Pest Guide

• Behavior –Workers forage signally never forming trails unless, when they are moving their young.  Colonies are often small 20-200 individuals with multiple queens
• Habitat –This ant nests in rotted logs and stumps and voids in buildings.  They are found through out the islands.
• Tips for Control – With all ant control identification is key in that by knowing its behavioral habits one is able to match a bait placement with the feeding need.  A combination of baiting and a perimeter barrier will provide good control.

• Behavior – They readily trail onto buildings from the soil using branches of trees and shrubs as bridges to the building.  They commonly attack and kill insects and will forage on dead insects in windowsills.
• Habitat – Primary outdoors and is highly opportunistic in nesting habits. They are commonly seen around sinks, toilets, and bathrooms due to their need for moisture
• Tips for Control – Successful control depends on the ability to locate foraging ants and nesting sites.  Best if each individual nest is treated by drenching with an approved residual pesticide.

• Behavior –They have set foraging trails that are generally easy to find outside.  Workers maintain contact with edges.  This ant is particularly fond of sweets
• Habitat –Nesting will occur under any abject on the ground or heavy vegetation lying against a foundation or, on the base of trees.  One colony will encompass numerous nesting sites.
• Tips for Control –Complete elimination of infestations inside a structure on a long-term basis is nearly impossible in areas that are well established due to new colonies moving in. So, regular inspections and treatments are necessary in areas where these ants are seen.

• Behavior –Crazy ants get their name from their habit of running about very erratically with no apparent sense of direction.  They will feed on a wide Varity of foods but will avoid sweets when the colony requires protein for the growth of larva.
• Habitat –Mostly an outside nesting ant but, will nest inside in voids.  They can quickly locate sources of food and once food is discovered hundreds of workers will swarm to the site.
• Tips for Control –Is very similar to the White footed ant with locating treatment of existing colonies and applying a scheduled preventive treatment to help prevent foraging workers access into the structure.

• Behavior –They are often confused with the thief and.  They are usually most active at night.  Trails are often hidden behind baseboards and cabinetry. They mostly feed on sweets.
• Habitat – Very large colonies containing as many as 300,00 workers and many queens.  They will nest in any suitable dark void or crack within a structure.  Colonies will readily move to a new location if conditions for survival are less than ideal.
• Tips for Control – The goal is to find as many foraging trails as possible in order to determine where baits should be placed.  The only effective treatment is a comprehensive baiting program.

• Behavior –They need a considerable amount of food due to the colony size so fire ants will feed on almost anything.  They will sting aggressively if disturbed.
• Habitat –They prefer dry areas often nesting in soil with piles of dirt around the entrance.  Mulch in Landscape beds is a common nesting site.
• Tips for Control –Is best controlled by a combination of methods by mound-to-mound treatment, broadcast baiting, and perimeter preventive treatments.

• Behavior – The German cockroach is the most prolific breeder among all cockroaches. Each egg capsule can contain up to 40 eggs and development from egg to adult can occur in as little as 45 days. Like all cockroaches, it is omnivorous and will eat virtually anything people will and many things we won't.
• Habitat – In homes, this pest will first locate itself in bathrooms and the kitchen, as close as possible to food and moisture sources. It spends 75% to 80% of its time resting in cracks and voids.
• Tips for Control – Control of German cockroaches takes persistence and experience. An infestation can be controlled using over-the-counter products, but homeowners often meet with frustration and call a professional.

American cockroach

• Behavior – Like all cockroaches, it is omnivorous and will eat virtually anything people will and many things we won't.
• Habitat – This cockroach thrives in warm, damp environments, such as sewers, steam tunnels, basements, crawl spaces, and boiler rooms. In southern states, it will also be found living and breeding outdoors.
• Tips for Control – The key to control is to find and treat these sources directly. In many cases, the services of a professional company, are required to achieve long term relief. In southern states where this cockroach lives outdoors, successful control involves treating the attic, crawl space, and exterior cracks in the home and finding and treating likely cockroach harborages over the entire property.

Pacific beetle roach

• Behavior –Typically it is found outdoors in loose soil or under objects on the ground it damages underground parts of some plants, but is usually a scavenger.
• Habitat –The species is often abundant around poultry and is an intermediate host of the poultry eye worm.  The cockroach is eaten by the cane toad, and at times, provides up to 50% of the toads diet.
• Tips for Control –Sometimes this cockroach strays into houses and occasionally becomes a pest of houseplants, especially on lanais.  Exterior perimeter treatment usually controls this pest.

