Common Pests |
Nesting Sites of Carpenter Ants
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Points of Entry for Carpenter Ants
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Carpenter Ant Facts
- Are typically large ants up to 5/8-inch long; color varies from black, brown & black, red and black, to light brown depending on the species. The two most common pest species are black in color.
- Most common pest ant seen in homes throughout the northern United States from the east to west coast.
- The main colony must have a constant source of moisture to survive so it is usually located in dead wood outside, e.g., dead limbs, tree holes, stumps, landscape timbers, etc. Indoors, a main colony will have to be associated with a water leak or an overly wet, poorly ventilated crawlspace or attic.
- The main colony may establish satellite colonies that are the primary source of ant activity inside homes. These satellite colonies may be located in any suitable void, under attic insulation, etc. Colonies have even been found by Terminix professionals inside hollow doors, curtain rods, shower rods, and once inside an alarm clock!
- These ants set up trunk trails between the main colony to satellite colonies and between satellite colonies. Foraging ants can most easily be seen along these trunk trails at night when the ants are most active. Sometimes, the trunk trails occur beneath the ground following tree roots.
- Since carpenter ants may forage as far as 200 yards or further, the main colony may be located on a neighboring property.
- Carpenter ants feed on a wide variety of foods, especially other insects. The favored food of adults is the sweet honeydew produced by plant-feeding insects, such as aphids, scales, and mealybugs.
- In the spring, mature colonies produce winged reproductives, called swarmers, that fly out to start new colonies. These swarms often occur from satellite colonies within homes so a homeowner may see large flying ants in their home at night.
- Carpenter ant queens are about 3/4-inch in length while the males are smaller at 1/2-inch. The color varies depending on the species.
- Carpenter ants can be very difficult to control so most homeowners employ the services of a qualified professional.
Pavement Ants
Pavement ants are small ants about 1/8th inch long and dark brown to black in color. They are found throughout the eastern half of the US and are a major pest in the upper Midwest. The name for this ant comes from its habit of nesting under sidewalks and driveways and piling dirt removed from the nest in a mound on top of the pavement.
In addition to nesting under sidewalks, pavement ants colonies can be found under other items lying on top of the ground, including stones, logs, boards, bricks and patio blocks. They may nest in open soil close to building foundations or under mulch in landscaped beds. Only rarely do the ants nest indoors in walls, under floors or in insulation.
Control of pavement ants should begin with an attempt to locate the nest site. Ants entering buildings from outdoors can be discouraged by sealing as many cracks and gaps in exterior walls as possible. Also, correct poor foundation drainage and repair water leaks.
Odorous House Ants
Odorous house ants are small ants about 1/8th inch long and dark brown in color. They are found throughout the US and in spite of their name, are only an occasional pest in the house. Their name comes from the disagreeable odor similar to the smell of rotten coconuts that is given off when the worker ants are crushed.
Odorous house ants commonly nest outdoors in the soil under stones, logs, mulch, debris and other items. They will also nest indoors in wall and floor voids, particularly in moist or warm areas. If only a few workers (wingless ants) are observed in the house it is an indication that they are nesting outdoors and entering the house in search of food. If winged swarmers are found indoors, or if workers are consistently seen in great abundance, it likely indicates they are nesting within the house.
Control of odorous house ants should begin with an attempt to locate the origin of the ants. Careful and frequent observation may be necessary to develop an opinion about the source. Ants entering from outdoors can be discouraged by sealing as many cracks and gaps in exterior walls as possible.
Pharoah Ants
Pharaoh ants are very small in size, and light yellow to red in color with black markings on abdomen. Due to their extremely small size, they can be found in a diversity of places, appearing suddenly. They have a wide range of foraging and their nest are usually well hidden. They are very persistent, with large colonies.
Inside they are usually found in the kitchen and bathrooms, but workers are seen trailing along window sills, and baseboards. They can also be spotted near sources of water in the kitchen and bathrooms, counter tops, toilets,drains and sinks. They prefer to nest in recessed areas like wall voids,under some appliance, wall outlets, under carpet for protection, but they can also nest outdoors in lawns and gardens.
Cockroaches
German
Adult German cockroaches are light brown except for the shield behind the head marked with two dark stripes, which run lengthwise on the body, and about 5/8 inch long. Young roaches are wingless and nearly black with a single light stripe running down the middle of the back. Egg capsules are light tan.
German cockroaches, are the most common roaches found in houses and restaurants in Western New York State. Most cockroaches have a flattened, oval shape, spiny legs, and long, filamentous antennae. Immature stages are smaller, have undeveloped wings and resemble the adults. They eat food of all kinds and may hitchhike into the house on egg cartons, soft drink cartons, sacks of potatoes or onions, used furniture, beer cases, etc.
