?…ask the Bugman
All Creatures Great and Small
TOP TEN PEST MANAGEMENT COMPANIES IN THE U.S.A + ONE
I try to promote do-it-yourself pest management whenever possible. However, there are many instances when people want a professional service and they ask me to recommend someone. I have known hundreds of pest control companies in the 40 + years I have been in the industry, and I can count on the fingers of both … Continue reading
Mad Cow Disease
A recent case of Mad Cow Disease turned up in California. Only a single animal. Everyone is trying to say how safe we really are. Are we? What exactly is mad cow disease and how concerned should we be? Mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a brain disease caused by unconventional pathogens … Continue reading
Invisible Biting Bug Syndrome (IBBS)
I said before that Invisible Biting Bug Syndrome (IBBS) is reaching epic numbers. I have received a half dozen emails in the last week from people suffering from this, and I am not a doctor! I believe, after looking at this for many years that I have an idea what the problem is. I am … Continue reading
Real Estate Termite Inspection
I am often asked how reliable a termite inspection is before you buy the house? In some cases, depending on where you live and the construction of the house, it is completely reliable. In other cases, it is probably a waste of money. If you live in an older part of town and the homes … Continue reading
the Bugman Insider News
Are you having issues with invisible biting bugs? Do you want control pests on your pets? Want to learn more about those strange bugs we encounter and how to manage our homes without toxic chemicals? Well be sure to check out the Bugman Insider News. My new newsletter is available now. The first issue gives … Continue reading
Living Free March Issue
Richard “Bugman” Fagerlund Dr. Bera Dordoni, N. D. This blog will be brought to you monthly. Our responsibility is to show you how important it is to keep toxic products out of our lives as much as possible.
Living Free: A toxic free life…
Welcome to our new blog! We will be bringing you information here bi-weekly in an attempt to show how important it is to keep toxic products out of our lives as much as possible. The Bugman has been in the pesticide business for over 40 years and is familiar with all kinds of pesticides and … Continue reading
Clothes Moths
Q: I have encountered the unpublished plague from the Bible: Wool-carpet- eating-moths. They have severely damaged the wool carpet in my library/office. I have two Persian rugs in nearby rooms that I am horrified will be infected. I had the office carpet sprayed twice with pyrethrum and ’565′, whatever that is. The sprayings were two … Continue reading
Invisible Biting Bugs
Q: I have invisible bugs on me. I have thrown out my couch, my bed, my bedding, bagged my clothes and books. I wash my clothes in borax and ammonia, I mop with vinegar, I spray my room down with ammonia. I have tried peppermint oil, baking soda, fly traps, sticky tape, hydrogen peroxide, tea … Continue reading
Springtail Question
Q: I have an infestation of small black bugs on my boat which were described to me as “Grass Flies”. I got the infestation when I had my boat stored on land in the Napa Valley. The bugs are about one eighth to three sixteenth of an inch long and are black with wings that … Continue reading
New Book is here: Do-it-Yourself
My newest book, “The Bugman’s Bug Book” Do-it-Yourself Safe Pest Management is now available. It will tell you how to control most household pests without using any toxic pesticides. I do have to say that anything you use to kill bugs has to be used carefully as nothing is completely safe. The materials I recommend … Continue reading
Ant Identification
Classifying ants into one of three artificial groups makes their identification a little easier. Group one is composed of ants with one node (the node is the projection on the pedicel separating the thorax from the “gaster,” or abdomen) and a tuft of hair at the tip of the gaster. Group two is composed of … Continue reading
Bed bugs…
One of the first control methods for bed bugs was to hang the foot of a stag at the foot of the bed. That probably didn’t work very well. One of the first exterminators for bed bugs was a company called Messrs. Tiffin and Son, known as “Bug destroyers to Her Majesty and the Royal … Continue reading
Some non-pesticide methods…
I want to discuss several non-pesticide methods of controlling pests. Bug season will be here before we know it and we don’t need to break out the pesticides. Here are some good products you can use: Baking Soda – Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a mined alkaline mineral. When it is eaten by insects … Continue reading
Going extinct…
There are 714 species of insects and other arthropods on the Endangered Species List (ESL). If that number isn’t high enough there are 944 species of snails on the ESL. There are 105 species of clams, 17 species of worms and 1 centipede on the ESL. There are undoubtedly thousands more that have became extinct … Continue reading
What is a pest?
A pest is an organism so designated by the pesticide industry to promote the use of their chemicals. In reality, most so-called “pests” are nothing more than nuisances we occasionally encounter in our homes or business. Bed bugs don’t carry any diseases and are not dangerous. But they are one of the most profitable “pests” … Continue reading
I met a fly…
I drove over 700 miles recently. There is no radio in my truck and if I sing to myself it isn’t at all entertaining. Also, I can’t get to be entertained by talk radio. So what do I do? Usually just daydream, but this trip I met a fly.
Drywood Termites
Drywood termites are a major wood destroying insect that cost consumers many millions of dollars in damage and control. One estimate suggested Californians spend $250 million dollars a year on this insect. For many years the primary method of controlling drywood termites was to use sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) as a fumigant. The house had to … Continue reading
Scientific studies and their environmental impact…
About 15 years ago or so, I was collecting insects in the Gila Wilderness in southwest NM. I came across several salamanders and I knew right away they were an undescribed species. I have a background in herpetology before I went into entomology. I captured four adults and brought them home with me. I asked … Continue reading
Bug Bites
This is the first post of “Bugman’s Bug Bites.” In it I will mention simple pest control methods you can use around the home and any latest important pesticide news. Feel free to share it with your friends or post it on your Facebook wall. If your cat gets ear mites, simply dab a Q-tip … Continue reading
The Bugman Insider
Subscribe to the Bugman Insider, the Alternative Eco-friendly Newsletter for Pest Management. Learn non-toxic pest management methods each month that is healthy for you, your pets, and the environment. $1 a month for premium content. Click here...
Treat Drywood Termites, Northern California
If you have drywood termites and you live in northern California, you can't go wrong with Planet Orange. They are absolutely honest and competent.