Silverfish

• Food - Dried cereals, flour, glue, and starch, including stiffeners used in clothing and bound books, and coated papers used in magazines
• Life Cycle - Oval white eggs are dropped in a few places week after week. Eggs hatch in 2-8 weeks. Nymphs, 1/8-1/4" (4-5 mm), have the same body form as adults. In the South full size is attained in about 2 years, longer in the North.
• Habitat - Indoors in warm, dry or damp places, including closets, bookcases, behind baseboards, in partitions, or in bathtubs.
• Range - Worldwide in temperate climates.
• This insect has a scaly covering that helps it to escape from the grip of ants and spiders. Silverfish can survive without food for months.

Flea

• Behavior –While the adult fleas diet consists solely on blood, their larvae feed on various organic debris.  The adult flea can survive up to 1 year in the cocoon if there is no suitable stimulus.
• Habitat –The host usually picks up the adult outside.  The female lays the eggs on the host and the eggs can roll off when the host sleeps creating a primary habitat of eggs and developing fleas in side your structure.
• Tips for Control –Successful flea control requires a cooperative effort between the homeowner and the pest specialist. A combination of treatments to pets, home, and yard are needed for complete control.

Tick

• Behavior – All ticks feed exclusively on the blood of vertebrates.  There and 2 families of ticks being hard bodied and soft bodied.  Ticks can carry serious diseases.  Ticks do not fly or jump but crawl slowly.
• Habitat – Ticks like to crawl up on low vegetation and wait for people or animals to brush up against them.  Ticks become aroused by the odor and breathing of any near by host.  Ticks are mainly outside pests that are brought inside by their hosts.
• Tips for Control – Is a partnership between the homeowner and the pest specialist utilizing a through cleaning and vacuuming and inside and outside treatments to the foundation and cracks and crevices.

Bedbug

• Behavior –They feed solely on the blood of animals.  They are active manly at night.  During the daytime they hide close to where people sleep. Bed bugs will move to other rooms when over population forces them to.
• Habitat –Bedbugs do not have nests like ants or bees but, do tend to congregate in protected hiding places such as mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and baseboards.  They can be picked up anywhere
• Tips for Control –Since they hide in tiny places inspections and treatments must be very through.  Experienced companies know where to look and have an assortment of management tools at their disposal.

Widow Spider

• Food - Insects.
• Web - Irregular mesh with a funnel-shaped retreat, built in sheltered spots.
• Life Cycle - Female rarely leaves web, stays close to egg mass, biting defensively if disturbed. Pear-shaped egg sac, 3/8-1/2" (8-12 mm) wide, is pale brown. Female stores sperm, producing more egg sacs without mating. Spiderlings disperse soon after hatching. Some females live more than 3 years
• Habitat - Among fallen branches and under objects of many kinds, including furniture, outhouse seats, and trash.
• Range - Massachusetts to Florida, west to California, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas; most common in the South.
• Despite its reputation, this spider often attempts to escape rather than bite, unless it is guarding an egg mass. Males do not bite. After mating, the female often eats the male, earning the name "widow."

Brown Recluse Spider

• The key identifying characteristics are the six eyes arranged in three pairs at the front of the head area and the fiddle-shaped marking on the back. The brown recluse spider is often called the "violin" spider or "fiddleback" spider because of the distinctive fiddle-shaped marking on top of its cephalothorax (head end to which the legs are attached).
• Behavior – Like most spiders, the brown recluse spider does not seek to bite people. The bite is usually accidental. The spider crawls into a shoe, into clothing or into a bed and a person then puts on the clothing or lies on the spider in bed. The spider, being trapped, has only one defense - and that is to bite. Unfortunately, the bite of this spider produces a nasty result in people, such as open, ulcerating sores. Left untreated, such bites often become infected and significant tissue necrosis can occur. It is always best to seek medical attention, preferably from a dermatologist, if you think you may have a spider bite. This is especially true in areas where brown recluse spiders are common.
• Habitat – Any corner inside or outside is suitable for brown recluse spiders to construct their webs. These spiders are more common in garages, crawl spaces, and basements, as these areas are less disturbed and tend to harbor more insects.
• Tips for Control – If a home has experienced brown recluse spiders, the occupants can reduce the chances of bites by following the recommendations below:
  • Clothing can be stored in sealed plastic bags inside drawers or inside plastic storage compartments hanging in closets. Shoes should be stored inside plastic shoeboxes. Clothes that have been left on the floor, in a clothing basket, or are otherwise exposed should always be shaken well and inspected before being put on.
  • Avoid keeping clothing on floors. Beds should be moved out so they do not touch walls or curtains. Bed skirts around the box springs should be removed from beds, and bedspreads that come near or touch the floor should not be used. These items allow spiders easy access to climb onto the bed. Persons living in infested homes should get into the habit of inspecting bedding prior to climbing in.

