- AntsAmong the largest of all ants. Worker ants are usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, with large heads, shiny black bodies and no sting. They eat almost anything but cause most damage by tunneling in wood, both indoors and outdoors, to make smooth, "sculptured" nest cavities.
- SpidersBrown Recluse Spider: Yellowish to dark brown, with longish body and legs. Adult female body about 1/2 inch long. Mostly found in the South and Midwest, this is the most venomous of many related brown spiders, all of which have a dark brown fiddle shaped mark on their backs. They wander around at night hunting insects, usually taking prey back to a web spun in a quiet location, such as attics or closets. They also hide in shoes, trousers and other clothing. Adults and young of both sexes are venomous and will bite if disturbed. Bites may cause severe pain and disfiguring scars. Females produce 1 to 5 egg sacs, each containing about 50 eggs, and may live over 4 years.
- TermitesWe searched for termites in their home, showed the owner where they were, treated the home with our termite formula to stop further damage.
- FleasAdults are about 1/10 inch long. They are wingless, but have strong legs, particularly the hind legs, which are adapted for jumping. Adult fleas have a flat body and backward-pointing spines which help them more easily between the hairs or feathers of their victims and make it hard to dislodge them. Experts identify different species by the number and position of spines on the head and body of adult fleas.
- CockroachesA pest free home is a healthy home: If you haven't had your home professionally treated for pests in the past three months, your home may very well have pests in hidden voids (such as the inside of your walls, crevices, and dark areas) - not to mention cockroaches and other critters that breed by the thousands (and that's what a single pairs capable of alone).
- BeesBumble Bees: Resemble carpenter bees but top of abdomen is hairy, not shiny. Social insects, forming small colonies, mostly underground. Can be pests when nesting near sidewalks or where children play.
- WaspsThese large solitary wasps, about 1 1/2 inches long, hunt cicadas and put them in burrows as food for the young. Rarely sting people, but their burrows damage lawns.
- TicksThis 1/8 to 12 inch reddish-brown tick is the most common indoor tick, mostly attacking dogs, but sometimes people, cats and other animals. Each stage (larva, nymph and adult) feeds once over the course of several days until fully engorged, and then drops to the ground, where the young molt to the next stage and the adult female seeks a place to lay up to 5,000 eggs. Dogs pick up ticks from infested premises, not directly from other dogs. Each stage can survive months until a dog comes along - adults living up to 1 1/2 years without feeding.
- CricketsInvading pests with chewing mouthparts, such as crickets and many beetles, can cause severe damage to valuable documents and clothing.
- EarwigsEarwigs: Adult insects up to 1 inch long, characterized by pairs of forcep-like organs of defense at end of body. They scavenge at night, hiding under porches, rocks, compost, litter, etc. in daytime. Feed mostly on vegetation outdoors, but often invade and eat stored food indoors.
- FliesAdult female body about 1/3 inch long - males smaller. The almost globular abdomen is brownish with dark and light streaks and patches. This is one of many species that weaves irregular webs known as cobwebs. Web sites are chosen at random and if a web does not catch enough prey (mostly flies), it is abandoned and the spider builds another web. Most dirty cobwebs seen indoors are abandoned webs. After mating, the female lays about 250 eggs in a silken sac about 1/4 inch long, which is placed near the web center. The eggs hatch into spiderlings in about 8 days and several egg sacs are produced each year.
- CentipedesCentipedes: Flattened, elongated creatures up to 6 inches long, with one pair of long legs on most segments, antennae, and powerful poison jaws. These fast-moving predators catch and kill insect prey in damp situations indoors and outdoors.
- MillipedesMillipedes: Tube-shaped bodies, 1 to 2 inches long, with two pairs of legs on most segments. Slow-moving creatures which mostly feed on decaying vegetation in damp areas outdoors, but sometimes invade homes, especially in the fall.
- BeetlesGround Beetles: Large, long-legged, mostly flightless insects, often black or metallic blue or green color. They actively chase insect prey and often enter homes through doorways.
- ScorpionsNOTE: Additional nonchemical measures may be appropriate. For instance, placing the legs of a crib in wide-mouthed glass jars can stop scorpions crawling up. Altering irrigation of your lawn and ornamentals from evening to morning will discourage all those pests which are active and seek moisture at night, Professional pest control operators may be able to advise you on other things you can do in your particular circumstances to fight perimeter invaders.
- HornetsHornets: Larger and less distinctly striped than yellow jackets. European hornets nest in hollow trees and attics. Bald-faced hornets build exposed nests which hang in trees like large grayish footballs. Both these social wasps are very aggressive.
