Working out what an insect is from what you can actually see: colour, location, movement and look-alikes.
Blind, legless and light-avoiding, living deep in carpet pile on adult flea droppings. This is why vacuuming matters more than spraying does.
What Do Flea Larvae Look Like? The Stage in Your Carpet Read More »
Eggs are named by where they are, not by how they look. Fabric, food, timber, soil and skin each narrow the list down to two or three suspects.
Insect Egg Identification: What You Found and Where Read More »
Cockroaches do not lay loose eggs. They make a hard brown capsule, and finding one means breeding on the premises rather than a single visitor.
What Do Cockroach Eggs Look Like? The Ootheca Explained Read More »
They sit deep inside the colony, so a sighting means a gallery has been opened. What people find instead, and the evidence that actually matters.
Termite Eggs and Larvae: Why You Will Not See Them Read More »
The white grains people photograph are almost always pupae rather than eggs, and finding a pile of them means the nest is right there, not nearby.
What Do Ant Eggs Look Like? Eggs, Larvae and Pupae Read More »
An open nest holds white grubs in hexagonal cells, fed on chewed insects. A nest found in autumn is already finished and needs nothing done.
Wasp Larvae in a Nest: What Is Inside the Cells Read More »
The snout names the family in one look, and no other household beetle has one. Rice and granary weevils in food, vine and root weevils outdoors.
Types of Weevils: Pantry, Garden and the Snout Read More »
The nest identifies the wasp faster than the wasp does. Paper cells, a grey football, a mud tube or a hole in the ground each name a different species.
Types of Wasps: Identification by Nest and Body Read More »
A larva looks nothing like its adult, which is why searching by appearance fails. Where you found it names it, and names what to do about it.
Insect Larvae in the House: What the Grub Is Read More »
Sorted by what they do rather than what they become. The ones eating brassicas, the ones eating tomatoes, and the small group worth not touching.
Types of Caterpillars: Garden Pests and the Stingers Read More »
