Household Pests

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Scorpions - A predatory invertebrate with eight legs and a pair of grasping pincers and a segmented tail, ending in a venomous stinger. While harmless, the stings are painful. They've been around for 430 million years, once thought to have lived at the bottom of shallow seas. They are nocturnal and like to take refuge in dark, cool places (during the heat of the day), though you may find them near water sources, inside laundry or towels in the bathroom. Scorpions prey on cockroaches and other invertebrates, and are sought after by birds, possum, rats, lizards, and centipedes.

Silverfish - This wingless insect is shaped like fish, with silver scales. They can reach 3/4 inch and prefer high humidity areas of the home. You may find infestations signs such as yellow stains or pepper-like feces on your wallpaper or office paper supplies, which is their food source.

Paper Wasps - These wasps gather fibers from dead wood or stems of plants, mix them with saliva and use the mixture to make moisture-resistant nests resembling paper. Seemingly harmless, they are actually quite aggressive if their nest is disturbed. Their sting can be very painful, and could also cause an anaphylactic reaction, and so their presence in human habitats should not be tolerated.

Spiders

Over 3,000 species of spiders live in North America, and most of them are household pests which primarily feed on other insects. Of all of these, only the Black Widow and Brown Recluse are considered dangerous to humans.
Brown Recluse - Sightings are infrequent, however, because of the dangers associated with this spider's venomous bit, it's good to become familiar with its looks and habits. Though not aggressive, the recluse will bite if it feels threatened, causing a necrotizing (cell killing) red ulcer that can take months to heal, and leaves deep scars. If untreated the wound may become gangrenous - so, be sure to seek medical attention.

With a span between 1/4 and 3/4 inch, they are light to medium brown, usually with a marking resembling a violin - with a black line coming out of it and pointing to the spider's rear (aka fiddleback spider). The recluse has 3 pairs of eyes (one centered and 2 lateral), is nocturnal and feeds on cockroaches and other soft-bodied insects.

Building irregularly shaped webs, widows favor dry and 'reclusive' areas in closets, cellars, garages. They especially like cardboard, which is similar to the rotting tree bark they naturally inhabit. Be sure to check inside your less frequently used shoes, and any piles of clothes on the floor.
Black Widow - The distinctive red hour glass on the underside of their round belly is the black widow spider's most defining feature. They prefer dark and close quarters, such as crevices, rodent holes and shrubberies, and inside they can be found in cluttered garages or basements, barns and sheds.

Though not generally aggressive, they will bite if threatened and handled; they would prefer to flee if given the chance. The venom of the black widow causes an illness called Latrodectism, with symptoms including pain, muscle rigidity, vomiting, and sweating.

Though rarely fatal to humans, domestic cats are known to die of convulsions and paralysis from these bites. Intense localized pain usually develops in less than 10 minutes, followed by sweating and piloerection (goosebumps) within the hour.

Not every bite will inject venom; if it does, the pain may spread and - without anti-venom - humans can feel weak with muscle pain for weeks.
 
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Wolf Spider - Common to Georgia, these spiders are certainly scary-looking, but they aren't harmful. Usually dark brown with grey markings, they hunt their prey at night (which is how they generally enter your home).
A Note about Bees - T and B Pest Control Services does not provide bee treatment or applications.

Bees are a beneficial group of insects that pollinate flowering plants, supply humans with delectable honey and control other insect pest species. However, they can be of medical concern because of the effects of their sting. Control methods should be done only where bees are an immediate threat to humans and pets.

Cautions: Any bees nests should be approached with caution, and at night when workers are less likely to fly. Never plug entrance holes, because bees (or wasps) will look for other exits and have been known to chew their way into living quarters, endangering people inside.
Centipedes - With the 'Latin' name of hundred foot, these elongated creatures sport a pair of legs for every segment of their bodies. They have a pair of venomous claws and are actually meat eaters (predominantly earth worms), though will feed on plants if they are food-deprived. Nocturnal, they are preyed upon by mice, snakes. Unable to retain water, they seek damp habitats.

Fruit Flies - Large, and colorful, these flies are aptly named for their tendency to lay eggs on fruit. They reach up to 1/8 inch long, and can carry disease. beetles and mongooses.

Cockroaches

There are only 30 species (from over 4,500 worldwide) which are associated with human habitats. Of these, the American, Smokybrown and German roaches are the most prevalent in the South.
American Cockroach - The most common of household cockroaches, and are transplants from Africa (having originally arrived on trade ships). Reddish-brown and fully winged - with a lighter ringed pattern on their thorax - they are 2-3 times as large as the German roach. Indoors they usually infest food prep and storage areas of a home or business. Outdoors, they gravitate toward sewer connections.

These roaches prefer warm areas close to water, and feed on everything from beer to soiled clothing. They can carry Salmonella and deposit it on foods. House dust containing their feces or body parts can cause allergic or asthmatic reactions.

