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Pest Files: page 2

One reference page per pest: identification, the damage it does, what treatment involves and how long it realistically takes.

Articles

Wooded eastern backyard at dusk with a porch light glowing beside a screen door and tall hickory and sweetgum trees behindLawn and garden

Luna Moths: Are They Rare, Why They Don’t Eat, Where They Live

The luna moth is a common eastern silk moth that seems rare because adults fly at night and live about a week. Status ranks, range, broods...

November 1, 2026Underside of a white painted porch roof and eave on a sunny summer afternoon, with porch railings and a hanging plantWasps and bees

Paper Wasps: Stings, Nests Under Eaves, When to Leave Them

Paper wasps build open umbrella nests under eaves and rarely sting unless the nest is disturbed. How to identify the species, what the sting is like,...

November 1, 2026Row of potted houseplants on a bright windowsill with a watering can and a spray bottle in soft winter daylightLawn and garden

Spider Mites: Signs, Webbing and Treatments That Work

How to confirm spider mites with a sheet of white paper, why hot dry air and the wrong insecticide trigger outbreaks, and which water, soap, oil...

November 1, 2026Bright living room corner with a wool rug, a wooden skirting board and sunlight across a windowsillFlies, moths and pantry pests

Carpet Beetles: Larvae, Rashes and How to Get Rid of Them

Carpet beetle adults at windows eat pollen; their hairy larvae eat wool, fur and pet hair. How to identify them, why they cause rashes, and how...

November 1, 2026Sunny suburban garden border in spring with a low stone wall, green perennials and a flagstone pathWildlife

Garter Snakes: Venom, Bites and Keeping Them Out of the Yard

Garter snakes are harmless striped snakes that eat slugs, worms and frogs. How to identify one, what a bite does, why they den under houses and...

November 1, 2026Sunlit southern front lawn with a concrete walkway and several low domed soil mounds in the grassAnts

Fire Ants: Stings, Mounds and the Two-Step Method That Works

How to recognise red imported fire ants and their mounds, what the sting and pustule do, why they come indoors, what preys on them, and why...

November 1, 2026Late summer cottage garden bed of coneflowers, salvia and tall grasses beside a wooden fence in morning lightLawn and garden

Praying Mantis: Are They Harmful, What They Eat, Egg Cases

Mantids are harmless to people but eat bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds. How to tell the three common US species apart, what the egg case means,...

November 1, 2026Leafy suburban street lined with mature oak and maple trees in bright early summer sunshine, seen from a front lawnLawn and garden

Cicadas: When They Come Out, Are They Harmful, and Broods

Annual dog-day cicadas sing every summer; periodical broods emerge every 13 or 17 years. The brood calendar to 2036, why they are harmless, and how to...

November 1, 2026Dry Southwestern backyard edge in warm morning light with sparse grass, sandy soil and a low rock borderAnts

Harvester Ants: Stings, Mounds and the Horned Lizard Link

Harvester ants explained: how to tell them from fire ants, how bad the sting is, what the venom data show, why horned lizards depend on them,...

October 30, 2026Humid Texas backyard in late summer with a live oak, leaf litter and a concrete patio meeting a brick wallAnts

Crazy Ants: Tawny and Longhorn Species and Why They Are So Hard

The two US crazy ants, tawny and longhorn, explained: how to tell them apart, whether they bite, why they pack into cars and AC units, and...

October 30, 2026Sunlit late summer vegetable garden with staked tomato plants and ripening fruit beside a raised bedLawn and garden

Leaf-Footed Bugs: Fruit Damage and Identification

Leaf-footed bugs pierce tomatoes, pomegranates, citrus and nuts but are harmless to people. How to tell them from squash, assassin and kissing bugs, and how to...

October 30, 2026Sunny suburban front garden in late spring with a rose bed and a small mugo pine along a brick pathLawn and garden

Sawflies: Larvae That Look Like Caterpillars and How to Stop Them

Sawflies are non-stinging wasp relatives whose caterpillar-like larvae strip roses, pines and dogwoods. How to tell them from caterpillars, and what works when Bt does not.

October 30, 2026