Odorous House Ant
Odorous House Ants: These are the ants most commonly found foraging around in your kitchen or bathrooms. Small only about 1/8th inch and black in color. They primarily live outdoors but, come inside for food and water.

               
                (Different Sizes & Caste of C-Ants)            (C-Ant Damage)
Carpenter Ants: These ants are very large about 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch in size and are black in color. Primarily live outdoors in dead/dying trees, old stumps, wood piles, etc... Can be found indoors often foraging in the kitchen or bathroom of a home. These ants are one of the areas listed wood destroying insects. They often move into areas of the home that are having moisture problems. When in these areas the Carpenter Ants excavate tunnels in the wood and leave piles of sawdust behind. Carpenter Ants DO NOT eat wood!


   (Termite Workers & Soldiers)     (Termite Reproductives/Swarmers)         (Termite Mud Tubes)
Termites: Termites are the areas most destructive wood destroying insect. Termites eat the wood as their primary food source. They are mostly active in warm weather usually late March to Late November. Termite workers and soldiers have no exoskeleton as the picture above on the left shows. This makes them very vulnerable to light and air so, these termites try to spend all of their life in the dark. These termites live in underground colonies and it is Very unusual to find them living inside of a home. The only way that could happen is if the home had a major water leak or severe moisture problems in the walls, floor or roof. When termites invade a home they build tubes made of mud (pic to right) from their in ground trails to the area of home invasion. These termites will follow the trails to your home feed on the wood and then return to the colony. This goes on twenty four hours a day and unfortunately for most goes unnoticed until severe damage has been caused. The termites in the above picture in the center are known as Termite Swarmers. Mature Termite colonies produce these members. Each year from about April to June these termites will leave the mature colony to go and start their own colony. When they swarm they usually swarm in very large numbers. These termites have no ability to eat wood, their only function is to successfully mate and start new colonies outside. If you see these winged termites inside it will indicate to you that there is a very big problem. Because, again these termites are leaving a mature colony and that colony has invaded your home.

    
                            Bedbug                                                        Bedbug Bites

Bedbugs: Bed bugs are small, brownish, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. Adult bed bugs are about 3/16-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or cockroaches. The immatures (nymphs) resemble the adults, but are smaller and lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but can move rapidly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing 1, 2 or more eggs per day and hundreds during a lifetime. The eggs are tiny, whitish, and hard to see on most surfaces without magnification (individual eggs are about the size of a dust speck). When first laid, the eggs are sticky, causing them to adhere to surfaces. Newly hatched nymphs are straw-colored and no bigger than a pinhead. Bed bugs are resilient. Nymphs can survive months without feeding and the adults for more than a year. Although C. lectularius prefers feeding on humans, it will also bite other warm-blooded animals, including dogs, cats, birds and rodents. Bed bugs are active mainly at night. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into tiny crevices — especially those associated with mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards. Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed. However, if necessary, they will crawl several feet to obtain a blood meal. Initial infestations tend to be around beds, but the bugs eventually may become scattered throughout the bedroom, occupying any crevice or protected location. They also may spread to adjacent rooms or apartments. A common concern with bed bugs is whether they transmit diseases. Although bed bugs can harbor pathogens in and on their bodies, transmission to humans is considered unlikely. Their medical significance is chiefly limited to the itching and inflammation from their bites.



                    Camel Cricket                                                  Chirping Cricket
Crickets: Camel crickets derive their name from the humpback appearance of their bodies. They have long antennae and long, thin legs, similar to those of a daddy longlegs spider. They are usually light tan to dark brown in color. Camel crickets, also called cave or humpback crickets, are typically ½ inch to 1-½ inches long. The main difference in appearance between camel crickets and other types of crickets is that adult camel crickets do not have wings. Camel crickets do not chirp. So, if you are hearing chirping from the crickets, you most likely have been paid a visit by field crickets. You are unlikely to know you have camel crickets until you uncover one while searching the depths of a seldom-visited basement room. Camel crickets enjoy spending their time in dark, damp places and do not chirp, so they can live in a house unnoticed for long periods. Adult chirping crickets spend their days in shallow burrows beneath a stone, clod of dirt or a tuft of plant. They are most active during the night, and that is when males begin their nightly serenading to attract female mates. Females don't stridulate, or rub special body structures together. A male cricket has a heavy vein with a row of teeth on the underside at the front of each wing. The top of one wing was used as a scraper against the underside of the other wing, like a fingernail drawn along the teeth of a comb. This performance occurs with both wings elevated so that the wing membranes can act as sounding boards. The pitch of the chirps is slightly higher than the highest octave on a piano. Air temperature influences chirping rates; the warmer the night, the faster they chirp. There are special songs for courtship, fighting, and sounding an alarm.


