We are under a level 2 risk for severe storms Thursday. Damaging winds and isolated tornadoes will be possible as a powerful front crosses our area. This is the same front that is producing severe storms across the Midwest.

WRAL Weather Alert Day issued for Thursday, damaging winds & isolated tornadoes possible

We’re also following who could be paying more out of pocket according to a new Wake Co budget proposal. Plus, how hundreds of UNC faculty and staff are supporting student protesters. Watch WRAL-TV at 11 p.m., and search for these and other stories on WRAL.com.

On WRAL at 11 : Scattered showers & storms. Which days this week have the ingredients for severe weather

It's that time of year when your child will be taking end-of-grade tests or EOGs. What are EOGs and how can you help them be better prepared?

End-of-grade tests: Everything you need to know about these annual exams

Student testing 

On average, women gain 5 to 10 pounds in the years before menopause, when reproductive hormones are fluctuating as the body prepares to stop ovulating.

How to manage weight gain during menopause

Weight loss

All assets associated with the tag: pest control

Pest control Coverage

Summer is coming and with it, the need for insect repellent.

IF YOU'RE READY TO BUY. THIS IS FREE TO GO. SUMMER IN NORTH CAROLINA, OF COURSE, MEANS VACATIONS. BACKYARD BARBECUES, BEACH DAYS AND UNFORTUNATELY, BUGS INSECT REPELLENT IS A GREAT WAY TO BATTLE AGAINST MOSQUITOES AND CONCERNING TICKS. BUT >> NOT ALL BUG SPRAYS ARE THE SAME 5 ON YOUR SIDE'S KEELY. ARTHUR SHARES CONSUMER REPORTS TOP TESTING OPTIONS. >> PERRY PRAISED VOLUNTEERS PUT ON SOME INSECT REPELLENT. WAIT 30 MINUTES AND THEN PUT THEIR ARM IN A BOX THAT'S FILLED WITH 200 DISEASE FREE. MOSQUITOES TESTERS. THEN TAKE NOTE TO SEE HOW OFTEN THE MOSQUITO LANDS ON A VOLUNTEERS ARM OR IF THAT MOSQUITO TAKES TO FIGHT, A REPELLENT FAILS OUR TEST. IF A MOSQUITO BITE TWICE IN ONE FIVE-MINUTE SESSION. >> OR IF THERE'S ONE BYTE IN EACH OF 2 CONSECUTIVE 5 MINUTE SESSIONS, THERE ARE OVER 3,000 MOSQUITO SPECIES WORLDWIDE AND 16 RIGHT HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. THAT'S WHY CONSUMER REPORTS PUT 53 REPELLENTS TO THE TESTS TO FIND OUT THE BEST ONES FOR YOUR FAMILY. MOSQUITOES AND TICKS CAN SPREAD SERIOUS BUG BORNE DISEASES LIKE LYME DISEASE AND WEST NILE VIRUS. >> AND USING AN EFFECTIVE INSECT REPELLENT, DOES ONE REALLY GOOD WAY OF REDUCING YOUR RISK OF CONTRACTING THOSE DISEASES? HE WORD THERE IS EFFECTIVE. SEE ARES TEST ON THAT. MANY OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE REPELLENTS AND FIGHTING AGAINST MOSQUITOES AND TICKS CONTAINED. 25 TO 30% DEET HAS AN ACTIVE INGREDIENT. >> 2 REPELLENTS CR RECOMMENDS ALTERED ON INSECT REPELLENT 8 AND BENDS TICK AND INSECT REPELLENT WILDERNESS FORMULA PUMP BOTH EXCELLED IN PROTECTION, PROPER APPLICATION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS GETTING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS. MAKE SURE YOU'RE SPRAYING THE REPELLENT DIRECTLY ON YOUR SKIN. YOU CAN ALSO SPRAYED ON YOUR CLOTHES. >> BUT DON'T SPRAY IT ON YOUR SKIN FIRST AND THEN PUT CLOTHING OVER IT. KEELY ARTHUR, 5 ON YOUR SIDE. I KNOW THAT. YEAH. THAT LAST. THERE YOU GO. I DON'T LIKE THE SMELL OF DEET. THAT'S MY ISSUE. SO THERE IT WAS. UNHEALTHY LIKE A BREATHING AND SMELL RIGHT. BUT IT'S EFFECTIVE. IF YOU'RE WARY OF DEET AS WE ARE SEE, ARES TESTS FOUND SOME REPELLENTS THAT CONTAIN 20% PICARIDIN OR 30%. OIL OF LEMON EUCALYPTUS. >> THOSE WERE APPARENTLY AFFECTED AS WELL. I THINK THAT LAST OPTION, THE SKIERS LOVE ME AND MY ONE SON AND THEY LEAVE

Consumer Reports' top-tested bug sprays

Summer is here and with it, the need for insect repellent.

Top-tested bug sprays in 2023

Consumer reports tests top-performing insect repellants of 2022

Researchers hope to learn more about the insect pests that destroy crops.

