How Can You Tell if a Bite is From a Bed Bug?

By Chris Williams on July 12, 2016

My daughter just got back from a school trip to Arizona and she has itchy bites all over her legs. They stayed in a dorm-like hostel and I think it had bed bugs. How can you tell if a bite is from a bed bug? K. H., Boston, MA You can’t. The reason is that…

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Why Do I Have Ants in My House?

By Chris Williams on July 11, 2016

When ants invade a home, it is almost always a case of “If you provide it, they will come.” We’re talking about food. Ants randomly forage out from their colonies, looking for available food sources. If that food happens to be in your house, it’s chow time! In most cases, ants first get into your…

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How Do We Get Rid of These Kitchen Moths?

By Chris Williams on July 8, 2016

We have had an exterminator at our home twice to treat for Indianmeal moths. The second time, I threw out all of the boxed and bagged foods in my kitchen, but the moths are back again! How can we get rid of them for good? L. V., Meredith, NH Possible Reasons Why You Still Have…

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What Made That Tunnel in My Yard?

By Chris Williams on July 7, 2016

We have these strange tunnels in our lawn. There are raised bare areas in the grass that connect together like something moved underneath. We haven’t seen any critters. Is there a way to tell what’s tunneling? D. E., Saugus, MA In our part of the country, the tunnels probably belong to either voles or moles.…

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The European Hornet is One Large Wasp

By Chris Williams on July 6, 2016

There are some large, scary wasps that keep flying to the lilac bush in our front yard. They look like they’re chewing on the trunk. Are they going to kill the bush? P. O., Marblehead, MA You’re witnessing a behavior typical of the European hornet, Vespa crabro. These hornets are social wasps similar to yellowjackets…

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