Late in the day in early June after closely mowing the lawn is the best time to treat spittlebug infestations in the garden with insecticidal soap, a pyrethroid or a spray of water.

Specifically, the lawn has to be mowed so that any treatment will get at the spittlebugs. The treatment must be applied when the spittlebugs are active, which is later on in the day. The strategy will involve a steady spray of water for dislodging, retrieving and tossing in the presence of very few spittlebugs. It will require insecticidal soap in the case of a light infestation which is caught early. Spittlebugs will respond best to carbamate or pyrethroid insecticides in the case of heavier infestations.

Carbamate insecticides have the active ingredient carbaryl. Pyrethroid insecticides include among possible active ingredients bifenthrin, cyfluthrin and permethrin. Both of these insecticide types represent what is available to the homeowner as well as to the professional.

That it will become a butterfly or moth(Lepidoptera order) is what is special about a caterpillar.

Specifically, the caterpillar represents the larval stage of a butterfly or moth. So it may be called a larva, or larvae if there are more than one being referred to. But those larvae that do not become butterflies or moths cannot be called caterpillars.

• If you don't want gnats around, you have to cut off their food supply. This means fruits and vegetables have to go in the refrigerator or a bin the bugs can't penetrate. Make sure house plants stay damp, but not wet, and they must have the proper drainage. Gnats just love over-watered house plants. Empty trashcans regularly and don't allow rotting food to sit in the house. Make sure all trash receptacles and sink drains are cleaned thoroughly, and don't have any old rancid food stuck to them. Never let dirty dishes stand in the sink.
• Your best resource is chemicals. The supermarket and hardware stores have several flying insect spray options for you to choose from. Just about any one of these will take care of your gnat problem. Be sure to check the back of the label to make certain it isn't harmful to pets. If your home is experiencing an all-out infestation, you may need to look into a fogging product. This will require you to seal off cabinets and anywhere else food and eating implements are stored. Be sure to take the pets and leave the house for the day.
• You can also get rid of gnats by using products found around the home. Since they are attracted to the scent of vinegar, fill a jar with vinegar and poke holes in the lid. The gnats will climb into the jar, but they won't be able to climb out. For those that remain in the house, try putting vegetable oil around your kitchen sink drain. Gnats finding themselves coated in the oil will be unable to breed. If you're not interested in potentially clogging your drain with vegetable oil, pouring a cup of ammonia down your kitchen sink is said to get rid of any flies hovering around that area. Let it sit for a couple of hours before using the sink again
• Another way is to take some kind of juice and pour it in a cup.Then you can use powdered bleach in the mix and they should attract and drown.Wine also works without bleach.Or another trick is to take a slightly rotten fruit and put it in a small glass of water.Then pour powdered bleach on it and mix it in. One to several tablespoons of dishwasher soap to every cup of water. This soapy water mix damages the breathing tubes. The gnat can't breathe, and dies.
• Place small bowl of apple cider vinegar in the area with foil over top and poke holes in the foil with a toothpick.
• It's generally easier to keep them out, with screens, than to actually get rid of them. But you can spray something like Raid house and garden insecticide.

It is important to identify the type of flying insect we are dealing with. Most commonly these insects feed off of organic material and they prefer the moist damp areas. If you are seeing them primarily in the kitchen check your drains. Easy way is to put some clear plastic wrap over the drain before you go to bed and see if there are any insects on the bottom side when you wake up in the morning.

• If so you need to put an enzyme down the drains that are affected. You want some thing that is going to kill the organic material. One product is called drain gel and works great.
• Now if you are not seeing them in the drains make sure you don't not have any potted plants. If you do take them all out side and that should solve your problem.
• If it is not any of those, you need to check real good and see if you have any fruit that may be going bad or any places where water may leak (aka: plumbing fixtures that may be hidden in the wall by a removable peice of wall.)

Bees are good for pollinating your garden. Although they can be bothersome, bees certainly don't sting as rapidly (only if bothered) as wasps. If you want to garden in peace, the best time is in the evening when the bees are at their most dormant state and return to the hive.

