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What is a termite? A termite is best described as a wood destroying insect. They are sometimes referred to as white ants. There are three different types of termites which are damp wood, dry wood, and subterranean. Damp wood termites generally tend to live in areas that are heavily forested, dry wood termites live in really dry wood, Subterranean are the most destructive of termites and they require a moist environment and are usually found living in the soil. Termites do an estimated five billion dollars in damage each year, but termites can be controlled.
Termites usually come out in early spring and can sometimes be seen as a swarm of what looks like flying ants. Soft wood is a good indication that you may have a termite problem. Another indication of a termite infestation is the presence of mud tubes around the exterior or interior of your house, most likely near the foundation. Dark or blistered wood structures may also be an indication of a termite problem.
Take certain steps to help prevent the infestation of termites in your own home. The most important thing you need to do is remove the good conditions that termites love to find themselves living. The subterranean termites love moisture so try and avoid moisture build up around your home. Make sure all outside faucets are shut off tightly and are not dripping. If you can prevent the dripping then you can prevent the moisture build up that termites love. If the gutter is uncluttered it will divert the water to the ground below where you should have a cement spot for the water to stay while it evaporates. This will also prevent the moisture that can gather near the foundation of your house.
If you own an older home make sure that any wood near the foundation of your home is replaced. There may have been previous infestations before you moved in and if you have the most updated equipment the less likely termites are to come find it. Another way to prevent termites is to have all tree stubs removed and make sure your bushes and any shrubbery is a good few feet away from your house.
The house mouse is considered one of the most troublesome pests in the United States. House mice live and thrive under a variety of conditions in and around homes and farms. House mice consume food meant for humans or pets. They contaminate food-preparation surfaces with their feces, which can contain the bacterium that causes food poisoning (salmonellosis). Their constant gnawing causes damage to structures and property.
Recognizing Mouse Infestations
Droppings, fresh gnawing and tracks indicate areas where mice are active. Mouse nests, made from fine shredded paper or other fibrous material, are often found in sheltered locations. House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence. Mice are occasionally seen during daylight hours.
House Mouse Facts
House mice are gray or brown rodents with relatively large ears and small eyes. An adult weighs about 1/2 ounce and is about 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches long, including the 3 to 4 inch tail.
Although house mice usually feed on cereal grains, they will eat many kinds of food. They eat often, nibbling bits of food here and there. Mice have keen senses of taste, hearing, smell and touch. They are excellent climbers and can run up any rough vertical surface. They will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 13 inches from the floor onto a flat surface. They can slip through a crack that a pencil will fit into.
In a single year, a female may have five to 10 litters of usually five or six young each. Young are born 19 to 21 days after mating, and they are mature in six to 10 weeks. The life span of a mouse is about nine to 12 months.
Effective mouse control involves sanitation, mouse proof construction and population reduction. The first two are useful as preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction is almost always necessary. Reduction techniques include trapping and poisoning.
Like all insects, ants have six legs. Each leg has three joints. The legs of the ant are very strong so they can run very quickly. If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse. Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight. An ant brain has about 250 000 brain cells. A human brain has 10,000 million so a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same size brain as a human.
The average life expectancy of an ant is 45-60 days. Ants use their antennae not only for touch, but also for their sense of smell. The head of the ant has a pair of large, strong jaws. The jaws open and shut sideways like a pair of scissors. Adult ants cannot chew and swallow solid food. Instead they swallow the juice which they squeeze from pieces of food. They throw away the dry part that is left over. The ant has two eyes. Each eye is made of many smaller eyes.
They are called compound eyes. The abdomen of the ant contains two stomachs. One stomach holds the food for itself and second stomach is for food to be shared with other ants. Like all insects, the outside of their body is covered with a hard armor this is called the exoskeleton. Ants have four distinct growing stages, the egg, larva, pupa and the adult. Biologists classify ants as a special group of wasps. There are over 10000 known species of ants. Each ant colony has at least one or more queens.
