Brasure's Pest Control Blog

With the cooler weather that accompanies the final weeks of summer on Delmarva comes a rather unusual visitor: the wheel bug. The gray-brown wheel bug reaches up to 1.5 inches in length, and is easily identified by its dorsal armor, which is shaped like a wheel or cog. It can fly, and is often mistaken [...]

Dear Brasure’s,  The other day I was doing some reorganizing in the garage, and came across some wild looking bugs! About the size of crickets, they look somewhat like grasshoppers, and have long antennae. They don’t really do much except hop around, but they creep me out! What am I dealing with here? How can [...]

Dear Brasure’s, I have been finding large, fuzzy, red ants in my yard. They’re almost an inch long! What kind of ants are these? Should I be concerned? Jim Ocean View Thank you for the email, Jim. It sounds like you’ve been running across what are commonly called “red velvet ants.” Their name is a [...]

The large wasps build what look like oversized ant hills in mid-summer, sometimes taking over lawns, and both annoy and concern homeowners. What are they? Do they sting? How can one be rid of them? What are they? They are cicada killer wasps. On Delmarva, you might encounter, specifically, Eastern Cicada Killers, sometimes called “sand [...]

What are silverfish? Silverfish (or Lepisma saccharina) are silvery-colored insects, usually an inch long or less, which move with a fish-like motion and occasionally infest structures. They should not be confused with centipedes, which look somewhat similar. I’ve heard of a similar insect called a “fishmoth.” They are one and the same; just as the [...]

Which name is correct: Preying Mantis or Praying Mantis? Praying Mantis, actually. This nickname is derived from the mantis’s prayer-like stance. Technically, there are many species of mantis, and the praying mantis is only one of these species, but the nickname is commonly used for all species of mantis, particularly in the U.S. What are [...]

This photo of insects on the underside of a squash plant leaf were sent to Brasure’s Pest Control, Inc., by Scott in Berlin. Note the eggs on the right. What are they?  Appropriately enough, they are called squash bugs (pictured are squash bug nymphs). Squash bugs use their piercing-sucking mouth parts to feed on the sap of [...]

Fleas are tiny insects (only 1/16 to 1/8 inch long) which feed on the blood of mammals. They most often infest homes in which pets are present, but will feed on humans, too. There are several different species, including the cat flea, dog flea, human flea, and Northern rat flea, ranging in color from a [...]

Our customers frequently ask questions about moles. What do they feed on? Why do they burrow so close to the surface of the ground, creating unsightly molehills in beautiful lawns? Should they purchase a poison, or a trap?  Before looking at the various control methods available, let’s review some general information about moles. They are [...]

What is a bed bug?  Bed bugs are reddish-brown nocturnal insects, about 1/8 inch long, which feed solely on the blood of humans and animals. They normally go a few days between feedings, but can survive for up to 18 months without a meal if necessary. They can travel 5-20 feet in search of a [...]