Cane Spider

 

 

• Behavior –While scary looking they are generally timid and rarely bite.  It does not spin a web but instead hunts for food at night.  Just about any insect is fair game.
• Habitat – The cane spider can be found on all islands and as the name implies it frequented the cane fields.  They will often find there ways into structures and as long as there is a food source they can survive quite well.
• Tips for Control – Since they are such a beneficial pest, it is best controlled by eliminating their food source around your home by sealing entry points and preventive treatments.  Once inside they are best controlled by spot treatments.

Mosquito

• Behavior –Mosquitoes are blood-sucking flies that are not only a nuisance but also may carry disease.  Females bite and suck blood while males feed on plant nectar.  Its average flight range is a short 200 yards.
• Habitat –Most mosquitoes can breed in water that is in artificial containers like cans, bottles, old tires or, any other standing water such as ponds or tree and rock holes.  The adults will fly and rest in the trees and shrubs around a feeding site.
• Tips for Control –Inspection of the property with placements of larvacides in conjunction with a perimeter treatment to resting sites is recommended.  Removal of any breeding sites will aid in control.

Clothes Moth

• Characteristics – Size: About 3/8-inch long.
• Color - Cream colored with a tuft of red hair on the top of the head. The larvae are white.
• Larvae will be found on fabrics among thin sheets of webbing that they spin to shield themselves. They often leave strands of silk on fabrics they infest.
• Behavior – Fabric pests such as clothes moths, although not particularly dangerous, can sometimes cause irreparable damage to personal belongings. These moths are able to digest animal hairs and, therefore, feed on almost any item made of natural fibers, particularly wool and cashmere.
• Habitat – Clothes moths tend to stay confined near clothing, which makes them easier to control.
• Tips for Control – Your service professional can rid your home of these pests, but there are a few steps you can take to protect your clothing until your fabric pest problem can be controlled:
  • Do not store boxes of clothes in the attic, garage or basement, if possible.
  • If clothing must be stored in boxes, thoroughly clean the boxes before storage and seal all corners and openings with tape. Prior to storage, clean woolen and natural fiber clothing according to the manufacturer's instructions. In closets, store natural fiber clothing items by covering them with individual plastic covers. Consider storing clothing in large zippered plastic units. Use mothballs to help deter fabric pests, but be aware that they may leave an odor that could require dry cleaning.

Drywood Termite

• Drywood termites have soft bodies and are cylindrical in shape. They have six legs, compound eyes and chewing mandibles.
• Behavior – Drywood termites are social insects that live in colonies. The colonies are composed of kings, queens and soldiers. There is no worker caste as in subterranean colonies. The work is performed by immature termites before they become adults. King and queen termites perform the reproductive functions of the colony. They are light to dark brown and 1/3- to 1 inch in length. Soldiers guard the colony against invaders such as ants. They are white and wingless with large brownish heads and jaws. The nymphs (immatures), which are the most numerous caste, are white and wingless. The soldiers and immatures remain inside the wood at all times.
• Habitat – Drywood termites infest only dry wood and are most often found in attic wood structure as they do not require contact with the soil. They need very little moisture because they are able to live off of the water produced from the digestion of the cellulose. Drywood termites mate and fly to new dry wood areas, enter a small hole in the wood, and start to form a colony. Colonies will contain up to 2500 members.
• Tips for Control – There are some things a property owner can do to help prevent drywood termite infestation.
  • tore firewood and lumber away from the house. Use 20-mesh screen on all windows and doors, and especially at ventilation openings for attics and crawl spaces. Exposed wood that is sealed with a uniform coating of paint, varnish or other sealant will help prevent easy access by drywood termites. Be sure to seal nail holes and cracks.