Smokybrown Cockroach - This roach is large, and brownish-black to a dark mahogany in color, and is common in our southern states. It is a scavenger, like most of its relatives, though it requires more water than most others. This roach prefers to live outdoors, coming inside only in colder seasons. The Smokybrown is especially troublesome for people with asthma, due to its allergens, which can also cause skin irritation and rhinitis.

German Cockroach - Very small - up to only .63 inch, this tan to near-black roach has 2 distinguishing black strap markings on the female's head. Not only does it carry 27 different types of bacteria, but it is the most difficult roach to exterminate. The reason it takes lengthier treatment is that this roach is the fastest reproducer, lacks indoor predators, and can hide in very small spaces.

Like other roaches, they like warm and humid habitats and frequent kitchens and bathrooms. When excited, they emit an unpleasant odor. Attracted mainly to sweets and starchy, fatty foods, they may go for toothpaste or soap and when faced with famine they turn cannibalistic and feed on each other. 

Ants

In addition to smaller black 'house' ants, we have 2 common types of ant infestations here in Georgia which can be quite unsettling.
Fire Ants - are distinguished by their copper brown head and body, and adults are up to 1/4 inch long. Their colonies typically create large mounds of dirt in open areas of lawn or soil, as they feed on plants and seeds, but can also live under logs or bricks. They grip, then sting - injecting a tox alkaloid venom called Solenopsin - which causes a painful burn (hence the name fire ants).

Carpenter Ants - build nests in wood (though, unlike termites, do not consume it). They like moisture, which is why you will frequently find their nests close to window sills, roof eaves, and decks. They actually cannot digest cellulose (from wood fibers), and feed on dead insects to obtain the protein and carbohydrates they require, and primarily forage at night.

Fleas

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Cat Fleas - The most common is the cat flea, and they are actually found on both dogs and cats, as well as other wild animals infesting the chimney or crawl spaces of your home. Small (the adults are 1/4 inch long), and dark brown to black in color, they are capable of jumping up to six inches! Their bites cause itchy, red, and swollen areas. Beware that these fleas can transmit murine typhus, Bartonellosis (cat scratch disease), and tapeworms.
Dog Fleas - Less prevalent, the dog flea is also found on rabbits. Also dark brown to black, the head is anteriorly rounded rather than elongated (like the cat flea), and its hind legs have 8 bristle-bearing notches, rather than the 6 of the cat flea. Dog fleas can carry disease organisms that cause the plague, typhus and can also host tapeworms.

Wasps and Hornets

Unlike bees, wasps have a narrow waistline where the abdomen tapers to a small tube, attaching the thorax to its mid-section. Wasps feed their larvae spiders and insects. Some wasps live alone, with a single nest, and raise their own larvae - such as mud dauber wasps. Others - such as yellowjackets - live in colonies with workers and queens. The 'social species' a greater threat due to the numbers living together and their aggressive tendencies to protect the entire colony.

Hornets and yellowjackets both scavenge food such as fruit, sweets, and decaying animal flesh. Males don't have stingers, but females defend themselves and their nests by injecting venom. Wasp venom contains histamine (which dissolves red blood cells), and a single sting could prove fatal to a human with allergic tendencies. Multiple stings can be a threat to humans or pets, and should command immediate medical attention.

Ecologically speaking, wasps do contribute by preying on insects which are harmful to our crops (human food chain). Unfortunately up to 100 people die every year from bee and wasp stings; generally from an allergic reaction within sixty minutes of a sting. Only one percent of our population is considered to be allergic to bee and wasp venom, and they are generally identified early in their lives, and typically carry epinephrine for emergencies.
Yellowjackets (Wasps) - Though more frequently found out of doors, some (German yellowjackets) can be found in empty spaces like vents, hollow walls and attics.

The appearance of their shiny black and yellow striped mid sections are enough to strike fear in the hearts of people everywhere, as they are notorious for being aggressive and - in fact - are responsible for more stings than any other kind of bee or wasp. Some individual yellowjackets can sting repeatedly, creating a severe hazard.

The nests of yellowjackets consist of multi-floored levels of combs, enveloped in paper, and over three thousand of them might be present in a single colony. As their insect food supply declines in the cooler months, this is when they begin to aggressively scavenge around garbage containers, and picnickers. Since eradicating these pests in large numbers is not practical, prevention should be practiced when you are outdoors in areas they might infest (heavily wooded areas and gardens); such as keeping foods and trash enclosed with tightly-fitted lids.
Hornets - Essentially, hornets are the largest wasps with a social system, reaching up to 2.2 inches in length. True hornets, of the genus Vespa, have a wider vertex, and the only species introduced from to North American are aptly named the European hornet.
Mud Dauber Wasps - These wasps construct tubular nests made from mud and 'plastered' on structure exteriors. They reach 3/4 inches and are brownish-black with yellow markings. Its nests are about 2 inches long.

Organ Pipe Mud Dauber Wasps - This wasp builds nests up to a foot in length which look like the closely placed pipes on a pipe organ.

Blue Mud Dauber Wasps - A shiny, dark blue wasp is a bit of a 'squatter' in that it lays its eggs inside the nests created by other mud daubers.