Frequently Asked Questions

In most cases it is difficult to identify an insect over the phone. It is best to collect it (put it in a closed container) and send an image. You may take a photo and email it to one of the entomological staff, or submit a photo using our online report and identification form, take the specimen to your county OSU extension office, or may bring it to our Salem office.

Brown recluse spiders are not known to occur in Oregon. They live in the south central Midwest from Nebraska to Ohio and south through Texas to Georgia.​

You do not need a permit to purchase live insects that are on the Oregon Approved Insect List or are native to Oregon.​

If the insects you are selling are on the Oregon Approved Insect List or native to Oregon, you do not need a permit to sell them.

You can keep your eyes open for any new, or unfamiliar insects in your area and report any sightings of concern. If you travel out-of-state, do not bring any fruits, vegetables, or plants back into Oregon unless they have been inspected. Do not bring untreated firewood into Oregon. If you are traveling in a car, RV, or with a boat, make sure you, or a border inspector checks thoroughly for egg masses, pupal cases, or mussels before re-entering the state.

The best solution is to prevent their entry into your home in the first place by sealing gaps and openings to the outside with weather-stripping, caulking, or other methods. ODA is rearing and distributing parasites of BMSB eggs (samurai wasps). Over time, this should result in lower populations of BMSB.

First you should identify whether you have a swarm of honeybees or wasps. Honeybees that are swarming are generally not aggressive. They have just gorged on honey and do not have a home to defend. In Oregon, it is unlikely that the bees are Africanized. They are known to occur near Sacramento, California and parts of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Africanized bees can only be distinguished from European honeybees by laboratory analysis. You should stay at least 20 to 30 feet away from the swarm. Call a pest control company for bee removal, call a local beekeeper, or wait until the swarm leaves on their own. A swarm may continue for several days.

Collect it (put it in a closed container) and have it identified. You may take a photo and email it to one of the entomological staff, submit a photo using our online report and identification form, or bring it to our Salem office.

Collect it (put it in a closed container) and have it identified. You may take a photo and email it to one of the entomological staff, submit a photo using our online report and identification form, or bring it to our Salem office.​

Every person who owns five or more colonies of bees in Oregon is required to register the colonies with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Annual apiary registration is $10 plus $0.50 per colony.​

There are restrictions on the movement of firewood to prevent the transport of invasive species. Section 3 states that no person shall transport, by any means, untreated firewood into the State of Oregon, for sale or use within the State from any location outside of the Pacific Northwest. We recommend that firewood is moved no further than 50 miles within the state.

If you are stung or bitten by an insect or other arthropod, ODA can identify it if you catch it and properly preserve it. Collect it (put it in a closed container) and have it identified. You may take a photo and email it to one of the entomological staff, submit a photo using our online report and identification form, or bring it to our Salem office. Identification cannot be made based on the bite alone.

Boxelder bugs are a native species that over-winter as adults in protected areas such as garages and cracks and crevices in homes. They can be a nuisance from fall through early spring. There aren’t many effective options for control. Solutions include sealing gaps in any building crevices or openings, call a pest control company, or use a vacuum inside the house. Although they can be a nuisance, they won’t damage your house (they are not structural pests). Their populations vary in number year to year. Boxelder bugs don’t bite or sting and won't get into your food.​

Catch some of the insects emerging from your firewood. You can submit a photo using our online report and identification form. If the insect or beetle is thought to be an exotic, invasive pest, we may ask you to bring it in for identification.

​The ODA entomology laboratory can positively identify insect pests, including bedbugs. We do not engage in renter/landlord disputes or control measures, as these are not under our jurisdiction. You will need to find legal or other sources of help in resolving this problem.

​Small beetles or small moths in your kitchen may be stored products pests. These are pests that feed on foods that are stored in containers or boxes such as whole grains, flour, pasta, cereal, dried fruit, chocolate, wild bird seed, or pet food. The best way to eliminate the insects is to find the source of the infestation in your stored foods. Check the containers for webbing, powder, or small insects or larvae. Anything that is contaminated should be disposed of outside of the home. If possible, place the contaminated food in the freezer for several days before disposing. To prevent future infestation, keep all foods in tightly-sealed containers. Keep pantries, kitchen cabinets, and other food storage areas free of food debris.

These webs are created by the fall webworm, a native insect that is widespread in Western Oregon. The adults are moths about three-quarters of an inch long and mostly white. They come out of their cocoons in June, mate, and then lay eggs on a variety of trees, including alder, apple, ash, cherry, cottonwood, poplar, walnut, and madrone. Three key differences between spongy moth (formerly referred to as gypsy moth) and fall webworm are: spongy moth caterpillars don’t make webs, the two species are found during different times of the year, and spongy moths are not native to Oregon.​

Some insects may land on your house to warm in the sun or to seek refuge in cracks and crevices for the winter. The most noticeable insects that aggregate on houses in Oregon are the multicolored Asian ladybird beetle, cluster fly, grass bug, boxelder bug, and brown marmorated stink bug.

There are not many arthropods that live on or feed on humans. Many insects you see on your body probably are there by accident, especially if you have been outdoors brushing up against plants. After you brush away the insects, you won't be bothered anymore. If you continue to be bothered by insects crawling on you, the pest will need to be identified before we can determine what would help. If an arthropod is not identified as the source of the problem, it may be caused by several medical conditions. In general, ODA identifies insects associated with plants and not humans. For more information, contact your physician or the dermatology department at OHSU, (503) 418-3376.​

The IPPM program places a variety of insect detection traps in Oregon each year. You can call us to identify the insect trap or see our photos online. Most of the traps placed in residential trees are for the spongy moth.

There are many invasive insects we want to keep out of Oregon. See the link for the 100 worst invasive species.​

Insects that are on the Oregon Approved Insect List may be imported, sold, bred, and kept in the state. Species native to Oregon are not restricted, except as per the Endangered Species Act.​

The National Invasive Species Council provides information about invasive species and what is being done at the national level. Links within this site provide detailed information about invasive pests, as well as government programs working on this problem.​