Starting now and extending through the summer, billions of cicadas will emerge in the Tri-State area. "There could be as many as one billion cicadas emerging per square mile,” Michael Raupp, a professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland, told 1010 WINS News. And they have started emerging, being spotted today in Staten Island.

Cicadas are large insects with wide eyes, short antennae, and transparent wings. They are unique in that they are the longest-living insects known, spending 17 years maturing underground attached to tree roots. Once they emerge from the ground, they only live a few weeks. But their sound belies their short lifespan. Male cicadas chorus together while looking for mates, creating a shivering sound that can be heard for miles. The sound has been measured at 100 decibels, similar to the noise created by a subway train.

Different species of cicadas emerge every 17 years. The current species, known as Brood No. 2, is one of the largest known species. Last time these cicadas emerged in the New York area was in 1996-but this time their numbers are predicted to be much larger.

So if you live in the Tri-state area, get ready to meet, greet, (and hear) these critters!

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Fire ants are a nuisance this time of year and throughout the summer and fall. Many try to control them by spraying various insecticides, assuming the ants will disappear like magic. They don’t. Why?

Fire ants actually spend most of their time several feet underground, where their colony is built. Female fire ants mate in the air and then bury themselves in the ground and lays eggs. These eggs start a new underground colony. The main colony is underground; the mounds that are seen above ground are excavated tunnels or simply extensions of the original colony. In cool weather, the ants will ‘hang out’ in the mounds above ground. However, during the hot months of summer, the ants will keep cool in their underground colony. This is why targeting the mounds of ants doesn’t work, particularly in the summer months: while some ants are killed, the ‘source’ of the problem has not been touched, since the underground colony remains unharmed.

A better way to get rid of the fire ants for once and for all is to distribute fresh (less than a year old) bait around an ant mound. This will reduce ant colonies by 80 or 90%, as the ants take the bait back to the colony-the source of the problem-and the colony is thus summarily destroyed. Also, only put out bait when ants are foraging (this will make them take the bait back to the colony), when the temperature is between 65 and 90 degrees.

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What is tiny and huge, and eats all the produce you've carefully grown in inhospitable areas?

In Israel, the answer is locusts.

Israel is currently fighting its worst locust infestation in decades. Locusts have crossed into the Negev Desert from Sudan through Egypt and have mated in the sand to produce thousands of hatched locusts. The locusts are progressively eating much of the produce grown in the arid Negev Desert, a disaster for Israel which grows much of its produce using advanced technology that makes the desert bloom.

Exterminators nationwide have been mobilized, and caravan of trucks, planes and helicopters equipped with pesticides are spraying the desert with hopes of saving the nation's food supply. “They are easy targets now, but in two or three days when their wings develop, it will be a disaster,” said Lior Katari, an official with the Agriculture Ministry, in the NBC report.

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70% of homeowners own pets, and 80% of homeowners have issues with household pests, like fleas, mosquitoes, wasps, bees, fire ants, and ticks. Guess what? These pests annoy your pets just as much as you! Below are ways that you can prevent pests from getting on your pets’ nerves.

1) To remove flea larvae and eggs from carpet, vacuum frequently. Pay attention to under the furniture and along walls.

2) Tall grasses attract pet pests, so be sure to regularly mow and maintain the lawn.

3) Wasps-are just as annoying to pets as they are to humans, and they can sting pets as well. Wasps like to build their nests in cool, dark, secluded areas, so pay attention to the underside of the outdoor deck and the overhang roof-there may be a wasp nest there.

4) Bumblebees-They frequently nest in the ground or on patios or decks, so to prevent them, keep the yard mowed and the grass low so the bees can’t nest there.

5) Mosquitoes-Can bite your pet just like humans, and can cause sores and itchiness. To prevent mosquitoes, remove standing water, since they lay eggs in still water. Be vigilant about anything in your yard that collects water; even water collected in a bottle cap can be enough for mosquitoes to breed. Be sure to empty water collected in your yard every two days. On the same note, don’t leave water in pest bowls for more than 2 days.

