by Ken Ahlstrom | Apr 26, 2017 | Expert Advice
The American cockroach is also called a “waterbug” or a “palmettobug”. It is not native to North America but was introduced from Africa in the early 1600’s. It is a large cockroach, up to 2 inches in length, with reddish-brown in color with a yellow-bordered...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Mar 14, 2017 | Expert Advice
Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed exclusively on blood, especially human blood. The name comes from the preferred habitat: beds. They are mostly active at night, but can be observed during the day in large populations. Although the bugs can be infected with...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Jun 15, 2016 | Expert Advice
Cockroaches are probably one of America’s most reviled pests. Their brown color and lightning fast movement can give everyone the creeps. When you run into this household pest, there are a few things you can do to temporarily decrease their numbers, or at least...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Apr 5, 2016 | Expert Advice
Ah Springtime! Warm days, cool nights. Daffodils and forsythia blooming. March Madness (college basketball). Termites swarming! Daylight Saving Time. What was that?… Termites swarming? Every year about this time swarms of fluttering insects can be seen pouring...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Dec 22, 2015 | Expert Advice
About this time of year, especially after Thanksgiving when people start buying their Christmas trees, some will invariably be inundated with critters falling out of their tree. When this happens, they will call their pest control service provider or their county...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Sep 15, 2015 | Expert Advice
Introduction This is the third installment regarding insects that take up residence in our homes and offices, finding a warm place to pass the winter. This one is about the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle (MALB), Harmonia axyridis. This beetle was intentionally...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Sep 15, 2015 | Expert Advice
This is the second installment on insects that we can expect to find in our homes and businesses during the winter. This culprit is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Hyalomorpha halys. As the name implies, this is a true stink bug. If mishandled, crushed or annoyed, it...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Aug 27, 2015 | Expert Advice
As the days shorten and autumn approaches, it’s the time to start thinking about the insects that select our homes and businesses as their overwintering vacation spots. The first one I’ll mention is the kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria, a small, somewhat hemispherical...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Aug 25, 2015 | Expert Advice
In a few short weeks the Monarch butterfly will begin its annual migration to overwintering sites in Mexico. This is one of our most recognizable species of butterflies with bright orange wings with black veins and white spots along the wing margins. It is similar...
by Ken Ahlstrom | Aug 25, 2015 | Expert Advice
About a week after I took the picture of the yellow morph of the Eastern Tiger Swallow-tail butterfly, a dark morph (form) of the female appeared at the butterfly weed growing at my home in Raleigh. Fortunately I was able to get a picture of it. I have had butterfly...