At night the worker ants move the eggs and larvae deep into the nest to protect them from the cold. During the daytime, the worker ants move the eggs and larvae of the colony to the top of the nest so that they can be warmer. If a worker ant has found a good source for food, it leaves a trail of scent so that the other ants in the colony can find the food. Army Ants are nomadic and they are always moving. They carry their larvae and their eggs with them in a long column.
Don’t Let Pantry Pests Invade Your Holiday Recipes
When the weather turns colder and the holiday season approaches, many opt to stay indoors and bake treats for friends and family. When digging through your cabinets and storage for baking necessities, like cookie cutters and containers of flour, make sure you are leaving unwanted “pantry pests” out of the mix. The National Pest Management Association offers consumers tips for keeping these pesky pests from spoiling your holiday baking traditions.
“Pantry pests” are insects that tend to gather around food often stored in pantries and cabinets such as flour, dry cereals, spices, candies and chocolate. Common pantry pests include Indian meal moths and Merchant Grain Beetles.
“Many families enjoy baking during the holiday season, and spotting a pest in your ingredients or supplies is a surefire way to ruin the fun,” says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. “By following a few helpful tips, homeowners can feel comfortable in their kitchens and safe when enjoying their fresh baked treats.”
The National Pest Management Association suggests the following steps to avoid pantry pests:
If you suspect a pest infestation, contact a licensed pest professional to inspect, identify and treat the problem.
The brown rat, common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, is one of the best known and most common rats.
It is a brown or grey rodent with a body up to 10 inches long, and a similar tail length; the male weighs on average 12 oz and the female 9 oz. Thought to have originated in northern China, this rodent has now spread to all continents, except Antarctica, and is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America—making it the most successful mammal on the planet after humans. With rare exceptions the brown rat lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas.
The brown rat is a true omnivore and will consume almost anything, but cereals form a substantial part of its diet. The diet of brown rats came to the conclusion that the most-liked foods of brown rats were scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, and cooked corn kernels. The least-liked foods were raw beets, peaches, and raw celery.
The brown rat can breed throughout the year if conditions are suitable, a female producing up to five litters a year. The gestation period is only 21 days and litters can number up to fourteen, although seven is common. They reach sexual maturity in about 5 weeks. The maximum life span is up to three years, although most barely manage one.
Brown rats live in large groups, either in burrows or subsurface places such as sewers and cellars. When food is in short supply, the rats lower in social order are the first to die. If a large fraction of a rat population is exterminated, the remaining rats will increase their reproductive rate, and quickly restore the old population level.
Adults are 8–10 mm in length with 16–20 mm wingspans. The outer half of their forewings are bronze in color, copper, or dark gray in color, while the upper half are yellowish-gray, with a dark band at the intersection between the two. The moth larvae are off-white with brown heads. When these larvae mature, they are usually about 12 mm long.[4]
The entire life cycle of this species may take 30 to 300 days. Female moths lay between 60 and 400 eggs on a food surface, which are ordinarily smaller than 0.5 mm and not sticky. The eggs hatch in 2 to 14 days. The larval stage lasts from 2 to 41 weeks, depending on the temperature.[4]
The Indian meal Moth larvae can infest a wide range of dry foodstuffs of vegetable origin, such as cereal, bread, pasta, rice, spices or dried fruits and nuts. More unusual recorded foods include chocolate and cocoa beans, coffee substitute, cookies, and flour. The food they infest will often seem to be webbed together.[5]
After larvae or moths have been found, it is important to throw out all food sources that are not in very tightly sealed containers. The moths are able to get into surprisingly tight spots, including sealed bags and Tupperware containers. They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of, and can crawl on ceilings and spin cocoons in rooms other than the kitchen or pantry where they hatched. Last instar larvae are able to travel significant distances before they pupate. When seeking the source of an infestation, the search thus cannot be limited to the immediate area where pupae are discovered.
