exterminators

11 Stories

Man Killed by Swarm of 800K Bees

Huge hive found after Arizona attack

(Newser) - One worker died from at least 100 stings and three others were injured when bees from an 800,000-strong swarm attacked a landscape crew outside a home in Douglas, Ariz., yesterday. Firefighters discovered and destroyed a huge 3-by-8-foot hive, believed to be around 10 years old, in the home's...

Louvre's Posh Garden Clogged With Rats

Animal lovers aren't exactly helping matters

(Newser) - Rats are on the rampage in the elegant garden of the Louvre Museum, so bold they romp onto the grass in broad daylight, defying sanitation workers and scaring tourists visiting the site. The hot weather in Paris has brought out many picnicking visitors, whose garbage left in the garden is...

Exterminator Charged With Killing Philly Pediatrician

Police say he snapped during a service call

(Newser) - A high-profile murder case near Philly may have been solved: Police today charged a 36-year-old exterminator with murdering a young pediatrician in her home, then setting her body on fire in the basement in a bid to hide the evidence, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer . The apparent motive is a paltry...

Bedbug Mess Brings Work to NYC Actors

... helping people clean apartments before extermination

(Newser) - At least one group of New Yorkers has benefited from the city's bedbug problem: out-of-work actors, many of whom have taken jobs as extermination preparers, the Wall Street Journal reports. They "have great personalities and follow directions well," says the owner of one company who hires them to...

Bedbugs Invade Our Offices
 Bedbugs Invade Our Offices 

Bedbugs Invade Our Offices

'Elle' magazine HQ closed until Monday due to infestation

(Newser) - Bedbug infestations continue to take hold across America—nearly one in five US exterminators have found the pests in an office building, USA Today reports. Worse still, in 2007, only 1% of them had done so. In New York, the headquarters of Elle magazine had to be closed for the...

Bedbug Dogs Sniff Out Bloodsuckers

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...

Crazy Ants Swarm Gulf Coast
Crazy Ants Swarm
Gulf Coast 

Crazy Ants Swarm Gulf Coast

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...

Palin's Parents Pitched in Post-9/11—Trapping Rats

(Newser) - More than 6 years before Sarah Palin visited ground zero as the Republican VP nominee, her parents were there as part of the response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks—trapping rats. Chuck and Sally Heath have been part-time Department of Agriculture wildlife specialists for 15 years, trapping or killing...

'Super Termite' Found in Fla.
 'Super Termite' Found in Fla.

'Super Termite' Found in Fla.

Fast-eating bug known to cause panic among homeowners

(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. "...

Crazy Ants Munch Through Houston

Shocking new ants species chewing up electrical equipment

(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...

Bedbugs' Itch Breeding New Ways to Scratch

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

(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...

11 Stories