Ants
These insects are usually black or brown in color and can range from 1/8 to 3/8 inches in size.
- May invade homes in search of food
- Feed on sweets
- Colonies also contain several reproductive females and hundreds of thousands of workers
Crazy Ants
Crazy ants often nest in soil of potted tropical plants and do not survive outdoors in colder climates.
Pavement Ants
Pavement ants are often found under sidewalks, driveways and building foundations. Look for mounds of displaced soil on pavement cracks or walls. During the winter, pavement ants may nest inside structures near a heat source.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants nest in wood and are often associated with moisture problems. In structures, they are often found where water has leaked and soaked the surrounding wood, around plumbing, and under windows.
- May invade homes in search of food
- Do not eat wood, but feed on sweets, fats, and other insects
- Are most active at night
Beetles
- Infest food and non-food storage items such as: rice, grains, cereal, dried flowers or plants
- Hide in dark places
- Generally feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates.
Cigarette Beetles
The cigarette beetle is a pest of many stored products, including food and non-food items.
Saw Toothed Grain Beetles
These beetles find their way through packaged cereals, dried fruits, candies, flour, meal, sugar, drugs, dried meat, and tobacco.
Bugs
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are blood feeders. They lay eggs in door frames, baseboards and furniture and can move from room to room in search of more food.
Chinch Bugs
- Inject toxins into grass while extracting the juices from it
- Brown spots in the lawn with a surrounding light yellowish area are signs of their presence
- Most commonly found in St. Augustine grass
Pill Bugs
- Feed on decaying plant matter
- Found in damp areas
- Damp mulch is common nesting place
Sow Bugs
- Feed on decaying matter
- Frequently invade damp basements
- Can be found under rocks, logs and leaf piles.
Crickets
Crickets are commonly found in the summer and fall in leaf litter and heavy ground. They can be easily heard by their wings rubbing against each other.
- Primarily live outdoors but can be found indoors looking for moisture
- Feed on plants, grass, clothing, carpet, paper, cotton, linen, and proteins
- Nocturnal
Mole Crickets
- Cause damage to lawns
- Feed on roots and tunnel just beneath the soil surface
Earwigs
- Odorous
- Active at night and seek shelter during the day under stones
- Feed on dead plants and animal matter
- Can be found in tree holes, mulch and landscape timbers
Fleas
- Larvae feed on organic debris and animal blood
- Adults feed on human or other animal blood
- Transmit several diseases
Cat Fleas
- May be found on dogs or cats
- Nest in areas where dust or organic debris accumulate
- Host tapeworms
- Spread disease
Flies
These insects are usually black or brown in color and range from 1/4 to 1/2 inch in size.
- Eggs laid in warm moist environment
- Can only eat liquids
- Solid foods are liquefied with regurgitated saliva
Green Bottle Flies
- Lawn pests
- Eggs are laid in the winter and not active till spring
- Stunt plant growth, spread plant viruses, and attract ants
House Flies
- Eggs laid in warm moist areas
- Only eat liquids
- Most commonly found pest around the world
Grubs
- Grubs damage lawns by destroying grass roots
- Feed on the fibrous root system of turf during spring and fall months
- An infestation of grubs may cause lawn damage from other small animals foraging for grubs in lawns
Book Louse
- Live in damp places
- Often found in great numbers
- Found in tree bark, old papers, books and food products
House Mouse
- Contaminate food and carry disease
- Can get through a hole the size of a dime
- Build nests out of string or shredded paper
- Nest building can cause damage to homes and businesses
- Poor vision but have heightened sense of smell, taste, hearing, and touch
Mosquitoes
Most mosquitoes rest in a cool place during the day and wait for the evenings to feed. There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes found throughout the world.
- Breed in standing, stagnant water
- Blood feeders that can spread disease
- Nest in moist, warm environments
Moth
Angoumois Grain Moths
- Usually feed on whole kernels of corn
- Can be found in bird seed or dried corn ears
They bore into the seeds of plants and feed inside the seed covering. Grain Moths are common pests to stored products.
Indian Meal Moths
- Mistaken for clothes moths
- Larvae feed on all kinds of grains and grain-based products
- Found in stored product goods
These moths are able to get into tight spots, including sealed bags and Tupperware containers. The food they infest will often seem to be webbed together.
Mediterranean Meal Moths
- Infest flour, nuts, chocolate, beans and dried fruits
- Lay eggs in flour or other milled products
- Larvae spin threads that look like webbing
Cockroach
These insects are usually black or brown in color and can be found up to 2 inches in size.
- Found in moist areas
- Can cause infection and disease
American Cockroach
These insects are usually reddish brown in color and can be up to 2 inches in size.
- Also known as Palmetto or Flying Water Bug
- Found in moist areas
Brown Cockroach
These insects are usually black or brown in color and can be up to 2 inches in size.
- Egg capsules are usually glued on walls by female
- Can cause infection and disease
German Cockroach
These insects are usually black or brown in color and can be up to 2 inches in size.
- Live in dark, damp locations near food and water sources.
- Can cause infection and disease
Spiders
Brown Recluse
- Bite people as defense mechanism
- Can crawl into shoes, clothing or beds
- Spider bites can produce a bad ulcerating open sore
Black Widow
- Paralyze or kill their prey with venom
- Feed mainly on insects and are nocturnal
Ticks
American Dog Ticks
- Dogs are the most favorable host
- Larvae and nymphs feed on small rodents
- most disperse species of tick in the US
Brown Dog Ticks
- A worldly distributed tick
- Common host is the dog
- Known to transmit Lyme Disease
Weevils
Grain Weevils
- No functional wings
- Breed only on grain in storage
- Both larvae and adults feed on grain
Grain weevils are the most destructive pests of stored grain. The source of infestation can usually be found in a cupboard in cereals.
Rice Weevils
- The most destructive pest of stored grains
- Feed on a wide variety of grains
- Females bore hole in grain kernels to lay a single egg
Rice weevils feed on food products within the home and furniture, clothing and other fabrics and decorative items.
Worms
Army Worms
- Feed in large groups, cutting off parts of grass blades leaving damaged tips
- Are a common sight after cool wet weather.
Sod Web Worms
- Active at night between spring and fall
- Damaged lawns will have irregular patches of chewed or notched grass blades
- Silk webbing seen in the morning dew and moths swarming above the turf surface are signs of an infestation.
