Chiggers are tiny red mites that are sometimes called “redbugs.” They are so tiny that most people can’t see them. But when chiggers bite, they cause days of intense itching far out of proportion to their small size. When someone walks, or worse, lies down or plays in an area infested with chiggers, they don’t soon forget the experience.
VIEW MORERecycling is what we all do these days. But, if recycling containers and recycling centers aren’t carefully monitored, they can provide a nice refuge for pests such as cockroaches and fruit flies. The problem is that containers tossed into recycling bins are rarely completely empty, and they are not always rinsed. It doesn’t take much syrupy residue in the bottom of a soft drink can to generate a lot of fruit flies.
VIEW MOREQ. Can you explain to me what pheromone traps are and how they work? My sister-in-law said that her pest control company used them when she had a beetle problem in her kitchen.
VIEW MOREQ. We apparently have an unusual pest in our home. We’ve found several of these tiny, shiny red things that look like little spiders or mites. They’re about the size of the head of a pin. I thought maybe they were clover mites but our county extension agent said they’re spider beetles. Do they suck blood, and why do we have them in our house?
VIEW MOREQ. We live in a new home. Last summer we had a terrible problem with clover mites getting into our home and I’m starting to notice some again this year. Is there anything we can do besides just vacuuming them up once they’re inside?
VIEW MOREQ. I have small, dark colored flies. Recently great numbers of these flies are showing up in my cellar, where we have a guest room and bath. Nothing has changed, and we rarely even use this part of our house. What are these flies and what can I do to stop them?
VIEW MOREThe insect pupa (pronounced pew-pah) is a transition stage between the immature insect and the adult insect. Not every insect goes through a pupal stage. Only those insects that undergo what we call complete metamorphosis have a pupal stage as part of their development. These are the insect groups in which the larva looks very different from the adult—flies, wasps, ants, and beetles, for example. Other insect groups in which the young insect already looks like a small version of the adult, such as crickets and cockroaches, do not have a pupal stage.
VIEW MOREWhen the church secretary called she sounded more frustrated than anything. We keep finding these tiny brown insects, they look like little beetles, in the main entrance hallway of the church. The pastor is worried that they’re going to damage the carved wood in the altar or the antique wood in the baptismal font. They must be coming from infested wood somewhere in the church.
VIEW MORE32 Lake Ave.
Worcester, MA 01604
47 Thames Rd Ste 6&7
Hooksett, NH 03106