Brasure's Pest Control Blog

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 [...]

One side of my house is covered with what look like spiders of some kind. They have small brown bodies and long, thin gray/black legs. What are they?  You are describing harvestmen, commonly called “daddy longlegs.” They’re not spiders, though they are arachnids and have eight legs. Harvestmen are mostly nocturnal.  What are some differences [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

It’s thin and long, and has lots of legs. But is it a centipede, or a millipede? What are the differences between the two relatives? And are they dangerous or harmful?  Centipedes are arthropods, not insects. While different species might have anywhere from 20 to hundreds of legs, it is interesting to note that each [...]

What are termites? What do they do?  Termites are insects, about the size of ants (though not closely related to them), which feed mostly on dead plant material, including wood. For this reason, they can cause significant damage to homes and other structures. There are about 4,000 species of termites in the world (and 40 [...]

Newcomers to Sussex and Worcester Counties often ask about the brown recluse spider. “Are they really that dangerous? Is it safe to allow my children to play outside? And how can I identify a brown recluse?” The fact is, there are brown recluse spiders on Delmarva, and a bite should be taken seriously, but they [...]