One of the first springtime insects that homeowners observe are ground bees. These insects create ant-hill like mounds in areas of bare soil with a ¼” opening in the center (about the thickness of a pencil). On warm, sunny days there may be dozens to hundreds of bees flying low to the ground among the…Continue Reading Ground Bees Come in Peace
The squirrels are coming, the squirrels are coming!!
“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” ― John Muir In other words, birthing season will soon be upon us. And though it’s fun watching animal families grow up in our backyards, it’s best that they don’t give birth within our buildings. Because female squirrels seek safe places to raise their young in late…Continue Reading The squirrels are coming, the squirrels are coming!!
Critters Can Do — Match the Pest and What It Does
Match the critter to what it does — or in one case, what natural force could kill it. (Answer key below.) critter can do mouse 1 eats pests of crops or pollinates them — or both cockroach 2 emerges from cocoon when it feels vibration of approaching host aphid 3 makes tunnels within leaves flea…Continue Reading Critters Can Do — Match the Pest and What It Does
What Is That Wasp in the Window?
Those of us who work in “structural pest management” (think office buildings, schools, or homes) tend to see the same cast of characters each year: cockroaches, ants, termites and bed bugs to name a few. But every now and then an interesting critter will show up that has a neat story to tell. Enter Brachymeria…Continue Reading What Is That Wasp in the Window?
Dog-day Cicadas — and the Wasps That Do Them In
Midsummer in New York is when things really start to heat up. And as if hot days aren’t enough, the sound of the dog day cicada makes it seem even hotter. Cicadas are robust insects — up to 1 ¼ inch — with piercing mouthparts that suck up plant juices. Cicada nymphs live underground, feeding…Continue Reading Dog-day Cicadas — and the Wasps That Do Them In
Don’t bee fooled
April can fool you all month long. Even if your pest-prevention responsibilities lie mostly indoors where frost and rain rarely intrude — a school, an office building, a museum, your home — April has some tricks up her sleeve. Those perimeter pests, for example: wasps, bees, ants, termites. For many species of wasps and bees,…Continue Reading Don’t bee fooled