Bug week: George asks 'What's bugging you?'
Send in your question for George.
It's Bug Week on The One Show. Our expert on insects Dr George McGavin will be looking at the creepy crawlies that can invade your home.
Every night this week, George will be asking "What's bugging you?"
So we want you to get in touch with either:
a) Genuine questions about bugs
e.g "How do I get rid of a hornets nest?" "Why do spiders have eight legs?"
OR
b) Issues that are bugging you in your life
e.g. "How do I find the love of my life?" "How do I keep my house tidy?"
George will be donning his agony uncle hat and using bug logic to respond to your light-hearted queries live on the show.
Please note: Add your first name and location to your question if you'd like it to be used on the show.
Leave your bug questions below. Send in a photo of your insect issue, here.
You may also like:
- Our bug gallery.
- Watch previous bug films, including George identifying bugs and Mike Dilger's guide to attracting moths
- Try our fun bug quiz and test your knowledge of all things creepy crawly.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~40~RS~)
Comments
How do I get rid of biscuit beetles?
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I have lots of ladybirds living in my lounge! How do I get rid of the ladybirds?
Karen, Ickenham
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My brother is always finding spiders in his room and they just wont go away. most of the time they can get quite big too, a large garden spider. what can we do to get rid of them?
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How do you get rid of Clothes Moth, and keep them away?
Bill, Bourne
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Hello George,
How do i get rid of carpet beetles?!! please help i hate them!
lucy, newcastle upon tyne
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George
Why do flies fly around a light, even if it's switched off? is it related to the electric current?
Cheers
Mrs P - Bristol
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Can we post you a (now dead) beetle to be identified?
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How do i get rid of a flat mate. I have told him to go so many times and he keeps working his way to stay. I want him out, how do i do it.
Kaysha
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Why are we finding so many dead bees in the house and garden?
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We have slugs! every morning I find slug trails on the living room floor, we have tried slug pellets but I'm worried in case the dog eats them, plus more keep coming. Any suggestions.
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Hi George, I have a problem with what I think (thought?) might be a wasps nest in my cavity wall at the front of the house. Back in April I noticed many wasps (?) buzzing around and flying in and out of several entry points within the front brick wall of my house. They have found little niches within the pointing. They are also getting in through tiny air vents above my windows and around the sealant of my double glazed windows. I telephoned the local council who advised that it was too early for wasps and if still prevelant in July/August to contact them again. They also said that from what I had described they were probably mining bees (?) I've never heard of these before. They said that if they were mining bees they would not be able to treat because of the spread and treatment would not be effective. They also stated that if mining bees they would not cause damage to my property. What are your thoughts or advice? They don't really bother me I'm just concerned in case of damage. Look forward to hearing from you. Kind Regards Michelle Stokes
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Hi, we have a Victoria house with original sash windows which seem to be the home of our Ladybird infestation. Each summer we have "strings" of up to 100 Ladybirds hanging down the windows, they are cute by themselves, but hundreds are not pleasant, how do we get rid of them? Wendy - Caterham
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My kitchen cupboards and other places in the house (including the outbuilding) have been infested for the past 2 years or so with tiny white coloured mites. They are the size of a piece of dust, hence hard to see in general, and despite using various insect and bug killing sprays they continue to invade the home. They have become such a nuisance, especially in the kitchen cupboards, that I have to make sure all food stuff are well sealed. What are they and how can they be gotten rid off completely???
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We think we have 'carpet beetles' we keep finding little white grubs wrapped in like cotton, we find them around the edges of the carpet. We have not seen the beetle no we are not sure what they are. PLEASE HELP WE WILL NOT HAVE ANY CARPET LEFT SOON. WE HAVE TRIED CHEMICALS BUT TO NO AVAIL HELP! JAN WEST SUSSEX.
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Every morning we get up it looks like a grand prix had happened on our front room rug.Slugs every night, I've tried filling gaps in the skirting boards but they come back every day.
Darren from Smethwick
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Dear George, In one our kitchen cupboards we have living tiny brown
bugs. We haven't used the cupboard for 15 months, its completly empty. But they are still there. They maybe coming down from the bathroom above, the floorboards are wet due to a leak on the shower.
Also how can we stop spiders, we're all terrified of them.
Thanks,
Karen
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What purpose do wasps serve?
I know they help with pollination, but what else appart from stinging people and being a general nuisance?
Katie and Barbara Gunn
Southampton
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On a hot day we have all the doors and windows open and by the evening a dozen small flies are flying round aimlessly in the middle of the room.
But why do they fly around and when they meet each other in mid air, chase each other like they are having a fight?!
Although this gives hours of entertainment we would like to know why they do it.
Alice
New Milton
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What really bugs me is the use of words like "bug" and "belly-button" on the One Show. As we're all adults with a reasonable education let's use proper adult words such as insects/spiders and navels.
Rosamund Bandi,
Ins, Switzerland
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Hi there George
The south facing exterior of my house is covered with red spidermites. I open the window and in they come. How do I get rid of them?
