Pest Control Emergency?
Brown Dog Tick
Brown dog tick adults can be identified as having a flattened body and are about an 1/8 inch in length. When they are engorged with blood, they can be up to 1/2 inch in length. A male brown dog tick with has tiny pits scattered on back and its mouth is visible from above. Its color is reddish-brown, but when filled with blood, it can turn grayish-blue or olive. Geographically, brown dog ticks are found throughout the United States. Brown dog ticks are common on dogs but they seldom attack humans.
A home can become heavily infested if the family dog picks up ticks, even from another infested residence. A brown dog tick life cycle begins when an engorged female drops off the host dog, but tends to crawl upwards, depositing thousands of tiny dark brown eggs in wall or ceiling crevices and cracks, and then she dies. Eggs hatch in 19-60 days into tiny larvae with 6 legs. These "seed ticks" crawl down the walls and attach to a dog. In this case, your home and yard may become infested. Dogs do not become infested with brown dog ticks by direct contact with other dogs. Ticks feeding on a dog drop off and molt before they will resume host-seeking behavior and attach to another dog.
Dog ticks are a nuisance to the host animal and the household. Although they seldom attack humans, they are vectors for several disease organisms.
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Blacklegged Tick, or Deer Tick
The blacklegged tick is named for its dark legs, in contrast to its pale body. Adult females are about 1/8 inch long and males are smaller by about 1/16 of an inch. Sizes are larger after a blood meal. Blacklegged ticks are also called deer ticks. Blacklegged ticks like to feed on the blood of white-tailed deer, hence the name "deer ticks." . Blacklegged ticks can spread human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and Lyme Disease to humans during the late spring and early summer.
Unlike the brown dog tick who can live year-round inside your home, the blacklegged tick prefer grass and shrubs to hide in while awaiting their host.
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Indian Meal Moth
And indian meal moth is a small, grayish-brown moth found in the home. An adult has wingspread of about 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch. The larva stage feeds on nuts, herbs, coarsely ground grains, and other pantry items including dried fruits, pet foods, flaked fish food, and bird seed. An indian meal moth can eat through plastic bags and thin cardboard too.
The first stage of control is to identify all potential sources of infestation in a home. Infested materials should be discarded, promptly used up, or treated with heat or cold to kill insects found in the food. A thorough clean-out of all food sources is critical to managing Indian meal moth. Storing items in insect resistant containers or in cold storage can prevent reinfestation.
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Roof Rat
A roof rat, also known as a black rat or ship rat, has an adult body length of 14 to 18 inches head to tail. They have soft, smooth brown with black fur, large eyes and large, almost naked ears. They could also be gray to black on top with white gray or black undersides. Their scaly dark tail is longer than their body length. The most noticeable indication of their presence is their droppings. Adult droppings are up to 1/2 inch long, and are spindle shaped with pointed ends.
Roof rats nest in high places such as trees, but sometimes in burrows under plants. When indoors, they nest in high places, but also sometimes in basements, sewers, or under buildings. Roof rats eat almost anything, but they prefer fruit, vegetables, and cereal products. They get their water often from their food. They eat a lot at one time, and will return to that place time after time. If they do not like a food or bait they quickly become shy of it.
Roof rats gnaw, eat stored food, and transmit disease by droppings and urine, bites, and the fleas and mites in their fur.
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Norway Rat
The Norway rat, also called the brown rat or sewer rat, is a destructive pest found in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Norway rats are husky, brownish rodents about 13 to 18 inches long including the 6 to 8 1/2 inch tail. Their fur is coarse and mostly brown with scattered black on the upper surfaces. The underside is typically grey to yellowish-white. Rats will eat nearly any type of food, but they prefer high-quality foods such as meat and fresh grain. These rodents eat and contaminate food, damage buildings and other property by their gnawing and burrowing, and may spread diseases that affect people and pets.
The presence of rats can be detected by droppings or evidence of fresh gnawing. Tracks can be seen in mud and on dusty surfaces. Runways and burrows may be found next to buildings, along fences or under low vegetation, wood piles and other debris.
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House Mouse
The house mouse is considered one of the most troublesome pests in the United States and live and thrive under a variety of conditions in and around homes and farms. House mice are gray or brown rodents with relatively large ears and small eyes. An adult weighs about 1/2 ounce and is about 6 to 8 inches long, including the 3 to 4 inch tail. They can slip through a crack that a pencil will fit into. House mice consume food meant for humans or pets and contaminate food-preparation surfaces with their feces; containing the bacterium that causes food poisoning (salmonellosis). Although house mice usually feed on cereal grains, they will eat many kinds of food.
Droppings, fresh gnawing and tracks indicate areas where mice are active. Mouse nests, made from fine shredded paper or other fibrous material, are often found in sheltered locations. House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence. Their constant gnawing causes damage to structures and property.
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House Spider
The American house spider, house spider or domestic spider is found throughout the world, and is common throughout the United States and Canada. House spiders have an adult female body length of about 3/16 to 5/16 of an inch, including abdomen. They are large, up to three inches long with their legs extended. Their bites are not as dangerous to humans as some other more poisonous spiders. The adult male is smaller. The female has a rounded abdomen and the male, an elongated abdomen. House spiders have a yellowish brown color with several dark stripes in a v-shape. The male has orange legs and the female has banded yellow legs.