NEWS COVERAGE YOU CAN COUNT ON. >> TODAY, LEADERS OF A MAJOR AD RESEARCH CENTER IN RTP BROKE GROUND ON A NEW 18 MILLION DOLLAR FACILITY WITH THE GOAL OF INCREASING THE WORLD'S FOOD SUPPLY. RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THE WORK BEING DONE THERE WILL TRANSFORM THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE. >> THESE GOLDEN SHOVELS OPENED THE DOOR FOR A NEW ADDITION ON THE CAMPUS OF SYNGENTA'S RTP GLOBAL INNOVATION CENTER. THEY'RE ADDING A WORLD CLASS IN SECTOR II, A FACILITY THAT WILL DRIVE FUTURE PEST CONTROL RESEARCH, ALLOWING A SCIENTIST TO STUDY ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT IN 6 SPECIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD IN A CONTROLLED. >> AND SAFE MAN, A CROP LOSS TO THE INSECT. PESTS IS NOTHING NEW. BUT NOW THE STAKES MAY BE EVEN HIGHER. WE HAVE FOOD SECURITY ISSUES, SUPPLY CHAIN IN THE NEAR TERM. AND WE HAVE. >> A LOT OF THE CHALLENGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY CLIMATE CHANGE. >> WE WILL DO IS HEAD OF RESEARCH AND IS AIMED AT HELPING FARMERS FEED THE WORLD. MAYBE 20% OFF THE CROP. PRODUCTIVITY IS LOST BECAUSE OF DISEASES OR INSECTS AND BE ABLE TO CONTROL. THE WILL INCREASE THE YIELD, INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY OFF THE CROPS, LOSING STAPLE CROPS LIKE CORN DUE TO PASS AND DISEASE MEANS A LOSS OF MORE THAN 70 BILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR IN THE WORLD ECONOMY. THESE RESEARCH LEADERS BELIEVE THE SOLUTIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE. THIS WAS A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR US AND WE BELIEVE IT. WELL, IT'S A TURNING POINT. THE CONCERTS RESEARCH HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. I BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS INCREDIBLE NETWORK. GOODNESS, CAROLINE, TO CHANGE THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE. >> SYNGENTA RTP INNOVATION CENTER IS ALREADY ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED

Researchers break ground on new $18 million agriculture research facility

New $18 million agriculture research facility coming to RTP

New agriculture research facility coming to the RTP.

A recent study of two species of mosquitoes known as Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus found that females had adapted to avoid pesticides, considering they survived initial exposure.






Mosquitoes could be adapting to avoid pesticides 

DEET works best to deter mosquitoes, ticks

If you're getting ready to buy your Christmas tree, you'll want to be careful! The Department of Agriculture says you may take more than just a tree home. 

Pest believed to be making way to NC could be in Christmas trees

Hidden pests: What to do if you see one in your Christmas tree

"Mosquitoes are the biggest nuisance and pest on this planet. Hands down. They are responsible for more death than any other organism on this planet, including humans."

<p>if you're not testing as much, you're probably not gonna be detecting as much. In addition to fighting the pandemic, public health officials have another worry on their hands. Mosquitoes are the biggest nuisance and pest on this planet. Hands down. They're responsible for more death than any other organism on this planet, including humans. An Associated Press Kaiser Health News investigation found decades of budget cuts left local and state public health departments underfunded and understaffed. Departments had to shift. Resource is to confront the pandemic. The last couple of years, we've collected both mosquitoes and text to look for the vectors that transmit Zika virus for mosquitoes as well as Lyme disease for ticks This year, unfortunately, we're not doing that because of Copan. That's what we're really concerned about, ensuring that we're protecting public help. In addition to enhancing quality of life, many mosquito abatement programs rely on interns and seasonal workers. Those positions have been hard to fill because of the Corona virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mosquito control is an essential service that needs to be prioritized even amid a national public health emergency. It has stepped in to help with mosquito testing in at least nine states, mosquitoes are still going to be around and still causing diseases, no matter what sort of pandemic is going on. It's still early in the season, but human infections of West Nile virus and dengue gay have already been confirmed in the US despite reduced capabilities, public health officials say they can still monitor and respond to hot spots, but they know they're flying blind in some areas. Knowing whether or not we have particular species in our own community can help us provide those prevention messages and target different communities so that people can help keep themselves safe. So we just don't know what that looks like right now for our community.</p>

Mosquito testing hampered by pandemic response

Termites are drawn to our homes and wood piles, and can cause immense amounts of damage if unchecked.

Protecting your investment: how to keep your home termite free

Moxie : Spotlight : Termites

Imagine finding cockroaches in your newborns room, on their toys or bottles. It's an image that makes parents recoil in horror and wonder what has possibly gone wrong. 

Cockroaches on baby bottles: A single mom's battle with bugs in 90-year-old home

Moxie : Spotlight : Roaches on Baby Bottle

Keeping these bugs at bay is its own cottage industry, with a variety of sprays, candles and electronic emitters all available at your local hardware store.

Are bug sprays safe? Keeping your family safe, and home bug free

Moxie : Spotlight : Bug Sprays

A pest control company will work their hardest to keep your home pest-free, but there are so many ways you can control pests without having to call such a company to come to your house. 

7 tips for keeping pests out of your home

Moxie : Spotlight : Dry Goods

Many of the common pests we're concerned with throughout the year, like mosquitoes, hibernate in the winter, finding a relatively sheltered spot and hunkering down while the weather is cold.

Don't sleep on winter pest control, bugs seek warm shelter during cold

Moxie : Spotlight : Winter Pest Control

In the aftermath of  Hurricane Florence, mosquitoes have overwhelmed Harnett County and the steadily increasing population of pests is now being addressed.

Harnett County swats back at mosquito swarms with spray plan

Mosquito

Carpenter bees are often mistaken for bumblebees -- but, if left untreated, they can be a serious threat to your property.



How to spot carpenter bees and save your home

Carpenter Bee in the Door

After a decade in the pest control industry, Crystal Rizzo launched her own business this spring.