What’s Bugging You? If it’s ‘pests in your home or yard’, we’re here to help.
Is something creeping in your cupboard? Your attic or garage? Are you hearing noises or seeing droppings or chewing damage inside or outside? They might be a sign you’ve got unwanted guests.
Sometimes those pesky pests really aren’t causing problems, but just causing concern. We can help you with that. We even provide some identification tools (keys) to help you learn how to identify insect pests. Proper ID of any pest takes a bit of work but without it and the correct measures, your actions might cost you a lot more time…and money, or even health concerns. Improper ID also means ineffective treatments. Truly- in IPM, knowledge is power.
As far back as our 2008 Annual Report we reported our intent to provide an easy-to-use resource for New Yorkers. This first effort helped people deal with pests at home by providing basic information and linking to online fact sheets. But the internet has evolved since then and our site was due for a makeover. We used our popular Don’t Get Ticked NY webpage as a model and, with the help of funding from the USDA, the Community IPM team went to work.
The first step was to organize and prioritize subject matter and decide which new pest species should be added. Members of the team then divided the subjects up and rewrote much of the material. We took advantage of our Flickr IPM Image Gallery and YouTube channel and linked those images and videos back to those social media accounts.
Our favorite new features
Making it easier to identify your critter
Scrolling through a list of pests can be frustrating if you have no idea what you are looking at. Narrowing down the list can be helpful, so What’s Bugging You now provides the options to look for a pest by AREA:
Or SEASON:
We also have pests divided by what they eat (think Fabric Pests, Wood Destroying Insects) or how they act (Biting Critters). And, of course, you can click directly on the menu to choose your pest.
And don’t forget our FIRST FRIDAY Events:
In 2021, we began a monthly virtual series, What’s Bugging You- First Fridays, exploring timely topics to help avoid pest problems and promote a healthy environment where you live, work, learn and play. We have been incorporating these videos into the appropriate What’s Bugging You? pages. Check out our Pantry Pests page for an example.
