Continuing our October series on scary insects, we bring you the brown recluse. Spiders spark a special kind of fear in most of us. Arachnophobia is a real issue for many people. But even though these spiders are frightening to look at, they are mostly harmless. The brown recluse is one…
Being in the October season, if is fitting to touch on the scarier parts of entomology. Halloween is right around the corner, and with it comes witches, skeletons, ghouls and ghosts. One of the most predominant and lasting symbols of this scary season is the spider. So this October, we will explore…
As humans, we have a tendency to look down upon those species lower than us on the food chain. Of all these species, none is more disposed as insects. …
In any given yard, you will find a vast ecosystem. This ecosystem is filled with tiny organisms fighting for their little piece of the pie, sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally. …
I get calls all the time about pathways of dead grass throughout people’s yard all the time. These pathways are caused by moles digging through a customers yard. Moles are subterranean creatures that don’t seem to understand the difference between your yard and your neighbor. So where do moles go in the winter time? Moles…
The insect world is full of diverse creatures. Some of these creatures are helpful, some are neutral and some are pests. And some of them are parasites. Bird mites fall under the parasite category. These insects are blood feeders that feed off of the blood of birds. They will feed off of them from hatching…
Wood is an amazing building material. This single plant has given us the building blocks of our greatest structures. And yet this amazing plant is not invincible. Water, weather, lightning,…
Some trees invite and harbor insects. Flowers attract bees, house plants attract spider mites and aphids, and fruit trees attract… well fruit trees attract just about everything. The boxelder tree is no different. In fact, it is so connected with this particular pest, that the bug itself is named after the tree. The boxelder bug…
The Eastern and Southern part of the United States have a unique pest that terrorizes yards and turfs. This pest burrows through the earth and eats roots in its path. On cool spring nights, you may have heard these small insects, calling out to one another. They are called mole crickets. These crickets do millions…
Every summer you will hear them, a high pitched Harley Davidson like sound will rise and fall in the distance. This is the song of the cicada. It is loud and many people feel that it is annoying. And yet this creature continues to do its thing regardless. So how do…