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House Fly
An adult house fly is about 1/8-1/4 inch long; the female is larger than the male. Mature larva is about 1/4-3/8 of an inch. The house fly is a danger to the health of man and animals principally because it carries and spreads diseases that may be in the materials it breeds in, feeds on, or walks on. Flies breed and lay eggs in garbage, animal feces, and decaying organic materials. On the feet of houseflies are tiny pads covered with hair which ooze a sticky liquid. These sticky hairs not only enable them to cling to any surface, but also are responsible for bacteria sticking to the feet.
Flies have been implicated in the transmission of at least 65 human and animal diseases, most notably:
- Diarrhea
- Dysentery
- Cholera
- Conjunctivitis (pinkeye)
- E. Coli
- Food poisoning
- Gastrointestinal infections
- Salmonella poisoning
- Stomach ulcers
- Tuberculosis
- Typhoid fever
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Silverfish
Silverfish are small, soft insects without wings. Silverfish normally live outdoors however many are found in houses and are considered a pest, or at least a nuisance, by homeowners. Usually they are found trapped in a bathtub, sink, or a washbasin. Silverfish are not often seen by homeowners because they are nocturnal and run very swiftly. Occasionally, they are found in bathtubs when they crawl in seeking food or moisture and can't climb out. These insects prefer vegetable matter however indoors, they will feed on almost anything including cereals and non-food items such as paste, paper, starch in clothes, rayon fabrics and dried meats.
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Field Cricket
Field crickets are dark brown to black crickets, 9/16 to over 1 inch long. The head is bent down and the back is arched up, giving these insects a humped-backed appearance. Under cool conditions, crickets can be kept alive for an extended period of time. Adult males chirp to mark territory and attract females. Crickets live in cool dark and damp habitats like caves, plumbing, under rocks, and damp basements. Dry dog food is excellent feed for raising crickets. Crickets spend the day in warm, dark cracks and crevices and emerge at night to feed. Outdoors, high numbers of crickets can damage garden plants. Indoors, crickets can damage natural and synthetic fabrics, furs and carpeting. Crickets prefer outdoors, but will be attracted to lights in large numbers and invade homes.
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Carpet Beetle
Black carpet beetle adults are 1/8 to 1/4" in length, black in color with brown legs. The larva is slightly less than 3/8" in length; body is narrow carrot-shaped and covered with short hairs and has long terminal bristles. Varied carpet beetles usually infest fabrics and carpets. Carpet beetles can damage fabrics, furnishings and clothing that contain natural animal fibers such as wool, silk, hair, bristles, fur or feathers. Synthetic items are resistant to attack, but mixtures of synthetic and natural fibers can be damaged. The natural habitats of carpet beetles are nests of birds, rodents, insects, and spiders. They then can spread into homes to damage carpets, rugs, and clothing. They also may feed on pollen and can be carried into the house on cut flowers.
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Centipede
The house centipede adult has 15 pair of legs with the last pair (on adult females) nearly twice the length of the body, which is one to one and one-half inches in length. This gives the centipede an overall appearance of being from three to four inches in length including legs and antennae. House centipedes feed on silverfish, firebrats, carpet beetle larvae, cockroaches, spiders and other small arthropods. Locations within structures that have been known to provide safe harbors for house centipedes include beneath concrete slabs, inside cement block walls, missing mortar between blocks and around pipes where they pass through the walls, in floor drains without water traps, under and in cardboard boxes that are stored on slabs, in any damp, cool location, such as unexcavated areas.
If house centipedes are seen frequently, this indicates that some prey arthropod is in abundance, and may signify a greater problem then the presence of the centipedes.
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Cat Flea
Cat fleas are frequently encountered in homes and are common pests on domestic cats and dogs. Female fleas firmly attach themselves around the ears and eyes of their host. Adult fleas are very small reddish brown to black, wingless insects, usually up to 1/8 inch. They have piercing-sucking mouth parts through which they obtain blood meals from their hosts. Flea larvae are tiny (up to 3/16 inch long), hairy, and wormlike with a distinct, brownish head, but no eyes or legs. Fleas may be found on pets throughout the year, but numbers tend to increase dramatically during spring and early summer.
Cat fleas readily try to feed on almost any warm-blooded animal. Some people are bothered by the sensation of fleas walking on their skin, but bites are the major nuisance. Flea bites usually cause minor itching but may become increasingly irritating to people with sensitive or reactive skin. Some people and pets suffer from flea bite allergic dermatitis, characterized by intense itching, hair loss, reddening of the skin, and secondary infection. Just one bite may initiate an allergic reaction, and itching may persist up to 5 days after the bite. Cat fleas may also serve as intermediary hosts of dog tapeworms. Cats or dogs may acquire this intestinal parasite while grooming themselves by ingesting adult fleas that contain a cyst of the tapeworm.
