Posts Tagged ‘insects’

How to Keep Fireflies Alive in a Jar this Summer

  Fireflies, or lightning bugs, bring a beautiful bioluminescence to humid summer nights in Alabama and throughout the Southeast. Capturing and observing these flying beetles can be a delightful experience, especially for young children and families. In this guide, our experts in integrative pest management share a safe and enjoyable way to catch and keep…

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What Are the Different Types of Alabama Ants?

ants crawling on indoor tiles

Ants are tiny yet mighty creatures that live in complex, productive eusocial colonies. There’s no shortage of ants here in Alabama, where 55+ species are found, and entomologists have recorded seeing more than 150 different species overall. All types of Alabama ants can be considered pests, and there are three main ways they can cause…

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How Intelligent Are Insects, Actually?

ants carrying leaves

You may be under the impression that insects are pea-brained creatures without conscious or emotional capability. For most of history, entomologists would have agreed with you on that.  However, more recent research in entomology (the study of insects) reveals that there may be more to the creatures than meets the eye. Read on to learn…

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Why Is It So Hard to Swat a Fly?

Frustrated man holding a fly swatter

Ever wonder: why is it so hard to swat a fly? It is already annoying to have your day disrupted by a pesky house fly suddenly whizzing by, hovering around your space, and often trying to fly right into your face! Even worse, when you try to smack the little nuisance with a fly swatter,…

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Insects We’re Thankful For this Thanksgiving Season

a whole spread of fall foods and foliage with butterflies flying around

As experts in pest control, most of the posts here on our pest blog are about the invasive and harmful pests we aren’t so fond of as well as our suggestions for eliminating them from your home or property. However, our love for entomology (the study of insects) also teaches us about the beauty of…

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What Attracts Ants to Take Over Your Kitchen

ants crawling up spoon of sugar in the kitchen

  You probably thought the ants swarming in your kitchen would eventually disappear after summer ended, but now that it’s almost Halloween, you might feel worried to see ants still milling around. Although ants living outside do have a period of dormant overwintering, an infestation of ants already existing inside your warm, dry home—with all…

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Why Aren’t Spiders Considered Insects?

spider crawling on floor inside house

Now that it’s October, it’s time to decorate for Halloween! However, you may find that Mother Nature has sent some eight-legged, creepy-crawling interior decorators just in time to help out, adorning your porch and the dark corners of your home with their wispy, intricately woven webs. You guessed it—today, we’re talking about spiders! More specifically,…

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How Pests Make It Inside Your Home

Damaged screen on sliding door

You’ve probably noticed some of these pests inside the home at this time of year (even if you keep everything clean) and wonder: How are they getting inside? As Birmingham’s premier pest control team, we hear your concerns and want to help you keep your home safe, healthy, and pest-free this fall. For our experts’…

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What Are Social Insects?

close up of termites eating wood

Each species in the animal kingdom can be categorized by the innate capability of their individual organisms to interact with one another or those from other species. This characteristic is known as a species’s sociality.  Learn more about the different types of animal sociality as we continue to answer the common question: “What are social…

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How Do Ant Colonies Work?

close up of ants crawling on dirt

Whether you’re dealing with an ant infestation in your home or on your lawn—or you’re simply observing ants on the hunt for food—you might have wondered at some point: how do ant colonies work? Like humans, ants are social creatures; they live and work together in large, family-like communities called colonies, and each individual ant…

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