Nontoxic traps are also available to inhibit the development of adult moths and precipitate their destruction. For example, one type of trap is a triangular box with a lure inside and sticky walls. These traps are generally known as pheromone traps. In this case male moths are attracted inside by the female pheromone (the lure) and then get stuck against the sticky walls inside of the box.
The original colours of a fossilized moth have been brought back to life for the first time. Scientists have concluded that the 47-million-year-old insects once had a yellow-green sheen that warned predators of their foul taste and toxicity when they were exposed during feeding, and provided camouflage when they were resting.
Some of the brightest colours in nature come not from chemical pigments but from tiny grooves, layers or other structural patterns in body parts such as feathers or scales, that reflect light to produce different iridescent hues. Many animals — notably birds, butterflies and moths — use these 'structural colours' to communicate warnings to predators and to signal their fitness to potential mates, says Maria McNamara, a palaeobiologist at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut
Scientists have reconstructed the original colouring of a 47-million-year-old relative of this forester moth (see fossil moth slideshow)McNamara et al., PLoS Biology
McNamara and her colleagues analysed fossils of moths preserved in the Messel oil shale of west central Germany — fossils whose tiny wing scales still show a hint of metallic gleam. The pattern of veins in the insects’ wings suggests that the moths’ closest living relatives are forester moths, a group of typically day-flying species that feed on flower nectar, says McNamara.
Most modern forester moths, which live in tropical and temperate areas of Eurasia and Australia, have a metallic sheen to their wings and all of them can produce hydrogen cyanide, a toxic and distasteful chemical.
Because the colour of the moths depends on the chemical composition of the wing scales as well as scale microstructure, the fossils don’t retain their original colour. So the researchers used a combination of electron microscopy and mathematical techniques to reconstruct what colour the moths would have been when alive.
The uppermost layer of each wing scale is 93–124 nanometres thick, with the layers below becoming progressively thinner. The downwardly curved portions of the scales — which together look like a miniature version of a Spanish tiled roof — are separated by 1-micrometre-tall ridges, spaced 1.8–2.5 μm apart. “The level of detail preserved in the scales of the fossil moths is just spectacular,” notes McNamara
Results of the analyses, published online today in PLoS Biology1, suggest that much of the moths’ forewings — the set of wings visible when moths are at rest — were a bright yellow-green, with a fringe of blue and brown around the edges ( see fossil moth slideshow ).
The researchers suggest that, as in the insects’ modern-day relatives, the greenish colouring was intended to blend in with leaves when the moths were resting, but to serve as a warning signal when they were feeding on flowers, and therefore exposed.
Don't eat me
Several features of the individual scales, including the scalloping and many perforations in their layers, help to suppress their iridescence. The researchers think that this ensured the moths’ warning signal could be seen by predators from a wide range of angles.
Reconstructing the colours of the ancient moths provides important insights into their behaviour, the researchers contend. For instance, says McNamara, the yellow-green sheen suggests that, even millions of years ago, some butterflies and moths had developed not only a strategy of camouflage that enabled them to 'hide in plain sight', but also the ability to produce foul-tasting chemicals.
“This is a remarkably thorough and innovative piece of work,” says Michael Benton, a palaeontologist at the University of Bristol, UK. He notes that the researchers were especially careful in demonstrating that the presumed colours were original to the moths and not affected by changes in scale structure that might have occurred during fossilization.
The team’s analysis “is a real advance”, agrees Helen Ghiradella, a morphologist at the University at Albany, State University of New York. The technique could now be applied to reconstruct the original colours of other fossils too, she says. “They’ve handed palaeontologists a new way to look at ancient insects.”
However, the inferences about behaviour may be reaching a bit far, she warns. “Biology is unpredictable. The moths may have been doing what their relatives are doing today, or they may have been doing something totally different.
