The domesticated honey bee’s life is anything but easy. Enslaved by humans to produce honey (for which their hives are regularly raided), uprooted to lead a nomadic life traveling on flatbed trucks from field to orchard, worked year-round, attacked by various mites, fungi and now exotic viruses, is it any wonder that some bees are [...]
I saw a great image today got me ruminating about size in insects, the measurements we use for size, and the concept of size in general. The picture below appeared recently in combination with a news story and is of one of the smallest insects in the world. It is placed, for size reference, next [...]
Try as we might, we can’t escape nature. That might be the lesson for many folks who live near rural areas in east and central Texas. This week I’ve had several calls about a small black insect invading homes. Scientifically it’s known as Ischnodemus falicus, a member of the Lygaeid or seed bug family. This insect [...]
This summer’s high temperatures and drought have been tough on trees. As a result, many of us will experience increased problems with tree-infesting insects like borers and possibly scales. While insects don’t always need a devastating drought as an excuse for attacking a tree, stresses like drought increase the risk of subsequent pest damage. For [...]
Seems like every month brings a new horror story in the land of exotic pests. This one is fascinating and illustrates how a seemingly innocuous action like bringing some soil, seeds, plants or other critter home from vacation can have unforeseen and disastrous consequences. Giant African land snails have been found for the second time in the [...]
Some of the most interesting, and sometimes amusing, household insects that cross my desk are ones that aren’t in the pest control handbook. We call these “occasional invaders”, and they are outdoor insects that seemingly accidentally find their way indoors. So far the accidental invader of the month is the click beetle. Over the past [...]
What could be more icky than finding a tick on yourself, your child or your pet? Now there’s a new web application called “TickApp” that provides quick information about everything you need to know about ticks. Researchers and extension specialists at Texas A&M University developed TickApp as a smart-phone friendly website to provide information about [...]
Texas AgriLife Urban Solutions Center at Dallas |
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