About Dr. Stuart Mitchell

There are several insect-attracting (and thus, spider-attracting) things you can count on at many accounts. They include improper lighting on buildings and in parking lots, negative building pressures and pest......

In recent years, improper use of dust formulations has resulted in a significant increase in litigation. Are your techs properly trained in this technique? One statement regularly heard from dusting......

Whether by roof, burrow or sewer, attacks by roof rats (aka black rats and ship rats) cause poor public heath and economic damage to food commodities, landscapes and structures. LIFE......

[Andy McGinty also contributed to this blog entry.] Over the last two years or so, we have observed that while in the pursuit of structural pests such as bed bugs,......

Managing and eliminating stored product pests (SPPs) requires an understanding of their biology and behavior. It’s also important to identify the species, to understand and predict its behavior: Larvae of......

Black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis, aka bear tick, deer tick) greedily engorge on the blood of hosts.  DESCRIPTION: These hard-bodied ticks are dark brown or black with long mouthparts. The female is......

What? House fly, Musca domestica Where? Sprawling urban areas Why? Few fly species interact with humans. Species that do, however, can become destructive pests. House flies spread diseases to humans......

Aerially articulate but potentially punitive, bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculate) build abodes that can result in attacks on victims deemed too close for comfort. Description: Workers are 0.5 to 0.625 in.; queens......

What? Feral cat, Felis catus Where? Decaying urban infrastructures Why? As top-of-the-food-chain carnivore predators, adult cats become strays and then feral if their offspring don’t have early contact with humans.......

What? Cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis Where? Throughout the United States Why? Cryptically creepy and structurally stable blood feeders, nuisance fleas feed on humans and companion animals. Flea populations reduce indoor......