With the proliferation of nighttime security cameras, homeowners are seeing all sorts of wildlife activity on the driveway and porch. This week I had an inquiry about a mysterious "tubular flyi...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/07/tubular-flying-insects.html
This post is essentially an updated reprint of a post from 2014 about a (then) sale on the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control. A new sale, announced today, is even better than the one six years ...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/07/this-post-is-essentially-updated.html
This year's ant ID class will be more physically distant than last year's class; but will offer the same hands-on opportunities to become an ant identification pro. I am happy to announce tw...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/07/flea-and-ant-training-classes.html
Cigarette and drugstore beetles can be some of the most frustrating pests to deal with. Aside from putting out pheromone traps to try and pinpoint the origin of beetles in the house, and a good i...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/06/keep-looking.html
A variety of beetles with similar feeding behaviors, sometimes collectively called "plaster beetles". Drawing from Mallis Handbook of Pest Control. These are tiny beetles ranging in size from ...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/06/tiny-insects-tell-stories.html
The large yellow-orange head and dark eyes and dark thorax distinguish the Asian giant hornet from similar large wasps. Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Agriculture. If ever t...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/05/what-pmps-need-to-know-about-asian.html
Kudzu bug has a unique ovoid shape. The wings are hidden under a shield-like scutellum, making it look more like a beetle than a true bug. Photo by Dan Suiter, University of Georgia. ...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/04/new-texas-pest-kudzu-bug.html
The strategy behind today's protective measures of hygiene, social distancing, and reducing human interaction is called "flattening the curve". This is why Extension programming is being te...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/coronavirus-strikes-training-classes.html
I love my job--especially when I get to identify tiny insects that no one else wants to look at. I recently received an insect from a gentleman whose daughter had been bitten at home. I could tel...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/loving-it-with-fleas.html
Dr. Davis suggests tips for better termite barriers with participant at the 2019 termite class. It doesn't take a PhD to predict that termite season is likely to arrive early this year. Rec...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/02/termite-season-and-training-needs.html
For anyone who needs structural or ag CEU credits in the area of turf and ornamental pest management, 2020 Spring IPM Conference registration is now open. This year's program will focus on how...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/01/spring-ipm-conference-registration-opens.html
Tetramorium immigrans nest. Photo by Alex Wild. A few years ago I was called to a home in the Dallas area to look at a stubborn "fire ant" problem. Indeed the numerous mounds did look muc...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2020/01/pavement-ant-gets-new-name.html
We ignore science, including the study of insects, at our own peril. This was an underlying message in session after session of the 2019 Annual Conference of the Entomological Society of Amer...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2019/11/society-meeting-highlights-risks-of.html
Emerald ash borer is a small, metallic- green bullet-shaped beetle. The past week I've been speaking to PMPs at CEU conferences about the emerald ash borer. Many folks have asked why they...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2019/10/chance-to-learn-more-about-emerald-ash.html
Paper wasps are common throughout Texas, frequently nesting in windows and under house eaves. With the advent of cold weather, many of these wasps will head indoors. Years ago, a friend de...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2019/10/winter-has-its-own-pest-problems.html
Just a quick post to let readers know about a couple of pest control classes coming up soon, one in Dallas and one in Austin. Dr. Bob Davis, BASF, has been teaching ACE Prep Classes for more...
Nursing home patient with with fire ant stings. (Laquna Ross) This week Vietnam veteran Joel Marrable died at a Georgia VA Hospital following a vicious attack by fire ants. According to ...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2019/09/unnecessary-trauma.html
If it seems you're hearing less about West Nile virus (WNV) this summer, you may not be imagining it. Although mosquitoes have been abundant in north Texas this year, for some reason the virus...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2019/08/where-is-west-nile-virus-this-year.html
Cockroaches have historically been a top pest and reliable source of business for PMPs. Indeed, from day one most new technicians are taught to recognize the four most commonly encountered spec...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2019/08/getting-to-know-turkestan-cockroach.html
Entomologists get excited over the strangest things. This morning I got my first bat bug sample ever, and I'm still all aflutter. The pronotal fringe hairs on these common bed bugs (see arro...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2019/03/when-bed-bug-isnt-bed-bug.html
If you've been thinking you'd like take the Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) exam, two opportunities are coming up soon. The IPM Experience House will be sponsoring an ACE prep class and...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2018/12/two-chances-to-prepare-for-ace-exam.html
Several years ago, a nice lady left a “bug” sample for me to identify. It consisted of an electric alarm clock in a Ziploc bag. The accompanying note read: “Help! We’re being bitten by t...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2018/12/rodent-mites-its-thing.html
Fall armyworm caterpillars feed mostly on grasses. This year is proving to be a banner year for armyworms in some areas. Pest management professionals who care for lawns should be on the al...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2018/09/on-alert-for-armyworms.html
Here's one you never learned in technician training. Cixiid planthoppers are 1/4 inch-long (5 mm-long bodies) insects that are common at times on trees and shrubs. They are plant feeders, with ny...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2018/09/cixiid-planthoppers.html
This picture of BMSB was taken in Dallas County in 2017 by Annika Linkqvist and posted on iNaturalist. Note the white bands on the antennae. Brown marmorated stink bug has been causin...
http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2018/08/watch-this-bug.html