Ticks are small spiderlike animals that bite to fasten themselves onto the skin and feed on blood. Ticks live in the fur and feathers of many birds and animals. Tick bites occur most often during early spring to late summer and in areas where there are many wild animals and birds.
Most ticks do not carry diseases, and most tick bites do not cause serious health problems. But it is important to remove a tick as soon as you find it. Removing the tick's body helps you avoid diseases the tick may pass on during feeding. Removing the tick's head helps prevent an infection in the skin where it bit you. Usually, removing the tick, washing the site of the bite, and watching for signs of illness are all that is needed.
Some people may have an allergic reaction to a tick bite. This reaction may be mild, with a few annoying symptoms. In rare cases, a severe allergic reaction may occur.
Many of the diseases ticks carry cause flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and muscle aches. Symptoms may begin from 1 day to 3 weeks after the tick bite. Sometimes a rash or sore appears along with the flu-like symptoms.
Life Cycle:
Hard ticks have a variety of life histories with respect to optimizing their chance of contact with an appropriate host to ensure survival. Some ticks feed on only one host throughout all three life stages. These ticks are called one host ticks. This type of tick remains on one host during the larval and nymphal stages, until they become adults, and females drop off the host after feeding to lay their batch of eggs. Other ticks feed on two hosts during their lives and are called two host ticks. This type of tick feeds and remains on the first host during the larval and nymphal life stages, and then drops off and attaches to a different host as an adult for its final blood meal. The adult female then drops off after feeding to lay eggs. Finally, many ticks feed on three hosts, one during each life stage, and are appropriately named three host ticks. These ticks drop off and reattach to a new host during each life stage, until finally the adult females lay their batch of eggs. In each case, the fed adult stage is terminal, that is, after laying one batch of eggs the female dies, and after the male has reproduced, he dies as well
Soft ticks are not readily distinguishable. The first life stage to come out of the egg, a six legged larva, takes a blood meal from a host, and molts to the first nymphal stage. Unlike hard ticks, many soft ticks go through multiple nymphal stages, gradually increasing in size until the final molt to the adult stage. Some soft ticks pass through up to seven nymphal molts before they become adults. Soft ticks feed several times during each life stage, and females lay multiple small batches of eggs between blood meals during their lives. The time to completion of the entire life cycle is generally much longer than that of hard ticks, lasting over several years. Additionally, many soft ticks have an uncanny resistance to starvation, and can survive for many years without a blood meal (Furman and Loomis 1984).
The mouthparts of soft ticks are not readily visible from above. There are three visible components: the two outside jointed parts are the highly mobile palps; between these are paired chelicerae, which protect the center rod-shaped structure, the hypos tome. The palps move laterally while the tick is feeding and do not enter the skin of the host. The rough hypos tome has many beak-like projections on it. This is the structure which plunges into the host's skin while feeding. The backward directed projections prevent easy removal of the attached tick.
Some soft ticks seek hosts by questing on low-lying vegetation, but the vast majorities are nest parasites, residing in sheltered environments such as burrows, caves, or nests. Soft ticks feed for short periods of time on their hosts, varying from several minutes to days, depending on such factors as life stage, host type, and species of tick. The feeding behavior of many soft ticks can be compared to that of fleas or bedbugs, as once established, they reside in the nest of the host, feeding rapidly when the host returns and disturbs the contents. The outside surface, or cuticle, of soft ticks expands, but does not grow to accommodate the large volume of blood ingested, which may be anywhere from 5-10 times their unfed body weight
Roof Rat
Habits. Roof rats are largely common and live in close association with man. They inhabited grocery and drug stores, warehouses, feed stores, and the average home. On the farms they lived in barns and corncribs. They may live near the ground, but usually they frequent the attics, rafters, and crossbeams of homes. They make typical runways along pipes, beams or wires, up and down the studding, or along the horizontal ceiling joists, often leaving a dark-colored layer of grease and dirt to mark their travel ways. Like the Norway rat, the roof rat is largely nocturnal and only where populations are relatively high does one see them frequently in the daytime.