Formosan Subterranean Termite

• Soldiers have an elongated head with pincer-like mandibles. Supplementary Reproductives have either no wings or very short non-functional wings, while Primary Reproductives have four wings of equal size. Primary Reproductives are the termites most often seen in the open. They are commonly referred to as "swarmers."
• Behavior – This termite is known to swarm in May and June, but small flights can occur at any time of the year. Swarming is the primary way the termite naturally spreads after it has been transported to a new area. Three elements are needed for swarming to be effective:
  
  1) Proper food resources (cellulose and wood)
  2) moisture
  3) a physical niche.
  
  As the colony grows, specialized castes are produced for the different tasks required. The first caste produced is the workers. The second caste is the soldiers. The third caste is the reproductives. Two types, primary and supplementary, are produced in a Formosan subterranean termite colony. The two types have different functions. Primary reproductives swarm and start new colonies. They are called alates or swarmers. Although thousands of primary reproductives are produced each year, they all leave the nest. Primaries cannot become reproductive if they remain in their colony of origin. In a Formosan colony, the only primaries that reproduce are the original king and queen that started the colony. Supplementary reproductives, on the other hand, can become reproductive only in the colonies in which they were born. They take over reproduction when the primary king or queen dies or becomes separated from the main colony.
• Habitat – Subterranean termites live in colonies in the ground, building vertical tunnels that look like mud tubes above ground level so that they can search for food. Because subterranean termites will die if exposed to air for an extended period of time, the tunnels provide protection from the open air, allowing workers to carry food to the nest. Subterranean termites can form tunnels through cracks in concrete, so slab homes are not exempt from these termites. They need to stay in contact with the soil in order to survive, unlike drywood termites that only need low moisture.
• Tips for Control – There are several things a homeowner can do which can help prevent termite infestations or make them easier to detect.
  • Store firewood away from the house. Make sure at least four inches of the foundation can be seen all around the home. Siding should not extend into the soil. Mulch and soil should not be high enough to cover the siding. Make sure water drains away from the foundation. Accumulation of water next to the foundation is important for the survival of a termite colony next to a home. Rain gutters are ideal; however, the downspout should direct the water away from the home. Roof or plumbing leaks can allow termites to survive above ground in a house. These should be corrected as soon as possible. Paint will protect exposed wood against termites for about five years, and commercial pressure-treated wood will provide longer lasting protection. Before painting, all cracks and crevices should be filled with putty or plastic wood.
  • Certain woods are naturally resistant to termite attacks. Among these woods are redwood core, bald-cypress, mahogany, and Spanish cedar. These types of wood, however, will become susceptible after several years of exposure to weather.

Powder Post Beetle

• Behavior –The larvae of these beetles reduce timbers to a mass of very fine powder like substance.  The adults do very little damage.  When adults emerge they leave a very small hole the size of a pin.
• Habitat –They attack hardwoods depositing their eggs in cracks and crevices or under the bark.  They are usually unnoticed until they are discovered in stored lumber of furniture products.
• Tips for Control –Inspections to determine if activity is new or old should be made.  Treatments can only be applied to raw wood or fumigation will be needed.

Carpenter Bee

• Behavior – Carpenter bees are a solitary bee.  They are important pollinators on open-faced flowers.  They get their name form the ability to drill through wood. It is common for them to hover around the opening to their nest and not venture far from the nest.
• Habitat –Each nest will have a single opening approximately ½ inch in diameter.  The hole only goes in shallow but the turns 90 degrees and bores channels from 6 inches to 4 feet.
• Tips for Control –The main concern is the nest.  Just killing the adults will not take care of their nest so each nest needs to be treated.  The nests are usually up high around the roofline.

Hawaii Centipede

• Behavior –Centipedes are fast moving carnivores that feed on insects.  They utilize the most anterior trunk segment called maxillipeds for defense and capturing its prey.
• Habitat –They are found primarily in tropical climates.  Mostly an outside pest that finds their way inside.  It likes to nest in ground clutter or under debris or in rock walls.  They also prefer a higher moisture area.
• Tips for Control –This should be acquired by a combination of exclusion and a regular application of products to outside perimeter and nesting sites.