Many thanks,
Mary Reeve
North Curry, Somerset
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Hi Dr George,
My name is Julie, I live in Scotland and South Yorkshire. My new house in Scotland bugs me. We have set it up as a bed and breakfast, but throughout the summer we have midges and mossies all over the place. I wanted to encourage my guests to create oil paintings outdoors, but when the weather is warm enough the bugs are out biting any flesh they come across. To go in the garden we almost feel like we have to have a battle plan. The bugs hang about just outside the back door. We make a dash for it. Sometimes they come in on our clothes and this weekend I totaled eight bites! Help me! Last week I ended up having six bites on my face! Last year we had a new washing machine, by the time we managed to get it up the steps into the kitchen I had twenty bites on my arms. This is our second summer and we have just started being inundated with the little pests. We have a stream at the bottom of the garden and ducks that need water, will we be stuck with summers from hell all our lives in the rolling hills of Bonnie Scotland?
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Hello George
Every evening, at about this time, we find the odd beetle wandering across our carpet. It looks like a proper old fashioned beetle, dark brown, six legs, two antennae and it just wanders about. Having found dead ones, i know it's not the same beetle but just wondered what it was. Some evenings he even goes for a fly about! He is about 1cm long and quite thin, not like the ones featured tonight.
I hope that you can help.
Kathryn - Asford
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I have small brown bugs with tiny wings,approx, 2mm long & 1mm wide, invading our kitchen cupboards. They mainly appear in summer although the odd stragler still sufaces in winter months!
any idea what they might be and how do I get rid of them?
I can send you some pictures if it helps.
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Hi George,
How to I get rid of silverfish?
Many thanks.
Regards,
gsommer
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Hi. I have a recent problem with an invasion of large black flies. They come in in droves, 20 or so at a time. Land on the windows and curtains and only seem interested in getting out again! They don't seem to be attracted to food! I live in a semi rural area in South Gloucestershire on the outskirts of Bristol. Any idea what sort they are, where they have come from and most importent what I can do to get rid of them.
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I've always been disgusted by the wee creatures called "woodlice", but I didn't always know them by that name. Instead, in our family they were always called "slaters". Does George know why this is?
I'm hoping it's a Scottish thing, so that with luck, George - being a Scot - will know why.
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Hi George, I've always been held back in life because when it comes to doing anything important, I've always been too scared. Does the insect kingdom have an answer on how to deal with fear?
Andrew,
South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
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Carpet beetles have been worrying me for a while, having read about all the damage the larvae stage can cause. If I find an adult beetle I squash it and do the same for the woolly bears, but spraying with insecticide seems pointless when I've removed the bugs anyway! I cannot seem to find the source of these dreaded bugs so what more can be done. From what I have read it appears to be a problem that will just keep on going! HELP!
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My pe teacher is really really annoying,
shes like a bug that bites you and you cant get rid of it.
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I've been very scared for the last few nights as theres been spiders
outside my bedroom window about 6 of them but they only come out at night and the top part of my wooden window is not sealed. I recently had lots of small baby spiders coming through my window onto my celine about 20 the past 2 nights. is this nest coming from outside? House spiders seem to creep out aswell making webs. I'm very concerned as I don't want lots of spiders in my room and I understand they keep out bugs but what can I do to get rid of these? and why do the outside spiders only come out night time.
Thanks, Billy.
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I've been very scared for the last few nights as theres been spiders
outside my bedroom window about 6 of them but they only come out at night and the top part of my wooden window is not sealed. I recently had lots of small baby spiders coming through my window onto my celine about 20 the past 2 nights. is this nest coming from outside? House spiders seem to creep out aswell making webs. I'm very concerned as I don't want lots of spiders in my room and I understand they keep out bugs but what can I do to get rid of these? and why do the outside spiders only come out night time.
Billy - dorset
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Hi we have cockroches. They always come out in the night! Are they dangerous because we had one in my childs room.
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Every year at about this time we have tiny moths fluttering around the rooms. I think they are clothes moths. I sprayed one room with fly killer and closed the door, but later on one or two were still fluttering. What can I do? Please help.
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how do I get rid of capet/clothes moths. It is driving me mad.
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George - please please please expand on what you said today about hornets being less scary than wasps. I seem to have loads of hornets around my new house and I'm a bit concerned as I've heard that they are very painful when they sting!
Thanks
Jeremy
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Hi George
I keep getting very small beetle type bugs in my bedroom floor. The floor is wooden and outlooks a balcony. Can you tell me what they are and how to get rid of them please? They are brown, tiny, hard shelled and have antena's on their heads.
Thanks Jamie
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Hi George!
For about 1 1/2 months now I have been getting bitten. I normally wake up with 2 or 3 new bites a night on either my arms, legs or torso (although sometimes I can be a few days without getting bitten). At first they are not bad but within 24hrs they start getting itchy, a bit lumpy, and very red. They can grow up to 4cm in diameter by day 2. It can take a couple weeks for them to fully disappear. As they retreat they get smaller and go bruised in colour.
I have not ever seen any insects and cannot see any signs of bed bugs. I have no pets and no animals have entered my flat. We have no nests nearby to our knowledge and even when I slept with the windows closed new bites would appear.
I have tried insect repellent, carpet shakes, sprays for furnishing, etc...
To my annoyance, my partner does not seem to get bitten at all even though he doesn't sleep more than 5 cm away form me!
I am at my wits end and could really do with some advise!
Thank you,
Gael, London.
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we have been inundated with tiny beetle like bugs for several years. during the summer months we can have dozens each day. They are beetle like in appearance but also have wings, they are approx 3mm in length and black in colour. They gey into cupboards and even manage to get into plastic containers which have tight fitting lids.
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Hi, I found some black bits in my flour, when left they started to move, they are were very very tiny like dust.. What were these and what caused them,I threw flour out and cleaned cupboards,do i need to do anything else? Also how do we get rid of silverfish and wood louse in the house.
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Dear George,
About eight weeks ago my wife noticed a number of tiny insects on the tiled floor of our kitchen behind our wicker settee. The tiny insects had the appearance of tiny dark brown beetles about 1 2mm in length. The tiny insects were fast moving and were running under a gap in the skirting. I treated under the skirtings with dettol.
We then began to notice one or two bugs on the cushions about 5 weeks ago. A couple of days later we noticed the numbers increasing to maybe 12 on the cushions when we would come into the kitchen in the morning. I collected about a dozen of the creatures and took them to the council environmental health officer. The environmental health officer contacted me a couple of days later saying they he believed that they were woodworm but that they could not confirm this.
I looked inside the wicker sofa and noticed that it was alive with the tiny insects running about on the wooden frame structure on the interior of the wicker covering there were also many dead insects. I vacuumed these away and placed the vacuum cleaner bag in the outside bin.
I removed the sofa out of the interior of the house to the garden and covered it to protect it from the elements.
I examined the underside of the wicker settee and sure enough there was a number of clusters of what could be insect bore holes. The settee was purchased from new about 1.5 years ago and was manufactured in Indonesia.
I have placed one of the insects on the microscope at work and have observed that it does not have the typical appearance of a beetle ie it would appear to have a softer exoskeleton with small buds of useless wings which would appear to be hairy.
I have been told that it has the appearance of being a book lice but this would not seem to explain the boreholes on the settee.
I have taken some photos of the boreholes and of the insect which were taken through the eyepiece of the microscope and could send these if it would help.
I hope you may have some ideas.
Brendan
Warrenpoint
County Down
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Why do moths come in houses? what do they exactly feed on and how do you get rid of them
Billy
Dorset
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Hello George
please,please,please can you help. In March I moved into a flat that had been empty for some time, previous occupant I have since learned passed away here and was not discovered for a while. The were no carpets on the floor and I have been reluctant to have anything layed. I put on the heating and within 48hrs was itching all over at the same time feeling a pin prick, tingly sensation on my hands and feet, leaving me with lines just under the skin that do not seem to go anywhere. I am also ending up with small perfectly round what you could only call white slightly indented scar marks all over (dredding it happening around my face. I am sure it is somekind of bite.My feet are very itchy especially at night as is just about everywhere on my body. The first few nights I slept here yoy could cut the air with a knife, and after a short while my I get covered in what was like a dandruff. It is in every room, drawers, my clothes. The walls which I believe are wood board are covered in random pin holes and around it is very shiney, with slug like (but tiny) track/lines leading away. It is very bad in the kitchen especially near the bin. The tops of the walls are also being stripped of paint everywhere, and the bottom of doors are looking like they have been munched on. On the ceilings in the corner where it looks like someone in the past has put sealant to block a hole it is like a dirty smudge trail. I have tried to wash these marks off wall etc to no availe. On the floor there are patches that look like grease marks that are rather large with a darker round mark in the centre. I have one large chinese rug down that has to be vacumned everyday yet I leave this flat everyday as I have to otherwise I begin to feel really unwell.
Now for the offending ????? What I think maybe eggs are very shiney ivory/white colour lying in a sticky beige mucous. The larve are tiny about 1-3mm segmented translucent.(I looked under a microscope i have)and somelook different than others although this maybe its different stages. They have eyes although I have looked at some which look like them but have no eyes and breakup (I think its like their skin they have shed as they grow. some are white. They all have what I would call a hook and a long feeler type thing, yet some look a little like the tail of a scorpion. Under my microscope what originally in some seem like a cocoon with a little black something hiding in the fibres I took some of my samples, as you can imagine I am now spoilt for choice) to the vets he said one was a flea pupil and gave me the relevant treatment (have no dogs or cats) but the other samples he said they were animal but did not have a clue. Some of what I think are adults are different shapes some brownish with a very hard shell almost square yet I found what I could only describe as a beatle shaped hard shell thing in my boot.definately 6 legs and antenna, what i would say are their rear ends vary one is alot rounder than the other.
My mum who is terminally, is now showing similar symptoms worsening her condition so I have now stopped seeing her. Please could you help or put me in the right direction to get this sorted.
One last thing my kitchen sounds like gross activity going on through the night
SORRY EVERYONE IT SO LONG, I AM JUST SO VERY MISERABLE WITH THIS
Belinda Kingswood Bristol
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Ann McLaughlan from Stirling
Hi George
We have discovered that we have a bumble bee nest under our decking just outside our patio doors, we have been told that there is nothing we can do as they are protected, Can you offrer us some advice George
Many thanks
Ann
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Please can you help me? We have been invaded by very small red spiders all over the patio and south facing walls. These aren't spider mites as they are clearly visable to the naked eye and are not eating plants. They have now started to come into the house and walk all over the worksurfaces and my 16 month old toddler is always covered in them and they leave horrible red stains when you squash them. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them?
Thank you.
Christine, Wisbech Cambridgeshire
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We seem to have some strange and fairly aggresive spiders in and around the house. They are about the size of an old fifty pence piece, with red/brown shiney legs. Their bodies look just like an oval grey stone. When disturbed these spiders raise their front pair of legs showing large mouth parts. We'd like to find out what type of spiders these are so that we can re-assure our daughter (and myself) that they will not harm her. I have managed to take a picture, which I have uploaded onto the gallery.
I hope someone can identify it.
Thanks
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We are inundated with silverfish. How can we get rid of them?
