You want to enjoy the nice seasonal weather, but spending time outdoors also brings you face to face with stinging insects. A sting may cause anything from minor pain to a major allergic reaction, so it’s important to understand how to avoid stinging encounters. Use the following information to educate yourself about common stinging insects and how to avoid nasty stings: Honey bees: These insects are the ones responsible for fertilizing many agricultural products. Therefore, it’s important to keep them around. However, you probably don’t want them near your home. Watch for honey bee nests in structures such as sheds... View Article
Honeybees are constantly looking for protected environments in which they can build their nests without having to worry about being disturbed. In many cases, certain areas of your house (exterior or even interior) might serve their purposes quite well. This is due to a couple factors. There is a scarcity of natural, preferred honeybee nesting sites (one of the reasons honeybee populations are rapidly falling), and wooden homes tend to have a large number of suitable nesting sites available for bees to take advantage of. Bees actually do quite well in urban environments, and in those environments, wooden houses have... View Article
When people think about what can threaten the wooden parts of their home, termites are usually the first thing that comes to mind. While termites are certainly a fearsome pest, homeowners should also be aware of the threat posed by carpenter ants during winter in Central Illinois. These little critters love to find refuge to escape the cold, and chances are, your warm and dry house perfectly fits the bill. They can make themselves right at home in no time and, as their name suggests, they’ll make a meal out of the wood that makes up your home’s structure, necessitating... View Article
Flies are a nuisance, especially when they’re buzzing around inside your house and landing on you, your belongings and your food. Did you know there’s more than one species of house fly? No matter the species, most all house flies thrive in home kitchens, bathrooms and sink drains, and they reproduce quickly, which often results in infestations and the spread of diseases. Banishing flies from your home is the goal, but first you need to figure out the fly species you’re dealing with. Let’s split these pests into two groups by size for a clearer look at the identifying characteristics... View Article
