LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE COMMON PESTS
Pests come in all shapes and sizes. To better serve you and help you keep your home pest-free, click the pests below to learn more about what they are, and coming soon, you’ll be able to find tips for DIY pest-maintenance.
ANTS
Ants form large colonies and are particularly active in warmer months. Effective control involves using baits that ants carry back to the nest, alongside direct treatment of visible ants and trails. Ants form large colonies and can invade homes in search of food and water, leading to contamination of food supplies.
Threats:
Contamination of food and potential structural damage (specifically carpenter ants).
Lifespan:
Several months for workers; years for queens.
Active Season:
Primarily warmer months; indoor activity year-round.
Professional Control Methods:
A professional exterminator may employ perimeter treatments and targeted nest eradication to manage ant infestations comprehensively.
BED BUGS
Bed bugs are elusive pests that hide in mattresses and furniture, necessitating thorough cleaning, vacuuming, and heat treatments or insecticides. Bed bugs feed on human blood, often causing itchy bites and psychological distress.
Threats:
Skin irritation, allergic reactions, and emotional stress.
Lifespan:
About 10 months to 1 year.
Active Season:
Year-round, often detected in warmer months.
Professional Control Methods:
Professional services often include comprehensive room treatments using heat or chemical methods to ensure complete eradication.
BEETLES
Beetles can infest and damage food, fabric, and wooden structures, leading to significant property loss, requiring identification and removal of infested materials and application of appropriate insecticides.
Threats:
Damage to food supplies, clothing, and wooden structures.
Lifespan:
From a few weeks to 3 years, depending on the species.
Active Season:
Most active in warm months; some indoor species are active year-round.
Professional Control Methods:
Experts may use specialized insecticides and fumigation techniques to address the specific beetle species present.
CARPENTER ANTS
Carpenter ants burrow into wood, which can damage structures. Tracking ants to their colony for direct treatment is crucial.
Threats:
Structural damage to wooden elements of homes and buildings.
Lifespan:
Workers up to 7 years; queens more than 10 years.
Active Season:
Spring and summer.
Professional Control Methods:
Professionals might use perimeter baiting systems and direct colony treatment, often involving drilling into wood to apply insecticide directly to the nest.
CENTIPEDES
Centipedes, which thrive in moist environments, are controlled by reducing moisture, sealing cracks, and removing debris. While centipedes help control other insect pests, their presence can be unsettling, and their bites may cause mild irritation.
Threats:
Minor bites causing irritation; mostly a nuisance.
Lifespan:
Up to 6 years.
Active Season:
Spring and fall; active year-round in moist areas.
Professional Control Methods:
Pest control experts may apply residual insecticides in areas of activity and suggest environmental modifications to deter centipedes.
COCKROACHES
Cockroaches can spread diseases and require sanitation. Cockroaches are known to spread diseases and trigger allergies and asthma, especially in children.
Threats:
Health risks including asthma, allergies, and the spread of pathogens.
Lifespan:
About 1 year.
Active Season:
Year-round, with increased indoor activity in colder months.
Professional Control Methods:
Exterminators seal entry points and use a combination of baits, growth regulators, and insecticides, focusing on breeding areas for long-term control.
CRICKETS
Crickets can damage fabrics and other materials, and their constant chirping can be a nuisance.
Threats:
Damage to fabrics, furnishings, and a nuisance due to noise.
Lifespan:
About 1 year.
Active Season:
Late summer to fall.
Professional Control Methods:
Pest control services may include perimeter treatments and the use of insecticide baits to reduce cricket populations effectively.
EARWIGS
Earwigs prefer moist environments and can be controlled by drying out affected areas, removing garden debris, and sealing cracks. Earwigs are more a nuisance than a threat, but their presence can be unsettling due to their appearance.
Threats:
Minor plant damage and a general nuisance.
Lifespan:
Typically 1 year.
Active Season:
Primarily warmer months; indoor activity year-round.
Professional Control Methods:
Professionals may apply insecticides around the perimeter of a property and advise on landscape modifications to reduce moisture and harborage areas.
FLEAS
Fleas infest pets, can bite humans, and are capable of transmitting diseases, requiring treatment of pets, vacuuming, washing infested bedding, and applying control products.
Threats:
Skin irritation, carriers of bacteria/disease such as the plague.
Lifespan:
About 100 days as an adult, but can go dormant in the pupae stage for up to 6 months.
Active Season:
Warm, humid months.
Professional Control Methods:
Professional control methods require exterior and interior treatments, but ultimately require cooperation with customer as they will need to vacuum daily for at least a week. Vibrations will wake fleas from their pupae and come in contact with the material.
FLIES
Flies are attracted to food waste and other decaying matter. They are controlled by keeping areas clean and using traps. Flies are known to contaminate food and spread diseases, making them a significant health risk.
Threats:
Carriers of bacteria as filth flies will land and feed on things such as dead animals. Other flies may cause a painful bite. Flies can also quickly reproduce and get out of hand.
Lifespan:
1-2 months
Active Season:
Active season will be summer primarily, flies such as cluster flies may start trying to get inside homes in the fall.
Professional Control Methods:
Professional control methods are repellant products, bait products, fly lights or traps. Source reduction for their harborage areas.
MILLIPEDES
Millipedes primarily feed on decaying organic matter but can invade homes in large numbers, especially during wet weather, becoming a nuisance.
Threats:
A nuisance rather than a direct threat.
Lifespan:
Up to 7 years.
Active Season:
Spring and fall in wet conditions.
Professional Control Methods:
Experts might use perimeter insecticide treatments and advise on moisture control and habitat modification to prevent millipede invasions.
MITES
Various mites can affect humans, pets, and plants, potentially causing skin irritations and affecting plant health.
