Question Either I’m going crazy or we have something boring inside the walls of our family room. I found a hole right through the wallboard and I swear I can hear something chewing behind there! Do you think this is just an isolated incident or could we be facing some serious wood damage? Our home is only 6 years old. Answer You could be dealing with wood-boring beetles. They are not uncommon in new homes. Usually, they have already infested the wood before construction and are built right ...
Blogs
Don’t Discard Bed Bug-Infested Furniture
By | June 18, 2013 - 2:04 pm
Question We just had our follow-up treatment for a bed bug infestation. Hopefully we’re done with them. Now I want to get a new bed and new bedroom furniture to make sure we don’t get re-infested from the old stuff. The pest control technician said not to do that. Why? Answer The technician is confident that he has eliminated your bed bug problem, in which case there is no good reason to get rid of your bed and other furniture. Unless you truly want to redecorate anyway, it would be a ...
Do We Have Black Widow Spiders or Not?
By | June 13, 2013 - 3:38 pm
Question When I was moving a firewood pile in my yard, I almost grabbed a round, black spider that I figure must have been a black widow. It disappeared before I could see whether it had a red hourglass. I thought we didn't have black widows in New Hampshire. Am I wrong? Answer It all depends on where you’re located and who you talk to. One of the three species of black widow spiders can be found in every state in the nation, but there seems to be a lot of debate as to whether we really ...
Baby Squirrels in the Attic!
By | June 12, 2013 - 12:06 pm
Question I was up in my attic yesterday and found a nest of baby squirrels. I didn't see any mom around and I don’t know what to do with them if I remove them. I don’t want to kill them. Answer Chances are very good that mom is still around. She was probably just taking a food break. Obviously, your first concern is getting the squirrels out of the attic. Then your next concern has to be making sure that it doesn't happen again. You have options:Wait until the babies are old enough ...
With Cockroach Baits, no Emptying of Cabinets
By | June 11, 2013 - 10:55 am
Question I manage a small apartment property, just 60 units. We don’t have many pest problems but I occasionally get a complaint about cockroaches. My problem is that I can’t get my tenants to cooperate by emptying out their kitchen cabinets so they can be sprayed. They just won’t do it and so we can never do a thorough treatment. Any suggestions? Answer Yes, my first suggestion is that you try a cockroach baiting program. Routinely emptying cabinets and spraying them with insecticides ...
Keeping Bed Bugs Out of Dorm Rooms
By | June 7, 2013 - 2:56 pm
Question Our daughter just graduated high school and will be going away to college in just a couple of months. She’ll be living in the dorms and it seems like I’m reading all the time about college dorms being infested with bed bugs. What can she do to help prevent bed bugs in her dorm room? Are there sprays or something we can buy? Answer The best thing your daughter can do is to be proactive to prevent bed bugs in her room, and in her bed, in the first place. 1. Inspect the room before ...
Control Oriental Cockroaches Outside First!
By | June 6, 2013 - 3:05 pm
Question I just moved into a new apartment and now I have cockroaches for the first time in my life. I thought they were big black beetles but my neighbor said they are oriental cockroaches. She’s had a problem with them, too. The manager had my apartment treated but I still see them occasionally. What else can I do? Answer I bet anything that you are in a ground floor apartment. Oriental cockroaches are not normally a problem in residences… unless you are on ground level or basement ...
Insect Pests Associated with Houseplants
By | June 5, 2013 - 3:50 pm
Some houseplant pests remain exclusively on the plant and will not be seen unless the plant (especially the underside of leaves) is examined. Below are pests associated with houseplants that can move off of the plant, causing concern for homeowners who can’t figure out where the pests are coming from. Fungus gnats These tiny, dark gnats are probably the most common pest associated with houseplants indoors. And they are always associated with overwatered, too wet potting soil. The fly larvae ...
Do We Have “Killer Bees” in our Region?
By | June 5, 2013 - 9:33 am
Question I just heard on the news about a guy who was killed by killer bees when he disturbed a nest while on his tractor. Do we have killer bees here in the Northeast and how can you tell them from regular honey bees? Answer We do not have killer bees (the proper term is Africanized bees) here in the Northeast. The bees first moved into Texas from Mexico in 1990. Since then, Africanized bees have gradually moved northward while interbreeding with our European honey bees. They now occupy most ...
Is It a Carpenter Bee or Bumble Bee?
By | June 4, 2013 - 9:20 am
Question How can you tell a carpenter bee from a bumble bee? We’ve been seeing lots of big, black and yellow bees around our house and I’m concerned that they might be damaging the wood somewhere. We can’t find any kind of nest. Answer While carpenter bees and bumble bees do look somewhat alike, you can tell them apart. Both collect pollen to feed to their young, but their nest sites and habits are quite different. Look at the abdomen Both bees are about the same size (almost 1 inch) ...
