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Showing posts from November, 2009

What are These Bugs on My Deck?

This is a question recently submitted to our main site 'Bugs about swarms of bugs found on a deck : Question: We just noticed the bugs a week ago and they seem to be increasing rapidly. I've noticed that they only seem to be on certain locations all with one thing in common - some variation of man made plastic. They are all over the rails of our resin deck, on the plastic slide on my daughter's play set and the vinyl sheet covering our firewood (which is far from the house). There are a few locations on our vinyl siding that has them as well. They are mostly darkish brown with a few reddish ones. They appear to have wings and hop or fly when I blow on them or touch the area around them. Do you have any idea what they are and should we do anything about them?   My Answer: These are called barklice , or psocids, but they are not related to true lice and are harmless. Barklice feed on the fungi that grows on surface of tree bark, or in this case the mold on your dec

Mysterious Bed Bug Bites At Night

This question about possible bed bug bites was recently submitted to our 'Bugs site: Question: My name is Tiffani and I think I may have bed bugs but I'm not sure because I have all the bites and my 2 year old daughter who sleeps with me most nights has not been bitten once. Yet I wake up with new bites everyday. I have not yet seen a bed bug but I have not had the chance to really search yet. I want to know if it's possible that we have bed bugs if only one person who sleeps in the room is being bitten? Also thank you for your website it was very helpful.   My answer: Tiffani , The first thing to do is to thoroughly check your bed and bed side furniture for bed bugs and/or dropping (dried blood). Left up the mattress and check any folds or seams for reddish-brown bugs or their black, greasy droppings. Also check nearby tables, the bed frame, and so forth.   Here's a drawing of what bed bug bites bed bug hiding places look like. If your search fails to turn

Which are the Best "Bug Sprays"?

Whenever I'm ask to recommend a good " bug spray " (aerosol spray insecticide) for general pest control in homes I'm tempted to answer " none " because, in fact, aerosol spray cans are not a particularly good way to package and apply insecticides . The reasons are pretty simple: aerosol sprays cans are expensive to manufacture thus making the cost to the user very high compared to other forms of insecticide; also, because aerosol cans are under relatively high pressure they produce a very fine spray droplet which tends to drift in the air making it difficult to place the insecticide exactly where you want it (and keep it away from places where you don't want it, like up your nose!); and finally, for those concerned about waste, you're left with an empty metal can that has to be discarded. Having said all that, however, I know that many people prefer aerosol sprays to other forms of insecticide packaging because they are very convenient, and cost i

Do Termite Baits Work?

Until fairly recently homes were protected from most termites by treating the soil around the home's foundation with highly toxic and long-lasting insecticides such as chlordane . Even today soil-applied insecticides are still used but the insecticides now are less toxic and less persistent, and may be less effective. So now special termite baits tend to be used more extensively especially in areas where warm climate enhances the pest status of termites. Termite Baits Baits designed specifically for termites are now more widely used. Termite baits combine a low toxicity insecticide with an attractive (to termites!) food , usually some kind of cellulose (wood fiber). Bait stations, usually a plastic tube containing a bait that can be buried below the soil surface, are placed around the property where foraging termites find them and carry poisoned food back to the termite colony. Control is maintained over time with periodic replacement of the bait. Termite baits are much le

Which Pesticides Kill Bed Bugs?

bed bug Because bed bugs are so closely associated with bedrooms and bedding we need to be especially careful when selecting a pesticide to use against these little blood suckers. It makes no sense to apply a toxic pesticide in our rooms and on our beds that we would then be exposed to as we sleep or otherwise use the room. Fortunately there are now very effective natural dust insecticides for use against bed bugs that also offer a wide safety margin when used in bedrooms and on bedding. These natural dusts include silica, pyrethrum and botanical oil combinations. These dusts should only be used after all exposed bed bugs are removed by thorough vacuuming and cleaning as a final step in your bed bug control program. We've recently posted a series of articles at our 'Bugs site about bed bugs, bed bug control and using natural dust insecticides. The first article is about bed bug indentification and life cycles and you can follow the links to the other articles about contro

Where Do Fleas Lay Eggs?

Fleas are probably the most common and vexing pest problem for most pet owners. These tiny ectoparasites bite to feed on blood from our pets but will bite us as well. Flea bites result in itchy lesions, secondary infections and even the transmission of internal parasites and diseases. Homes can be quickly infested, seemingly over night, and once this happens getting rid of a flea problem can be all-consuming. While modern flea medications like Frontline (tm) do a excellent job of controlling biting fleas that are on pets, what about flea eggs ? Where do fleas lay their eggs and how can these eggs be killed at the same time as the adult, biting fleas? Flea eggs are laid in the animal's nest   Like most other insects fleas have several distinct stages in their development, namely eggs , larvae , and adults . For fleas in particular the only stage that bites is the adult flea. Most of a female flea's eggs are laid in the host animal's nest . In the case of indoor pets thi

Do Dust Mites Bite Humans or Pets?

Dust mites are a type of tiny mite that feeds on the organic debris, or dust , in our homes. What we call "dust" is actually made of a mixture of hair, skin cells, plant pollen and other stuff that we and our pets shed every day, plus material that blows in from the outside. On a percentage basis skin flakes and dander from animals make up a large proportion of dust in the average household. Dust mites feed on this debris and usually go about their business pretty much unnoticed. Dust mites are light in color and tend to stay in undisturbed areas where dust accumulates. Dust mite do not bite people or our pets and in fact don't have the type of mouthparts (jaws) that would allow them to bite even if they "wanted" too, nor do they burrow into skin in the way that scabies mites do. The main problem that dust mites cause is allergy . Dust mites are notorious for the allergens, substances that cause everything from a stuffy nose to full-blown asthma, that they e

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

  Bed bugs (sometimes spelled bedbugs, without the space) are fairly small (1/8"-1/4"), wingless, reddish-brown insects that are only found in association with people, usually starting in the room where people sleep. Hence the common name bed bugs. There is a related species that, for example, uses bats as their host animal. These are called bat bugs. You never find a bed bug just crawling around outdoors. They don't move very fast, can't fly and depend on us to move them from place to place usually by hiding in our belongings. Bed bugs are normally first detected because of mosquito-like bites that occur during the night. Bites itch but are not otherwise dangerous because bed bugs do not spread disease like some other insects do. Once bites happen an inspection of the room and bedding will usually turn up the insects between the mattresses, on mattress seams or on bedside furniture. See pictures of bed bugs and a drawing of hiding places and bites . The secon