Pest library

 Bed Bugs were largely eradicated as a pest in the 1940’s, but have made a dramatic comeback in recent years. Bed bugs are flat reddish brown oval shaped insects that favor homes and beds where people sleep. Bed bugs usually feed unnoticed on human blood when people sleep. They can lay 5 eggs a day and usually infest beds, bed frames, and any other sheltered areas they can find in your home. Bed bugs are transmitted from many areas. Hotels are most known but can be found just about anywhere.

 Box elder bugs are most commonly found on box elder trees. They measure a 1/2 an inch long. They are black with red markings. They feed on plant matter, and invade homes in large numbers during the spring and fall. 

 Centipedes are grayish yellow with three dark strips extending along the back. A centipede is only 1 to 1-1/2 inches long. Centipedes prefer damp areas to live in such as cellars, closets, bathrooms, crawls, and attics during warmer months. They lay their eggs in the same damp places. Centipedes forage at night for small insects, spiders, and their larvae. They can be seen actively running across floors, bathtubs, and sinks. If provoked larger centipedes may bite, which may cause swelling and pain. Their bites are not from their mouth but from front legs which look and function like jaws. 

 Earwigs like moist areas and feed on insects and plants. They can do damage to plants and crops. Earwigs are brownish black in color and have a pair of forceps like pincer on their abdomen. This is used for protection and holding prey. 

 Fleas are small wingless insects 1/12 to 1/6 inch long, but can be as small as 1/25 to 1/3 inch long. The flea body is covered with spines that project backward which make it easy for them to travel through hairs on a host’s body. Adult fleas have piercing, sucking mouthparts so they can get through the host’s skin and suck blood. Fleas can jump as high as 7 to 8 inches vertically and 14 to 16 inches horizontally. Flea eggs are barely seen and are only 1/50 of an inch in diameter. Eggs are laid on the host, but can fall off and hatch on ground. A flea can lay up to 200 to 400 eggs in a couple of days and depending on temperature and humidity, eggs can hatch anywhere from 2 days to a week. Fleas feed on all kinds of organic debris and can develop well when they feed on feces of adult fleas. Adult fleas emerge from pupa within 7 to 14 days, but some may not emerge for several months to a year later. Warmth and other signals like walking or a pet stepping on carpet can trigger fleas to hatch. This is why new homes, vacationers, or apartments that had fleas are attacked when they move back in or come home. These vibrations allow the fleas to hatch. Adults are ready to feed right after they hatch. Fleas can carry parasites and disease. 

 Clothes moths are often found in boxes of old clothing, furs, feather pillows, piano felts, old over-stuffed furniture, carpets, and even lint that collects along baseboards and in corners. The adult Clothes moth is a tiny, buff-colored “miller” that avoids light. The adults do not feed, but their presence does indicate a moth infestation. The larva is a small white caterpillar that lives inside a silken case or web and feeds on wool, hair, fur, and feathers. Damage done will depend upon the type of item being fed upon and the species of clothes moth involved. 

Indian meal moths are tan and reddish brown. Their wingspread is about 3/4 of an inch. They feed on all kinds of grains and grain based products. Some of these products are seeds, dog food, nuts, candy, chocolate, and dried fruits. Larva leaves their food supply when ready to pupate and this is where they find a place to spin their cocoons and pupate.

Adult Indian meal moths live less than 2 weeks. This is the most common stored food product moth found in a home.

 Millipedes live outdoors in damp places, under decaying leaves, and in outdoor plants. They feed on decaying vegetable matter, new roots, and green leaves. In dry weather they may move into buildings and homes in large numbers. Millipedes are brownish in color and are 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long. Millipedes coil up when resting .

 Silverfish are small wingless insects and are silver in color. Silverfish look and move like a fish. Silverfish do a lot of destruction to books, paper photos, clothing, linen, and silk due to their starch content which is their preferred food source. 

Sowbugs are gray in color and have several segments on their bodies. The like moist dark areas like basements and feed on dead or decaying plants or animals.

Sowbugs are also called a pillbug because some species roll up into a ball when disturbed.

Ticks can be found year-round but are most prevalent in the warm summer months. They are parasites, and as a result, are on a continual quest for a host. If a host is not available, a tick can survive up to a year without feeding.

