Insects-Pests

With so much unpleasantness associated with cockroaches, it may not be surprising that they are one of the most expensive pests to control in the state.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi is one of just two states east of the Mississippi River not infested with emerald ash borers, and landscapes need everyone’s help to keep it that way.

Blake Layton, Mississippi State University Extension Service entomologist, said the emerald ash borer -- or EAB -- is an invasive, nonnative pest that has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in the eastern U.S. Fairly expensive, annual treatments can protect high-value landscape trees, but they have to be applied preventatively.

Peak flea season is in the spring and summer, but in warmer areas like the South, successful flea control is a yearlong battle. (Photo by CanStock)

While scorpions frequently live in hot and dry areas, at least two scorpion species are at home in Mississippi's often cold and wet climate.

Jerome Goddard, medical entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, identified the scorpions: Vaejovis carolinianus, commonly called the Southern Devil Scorpion or unstriped scorpion, found only in northeast Mississippi; and Centruroidis vittatus, known as the striped scorpion, found sporadically in central and southern parts of the state.

Even if you preventatively treat your yard periodically through the year for fire ants, you’ll still see mounds pop up.

There are two ways to treat these mounds: liquid drenches and dry powders. (File photo by MSU Extension Service.)