Wiki s contributors share tips on getting rid of bees:

• It's hard to get rid of bees because it's sometimes hard to find the source. Here is a great bee trap. Take a plastic pop bottle (16 or 20 oz. will do) cut the top off and insert it in upside down. put a couple oz.'s of mt.dew at the bottom. The bees will go straight to it and leave you alone on your porch. Make a couple of them and empty and change pop once a week.
• Instead of drawing them closer with a soda bottle filled with yummies, drive them away. Simply place a handful of mothballs in a knee-high sock or pantyhose of sorts. Hang it in your yard. You may need to put up more than one if it is a large area.
• Our local hardware store sells a chemical spray that normally is used for other bugs it's called spectracide and if you look on the back of the label you will find that it kills bees. It works and it only cost about $7.00. if you don't mind mixing it yourself you can get it for about $5.00.
• Try calling some of your local bee farmers. Sometimes, they will come and get the hive for free. If they can get to it.
• You can also use a "smoker" that beekeepers use to calm the bees down. It's harmless to birds and pets. If you want to know where the hive(s) is then just wait until just before the sun sets and follow one or two bees. They always go back to the hive by evening.
• There have been many excellent resolutions to this problem on the board, but I think I'm going to try the pop bottle one first. I don't really want to kill the bees off. The hive in some cases may not even be on your property. I've had hives around (usually in trees or by eaves) and haven't found that they attack. Actually, I've had them land on me and I have actually brushed them off without a sting. Wasps and hornets are the ones that are vicious. Check it out and be sure it's a bee. Bees are fatter, hornets and wasps are thin and longer.
• If you really don't want the bees around or you or someone in your family is allergic to them (keep antihistamines around) then try getting the beekeeper. Believe it or not, hives can be carefully removed by smoking and it's controlled.
• I live in Canada and wasps (also mud wasps) or hornets are the ones we don't like here. They love food so are pesky when having BBQs, and certainly don't like some colors (dress in white when out in the garden) and if you wear bright colors then you're asking for trouble. I had a wasp nest in my attic that was huge. I got an exterminator up because I was fearful that the hive would become so big it would come through the ceiling. My husband thought I was out of my mind believe this theory, but indeed, the exterminator said he has seen this happen. Not only that they can get into your vents and into your house.
• First you need to find the nest. Then at night, spray it with any insect killing poison while they are sleeping. Be quiet and just in case, wear protective clothing.
• If you know where the nest is and there are hundreds of bees, you can try something that worked for us. We put a bug zapper right in front of the "main entrance" of their nest while they were sleeping at night. We then turned it on during the day. As they flew in and out they died by the hundreds. After a few days I think they either moved to a safer location or we had killed them all.
• I tried the "bug zapper". It took a day or two but it worked. Now I just have to sweep up the dead bees.
• I once read that putting a bowl of vinegar on the table while you are eating, keeps them away. We tried it and it definitely seemed to work.
• We had a hive inside of a window frame so we took a rag covered in rubbing alcohol placed in to cover the hole and the bees could not get back in or out.

• I had bees that nested in the wall underneath my front window. I did 2 things simultaneously:

1. I placed a bucket of soapy water right in front of the opening and every day I have to clean it out because I get 50-100 bees that hit the water and drowned. The soap causes them not to be able to fly.
2. Second, I used a fly strip, the ones that are in cylinders. I just hung two right outside the opening; within one day, they were both covered be bees. It was almost amusing watching them try to get themselves unstuck. Within a few weeks, all the bees were gone.

