Imported fire ants (IFA) have been a recurring problem in several Western Kentucky counties for almost 25 years. The pattern has been that suspect IFA mounds (Figure 1) are reported, confirmed by a specialist, treated, and then eliminated. This has…

A new potentially invasive hornet has been in the news over the last week. This species is known as the yellow-legged hornet but may also be referred to as the Asian hornet. Reports surfaced in August that a detection had…

Mosquito season is in full swing throughout the Commonwealth. Mosquitoes are a perennial nuisance for which there is no easy answer. As summer continues, there will be lots of information (both good and bad) about what works and what doesn’t.…

Chiggers are one of the banes of summer here in Kentucky. The symptoms they induce can drive a person to the brink of itchy insanity, and some people react more strongly than others. They are also frustrating as their tiny…

This week, an interesting case was submitted from a Kentucky Extension agent involving a client who reported feeling insect bites to her face while she was trying to sleep. The client was able to capture some of the pests and…

As April turns into May, there is an increase in Kentuckians catching hornets that seem to be inspecting their homes or outbuildings. These are most likely European hornet queens, who are waking up from their overwintering and are searching for…

If you are active on social media, you might find some people posting about a project to collect ticks and send them to the University of Kentucky called the UK Tick Surveillance Program. Unfortunately, as with many things on Facebook,…

A stroll through the Halloween décor section at the store demonstrates that spiders are something that conjure up dread amongst most people. They are sitting on shelves next to zombies and vampires, amongst other spooky season all-stars. There are two…

Ticks Are Still Out There While the high tick season in Kentucky is usually May and June, there are still ticks this late in the summer. Ticks are arachnids; they are related to other eight-legged critters like spiders and mites.…

Eastern bloodsucking conenoses are out and about in Kentucky, looking to take blood meals. These Kentucky representatives of the kissing bugs (also known as Triatomids) inspire fear in those who have discovered them. People can be bitten by conenoses, and…

Fire ants have long been found further south of Kentucky. Since 2000, they have been annual issues in the Land Between the Lakes area of our state. Surveys in that area have found multiple mounds of ants but Kentucky has…

In late April and early May, European hornet queens are waking up from their overwintering and are in flight looking for places to build their nests. These large wasps prefer to use hollows inside of trees but have also been…

This month, imported fire ant colonies have been confirmed and treated in two Kentucky counties: Marshall and McCreary counties. While we have had other colonies in Marshall County, this is the first instance of fire ants in McCreary County. Management…

Minute (pronounced “my-newt” not like the measurement of time) pirate bugs are insects that we often list as a beneficial species. These tiny predators will attack and eat many different types of pest insects, including small caterpillars, thrips, spider mites,…