- YellowjacketsYellow Jackets: These black and yellow striped social wasps are small (workers about 1/2 inch long), but their large nests may contain over 5,000 individuals. Nests are concealed underground, or in hollow trees, wall voids and attics. They often scavenge around food facilities and trash containers and sting repeatedly with little provocation.
- MothsMany mites eat and damage plants or stored food. Other species are parasites and have been found everywhere - in nostrils of seals, gills of crayfish, ears of moths, and in hair follicles of most people.
- Pantry PestsPrior to purchase, be aware that decorative arrangements of dried wheat, Indian corn and other seed-bearing plants are potential sources of pantry pests. Rice weevils and other pests are often brought into homes with such items.
- Stinging Insects
- MitesClover Mites: These are usually bright red, smaller than a pinhead but visible to the naked eye. They are distinguished from other mites by their very long, forward-projecting front legs. They feed on grass, clover and other plants found in yards, thriving especially on well-fertilized lawns. They invade adjacent buildings during summer droughts or at the onset of cold weather. Outdoors they mostly overwinter as eggs in crevices of trees, fences or foundations. Some adults overwinter indoors, especially in wall cavities near doors and windows. They don't bite people or pets, but when they invade from outside or emerge from indoor winter hiding places their sheer numbers create a major nuisance.
- AphidsAnts eat a wide range of foodstuffs and can cause food contamination in homes. Outdoors, crops and ornamentals can be damaged directly by ants or because ants may protect aphids from predators in return for honeydew.
- GnatsBoth of us know, one treatment won't give you a gnat's head of what you really want: a bug-free home for as long as it takes. I have to convince you, then, I'm the most reliable termite and pest control company in Tennessee.
- Sow BugsSowbugs and Pillbugs: These are not insects but crustaceans, related to crabs and lobsters, adapted to life on land. They have 7 pairs of legs and an oval body up to 3/4 inch long covered in 7 "armor plates". They feed on decaying organic matter, especially under logs and other moist locations, but frequently invade damp basements.
- BatsOutside every home there are wild rodents, birds, bats and other animals which are parasitized by fleas. When these nest on or near the home, there is a risk of flea invasion, particularly when the infested animal dies and the adult fleas seek alternative hosts. When homeowners keep cats or dogs, the risk is even greater because such pets easily pick up fleas from wild animal sources outdoors, or when they mix with other pets at veterinary clinics, pet shows or neighboring homes. However, the fact that fleas are such a common pest does not mean they should be tolerated. Even if you are not particularly disturbed or irritated by fleas, control measures are necessary because of the disease risks and the distress caused to pets and visitors. These control measures must be aimed not only at existing adult fleas, but also at sources of new fleas, particularly larval development areas on the premises. Finding and dealing with these sources is essential to prevent immediate reinfestation, but it requires special knowledge and is best handled by professional pest control operators. However, here are 10 measures you can carry out or arrange that will reduce any existing problems and make it harder for fleas to become established in your premises.
- Raccoons
- SnakesSpiders, along with snakes, are among the most commonly feared creatures. This fear may be inherited rather than learned and is shared by some other primates, including chimpanzees.
- Wildlife
- OpossumsNorthern Rat Flea: Mostly found on rats, mice and opossums, but it also attacks people and is common in some cities.
- Birds
- SparrowsChicken Flea: Common pest of fowl, but they are also found in nests of wild birds, including sparrows and starlings. People may be attacked by chicken fleas from bird nests on or in buildings.
- Starlings
- RodentsThere are more than 2,000 different species of fleas, the majority of which live in the burrows and nests of wild rodents.
- MiceOutdoors, mice eat seeds, fruits, grubs, roots, buds and bark. Indoors, house mice can eat any human food, and have even survived on flour alone and on meat alone. House mice mostly take small meals 10 to 20 times each day, mostly in different places, within a distinct territory which they mark with their urine. Most feeding is at dusk and just before dawn.
- RatsTotal elimination of indoor mice is essential because of the dangers they represent, and this requires active killing measures using traps or chemicals known as rodenticides. However, the use of traps and rodenticides requires great skill in order to be effective and to avoid hazards to people or animals. The main skill lies in choosing the right positions and right numbers of traps or rodenticide placements. In the case of rodenticide baits, special bait stations may be required to safeguard children and animals. Also, because mice are often more resistant to rodenticides than rats, particular care must be taken to choose effective products, many of which are not available to homeowners. For these reasons, the use of traps and rodenticides is often best left to professionals. However, listed below are 10 specific measures you can carry out to protect yourself and your property against mice.
- SquirrelsScreen or seal foundation vents, chimneys, crevices, etc. to keep out flea-bearing mice, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, bats, etc. Pay particular attention to crawl spaces.
- Chipmunks