Allegany/Cattaraugus
Home Grounds & Gardens
Home Grounds & Gardens
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Allegany/Cattaraugus Home Grounds & Gardens |
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Dig
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Household
Pests
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Frequently Asked Questions Look in the links above for a specific topic or scan the questions below. Questions are arranged by date so you may want to jump down to the month when you are experiencing trouble. Follow the links within the answers for a complete description of the insect/disease cycle and discussion on causes and control. Cluster flies  Q. 2/21 Every winter I get hundreds of flies buzzing around my windows and lights inside the house. How can I stop this madness? A. Cluster flies are just one of the many insects that find their way into the home to hide for the winter. Once these winter invaders are in, it is best to just collect them with a whisk broom or vacuum and dispose of them. Control must be directed at the outside of the house in the summer. Successful control depends upon sealing crevices in wall and around windows or placing an insecticidal barrier on the siding. Optimum time is August 15-30th.
3/01 Powderpost beetles bore holes in untreated wood surfaces in the home. Fine powder and appearance of "shot holes" are best indicators that this insect is infesting wood. Reduce humidity levels in area affected and treat wood with an insecticide. Bora-Care is registered for home use in New York. Western conifer seedbug Q.4/19 I have these slow moving bugs inside my home about an inch in size, brownish in color, with leaf-shaped back legs. It has a foul odor when crushed or 
disturbed. What can I do to get rid of it? And is it causing damage?
A. This insect is a Western conifer seedbug. Spending winter as an adult, it hides in protected locations, sometimes finding their way into homes. The insect does not feed or reproduce in the home. Control is achieve by making sure that windows and doors are tight fitting and by sealing your house. Fruit flies Q. 6/27 We have small flies in our kitchen. This problem started about 2 weeks ago. We've tried to use cider vinegar, and bleach and water to keep them away, but it doesn't work. Do you have any inexpensive suggestions for this problem? A. You may have fruit flies. The only long term control would be to clean up all fruit, soda or juice products daily. To get the situation under control, make a trap for the adults by rolling a piece of paper into a funnel and placing over a mason jar; the small end inside the jar. Tape the funnel around the edges. Inside the jar place a piece of fruit and a little yeast. The flies will be drawn into the jar but will be unable to get out. Clean out the jar every few days if full. More on Vinegar Flies, Pumice Flies and Fruit Flies. Small flies in the house may also be fungus gnats or drain flies. Fungus gnats feed on plant roots and organic matter in potting soil of house plants and drain flies feed on scum in kitchen sink pipes. For drain flies, use a drain cleaner followed the next day with boiling water.  Drugstore
Beetles
Q. 6/29 I found these insects in my bathroom and kitchen. What are they? A. The insect submitted with this question was viewed under my intel Play digital microscope to take the picture at right under 60X magnification. The lines along the back and downward pointing "beak" of the thorax and head help to identify this as a Drugstore Beetle. They feed on many stored foods such as cereals, herbs and spices, but can also be found in almost anything of vegetable origin. Find and remove their food source to begin to control this pest. Drugstore Beetles are very similar to two other household pests, the cigarette beetle and the Powderpost beetle. All three are in the Family Anobiidae. Drugstore Beetles have lines along their wings and Cigarette Beetles have serrated antennae. Anobiid Powder Post Beetles are more elongated and would be found with very fine, talc-like sawdust. Spiders  Q. 7/13 I have found this large spider in my basement. It is 3/4-1" long . What is it and is it poisonous? A. This is a nursery web spider. Many people fear that large spiders in their home may be poisonous such as the brown recluse spider which is identifiable by the fiddle shape on the upper part of the back. There has been no evidence of brown recluse spiders in New York State. Spiders in the home are attracted by other insects. Control invading insects by sealing your house and you control the spiders. Another common large spider is a wolf spider. They have 3 rows of eyes, 4 in the first row and two in each of the next. More on Spiders.  Carpenter
Ants
Q. 7/15 Please identify these insects. Are they termites? A. No. Termites do not live in our area (Western Southern Tier of New York). The sample you submitted is a winged reproductive carpenter ant. When a colony matures, male and females begin new colonies. Carpenter ants can be identified by their narrow waist, above the abdomen and the single node between the abdomen and thorax. Fleas Control Fleas in the home by first treating pets. Talk to your veterinarian for options. For infestations in the home, focus on secondary source points such as pet bedding, furniture and carpet areas where the pet frequents - steam clean and/or vacuum regularly. Treat with registered insecticide products according to label directions. Outdoors, fleas are more common in moist, shaded areas of the lawn. Keep grass cut, control weeds, and treat with registered insecticide. Refer to the pesticide label for re-entry period after application. Boxelder bug Q. 8/26 Within the past couple of years we've had some insects outside and inside our house. They are black with some red on them. They are very slow and seem to appear from nowhere. Their bodies could be described as similar to the Western Conifer Seedbug but the color is different. What are they; do they do any damage, and how can we get rid of them??
