Pest Identification Guide

(Cimex lectularius)

The adult bed bug is oval and flat. They grow to only about a quarter of an inch long. Bed bugs lack wings, so you won't see them flying around your bedroom. Under cover of darkness, they crawl in search of blood, preferably from a human. Bed bugs use a piercing, sucking proboscis to penetrate the skin of their host. Adults are brown but appear reddish-brown when engorged with blood. For more information, contact us today.

(Siphonaptera)

Fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of any warm-blooded body. The most common species is the cat flea, which often feasts on cats, dogs, and humans.

(Pediculus humanus) 

One of the best-known lice is Pediculus humanus – the human louse – which has two distinct races. The race capitis may be found in the hair on the head, and their eggs, stuck to hairs, are termed nits. These can be very difficult and time-consuming to remove – this is where the term 'nit-picking' came from. The race corporis is found on the body. Body lice can carry diseases such as relapsing fever (caused by Borellia recurrentis) and typhus (Rickettsia prowazeki) although only if they feed on someone who already has the disease. Sucking lice on domestic animals can also spread disease. Of these two human lice, the head louse is more common, and sometimes, there are outbreaks of head lice infestation in schools. Head lice can survive any amount of washing and combing, so they are not associated with a lack of hygiene. Luckily, head lice can be irritating, but they do not carry disease.

(Siphunculata)

Sucking lice have piercing mouthparts, which they use to suck the blood of their hosts – mostly mammals, including men. They hang on to hair with a single giant claw at the end of their strong legs. Lice that feed exclusively on blood do not get a well-balanced diet and make up for this by having bacteria in their gut that provide additional nutrients. Nearly every mammal species can be infested by a sucking louse – even seals, whales, and walruses have them! These 'marine lice' all belong to the family Echinophthiriidae, and they can exist underwater for long periods by taking a layer of air between their specially modified body hairs or breathing air trapped in the host's body hair.

(Boisea trivittata)

Boxelder Bugs commonly congregate alongside homes or trees near a female Boxelder and in full view of the sun. They are identifiable by the distinct black and red coloring on their bodies (the red appearing as stripes against the black). TIP: Boxelder bugs will secrete a staining dye when crushed. If found indoors, your best bet is to remove them with a paper towel or vacuum cleaner to avoid a mess.

(Chilopoda and Diplopoda)

Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs, ranging from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes can easily be distinguished from millipedes by counting the number of pairs of legs arising from most body segments: millipedes have two pairs. In contrast, centipedes bear one pair per segment, with the first pair of legs being modified into fangs.

(Order Dermaptera)

Earwigs got their name from the myth that they crawl into sleeping people's ears and tunnel into their brains. The long cerci, or clippers, on their backsides easily identify an earwig.

(Coccinellids)

A few species are considered pests in North America and Europe, but they are generally considered useful insects as many species feed on aphids or scale insects, which are pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places. Harmonia axyridis (or the Harlequin ladybug) was introduced into North America from Asia in 1988 to control aphids but is now the most common species as it is out-competing many of the native species.

(Oxidus gracilis )

Millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment (except for the first segment behind the head, which does not have any appendages at all, and the next few, which only have one pair of legs). Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical bodies, although some are flattened dorso-ventrally, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a ball, like a pillbug. The millipede's most obvious feature is its large number of legs. Having very many short legs makes millipedes rather slow, but they are powerful burrowers.

(Armadillilium vulgare)

This pest is the only crustacean that has completely adapted to spending life on land. Pillbugs have oval bodies and seven pairs of legs. They are easily recognized by their back, which is made up of seven rigid individual plates. Pillbugs are sometimes referred to as rollie-pollies.

(Halyomorpha halys)

This insect, notorious for its "smelly" reputation, earned its name from its tendency to release an odor when disturbed or when crushed. Many other insects have these same characteristics, including some species of ants, beetles, and other bugs. Most stink bugs are herbivorous and use their piercing and sucking mouthparts to feed on plant juices. A few common species of stink bugs are predatory and use their mouthparts to drain fluids from caterpillars and other pest insects.

(Lixus angustatus)

A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than 6 millimeters (0.24 in), and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae (the true weevils). Some other beetles, although not closely related, bear the name "weevil," such as the biscuit weevil (Stegobium paniceum), which belongs to the family Anobiidae. Many weevils are damaging to crops. The grain or wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius) damages stored grain. The boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) attacks cotton crops. It lays its eggs inside cotton bolls, and the young weevils eat their way out.

(Periplaneta americana (L.))

The American cockroach is the largest of the house-infesting cockroaches.

(Supella longipalpa)

Brown-banded cockroaches get their name from the two lighter bands they have across their dark brownish bodies. In addition to the distinctive banding, males have full wings, which reach beyond the tip of their rather pointed abdomens. Still, females have underdeveloped wings, much shorter than their broad, rounded abdomens. The lighter band markings are much more distinct in nymphs than in adults of either sex.

The German cockroach is found throughout the world in association with humans. German cockroaches adulterate food or food products with their feces and defensive secretions, physically transport and often harbor pathogenic organisms, may cause severe allergic responses, and in extremely heavy infestations, have been reported to bite humans and feed on food residues on the faces of sleeping humans. In addition, some scientists suggest that German cockroach infestations may cause human psychological stress and that the stigma associated with infestations alters human behavior.

Oriental Cockroaches, Blatta orientalis (L.), are large, very dark (almost black, but sometimes dark reddish-brown), shiny cockroaches that live in sewers and similar wet, decaying organic matter. They are sometimes called “water bugs” because they come out of drains, and “black beetle cockroaches” because of their smooth, dark bodies. Males are about 1 inch long, with wings that cover only about 3/4 of their abdomen; females are about 1 1/4 inch long and have only short stubs of wing pads.

(Xylocopa species)

Carpenter bees look like typical bumblebees but often lack yellow stripes. They are solitary bees.

(Family Hodotermitidae)

As the name suggests, damp wood termites infest wood with high moisture content. Dampwood termites are normally larger than other termite species. Bodies of king and queen dampwood termites range from 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch long and have two pairs of wings that are equal in size and shape and extend beyond their abdomen. Nymphs range up to 5/8 inch, and worker-damp wood termites are up to 3/4 inch.

(Family Kalotermitidae)

These social insects infest dry wood and do not require contact with the soil.

(C. formosanus)

Originally from China, Formosan termites are the most voracious, aggressive, and devious of over 2,000 termite species known to science. Formosan termites are a subterranean species of termite. Swarmer Formosan termites, including their wings, are about 1/2 inch in length.

(Lyctus brunneus)

Powderpost beetles lay their eggs in wood cracks, and the larvae tunnel into the surface, filling it with a very fine powder-like dust. Powderpost beetles have long, narrow, flat bodies that can easily attack wood surfaces. These beetles are reddish-brown.

(Family Rhinotermitidae)

Subterranean termites live in underground colonies or in moist, secluded areas aboveground that can contain up to 2 million members. They build distinctive “mud tubes” to gain access to food sources and to protect themselves from open air. Termite colonies are organized into castes depending on tasks — workers, soldiers, and reproductives. The characteristics of a subterranean termite are dependent on the termite’s role in the colony. Cream-colored Worker subterranean termites are 1/8 to 3/8’s of an inch in length. Soldier subterranean termites are of a similar body length but are distinguished by their powerful mandibles. Solider termites have cream-colored bodies and brown heads. Reproductive subterranean termites are approximately one inch long.