Author Archives: p-porter
Controlling fire ants in sensitive areas
Among the common questions I receive about fire ants include questions on how to control them within vegetable gardens, compost bins and (increasingly) chicken coops. My favorite tool for fire ant control is use of fire ant bait broadcast over the entire home lawn and landscape. This is an inexpensive and environmentally friendly way to keep fire ants away. To learn more about this, check out the Texas Two-Step Method factsheet. However, the most commonly available baits do not allow direct use in vegetable gardens or many areas with livestock…. Read More →
New books on bees
If bookstores are any indication, it seems bees are getting lots of love these days. Lots of new resources and references are available on bees. So I thought I would share a few of the resources that I know of that might be of interest to any of you looking to expand your knowledge of these important insects. The Bees in Your Backyard, A Guide to North America’s Bees by Joseph S. Wilson & Olivia J. Messinger Carril. Princeton Univ. Press. I just ordered my copy, it looks… Read More →
Crane flies, not mosquitoes
While concern about mosquitoes floats over the digital airwaves this month, annual flying hosts of crane flies quietly fill the real air over cities and fields throughout Texas. Crane flies are most apparent each year in our state during the late winter/early spring. I think of them as one of the first signs that spring is nearly upon us. The common name “mosquito hawk” is sometimes given to these flies; however the name usually comes with the belief that these clumsy, long-legged insects are predators, perhaps on mosquitoes. Nothing… Read More →
Lyme disease ticks in Texas
The good news is that the number of Lyme disease cases appears to be low and even declining in Texas. The bad news is that the tick that carries Lyme disease is well established in Texas and its range appears to be expanding. Even though we don’t hear as much about it here in Texas, Lyme disease is the most common insect-transmitted disease in the U.S.–even more than west Nile virus. Caused by a bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, and carried by infected black-legged ticks, Lyme can be a chronic… Read More →
Ten top pests that can hurt your home
In a recent paper, researchers from North Carolina State University tried to estimate how many species of insect-like critters (arthropods) could be found in homes. They intensively searched 50 North Carolina houses and looked for as many different kinds of living and dead arthropods as they could find. Altogether they identified 579 different species from 304 different families. In fact, out of the 554 rooms scoured for the research, only 5 rooms had no detectable arthropods at all (I bet they didn’t look hard enough). It shouldn’t come as much surprise… Read More →
All Bugs Good and Bad webinar series
If part of your new year resolutions was to take charge of your life (and enhance your knowledge base about insects!) have we got a deal for you. This year the eXtension group (pronounced EE-extension) is offering a new series of webinars on insect-related topics that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your easy chair or desk or wherever you log on. For gardeners topics will include fruit and vegetable insect control, fire ants, bee protection, proper fertilization and even snakes! For homeowners and apartment dwellers,… Read More →
Rodents in attics
There are few household maintenance issues as alarming or frustrating as hearing rodent footsteps in the ceiling or attic. This happened to me earlier this year in my home, and recently my wife’s office has been hearing the pitter-patter of tiny feet above the ceiling tiles at their place of work. At my home the culprit turned out to be a squirrel that had loosened mortar on the roof/siding interface on my roof. A 1/2 inch gap is all that a squirrel needs to get into an attic. In my wife’s office… Read More →
Kissing bug identification requires closer look
Because most of us take little time to look closely at insects, it should not be surprising that recent television stories about “kissing bugs” and Chagas disease have created a frenzy of sorts among people thinking they have captured or seen kissing bugs around the home. While a few of these have turned out to be actual kissing bugs (genus Triatoma), most are not; and laboratories set up to identify and test kissing bugs have been overwhelmed this month with samples. But not all insects vaguely resembling the pictures you… Read More →