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Two things have happened this week that have spurred this week’s blog post. And yes, today is only Tuesday. The first is that I have found not one but three ticks in my hotel room. The second is the news report that the CDC is reporting that they are seeing the highest rate of emergency room visits for tick bites in a decade. Oh yeah, I'm in New Jersey right now, but this also hit my news feed today: Why are either of these things important? Great question, thanks for askin

I get a kick out of some of the stuff I see on social media. One of my favorites is the ultrasonic pest-repelling device. Even better, they have different sizes or models for different pests. Um… no. There can be a lot of misinformation out there. Since it’s April Fool’s Day tomorrow, let’s look at some of the “pranks” that are out there. Whether you are looking into pest control and come across these, or a pro that needs to answer questions about them, it’s important to know

I have a lot of Google alerts for words relating to pest control. I typically skim through, look for any scientific articles and quickly delete. Then this one caught my eye.   Ugh, here we go again, I think to myself. And yes, here we go again. Now, I get it. Pesticides are scary, especially when you call them “poisons”. Yes, they are intended to knock down the pest. Yes, some are poisonous (ingested). Yes, we want to make sure only the target animal is impacted by the pesti

Mosquito Madness - Day 16! I’m taking my usual morning walk yesterday and since it’s getting lighter out, I can see a bit more. Around my neighborhood, I saw not one, but three  yard signs advertising that a pest control company had done a mosquito treatment. You may be asking, “but why is that a big deal?” Great question, thanks for asking.   A mosquito treatment doesn’t seem like a big deal until you realize that this is early March. Granted, I live in the south and we have

It's day 8 of mosquito madness! You folks know I read a lot of research on all things pests so I can help my clients provide the best service possible. I have quite a few alerts set for news stories on all things pest related. It doesn’t surprise me that pest control and pest control devices are in the news. People want to protect themselves, their homes, and their foods from harmful pests. And if you read it on the internet, it must be true.   Smh   Here’s a few things that

Continuing with Mosquito Madness (day 2)! When we talk about mosquito control, it’s common for people to think of the spray or the fog. We picture the adult mosquito—the one currently buzzing or biting and ruining the outdoor patio seating. But we also need to look at the source. We talk about larvicides but do folks really understand them and how they work?   Starting with the basics - every mosquito starts its life as a "wriggler" in a stagnant pool of water. Manage the lar

If you’ve recently opened a newly constructed building or moved into a brand-new home, you might have noticed some tiny, dark specks crawling near the baseboards. Before you call the movers or file a massive insurance claim, let's talk about the beetles in the family Latridiidae, commonly known as plaster beetles or minute brown scavenger beetles.   These beetles are the ultimate "I’m here because it’s damp" indicators. In fact, they have a history that goes back to the days

You’ve read this blog and my articles before, so you know I like to have a little fun with these. It would be great to tell you how I got to this topic today, but it involves way too many open tabs, etymology, and a new article I was writing for PCT . It would take me longer to tell that story than write the blog. Let’s get into it. The ant and the grasshopper. If you don’t know the tale , there is a grasshopper, and there is an ant. You're up to date now.   The ant. You know

Let me tell you a story. It’s the story of a gnat. Let’s call him Gary. What is a gnat, you may ask. That’s a great question. Hold on a sec while I go get my soapbox. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GNAT. People use the term all the time to describe nearly any small fly they find in nearly any situation. This is a problem because there are lots of species of small flies that can be found in many different areas. Garry could be a fruit fly (also called vinegar flies), Phorid fly (

When someone finds a hole in a wool coat or a silk rug, the first thing they say is, "A moth ate my clothes!" I hate to be the bearer of bad news (well, maybe I don't, I am  an entomologist), but that’s not entirely true. The adult moths you see fluttering around? They don't even have functional mouthparts. They don’t eat anything at all. The real villains are their "teenagers"—the larvae. Whether you are managing a high-end retail boutique, a museum, or just your own walk-in

Since we recently talked about springtails , let’s talk about another common pest that is often confused with springtails. They are found in many of the same places and under the same conditions as springtails. If you guessed psocids, you’re right. If you’ve ever been inspecting a food warehouse or a client’s pantry and seen tiny, pale specks scurrying across a pallet of flour or a dusty shelf, you might have encountered these.   They often get called booklice, which is one

So if you follow me, and you obviously do since you are reading this, there was some good stuff last year. Along with everything else I do, I enjoy writing the blog and doing the wine-ing videos. You folks had some definite winners, so let’s take a look back and see what happened last year!   Blogs: You folks really like the “ Not My Fault! ” blog talking about when pests are coming from neighbors.   I’m with all of you who enjoyed “ We Don’t Talk about Bruno ” where I talked