April Taxonomy Fail: The Naming of Pests

I run across so many insect bloopers and taxonomy fails I thought I’d start a little running feature on them to go with my ever enlarging file of Things That Are Not Fire Ants.  I’m thinking monthly?  Biweekly?  Whenever I feel like it?  We’ll see.

Anyway, today’s little gem is brought to you by Aspect Home & Pest, who really ought to know better.  I present to you:

“Ticks”

“But wait!” you say.  “Those are ticks. They are eight-legged dorsoventrally flattened blood-sucking arachnids.”

Yes.  Yes, they are.

But keep on scrolling down the page.  I present to you:

“Fleas”

“Um,” you say.  “Those are still ticks.  Fleas are six-legged laterally flattened blood-sucking insects.”

That is also true.

Whoooops.