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 ...

Question What’s the difference between a sowbug and a pillbug? We have one or the other in our basement almost every spring. Answer Sowbugs and pillbugs are kissing-cousins that look almost identical. Despite the names, they’re not bugs, they’re crustaceans, more closely related to shrimp and crayfish. Since they both have the same habits, there’s not much need to tell them apart except for scientific curiosity. They are both grayish-brown, about 3/8 inch long, with seven pairs of ...

Question Every spring we get these bugs in our house. The Extension Service says they are elm leaf beetles. Do you know why they are getting into our house and where they are coming from? Answer I don’t believe that the beetles are getting into your house in the spring. They have probably been in your house since last fall and are now looking to get back outside. Elm leaf beetles, like Asian lady beetles and stink bugs, are outdoor insects that occasionally become home invaders. In the ...

For many of you, fleas maybe never went away. But those of us in the pest control business remember years ago when fleas were a serious pest problem and a big part of our business. Then along came all of the “on-animal” flea products that customers could get from their veterinarian. The emphasis shifted from treating the premises to treating the pet. Pet owners were able to treat their pets themselves with oral or pour-on products that killed fleas much better than flea collars and other ...