Winter is Coming – And The Bugs Know It

You may think that the worst of your insect worries are gone now that we are heading to winter; I’d like to suggest that you reconsider that notion. Late fall and early winter bring a whole slew of new characters into play and these insect pests can be just as pesky and potentially dangerous as those warm weather bugs. With the extreme weather predicted for much of the US in the next week, the time to address pests is now.

It is very tempting to just pack insect worries away with the swimsuits, but this no-action plan can have some unpleasant consequences. For the most part, insects that are around in the winter are hibernating out of sight and not dead from the cold. Mosquito eggs, for instance, can survive in frozen water.  Granted, there is some cold weather die-off, but many more have found warm havens. Often, they do a little mating while they’re at it, so that they have nice fat bundles of babies when spring arrives. In other words, the numbers that go into a house can be far less than what will come out in the spring. A spring spider infestation could take all the pleasure out of those long-awaited warm days and a bumper crop of blood-suckers can exponentially increase your chances of exposure to dangerous diseases. So, when you batten down your hatches against the weather, take some extra time to be sure that you have kept insect pests out.

Stink bugs on a pumpkin

Many participants in the Fall Crawl of insects are brazen return visitors. These include Asian lady beetles (not to be mistaken with plain old ladybugs), boxelder beetles and stink bugs, all of which congregate in swarms on walls and screens of homes and other buildings. If they are in your neighborhood, they are hard to miss. They are also hard to control, especially in the adult stage and in such large numbers. But, Asian lady beetles and stink bugs are invasive species (the boxelder is a homegrown troublemaker), so you will want to stop them if you can. Your best course of action if they are knocking on your door is to not let them in. Whatever you do, don’t attempt to squash your way out of an infestation of Asian lady beetles or stink bugs, both species emit a noxious odor when threatened. Your best weapon in this war is a vacuum cleaner – suck up any and all you can find. Here are some suggestions on ways you can seal out bugs.

Not all insect pests are as obvious as those mentioned above, many find ways to smuggle themselves into the cozy confines of your home. Before you dig out those boxes of winter clothing, oversized platters for Thanksgiving or trunks of Christmas ornaments, consider what you may be bringing into your home with them. Give everything a quick inspection before moving or relocating it. The following are some useful steps to avoid transporting unwelcome guests:

Store firewood at least three feet from your house. It may mean a chilly wood retrieval trip, but it will deter insects from making that same chilly jaunt into the house. If it’s placed too close to or up against the house, you give burrowing pests a platform to get busy on your brick or woodwork. If you can keep it off the ground, that's even better. It will make the wood less accessible to termites and other soil-dwelling pests. Once you bring the wood inside, use it within 48 hours; storing it any longer can just encourage already-inside pests to set up house.

Pantry pests can arrive to your home in groceries and other packages. During the holidays we bring a lot of this inside. Shake out all bags before storing them or putting them in your trash can. Just as their name indicates, pantry pests can happily live in pantries and other storage. If you head down into the cellar or out to the garage to fetch some of the goodies you put up in the summer, keep an eye out for anything that may be nesting there (or attaching itself to your clothing to get inside). Here are some products that can help with these type of pests.

Standing water is an insect magnet. Eliminate it inside and out. There does not have to be much for an insect to take an interest – even the condensation from an appliance is enough.

Recycling and trash bins in garages, attached to or too close to the house can also be insect beacons. Move them away from the house and keep them as clean as possible. Ants, especially, can go undetected until they use a scent trail to call in their whole colony. Then you’ve got a fight on your hands.

This is an excellent time of year to remove debris and cut back branches that make contact with your house. It is an easy insect commute from the branch to the house.

Now, let’s talk Christmas trees: Some people are never-plastic tree people and others are diehard artificialists. If you are still in the middle and insects give you the creeps, you may want to go fake. There are many insects commonly found on and in trees that will dislodge themselves and try to make your nice, warm home their nice warm home. It is a common practice for the Christmas tree industry to spray highly toxic insecticides (although many are moving away from this) on their trees, but this spraying takes place in the spring and summer; it is quite possible for insects to find their way back in before Christmas. Some tree lots have shakers, which aim to dislodge any intruders, but I wouldn’t depend on that too much as many pests will be inside the bark holding on tightly. If you are taking a tree from the forest, you are quite likely bringing home more than memories. A small, live tree that you can easily inspect for pests is the surest way to get an insect-free evergreen. Plus, when you plant it outside after the holiday, you are doing a small favor to the environment. This article lists some of the more common Christmas tree pests (a tree can have 25,000 bugs!), how to stop them and some preventative measures you can take before bringing the tree in. They recommend Diatomaceous Earth and Neem Oil-based sprays, which we have here and here. In some part of the country, there is a real worry that the invasive Spotted Lanternfly may be spread through Christmas trees. Read more about that here.

There are, of course, mammal pests that wiggle their way into homes. Rodents of all kinds prefer a toasty house to a drafty den. But, if you take the steps to seal and protect your home from insects, you will be doing a great deal to discourage furry intruders as well.

Stay warm and pest free (not counting relatives)!