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Earwig
Earwigs are elongate, flattened insects, ranging from light red-brown to black and are easily recognized by their pincers. They have a frightful appearance, move rapidly around baseboards at the ground level, and may emit a foul-smelling, yellowish-brown liquid from their scent glands. These creatures normally live outdoors and do not establish themselves indoors. They are harmless to humans and animals, although can give a slight pinch with the forceps. Serious feeding damage may occur on flowers, vegetables, fruits and other plants.
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German Cockroach
German cockroaches are the most common roaches found in homes, apartments, restaurants, and other buildings where food is stored, prepared, or served. Adult German cockroaches are light tan to medium brown except for the shield behind the head marked with two dark stripes. Adults are about 1/2 to 5/8 inch long. Egg capsules are light tan and less than 1/4-inch long. German cockroaches eat food of all kinds and may hitchhike into the home on cartons, sacks of potatoes or onions, used furniture, etc. German cockroaches will move from building to building during the warm summer months. Roaches can develop into large populations and live throughout the home, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Roaches can foul food, damage wallpaper and books, eat glue from furniture, and produce an unpleasant odor. Some homeowners are allergic to roaches, and the pests can contaminate food with certain bacterial diseases that result in food poisoning, dysentery, or diarrhea. Cockroaches can cause childhood asthma.
During the day, roaches may be found hiding. If clusters of roaches are seen during the day, the population is large. Without food or water, adults may die in two weeks, but can live a month with only water.
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Yellowjacket
A typical yellowjacket worker is about 1/2-inch long with alternating black and yellow bands on the abdomen. The queen is larger, about 3/4-inch long. Yellowjacket wasps often become a nuisance especially from August through October, as they build up in large populations and scavenge for human food such as beverages, cider, juices, fruits, ice cream, etc. Although yellowjackets are considered quite beneficial to agriculture since they feed abundantly on harmful flies and caterpillars, it is their boldness and sometimes aggressiveness, painful stinging ability that cause most concern.
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Paper Wasp
The paper wasp is about 3/4 to 1-inch long, slender with long legs and reddish-orange to dark brown or black in color. Paper-like nests, shaped like tiny umbrellas, are suspended by a short stem attached to various places, usually around the exterior of a building. Paper wasps may become a nuisance when nesting around homes and other structures where people live, work or play.
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Baldfaced Hornet
Baldfaced hornets may be best described as large, black and white, heavy-bodied wasps about 3/4 inch long. The term "hornet" is often used to refer to many of the wasps that build large papery nests. The most notable paper wasp is the baldfaced hornet. They typically build exposed, mottled grey nests in trees or shrubs. Occasionally, the wasps will build nests on buildings. The nests are constructed of a paper-like martial formed from chewed wood and may exceed a basketball in diameter. Defensive behavior often occurs in response to nest defense. If the nest is not in the immediate vicinity, the likelihood of stings is greatly reduced.
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Carpenter Bee
Carpenter bees somewhat resemble bumble bees, except bumble bees have dense yellow hairs on the abdomen and large pollen baskets on the hind legs. Some species of carpenter bees are all black in color. An adult is three-fourths to one-inch long, black, with a metallic sheen. The female has a black head, and the male has white markings on the head. Various species of bumble bees and carpenter bees are similar in size. Bumble bees typically nest in the ground whereas carpenter bees nest in wood. Carpenter bees are so named because they excavate galleries in wood to create nest sites. They do not consume wood. Rather, they feed on pollen and nectar. Considerable wood damage can result from many generations of carpenter bees enlarging existing galleries in wood.
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Carpenter Ant
Carpenter ants are among the largest ants found in homes and live in colonies consisting of winged and wingless queens, winged males and different sized workers. Wingless queens measure 5/8 inch, winged queens 3/4 inch to the tips of their folded brownish wings, small minor workers 1/4 inch and large major workers 1/2 inch. Workers have some brown on them while queens are black. Workers have large heads and a small thorax while adult swarmers have a smaller head and large thorax. When several large ants are found indoors, it is possible that the colony is well established in the home, sometimes causing structural damage. They do not eat wood, but often remove quantities of it to expand their nest size.
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Eastern Subterranean Termite
The eastern subterranean termite nests in the soil and feeds on wood buried in or near the soil. This termite species prefers moist wood and is the common termite of Northeastern U.S. Worker termites are small white insects that avoid light and build mud tubes about the size of a pencil to reach wood above ground. The soldier termites are fewer in number, larger and with a large head and mandibles. Soldier termites are white with a dark yellow head. The male and female reproductive are black with four pairs of equal size clear wings. The wings drop off immediately after mating and they may pile up near windows and other sources of light. Large termite swarms occur in the spring when black, winged reproductive males and females leave the nest to mate and disperse. The size of the underground colony can reach millions.
Termite damage to wood can be recognized because there are small fecal pellets of digested wood along with soil particles within the galleries. Galleries are typically located in wood close to or touching the ground or wood wet with excessive moisture from a leak or other water source. It is important for homeowners to recognize the signs of a subterranean termite infestation. Subterranean termites may be detected by the sudden emergence of winged termites, or by the presence of mud tubes and wood damage.
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