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Pest Files: page 7

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

Articles

Garden bed with mulch and plantsFor Property Owners

What Attracts Earwigs Into Your Home and Garden

Damp mulch, boards, dense ground cover, white lights and other earwigs draw them to a house; dry or hot spells push them indoors, where they soon...

October 18, 2026Lawn edge meeting woodlandMosquitoes and ticks

What Attracts Ticks to You and Your Yard

Ticks follow carbon dioxide, body heat and skin odours, and reach yards on deer and mice. Most live in woods and the unmown edge, not the...

October 18, 2026Pond at dusk with reedsMosquitoes and ticks

What Eats Mosquitoes? Bats, Dragonflies and the Myths

Bats, birds, dragonflies, fish and spiders all eat mosquitoes, but larval predators do most. Where the 1,000-an-hour bat claim came from and what works better.

October 18, 2026Kitchen stove and counter at nightCockroaches

What Do Cockroaches Eat? Almost Anything, and Why It Matters

Cockroaches eat almost any organic matter, including glue, hair, droppings and each other. What extension and NC State research says about their diet and why bait...

October 18, 2026Kitchen at night in winterCockroaches

Do Cockroaches Hibernate? What Cold Does to Them

House cockroaches do not hibernate. German roaches keep breeding indoors, American roaches die in sustained cold, and Oriental roaches sit out freezing weather under stones.

October 18, 2026Basement with a small window in winterMosquitoes and ticks

Where Do Mosquitoes Go in Winter? Eggs, Basements and Drains

Culex and Anopheles females hide through winter in cellars, culverts and storm drains, while tiger mosquitoes survive as eggs on container walls. A winter biter indoors...

October 18, 2026Sunny window in a farmhouse in winterFlies, moths and pantry pests

Where Do Flies Go in Winter? Cluster Flies, House Flies and Gnats

Most flies spend winter as maggots and pupae in manure and compost. Cluster flies and face flies hide as dormant adults in walls and attics, and...

October 18, 2026Garden in early frost with a web on a fenceSpiders and scorpions

Where Do Spiders Go in Winter? Why You See More Indoors in Autumn

Most spiders spend winter outdoors as eggs, young or dormant adults under snow. The ones indoors were already living there, and putting them out often kills...

October 18, 2026Living room with thick carpet and a dog bedFleas and biting bugs

Can Fleas Live in Carpet? How Long, and How to Clear It

Fleas live in carpet mainly as eggs, larvae and cocoons. What each stage needs, how long it lasts, and why vacuuming kills adults but misses most...

October 18, 2026Made bed in a bright bedroomBed bugs

Do Bed Bugs Jump or Fly? How They Actually Get Around

Bed bugs only crawl: no jumping, no flying. How fast they move, why smooth surfaces stop them, how they really spread, and which jumping bugs get...

October 18, 2026Bedroom carpet beside a bed frameBed bugs

Can Bed Bugs Live in Carpet? Where They Really Hide

Bed bugs hide along carpet edges and floor cracks near beds, rarely in open pile. Where to look, how long they survive there, and which treatments...

October 18, 2026Car interior with seats in daylightBed bugs

Can Bed Bugs Live in Cars? How Long, and How to Get Them Out

Bed bugs can survive in a car for months but seldom breed there. What a hot or cold car really does to them, the signs to...

October 18, 2026