Submitted by Pam

10 Halloween-Worthy Insect Names

As anyone who has ever taken even a cursory look at insects knows, many of them live quite gruesome lives. They are the terrors of the micro world they live in. Sometimes their behaviors are reflected in the common names given them, other times relatively benign insects are saddled with frightening names and still others have hideous names whose origins are not at all clear. Many of these names are regionally specific as well. Let’s look out some of these fiendish sounding creatures:

1) Assassin Bugs (Zelus renardii) – We sell oodles of these all day on our site. Their aggressive homicidal tendencies make them especially effective predators for many soft-bodied insect pests. For more about them, check out their page here.

Coffin Cutter

2) Coffin Cutter (Ocypus olens) – This decidedly cemetery-ish name is just one of the many sinister names that this Rove beetle goes by. It’s most commonly known as the Devil’s Coach Horse, but its AKAs also include Devil’s Coach Whip, Devil’s Footman and Devil’s Coachman. It doesn’t sting, but can deliver a hard bite with its large pincers. It also lift its tail up like a scorpion and spews a foul-smelling liquid from its abdomen when threatened. I found a neat little limerick about this bug by Janet MacConnaughey: 
      Satan's horses, no rinky-dink ginks,
     Are huge bugs, glossed with devilish inks.
     Devil's coach-horses (grubbers
    And hunters); and lubber
    (His horses) can also spew stinks.

Cow Killer

3) Cow Killer (Dasymutilla occidentalis) - AKA: Velvet Ant. Both of these names are misleading. They do not really kill cows and they are not really ants. Instead, they are wasps with a sting that feels (to those unfortunates that have felt it) powerful enough to kill a cow. The female has the stinger and stays on the ground, while the male has wings but no stinger (doubtless a good thing). These furry, red and black bugs pose no real threat to humans, unless you interfere with a female as she scrambles around searching for a place to lay her eggs. In which case, you probably deserve it. For more on this wasp that parasitizes bees and other wasps, go here. If you want to see someone foolishly subjecting himself to a sting, here’s one for you.

Death's Head Moth

4) Death’s Head Moth (Acherontia spp) - AKA: Hawk Moth, Death Moth. Many people are familiar with this moth; it played a role in the movie Silence of the Lambs. Apparently this formidable-looking creature loves honey and has a sweet little squeaky voice (something like if a cross between a rabbit and a cicada). Having a voice is fairly uncommon in moths, enough so that scientists have been studying it. Here is a quick read on what they’ve learned – and there is also an audio clip of the voice.

Ear Cutter

5) Ear Cutter – Dragonfly – AKA: Ear Sewer, Ear Needle, Devil’s Dragon, Horse Stinger, Mule Killer, Bee Butcher. According to this article, these are just some of the regional names used for dragonflies in the US. The myths surrounding dragonflies are much more extensive, and darker, than I ever knew.

Hickory Horned Devil

6) Hickory Horned Devil (Citheronia regalis) – There’s no mystery about the nickname here – these big (they can get hot dog-sized), fat caterpillars have giant horns on their heads and spikes all over their bodies. They live short-lived lives from late July to mid August in the southern and southeastern US. After that they become Regal (AKA Royal Walnut) moths.

7) Stump Stabber (Megarhyssa macrurus) –AKA: Giant Ichneumon Wasp. Though small (about 2” long) the females of this parasitoid wasp species have the longest known ovipositors at twice the length of their bodies. Although they look like scary stingers, they are for depositing eggs – oh, and drilling. These wasps seek out insect hosts under the wood of stumps and trees and, once she finds the right one, she drills a hole down to them and lays her eggs in their nest. Here are some great pictures and even a video of her in action. I guess the male Stump Stabbers just go by Mr. Stump Stabber.

 

Toe Biter with prey

8) Toe Biters (Lethocerus americanus) - AKA:  Giant Water Bug, Indian Toe Biters, Alligator  Ticks. These large (up to 2½”) beetles are native to North America and are very common in both manmade and natural bodies of water. Watch out for them in the shallows - when disturbed, they do bite. Toes are usually the victims of these bites as people step on or near enough to them. Although the bite will not cause lasting damage, it does produce burning pain, swelling and even skin discoloration. If you want to see the same guy that was willing to take a Cow Killer sting getting bit by a Toe Biter, check him out here.

9) Vampire Moth (genus Calyptra) – If, when you think of moths you think of delicate little things fluttering helplessly around your porch light, you may want to reconsider your thinking. Because there really are moths that are vampires - yes, some moths actually pierce the skin of verterbrates (including humans) and lap up the blood. Scientists are still determining just how many of the 17 species in this genus are blood-eaters (so far it’s 8-10), but since only two species are here in the US, you probably don’t have to worry about them. But, you never know…Here’s more on them and here’s a video of the little blood lovers.

10) Witch’s Horse (Anisomorpha spp) – AKA: Devil’s Riding Horse, Devil’s Darning Needle, Spitting Devil.These bugs are North American members of the extensive stick insect family. During mating, the males can be seen “riding” on the backs of the females, which may explain some of the
horse references. But, the Spitting Devil moniker is more accurate. These guys emit well-aimed sprays of a noxious-smelling, burning liquid as a self-defense mechanism and they aren’t hesitant to shoot. A direct hit to the eye can cause serious damage and the fumes alone have respiratory effects. It’s best to let these horses pass unhindered.

Ahhh, the insect world! A haven for the macabre, full of endless stories of blood lust, zombies and creative ways to feed on other beings. And also cute little guys who only want to eat some leaves before they get eaten.

Submitted by Pam