• I have had a similar problem with some bees in a wall. There is an insecticide called "Sevin" that is available in a dust and liquid form. It is highly toxic to bees and will spread from bee to bee. They were gone/dead after two days. Spray or dust them after dusk. You will have to cover the access way to the hive or other bees will find and use it in the future.
• Use a wet-dri vac. Put at entrance turn it on and sucks them up fast and to make sure they are dead spray some bee killer in the hose to while its running. Kills them fast and easy to dispose of too.
• I agree with the one about a bee keeper. This is the way my grandfather made his living. He sold queen bees and honey and feed his 10 children on this living. Why kill a bee when someone can profit from them?
• Be careful with the bees that nest in your walls. I had hundreds of bees, in my wall, that were coming in from a tiny hole under an outside wall mounted light. I am deathly afraid of bees. I didn't even use that entrance way which led to our deck and pool. I thought about sticking something in the hole so they couldn't get in or out but I called an exterminator instead. They came out and sprayed this white powder (don't remember what it was). The exterminator told me that it was a good thing that I didn't block the entrance way. He said they would have eventually burrowed through the drywall. I would have had hundreds of bees in my house!
• Here is the "rub" with getting rid of bees. The longer you wait to get rid of them, the larger the comb becomes. Say that you are successful with getting the bees to leave with the bug zapper, or the Sevin, or any of the other ways mentioned. The comb is still there. Then the mice and rats come to get at the comb. If it is big enough the rodents can live there for a long time. They eat the wax and the honey. So getting rid of the bees is just the beginning. I don't think there is a single answer to all of the bee issues. However, preventive maintenance can greatly help. You need to go around your house and caulk all of the obvious holes: the bees have to have a way to get in. After they've gotten in it is too late. As was said above, if you block their egress hole they'll bore into your house somewhere and you'll have a jolly good time. And, where they bore in through the drywall is no assurance that is where their hive is. What I favor is using Sevin in liquid form applied with a spray applicator making sure that all of your body parts are well covered including your face and hands. Bees can sting through cloth when they are mad. So make sure your clothes are thick even to the point of wearing two layers. Then, after your done immediately wash everything. Follow manufacturer's specifications for application of Sevin strictly. Even if you thoroughly wet down the area behind the egress hole you may have to come back again later so not permanently block the hole until your sure all of the bees are dead. As to the comb left behind the wall, this could be problematical. Cost-wise it may be better to leave it and just wait and see if rodents or more bees come to get at the comb. Eventually if left alone the honey will dry into sugar crystals and the wax will desiccate and shrink.
• I am a beekeeper. If you indeed have honeybees in your wall, you have a few options.

  1. Call a pest control person, who will kill the bees with poison. If he/she is thorough, he will then open up the wall, remove the dead bees and comb, and seal up the outside entrance so you are not re-infested. You will then need to patch up the wall (or hire a contractor to do so). There are 2 drawbacks with this approach: a) You and your home have been exposed to poison; b) The pest control person can be expensive.

  2. Call a beekeeper. You should be able to locate one by contacting your State or County beekeeper's organization. Sometimes your local fire company or the police may be able to refer you to a beekeeper. Be sure the beekeeper is experienced with "removals." He should be able to provide references, and should have the proper equipment including a "bee vac" as well as ladders, power saw(s), hand saw(s), and other tools. Beekeepers are often motivated by the fact that at the end of the removal, they will own a new queen and swarm of bees. For this reason, a beekeeper is likely to be less expensive than a pest control person. If the beekeeper is planning to capture the swarm and queen alive, he will not use poisons on the bees, and you and your home will not be exposed to any poisons. You even may be able to convince the beekeeper (beforehand) to share any honey he collects from the hive over and above what is needed by the bees. I hope you'll consider calling a beekeeper rather than a pest control person should you find yourself with a honeybee infestation.

