Pest Library

We've provided the links above for general info. on the most common household pests.  For more complete information on the subject of pests, we've included a link to Buginfo.com.  Buginfo.com was created and is maintained wholly by Univar USA, and is filled with short articles on a wide variety of pests and other wildlife that you may be interested in. This is where a homeowner can learn the truth about pesticides, termite baiting, West Nile Virus and Camel Spiders. You can learn about beneficial insects, the benefits of lizards in your garden, and the benefits of maintaining a neat and well trimmed property to keep pests away. You can also learn about pest exclusion and the benefit it offers or about ultrasonic pest repelling devices and the truth on whether or not they provide any actual reduction of pests.  It's an excellent resource so feel free to click on the banner below.

Cockroaches

      Although there are about 4,000 species of cockroaches, only a handful are known to be common household pests.  The American Cockroach is the most identifiable.  It's not uncommon to see them in the daylight outdoors.  They can be as large as 1.5 inches long.   They are reddish brown in color.  Like many species of cockroaches, they prefer dark and damp environments.  Warm conditions found within in buildings are ideal for these household pests.  Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal and will run away when exposed to light.  Asian Cockroaches are the exception and are attracted to light.  They gain access into your home through doors, windows, small cracks and any place there is the smallest opening.  The biology and habits of pest cockroaches  are similar.  One exception is the German Cockroach.  Adult German Cockroaches are up to 1.6 inches long and light brown in color.  They're very fond of inhabiting restaurants, food processing facilities, apartments and nursing homes.  The greatest challenge with exterminating German Cockroaches is the fact that they reproduce at a very rapid rate and have an exceptional ability to hide in small cracks.  One female can produce up to eight egg cases in a lifetime; in favorable conditions, it can produce 300-400 offspring.  If seen during the day in a structure, it's a sure sign of a dense infestation.  

Spiders

      Many people consider spiders to be nuisance pests.  Most species that live in our area don't pose a serious health risk to humans.  However, as pests some build unsightly webs inside and around your home.  The Aggressive House Spider is a common example of this.  They lay their eggs in brownish silken sacs which have a tough papery cover.  A female produces 17 sacs during her lifetime.  Each contains approximately 250 eggs.  They survive best in areas with high humidity such as garages, sheds, barns, etc.  You will often find their webs around door and window frames in and outside.  There are two spiders that pose a more serious health risk.  The Brown Recluse and the Black Widow.  Brown Recluse spiders are light brown or flesh colored to dark brown.  The best identifying characteristic is the violin shape that begins behind his eyes.  They construct  a nondescript, irregular web that is used almost exclusively as a retreat.  They typically nest  in secluded locations, e.g. among old papers or in seldom used clothing or shoes.  They can inflict a painful bite that can develop into an ugly, slow-healing ulcer.  The Black Widow Spider is glossy black with globe like abdomen.  The abdomen has two triangular red spots that resemble an hourglass.  They build their nests in protected locations where their prey is likely to travel.  They prefer basements, crawl spaces and garages.  Females produce a neurotoxin and bite if disturbed or handled roughly. 

Crickets

      There are about 900 species of crickets. They tend to be nocturnal and are often confused with grasshoppers because they have a similar body structure including jumping hind legs.  Cave crickets have very large hind legs with "drumstick-shaped" femora and long, slender antennae. They are brownish in color and rather humpbacked in appearance, always wingless, and up to two inches/5 cm long in body and 10 cm (4 inches) for the legs. On young crickets the body may appear translucent. As the name implies, cave crickets are commonly found in caves. However, most species live in other cool, damp situations such as in wells, rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards, and logs. Occasionally, they prove to be a nuisance in the basements of homes in suburban areas.  Poor ventilation in areas such as crawl spaces and sheds produce fungi in which they will often feed upon.  

Rodents

      Rats and mice can be a problem in urban, suburban and rural areas. They infest old buildings and crowded, unsanitary areas that exist in an urban environment. However, they can also be a problem even where newer homes and sanitary conditions exist. Since these rodents eat practically anything humans eat, they get plenty of food from home gardens, fruit or nut trees and even parts of some ornamental shrubs and flowers. Garbage disposals also attract rats into household and street sewer lines. Rats and mice have long been a problem on farms where food is plentiful and convenient nesting sites are both numerous and hard to eliminate.  

      There are six major problems caused by rats and mice:

• They eat food and contaminate it with urine and excrement.
• They gnaw into materials such as paper, books, wood or upholstery which they use as nest material. They also gnaw plastic, cinder blocks, soft metals such as lead and aluminum, and wiring which may cause a fire hazard.
• Rats occasionally bite people and may kill small animals.
• They, or the parasites they carry, (such as fleas, mites and worms) spread many diseases.
• Rats can damage ornamental plants by burrowing among the roots, or feeding on new growth or twigs. They also eat some garden vegetables, such as corn and squash.
• Rats and mice are socially unacceptable. These rodents have been a problem for centuries, chiefly because they have an incredible ability to survive and are so difficult to eliminate. In addition, they are extremely compatible with human behavior and needs.

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Fleas

      Fleas are small (1/16 to 1/8-inch (1.5 to 3.3 mm) long), agile, usually dark colored (for example, the reddish-brown of the cat flea), wingless insects with tube-like mouth-parts adapted to feeding on the blood of their hosts.  Fleas attack a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates including dogs, cats, humans, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, rats, ferrets, and mice. Fleas are a nuisance to their hosts, causing an itching sensation which in turn may result in the host attempting to remove the pest by biting, pecking, scratching etc the vicinity of the parasite. Fleas are not simply a source of annoyance, however. Some people and animals suffer allergic reactions to flea saliva resulting in rashes. Flea bites generally result in the formation of a slightly-raised swollen itching spot with a single puncture point at the center. The bites often appear in clusters or lines of two bites, and can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks afterwards. Fleas can also lead to hair loss as a result of frequent scratching and biting by the animal, and can cause anemia in extreme cases.

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