Roof rats breed throughout the year, with two peaks of production — in February and March and again in May and June. The period of least activity is in July and August. The gestation period is approximately 21 days, and the number of young per litter averages almost seven. The young rats at birth are naked, blind, and nearly helpless. They mature rather rapidly, are weaned when about 3 weeks old, and are able to reproduce when approximately 3 months old. Like the Norway rat, the roof rat is destructive to property and foodstuffs, damaging wires in the attic Also; it plays an important part in the transmission of such human diseases as endemic typhus, ratbite fever, and bubonic plague.
Keep trees from touching roof tops, this gives rodent’s easy access to your roof and attic. If you live in an active rodent area, keep fruit trees maintained (do not leave access fruit on the ground) this just provides a food source for rodents, make sure vents leading into attic space are properly sealed.
Adult fleas (the biting stage seen by pet owners) spend most of their time on the animal, not in the carpet. This is why treatment of the pet in conjunction with the pet's environment is an essential step in ridding a home of fleas.
Adult fleas lay all of their eggs (up to 50 per day) on the pet. However, the eggs soon fall off the animal into carpeting, beneath the cushions of furniture, and wherever else the pet rests, sleeps or spends most of its time. This is where homeowners should focus control measures.
After hatching, flea eggs develop into tiny, worm-like larvae. Larvae remain hidden deep in carpet fibers, beneath furniture cushions and in other protected areas. The larvae feed mainly on adult flea feces (dried blood) which accumulates, along with the eggs, in pet resting and activity areas.
Before becoming adult fleas, the larvae transform into pupae within a silk-like cocoon. Pupae remain inside the cocoon for 2 to 4 weeks, sometimes longer. The cocoon is resistant to insecticides and this is why some adult fleas are seen for an extended period, even after the home and pet are treated.
If you neglect to treat the pet's environment (the premises), you will miss more than 90% of the developing flea population -- the eggs, larvae and pupae. If the pet spends time indoors, the interior of the home should also be treated. Before treatment, the pet owner should:
Remove all toys, clothing, and stored items from floors, under beds, and in closets. This step is essential so that all areas will be accessible for treatment.
Remove pet food and water dishes, cover fish tanks, and disconnect their aerators.
Wash, dry-clean or destroy all pet bedding.
Vacuum! -- vacuuming removes many of the eggs, larvae and pupae developing within the home. Vacuuming also stimulates pre-adult fleas to emerge sooner from their insecticide-resistant cocoons, thus hastening their contact with insecticide residues in the carpet. By raising the nap of the carpet, vacuuming improves the insecticide's penetration down to the base of the carpet fibers where the developing fleas live. Vacuum thoroughly, especially in areas where pets rest or sleep. Don't forget to vacuum along edges of rooms and beneath furniture, cushions, beds, and throw rugs. After vacuuming, seal the vacuum bag in a garbage bag and discard it in an outdoor trash container.
Silverfish are silver and brown in color because their bodies are covered with scales. Adults are up to 3/4 inch long and flat, oval in shape, they have three long tail projections and two long antennae’s.
Females lay eggs continuously after reaching the adult stage and may lay over 100 eggs during their life. Eggs are deposited singly or in small groups in cracks and crevices and hatch in 3 to weeks. Silverfish develop from an egg to an adult within 4 to 6 weeks and continue to molt throughout their life. They live from 2-8 years.
Silverfish like to chew and prefer carbs and protein, like flour, dried meat, rolled oats, paper and even glue. They and can survive long periods, sometimes over a year, without food but are sensitive to moisture and require a high humidity to survive. They are fast running and mostly active at night and have also been found in attics.
Silverfish are a nuisance pest inside the home or buildings; can contaminate food, damage paper goods and stain clothing; medically harmless. Many of their habits are similar to cockroaches.
