Author: Jody Green, PhD

Jody Green is the extension urban entomologist at Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties. She specializes in structural, household, and health-related insect pests.

Little Gnats in the House

Got annoying gnats in the home? Learn how to identify fungus gnats and how to get rid of them for good.

Overwintering Eggs

Arthropods like praying mantises, wheel bugs, and garden spiders survive the winter in the egg stage. Learn how to identify insects and spiders in your garden landscape.

Carpenter Ants: When to Worry

Carpenter ants make their nests in dead and decaying wood, and sometimes that results to damage to structural wood. People often worry when they see a large black ant crawling in their landscape. Does this mean their house is at risk? Learn about nature’s carpenters and how to prevent carpenter ants from entering and infesting your home.

Black Swallowtails – Caterpillars in the Herb Garden

If you have a flourishing herb garden, you’re bound to get pollinators and pests alike! Learn about the black swallowtail butterfly and why it needs a little bit (or a lot) of tolerance when it comes to sharing your dill, parsley, and fennel.

White-lined Sphinx Moth

The white-lined sphinx moth is a large and beautiful daytime flying moth commonly spotted nectaring on flowers in Nebraska.

Indian Meal Moths and the Infestation that Never Ends

The Indian meal moth is a common household pest, infesting stored food products such as flour, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, cereals, chocolate, bird seed, powered milk, pet food, and spices. They are found indoors all year round.

Don’t Wig Out Over Earwigs

The earwig is a curious pest. It is considered a wonderful mother, a creepy crawler, a natural enemy, and a pest of fruits.

Crawling up the walls: Brown marmorated stink bugs at it again

Yes, they’re back and they’re right on time. The brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) have certainly made a name for themselves in eastern Nebraska for invading houses. Over the last few years, they’ve become known as a structural pest and indoor nuisance. Entomologists call them fall invaders or incidental invaders, due to the timing of…

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