• We had a swarm scout out a spot right near our kitchen door in between the stone sill of our old brick Victorian home. This site helped tremendously! We luckily had Sevin on hand, as we have a vegetable garden. We first noticed the swarm gathering and attempted wasp spray with little success. The next day, the activity was increased (like in a horror film). I did a web search and read this info.... We waited until evening when all were in the wall, and, using a turkey baster, we "poofed" the powder into the opening. After several minutes, the interior wall could be heard buzzing. Some did make their way into our home. They died within minutes. The next day, the activity was greatly reduced, we again waited until evening and loaded up the crevice with more Sevin. This time the interior wall became alive and many actually made their way inside through the wood wainscoting. They hovered in the kitchen for several minutes, and promptly died. It was an ugly scene, but we fortunately caught it in time. I read somewhere that if caught within a couple days you will have success. There were literally thousands of bees to vacuum up inside and out, but it's been a week now, and I see no further evidence of the colony.
• Call a beekeeper in your area. Honey bees are quite rare in some areas.
• The above poster is correct. Some Americans are not aware that there is a great shortage of bees in several states and scientists are very alarmed at beekeepers finding most of their bees dead in their hives. Without bees, you don't get pollination and without pollination many of our food sources would dwindle away. Don't kill them, get a beekeeper to come and get them.
• I had a nest above my bedroom bay window, in-between the inside ceiling and the outside shingled roof. One would somehow get inside every once in awhile. They can squeeze thru tiny cracks or gaps. I sprayed bee spray foam all around outside but it didn't help, I couldn't penetrate into where the hive was. I read this site and decided to try Sevin© after my dog was stung. I sealed off the bay window from the inside using 1.5mil plasting sheeting and painters tape. At dusk we used a turkey baster to "poof" the Sevin dust into the entrance to the hive where the roof meets the house. The baster didn't work too well since its designed for liquid. So we then fluffed the dust into the area from the can using a side arm motion. This was more successful, powder coated the roof near the entrance and bees were seen with dust on them entering the hive. About a dozen or so bees got into the inside where I had sealed off the window, some died quickly but others were alive overnight. Activity outside was reduced after 12 hours. I will check again tonight and give a final dusting if there is still activity. After all activity has ceased I will seal all cracks, holes, and gaps around the outside.

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Pesticides are poisons. As such, there are many ways that pesticides can be harmful. Although pesticides are usually used to kill a particular target pest, many will also kill or harm species that the farmer or other user is not targeting. For example, pesticides applied to crops might be washed into streams or lakes and harm fish, beneficial insects, birds, or even find their way into drinking water sources.

• Cost effectiveness: Pesticides are an economical way of controlling pests. They require low labour input and allow large areas to be treated quickly and effectively. It has been estimated that there is a four-fold return on every dollar a farmer spends on pesticides.
• Flexibility: A suitable pesticide is available for almost all pest problems with variation in type, activity and persistence.
• Quality, quantity and price of produce: Using pesticides means there is a plentiful supply and variety of high quality products at reasonable prices. Modern society demands nutritious food free from damage caused by pests and flowers which look untouched. This would be very difficult without pesticides.
• Prevention of problem: Pesticides are often used to stop the spread of pests in imports and exports, preventing weeds in gardens and protecting house and furniture from destruction.
  
• Protection of pets and humans: Under the blanket of pesticides is pet flea products, fly and insect spray and other household products which make life bearable.
• Protection of the environment: Currently, weeds are controlled by herbicides, but without them, land would need to be cultivated, increasing land degradation.

• Reduction of beneficial species: Animals which interact with the targeted pest can also be affected by he chemical application. The reduction in these other organisms can result in changes in the biodiversity of an area and affect natural biological balances.
• Drift of sprays and vapour: Pesticides can affect other areas during application and can cause severe problems in different crops, livestock, waterways and the general environment. Wildlife and fish are the most affected. Taking special note of weather conditions can reduce drift.
• Residues in food: There is the possibility of pesticides in human food, either by direct application onto the food, or by bio-magnification along the food line. Not all levels are undesirable but unnecessary and dangerous levels must be avoided through good agricultural practice.
• Ground water contamination: Chemicals can reach underground aquifers if there is persistent product use in agricultural areas.
• Resistance: Overuse of the same pesticide can encourage resistance in the target pest.
• Poisoning hazards: Pesticide operators can risk poisoning through excessive exposure if safe handling procedure are not followed and protective clothing is not worn. Poisoning risks depend on dose, toxicity, duration of exposure and sensitivity.
• Other possible health effects: As pesticides used now have been through rigorous testing, most health problems stem from misuse, abuse or overuse.

"Black-veined white" butterfly is the common name of the Aporia crataegi.

Specifically, the large, striking butterfly gets its common name from its dramatically contrasting white wings veined in black (for males) or brown (for females). The butterfly's scientific name reflects its preference for hawthorns (Crataegus spp) as a food plant. Other favorites include blackthorns (Prunus spinosa) and shadbushes (Amelanchier spp).