Four bags of live bugs and roasted grasshoppers were confiscated from a traveler at the Santa Teresa entry port in New Mexico last month. The bags were discovered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists making a secondary inspection of a pick up truck looking to enter the country.

When the bags were found in a cardboard box, the driver said he had forgotten to declare the items as food when he entered the county, but still received a $175 fine and had the insects seized by the agents. The bugs were then sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where they were identified as a type of stink bug called Heteroptera. A fine was issued to the traveler because all pests must be reported before they are allowed into the United States, as they could be a threat to local plants and crops, the El Paso Times reported.  If an invasive pest population spreads, pest control services are usually called in to treat the problem.

"Entry of live insects is closely regulated by USDA-APHIS," said Fred Hutterer, acting Santa Teresa port director. "CBP agriculture specialists routinely locate and stop pests while inspecting personal belongings, food items and packaging materials. It is an important part of the CBP mission."

According to Las Cruces Sun-News, the insects in question were Jumille bugs, which are often eaten alive or as a taco filling or sauce. The roasted grasshoppers are also edible, and typically are consumed by themselves as a snack.

Students living in the dorms at the University of Nebraska recently fell victim to bed bug infestations in three different locations on campus.

In response to the infestations, the director of University Housing, Sue Gildersleeve, sent out an email to all students in the dormitories to alert them of the pests and inform them that pest control services are treating the locations. Students were updated on how University Housing is handling the situation and were provided with information regarding bed bugs and how to spot them, the Daily Nebraskan reported.

However, the email sent out to students was sent about two weeks after students reported the bed bug problems, and national news sources reported on the issue. The late notice about what was happening on campus angered some students, who felt they should have been warned sooner about the infestation, given information on how to prevent the pests from entering their room, and informed on how to spot the bugs, the source reported.

Barb Ogg, UNL extension educator, told the source that the pest control treatment of the affected areas was successful. However, students should be aware of possible bed bugs in their dorms, as only 20 to 30 percent of people react to bed bug bites, resulting in many people living with the pests without realizing it.

According to the Sun Journal, the invasive fruit flies are the same size as a fruit vinegar fly that typically feeds on overripe bananas. Unlike those fruit flies, however, the Asian species feeds more on ripening fruit crops than rotting fruit, thus posing a serious threat to farmers in Maine and throughout the United States.

The Asian flies have spotted wings and saw-like appendages that allow them to rip through the skin of ripening fruit and lay their eggs inside. Once the eggs hatch, they eat their way out of the fruit and eventually lay eggs elsewhere. Berries, including blueberries, strawberries and even soft-skinned vegetables will be the most vulnerable to the flies, according to Jim Dill, a pest expert from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

This past September, the Asian fruit fly was spotted in the Berwick, Limington, Newcastle and Monmouth areas. The state has contacted pest control services to help control the population in these cities and prevent a more widespread infestation. Pest control services are working on a way to protect the crops from destruction, the source reported.

In 2011, Maine's blueberry harvest exceeded 80 million pounds and the crop value was about $190 million, with a statewide economic impact of more than $250 million. Therefore, allowing the fruit fly to thrive in Maine could seriously harm the local economy, the source reported.

The National Pest Management Association recently identified ways homeowners can protect their properties from pest infestations during the cold winter months when bugs and rodents try to find warm places to live and breed. One way many pests enter homes during the winter is through cracks and holes throughout the roof and foundation resulting from storm damage.

Therefore, the NPMA recommends homeowners check their roof for missing shingles or ripped windows where pests could enter the home. All holes and cracks should be sealed, including any openings near utilities or pipes. Loose mortar around the basement foundations and windows should be checked and replaced, and all basements, attics and crawl spaces should be kept dry so as not to attract pests.

In addition, all house plants should be investigated for bugs. Many pests are attracted to house plants or will enter the home with the introduction of a new plant. Common pests associated with house plants include mealybugs, scale insects, mites and whiteflies, according to the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Homeowners should check plant stems and leaves for signs of bugs or eggs, and remove all plant litter that could be housing bugs, the Telegraph reported. If pests are spotted, professional pest control services should be contacted.

Diane Luliucci from Las Vegas, Nevada, recently found tiny scorpions infesting her apartment and did not know what to do. The dangerous insects were found in her dog's water bowl, on her ceiling and throughout her living room.

Luliucci said she put down sticky insect traps and caulked all of her outlets to help control the growing scorpion population, and called her apartment manager to get rid of the bugs. The manager told Las Vegas news source KTNV that the apartment had been sprayed for bugs and would receive another treatment soon.