Many thanks
Liz, High Wycombe
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Hello George,
My kitchen cupboards and other places in the house (including an outbuilding) have been infested for the past 2 years or so with tiny white coloured mites. They are the size of a piece of dust, hence hard to see in general, and despite using various insect and bug killing sprays they continue to invade the home. They have become such a nuisance, especially in the kitchen cupboards, that I have to make sure all food stuffs are well sealed. What are they and how can they be gotten rid of completely???
Frank, South Wales.
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I have problems with shield bugs; my arrows will not penetrate them. Oh well, back to the drawing board, my medieval nutters.
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How do you get rid of booklice. During the winter months they die off then in the warmer months they reapear in my bay window.
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Help needed with identifying teeny tiny bugs that appear in every room of house.
I hadn't come across these bugs until a couple of years ago when I moved into a ex-council house. I stayed there a couple of years and then moved to another house but I think the bugs moved with me as they are in this house too.
I have no idea what they are. They are between 1 and 2 mm in length and are a kind of cream colour. They are all one colour - nothing else distinguishing about them really. They move reasonably fast. They are definitatly bugs and not spiders.
I don't like them though I don't think they are doing any damage (not that I've noticed anyway).
They seem to live everywhere - in kitchen drawers, in the pantry, in the bathroom cabinet, in the bedroom. When I spot them I squish them but I would rather have a better way of getting rid of them for good
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A BBC hireling called George
On your problems each day would gorge
If he failed when he tried
He committted insecticide
An original mould from the forge
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Help!! We have carpet moths. They appeared last year and have damaged quite a few carpets in our house which is only 8 years old. How can we get rid of them? We are reluctant to use chemicals as we have 3 young children and we are having to vacuum constantly but don't seem to be winning.
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I've just got back from a lovely trip to Dublin but the "guaranteed flying nightmare airline" Ryanair managed to overcharge me twice and attempted a third time upon boarding my return flight yesterday. Was is the best way to deal with the Irish disgrace and waste of airspace that Ryanair is, apart from never flying with them ever again? Clarisse from Oxford
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Stephanie Manchester Please Please could you help with my ANT problem, wich we have had for 16 years yes 16 years,the worst of it is that my living room becomes out of bounds from say march onwards,the workers run all over any one in the room,then after a few months of that we start with the flyers, small and large they are absolutaly horrible, we have tried every type of poison there is, to NO effect, they are here again and it is driving me insane, they are inexcesable as they are under the fire boiler, in fact they arrived with the new fire boiler, because when the fire was fitted the gas men put an air brick in the wall and that is where they must have got in,short of having the whole boiler and fire removed, wich will cost thousands of pounds we are at a loss as to what to do, we would appreciate any help very very much Thank You
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for the past couple of years in the summer we have been getting these black beetle type bugs, about centemeter long, which only come out at night times, and when you try and move them they freeze as if they were dead.We wanted to know the name of this bug and if there's anything to worry about. They seem to be coming from floorboards in our upstairs bathroom which is being decorated, and usually end up in our bedroom or our daughters bedroom which is next door to the bathroom. We have also got alot of ivy on the outside of our house on the brickwork, which is where our bedroom is and our daughters is, so wasn't sure if this was the way they might be getting in.
Many thanks
Angela of Chelmsford
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What is this strange looking creature called?
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My problem is not bugs, but slugs. We notice slug slick on all downstair floors and occasionally catch the culprit. Can you help
Tony Bristol
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Years ago I put up bird box & never had a single bird in it but now it has been taken over by a colony of wasps how do I get rid of it as its only 3m from my front door
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How do I send a photo of an odd bug
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I have a wasps nest in a (unused) bird box. The nest is now being built outside the box. What should I do?
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i have an issue with slugs, the trials are on my kitchen work tops and sink !! how do i get rid of them, can they come up through the plug hole ???
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In rural areas in Spain you will often see clear bags of water hanging outside houses and bars, to get rid of the flies. It seems to work, why?
Sue, North Somerset
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I had a bug in my garden today (23/06/09) and I have no clue what it was, so can someone help me please. It was slightly bigger than a flying ant both in length and width but it's body was bright turqouise almost metallic in the sunlight and it's abdomen was bright pink and I got a picture but not a very good one cause it wouldn't stay still. any help would be much apprechiated, thanks!
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What's the best way to deter the dreaded Scottish midge - in particular is there a reliable alternative to DEET as a repellent?
The problem being that having already got several bites when mowing the lawn at the weekend, I don't want to use a DEET based repellent that is likely to further irritate my skin....
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You spook over "cockroach"
A remedie is:
Thaek a 2 souser 1 with water and 1 with gibs
the "cockroach" likes gibs and then it drinks wather.
just klein it and it helps.
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Mike and Wendy from Bristol
we have many wingless female moths on our alder tree. They are 1cm long and black with yellow protuberences down each side of their body and 4 white ones in a square pattern behind the head.
I would like to send you a photo but do not know how to include it on a blog
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Hi there. I lived in Hawaii for many years which was cockroach city. We used Boric Acid which worked by getting on their feet and was taken back to their nests. It is highly toxic to creepy crawlies. It can be toxic also to children or pets so it is best to put it under or behind the fridge or microwave.
