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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: pests

pests stories: 9 news summaries

 Bedbug Dogs Sniff Out 
 Bloodsuckers 

Trained hounds in high demand as infestations rise

Oct 21, 09 1:49 AM CDT
(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... More »

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infestation • bedbugs • insects • pests • dog • exterminators • pest control • dog training

 Super Fly 
 No Match 
 for Obama 
 Death Slap 

Lightning-fast prez pulverizes persistent fly during White House interview

Jun 17, 09 2:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - A fly that invaded a CNBC White House interview yesterday was no match for the leader of the free world, the Christian Science Monitor reports. After repeatedly warning the fly to get out of there and let him discuss financial regulation in peace, President Obama delivered a surgical strike, dispatching... More »

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Barack Obama • White House • insects • pests • President Obama

 12 Museums of Odd Things 


May 18, 09 5:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Trying to awake from the nightmare of history? Mental Floss' list of 12 "oddly specific" American museums may only give you bad dreams:
  • The SPAM Museum: Complete with a wall of 5,000 SPAM tins and a scale plant where visitors can suit up in white coats
... More »

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art • spam • garbage • museums • conspiracy • medical devices • pests • genetic abnormalities • ventriloquism • barbed wire • PEZ • hobo

(Newser) - Britain's surging rat population is becoming immune to common poisons, spurring public heath concerns and calls for stronger pesticides, reports the Guardian. Rodents in at least two towns are impervious to normal control methods. In addition, years of mild winters and wet summers have boosted vermin populations by 66% in... More »

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rats • poison • Britain • pests • pesticide • pest control

 Scientists Master Fly-Swatting 

To defeat a 100 milliseconds reaction time, stealthy swatting is crucial

Aug 29, 08 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists using high-speed cameras have figured out why it is so difficult to swat pesky houseflies, the Independent reports. A fly's tiny brain can detect a threat, adjust flight course, and take evasive action in 100-thousandths of a second. The researchers, writing in the journal Current Biology, recommend thinking one... More »

MORE ABOUT:
bug • insects • pests • pest control

 'Super Termite' Found in Fla.

Fast-eating bug known to cause panic among homeowners

Aug 2, 08 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - One of the world's most feared termites has been caught gnawing on a Florida Gulfport home. Exterminators say they have saved the house, but admit that the "super termites"—or Formosan subterraneans—included winged swarmers, which indicates that that colony has existed for more than 5 years. "... More »

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Florida • University of Florida • insects • homeowners • pests • exterminators • pesticide • termite

 Crazy Ants
 Munch Through
 Houston 

Shocking new ants species chewing up electrical equipment

May 15, 08 3:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Houston, you have an ant problem. Billions of ravenous ants have invaded the city and are chomping their way through the city's electrical equipment, causing shorts and failure, AP reports. The previously unknown species—dubbed "crazy raspberry ants"—apparently arrived in Texas on a cargo ship. The invading... More »

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Texas • Houston • ants • insects • pests • exterminators

Bedbugs' Itch Breeding New Ways to Scratch

Freeze 'em, bake 'em, call in the dogs—pests can't bite if they're dead

Mar 20, 08 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - No one’s sure why bedbugs are back, but US companies think they know how to kill them, the Wall Street Journal reports. Startups are using everything from dogs to cold blasts to hair-dryer-like devices to sniff out, freeze or bake the pests. “We don’t have an easy... More »

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bedbugs • entomology • University of Minnesota • pests • exterminators • Cimex lectularius • Steven Jacobs • Penn State University

Vacuuming Sucks Fleas to Doom

Professor finds fleas' journey into cleaner is a one-way trip

Dec 19, 07 2:36 PM CST
(Newser) - Does vacuuming kill fleas? The answer is yes, according to a retired Ohio professor, the Columbus Dispatch reports. In a study he did years ago for an appliance company, Fred Hink sucked up 100 fleas at a time with a vacuum cleaner and was surprised to find very few of... More »

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insects • fleas • vacuum cleaners • pests

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