infestation news stories on Newser

Miami Battles Giant Snail Invasion

Neal Colgrass — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:30:00 CDT

Miami authorities are struggling to wipe out an invasion of Giant African Snails that are munching on plants and proliferating wildly, the Miami Herald reports. Last week, a pair of sisters tipped off officials to the slimy creatures, which can grow up to 10 inches long by 4 inches wide,...

Dreadful Beetle Sneaks Into US From India in Rice

Kate Schwartz — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:24:05 CDT

Finally, an airline inspection process we can all give the thumbs up to: US Customs and Border Patrol intercepted damaging khapra beetle larvae at O'Hare last week, which had traveled from India in bags of rice. It's an event that's been happening much more frequently, reports the AP . The khapra...

Rabid Bats Plague Los Angeles

Tim Karan — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:14:35 CDT

It's probably only a matter of time before someone writes a screenplay about this: Rabid bats have been invading Los Angeles in increasing numbers this summer. The city public health department says 12 have already been found, up from the eight to 10 typically discovered over a full year, reports...

City-Loving Mosquitoes Invade the US

Tim Karan — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:14:25 CDT

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...

Spider Infestations Trigger Mazda Recall

Rob Quinn — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:21:39 CST

If you're not already an arachnophobe, a bizarre recall from Mazda might be enough to turn you into one. The Japanese automaker is recalling 65,000 vehicles in North America because of infestations of poisonous spiders, the BBC reports. The yellow sac spider—which has a mildly toxic bite—has...

Bedbugs Invade NYC Cinemas

Emily Rauhala — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:02:18 CDT

Popcorn isn't the only thing getting eaten at cinemas in New York City. The AMC Empire 25 in Times Square was temporarily shuttered Tuesday night while a team of exterminators tried to rid the place of blood-sucking bedbugs —two weeks after it had initially been treated for the pests. Bedbugs...

5 Creepy Facts About Bedbugs

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:29:43 CDT

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: They smell : If you can smell their sweet, musky scent, chances are you’ve already got an infestation on your...

Victoria's Secret Store Infested: Bedbugs Are Back

Jane Yager — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:34:40 CDT

The recent closures of a Victoria's Secret and an Abercrombie & Fitch to rid the New York City stores of bedbugs are only the latest example of the strong comeback the blood-drinking bugs are making worldwide. Bedbugs were largely eradicated from the US in the 1950s, but now they're back...

Bedbug Dogs Sniff Out Bloodsuckers

Rob Quinn — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:49:58 CDT

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...