Pest Identification

Drain Fly

fuzzy drain fly

Drain flies are 1/16"-1/4".

They are dark gray in appearance.

They have fuzzy, "moth-like" wings.

They are found in decaying material around floor drains or standing, stagnant water.

Also called moth flies because of their appearance.

They are also called bar flies because they are very common in bars.

The presence of drain flies is usually an indication that sanitation needs to be addressed.

Argentine Ant

Argentine ants are about 1/8" in length.

Argentine ants are brown to black in color.

Argentine ants have one node between the thorax and the abdomen.

Argentine ants are similar to the odorous house ant but lack the burned coconut smell when smashed.

Carpenter Ant

black carpenter ant

Carpenter Ants vary greatly in size within one colony.

Carpenter ants have workers of multiple sizes (polymorphism).

Carpenter ants are large ants about 1/2" in length and are typically black but can be red and black or even red.

Carpenter ants nest in decaying wood but will also nest in insulation in wall voids of homes and occasionally solid wood.

Pharaoh Ant

southern pharaoh ant

Pharaoh ants are 1/16" in length.

They are reddish orange in color.

Pharaoh ants have two nodes between the thorax and the abdomen.

They are native to the southern part of the United States but are translocated to the north in plants.

Pharaoh ants have multiple queens and satellite colonies.

They react to pesticide applications by "budding," a process which protects the colony by removing itself from the treated area.

American Cockroach

reddish American cockroach

American cockroaches are about 1 3/8" to 2 3/8" in length.

American cockroaches are reddish in color with a yellow band around the pronotum located behind the head.

Males and females are fully winged but are not capable of full flight, merely fluttering from raised locations.

The females lay up to sixteen eggs in a protected shell called an ootheca.

The female can lay up to eight ootheca in one year.

American cockroaches are typically found in large commercial buildings and in sewer systems but they may also be found in attics of homes.

American cockroaches may live for up to two years.

Oriental Cockroach

black oriental cockroach

Oriental cockroach males are about 1" in length while females are 1" in length.

Oriental cockroaches are dark red to black.

Females are wingless while males have wings that cover ¾ the length of their bodies but are not capable of flight.

Nymphs are generally reddish and then turn darker.

Commonly referred to as "waterbugs" because they are often located around water.

German Cockroach

German cockroaches are 1/2'" to 5/8" in length.

Adult German cockroaches are golden with black marks on the pronotum.

Nymph German cockroaches are black with golden brown markings on the pronotum.

German cockroaches are the most significant of all the cockroach species due to their ability to infest structures.

They are worldwide in distribution.

Earwig

pest control companies

Earwigs are 1/4" to 1" in length.

They are black with yellow legs and large forceps attached to the abdomen.

The forceps are used to capture prey.

The name earwig comes from the European myth that they would burrow into the ear.

Fleas

There are numerous species of fleas but most are about 1/8" in length.

Most common species are of flea the cat flea and the dog flea.

Female fleas must have a blood host before they are able to lay eggs.

Fleas are reddish in appearance and very flat. This is so they can maneuver through animal hairs. They are outstanding jumpers and jump from animal to people very easily.

Fleas transmit numerous diseases and were the transmitters of Bubonic Plague that wiped out much of the Earth’s population in the 1500s.

Silverfish

environmental pest control

Silverfish are ½" to ¾" in length.

They are silver to gray in color because the body is covered in scales.

They have 3 bristles on the rear of the body and are often called bristletails.

They often live in attics or areas of high humidity.

They will eat paper and fabrics if left in attics or areas where silverfish are infesting.

Black Widow Spider

Black Widow spider females are about ½" in body length and about 1 ½" in total length.

The adult female is shiny black with a red hourglass on the rounded abdomen.

Juvenile females may have red spots or stripes as well as the hourglass.

Males are dingy white with brown markings and faded hourglass.

Black widow spiders nest in voids or cavities and construct a thick, irregular shaped web.

Black widow spider bites contain a neurotoxin that shuts down the respiratory system.

Black widows get their name from the phenomenon that the female will try to consumer her mate after breeding.

She is successful only about 20% of the time.

Cellar Spide

long leg spider

Cellar spiders vary in size but can get up to 1 ½" in length with their legs extended.

Cellar spiders are small-bodied spiders that are usually not seen unless you are looking for them.

Cellar spiders build a thick, dirty web that they continue to work on their entire lives.

Cellar spiders are common in warehouses, garages and crawlspaces. They can be found in homes behind furniture or at the wall/ceiling juncture.

Cellar spiders are commonly referred to as the daddy long-leg spider because of their long, slender legs.

Brown Recluse

football shaped abdomen

Brown recluse are about 1" in length.

Brown recluse are two-toned brown with a darker "fiddle" shape behind the head (cephalothorax).

Brown recluse have long narrow legs and a football-shaped abdomen. With their legs extended, they are about the size of a quarter.

Brown recluse live the majority of their time hidden in secluded places.

They can live up to two years.

Bites can cause necrosis (deterioration of flesh and tissue.) Bites have been know to even cause death.

Formosan Termite

typical formosan termite

Formosan colonies can average millions of workers, all of them foraging for food (wood.)

A typical colony of Formosan termites could forage an area more than one acre in diameter.

As Formosan termites infest a structure, they use soil and wood cemented together with saliva and feces to build hard nests called cartons within walls. Large cartons can actually cause walls to bulge. These nests house thousands of termites as well as hold moisture. Once established, Formosans can live indefinitely without soil contact.

Formosan termites can also infest and destroy otherwise healthy trees.

Swarmers are larger than native species, and they swarm in the evening and later in the year (May-June.)

Soldiers comprise about 10% of the colony.

Formosans will even attack and destroy non-wood materials. They have been known to chew through plaster, plastics, asphalt, and even thin sheets of soft metals like lead and copper.

Queens can produce 1,000 eggs a day.

Eastern Subterranean Termite

eastern subterranean termite

EST has 3 castes within the colony: workers, solders and reproductives.

Workers are 3/8" long and are white, similar to that of a fly larva.

Solders are slightly larger but have a squared head and yellow mandibles used for defending the colony.

Swarmers are 3/8" in length but have two pairs of equal wings that extend back over their bodies. They are dark in appearance compared to the workers.

Swarmers emerge in early spring to mate and start new colonies; they do not consume the wood.

Workers are the only caste that actually eats the damaged wood. They eat the wood and feed it to the other castes within the colony that are unable to feed themselves.

Ronnie Dossett Rd. Carriere, MS 39426

Print Version

Send to a friend Send to Phone

Send to Phone

Your text message was sent.

To opt out at anytime, send the word STOP to YP411 from your mobile phone.

To get a help message, send the word HELP to YP411 from your mobile phone.

Please try again
You must enter a vaild 10 digit U.S. phone number.

Send this business listing as a text message to a mobile phone.

Spence Environmental Services, Inc.
5 Ronnie Dossett Road., Carrere, MS 39426
6017492466

Mobile Phone Number: - -

Terms: The recipient of this text message may incur charges depending on their wireless carrier. Not all carriers are currently supported

Pest Identification

Send to Phone

Contact Information

Yahoo News