What’s the deal with silverfish? I used to see one or two occasionally but now it seems like we’re overrun with them. They’re really creepy. How do we get rid of them? W. L., Londonderry, NH Silverfish are similar to cockroaches in habits and lifestyle. Because they are active mostly at night and hide during
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If you have an ash tree or two on your property, you’re justifiably worried about the emerald ash borer. This ½-inch long wood-boring beetle from Asia is decimating all types of ash trees across the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. It was first found in the Detroit area in 2002 and was later discovered in Massachusetts
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Lately I’ve been finding these small cocoon things in my kitchen cabinets in the corners of the shelves. When I smash them, they seem to be empty. Any idea what these are? M. N., Sterling, MA It’s really hard to say without an inspection or seeing one of the “cocoons.” If the cocoon is round,
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When we get a customer complaint about annoying little gnats flying about the house, we can usually narrow it down to four possible flies: fruit flies, drain flies, phorid flies, or fungus gnats (see Tracking Down Indoor Gnats). All of these are “wet gunk” gnats; they are associated with some type of organic “goo” and
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We have a problem with what seem to be fruit flies, but we don’t have any fruit sitting around in the house. I can’t figure out where they’re coming from but this has been going on for weeks. Any suggestions? L. K., Newburyport, MA First, you need to make sure that you are dealing with
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Why in the world would I have cigarette beetles in my dried herb jar? I’ve been seeing these little brown beetles in my kitchen and my friend who’s a biology teacher looked at them and said they were cigarette beetles! D. R., Boscawen, NH Despite the name, cigarette beetles are a common pest of packaged
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Old house borers are wood-infesting beetles that sometimes show up in homes. Infestations usually begin in newly cut wood, even before the wood is incorporated into a home. Female beetles lay their eggs in cracks in softwoods such as pine, fir, or spruce, often while it is stacked in lumberyards. Because only certain boards are
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My son found a strange little bug in the basement that looked kind of like a tick but it had claws like a crab. When he brought it into school, his biology teacher said it was a pseudoscorpion. What is that? How did it get into our basement, and does it sting? E. H., The
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Earwigs are normally found outdoors, often around foundations, where they hide under mulch or boards or other materials, or in heavy ground covers. They scavenge on what they can find: plants, decaying vegetation, and occasionally on other insects. They sometimes end up in homes (1) seeking moisture when their outside sites get too dry, or
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Worcester, MA 01604
47 Thames Rd Ste 6&7
Hooksett, NH 03106