Q: How many critters and insects will be out this summer for residents in Arizona?

Well the amount of insects and critters might be a little heavier than most for the nation. Hot summer temperatures may drive insects indoors, to seek food and shelter from the heat. For Arizona residents it might not impact them as much as it is believed too. The state that is getting the most buzz is Florida.

The Florida carpenter ant is the insect to look out for in the summer. Ants, especially are one of the most difficult pests to control, both indoors and out. Although they are merely a nuisance, there are some than can deliver a painful sting or damage to the structure of a home. Some places they may be found nesting could be underneath attic insulation, beneath dishwashers and behind wood paneling.

It is important wherever your location that you prevent ant infestations to avoid damage to your home, as well as eliminate potential health risks. Take the time to look around the interior and exterior of your home. Inspect around window sills, door jambs and faucets. Be extra careful in caulking seals and cracks and crevices to keep them out and away.

Can you address the debacle between Governor Christie saving school children from a spider and PETA ?

Last friday, the governor of New Jersey posted a video showing him killing a spider on his desk in front of a group of school children. The Governor tweeted “Earlier today I saved a few children from a spider…that’s the fun part of being Governor. Any bugs that are on your desk, you’re allowed to kill them and not get in trouble.”

Well it turns out he didn’t get away with it. President of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Ingird Newkirk, responded to Christie’s video describing the Governor actions as thoughtless. “He probably did it without thinking. Some people put the spider outside, but spiders are often scary to people and that can prevent them from pondering their worth.”  They describe the killing as an “executive insect execution.”

This isn’t the first time that PETA has been caught up with political figures killing insects. In fact, they sent President Obama a insect-transporting device so that he could release the insect outside in 2009.

Read more by visiting: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/05/07/the-spider-gov-christie-peta-and-me/

Q: I know that Florida has giant snails and Arizona has its scorpions but what gigantic critters crawl in the land of Louisiana that I should be aware of?

Well, when it comes to invasive species, Louisiana may have Florida and Arizona beat. The state’s beloved swampland is literally vanishing at the hands of gigantic swamp rats.
Nutria, is a cross between a beaver and a new york sewer rat, is BOOMING in the Louisiana area. Partly to blame for heavy coastal erosion, these critters devour the plants needed to hold down the soil and with some 5 million of them, they contribute to a rate of soil erosion pegged at 40 square miles a year. These 20 pound animals, are native to Argentina but were delivered to Louisiana about eight decades ago to be raised for their fur. One way or another they have escaped into the swamps and have just gone crazy.

What is the biggest tarantula is the world?

Recently scientists in Sri Lanka have discovered a huge new species of tarantula. It was originally found by a tribe of villagers in the remote northern village of Mankulam. It was unlike any other spider species. It’s legs have unique daffodil-yellow markings and span 20cm. The arachnid also has a distinctive pink band around its body. According to researchers they are quite rare. They prefer well-established old trees or old buildings. The species is said to be related to a class of South American tarantulas that include the Goliath Bird Eater, one of the world’s largest spiders. According to a researcher “It demonstrates that wildlife continues to survive whilst we are in the throes of conflict and that they can adapt to its changing environment - but also highlights that we risk destroying the habitats of species new to science and condemning them to extinction before they are even discovered.”

Q: It is said that the invasion of billions of cicadas, with their distinctive black bodies and bulging red eyes, is set to overrun a 900 mile stretch of US East Coast after they have been underground for 17 years. Is this true?

Yes, it is true residents of the Southern state North Carolina to those in Connecticut will be outnumbered by roughly 600 to 1 by the swarm. These one inch bugs are looking for one thing: to mate.

And they will make it a big racket. The noise that male cicadas make when they sing for sex can be infuriating as the noise can reach up to 94 deci bels. Since 1996, these bugs have been developing underground as juveniles and are set to arrive in May or June this year, as soon as the soil temperature exceeds 18C. After a couple of weeks up in trees, they will eventually die and their offspring will go underground, not to return until 2030.

It is said that this invasion, will have some places where it is wall-to-wall cicadas. It is like a singles bar scene. The males will come out initially, they will sing and perch on tree branches, then when the female comes close, the males change their song, do their little dance and mate. The males will keep on mating and eventually the female will lay 600 or so eggs on the tip of the branch. The offspring will then dive out of the trees, bounce of the ground and burrow into the earth.

These cicadas are known as magicicadas. Only to be seen in the eastern half of the United States. This year’s invasion is said to be one of the biggest ones, estimated around 30 billion! Can you say WOW!!!!!!