The German Roach, or Waterbug Often times when people have German roach, they will say that they have “water bugs”. Admitting that you have roaches is distasteful, so this is a more palatable alternative. The belostomatid, I’m sure, would take offense to this because it is the actual “water bug.” As one of the largest […]

Thanks, Norway: The Norway Rat’s Range and Natural Resilience Norway rats are often referred to as the street or sewer rats. They are a large species of rat that is said to have first arrived in the Americas on ships in the 1700s. Today they can be found throughout the world. They are very agile […]

Although beautiful with bright green coloration, the Japanese beetle is a widespread and destructive pest of turf, landscape, and ornamental plants in the United States. It is also a pest of several fruits, garden and field crops, and a host of about 300 different species. They feed on foliage, flowers, and fruits. Their damage can […]

Pest Profile: Yellow Jackets (Vespula spp.) Having a Party? Invite the Social Wasp Yellowjackets are one of many wasps that we commonly encounter. They are in the family Vespidae and the Genus Vespula. Yellowjackets are predatory social wasps that can be identified by their distinctive markings, rapid side-to-side flight and landing patterns, their occurrence only in […]

The Formosan termite Coptotermes formosanus is the most widely distributed and most economically important termite in the genus Coptotermes. A single Formosan colony may contain millions of termites that forage up to 300 feet in soil; this population size and foraging range pose a serious threat to structures. The Formosan Termite’s Unique Attributes This subterranean […]

Have you ever been to a soccer field or other sports field during the evening and see swarms of large insects crawling around? There could be a number of critters out; however, oftentimes they are mole crickets. These crickets are fascinating and very different looking than what you would expect of a cricket, but unique […]

The luna moth (Actias luna) is one of my favorite moths and arguably one of the most beautiful moths out there. This moth is so popular that it appeared on a U.S. postage stamp in 1987. The Luna moth was one of the first recorded moths from North America in its family Saturniidae. They get […]

The Beautiful, Bulbous Golden Silk Orb Weaver Spider Ever go for a hike and come across a large, magnificent web with a large spider that looks like it could potentially eat you if given the chance? Such a spider may be the Golden silk-orb weaver (Trichonephila clavipes). This spider can be found in Florida and […]

Being from Florida, I really do not like the cold. It makes me want to stay inside and stay snuggled on my couch with a warm glass of tea. However, I am not the only one that wants to be inside during these frigid months. Field mice have the same feelings about the cold as […]

The Tiny Fungus Gnat As colder weather approaches, some outdoor plants are now getting chilly and need to be brought inside. Although moving plants indoors is great for keeping them alive, this can bring in some unwanted house guests, specifically fungus gnats. The fungus gnat is a small fly that enjoys eating fungus and decaying […]

Silverfish are in the order Zygentoma. This soft-bodied insect is a voracious feeder on items high in starch, glue, and cellulose. For example, they are common in libraries and museums where paper books and labels are abundant. However, they can also be found outdoors in cool shaded places, such as under leaf litter, under rocks, […]

The Devil in the Sand Scorpions are an arachnid that we commonly deal with in the pest control industry. They are closely related to spiders and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. There are more than 1,500 scorpion species worldwide, but only about 25 of those species have venom strong enough to kill […]

As the weather warms up, we start to see more insects – some are a nuisance, while others are beneficial. Among said insects, dragonflies are considered beneficial. Dragonflies are in the order Odonata, which translates to “the toothed one.” This is because they are predatory insects that feed on other insects. They are known for […]

The ensign wasp is an example of a parasitoid wasp species. A parasite is defined as an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense. In the case of the ensign wasp, it is a parasite of the not-so-loveable household cockroaches, […]

Look Closer: The Rainbow Beetle’s Unappealing Habitat Although the rainbow scarab (Phanaeus vindex) has a colorful, attractive exterior, its habitat is… less than attractive. Commonly referred to as dung beetles, they can often be found rolling around in dung. Despite their affinity for excrement, they have an interesting history as objects of worship in Ancient […]

Fleas (Order: Siphonaptera) are small, dark, wingless insects that are flattened from side to side. These insects are usually found buried in the hair, close to the skin of mammals. When infestations are large, adult fleas may be found in carpeting and around pet resting areas. Fleas have four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and […]

The Indianmeal moth is commonly referred to as a stored product pest. This pest is in the insect order Lepidoptera. Like most other stored product pests, it is the larval immature stage that causes damage to food products. Their larva is often confused with pest beetle larvae that will do similar damage to stored food […]

Hearing the word “lovebug” may evoke the season of love and red hearts, but these critters don’t live up to their name. They are not exactly loveable, and many people find them detestable. The lovebug Plecia nearctica is a fly species that is particularly a nuisance to motorists when traveling through the southern United States. […]

Pest Profile: Red Paper Wasp (Polistes carolina)(Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Kristen Stevens, BCE The Red Paper Wasp: Beneficial or Deadly? Paper wasps are in the family Vespidae. The red paper wasp Polistes carolina is distributed throughout the eastern and south central United States. It is an elongate, slender wasp that is usually brownish-red with yellow markings. […]

Kristen Stevens, BCE We don’t often think of birds as pests, and, indeed, most of them are not. However, there are some birds that can pose public health and damage concerns in addition to being a nuisance. They carry all number of different food-borne illnesses such as salmonellosis, histoplasmosis, campylobacteriosis and some others. Some birds […]

Spp. Reticulitermes virginicus and Reticulitermes hageni Subterranean termites are one of the most common species of termites in the United States. They belong to the order Isoptera and are a small to medium insect. They live in colonies and have a caste system in which each individual within the colony has a specific role. The […]

How to Identify Argentine Ants Argentine ants are very small, dark, slender ants. These ants are usually found in large colonies which they can form in loose leaf litter, wall voids, cracks in concrete, and under stones or other debris resting on the ground. Habits Like the tawny crazy ant, argentine ants are an invasive […]

Upon hearing the word “wasp,” many tremble in fear and imagine an angry creature chasing after them. However, this is not the case with the cuckoo wasp. These solitary wasps are brightly colored and found in metallic green, blue or purple hues. Their bodies are full of small pits which give them an almost glittery […]

As summer approaches and beach trips are in the near future, are you or your loved ones nervous about swimming in the ocean because of sharks? According to the Bill Gates Foundation, you need to worry more about stepping into your own backyard! Accountable for over 700,000 deaths worldwide every year, mosquitoes are considered the […]

Living in the South, getting a termite infestation is not a matter of ‘if’ but a matter of ‘when’. Although getting termites in your home is never a good thing, depending on the type of termite it may go from bad to worse. Our native subterranean termites are known as Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes). Like […]

Boxelder bugs (scientific name Boisea trivattata) are named after one of their primary homes, the boxelder tree. They are known to occasionally enter structures during the winter to stay out of the harsh cold. Although a nuisance pest, they are actually native to the United States. They are specifically found in the western and eastern United […]

Not everything that lives in wood is a termite, and not everything that bores through wood is eating the wood. Consider the carpenter ant. There are many species of carpenter ants, but the most common house-infesting species is the black carpenter ant. It is uniformly black with yellowish hairs on the abdomen. Carpenter Ants: The […]