“Truth in advertising. We have had fungus gnats in the IPM house” – NYSIPM staffer Just because we spend our working hours thinking, researching, and educating about pests does not mean we don’t sometimes have issues too. We decided a presentation on fungus gnats could help other NYers as well. On Friday, February 4, Dr….Continue Reading What’s Bugging You? – Fungus Gnats
This is the third and final post dedicated to tactics of school IPM most appropriate to the current situation of shuttered schools. (If your building is open to provide meals for at-home students, we applaud your efforts!) Post #1 Scouting, Post #2 Exclusion. Sanitation is a third step in structural pest management, as it reduces…Continue Reading Timely School IPM Tip #3: Sanitation
Today we bring you another great post borrowed from Paul: As days lengthen and temperatures climb, it is common to find a few insects bumbling around the house, looking for a way outdoors. Red-and-black boxelder bugs, orange Asian lady-beetles, and gray, slow-moving western conifer seed bugs are but a few of the critters likely to…Continue Reading Bug Bombs No Bother to Bugs by Paul Hetzler, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Recently members of the NYS IPM Program met in Albany as part of a joint meeting of the Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools Steering Committee and the Statewide School IPM Committee. Clean, Green, and Health Schools is coordinated by the NYS Department of Health and helmed by Dr. Michele Herdt. Their purpose is to promote…Continue Reading Update on IPM in NY Schools
What can I spray for ants and other critters? Nobody—not even an entomologist like me—wants to see critters in their home, office, school, or favorite restaurant. But see them we do. And unfortunately, the first reaction most people have is to reach for a can of bug spray and hose the place down. But what…Continue Reading What can I spray for …
I’m an urban entomologist with expertise in pest management, so you might think my house is free from pests. Not true. My recent adventure confirmed the importance of addressing an issue at the onset. Otherwise, things can get pretty ugly. The Situation A small portion of my basement is a dirt floor crawl space. When I…Continue Reading Early Detection – Rapid Response
Of the ant species that invade homes, carpenter ants cause considerable distress due to their large size. This is particularly true in the spring and early summer, when foraging ants may be found in many rooms within a home. While these foragers are not much more than a nuisance, it is the nearby ant nest…Continue Reading Carpenter Ant Satellite Nest – Elimination!
German cockroaches are one of the most common insect pests found in urban areas throughout the world, and are the number one cockroach pest species worldwide. They are well-adapted to human environments, even enjoying similar humidity and temperature levels as we do. IPM can be used to exclude and eliminate this pest from our homes,…Continue Reading The German Cockroach: America’s #1 Cockroach Pest
A common pest in homes is the red-eyed fruit fly: Drosophila melanogaster. Famous for use in genetic studies, and infamous for emerging from store-bought bananas, management of this fly rarely requires more than discarding infested items outside of the home. Management of this fly’s cousin, the dark-eyed fruit fly (Drosophila repleta), also requires elimination of…Continue Reading Fruit Flies of a Different (eye) Color
Carpenter ants are the most common ant pest found in the Northeastern United States. They cause structural damage when they excavate wood for nest sites. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood, but rather scavenge on dead insects and collect sugary secretions (“honeydew”) produced by other insects such as aphids. Carpenter ants are a…Continue Reading Don’t Let Carpenter Ants Renovate Your Home!