They can develop into large populations and live throughout the house, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. During the day, these roaches may be found hiding clustered behind baseboard molding, in cracks around cabinets, closets or pantries, and in and under stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers. When seen during the day in clusters, the population is large.
Roaches can foul food, damage wallpaper and books, eat glue from furniture, and produce an unpleasant odor. Some homeowners are allergic to roaches. The pests can contaminate food with certain bacterial diseases that result in food poisoning, dysentery, or diarrhea.
American
American cockroaches are reddish brown and have a yellowish margin on the body region behind the head. They are usually around 1 and 1/2 inches long. When disturbed, may run rapidly and adults may fly. Immature cockroaches resemble adults except that they are wingless.
American cockroaches generally live in moist areas, but can survive in dry areas if they have access to water. They prefer warm temperatures around 84 degrees Fahrenheit and do not tolerate cold temperatures. In residential areas, these cockroaches live in basements and sewers, and may move outdoors into yards during warm weather. These cockroaches are common in basements, crawl spaces, cracks and crevices of porches, foundations, and walkways adjacent to buildings. They feed on a wide variety of plant and animal material.
Oriental
The Oriental cockroach known as the "water bug," is more closely associated with damp areas than the other common roaches. These insects feed on garbage and decaying organic matter and are often considered the filthiest of the house-infesting roaches. They are found in damp basements, cellars, crawl spaces, near drains, leaky water pipes and beneath refrigerators, sinks and washing machines, under floors, and inside walls. They forage mostly on first floors of buildings.
Adult Oriental cockroaches are shiny, dark brown or black, about 1 to 1-1/4-inch long and have nonfunctional wings incapable of flight. Females are about 1-1/4-inch long, broad and have only little pads for wings. Males are about one inch long, more slender and have wings not reaching the tip of the abdomen. Immature roaches (nymphs) are darker in color than adults, similarly shaped and wingless. Egg cases are dark reddish-brown, one inch long (largest of the common roaches), and appear slightly inflated.
Wood Roach (Pennsylvania)
Wood cockroaches, also known as wood roaches, are common outdoor dwelling insects native to North America and found throughout Western New York State. Their normal habitat is moist woodland areas but they frequently become a household nuisance because they wander into or are carried into houses as "occasional invaders." They are common in wooded areas of the Finger Lakes, and in woodlots of Monroe County.
Wood roaches are very similar in appearance to the common household cockroach called the American roach; flat, oval body, long antennae, spiny legs, chestnut brown color. However, wood roaches are slightly smaller, about 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch long, and the adults, especially the males, appear tan because of the color of their wings. Adults and large nymphs of the wood roach can be recognized by a pale, creamy white or transparent stripe on the outer edge on the thorax. The pale edge extends onto the first 1/3 of the front wings of the adults. Positive identification of small nymphs is more difficult and usually requires microscopic examination.
Wood roaches that have wandered into the house usually behave differently than the household roaches. Wood roaches are not secretive; they are active both during the day and at night and they are less likely to scamper out of sight when approached. Also, they will wander about the house without congregating in any particular location.
Cluster Flies
Have you ever noticed what looked like Houseflies inside your windows during the Fall and Winter months? A strange time of year to find flies inside, right? Not so for the Cluster Fly. It is not uncommon to find hundreds, even thousands of these creatures infesting homes in Western New York this time of year. Upstate New York is well known for it's problems with these pests.
A little biology helps us to understand better. Cluster Flies spend all their time feeding and reproducing outdoors. The larval stage is parasitic to earthworms, their only food source. The adult fly feeds on flowers. Eggs are laid in cracks of the earth where the larval stage emerges and attaches to earthworms. Several generations will occur from May through August.
When evenings begin to cool in late August, Cluster Flies are attracted to the warm surfaces of buildings and take up shelter for the winter in wall voids and attics. There they sleep until unusual warmth in Fall and Winter wakes them. They then become a pest by "clustering" around windows and lights.
Problems with Cluster Flies are most acute in rural areas where large open spaces exist. Old farmhouses are particularly prone to Cluster Flies, though it is due more to the abundance of earthworms and a "drafty" house than animal waste and farm odors.
The biggest misconceptions about Cluster Flies can be corrected with understanding their life cycle. Their presence in a home is not due to unsanitary conditions. It is simply a place of hibernation - much like the cave to the bear. Keeping them out is better done by sealing openings than by cleaning up.
Rodents
House Mouse
The house mouse is the species of mouse everyone thinks of when they hear the word mouse. It is because they live in close association with humans that they are one of the most familiar small mammals to humans. House mice are similar in size to our native deer mouse but they are a solid grayish-brown color above and below. Their tail is also scaly like a Norway rat and not covered with fur like the deer mouse.
House mice are occasionally found in fields, but usually in buildings. They will eat most anything and breed year round having as many as a dozen litters a year of 5-8 young each. Young are able to breed at six weeks. Because this mouse chooses to live near humans, it is considered a pest. The House Mouse is a known vector of various diseases, including Salmonella.
Norway Rat
This rat lives both with man, and in the open where vegetation is tall. It makes its home principally in a basement or a burrow under a sidewalk or outbuilding. It appears to be most common around feed stores, chicken houses and garbage dumps.
The Norway Rat is more at home on the ground, but has been seen crossing from one building to another along a telephone wire, so it is an excellent climber. Around poultry houses, the rat feeds extensively on eggs and young chickens. It has even been known to kill lambs and young pigs!
The Norway Rat is a source of food for the spotted skunk, barn owl and house cat, but because the rat is such a prolific breeder, these predators are often unable to keep the rat population in check.
This rat is known to be a reservoir of bubonic plague, endemic typhus fever, rat bite fever, and a few other dreaded diseases. Therefore, buildings and garbage cans should be rat-proofed.
BedBugs
Bedbugs have been on the increase in the United States from the late 1990's until the present. Thanks to international travel to regions where Bedbugs are flourishing, and to the demise of DDT as a tool in getting rid of them, Bedbugs have had a cheap ticket back to hotels and public housing in the US. Bedbugs are night feeders, requiring a blood meal to complete their life cycle. Though they prefer humans for prey, other mammals are also acceptable. They harbor in folds and ribbing of mattresses and boxsprings, but extend well beyond in moderate infestations.
The challenge of ridding a house of Bedbugs is two fold. First, as Bedbugs can survive without a blood meal for over a year, infestations can lay dormant. Secondly, traditional pesticides are most effective as contact killers and not as residual control. Effective treatments involve the use of many tools, including a thorough inspection, vacuuming, steam treatments, and materials properly applied.
How to Inspect your hotel room for Bedbugs? Click Here!
CastleGuard Pest Management adheres to the "Best Management Practices for Bedbugs", developed by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).
Deer Ticks
Commonly called Deer Ticks, their actual name is Black Legged Tick. They have made it into the news over recent years because they are carriers of Lyme Disease, a potentially dibilitating infection passed on to humans through tick bites. Ticks are commonly found in low brush and tall grasses, and attach themselves to hosts as they pass by. They are usually picked up by hikers and pets along wooded trails, and low lying branches. Increased sightings have been found in Monroe County following the warm winter of 2012.
Bees, Wasps, Hornets
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Stinging insects can be much more than a nuisance - they can be life and death. Each year news is made from someone hospitalized from multiple bee stings. Pictured here is a Bald Faced Hornet's nest. These insects are black and white colored and live in suspended or hanging nests like this. They are agressive and easily angered.
Yellow Jackets and Wasps are often missidentified. The open comb nests often found under eaves of homes, and in vents are Paper Wasps. These nests are relatively small with less than fifty insects per colony. Yellow Jackets are usually void nesters occupying attic spaces, walls, and holes underground. Like the Hornets they can be very aggressive, especially when alarmed by a lawn mower or human foot!
Honeybees, Carpenter bees, and Bumble bees are the most common of the bees in Western New York. They are all pollinators, therefore beneficial to agriculture. When a Honeybee nest is found, it is best to contact a bee keeper first to see if the nest can be relocated. Carpenter bees are well known for the damage they do to wood trim and overhangs on structures. Bumble bees are often mistaken with Carpenter bees. Though they look similar, Bumble bees nest underground, under decks, and in wall voids of buildings.
Of the social bees and wasps, Honeybees are the only ones that maintain the same nest from year to year. The rest are seasonal nesters.
Boxelder Bugs
Boxelder Bugs are most noticeable in the Fall, and on warm days in the Winter and Spring. They get their name from the tree they live in, the Boxelder tree. They are considered an "Occasional Invader" and like Cluster Flies, enter the house in late Summer and Fall in seach of shelter for the cold weather. All eating and reproduction occurs outdoors in the warmer weather.
These bugs are harmless from the standpoint of biting, damage to the house, and food storage. But their prolific numbers on exterior siding and window frames can be alarming. Boxelder Bugs tend to be worst on the sunny side of buildings. They can be a problem throughout the Winter if they find a way in around windows.
