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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Question Help! Our house is full of fruit flies. It seems to be a chronic problem. I see probably 10 or 12 flies every day, mostly in my kitchen. But there isn’t any fruit sitting around, or even any fresh vegetables. I’ve started keeping everything in the refrigerator. Where could they be coming from? Answer The first thing to do is to have the flies identified to make sure that you are dealing with fruit flies. There are several small gnat-size flies that look similar and can be found ...

Question We had another pest control company treat our home for cockroaches. The technician said that we had wood cockroaches. We do have a wooded lot but I thought wood cockroaches were the dark brown, wingless roaches that we see inside occasionally. These were light brown and obviously had wings because they were flying all over. I need your second opinion please. Answer What you describe is one and the same cockroach, Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, better known as the Pennsylvania wood roach. ...

Question When we were in New Mexico last summer, I bought a cellophane bag of dried hot peppers from a roadside stand to bring home. I stuck them on a top shelf in the kitchen and forgot about them. When I pulled them out this morning, there were several dead moths inside the bag. The bag is still unopened. How did the moths get in there? I hate to think that there were moth eggs in the bag when I bought it! Answer The bag probably did contain eggs, or larvae so small you couldn’t see them, ...

Question I’m having an argument with my cousin about the right way to remove an attached tick. He says that if you cover the tick with liquid dish soap, it will smother and die, and then it’s easy to remove. I say that you are supposed to touch it with a hot needle which will cause it to release. What’s your professional opinion? Answer In my opinion, you are both wrong. But it’s not just me. Experts say that you shouldn’t do anything to stress the tick because that can cause it to ...

Question Last fall we had our entire lawn redone. They took it down to bare dirt and then reseeded. It looks fantastic right now, lush and green, but it seems to be full of tiny red mites or ticks. My daughter was covered with them when she laid on the grass. I’m also finding them in the house. Do you know what they are? Do they bite? Answer I think you might be talking about clover mites. They are a common problem in new lawns or even in established lawns that have been ...