A California resident has been diagnosed with plague for the first time in five years. A South Lake Tahoe resident has been diagnosed with the plague, marking the first human case in California since 2015.   Health officials believe the person may have been bitten by an infected flea while walking their dog in the … Continue reading The Plague Has Surfaced In California

Sightings of the Asian giant hornet have prompted fears that the vicious insect could establish itself in the United States and devastate bee populations. BLAINE, Wash. — In his decades of beekeeping, Ted McFall had never seen anything like it. As he pulled his truck up to check on a group of hives near Custer, … Continue reading Murder Hornets in The United States

When you become a pet parent, you welcome the good times as well as the inevitable dog health problems that come up. Taking good care of your pup can decrease his or her chance of developing dog sicknesses, illnesses or diseases, but common dog health issues can still occur. The best type of pet parent is an … Continue reading 31 Most Common Dog Health Problems

Are you unknowingly attracting bugs and especially mosquitoes to your property? Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a 1/2 inch of standing water, so even items containing water the size of a bottle cap my be mosquito breeding ground magnets. Here are some tips for preventing mosquito breeding grounds around home that my be … Continue reading Tips for Preventing Mosquito Breeding Grounds

Because Life Just Isn’t Scary Enough Hail the new insect overlords. Wasps are forming massive “super nests,” with thousands of insects ready to sting, according to agricultural experts in Alabama. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System warned of nests the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, with as many as 15,000 wasps inside ― up to four times the … Continue reading Wasps Are Forming Massive ‘Super Nests’

National Weather Service meteorologists noticed something puzzling on their radar screens in Southern California on Tuesday evening — a big green blob. “It was very strange because it was a relatively clear day and we weren’t really expecting any rain or thunderstorms,” Casey Oswant, a NWS meteorologist in San Diego, tells NPR. “But on our … Continue reading A Swarm Of Ladybugs So Huge, It Showed Up On National Weather Service Radar

Fuzzy pests don’t belong in your trash. Major cities are being overrun by raccoons, but the “trash panda” isn’t the only invader. As opossums, skunks, and other furry pests make homes in our neighborhoods, it’s important to know how we can respect nature without letting it ruin our yards. What attracts raccoons and other fuzzy … Continue reading How to Keep Raccoons and Opossums Away From Your House

Rabies is rare in the United States, but the threat isn’t totally gone. Recently New York City’s Department of Health alerted residents of six confirmed cases of rabies in raccoons living in and around Inwood Hill Park in upper Manhattan. According to local news reports, the animals that tested positive for the virus weren’t foaming … Continue reading Rabid animals don’t always foam at the mouth — here’s what to look out for instead.

By Bob Vila, home improvement expert If you’re like so many other property owners, you put a great deal of time and energy, money and thought into your single biggest investment, your home. Better than anyone else, you know that there’s more to do before your home reaches its full potential, yet slowly but surely, one weekend … Continue reading 7 Ways Pests Are Taking the Sweat Equity Out of Your Home

Unfortunately for homeowners, many bugs can crawl around, in, or under, your carpets. Thankfully, most of them will not harm your carpets. Carpet beetles are a whole different story; they can cause significant damage to your carpet. If you are finding carpet damage in your SoCal home, it is possible that carpet beetles have found … Continue reading What Is Eating My Carpet?