PEST INFORMATION
Cockroaches
German Cockroach:
This is a smaller species of cockroach, found most often in bathrooms and kitchens because they prefer sugary foods, toothpaste, and soap. Their smaller size makes it easier to hide in small cracks and crevices.
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American Cockroach:
These cockroaches are commonly called the waterbug. Their average size is almost 2 inches, and they are considered one of the fastest insects making it easy for them to dart out of a room and remain unseen from humans. They prefer warm and moist areas and are most commonly found in basements and crawl spaces.
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Oriental Cockroach:
Referred to as a waterbug, is dark brown to black in color. They are commonly found in sewers, drains, and other damp dark places. Oriental cockroaches can be elusive in that a casual inspection of an infested dwelling during the day may show no signs of roach activity.
Ants
Odorous House Ant:
This species is a scavenger/predator ant that will eat most household foods, especially those that contain sugar. Indoors they will colonize near heat sources or in insulation. In hot and dry situations, nests have been found in house plants and even in the lids of toilets. Outdoors they tend to colonize under rocks and exposed soil. They appear, however, to form colonies virtually anywhere, in a variety of conditions.
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Fire Ants:
A typical fire ant colony produces large mounds in open areas, and feeds mostly on young plants, seeds, and sometimes crickets. Mounds can reach 18 inches in height, depending on the type of soil. Fire ants cause painful stings that raise a small welt.
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Carpenter Ants:
Carpenter ant species reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying or hollow wood. They cut tunnels into the wood grain to provide passageways for movement from section to section of the nest. Certain parts of a house, such as around and under windows, roof eaves, decks and porches, are more likely to be infested by Carpenter Ants because these areas are most vulnerable to moisture.
Crickets
They tend to be nocturnal and are often confused with grasshoppers because they have a similar body structure including jumping hind legs. Crickets have relatively powerful jaws, and several species have been known to bite humans. Crickets mate in late summer and lay their eggs in autumn. The eggs hatch in the spring and have been estimated to number as high as 200 per fertile female.
Spiders
Black Widow Spider:
Not all adult female black widows exhibit the red hourglass on their abdomen—some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. Adult male black widows are a quarter the size of the female, and are usually gray or brown rather than black and red; while they may sometimes have an hourglass marking on their abdomen, it is usually yellow or white, not red. The female black widow’s venom is particularly harmful to humans. Black widows build their webs in sheltered, dimly lit places such as garages and sheds.
Wolf Spider:
Some wolf spiders build burrows which can be opened or have a trapdoor, but most are wanderers without permanent homes. Wolf spiders will inject venom freely if continually provoked. Symptoms of their venomous bite include swelling, mild pain and itching. Wolf spiders are nocturnal so they hunt during the evening.
Brown Recluse Spider:
These spiders usually have markings on their dorsal side with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider. They frequently build their webs in woodpiles and sheds, closets, garages, cellars and other places that are dry and generally undisturbed. Many human victims of brown recluse bites report having been bitten after putting on clothes that had not recently been worn or were lying undisturbed on the floor. The initial brown recluse bite frequently is not felt and may not be immediately painful, yet such a bite can be serious.
Scorpions
Carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger. Certain species of scorpion are aggressive and will attack humans with little to no provocation. Scorpions are also known to glow when exposed to black light. Scorpions are found widely distributed over all continents, except Antarctica, in a variety of terrestrial habitats. Their age range is approximately 4–25 years. Scorpions prefer to live in areas where the temperatures range from 68-99 degrees Fahrenheit. They are nocturnal, finding shelter during the day in the relative cool of underground holes or undersides of rocks and coming out at night to hunt and feed.
Earwigs
Earwigs have a characteristic pair of forceps pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folded underneath short forewings. Earwigs are nocturnal. They often hide in small, moist crevices during the day and are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and plants. Damage to foliage, flowers, and various crops is commonly caused by earwigs.
Silverfish
The name derives from the animal’s silvery light grey and blue color, combined with the fish-like appearance of its movements. In urban areas, they can be found in basements, bathrooms, garages, closets and attics. These insects feed on things such as wallpaper, book bindings, clothing, and glue. Normally silverfish come out to eat at night when the lights are off. Silverfish typically live for two to eight years.
Fleas
Fleas are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy or off the blood of mammals. Fleas are small, agile, and usually dark colored. They are found indoors in floor cracks and crevices, along baseboards, under rug edges and in furniture or beds. Fleas are not only a nuisance to humans and their pets, but can cause medical problems including flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), secondary skin irritations and, in extreme cases, anemia, tapeworms, and stomach flu.
Ticks
Ticks are blood-feeding parasites that are often found in tall grass where they will wait to attach to a passing host. Ticks are more active outdoors in warm weather, but can attack a host at any time. Ticks are vectors of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease, Q fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia, tick-borne relapsing fever, and tick-borne meningoencephalitis.
Mice / Rats
Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size; rats are generally large while mice are smaller. They are most often found in enclosed or elevated spaces in attics, walls, false ceilings, and cabinets. A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse. Mice can be harmful, damaging and eating crops, causing structural damages and spreading diseases through their parasites and feces.