Living near water is a dream for lots of people, but it can come with its own issues. Things you might even call a nuisance—or nuisance midges, to be exact. If you live near a lake or a pond, you’re likely familiar with these annoying, mosquito-like little insects. But what exactly are nuisance midges? Are they dangerous to humans? And what’s the best way to get rid of them?

Identifying Midges

Though these small flying insects look a lot like mosquitoes, they are actually a type of fly. This is why they’re also known as “blind mosquitoes” or non-biting midges. One way to tell midges apart from mosquitoes is their antennae. Male midges have bushy, feathery-looking antennae. Of course, their antennae are hard to see, since midges are so tiny.

Whatever you call them, nuisance midges don’t bite, suck blood or carry diseases. Thus, they aren’t dangerous to people or our pets in … Read Full Post »

Wondering how to identify centipedes versus millipedes? It can be tough, since both centipedes and millipedes have long, segmented bodies and lots of legs. Also, both are truly shocking to find in your yard. It’s even scarier to come across one inside your house. Fortunately, there are several differences that make it easy to tell these creepy-crawlies apart.

It’s interesting to note that lots of people call both centipedes and millipedes insects, but this isn’t correct. They are actually arthropods. Insects have only six legs, while centipedes and millipedes have a lot more than that. As far as numbers of legs, their names are misleading: Centipede means “100 legs,” while millipede means “1,000 legs.” But the truth is that centipedes and millipedes have different numbers of legs depending on their species.

When you see one of these creatures crawling along, it can definitely look like it has a huge number of legs. … Read Full Post »

When you spot tiny insects buzzing around your home, you probably assume they’re fruit flies and you’re probably right. What about when you see what looks like the same insects outside, or in another room in the house? Fungus gnats look a lot like fruit flies and behave in similar ways. Even though these insects are both annoying, there are distinct differences between them. Knowing which one you’re dealing with will help you determine how to deal with them.

Fruit flies and fungus gnats can appear to look the same, but this is only because they’re so tiny. Each insect is only about an eighth of an inch long, making it hard to see their individual characteristics with the naked eye. However, if you could see each one up close, you would see they look pretty different from each other.

Identifying Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are like tiny versions of house flies. They … Read Full Post »

It can feel shocking to discover tiny beetles infesting your pantry or your pet’s dried food. Even if you’re familiar with these small pests, when you find one, you might wonder: Is it a cigarette beetle, a drugstore beetle or something else? Cigarette beetles are extremely common pests in people’s homes across the United States. They are especially common in warmer areas. Knowing how to identify them is an important first step in learning how to control them.

Both cigarette beetles and drugstore beetles got their names from the dry goods stores of yesteryear. These pests infest all sorts of dried items. You may find these bugs in flour, beans, rice cereal, herbs and spices. They are also known to infest dry dog and cat food, and many other things people regularly bring home from the store.

Since all of these are such common items in so many homes, it’s easy to … Read Full Post »

Silverfish are very small, wingless insects. Silverfish eggs are so tiny, they’re hard to see without a magnifying glass. Baby silverfish, or nymphs, are also very, very small. Adult silverfish grow to about a half-inch long and just an eighth of an inch wide. They get their name from their interesting appearance: They are a silvery-gray color, and they are covered in what look like fish scales. Their long, narrow bodies also move on their tiny legs in a side-to-side way that looks like fish swimming in water.

Silverfish have long antennae on their heads as well as long, tail-like spikes coming out of their hind ends. They actually look a little bit like shrimp, although they don’t live in water. They live either outdoors or in our houses, where they can cause hidden damage to our things.

Silverfish are attracted to moisture and humidity. Outside, these insects might be found in … Read Full Post »