It will take about a month for it to work. But you should clean them out, very effective. It lasts for years if you do not disturb the very fine layer of the powder. Good luck. Rayner
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Can show me the Millennium bug as i belive many people made a lot of money trying to Eradicate it about 10 years ago
I think they must have Succeeded because i heard nothing about it since
Rod Newton
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Hi George, We have a wasp nest in our garden shed. The wasps have made themselves comfortable on the cushions of my garden furniture whilst we have to sit on the hard-wood seats! The nest is in full view as the door opens and I have taken some fantastic close up pictures of it. I would like to send them in but need help in attaching the pics to this blog.How long is it likely to be there? Its a truly amazing thing but I am desperate to get rid of it as we are having a family BBQ for my daughter who is coming home for the weekend from her phase 1 Army Training. Please help us.
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George, so sorry, I forgot to add our names...Its Noel and Rosemarie from Bromley in Kent. I have added one of the photos to the gallery for you to see.
Kindest Regards
Rose
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I am absolutely terrified of crane-flies or "Jenny-long-legs" and I don't know why. The very thought makes my skin crawl. Jan
Re 64 Bog Myrtle can be good it's a plant with a pretty strong smell.
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Dear George
I have a similar problem to 'thelovelymichlle'in comment No.11.
We have a bee's nest inside the cavity wall of my home (this is the second year they have lived with us). Are they likley to be causing damage to the walls?
I believe bees are protected and it was suggested that we wait until they 'vacate' after the summer then fill in the entrance hole in the hope they will not get in next year. Is this the best way to deal with them?
Thank you
Susan, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
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Hi George,
I have an infestation of bugs inside my hot dry caravan. They are black, up to 0.5mm long with a long thin body, 6 legs and a seperate head with long antennae. Any idea what they are and how I get rid of them.
Thanks, Mike from Bicester.
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Hello George
Re: tiny red spiders !!
- Can you please help ! for 3-4 months during the summer my house and patio etc gets covered with tiny red spiders - thousands ! They seem to live in the brickwork of the house and especially come out when its sunny, they are about pin head size and very evident on the window sills and leave a little red stain when accidentaly sat on or squashed. There seems to be more every year and are now invading the house through open windows in the hot weather. I have trawled the internet for answers but suggestions like red mite and velvet mite do not seem to fit the bill as they have no interest in vegetation or soil.
This seems to be the same tiny red spider issue as the posts numbered 20 & 44
Can you please help to identify them and offer possible solutions to control them ?
Many thanks
Dan, Crossgar, Co Down.
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Is there any way to get rid of carpet beetles, without emptying your entire house and spraying the whole place with pesticide?
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Dear George
Why is it that flys can manage to get in to your home via windows & open doors, but they can never find there way out unless there on my fly squater?
Best wishes
Keith from suffolk.
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In the last two weeks I have been bitten to death by something in the home. I think it is in the carpets and also the sofa (most bites at neck and hairline (not headlice) and on ankles). I think I have identified something small and black and possibly with wings and I have seen what look like very small midges flying (although these may not be connected).
Any ideas on what they are and, more importantly, how I get rid of them?
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How do you get rid of Carpet moths??
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While I have been signing on hundreds more of my infesting visitors have been penetrating my food store. They are like small clothes moths, but fly in a more fluttery way. They are always in the food storage area of the kitchen (despite airwick type fly deterrent and contant attacks by me)and wander into other parts of the house. If they can get into dry food containers eg ground almonds, flour, semolina they lay eggs (?) in long sticky strings. I have of coursse cleaned out and sprayed (I am beyond being green) all the cupboards but they must still be hatching somewhere. Please save my sanity!
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George, please, please help!
For some years now we have been struggling with an infestation of spiders. We used to have a rabbit and purchased hay for it from a local farm. The spiders came in this hay and slowly worked their way from the garage to the house. They have infested everything, the kitchen cupboards, the bathroom, they are in my clothes in my wardrobe and even in my bed sometimes. They are making our lives a misery!
They are so difficult to see which is another problem; very thin, small bodies with even thinner legs that you can barely make out and the young ones are almost invisible. You usually can only see them and their webs in you hold a torch at a certain angle. The webs being almost like hammocks with no particular pattern to them.
It has got to the point that my mother is cleaning the house pretty much all day, every day to stop us getting over run, we've had to buy hand held vacuums to have on hand if we spot them and they still just won't go away!
Here are a couple of macro shots. This one was only about 4cm at most but we have been getting bigger ones.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c76/LBDB/_DSC9329.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c76/LBDB/_DSC9337.jpg
What type of spider are they? How can we get rid of them?
Laura, Burnham, Bucks.
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Hi George, please please help me as I am scared to go into my loft.
10 days ago I opened my loft hatch to be showered with dead bubble bees. I could hear loads of buzzing from within the loft and the bedroom below. Viewing from outside it would appear that bees are going in and out under tiles in my roof. It seems therefore that I have a rather large nest in my eaves. Obviously I do not want to kill them, but I do need to go into my loft but am scared to do so.
What can I do?
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Hi George
When I have my window open and a fly flies in, why does it fly around the centre of my room in a square shape??
Sally from Chichester
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Can you please tell me what attracts moths to clothing and what is the cheapest way to get rid of clothes moths. Thank you.
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those bugs shown on tonights show
hook book lice ? or something
i think i have them
how do i get rid of them
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How do you get rid of an ant infestation we have to spread ant powder and use ant spray all over our front & back garden on a daily basis.
