TOPIC: Insects
- I have tons of ants outside my house. When I am weeding I run into them. I have put down some diazion and they are still there always in the same spots. Is there anything I can use outside to get rid of them permentaly. If I don't keep the diazion granules in my cracks in my garage they are always there to. I just want them gone.
- I live at the edge of a neighborhood bordering the mountains in North Ogden. The last week we have seen hundreds and hundreds of little beetle-like bugs that have six legs, two antennas and a green/black body with a bright orange border. It appears the adult version of the beetle is about 1/4 inch long and fairly round. I'm wondering what this bug is and what damage it can/will do. I have close-up photos that I'd be more than happy to provide. Can you please help me identify this pest?
- I live in Bloomington Just south of Saint George, Utah. About a week ago I noticed hundreds of little greenish/yellowish flying bugs. Like I said they have been here about a week and they are not going away. I have lived in the area for about six years now and have never seen them before. Do you have any idea what they are and how I can control them? Regards Randy
- I live on the hillside in Bountiful and have small dark red ants in many parts of the house. They are boring through the floors and bathroom cabinets and leaving large piles of sawdust. Obviously I suspect they are carpenter ants and using images on the web I think they are the camponotus herculeanus species. (just a guess though) So how can I be sure? And I'm not sure how to get rid of them or if they can do significant structural damage. I also don't know if I should trust many of the pest control services. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
- I recently moved into a house. I noticed what I thought were little black ants didn't bother me I've delt with little black ants before. then I noticed that these little ants didn't have legs that stick out. then I noticed that they weren't ants. once in awhile I would see them when I swept the floor and occationaly I would see one or a few climbing up my wall. but now the really sad thing is they are all over in my Flour, My bags of rice and now i will have to throw it all out. What kind of a bug is it? it is about 1/4 inch long, very thin, and very black. Help me. And what do I need to do to get rid of it?
- I was camping in Big Cottonwood Canyon this weekend. Sunday Morning a large beetle landed on my leg. I flicked it off. As we were taking down camp more of this same beetle kept landing on me. It had about and inch long body and almost double that with the antenna. I was hoping you could help me identify it and tips that may be useful for preventing them from pursuing me in the future.
- I've lived in Spanish Fork all my life and have never seen a beetle like this before...and they're suddenly all over our yard! The adults are about 1/3" long. They are either yellow-green or blue-green on their backs, with a small band of light tan (almost white) all the way around the outside edge. They don't fly. We find them usually running across the driveway and I've found a few in the flower gardens as I'm weeding.
- Is there a beetle around Salt Lake City that looks like the big, black, fast-running roaches I remember from New Orleans?
- Is there any evidence of free run chickens significantly controlling flies from horse manure? I have neighbors who rely solely on a single hen and rooster to control flies for their two horses in a paddock, not a pasture. No other form of control is used. While chickens may, in fact control insects, I suspect the only real way to control insects (particularly flies) is to routinely (daily or weekly) police the manure and dispose of it. Is there any literature on the subject?
- My daughter found a strange insect outside today. It 1 1/2 inches long and has the coloring of a wasp. The back part of the body looks like a very large wasp, but the front part and front legs look more like a praying mantis. Just wondering if you could tell us what kind of insect this could be. It was definitely interesting looking!
- My raspberries and red and very sweet and now I have found thread-like worms on the fruit (about 2-4 in a bowl) when washing. What are they and how do I treat the fruits? They are black or grayish and threadlike and about 1/ to 2/3 of an inch long.
- Pole bean plants are getting eaten by something, little bites all over. Now leaves are turning yellow and drying up. What do you think the problem is. They get plenty of water.
- Sandy, Utah area (foothill benches. I am seeing sparse (not dense threads or tent-like)spider webs spanning approx 1-2 inches in the crotches of various limbs on scrub oak (no bugs or spiders are visible, however, did recently see only one yellowish/brown spindly pointed legs/body spider on limb which was about 1/2 - 3/4 inch if legs were spread from end to end). I've never seen spider like it before and can't identify on internet or books. Any thoughts, advice, or place to reference on what and how to treat? Scrub overhangs patio and everyone is paranoid to sit under trees. This is only affecting a few trees near pation, not seen on all scrub oak on property.
- We found (we think) a black widow spider in our home last night. It is completely black with a red hour-glass shape on its belly. We are concerned that there may be more of them in our home. I normally am opposed to using chemicals to get rid of spiders or insects, but in this case I think there is a bit of a health risk. I am particularly concerned about the safety of my children whose ages range from 9 months to 5 years. What can I do to get rid of any other black widow spiders that may be in our house, besides trying to keep corners clean, etc.?
- We have a concord grape vine on our fense and our neighbor has a large woodpile near it. The wood pile is a home for hornets which eat our grapes before they are ready to pick. What is a safe way to get rid of the hornets in the wood pile?
- We have a deck that holds a raised hot tub about 3 - 4 feet off the ground (it's on a wood stand). Unfortunatley, bees or wasps (not sure which) have decided to use the insulation underneath the hot tub as their home. Help! I have elementary age kids that are always outside. How do I get rid of them?
- We have a lot of pill bugs in our vegetable garden and strawberries. How can we get rid of them?
- We have a scorpion that just came up on our patio when our sprinklers came on. Is it normal to find a scorpion in Herriman? I have never heard of them here. It seems to be all white and very mean as it came after the people sitting on the patio rather than going away from them. We now have it in a bottle. This concerns me as I have a two year old and a baby who play out side. How do I keep them out of my yard?
- We have ants inside and outside of our house. Twice a year, we have flying ants in the basement of our house. In our garden and strawberry patch, we have big aggresive ants that make it difficult to enjoy our strawberries. What is the best way to get rid of the ants in these places? Is is ok to poison them around the strawberries? What about in the house?
- We have flying insects black and red. long tail laying eggs in juniper trees. What are they?
- We have flying, black bugs with orange/red spots by the eyes. They are all over our year old peach trees. Do you have any idea what they could be and how we can get rid of them?
- We have lots of large, brown, fat beetles around our house this year. Any idea what they are, and if they are a problem for our plants and flowers?
- We have millions of tiny tan bugs that jump when you try to swat them. I think they are springtails, and I have no idea how to get rid of them. They are coming into our house (we rent out a basement apartment), and they are all over outside! They are on the concrete, the stucco, everywhere! They don't seem to be bothering my two cats or our plants outside. How do I get rid of them? I've tried putting Sevin outside around the doorway and windowsills to keep them out, however it is not working.
- We planted linden trees this year and wrapped the trunks with white corrugated tubing to prevent sun scald in the winter. In looking at leaf damage on the outside border of the leaves, I noted that there were literally hundreds of small gray/black flying insects clustered under the tree wrap. What might they be and are they responsible for the chewed leaves? What treatment is needed?
- What insects attack strawberries and what is the recommended control?

