Posts Categorized: Uncategorized

Well, I just had an infestation of mice in my own cabin, and yes, I do feel embarrassed about it. You may wonder how a professional exterminator gets mice in his own home. Well, I had an electrician working on my cabin three months ago and in the process he left an opening in my… Read more »

Is there a paradise on earth? Does such a place exist? If it does exist, where is it? I was hiking around Bluff Lake Reserve on the south side of Big Bear yesterday and I was struck by the beauty of the area. Powerful quartz monzonite boulders stand guard as Indian paintbrush, mountain trumpet, and… Read more »

The spider was making tracks for the safety of my washer/dryer, and I was in hot pursuit. With seconds to spare the critter made it to the finish line, and the chase was over. Does that sound familiar? It should, because it’s summer and spiders are living the good life inside our homes. Customers ask… Read more »

Ding dong, the witch is dead. Which old witch? Those army cutworm moths, that’s which witches. Well, everybody, the moths are finally gone. How do I know? I monitored them at my Big Bear cabin all of May and June as they hid under my folded patio umbrella. Then, on July 2, they were gone…. Read more »

What pest repulses you the most? Putting the question another way, what’s the one creepy-crawly you don’t want on your skin? I found one such critter on my skin yesterday. Returning from a hike, I was sitting at my computer when I felt an itch on my inner thigh. I looked down and saw a tiny… Read more »

The following incident occurred in 1978 at Routt Catholic High in Jacksonville, Illinois. Names have been changed to protect the guilty.   Sean Flynn was nervous and rightly so. Not only was he leaving our school grounds—a crime punishable by detention under Sister Mercy’s stern gaze—he was also on a mission to buy contraband. He… Read more »

I first saw the spider running for the safety of my icebox as the clock chimed eight in the morning. I grabbed my fly swatter and the chase was on. The creature was black, hairy, and had the crooked legs of a mangy street dog. The spider darted under the icebox just as my swatter… Read more »

“But, Mike, I can’t possibly seal all the openings in this big house,” the homeowner said. He had seen mice in his buildup and had called me for advice on how to seal them out. “You don’t need to block every opening,” I said. “Try to get the main ones. Mice have pea brains and… Read more »

What do the grizzly bears of Yellowstone National Park and the recent moth invasion across the San Bernardino Mountains have to do with each other? The answer lies in the bears’ notorious sweet tooth. I was watching a documentary about grizzly bears when events took a very interesting turn. “By the end of July,” the… Read more »

Boy, flowers sure are nasty things, aren’t they? Fools may fall for their superficial charms, but not me. Hey readers, if you love flowers unconditionally, don’t read additionally. I received a call from a woman who told me that every morning her skin is covered with red bed bug bites. Bed bug infestations are rare… Read more »