Hornets and wasps Q. 9/3 I have a nest of bees in the walls of my home. I have small children and am afraid that they will be stung. What can I do? A. Hornets and wasps can become a nuisance in late summer. All of these insects are beneficial because of their role in pollination or preying upon destructive insects. Avoid nests if possible or wait until winter when the nest will be abandoned. Honey bees are the only stinging insect that keeps a hive from year to year. If you suspect a honeybee hive, call a professional exterminator. The bees, hive and honeycomb must all be removed. For hornet nests within walls, inject carbaryl or pyrethroid dust into the hole. The insects will carry the dust in to where the nest is. You may have to repeat this weekly until no more activity is seen around the hole. Always read the pesticide label. Ladybeetles  Q. 10/16 A swarm of ladybugs has covered the side of my house. Last year they kept coming in my house all winter. How can I keep this from happening again? A. This insect is the Multicolored Asian Lady beetle (MALB). The sudden gathering in fall is triggered by morning frosts followed by a warm, sunny afternoon. Adult beetles use visual or physical cues to find acceptable over wintering sites. These are usually the south or west side of buildings in full sun with light colored siding. There are no pesticides registered for control of lady beetles. Winter temperatures send the beetles into hiding. Then, if they make their way into your home, they emerge on warm days and gather around windows and lights. In the spring they try to get back outdoors to continue their life cycle. Ladybeetles do not feed or reproduce in the house. The Agricultural Research Service, of the USDA, has reported that Camphor (sold in drugstores as a gel) repels lady beetles when used with a light trap. Long term control is achieved by sealing your house and the cracks or crevices in siding or rooms that face south. You may also collect them and place in a container with small holes in a tight fitting lid. Place straw or shredded newspaper inside and store them them for the winter in a cool dry place. Release in the spring to feed on aphids and other insect pests. Using Pesticides Safely Indiscriminate use of pesticides introduces unneeded chemicals into the environment, puts yourself at risk of contamination, possibly kills beneficial insects and could lead to pesticide resistance in pest insects. Before choosing an insecticide, ask yourself how much damage you can withstand. If the damage to the plant is only aesthetic, your first option is always to do nothing. To choose the appropriate insecticide, look for the name of the pest and the host plant on the label. Always read the label and follow the directions for application methods. This publication may contain pesticide recommendations that are subject to change at any time. These recommendations are provided only as a guide. It is always the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. Due to constantly changing labels and product registrations, some of the suggestions given in this writing may no longer be legal by the time you read them. If any information in these recommendations disagrees with the label, the recommendation must be disregarded. No endorsement is intended for products mentioned, nor is criticism meant for products not mentioned. The author and Cornell Cooperative Extension assume no liability resulting form the use of these guidelines. |
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Household pests links How to Control Head Lice (pdf) Invisible Itches (pdf) Diagnosing Mysterious Bug Bites NOTE:
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