Ant, Formicidae
Scientific FactsAnts are the dominant group of social insects, they are approximately up to a fourth inch long or larger.
A female plays the role of the queen, worker, caregiver, and soldier, as males die shortly after they mate.
They undergo a complete metamorphosis following the order of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Notable IssuesAnts are attracted to poor sanitary conditions in search of a nearby food and water source.
They spread bacteria as they crawl and may cause an allergic reaction after stinging or biting someone.
Wet, damp, and rotting wood allows acrobat or carpenter ants to burrow a tunnel into structures.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pest can use to gain access.
Try to reduce excess moisture, food sources, and clutter that allows them to hide.
Store firewood outside and keep shrubbery a distance away from the home.
Ant, FormicidaeAnts are often confused with termites as their species may not be easily recognized.
Their colonies can sometimes have at least 3,000 to 4,000 adults at one time.
Such kinds are the Acrobat, Carpenter, Odorous, Pavement, and Pharaoh ant.
Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius
Scientific FactsBed bugs are traveling bloodsucking parasites, they are approximately up to a fourth inch long.
An adult female can lay up to seven eggs a day and possibly live for up to a year.
They undergo a gradual metamorphosis following in the order of the egg, nymph, and adult.
Notable IssuesBed bugs numb the human skin with an anesthetic that is contained in their saliva.
Their diseases are harmful to humans but there has never been a record of transmission.
Some hosts are known to be birds and rodents but they usually prefer humans.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pest can use to gain access.
Try to always inspect clothes, luggage, and sleeping areas when traveling.
You will notice their eggs are not easily removed from their place of attachment.
Bed Bug, Cimex lectulariusBed bugs move by crawling and do not jump or fly as a way of traveling.
They are not asexual but reproduce by a process called traumatic insemination.
Such kinds are the C. lectularius, C. hemipterus, and L. boueti bed bug.
Cockroach, Blattodea
Scientific FactsCockroaches are urban local inhabitants, they are approximately up to an inch and a half long or larger.
An egg capsule can have up to forty eggs and each one can possibly live for up to a year.
They undergo a gradual metamorphosis following in the order of the egg, nymph, and adult.
Notable IssuesCockroaches are the result of poor sanitary conditions with a nearby food and water source.
They may cause severe allergic reactions such as asthma when their feces reaches the air.
Several of them spread bacteria while crawling over food that is to be later consumed by humans.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pest can use to gain access.
Try to reduce excess moisture, food sources, and clutter that allows them to hide.
Closely monitor the humidity indoors and keep clutter to a minimum.
Cockroach, BlattodeaCockroaches can survive for up to a week without their head as they have two brains.
An albino cockroach may be spotted when they are molting or too overcrowded.
Such kinds are the American, Brown-Banded, German, and Oriental cockroach.
Mosquito, Diptera
Scientific FactsMosquitoes are flying blood sucking nuisance, they are approximately up to a fourth inch long.
One to two hundred eggs can be deposited by females at one time in nearby water.
They undergo a complete metamorphosis following the order of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Notable IssuesOnly female mosquitoes bite as they require proteins from the blood to develop eggs.
An allergic reaction from their saliva called skeeter syndrome can cause inflammation and a fever.
Mosquitos are responsible for several diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, west nile, and zika.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pests can use to gain access.
Try to remove excess stagnant water as it is a significant attraction for female mosquitoes to lay eggs.
Active ingredients such as DEET can be used to repel mosquitoes in several forms of products.
Mosquito, DipteraMosquito stages called larvae and pupae live in the water until they become adults.
Two flying insects that are often mistaken for mosquitoes are the crane fly and midge.
Such kinds are the Anopheles, Asian Tiger, Eastern, Southern House, and Yellow Fever mosquito.
Rodent, Rodentia
Scientific FactsRodents are warm blooded vertebrate pests, they are approximately up to a inch long or larger.
Several pups can be born each month and they can live for many years depending on their habitat.
They undergo the estrous cycle following in the order of the proestrus, estrus, metestrus and diestrus.
Notable IssuesRats cause several diseases, such as the plague, trichinosis, leptospirosis, and salmonella food poisoning.
They destroy about 20 percent of the world's food supply every year through contamination and feeding on stored grain.
Rodents are known for having sharp incisor teeth that grow continuously about 1 mm each day.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pest can use to gain access.
Try to reduce excess moisture, food sources, and clutter that allows them to hide.
Wedge steel wool or copper gauze along with dust into holes to prevent rodents from further damage.
Rodent, RodentiaRodents will chew through aluminum siding, lead pipes, and sun-dried adobe brick without hesitation.
Oil and dirt is left behind from their fur after using runways back and forth, frequently leaving grease marks.
Such kinds are the Beaver, Chipmunk, Mouse, Porcupine, Rat, Squirrel, and Woodchuck.
Spider, Araneae
Scientific FactsSpiders are natural regulators of insects, they are approximately up to an eighth inch long or larger.
Adult females can produce up to twenty sacks containing 250 eggs in their lifetime.
They undergo a gradual metamorphosis following in the order of the egg, nymph, and adult.
Notable IssuesSpiders can infest an area leaving behind tons of webs to catch their pray.
Stationary objects or structures that haven’t been disrupted or opened for a while may contain spiders.
Brown recluses and black widows are poisonous, causing severe health issues that may result in death.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pest can use to gain access.
Try to reduce excess moisture, food sources, and clutter that allows them to hide.
Objects that are brought in from the outside may house eggs from spiders.
Spider, AraneaeSpiders will not crawl into your mouth as you sleep as they don’t prefer carbon dioxide but seclusion instead.
Female spiders have a tendency to eat their male partner after reproduction.
Such kinds are the Black Widow, Brown Recluse, Crab, Yellow house, Web-Weaving, and Wolf spiders.
Termite, Isoptera
Scientific FactsTermites are natural destroyers of trees and timber, they are approximately up to an eighth inch long or larger.
A queen can lay up to 30,000 eggs a day and possibly live for up to ten years.
They undergo a gradual metamorphosis following in the order of the egg, nymph, and adult.
Notable IssuesTermites droppings, sheds, and dust can cause major health issues when mixed into the ventilation system.
Severe damage to structures can cause a safety issue to support beams, joists, and foundation.
They may cause an allergic reaction after stinging or biting someone.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pests can use to gain access.
Try to reduce excess moisture, food sources, and clutter that allow them to hide.
Clear away dead trees, firewood, and debris away from structures that may become a shelter.
Termite, IsopteraThey are active all months of the year but they stay underground in the winter to seek warmth.
Property damage can annually range from thousands to billions of dollars each year.
Such kinds are the Conehead, Dampwood, Drywood, Formosan, and Subterranean termites.
Wasp, Vespidae
Scientific FactsWasps are nature's natural pollinators that are approximately one and a half inches long.
A female plays the role of the queen and worker since males only act as unfertilized drones.
They undergo a complete metamorphosis following the order of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Notable IssuesStinging pests can cause an allergic reaction to some people that causes life threatening situations.
They build nests in strategic places of structures and some burrow holes in the ground.
Carpenter bees bore into wood placing eggs and an insect to protect their larvae.
Prevention TechniquesWe recommend you secure gaps, entry points, and cracks or crevices that pest can use to gain access.
Ripe fruit that has fallen can cause their aggression towards humans and animals.
Always remove the point of attachment along with the nest to stop future nests.
Wasp, VespidaeHoneybees are an endangered species that account for most of today’s food pollination.
Cicada killers and mud dauber wasps paralyze their prey to feed their larvae.
Such kinds are the Cicada killer, Eastern, German, Mud Dauber, and Paper wasps.