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please can you tell me how to get rid of tiny red ants that surround our house every year and come though the windows? they are tiny and red and turn to blood if you squash them. thank you ! Debbie from Monkton, Honiton in Devon
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What could be eating my carpet? There appears to be small (about 1/2 CM)white papery looking insects burrowed in the carpet where the pile has been eaten away. These insects do not move, they look dead and dry. How can I stop this happening? Thanks
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For the last 4 or so weeks we have had a single dark brown/black beetle crawling slowly accross the carpet nearly every night. Its about half inch in length. Can you tell us what it is?
Cheers
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When i was a child i would often hear a very faint ticking sound,which would stop and then start again.On close inspection i discovered a very small sandy coloured beetle.and once in a friends house we captured one in a plastic cup the ticking it made was so loud my friend let it go.Both house's were quite old.
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I am in France. We love your programme. I have what seems to be Violet Ground Beetles. Between 1 and 5 every morning on the downstairs floor, either dying or dead. Don't know where they are coming from. Floor recently scrubbed, room recently decorated, no food around, ant/crawlie powder everywhere. How do I get rid of them please? Can they climb stairs? They appear to be flightless and only pic. I have is in tiny wildlife book. Thank you.
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Can George tell me how bed bugs get there in the first place, and how does one get rid of them?
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Hi, we seem to have a similar problem as 39. I call them "Weavels" brown bits in the flour.
We have had them over the years many many times.
Is the flour safe to use?
Thank you
M Stevens Bracklesham
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Hi can you tell me how to get rid of bed bugs?
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Hi, I think the answer to most of the questions posted is "call a professionally trained pest controller" !! I would also like to ask George what qualifications HE has after offering to rid someone's bed bugs for £500 !!??
Simon Blackburn
Suffolk
PS I am a big fan of hornets and always try to save them where I can. Can you squeeze in a feature on them ?
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Ann1820, do as I suggest above. You will NOT succeed unless you have the proper training and access to professional use pesticides !! They are a tricky pest
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I have an annoying four year sister that just doesn't listen to me, how do I take control of her and not be such a brat.
Zayyan.
Derby.
Derbyshire.
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hi how do i get rid off MOTHS from my house i cant find were they are coming from and have tryed moth balls and various other things but are not working thanks sharon
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a question for George.
I have in my garage what I believe to be a "ghost spider" which is fascinating.
Is it dangerous? I have a dense wood behind the garage.
The spider is all white with 2 black eyes.
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Hi
How can I get rid of an indian meal moth infestation . have used pheromone traps with some sucess but but still have some infestation.
Regards
angleralan
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Please can you help me? We have been invaded by very small red spiders all over the patio and south facing walls. These aren't spider mites as they are clearly visable to the naked eye and are not eating plants.They come out when it is dry and sunny and dont seem to like the rain.
Do they have a natural predator or is there something i can do to keep there numbers under control.
Thanks
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I live in France and today I saw in the garden what looked like a normal fly it had black wings but on each of the the two main wings had 3 red spots what is this species
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I sometimes get cockroaches in my bathroom and my kithen how do i get rid of them and what would be the reason for the visit
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I have a problem with what might be bird mites, these small brown/black, wingless mite type insects, are always by the windows or in one cupboard only and they are always dead when we find them. They seem to come in February and are there until at least June. I hoover them up and by the next morning they are all there again.
We have lots of pigeons on the roof, I don't know if there is a connection. Could you please tell me how I can get rid of them.
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I the past we have been plagued with woodworm. It started in the floorboards and ended 15 years later, I hope, in several bags of flour would you believe. The lavae were discovered when sieving flour - they got through those tiny holes would you believe!
What type of timber do these critters go for?
Dave
Doncaster
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we have been infested with wood lice for 17 years. There appears to be no sign of damp in the vicinty of where the problem is worst.We have tried a number of things but without any apparant success, including the council spraying.Can you suggest any course of action to take?
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We have found little black 3/8in long fast crawling bugs in our bathroom and toilet,these seem to like bark places,and move very fast,
we have had new central heating system recently installed which meant the lifting & relaying of floor boards. What might these bugs be and how can we eradicate them,have filled all gaps around boards to no avail, HELP.
awesomeGrumps
Thanks
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I have identified Indian Meal Moths from the internet but cannot find an effective way to be rid of then. PLEASE HELP1 The only thing I have been able to do is to seal every item of food possible. Where they have infested my cookery books I have put them in the freezer but they still return. Would appreciate if George could give us some answers for these problems. I also have carpet beetle.
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I have seen a bug around, which I have today found out to be a Harmonia Axyridis or Multicoloured lady beetle in it's lavee stage. How long has it been native here, What impact on our environment does this little one have? I first noticed it two years ago on my arm and it stuck it's tail end in but I'm not sure if it's the same bug or not? Kazzie
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Hi George, for the past few weeks, on a daily basis, I keep finding wasps dead or dying in exactley the same place on my lounge carpet. Cannot find any trace of a nest or hear any wasps swarming.Nor are there many wasps in the garden. Is there a reason for this?
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Dear George - first of all, we LOVED Lost Land of the Jaguar ("fire ants 1 entomologists nil") - although we only watched it for Gordon Buchanan at first, we soon became enamoured of your good self as well.
Our question is this: we've always been told that if you kill one ant, especially near a nest, then many others will come and retrieve the body - possibly using some kind of chemical signal or distress signal as the ant dies. Is this true, and what do they do with the body if they take it back to the nest?
Jan & Kirsty Baxter
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Hi George,
I have sent a picture of a bug I found today. I was unable to identify it by looking through my various books. However after looking at your gallery and checking on the internet I believe that the bug is Raphigaster nebulosa or a Shiled Bugt.
