Home Pest Identifier Commercial Residential Contacts

• 1/4 - 3/8 Inch in length
• Most often black, but sometimes have reddish or yellowish coloration
• Workers have large mandibles
• Cut "galleries" into wood grain to get from nest to nest
• Resides outdoors or indoors in moist and decaying or hollow wood
• Leaves sawdust behind that can provide clues as to where they are nesting
• They do not eat wood
• Queen will lay 15-20 eggs the first year and 30 the next
• Eggs complete life cyrcle in 60 days
• Lifespan of worker ant is up to 7 years whereas a queen can live 25 years
• All types of Buildings regardless of age or type of construction are vulnerable to infestation
• Difficult to control
• Colonies can contain up to 50,000 workers

• Light brown to black
• 1/10 inch long
• Parrallel lines on head and thorax with 12 segment antennae
• Invades buildings while foraging for food throughout the year
• Outdoor nests are under stones, along curbs or cracks in pavement
• Indoor nests found in walls and under fllors
• Female lays 5 - 20 eggs per day
• Eggs mature in 40 days and go through 3 larval stages.
• Nuisance around building with slab-on-grade construction

Yellow Jacket

• 3/4 inch - 1 inch in length
• Generally small wasps with yellow and black stripes
• Live in colonies of thousands of insects
• Colonies are usually started by a single queen in early spring and are very small for the first couple months, by midsummer, a colony located on or near a house is usually large enough to become a problem.
• Will agressively attack when their nest is disturbed and inflict painful stings
• Unlike the honeybee a single wasp can inflict multiple stings
• Can be a danger to anyone living in the home near the nest
• Becuase of the danger, these wasps should be dealt with by a professional

• Usually 1 inch in length but can be as small as 1/2 inch and as large as 1 1/2 inch
• Many are reddish brown or dark red, some species are orange whereas others have varying red and yellow stripes
• Identified by the shape of their nest, a round upside-down paper comb attached by a single stalk to a horizontal, protected location. Resembles an umbrella
• Colonies start in the spring from a single queen
• Usually only a dozen workers but under right conditions can have up to 100 workers

• 5/8 - 3/4 inch long
• Black with yellow and white jacket
• Build typical sphere shaped paper nest
• Nests can be found in shrubs, trees, sheds, or attached to houses and utility poles
• Hornets will aggressively attack when their nest is disturbed
• Nests last a year

Flea

• 1/16 to 1/8 inch long
• Brownish black, flattened from side to side
• Wingless, but can jump considerable distances for their size
• Females lay 4-8 eggs after each blood meal
• The eggs are laid on the host but fall off easy
• Eggs are found on the hosts bedding or other places they frequent
• Eggs are oval, whitish and only 1/64 inch long
• Eggs hatch in 1-12 days depending on temperature or humidity
• Larva are wormlike, whitish in color and about twice as long as the adult flea
• Larva feed on organic debris including dried fecal matter from the adult flea
• Larva development can take from 1-2 weeks to several months depending on temperature and humidity
• Larva spins a cacoon when ready to pupate
• Pupa stage can last 4- 14 days under normal conditions or up to a year under adverse conditions
• Adult flea can live up to a year

• Life expectancy is eight days to two months
• 16,000 species of flies in North America
• Flies plague everywhere in the world except the polar ice caps
• One pair of flies can produce as many as one million offspring in as little as 6-8 weeks
• As many as 33 billion microorganisms may flourish in a single fly's gut while over half a billion more swarm on their legs and body
• Flies spread diseases readily becuase they move quickly from rotting, disease-laden garbage to food and utensils
• A fly deposits thousands of bacteria each time it lands
• U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that flies contaminate or destroy $10 billion of agricultural products every year
• For every fly seen there is an estimated 19 more hidden
• Humans don't see 95 percent of the flies present at an infestation

• Usually 1/4 inch in length, round shape
• Many colors but wings are usually red or orange
• On warm winter days may end up inside
• Heated buildings are ideal for surviving cold winters
• Ladybugs are predators of Aphids and other plant pests, so they are often found on or near plants
• Treatment of the outside west and south walls of the home near the eaves
• this treatment should be completed in August

• Encephalitis caused by Mosquitoes continues to be a problem in the United States
• Only adult females feed on blood
• Larvae and pupae live in waters, preferably still waters
• Found from the tropics to the artic
• Reliant on a water source
• Distinctive from flies becuase of their long "stinger" and scales on their back
• For more info follow the link below
  
  
  Latest info from the CDC regarding other domestic (US) mosquito-borne viral diseases

• Cockroaches enter your home many different ways, through cracks and crevices, drain and sewer pipes, and vents
• Your home is an ideal breeding ground
• The number of spots will vary or the wings may have no spots at all
• With plenty of food, warmth, water, and nesting sites they can remain active all year
• Cockroaches reproduce quickly
• For every one you see there can be as many as 200 more living and multiplying behind your walls
• Cockroaches are nocturnal, if you've seen one you have more
• The few cockroaches you see during the day are likely forced out by overcrowding, a sign of a sever infestation
• The dust cast off by cast-off skins, dead bodies, and droppings can aggrevate allergies especially in sensitive individuals