                               
                                                           Deer Tick
Adult deer ticks are tiny--approximately the size of a sesame seed. Males are black; females have a brick-red abdomen and a black shield near the head. Females swell to 1/4 mm when fully engorged after feeding. Adults are found primarily from September through November, and again in March and April. Adults feed mainly on deer, but will also attack cattle, horses, dogs, etc. Humans are accidental hosts.
The risk of being bitten by a deer tick infected with Lyme disease is greatest in the summer months of June and July when the nymph stage is active. This is the time of year when people (and notably children) are most active outdoors. Make a habit of thoroughly checking yourself and others for the tiny nymph following outdoor activities. The risk is also high in the fall, when adults are active. However, the adults are easier to see and remove than the nymphs. If you live in or have visited an area with a high incidence of ticks, it is important to know the symptoms of Lyme disease:

• Headache
• Flu-like symptoms
• Spreading "bull's-eye" rash from the tick bite
• Swelling and pain in the joints

Lyme disease symptoms mimic many other diseases. About 80 percent of Lyme disease victims develop a rash within two days to four weeks. If untreated, more severe symptoms may develop--sometimes months to years later. If you suspect that you have contracted Lyme disease, consult a physician immediately.

       
                          House Mice                                                 Deer Mouse

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is one of the most troublesome and economically important rodents in the United States. House mice thrive under a variety of conditions; they are found in and around homes and commercial structures as well as in open fields and agricultural lands. House mice consume and contaminate food meant for humans, pets, livestock, or other animals. In addition, they cause considerable damage to structures and property, and they can transmit pathogens that cause diseases such as salmonellosis, a form of food poisoning. Although house mice usually prefer to eat cereal grains, they are “nibblers” and will sample many different foods. Mice have keen senses of taste, hearing, smell, and touch. They are excellent climbers and can run up any rough vertical surface. They will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up to 12 inches from the floor onto a flat surface. Mice can squeeze through openings slightly larger than 1/4 inch across. House mice frequently find their way into homes in the fall of the year, when outdoor temperatures at night become colder.In a single year, a female may have 5 to 10 litters of about 5 or 6 young. Young are born 19 to 21 days after mating, and they reach reproductive maturity in 6 to 10 weeks. The life span of a mouse is probably 9 to 12 months.
The deer mouse occupies nearly every type of habitat within its range, from forests to grasslands. It is the most widely distributed and abundant mammal in North America. White-footed and deer mice are mostly nocturnal with a home range of 1/3 acre to 4 acres (0.1 to 1.6 ha) or larger. A summer population density may reach a high of about 15 mice per acre (37/ha). In warm regions, reproduction may occur more or less year-round in some species. More typically, breeding occurs from spring until fall with a summer lull. This is especially true in cooler climates. Litter size varies from 1 to 8 young, but is usually 3 to 5. Females may have from 2 to 4 or more litters per year, depending on species and climate. During the breeding season, female white-footed and deer mice come into heat every fifth day until impregnated. The gestation period is usually 21 to 23 days, but may be as long as 37 days in nursing females. Young are weaned when they are 2 to 3 weeks old and become sexually mature at about 7 to 8 weeks of age. Those born in spring and summer may breed that same year. The principal problem caused by white-footed and deer mice is their tendency to enter homes, cabins, and other structures that are not rodent-proof. Here they build nests, store food, and can cause considerable damage to upholstered furniture, mattresses, clothing, paper, or other materials that they find suitable for their nest-building activities. Nests, droppings, and other signs left by these mice are similar to those of house mice. White-footed and deer mice have a greater tendency to cache food supplies, such as acorns, seeds, or nuts, than do house mice. White-footed and deer mice are uncommon in urban or suburban residential areas unless there is considerable open space (fields, parks) nearby. In mid-1993, the deer mouse (P. maniculatus) was first implicated as a potential reservoir of a type of hantavirus responsible for an adult respiratory distress syndrome, leading to several deaths in the Four Corners area of the United States. Subsequent isolations of the virus thought responsible for this illness have been made from several Western states. The source of the disease is thought to be through human contact with urine, feces, or saliva from infected rodents.