But pest control expert Mike Holly told the source that spiders and scorpions require more than standard spray treatments to be eradicated. Instead, pest control services should be notified that they are treating the apartment for scorpions so they can use special chemicals to kill them.

In addition, homeowners should also be on the lookout for an insect that is able to eat anything, live off mostly water and is full of protein. The black soldier fly is currently being studied by researchers at Mississippi State University to see if the bugs are dangerous or could harm local ecosystems.

According to John Schneider, entomology professor at the university, the black soldier fly is a native insect common to the southeast region of the United States. Luckily, the flies do not seem interested in humans or their living spaces, thus they typically are not classified as pests.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's APHIS Wildlife Service recently identified a new invasive nutria population near Marydel, Maryland, close to the Delaware border. The agency confirmed the presence of the semi-aquatic rodents adjacent to a small rural pond.

According to the agencies, the rodents are native to South America and escaped from fur farms in the 1940s to establish a presence in the wild. The addition of the nutrias to the local ecosystem has resulted in tens of thousands of acres of marsh in the Chesapeake Bay area to be ravaged by erosion. The agencies are working together to provide pest control services in the area and eradicate the species before further damage is incurred to wildlife.

Steve Kendrot, wildlife services program manager for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told Delaware Online that he was surprised to find the rodents so far north, as they were originally spotted farther south. The location of the sighting indicate the rodents can spread very quickly, causing destruction in their path.

Nutrias have similar features to muskrats and beavers. They were first found in Delaware, but have since spread to more than a dozen states. Nutrias are now added to a list of other recently discovered creatures, including snakehead fish, which have migrated from their home countries to invade parts of the United States, the source reported.

Raymondville, Texas, news source KGBT-TV recently reported Rudy's Meat Market was recently cited by health inspectors who spotted rodent droppings in the facility.

When the news source tried to interview the restaurant owner regarding his violations, the butcher pointed a filet knife at the camera and told the news crew to leave. Most health code violations require professional pest control services to treat the facility before they can be re-examined for sanitary conditions.

In Hernando, Florida, Frank's Family Restaurant recently reopened after having to shut down business temporarily to remedy pest control problems cited by Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspectors. The officials found 23 violations, 14 of which were critical, including living roaches running around the restaurant and rodent droppings inside a powdered mix for chocolate mousse, Hernando news source WTSP reported.

However, after reopening its doors, customers sat down at Frank's and found the pest population had not been eradicated. Rather than calling professional pest control services, the owners of Franks cleaned themselves, hoping it would get rid of all the bugs. But their do-it-yourself methods did not get rid of the bugs, and the restaurant will likely receive a second round of citations, the source reported.

Scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been studying white nose syndrome and its effects on bats, and recently discovered the fungal ailment has killed between 5.7 million and 6.7 million bats in 16 states and Canada. In 2006, scientists first detected white nose syndrome in a cave outside of Albany, New York. Since then, the condition has spread to 16 states, reaching as far west as Kentucky.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the depletion of bats could have a negative impact on pest populations, as the nocturnal mammals were a source of natural pest control for farms and forests. Bats also help control insect populations that can spread diseases to people, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The white nose syndrome is named after the white fungus that is found on the muzzles and wings of bats affected with the condition. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported the condition spreads quickly and typically affects bats living in cold and humid conditions such as caves and mines. While the exact cause of the death remains unknown, the white fungus is theorized to be part of the problem.

The government agency said bats with white nose syndrome do not always have white fungus visible on their bodies. These bats could, however, display abnormal behavior as a result of the condition.

Administrators of a nursing home facility in Circleville, Ohio, reported the building has been successfully treated for bed bugs by pest control services. Administrator Scott Nafzger told the Circleville Herald that bed bugs were first spotted in the nursing home in November, and the facility underwent an extensive treatment in early December.

“Our ongoing process is to have our service provider continue to perform monthly routine checks as a precautionary measure,” Nafzger said.

Vernon Bolender, Pickaway County health commissioner, said the local health department does not monitor bed bugs because they do not carry or transmit diseases. In November, the health department was not concerned about the nursing home's bed bug infestations because residents were not at risk of serious health hazards from the bugs. The nursing home administrators have assured residents that the pests have been removed, the source reported.

In New York, a bed bug infestation at an apartment building have some residents and public officials demanding answers. John Franck, the commissioner of accounts for Saratoga Springs, recently called on the city's Housing Authority Board of Commissioners to provide explanations as to why the housing authority's director did not treat the complex for bed bugs for almost six months after receiving residents' complaints, the Times Union reported.