What I can not understand is that this bug is not found in the UK yet I have one in a box in our home.
Can you please help to clear this up.
Many thanks
Geoff
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I have a problem wih cockroaches and need to get rid of them. Can George the Bugman please give me advice and if possible his professional services.
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I have a bratty four year old sister who's been bugging me, she never listens to me and wants everything her way, how do I take control of her?
Zayyan Ahmad. Age 13
Derby, Derbyshire
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My case is similar to blog 40. I have small (1 or 2 mm) brown/red beetles running over furniture fabric in my front room. Last year I sent samples of these creatues to the local council pest control office who identified them as weevils but I don't trust this verdict. They appear every year and I am getting paranoid they are woodworm or similar destructive creatures. I have a few photos taken today through a magnifying glass after finding they are back again this year.
Please advise me on what they may be and if I should be concerned.
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We have a number of black hard shelled insects in the house which appear to be evident mainly in summer months. They are flightless, approx one inch long and are shiny black. No visible legs from under the shell and not too fast moving. Looked all over the internet to find out what they are with no success. Any ideas?
Brian and Gill Whitehead - Rotherham.
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Dear George - please can you tell me if I have just seen a butterfly or a moth ? It was happy to settle on various surfaces with it's wings open and didn't mind me getting close to take a photo. It was the size of a butterfly but really dark black with brown patterns on the wings. It had long feelers. How can I send a picture of it to you ?
Matilda
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George,re ants.My daughter in Jersey is having a mother and father of a job keeping ants out of her house.There is no obvious route to identify the nest site nor is there any reason they should invade (food left out etc).Is there a way of identifying the nest ? or a proprietary control method that you could recommend.
Thank you
William de Grey
Newbury
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PLEASE HELP ME! I HAVE HAD ANTS IN MY HOME FOR 3 YEARS NOW AND I RECENTLY DISCOVERED FLYING ANTS AND ANTS CLIMBING IN BETWEEN MY DOOR FRAME AND WALL. IT MAKES MY SKIN CRAWL AT THE THOUGHT. DO U THINK THE NEST IS IN MY WALL AS I HAVE SEEN THEM COMING OUT MY SKIRTING BOARD TOO. PLEASE, PLEASE HELP AS I CANT AFFORD TO MOVE.
FROM MRS LISA GOODWIN (DESPERATE) STAMFORD, LINCOLNSHIRE.
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HELP! I HAVE LOST MY ANTS AND HAVE HAD TO CHANGE MY BAND NAME.
ADAM AND THE NOTHINGS
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HELP! I'VE GOT ADAM'S ANTS IN MY PANTS.
FROM BIG TROUSERED BILL.
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Please help! I don't know whether this is heatwave related or just conincidental but this week we have found hundreds of tiny white flies mostly in the kitchen. We have no plants in the living areas. We can't work out where they are coming from-they've even managed to get in the fridge which has somewhat flummoxed us! They are on the bathroom floor-the door is normally shut. Yesterday we also had a few visiting blue bottles too. Could it be drains related? Please help me identify them, how to kill them, and how to get rid of them for good!
Many thanks
Claire
Peterborough
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Bumble bees..... In mid April I came upon many bumble bees all over the Gunnesbury Triangle(Park)in Chiswick. I think they were just out of hibernation but hundreds of them were dead.
This afternoon (June) a bumble bee dropped out of the sky at my feet -very disoriented - and within a couple of hours had died.
Do you know if they have a disease?
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Please Please help I think I may have bed bugs and I wold like to know how to get rid of them as i've also just had a baby and i dont want them getting into her crib.
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hi george i have got small bugs in one of my bed rooms they are always near the window they are more oval shape than round poss slightly smaller than a black ant there boddies black with grey pattern markings on the body they also have wings have 6 legs 2 sml intennies ?
should i be concernd about these as i have a small baby in the propety ? and what are they ?
rachel
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I live in Essex- Clacton area- and this week a good number of finger nail sizes black beatles with hard shells ( sorry no picture) have become quite rampant in the house. What is the best way to deal with them especially as we will be away for over a month shortly and do not want to return to a scene from Torchwood.
Many thanks
Chris
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Carpet mites are eating up the carpet in our living room,mainly round the edges,behind furniture. what should we do ?
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I have a spider in my glider and a flea on my bee who is stuck in a tree.I have a fly in my sty and a beetle in my kettle. There is a preying mantis at my auntie's and an ant in my decanter.
A silverfish lives in my butter dish and a maggot crawled out of my haddock. A harvestman nests in our vests man and a shield bug is in our distilled rug. A ladybird may be heard amongst our crane flies where the drain lies.
Our infestation of crustaceans flies by our supply of butterflies in number and a vespa is caught in a web sir. Grasshoppers are past poppers as crickets now hit the wickets for noise amongst the boys of the insect world.
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Hi, we came home to find about 20 flies on our bedroom window. (South facing) There were no other flies in any other rooms which was strange. We have totally redecorated our entire house and have installed fitted wardrobes in our bedroom. I have googled the type of fly and it is a cluster fly. We checked the loft and there were no flies up there, however we did release a Raid grenade in the loft and sprayed fly spray in our bedroom. This morning we woke to find another 5 or so flies. I have sprayed the room again but each time when I go to check the room more have appeared. There are no gaps in the ceiling and just cannot establish where they are coming from. Could you possibly help?
