Maybe yes, maybe no. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to pin down the source of a food insect infestation. Food can become infested at several stages from harvesting through storage, through packaging and shipping, and even while sitting on store shelves (see How Do Food Pests Get Into My Food?). People think that once a
VIEW MORE
Many of us think, or at least hope, that ticks die off after the first hard frost. Unfortunately, that’s not so. In fact, the adult blacklegged (deer) ticks that spread Lyme disease begin their prime feeding activity just about the time of the first frost. That’s because their main host animals are deer and deer
VIEW MORE
It is definitely not bird nesting season here in the Northeast. Bird mites feed mostly on the young birds in the nest and they migrate to new locations when the young birds fledge and leave the nest. Bird mites are primarily a spring and early summer problem. If what you’re seeing are indeed mites (and
VIEW MORE
One of our common fall-invading insects is the western conifer seed bug. It’s a tree-feeding insect that likes to move into homes when the weather gets cool in the fall. Once inside, the bugs go into hiding in wall voids or cracks and crevices and may not be seen again until spring. Most of us
VIEW MORE
I believe I can help. We always say that avoiding tick habitat is the best way to avoid tick bites and the risk of Lyme and other tick diseases. However, in so many regions tick habitat is our very own yards. Ticks are especially plentiful in edge areas where woods meet open spaces. That’s because
VIEW MORE
With the holiday season well underway, we’re starting to get the usual seasonal pest questions as our customers bring holiday greens and firewood into their homes and notice that insects have tagged along. Others are worried about picking up bed bugs as they travel to Grandma’s. We’ve addressed most of these issues before in our
VIEW MORE
Your sister is right about everything but the spider part. Silk is harvested from arthropods that produce silken threads, but it comes from silkworm caterpillars, not spiders. It is largely harvested by hand in China as part of a very labor-intensive process, called sericulture. The Mulberry Silkworm Spins Tirelessly Although there is production of synthetic
VIEW MORE
There are a number of possibilities for these little flies or gnats. Fruit flies is one, but phorid flies, fungus gnats, or drain flies are other possibilities. All are tiny flies that breed in some kind of decaying organic material — from rotting fruits to potting soil to the scum inside drain pipes. Because the
VIEW MORE
Well, it probably only makes a real difference to an entomologist or to a science teacher who is trying to teach insect classification. The teacher is right, there is only one suborder, Heteroptera, that we refer to as “true bugs.” All of the insects in this suborder share certain characteristics that other insects do not
VIEW MORE32 Lake Ave.
Worcester, MA 01604
47 Thames Rd Ste 6&7
Hooksett, NH 03106