6) Ticks-Carry harmful diseases like Lyme Disease, bacterial parasites, and tapeworms. To prevent ticks from pets, regularly bathe and brush dogs. Additionally, ticks nest in long grass, so keep your lawn mowed. During tick season, from April to September, keep your dog away from known tick-infested areas. Finally, if your pet is regularly outside, examine it for ticks on a daily basis. Check in and behind the ears and around the eyes-2 places where ticks like to hide.

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1) One theory is that the moths’ love of light is related to their migration patterns. Moths are known to calibrate their migration patterns to the moon as the moon gives them navigational clues.

2) The light is an escape-route mechanism for moths. When in danger, the moths would rather fly upwards-towards the light-than downwards, which is darker.

3) When you stare at a light for a while, you are temporarily blinded when you look away from it. Moths get blinded after ‘staring’ in darkness as well as light, but the blindness period is much longer for the darkness than for the light. Thus, they stay around light as long as possible, to avoid the lengthy blind-period that results from being in the dark.

Once moths reach the lights, why do they tend to stay there? One possible reason is that since moths are night creatures, they respond to the sun (during the day, when they sleep) as we would to darkness and go to sleep. Therefore, when they reach the light, they promptly fall asleep!

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Isn't it an oxymoron to have bed bugs in hospitals? But yes, it does happen. Watch the video below to find out how a hospital in Roanoke, Virginia deals with bed bug infestations. Click here to watch

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The summer months are almost upon us, and with that comes an increase of those annoying ants that seem to show up everywhere. Here are ten ways to get them out of your house using household materials.

1. Clean your home with a half-and-half solution of vinegar and water. The vinegar, besides being a natural disinfectant without the polluting elements that detergents have, will repel ants, as the ants do not like the smell of the vinegar. Also, the vinegar removes ants' scent trails.

2. Spray lemon juice around points through which you suspect ants are entering your home. Lemon juice has the same effect as vinegar, removing ants' scent trails.

3. Spices and herbs also work to deter ants. Sprinkle black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, cinnamon, mint, chili pepper, cloves or garlic wherever you've seen ants around your house!

4. Spread a thin line of dish soap anywhere around baseboards, windows, doors and wherever else the ants tend to gather. You can also pour the soap directly on ant hills.

5. Leave cucumber or citrus peels in areas of known ant activity. These peels are toxic to the fungi that ants feed on, so the ants will stay far away from these peels!

6. Sprinkle coffee grounds around areas of ant activity or entry. Ants dislike the scent of coffee and will move away.

7. If you draw a line of chalk or sprinkle baby powder at the points where ants are entering your home, the ants will disappear, as the talcum powder found both in chalk and baby powder is a natural ant repellant.

8. After the surfaces of your kitchen are clean, wipe them down with a cloth that has a few drops of peppermint oil on it. The ants hate the smell and will go away-and your kitchen will smell great!

9. Seal entryways through which ants can get into your home. Easier said than done as ants are tiny and can get in almost anywhere. But if there are obvious entryways that are attracting ants, i.e. holes in the wall, holes under the door, etc, close them up.

10. Use caulking to seal any cracks between windows, doors, and their frames. As an added benefit, this method lowers energy costs and drafts.

Here's to an ant-less spring!

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As the weather gets warmer, dogs and other furry animals get infested with fleas and ticks. It's a nuisance for them and their owners. Read more here Read More

Bed bugs managed to scare away bookworms from the New Rochelle Library. Yesterday, May 1, the library closed as the building was treated for a bed bug infestation discovered this week. After treatment by a pest-service company, the library is now officially bed bug free and open for business.

Barbara Davis, the library's community relations coordinator, reported that the pest service was called after one bed bug was found. Dogs trained to detect bed bugs searched the building and found evidence of bed bugs on one desk, a piece of furniture, and in drawer which is not accessible to the public. Al three items were destroyed.

"The New Rochelle Public Library staff will continue to be vigilant and will conduct all preventive measures to ensure a pest-free environment," Davis said, in a press release.

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Bed bugs have invaded the New Rochelle (NY) Public Library. Pest control experts have identified three areas of the library that have been infested with bed bugs. The library is closed today, Tuesday, as the building is being treated for the bed bugs. But residents say they may wait to return to the library even once it reopens tomorrow. ""I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. I might give it a few days before I really feel comfortable and know that the problem's gone," says Amanda Archambauld. Click here for video!

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