A rather anxious and frustrated blogger!!!
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I have found two of these creatures in my bedroom in the last month. One climbing up the wall and one under the sheets in my bed.
It is long and black (bit like a centipede) but with a hard shell about 1in long. Very hard to crush and kill. What is it, and why is it in my bedroom !
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Dear Geoge i found a caterpillar on my roses and have looked all over to find what it will turn into without any look. i have a picture of it which i could send to you. all i can say is it is red and black hairy with funny looking white hair on its back.
Yours Mam Bettley
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Dear George. We have a holiday home in Spain where we had a new kitchen fitted 3 years ago. I became aware that something was living actually in the framework of one of the cupboards as I could hear teeth crunching at the interior more or less from the time the kitchen was first installed. Two days ago I went into the kitchen and saw a hole approx half an inch in diameter which indicated that something had chewed its way out! Another hole has appeared today in a drawer front approx quarter inch diameter. ANY IDEAS? ps We are unsure whether the door frame and drawer front is solid wood or chipboard.
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Bugs don't bother me - live and let live, but have I missed out on something, have I been deprived, has the absence of bug problems blighted my life, or is there another reason why I'm a lazy good for nothing 66 (nearly 67) year old?
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I have a tarantula crawling up my leg at this moment. Ouch! I have been bitten and am now dead.
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Hi,
We have silverfish in the Kitchen and they seem to have migrated all around thew house now! They are on the stairs, landing and bedrooms. Please Help I am not keen on them.
Is there a non chemical way to get rid of them in the house I don't want to use anything toxic for environmental reasons and I have 2 children. But its either them of me!!!
Thanks
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Was fascinated by the beautiful Elephant Hawk Moth you featured on the show last night and thought you might like to see a video of the equally impressive caterpillar of same that I posted on YouTube recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7hK1JKbFr0
Funnily enough it has had over three hundred hits since your programme, so presumably viewers were doing searches. Thank you
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How do I rid my kitchen (mainly) of weevils which fly and appear every evening. At least I believe they are weevils. They are black and look like tiny -lines.
Many thanks
best wishes
Georgie
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Dear George,
My name is John Buzz (retired commercial beekeeper).We have had three sightings in Monmouthshire of a flying insect, 7cm long, 2cm wide. Experts that I have contacted, including the National Museum of Wales, have been unable to suggest what it might be.
Bumble bee expert at Sterling University christened them "The Ginger Giants" but has confirmed that it is not a bumble bee. Overall colour is light ginger (no stripes or any other colour). Thorax and abdomen sausage shaped with a rounded rear end with no visible sting. No photograph available but multiple witnesses except for the third sighting by a nun at Ty Mawr Convent who said that the description that I gave to a letter in the local paper was exact.
John Buzz
(I am writing this for my father who is getting obsessed by these "ginger giants" and frustrated by nobody knowing what they are ....please please help). Diana
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Dear George,
on pulling out the lily leaves in the pond we have noticed larva/eggs on the underside of the leaves.
they are about an inch long clear and gelantinous and could have small black dots -eyes not what they were!
What creature has laid these? We have also noticed them on the side walls of the pond under the water line.
would much appreciate knowing!
Janet
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dear george - forget to mention that the pond with the larva is in Derby
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Is it true that a man died by a flesh-eating bug in Devon, and if this is true, should we be concerned and how does this bug look?
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I keep finding these caterpillar like creatures down the side of my sofa, in the cracks of the floor boards in my sons room and a couple in the washing basket. They seem to like the dark and if you shine light they will move very fast out of the light. I also found some in my sons toy box and im wandering what they are do you have any idea. They vary is size and are back and brown.
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hi george
We are going crazy with an infestation of seemingly invisible or transparent bugs.Extremly small,sliver-like things.Despite having the fumigators in the little devils have got into everything-beds,clothing,sofas you name it.They come out at night and bite and itch then come sunrise mostly disappear.There is a lot on the net about this but no solution.You have to get the light right and the correct angle and colour then you can see 'things'leaping around.
Please suggest a solution-we are going nuts!Thank you.
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George, While in the Army in the late sixties, I was on patrol in the Malaysian Jungle sitting behind a fallen log watching the Ants go about there way zig zagging along the tracks they had made when I noticed a Spider about 3 to 4 inches in Diameter. the top half was yellow and the bottom was black and it was carrying 3 flesh coloured babies on its back.I have looked on the Web site but cannot find it, have you ever come across this Spider. cheers Bill
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hi george,
i have tiny brown bugs with wings flying around the kitchen cupboards and bathroom.what are they? they seem to be filled with blood when you squash them it looks like blood. how can i getn rid of these pests.please help.
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My kitchen cupboards and other places in the house have been infested for the past few months or so with tiny white coloured mites/insects/bugs. They are the size of a piece of dust and move really quickly. I first spotted them in the store cupboard, which is within the kitchen, they were on the flour packets. I noticed few days ago there is mould of the bottom wall of the store cupboard, eventhough we had the house recently damp proofed and the whole house has been recently plastered. (I moved in to the property 6 months ago). I have not used any insect and bug killing sprays. They have become such a nuisance, especiay in the kitchen and store cupboard. What are they and how can I get rid off them? I am planning on clearing the store cupboard.
Also, I get a lot of spiders around the house. I know I should expect them due to the large size garden I have got and majority of it is lawn. How can I prevent them from coming into the house? Do they have nests?
Thank you
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