The Super Bowl match-up between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints poses an important question: Will the Colts feel the Saints’ sting like a horsefly they can’t shake? Or will they easily swipe them away and claim the championship?

I’m sorry fans. I have no crystal ball and can’t help you with that question. I can, however, tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the horsefly.

No groans of disappointment, please. These insects can quickly draw all your attention if they bite you – whether you’re a horse or human.

These babies hurt – and they’re among the loudest and noisiest of flies, so you can see and hear them heading your way as well. Unlike some bugs that have more of a stinger, horseflies have mandibles that rip or cut the flesh – sometimes actually taking out a chunk of skin. Once they do the damage, they lick up their victims’ blood. It won’t make you feel any better to know that the females need a blood meal to reproduce.

Here’s some more bad news: Horseflies are present around the world. And their virtue – I know, it’s hard to believe – is that they’re an important pollinator of flowers.

This’ll ring truer to you: Horseflies are also known as gadflies, a term the dictionary defines as somebody regarded as persistently annoying or irritating. We’ll find out a week from Sunday which team – the Colts or the Saints – better earns the distinction.

Always remember – The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry “The Bug Guy”

Tips to Help Fans From Allowing Insects to Score Touchdowns

With college football season beginning Labor Day weekend and professional football starting one week later, millions of football fans around the United States are once again taking part in the art and spirit of tailgating. As grand picnics outside sports venues, tailgates are a perfect vehicle for unwanted insects to join the party; however, there are ways to keep pests from spoiling the fun.

For starters, it is important to know what type of insects will be on the offensive at a tailgate party before you can prepare a proper defense. There are three insects to be aware of during your tailgating festivities.

Crazy Ants, Mosquitoes and Brown Recluse Spiders all fit the profile of tailgate party crashers. Each of these insects has the ability to cause problems for food, guests and pets under the right conditions.

One proven method of keeping Crazy Ants away is to make use of properly sealed food containers, because food scent will otherwise attract these uninvited guests.

Meanwhile, with football starting during the warm-weather time of year, the range of impact mosquitoes can have during tailgating season is tremendous. It is important to drain any sources of standing water near your favorite tailgating spot. In addition, applying insect repellent repeatedly to exposed skin and clothing can help keep mosquitoes at bay while outdoors.

One of the sneakier pests at a tailgate is likely to be the Brown Recluse Spider. Because tailgaters often take their shoes off and relax in the hours prior to a football game, these spiders can crawl into shoes without warning. I cannot stress enough the importance of shaking out shoes prior to putting them back on in order to minimize the possibility of being bitten by a Brown Recluse Spider, and if you are changing clothes prior to the game, avoid keeping clothing on the floor as well.

By taking these simple precautions football fans around the country can keep insects from making touchdowns on bodies.

In the meantime, be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

Many people are aware that an outbreak of certain harmful insects can stunt a garden’s growth in its tracks; however, there is a misconception that insects are no help to someone with a green thumb. In fact, insects with names like assassin bugs, bald-faced hornets, praying mantises and soldier beetles can help manage pest populations in a garden.

While complete prevention of insect pests in a garden is simply unrealistic, the positives that come with beneficial bugs should not be understated.

Beneficial bugs are one of the best-kept secrets in the gardening industry. These insects are likely to remain in your garden if there is a food supply for them and if you mix the variety of plants to bloom over as many months of the year as possible. In addition, gardeners can purchase several types of beneficial bugs at their local home improvement stores and often times from nurseries.

Other insects that serve as beneficial bugs include bumble bees, centipedes, dragonflies, damselflies, green lacewings, ground beetles, ladybugs, spiders, tachinid flies and yellow jackets.

As beautiful as a ladybug is, many people probably don’t realize they will eliminate aphids and tree lice from a garden. A praying mantis will eat just about any bad bug, from flies to crickets. By attracting beneficial bugs, a person’s garden has that much more of a chance to last all summer long.

Speaking of which, congratulations to the Bald Faced Hornet for winning the July Bug Off!

In the meantime, be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Beginning today, we’re starting our next “Bug-Off” competition on our Facebook page and also accessible through Twitter.

This month’s Truly Nolen “Bug-Off”: Which insect do you dislike more?

We would like you, the reader of this blog, to vote for your least favorite insect among the Cockroach and Dung Beetle.

You can vote either in the comments section of my blog, on Twitter at @TrulyNolen, or the Facebook page for Truly Nolen Mousecar.

To access the company on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/trulynolen. To access my friend on Facebook, visit http://tinyurl.com/na677n.

Voting will take place June 1-14, and on the 15th of June, the winning bug will be announced on Facebook, Twitter and in my blog.

In addition, three voters (one from each avenue) will be randomly chosen to win some fabulous Truly Nolen Truly-Wear merchandise.

I look forward to you continuing to help us determine a Bug-Off winner each month!

In the meantime, be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

Keeping pets safe from insect bites during spring and summer is an ongoing battle, and one I will be discussing on Monday, April 27 at 9 a.m. Eastern on WFTX-FOX 4 in Fort Myers/Naples, Florida. WFTX’s website address is www.fox4now.com.

In the meantime, I wanted to talk a little bit this week about an insect that seems to
harbor as many surprises as it has legs – the millipede. It’s a pet, the star of a game, larger than expected and sometimes beautifully colored, to name a few points of astonishment.

The millipede never struck me as especially popular with humans or glamorous. But people welcome this creature as a pet. And it’s the star of a Nintendo game released in 1988 that’s simply called Millipede. The Millipede on the game cover looks much scarier than most, though.

Giant African millipedes are among the varieties kept as pets and reach an adult length of 10 inches – compare that to the most common millipedes that range from a half inch to an inch-and-a-half. The African millipede can live up to 10 years. Don’t break out that crystal-studded collar and leash, though. They’re kept in aquariums and fed fruits and vegetables.

The millipede is clearly not always the little bug I think of curled into a tight little ball as it protects itself in the moist soil of my garden. Large or small, millipedes have other protection mechanisms: They secrete a caustic compound that can irritate the skin and in some instances leave a stain. Primarily nocturnal, they like moist areas and usually they’re herbivores, feasting on slightly decayed vegetation. Their bodies are segmented, with two pair of legs per segment.

Millipedes are essentially harmless and aren’t damaging when they get in the house. They can be controlled by controlling the moisture and dryness in both home and garden. In the garden, don’t let fruit and vegetables rot on the ground.

Amazingly, despite its name, the “thousand legger” doesn’t have a thousand legs – at the very best, it has 750, but more commonly 40 to 400. Chalk it up to inflation.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy