What you need to know about Flying Insects?
What Is The Difference Between Bees, Wasps, And Hornets?
- Bees are fuzzy pollen collectors with yellow and black stripes.
- Wasps are members of the family Vespidae, which includes yellow jackets and hornets.
- Wasps generally have two pairs of wings and hairless bodies.
- Wasps are about 1/3” to 1” and some species have black and yellow rings on their bodies.
- Common wasps are paper wasps and yellow jackets
- Hornets are a large species of wasps and can be extremely aggressive.
- The only true hornet found in North America is the European hornet or brown hornet. Common wasps referred to as hornets include the bald-faced hornet.
- Hornets are larger and typically brownish and have dull orange stripes on their bodies.
WHY IS THERE A NEST IN MY HOUSE?
- Wasps and hornets build nests in protected and easy to get into places, such as attics and under eaves.
- Wasps like other insects cannot regulate their body heat. They depend on the surrounding environment to warm them up. They are active at warm temperatures and slow down otherwise.
CAN MY HOUSE BE DAMAGED BY BEES, WASPS, OR HORNETS?
- Yes, some wasp species can damage your home.
- Carpenter bees can tunnel into decks, porches and other wood structures. If you see what looks like a bumblebee emerging from a hole in your porch or the siding of your house, it may be a carpenter bee.
- Wasps and bees can nest inside wall voids and make a hole in the wall to enter or exit from.
- Also, wasps that nest inside may damage the wallboard or ceiling.
- Another problem associated with nests inside wall voids is the possibility of scavenger pests that infest abandoned wasp nests.
WHY DO BEES, WASPS, AND HORNETS STING PEOPLE?
- Generally, bees, wasps, and hornets do not sting unless handled, disturbed, threatened, or harmed.
- Wasps sting to defend themselves, to subdue prey to feed their developing larvae, or to defend their nests
- Due to their barbed stingers, honeybees sting only once and die because they leave their stingers in the victims’ skin.
- Wasps can sting more than once because they have a lance-like stinger without barbs; thus, wasps are able to pull out their stinger without injury to themselves.
- Only female wasps and bees have stingers.
- When they sting, wasps and bees inject venomous fluid that creates allergic reactions to sensitive people. Individual response to a sting may vary from a brief swelling of the immediate area of the sting to a more severe, and potentially fatal, allergic response involving the entire body.
- It is estimated that close to 100 people die annually in the United States from the reactions produced by wasp and bee stings.
WHERE DO WASPS LIVE?
- There are two types of wasps and bees, solitary and social.
- Solitary bees and wasps, by far the largest subgroup, do not form colonies. Depending on the species, solitary wasps live in holes that are already in existence, build nests from materials they collect, or dig a hole in the ground for their nests.
- Social wasps build nests of chewed up fibers or decaying wood mixed with saliva. The nests are usually found in sheltered areas outdoors in gardens, hedges, forest edges, and other similar locations.
- In urban settings, wasps can also nest under stairs, in fence posts, in brick walls, under eaves, under porches, and in discarded mattresses, carpet, or boxes.
What you need to know about Crawling Insects?
Do Ants Bite?
Yes, ants can bite, but that doesn’t mean you should be afraid of every ant that comes your way. A few ants to be on the lookout for are:
- Carpenter ants can bite out of defense and they will inject formic acid into the wound
- Pavement ants sting or bite when provoked
How Do Ants Get in The House?
Ants can get into your home or business through the tiniest of cracks and crevices. This could be anywhere from window sills to doorways, as well as any opening in the foundation or basement.
Do cockroaches cause allergies?
Yes! Roach droppings, skin, and saliva are all known to release particles that can trigger allergic reactions in some people.
Do cockroaches reproduce quickly?
Yes. They have a quick reproduction cycle and female roaches can produce 200–300 offspring within a year.
ARE SPIDERS DANGEROUS?
- Typically not. Most spiders in our area are harmless to people.
- All spiders have venom and are therefore venomous. However, only a few spiders are considered dangerous to humans, such as brown recluse and black widow spiders.
- Spiders are shy and not aggressive; they will usually try to escape when confronted.
- Few spiders bite, even when coaxed.
- Fortunately, the bites of most spiders rarely break the skin and are less painful than an average bee sting.
CAN MY HOUSE BE DAMAGED BY SPIDERS?
- Spiders do not cause structural damage.
- The most common complaint with spider infestations is with the webs and general uncleanness of an infestation.
What you need to know about Bed Bugs?
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE BED BUGS?
- If you suspect an infestation, remove all bedding and carefully check the seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and behind the headboard for bed bugs or their excrement.
- Peel back the dust cover where it is stapled to the wood frame over the bottom of the box springs and examine the seams in the wood framing.
- You may find bed bugs in the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, and in the folds of curtains.
- Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets, pillowcases, mattresses and walls are bed bug excrement and indicate a bed bug infestation.
HOW DID BED BUGS GET IN MY HOUSE?
- Bed bugs can come into your house on luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows and bedding, boxes, purses and backpack – any other items that were moved from a bed bug infested area.
- Bed bugs cannot fly and will not jump from the floor to the bed.
- Once in the home, bed bugs become established in any convenient crack or crevice, particularly along the seams or in the buttons of mattresses, in the coils and frame of the box spring, wooden bedsteads, bed framing, upholstered furniture, the backing of pictures, behind window and door molding/framing, behind wallpaper, between wooden floorboards, behind switch plates, as well as sofas and upholstered furniture.
- In heavy infestations, they may be found in wall voids, along conduit, electrical wires, and pipes, in attics, and other enclosed places.
WHY HAS THERE BEEN A RESURGENCE OF BED BUGS?
- International travel and changes in modern pest control are believed to be responsible for the resurgence in bed bugs.
- DDT was commonly used in the 1940’s and 1950’s for many insects and was quite effective against bed bugs, almost eliminating them within the U.S.
- In the 1970’s DDT was banned and pest control evolved into less frequent applications of more targeted products, often pest specific, such as cockroach baits.
- Bed bug physiology has changed and the bed bugs of today are much more difficult to exterminate than bed bugs of the 1940s and 50s.
What you need to know about Fleas And Mites?
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE FLEAS?
- If your pet is scratching excessively, you should examine his or her fur. Flea-infested animals have reddened skin and may lose hair. The hind quarters of dogs and the head and neck of cats are where you will likely find fleas.
- Fleas can be seen visibly moving between hairs.
- Their red and black droppings may also be visible on your pet’s skin.
- Try walking on your carpet wearing white socks. If you see tiny black bugs on your socks afterwards, those are likely fleas and/or flea dirt.
I DON’T HAVE PETS. COULD I STILL HAVE FLEAS?
- Yes, even if you don’t have a pet, you still could have fleas in your yard.
- If you have tiny red bites after a day in your yard, wear white socks and walk around the shady areas of your yard and near decks, woodpiles, or storage buildings. If you see little black specks on your socks after walking about, you probably have fleas in your yard.
IS A FLEA BOMB EFFECTIVE AT GETTING RID OF FLEAS?
- No, a flea bomb is not considered an eective or recommended solution.
- Flea bombs, also known as foggers or total release foggers, release pesticides into aroom to treat indoor flea infestations.
- The pesticide-infused fog fills the space then falls to the ground where it sticks to surfaces.
How can identify mites?
It can be difficult to see mites clearly without magnification; however, identifying mites depends primarily on the species. For example, clover mites have a bright red coloration that can easily be seen. Another way of noticing mites is that at times movement of mites across a surface can be detected. Mites such as spider mites can produce webbing and silk. They can also cause discoloration of leaves that eventually drop. Some of the more common species of mites can be more specifically identified as described below:
Dust Mites
- Dust Mites are difficult to see with the naked eye, yet they are common in house dust.
- One mattress can contain thousands and thousands of dust mites.
- Nearly 100,000 mites can live in one square yard of carpet.
Clover Mites
- Clover mites are common in and around Minnesota homes primarily in the fall and spring.
- During the fall, clover mites crawl into cracks around windows or in foundation walls, under siding, behind shingles and shakes, and can then be found on window sills, walls, tables, or other furniture.
- Clover Mites tend to congregate on the sunny side of the house.
- Although cold winter weather slows down the activity of Clover Mites, they return in the spring.
Spider Mites
- Spider mites can be spotted by a mottled or pin-prick yellow discoloration on the undersides of leaves.
- They are common in a wide variety of plants including arborvitae, spruce, ash, rose, and beans.
- If you suspect spider mites on discolored leaves, hold a white sheet of paper or paper plate under the leaves and shake the leaves or plant (tiny spider-like creatures will drop and move around the paper)
Bird and Rodent Mites
- Bird and Rodent Mites parasitize poultry, wild birds, and rodents. They may be present after birds or rodents have been removed and can bite humans.
- Although these mites are only about 1/32 inch long, they can be spotted by the naked eye.
Scabies Mites (Sarcoptes scabies)
- Scabies is an itchy skin irritation caused by a burrowing mite called Sarcoptes scabies.
- Signs of Scabies Mites include thick, irregular burrow tracks that result in tiny blisters or bumps on the human skin.
- Symptoms include severe itching that tends to be worse at night and typically appears in the folds of your skin.
What you need to know about Rodents?
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE MICE?
- Mice can often be seen or heard and you can also see their droppings.
- Droppings are about 1/8” to 1⁄4” in length and rod shaped.
CAN MY HOUSE BE DAMAGED BY MICE?
- Yes. Mice are “gnawers”. Since their front teeth continually grow and only gnawing keeps their teeth short, mice will gnaw on anything including walls, molding, ceiling tiles, and wires.
- Rodents are believed to be a significant cause of fires where the cause is undetermined.
- Mice can damage ceiling tile with their urine.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE RATS?
- Rats are primarily nocturnal (active at night), so they are rarely seen. More often, it is their tell-tale signs that indicate a rat infestation, including:
- Rat droppings – shiny black, blunt at both ends; and 1⁄2” – 3⁄4” in length – similar in size and shape to a grain of rice. (Mice droppings are smaller and have pointed ends)
- Rat tracks – foot prints and tail tracks in dusty corners and along baseboards.
- Gnawed wood – Rat teeth leave marks approximately 1/8” in length, which are typically larger than marks left by mice.
- Rub marks – rats often leave smudges of grease and dirt along baseboards, rafters, tight passageways, and on pipes and corners.
- Rat nests – -rats will make nests in burrows, attics, and even wall cavities by shredding soft materials such as cloth, cardboard, and insulation.
- Rat odor – a rat or mouse infestation often creates a musky odor.
- Rat noises – scratching, squeaks, gnawing, clawing, and other unusual sounds you hear during the night might be rats.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE VOLES?
- Voles create both above-ground and underground passageways in the soil. Criss- crossing surface runways are one of the easiest ways to identify a vole infestation. If you are seeing destructive activity in your lawn in springtime, it is more likely a vole.
- Voles feed mostly on vegetation, causing damage to not only your grass but also to your gardens and flowerbeds.
CAN MY YARD BE DAMAGED BY VOLES?
- Voles destroy landscaping, killing as much as 50% of a lawn over a winter.
- Voles will also destroy flower beds, girdle fruit trees, and kill vegetable gardens from the roots up.
- Voles will also dig small holes approximately 1 inch in diameter to reach tubers and bulbs.
- Voles will chew the bark of trees and shrubs. Look for 1⁄4 inch side-by-side grooves in the wood near the ground, left by the vole’s front teeth.
Fort Wayne Indiana
