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Are ticks a real threat in the Seattle area? Short answer: yes — but the level of risk is lower than in the Northeast or upper Midwest of the United States, and it can be managed effectively if you know where and when to watch for them and how to protect yourself. Western blacklegged ticks…

Seattle’s wet, mild climate and abundant gardens make it a welcoming place for many insects — including ground beetles. Members of the family Carabidae, ground beetles are a diverse group of mostly nocturnal predators that live at ground level in soil, leaf litter, under stones, and in garden beds. In the Pacific Northwest you’ll commonly…

Millipedes in the home are one of those odd, unsettling encounters that most people don’t expect until a rainy night sends a small army of tiny, many‑legged visitors across the basement floor. Despite their alarming appearance, millipedes are mostly harmless detritivores—creatures that feed on decaying plant material—and they become household pests for predictable reasons: moisture,…

Stink bugs — shield-shaped, slow-moving insects that release a characteristic foul odor when disturbed — are familiar to many gardeners and homeowners across North America. In the Pacific Northwest, attention has increasingly focused on one particular invader, the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), because of its rapid expansion elsewhere on the continent, its habit…

If you’ve been finding tiny, springy specks crawling across your bathroom tile, clustering on windowsills, or pouring out of potted plants after a spell of rain, you’re not alone — springtails have a way of announcing themselves in a very obvious, unnerving way. Springtails (order Collembola) are minute, wingless arthropods — typically 1–3 mm long…

Few household pests are as persistent or as aggravating as those that invade the pantry. Flour beetles and pantry moths quietly breed and feed inside bags, boxes, and jars of flour, cereals, dried fruit, pet food, and other dry goods. Because their life cycles take place inside food packages, infestations often go unnoticed until visible…

If you’ve noticed tiny, moth-like flies hovering around your bathroom sink or shower in Seattle, you’re not alone. Drain flies (also called moth flies or sewer gnats) thrive in the kind of cool, damp environments common to the Pacific Northwest. Seattle’s long, wet winters, older housing stock and often poorly ventilated bathrooms create ideal conditions…

Cluster flies are a common and unmistakable nuisance in Seattle homes each autumn and spring. Often mistaken for house flies at a glance, cluster flies (most commonly Pollenia rudis) are slightly larger, darker, and slower-moving. They earned their name because they congregate in tight groups—sometimes hundreds—inside attics, wall voids, and behind window casements to overwinter….

Mistaking carpet beetles for bed bugs — or vice versa — is a common problem for homeowners and renters. Both are small, indoor pests that can show up in bedrooms and living areas, but they present very different problems and require different responses. Correct identification is important not only because the signs and damage they…

Earwigs are a familiar sight — or more often, a familiar discovery at night — in many Pacific Northwest gardens. The region’s cool, moist climate and abundant mulch, leaf litter, and sheltered hiding places create an ideal habitat for the most common species in the area, the European earwig (Forficula auricularia). Because they are conspicuous…