Brasure's Pest Control Blog

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 [...]

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 [...]

An article in Saturday’s News Journal, one of the most-read newspapers in our service area, reported that Delaware has the second-highest incidence of Lyme disease in the nation. The causes behind this statistic are many, and not fully understood, but it is important for anyone who plans to spend time outdoors in the local area [...]

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 [...]

At Brasure’s, we’ve been asked a lot of questions about ants since we first started doing business in 1971. While it would take a book to list and answer all of them, here are a few of the most common ones. Which kinds of ants can I expect to find on Delmarva? While there are [...]

“I live next to a large pond. For the past two weeks, my home has been engulfed by swarms of insects that look like mosquitoes, but do not bite. Are these a different type of mosquito? Or something else?” They are something else. Specifically, non-biting midges, which are actually a kind of two-winged fly. Adults [...]

“Last week, I started seeing hundreds of tiny bugs on my window sills. What are they?” They arrive in great numbers in the early spring, entering homes through doors and windows, where they quickly become a nuisance. Clover mites are reddish-brown arachnids (not bugs), smaller than the head of a pin, and usually feed on [...]

Stored product pests, or pantry pests, can become a nuisance at any time of year. There are few things worse than returning to a beach property for a winter weekend retreat, and discovering a cupboard full of beetles, moths, or weevils. There are a number of varieties of each that fall under this category, including [...]

One of the most commonly misidentified pests is the flying ant, which is frequently confused with the termite. These two insects can be about the same size and color, and possess similar wings. The difference? Several hundred dollars or more, as flying ants are usually a quick fix, while termites are not. There are several [...]