chemicals. In the lists below I've grouped those that are common in almost every home from those that occur only occasionally under specific circumstances, and those that may "invade" homes , usually from an outside source. There are also the so called "incidentals" , that fly or crawl in through an open door or window by accident. The incidentals (moths, crickets, millipedes, and so forth) can be sweep up and deposited outside, or disposed of in the trash. For all the others use the links below to find pictures , life history and least-toxic control strategies. Common Household Pests varied carpet beetle Ants (several species) enter houses from outside but can also nest in walls an

This question was sent to our 'Bugs site recently: I deliver propane for a living in NW Washington State and encounter a lot of paper wasps. My policy is live and let live and for the most part I can go about my job in fairly close proximity to even large nests (five inches diameter) and get stung rarely. Lately I have seen a trend of the nests moving down from the inside of the tank lids to the plumbing, which is logistically not a great place for them to be, and is unfortunately an adequate reason to destroy the nest. My question then is, do you know of some natural non lethal 'detractant' I could spray on the plumbing parts of the tank to make them non attractive for nesting? Something like cayenne or some herb, something that might give off a smell in the heat or????  The nests are ok in the tank lids - I understand it is a hot/safe place to build them - they just need to stay off the plumbing. My answer: The paper wasp you are encountering is actually a fai

Bed bugs are tiny, wingless blood-sucking insects that infest bedding, bedside furniture and any crack or crevices where bed bugs might hide. They bugs hide during the day and emerge at night to feed (see Life History of Bed Bugs ). Their bite is not especially dangerous since no diseases are carried by bed bugs but the bites can be extremely irritating, like a bad mosquito bite. Bed bugs are generally only a problem in motels/hotels/hostels/dorm rooms and other high traffic establishments but may be accidentally brought home from these places following a visit. Bed bugs are fairly easy to control if steps are taken as soon as they are detected. There's no reason to overreact or panic. If a bed bug infestation is suspected the most important first step is to thoroughly clean the bedding and bedside furniture. This will eliminate most of the problem and no further treatment may be necessary. However, it is very possible that a few bugs, and/or eggs, will escape this cleaning. To

The question below represents a number of similar questions we've gotten recently about "bites" that mysteriously appear in the morning. In this case, the bites started shortly after moving into a newly built home.  Question: What's Causing the Itchy "Bites" - After Moving Into New House? itchy "bites" "We recently built a new home from the ground up. The process took a little over a year but we finally moved in this past October (2009). Not long after we moved (maybe a month?) I started to experience mysterious bites mostly along my thigh area down my leg to my ankle or foot (see photo). These were happening at some point in the night and every night because I am certain they were not there the previous day.  We immediately thought bed bugs since our mattress was stored in a garage during the build, wrapped in fabric but not plastic. We instantly got rid of the mattress, thoroughly cleaned the entire bedroom and home, then continued to