Bed Bug Prevention

Don’t wait for the bed bug to bite! Here are some tips from the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program on steps you can take now to keep them out of your bed.

Bed bugs cannot fly so they infest homes by being transported in clothing, backpacks, suitcases, mattresses or other furniture. They can also walk in from adjacent apartments or rooms through cracks or conduits for electrical wiring or plumbing. They search for a sleeping human by moving up walls, bed linens, bed legs or anything touching the bed.

Prevent bed bugs from gaining a foothold in your home!

• Carefully inspect clothing and baggage after you have travelled. Place clothes in sealed plastic bags until they can be laundered.
• Avoid acquiring used furniture and mattresses – these may be infested.
• Remove clutter from the home, especially the bedrooms where bed bugs can find added places to hide. A bed bug infestation is NOT a sign of lack of cleanliness. It just means that they found a way to enter and hide in your home.
• Seal cracks and crevices, especially those that lead to other rooms/floors.
• Keep beds clear above and below. Do not pile coats or “foreign” clothing on beds
• Use solid, light-colored sheets – these make early detection of bed bugs easier.
• If you live in an apartment building and are concerned about bed bugs, keep them from climbing up the bed by pulling the bed away from the walls, making sure no bedding touches the floor. Around each bed leg, spread a thick layer of petroleum jelly (e.g. Vaseline®) in a band at least 2 inches wide and about 6 inches off the floor. Bed bugs cannot crawl through this barrier. You can also use small, nested dishes of soapy water (in the outer dish) under each leg, or commercial devices such as the CLIMBUP® Insect Interceptor.

For the latest tips on bed bug control visit PA IPM’s newly created bed bug resources section at http://extension.psu.edu/ipm/resources/bedbug

If you have any gardening questions please call your county extension office. In Lackawanna County call our garden help line at 963-6842 ext. 1377 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu

Terry Schettini, Extension Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County

Pantry Pests

Recently, two insects have been grabbing the headlines as their presence has been noticed: bedbugs and stinkbugs, and deservedly so. However, they have lots of company. With the nicer weather coming to a close, you will be spending more time indoors. You may start to see “flyers and crawlers” all sorts of other insects in your house. The most common are grouped together and called pantry pests.

Two important steps should be taken to manage them. First, don’t panic. What you see may not be as serious of a threat as bedbugs. Plus they are not always associated with unsanitary conditions. Most of these insects have hitched a ride in packaging material, boxes, and containers. Secondly, in order to solve the problem, the insect must be identified correctly. Please do not spray an insecticide as a first response. They are poisonous, and anything sprayed indiscriminately can contaminate food, containers, preparation surfaces, and pet areas. There may be safer ways to control pantry pests.

The most common insect pantry pest in Pennsylvania is the Indian meal moth. It prefers such foods as chocolate, dried fruits, bird feed, and dry dog food. A common flour, pasta and cereal pest is the saw-toothed grain beetle. Various other species of beetles are also common pantry pests and infest a wide variety of food items. Cigarette beetles and drugstore beetles are occasional pests, but they prefer dried plant materials such as herbs and spices. You may also come across carpet beetles, which feed on lint, hair, leather, and animal products. Larder beetles live on other dead insects, corn meal, and dry pet food.

The key to successful control is to find the source of infestation. Unless this is found, you will continue to see the insects. Finding insects in one area of the home does not mean the infestation is in that area. Many cereal pests can fly; therefore, you may see them in places distant from their breeding site. Pantry or stored product insects can feed on anything edible: cereals, various grains, crackers, spices, macaroni, dried fruit, chocolate, candy, nuts, dried peas or beans. Don't overlook pet foods such as bird seed, fish food, dog food and cat food.

Once you locate and eliminate all infested foods, the number of pests should decrease rapidly. Those you see will be adult beetles or moths looking for another food source in which to deposit their eggs. Store all pantry items in air-tight, hard plastic containers, jars, etc. Be sure to check cake mixes and other unopened items because they might also be infested. Thoroughly vacuum and wash cupboards, pantry shelves, floors, etc. to remove any spilled food stuffs. Insecticide sprays are of little value in controlling pantry pests when infested materials are removed and cracks and crevices are cleaned.

We have two publications to help manage pantry pests, ‘Identifying Common Household Pests’ and ‘Cereal and Pantry Pests’. Contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or LackawannaMG@psu.edu for a copy.


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County

Protecting your Landscape from Deer

Now is a good time to protect your garden labors from deer. Here are some tips from Penn State horticulture professor Jim Sellmer.

Unless you have to protect large areas of new growth an economical approach to deer-proofing both new and mature trees and shrubs is individual fencing. A deer can reach over fencing, so make sure it is high enough; several feet higher that any tree or shrub that is less than 3 feet tall. Place fence posts about 4 feet from the tree or shrub to prevent deer from leaning over the fence. Attach plastic or woven wire mesh to the stakes. Inspect your fence at least once per week, especially after a heavy snowfall. Once the snow hardens, you may need to make your fences taller.

An alternative to fencing is the use of chemical deer repellents. Be aware that most repellents wash off from rain or snow and extremely hungry deer won’t be deterred. Repellents will need to be applied routinely but can be made from household items, such as a mixture of spoiled eggs and water, or purchased from garden centers. Deer become tolerant to the taste and smell of repellents, so switching the repellent type is important during the season.

An easier approach to fighting deer is to plant trees and shrubs that deer don’t find delicious, but please remember that no plant can be entirely deer-proof. For a comprehensive list of deer resistant plants compiled by Penn State extension educator Linda Wiles go to: http://monroe.extension.psu.edu/Horticulture/deer/index.html.

For the complete article by Sellmer visit the web at http://live.psu.edu/story/35640

If you have any gardening questions please call your county extension office. In Lackawanna County call our garden help line at 963-6842 ext. 1377 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu


Terry Schettini, Extension Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County