Editorial policy
Every factual claim on this site links to a source. Sources are tiered, and the highest tier available is used. Medical pages state their review status. Errors are corrected and the correction is noted on the page.
Source tiers
- Tier 1: peer-reviewed journals, university Cooperative Extension publications, federal and state government agencies, poison control centers, FDA labelling.
- Tier 2: established institutions (universities' public-facing pages, health systems, museums), major reference works, and reputable science journalism. Used for context or where no Tier 1 source addresses the point.
- Not cited as authority: pest-control company content, forums, and social media. They may be mentioned as examples of a claim.
Claims
Numbers are reported with their source and data year. Where sources disagree, the page says so and explains which figure is used and why. Where no reliable source exists, the page says "what is not known" rather than guessing. No statistic is rounded up, no source is invented, and nothing is cited that the author has not read.
Medical review
Pages that give sting, treatment, or antivenom guidance carry a badge in the byline. "Medical review: pending" means the content cites clinical sources but has not yet been reviewed by a named clinician. "Medically reviewed by [name, credential] on [date]" will appear only after such a review. The site will not display a reviewer who did not review the page.
Update cadence
Every page shows its published and last-reviewed dates. Medical pages are re-checked at least annually and after any new relevant study. Biology pages are re-checked when the literature changes. The site's own field data are updated seasonally.
Corrections
Report an error through the contact page. Confirmed errors are fixed, and a dated correction note is added to the bottom of the page.
Independence
This site accepts no advertising and no payment for placement.