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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

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

It’s officially winter, and while many of us are dreaming of cozy fires and hot cocoa, our six-legged (and occasionally eight-legged or four-legged) friends have the exact same idea. In the pest world, there’s a common misconception that once it gets cold, all the bugs just… disappear. I wish it were that simple! While some go into diapause (essentially insect hibernation), others decide that your heated facility or home is the perfect place to ride out the chill. Here’s the

One of the reasons I have the best job is that I get to troubleshoot. I get to try to put puzzles together, often without all the pieces. I tend to have a “standard” set of questions I start with to pry out additional information, and then I let my brain start working through the problem. I know that when a question gets to me, it’s likely the client has already tried all the “basic” IPM steps so it’s always exciting to start thinking about how to get creative with pest contr

I'm in Orlando this week at PestWorld so I'm super excited to see what's new and get to talk to everyone. Which brings up an interesting point. Is there anything new? Aside from a few new invasive insects which aren't necessarily structural pests (spotted lanternfly, spotted lady beetles, etc.) our pests haven't changed much. So here's a quick rundown of some history on our common pests. Starting with one of my favorites: cigarette beetles. These go back to ancient Egyptian

Who cares, it’s not a problem in the US? It’s not a big deal, they mostly affect cattle. It’s not like it will impact us. Except it is....

I heard a new term yesterday, and I figured it was an internet hoax. You know what happens next: I had to investigate and look it up....

I was giving a webinar on rodents last week and someone asked a brilliant question: what can you do when the pest problem is coming from...

Apparently, March is National Flour Month. It’s also National Invasive Species Week this week. It only makes sense to feature flour...

I do not live out west where the devastating fires are continuing, and that doesn’t mean I’m not impacted. All of us will be in some way...