Honey Bee

• Warning This bee stings but is not aggressive; if stung, remove stinger immediately. Aggressive Africanized Honey Bees ("killer bees") have been moving northward in North America and are much more dangerous than the domestic variety.
• Food - Adult drinks nectar and eats honey. Larva feeds on honey and royal jelly, a white paste secreted by workers.
• Life Cycle - Complex social behavior centers on maintaining queen for full lifespan, usually 2 or 3 years, sometimes up to 5. Queen lays eggs at intervals, producing a colony of 60,000-80,000 workers, which collect, produce, and distribute honey and maintain hive. Workers feed royal jelly to queen continuously and to all larvae for first 3 days; then only queen larvae continue eating royal jelly while other larvae are fed bee bread, a mixture of honey and pollen. By passing food mixed with saliva to one another, members of hive have chemical bond. New queens are produced in late spring and early summer; old queen then departs with a swarm of workers to found new colony. About a day later the first new queen emerges, kills other new queens, and sets out for a few days of orientation flights. In 3-16 days queen again leaves hive to mate, sometimes mating with several drones before returning to hive. Drones die after mating; unmated drones are denied food and die.
• Habitat - Hives in hollow trees and hives kept by beekeepers. Workers visit flowers of many kinds in meadows, open woods, and gardens.
• Range - Worldwide.
• Settlers brought the Honey Bee to North America in the 17th century. Today these bees are used to pollinate crops and produce honey. They are frequently seen swarming around tree limbs. Honey Bees are distinguished from bumble bees and bees in other families mostly by wing venation.

Paper Wasp

• Behavior –Paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps due to the distinctive design of their nests.   They will generally only attack if the nest is threatened.
• Habitat – They will often build their nests outside under overhangs.  Once a nest is abandoned it will not be reused.  They have been known to nest inside vents and around air conditioner units also.
• Tips for Control – When small nests can easily be taken care of by just knocking down.  The larger nests are very dangerous and should be handled by a pest specialist.

Roof Rat

• Behavior –They are excellent climbers and are mostly active at night.  They prefer a wide variety of fruits and nuts and a variety of vegetative plants.
• Habitat –They often live in trees or vine covered fences.  Usually enters and nests in upper portions of buildings.  Like all rodents they will chew on many items including wires.
• Tips for Control – This is not easy due to their ability to adapt to changes and the capacity to reproduce.  A combination of bait placement, trapping, and exclusion should be utilized.

House Mouse

• Similar Species Deer mice (Peromyscus species) have white under parts. Harvest mice have grooved incisors.
• Breeding Gestation 18–21 days; several litters per year, each of 3–16 young; reproduces spring through fall in North, year-round in South.
• Sign - Musky odor. In buildings: small dark droppings, damaged materials, holes in insulation, and shredded nesting material; in fields: small dark droppings, small holes in the ground.
• Habitat - Buildings; areas with good ground cover, especially cultivated fields. Uncommon in undisturbed or natural habitats.
• Range - Pacific Coast south from Alaska through w and s Canada and throughout all of continental U.S.
• The House Mouse originated in Asia and spread throughout Europe many centuries ago. In the early 16th century, it arrived in Florida and Latin America on ships of the Spanish explorers and conquistadores, and about a century later came to the northern shores of North America along with English and French explorers, traders, and colonists. The House Mouse makes its own nest but lives in groups, sharing escape holes and common areas for eating, urinating, and defecating. It takes turns grooming its fellows, especially on the head and back, where it is difficult for the animal to groom itself. If the population grows too dense, many females, particularly adolescents, become infertile. A highly migratory existence and rapid rate of reproduction enable the House Mouse to thrive; it takes advantage of situations not readily available to other species, including cultivated fields, which offer a rich if temporary habitat. As a crop develops, the mice move in and have several litters in quick succession, building large populations quickly; when the field is harvested or plowed, they move out. Many perish, many find other fields, and still others invade buildings. Sometimes these migrations assume plague proportions: In 1926–1927, an estimated 82,000 mice per acre (202,000 per ha) wreaked havoc in the Central Valley of California.
• In such densities, House Mice, though generally timid, have been known to run over people’s feet and even to bite. In cultivated fields, some of their actions are beneficial, as they feed heavily on weed seeds, with foxtail grass a favorite, along with caterpillars and other insects; in houses, barns, and storage buildings, they are entirely destructive. These mice eat or their droppings contaminate large quantities of grain and other valuable foodstuffs. Their scientific name derives from the Sanskrit musha, meaning "thief." They chew or shred anything chewable or shreddable, including furniture and wires, and sometimes start fires. They can scurry up rough vertical walls and even pipes; they gnaw holes in walls, floors, and baseboards. Like Black and Norway rats, House Mice can spread disease. In the wild, birds and mammals are predators. Centuries ago, cooked mouse meat was a folk remedy for colds, coughs, fits, and fevers, but it is not recommended today. The white mice used in research laboratories are albinos bred from this species.