Ask the Sherpa answers from Greg Baumann: short, practical pest Q&As on ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and home infestations.Browse questions below, or visit the Ask the Sherpa desk to search and submit what you are seeing.
Short answer: Your neighbor’s treatment does not automatically mean your house is next, but Texas subterranean termite pressure is real. Shared soil, fence lines, and conducive conditions can put both lots at risk. Treat the news as a cue to inspect your own foundation, not as a panic alarm. Why a nearby treatment raises questions…
Short answer: Bed bugs are not known to transmit human diseases the way mosquitoes or ticks do. That does not make them harmless. Bites can itch, secondary skin infections can follow scratching, and sleep loss is real. Confirm bugs before you treat, and plan for thorough control. Disease vs misery Public-health and extension sources are…
Short answer: Homeowners can reduce conducive conditions and catch early signs, but structural termite control (soil termiticides, professional bait systems, whole-structure drywood methods) is specialized work. Most DIY sprays never reach the colony and can create a false sense of safety. What a homeowner can do well Where DIY usually fails Subterranean colonies nest in…
Short answer: The easiest low-cost way to get a clearer view is a simple hand lens (10x) or a phone camera with macro mode, plus a few ants preserved in a small vial of rubbing alcohol for comparison. Species ID drives bait choice. Guessing from a blurry kitchen photo wastes money. Why tiny ants stump…
Short answer: Yes, take carpenter bees seriously around unfinished decks and eaves, but do not panic. They excavate round galleries in softwood that can expand over years. Males hover and look fierce yet cannot sting. Protect the wood with finish work, seal old holes after activity drops, and use traps or labeled treatments as helpers….
Short answer: Subterranean termites stay active year-round inside soil and wood, but you notice them most in warm, humid weather when winged swarmers leave the colony. Drywood termites follow similar warmth cues indoors. “Inactive season” does not mean a colony stopped feeding under your slab. What “active” really means Homeowners often equate activity with spring…
Short answer: It depends on the species. One American cockroach can be a wanderer from a sewer or crawlspace. One German cockroach inside living areas is a stronger warning that more may already be nearby. Identify first, then choose a plan, not panic. Why species matters University of Kentucky entomology notes that German cockroaches are…
Short answer: Because the colony is still alive. Killing the workers you see on the counter rarely ends the nest that keeps sending replacements. Why trails reappear Most ants you see indoors are foragers. Their job is to find food and water and recruit nestmates. If you wipe the trail or spray the visible ants,…
Short answer: Not for real infestations. In more than 40 years in the field, I have never seen an ultrasonic plug-in clear rodents, insects, or spiders the way sanitation, exclusion, and species-specific control do. What these devices claim Ultrasonic “pest repellers” usually promise to flood a room with high-frequency sound that pests cannot tolerate. Marketing…
