When I’m researching an article, I wind up having around three dozen tabs* open on my browser and I’m going back and forth between lots of different resources. I do my best to check the websites I’m on and make sure I’m not spreading any misinformation.
As I was going through all those open tabs and got to this one.
The source seems good, but the data seems way off. So, let’s go down the rabbit hole!
Spiders – there are around 3,500 species of spiders in the US. I can’t think of any state, nor could I find a reference to substantiate it, that does NOT have any spiders. (yes, even Alaska)
Carpenter ants – 50 species present in the US. Again, each state has at least one species.
Termites – while the common ones get all the press, there are actually 47 species across the US. They are not present in all states, but it is hard to believe only seven states have termites!
Cockroaches – I can’t believe I even have to say this. Not only are there around 70 species, they are absolutely in every state.
Carpenter bees – there are two genera of carpenter bees that have 33 species. As far as I can tell, they are in most states except for some of the northern states along the Canadian border.
Wood boring beetles – this one is a little tricky because there are so many species that can be considered “wood boring”. I mean, we are talking about multiple families here. With that, I’m not comfortable with saying definitively that they are in all states…but I suspect they are.
Fire ants – eight species in the US including the introduced red imported fire ants. Present in most of the southern states… more than just three!
Scorpions – had to go to my trusty textbook for this one: about 40 species in the US, mostly in the south and west. More than two states.
Apparently, all other states only have one pest or none. (ugh)
Moral of this story, sometimes you need to dig into articles a bit more. To me, this one was obviously off, but other people reading this that don’t have the same background might take this seriously. And it was a fun exercise!
If you have questions about what pests are in your area and how to treat them effectively, we can help with that, contact us. I promise we won't give you any alternative facts.
*Only 12 tabs were open in the making of this blog post!