Threats:
Skin irritation in humans and animals, plant damage.
Lifespan:
Weeks to several months, depending on the species.
Active Season:
Varies; some thrive in dry conditions, others in humidity.
Professional Control Methods:
Treatment strategies are tailored to the specific type of mite, with professionals often using specific acaricides and recommending environmental controls.
MOSQUITOS
Mosquito control includes eliminating standing water, using repellents, and installing screens. Mosquitoes are vectors for many diseases such as malaria, Zika, and West Nile virus, posing significant health risks. They are the #1 killer animal in the world!
Threats:
Disease transmission to humans and pets.
Lifespan:
2 weeks to 6 months, depending on conditions.
Active Season:
Spring through fall; year-round in warmer climates.
Professional Control Methods:
Mosquito control services may employ larvicides, adulticides, and habitat modification techniques to reduce mosquito populations.
MOTHS
Some moths can damage food and fabrics. Pantry moths contaminate food, while clothes moths damage woolens and other fabrics. Proper food storage is helpful in control.
Threats:
Contamination of food supplies and damage to clothing and textiles.
Lifespan:
Varies; some up to 30 months.
Active Season:
Year-round, peak in warm months.
Professional Control Methods:
Professionals may offer fumigation services and specialized traps to manage moth infestations effectively.
RODENTS
Rodents pose health risks and require sealing entry points, removing food sources, and using traps or rodenticides. Rodents can cause significant damage to properties through gnawing and can spread diseases. Roof rats and squirrels can chew through vents, intakes, and other elevated areas which can create a freeway for many other pests to gain entry into your property.
Threats:
Property damage, fire risk (from chewed wires), and health risks from diseases.
Lifespan:
Rats about 1 year, mice around 2 years.
Active Season:
Fall and winter.
Professional Control Methods:
Rodent control experts use integrated pest management strategies, including bait stations, exclusion techniques, and ongoing monitoring.
SCORPIONS
The Striped Bark Scorpion can grow to about 2.5 inches in length. This species is known for its segmented tail that ends in a venomous stinger and its eight legs, which give it a crab-like appearance.
Threats:
While their sting can be painful, it is generally not dangerous to humans except in cases of allergic reactions. Their presence in homes can be alarming and indicates a potential underlying insect problem.
Lifespan:
Scorpions exhibit a unique reproductive process, giving birth to live young, which ride on their mother’s back until their first molt. They can live for 3-5 years, sometimes longer.
Active Season:
Late spring through early fall They are nocturnal, emerging at night to hunt for food.
Professional Control Methods:
Cracks, crevices, and other small openings in building exteriors are sealed with caulk or other sealants to prevent scorpions from entering, door sweeps and screens are installed or repaired to block additional entry points, and window and vent Screens are inspected to ensure they’re intact and without holes. Pest experts can also apply insecticides, dusts, and granules around the perimeter and other less accessible areas of your property to create barriers and eliminate scorpions. These strategies target both scorpions and their prey. Removing debris, wood piles, rocks, and other potential scorpion shelters from around the property reduces hiding spots.
SILVERFISH
Silverfish consume carbohydrates, including sugars and starches found in books, glue, and cotton, potentially damaging household items.
Threats:
Damage to books, wallpapers, garments, and other starchy materials.
Lifespan:
2 to 8 years.
Active Season:
Year-round.
Professional Control Methods:
Pest management professionals may treat infested areas with residual insecticides and provide advice on preventing reinfestation through environmental controls.
SPIDERS
Most spiders are harmless and even beneficial by eating other pests, but their presence can be a nuisance, and some species pose a bite risk.
Threats:
Mostly a nuisance; however, bites from certain species can be medically significant.
Lifespan:
Varies; some up to 20 years.
Active Season:
Late summer and fall.
Professional Control Methods:
Exterminators may offer web removal services and treat areas with spider deterrents or residual sprays to reduce populations.
STINGING PESTS
Control of stinging pests like bees, wasps, and hornets includes identifying and removing nests, with caution advised due to the risk of stings. The stings can cause pain, allergic reactions, and, in rare cases, severe allergic reactions. Professional pest control is recommended for high or difficult-to-reach nests.
Threats:
Pain, potential allergic reactions, and, in rare cases, anaphylaxis.
Lifespan:
Workers a few weeks; queens several years.
Active Season:
Warmer months.
Professional Control Methods:
Pest control specialists can safely provide nest removal or treatment with insecticides, performed with protective equipment and often at night for reduced activity, to minimize risk.
STINK BUGS
Stink bugs are agricultural pests that can invade homes in large numbers, becoming a nuisance and emitting a foul odor when disturbed.
Threats:
Agricultural damage and a nuisance in homes.
Lifespan:
About 6 to 8 months.
Active Season:
Spring and summer outdoors; enter homes in fall.
Professional Control Methods:
Professionals might use vacuuming for removal and apply insecticidal treatments around the exterior of buildings to deter entry.
TERMITES
Termites feed on wood, causing significant structural damage to properties and require the use of termiticides and baits for control.
Threats:
Structural damage with potentially high repair costs.
Lifespan:
Workers 1-2 years; queens over a decade.
Active Season:
Year-round, with swarming typically in spring.
Professional Control Methods:
Application of soil termiticides, bait systems, and physical barriers, along with regular inspections to prevent reinfestation.
TICKS
Ticks require keeping grass short and treating pets, with personal protection measures essential during active seasons. Ticks are parasitic arachnids that can transmit diseases to humans and animals, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Threats:
Disease transmission.
Lifespan:
2 years for life cycle completion.
Active Season:
Warm months.
Professional Control Methods:
Landscape management to reduce tick habitats, application of acaricides, and recommendations for personal protection measures.