A female tick must have a blood meal before she can lay eggs. After feeding, she drops off her host and lays thousands of eggs. A female tick lays one batch of eggs, after which she dies. A male tick also dies after reproducing.  

There are two established families of ticks: hard ticks and soft. A tick matures from egg to adult in stages. Depending on the family, some reach maturity in only a few stages of growth. Other varieties may take as many as eight stages to develop. The length of time to reach maturity also depends on factors as temperature, humidity and availability of food. With regard to physical characteristics, an immature tick has six legs; a full-grown adult has eight.

Ticks transmit a number of diseases as a result of feeding off both human and animal hosts. Examples include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, Q Fever, Tularemia, Tick Paralysis and Meningoencephalitis.

House crickets (Acheta domesticus) are opportunistic omnivores. They reproduce quickly and make loud, high-pitched sounds at night. These sounds are produced when male crickets rub their forewings together to attract females. Research has shown that female house crickets are capable of discerning which cricket is larger through these songs alone. Cricket sounds also vary by species.

House crickets grow up to 2 cm in length. They are light brown in color and feature three stripes on their heads, as well as long, slender antennae. The wings of the house cricket are held flat against the back and are bent at the sides. House crickets are not native to the United States. They have been introduced from Asia trough their use as pet food and fishing bait. Wild populations of house crickets are most common east of the Mississippi River, although there are also concentrations of crickets in Southern California and in Texas.

 Bald face hornets build large hanging paper nests from trees and structures. Paper nests are made by chewing on wood fiber which is mixed with starch in their saliva. Bald face hornets are black with a white face. They can become very aggressive when they are threatened. 

 Bumble bees nest underground and are social insects. Bumble bees make tunnels in old mouse holes or abandoned burrows, under stones, or logs, they do not burrow holes in wood. Bumble bees don’t usually cause any problems to humans unless they feel the nest is threatened then they will attack and sting. 

 Carpenter bees do not eat wood, but do damage both dead wood and structural timber on homes. Carpenter bees are black and yellow in color with shiny black abdomens. They burrow by vibrating their bodies as the rasp of their mandibles against the wood to make perfectly circular holes. The tunnels they make function as a nursery for their young. 

 Cicada killers are a very large wasp. They measure 2 inches with black or dark brown markings. They nest in the ground and hunt cicadas which are paralyzed by the venom of the wasp sting. The female will then bring the cicada back to the burrow and lay one egg on it where it will remain until spring then emerge as an adult. 

 Paper wasps are brown and yellow in color and are common wasps. Nests are found in sheltered areas, they appear gray in color and are made with plant fibers mixed with saliva to produce a cone shaped nest for egg laying. Sizes very from small to large. Paper wasp aren’t very aggressive and will only attack if they themselves or the nest is threatened. 

 Yellow jackets are social insects and are about 1/2 inch long. Yellow jackets build their nests underground most of the time. These underground nests are usually made by some other pest that abandoned the burrow, these nests expand when the colony develops. However, some build their nests in concrete block foundations, rail road ties, and in landscaping. The wasp that nests in structures is known as the German yellow jacket. The structures they are most found in are: wall voids, attics, or crawl spaces. German yellow jackets use the same hole or crack that they found in home or building. Several thousand workers may be produced in one season. They forage on sugars, carbohydrates, beer and some live on prey like: insects, garbage, and carcasses. Yellow jackets peak in late summer early fall. Yellow jackets are to be the most dangerous, for life threatening allergic responses to certain sting victims. 

 The House Spider builds their tangled web in or near human dwellings, often in secluded areas such as between loose walls, behind open doors, and attic windows. They eat household insects and other invertebrates that get trapped in their web. They are generally dull in appearance, with patterns consisting of brown shades for coloration, often giving a vague spotted appearance that is noticeable on the legs. Their average body size is 1/4 inch long, but can be an inch or more across with legs outspread. They are not usually aggressive and will even let a human hand approach their web. 

 The Black Widow is widely distributed over the warmer portions of the United States. The females are easily identified because of their globular, shiny black abdomen with two reddish or yellowish triangles on the underside making and “hourglass” marking. The abdomen is usually about 1/4 inch in diameter but may be as large as 1/2 inch when the female is full of eggs. Males are much smaller and lighter colored, with light streaks on their abdomens. The Black Widow venom contains toxins that are neurotoxic, which affects the nervous system. 

