?…ask the Bugman
All Creatures Great and Small
My Consultations
There is a lot of pesticide issues going on. The many lawsuits against Monsanto about the hazards of Roundup, illegal aerial spraying of herbicides over homes, improper treatment of pests in homes by some pest control companies and many others. I am involved in some of these and want to make myself available in any … Continue reading
Positive pest identification
The most important part of pest management is properly identifying the pest. In some cases an unknown bug in the house might be beneficial, so it is necessary to know what it is. How can any bug be beneficial in a house? A couple of years ago an exterminator identified some small black things in … Continue reading
Fleas
Fleas There are many species of fleas throughout North America, but the ones considered pests most often are dog fleas (Ctenocephalides canis) and cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), as these species will infest homes. Other species carry plague and other diseases, but they will not infest a home in large numbers. Dog and cat fleas prefer … Continue reading
Cockroaches
I am getting a lot of calls about cockroaches. That is because of very hot weather. Cockroaches and other insects are often attracted to homes because they are cooler. What should you do? First, never use pesticides. Spraying pesticides may kill a couple of roaches, but it will also kill a lot of beneficial insects. … Continue reading
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
A spokesman for the National Pest Control Association, contended in 1988 that many people who claim they are “chemically sensitive” are actually allergic to the pests that the chemical (poison) is supposed to control. Others, he says, have “delusory parasitosis, a distinct fear of insects. It’s a neurotic disorder of people that can never be … Continue reading
Ants
I have been getting a lot of calls about ants coming into homes, probably because of the weather. I will discuss some treatment methods that don’t involve spraying pesticides. There are several things you can do to prevent ants from entering your home. The first step is exclusion. Go around the outside of your home … Continue reading
Mosquito Repellents
Mosquitoes will be out pretty soon. Here is some information on mosquito repellents. DEET. What is DEET. Someone asked me why I never recommend it when all government agencies always recommend it. DEET is short for N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (also known as N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). In 1998, the EPA made it illegal for any product containing DEET to make … Continue reading
Book
I decided I need to write one more book. This one will probably be the most important one. It won’t be long as I will just want to convey messages that are important, and it may even be free, or very, very inexpensive, so everyone can read it. The title of the book may be … Continue reading
Weed control
This is how we should be controlling weeds in public areas in my opinion. A “weed” is commonly defined as a plant growing in a place where it is not wanted. On school grounds, there is usually consensus on the weedy nature of certain plant species such as thistles, crabgrass, and puncturevine that spring up … Continue reading
Bed bugs
I got an email today from someone in Santa Fe who has bed bugs. She called a company and they came out and sprayed her bedroom yesterday. I asked her to send me a copy of the service ticket as she wasn’t feeling good after the spraying. According to the info she sent I have … Continue reading
Scorpions and Centipedes
Scorpions and centipedes are two groups of arthropods that nobody wants in their homes. Both of these animals have the capability of stinging (scorpions) you or biting (centipedes) you with painful results. Only one species of scorpion in this country is dangerously venomous. It is the bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) found mostly in Arizona but … Continue reading
Pesticide Notification
I have written about pesticide notification in the past and I think it is about time it gets some notice from state government. Pesticide notification is required in many other parts of the country and should be here as well. The New Mexico Dept. of Agriculture has the ability to require notification when pesticides are … Continue reading
Cockroaches
First, I have to state that there is some disagreement among entomologists as to the proper name for the order of cockroaches. Sometimes they use Blatarria or Blattoptera. Some even use Dictyoptera. You can help prevent cockroaches from coming into your home by inspecting all incoming food products, all boxes, and any used furniture or … Continue reading
Ants
There are more than 20,000 species of ants around the world and about 570 species in the United States. Of those, about 30 species are common household pests. When discussing ants, we will use three terms that reflect the size of the ants in a colony. If ants are “monomorphic”, it means all the workers … Continue reading
Bed Bugs
Although bed bugs are a major problem in some urban areas and hotels, the good news is that they don’t carry any diseases. Some people don’t even know they are getting bitten. When my wife gets bitten she breaks out in a pretty impressive rash. When I get bitten, there are no marks at all … Continue reading
Household Pest Control
Recently there was an article in a NM paper about how a pest control company injects pesticides into the walls of homes to control all the pests that hide in the walls. Someone asked me if this was something they should consider. The answer is NO. First, there are very few pests that nest in … Continue reading
XT-2000
This blog will discuss the advantages of using XT-2000 orange oil for the contol of drywood termites and some other wood boring insects. I am posting a list of questions I got from readers of my column in California and the answers to the questions. There are also a few general termite questions as well. … Continue reading
Invisible Biting Bug Syndrome (IBBS)
I said before that Invisible Biting Bug Syndrome (IBBS) is reaching epic numbers. I have received a half dozen emails in the last week from people suffering from this, and I am not a doctor! I believe, after looking at this for many years that I have an idea what the problem is. I am … Continue reading
Drywood Termites
Drywood termites are a major wood destroying insect that cost consumers many millions of dollars in damage and control. One estimate suggested Californians spend $250 million dollars a year on this insect. For many years the primary method of controlling drywood termites was to use sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) as a fumigant. The house had to … Continue reading
Home Inspections
If you own a home, it is a good idea to hire an independent professional pest inspection service at some point. The home should be inspected for all wood destroying insects, including subterranean and drywood termites, long-horned wood borers, metallic wood borers, powder post beetles, bostrichid beetles, anobiid beetles, wood boring weevils, carpenter ants, acrobat … Continue reading
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