Pine Beetles Eat Through Western Forests

Asian invaders like metro areas and bite during the day

(NEWSER) - Apparently mosquitos have big-city dreams, too. American cities are under siege by so-called "urban mosquitos" that are attracted to metropolitan areas, are ferocious, and bite during daytime. One big offender is the Asian tiger mosquito, which first arrived in the US in 1985 via eggs hidden in a shipment of used tires—likely from Japan, reports the Wall Street Journal . The mosquitoes are low-flying (so cover your ankles) and attracted to dark clothing. More»

They have a smell...that comes from their feces

(NEWSER) - Bedbugs are back in a big way, with infestations closing at least two stores in New York City recently. AOL News lists five things you should know about these creepy crawlers:

1. They smell: If you can smell their sweet, musky scent, chances are you’ve already got an infestation on your hands. Even grosser: The scent comes from their feces.

Researchers look for the most efficient way to store emissions

(NEWSER) - Researchers in California are perfecting the science of carbon dioxide "banking"—tweaking a forest to store the maximum amount of the gas. In Big River forest, scientists have cleared some undergrowth, leaving the state's iconic redwoods to grow bigger thanks to lack of competition. The idea is that the bigger redwoods will make the "weeded" forest a maximally efficient carbon storage house. More»

Trained hounds in high demand as infestations rise

(NEWSER) - The resurgence of an old pest has created new jobs for dogs. Bedbug infestations have soared in American cities over the last four years, creating boom times for exterminators, especially those using canny canines trained to detect the tiny suckers. Handlers say the dogs can expertly sniff out infestations and work their way through buildings a lot faster than exterminators looking for visual traces of the bloodsuckers. More»

Tiny, frenetic munchers invade homes, snack on electrical wiring

(NEWSER) - Billions of "crazy ants" are munching their way through Gulf Coast counties in Florida and Texas, the Wall Street Journal reports. The tiny insects, believed to have originated in the Caribbean, happily make their homes in human dwellings and are tough to dislodge once they move in. The ants often chew through electrical wiring, shorting equipment, and experts fear they may soon be costing the region billions of dollars in damages, like the fire ants that plague the South. More»