 The Brown Recluse is a soft-bodied and secretive species found in homes (i.e. bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, garages, basements, and cellars) and other outbuildings in the southern, western, and midwestern United States. The adult body varies 1/3 to 1/2 inch in length, with the arrangement of the legs producing a larger overall size of 1 inch in diameter or greater. The body is yellow to dark brown and has a rather distinctive darker brown “violin” shaped mark on the top of the cephalothorax and visible fangs. This spider is not aggressive and usually retreats to cover when disturbed. Most bites occur when a person traps or crushes the spider while putting on old clothes that have been hanging in a garage, or by rolling on the spider while asleep in bed. 

Wolf spiders range in body size and color; they depend on camouflage for protection. Wolf spiders are excellent hunters with good eye sight and have a wide range of habitats.

They are unique in the way they carry their eggs, which is in a round globe attached to their abdomen that she carries until they are born. Unlike most spiders wolf spiders do not spin webs and actually hunt for their food.

 These spiders are so named for their jumping ability. They can jump many times their length to capture prey or avoid threats and can also walk backwards. These common spiders are about 1/8-3/4 inches long, very hairy, stocky built, and short-legged. Many species have patches of brightly colored or iridescent scales. Some are black with spots of orange or red on the upper surface of the abdomen, and at times are confused with Black Widow spiders. Jumping Spiders are active during the day and prefer sunshine. They normally live outdoors, but they can become established indoors and their hunting activities often center about windows and entry doors where their prey is most common 

 The Yellow Sac spider is very common in the United States. In the summer months the Yellow Sac spider prefers to live on trees, shrubs, and in low vegetation close to open expanses, such as fields due to there being plenty of food sources in these areas. In the autumn when the food sources start disappearing they will move indoors to find food. Indoors they are often seen on walls and around different constructions. If disturbed it drops to the floor. Yellow Sac spiders lay their eggs in corners of all sorts and are white and spun with silk. These spiders are active in the night, where they wander around to find prey. Also, they do not produce webs. 

 Deer mice are excellent jumpers and faster than most other mice. They are brown and white in color and have 2 to 4 litters a year with 3 to 11 young. They can easily over populate and become a nuisance. 

 House mice are one of the most common home invaders. Mice consume and contaminate food sources and do transmit disease causing pathogens. They range in color from white to black. Mice have 5 to 10 litters of 3-15 a year making them a nuisance. 

 The Norway rat has been in the United States since about 1775. They weigh about 12 to 16 oz. Their body fur color goes from reddish to grayish brown with white under parts. The mother rat will have a litter of 8-12 pups. Rats can squeeze into holes about 1/2 inch. Rats are great swimmers; they can swim up to 1/2 mile in the water. Rats will swim in sewer lines and can even swim up toilets. Rats can tread water for up to 3 days. Rats climb very well. Also, if they can’t climb up something, they will jump. Rats can jump up to 3 feet. Rats also chew or gnaw through materials like: lead sheathing, cinder block, aluminum, siding, glass, and concrete that wasn’t properly cured. 

 Carpenter ants are large black ants that prefer to nest in dead, damp wood and will cause extensive and expensive damage to homes. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood but hollow out sections of wood to nest in. Colony sizes can range upwards into the thousands and are one of the most common wood destroying organisms. 

 Powderpost beetles are a common wood destroying organism, the larva of these beetles damage wood to a very fine powder like material. Powderpost beetles riddle softwoods and hardwoods with holes they pack with wood dust or frass. Powderpost beetles lay their eggs on exposed wood. Larva are yellowish white with dark mandibles, adults are flattened and reddish brown to black in color. The larva stage is when almost all damage is done to wood; the adults do very little damage. 

 Termites will search your home for wood fibers. They will squeeze through cracks as narrow as the thickness of a penny. Other ways for them to gain entry are through expansions joints, foundation cracks, and tiny gaps around plumbing and electrical openings. Termites often leave evidence of their presence. Look for small holes, crumbling drywall, and sagging doors or floors. You might see shelter tubes which they build to serve as their passageways. Shelter tubes conceal the termites, provide a moist environment and protect termites from enemies. Also, you may see insect wings; termites shed their wings when they swarm to start new colonies. Damage from termites can go undetected while it grows for years on end, and most homeowner’s insurance will not cover termites. Termites can live for 15 years, lay 1 egg every 15 seconds, and can destroy an entire house in about 2-3 years.