• Largest structure infesting species, up to 1/2 inch long
• Reddish-brown wings with light markings on thorax
• Prefers warm, damp areas
• More likely to be seen in the daytime and outdoors than other species
• Commonly found in food preparation areas
• Female needs to mate only once to produce many egg capsules
• Each capsule contains up to 13 eggs
• Adults can live up to 15 months
• Has shown a marked interest in alcoholic beverages especially beer

Brown-banded Cockroach

• About 5/8 inch long
• Wings have two brownish-yellow bands
• Nocturnal, can fly
• May be found in any structure but prefer dry, warm areas, high structures, or inside furniture
• Female carries egg capsule for 24 to 36 hours
• One egg capsule carries 18 eggs
• Nymphs reach maturity in 161 days
• Adults live up to 10 months
• Sometimes confused with the German cockroach
• Often hides egg capsules in furniture
• Not as dependant on moisture as other species

• About 5/8 inch long
• Light to medium brown with longitudinal streaks on the thorax
• Nocturnal, primarily infests areas close to food, moisture and warmth
• Most common cockroach found in and around apartments, homes, supermarkets, and restaurants
• Females can produce one egg capsule every 20-25 days
• Each egg capsule contains 18-48 eggs
• Newborns can mature in as few as 36 days
• Adults can live up to one year
• Extremely heavy infestations are not uncommon
• Often found aboard ships
• The most widely dispersed of all Cockroaches in the U.S.

• Dark brown, up to 1/2 inch long
• Prefers to live outdoors
• Populations are relatively immobile compaired to other species
• Egg capsules hatch in 24 to 70 days
• Each egg capsule can contain an average of 20 eggs
• Females reach maturity in 320 days and produce an average of 7 capsules
• Adults can live up to 200 days
• Particurally numerous in southeastern United States

• They invade your house seeking food, water and warmth
• One pair of mice can produce 200 offspring in 4 months
• Each mouse can contaminate 10 times more food than it eats
• Small and slender, about 3-4 inches long
• Large ears, small eyes, and pointed nose
• Light brown or light gray
• Droppings are rod shaped
• Nests within structures and burrows
• Establish a territory about 10-30 feet from food.
• Omnivorous but prefer cereal grains
• Prolific breeders by two months of age
• Can have litters as often as every 40-50 days with 4-7 young per litter
• Live up to one year
• Inquisitive but very wary
• Excellent climbers
• Feeds 15 to 20 times a day
• Can squeeze through a hole as small as 1/4 inch wide
• Carrier of many diseases

• Larger than the house mouse with adults
• The tail is shorter than the house mouse
• Blackish brown - grayish brown depending on the species
• Have a blunt nose
• Small furry ears
• Also known as meadow mice or field mice
• Poor climbers so they are usually only found in lower levels of a structure
• Establish a well built tunnel system that goes beneath vegetation
• Sometimes girdle tree roots which can lead to the death of the tree
• Widely spread accross the country
• Primarily live outdoors
• Prefer dense grassy areas such as meadows or fields
• Usually the homes or buildings they infest are near these type of fields

• Instintively wary of traps and bait
• Live in attics, burrows, and under concrete and porches which makes controlling them difficult
• Carrier of many serious diseases as well as introducing fleas, ticks, and lice into your home
• Brown, heavy-bodied. 6-8 inches long
• Small eyes and ears with a blunt nose
• Tail is shorter than head
• Fur is shaggy
• Nests in underground burrows
• Enter buildings in search of food
• Tends to remain in hiding during the day
• Droppings are capsule shaped
• Omnivorous but prefers meats
• Cannot survive long without water
• Reaches sexual maturity in 2 months
• Litters number from 8-12
• Females can have 4-7 litters per year
• Can live up to a year
• Is the most common rat in the U.S.

• Black or brown in color
• 7-10 inches long
• Body is slimmer than the Norway Rat
• Fur is smooth
• Nests inside and near buildings or under piles of rubbish or wood
• Excellent climber and can often be found in upper parts of a structure
• Can squeeze through openings only 1/2 inch wide
• Becomes sexually mature at 4 months
• Produces 4-6 litters per year of 4-8 young each
• Lives up to a year
• Prefers cereal grains

• Some like moisture and are found in basements, crawl spaces, and other damp parts of buildings
• Others like dry areas and are found in sub-floor air vents, upper corners of rooms and attics
• Hide in dark spaces
• Feed on insects
• Produce an egg sac

• Most common to the southern U.S. but will occasionally find its' way north
• Up to 5/8 inch long and a leg span of about 1 1/2 inches in diameter
• Also known as the "fiddle back spider"
• Generally hides in closets, old storage trunks, crawl spaces, and stored clothing
• Outdoors found in abandoned buildings and under rocks
• Bites initially burn and sting with a blister forming soon
• Seek medical attention if bitten and if possible try to capture the spider and bring it with you.

• Subterranean termites cause 95% of all termite damages in U.S.
• A temporary swarm of winged insects invades your home or from the soil surrounding
• Swarmers discard wings
• Workers are approximately 1/4 inch long and are wingless
• Soldiers haver elongated bodies with madibles
• Supplementary reproductives are wingless or have very short non-functional wings
• Live in colonies underground and make tunnels to food using mud tunnels
• Eat wood and other cellulose materials
• One queen per colony that can lay thousands of eggs in its lifetime however most eggs are laid by supplemental reproducitves in an established colony
• Termites cause over $2billion a year in damages
• Colonies can contain up to 1 million members