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Pests

SUBTERRANNEAN TERMITE / DRYWOOD TERMITE

The Subterranean termite will have colonies in the ground, building vertical tunnels that look like mud tubes above ground level so that they can search for food. Subterranean termites can form tunnels through cracks in concrete, so slab homes are not exempt from these termites. Subterranean termites will die if exposed to air for an extended period of time; tunnels are used for transporting the food to the nest and protecting themselves. They need to stay in contact with the soil in order to survive as opposed to the Drywood termite that only needs low moisture. Drywood termites are more prevalent in the coastal regions. They may be carried in furniture from one region to another. Drywood termites are found many times in the attic wood structure. 

Refer to our section on ants to determine the major difference between ant appearance and termite appearance. 

SIGNS OF INFESTATION MAY INCLUDE: 

1. Mud like tunnels, usually vertical, among the foundation of the interior or exterior walls. 
2. Termite wings. 
3. "Swarmers" or flying termites appearing in the house, particularly near light sources.

SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE APPEARANCE:

1. Worker: wingless, light colored, 1/8 inch long.
2. Soldier: the head is elongated with mandibles. 
3. Supplementary Reproductives: light colored with no wings or very short.
4. Primary Reproductives: most often seen, winged, and darker than the other three castes. These are also called "swarmers". 

DRYWOOD TERMITE APPEARANCE:

These termites are larger (up to 1/2 inch long) than the Subterranean termite. 

DIET: 

Their diet is wood and other cellulose material, such as paper, cardboard, etc. 

TICKS

There are several species that vary in appearance, but all of the adults are small and round with eight legs. They have four stages in their life: egg, larva, nymph and adult. When they are at the larvae stage they are called "seed ticks" with six legs. They attach themselves to a host, and after receiving a blood meal, they drop to the ground and emerge as eight legged nymphs. Ticks can carry serious diseases. One of the more common ticks is the Brown Dog Tick. They commonly attach to the animal's body. After feeding, they drop to the ground in search of protective areas.

SCORPIONS

Scorpions are very common in the southern and southwestern states. Most are not poisonous, except for two species found in the southwestern states like Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. They are called the Stahnke and Ewing. They are bigger than the non poisonous variety, reaching up to 2-3 inches. The non poisonous species common to the southern states is less than 1 1/2 inches long. The poisonous scorpions usually enter dwellings or are around dwellings seeking water or shade. All scorpions feed on small spiders and soft-bodied insects. You should remove all debris like stacked wood, rocks or any such material where they could hide.

AMERICAN COCKROACH 
Common name: American cockroach

History:
The American cockroach is also called a "waterbug", the "Bombay canary" and the "Palmettobug."  Despite its name, the American cockroach is not native to North America, but was most probably introduced via ships from Africa. It is worldwide in distribution.

Identification:
Adults about 1 3/8 - 2 1/8" (34-53 mm) long. Color is reddish brown except for a sub-marginal pale brown to yellowish band around the back of the head.

Habits:
Although American cockroaches are found in residences, they are much more common in larger commercial buildings such as restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, food processing plants, hospitals, etc., where they usually infest food storage and food preparation areas, basements, and steam tunnels. During summer months, they can be found outdoors in yards and alleys. In the Untied States, this is the most common species found in city sewer systems.
They can enter structures by being brought in, coming up from the sewer system via drains or occasional mass migration from other structures, dumps, etc., during warm weather.
Although they feed on many kinds of food, they show a particular fondness for fermenting food.

GERMAN COCKROACH
 Common name: German cockroach

History:
The German cockroach is by far the most important and usually the most common of the cockroaches. In addition to being a nuisance, it has been implicated in outbreaks of illness, the transmission of a variety of pathogenic organisms including at least one parasitic protozoan, and allergic reactions in many people. This species has worldwide distribution.

Identification:
Adults about 1/2 - 5/8" (13-16 mm) long. Color light brown to tan except for 2 dark, almost parallel longitudinal stripes / bar / streaks on the back of head.

Biology:
The female carries her egg sack until it is within 1-2 days of hatching, and then deposits it in a sheltered area / site. On the average, the female will produce about 5 egg sacks (range 4-8), averaging 30-40 eggs (range 18-50) each.
Developmental time (egg to adult) usually varies from 54-215 days, averaging about 103 days.

Habits:
German cockroaches are found throughout structures but show a preference for warm (70'F / 21'C) and humid places. They are usually found in kitchens and secondarily in bathrooms, but infestations often occur in rooms where people eat and drink while watching television such as the den, bedroom, etc. Any crack or crevice located near a source of food and / or water is prime harborage, and they spend about 75% of their time in such harborages.
These cockroaches are most commonly introduced into buildings via paper products or paper packaging such as grocery bags, cardboard boxes, drink cartons, and via second hand appliances such as refrigerators, televisions, VCRs, microwaves, etc. They have been observed to migrate from building to building on warm evenings, but this rarely occurs.
Although uncommon, they can survive outdoors during the warm months. They feed on almost anything with nutritive value, indulging in all kinds of food and on such things as soap, glue, and toothpaste.

SMOKEYBROWN COCKROACH
Common name: Smokybrown cockroach

History:
The smokybrown cockroach gets its name from its uniformly shining brownish black to dark mahogany color. This species is apparently native outside the United States. It is common in the southern states, from central Texas eastward through North Carolina, but does occur as far north as Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. It also occurs in southern California.

Identification:
Adults about 1-1 1/4" (25-32 mm) long. Color uniform and shining, typically brownish black but varies from dark mahogany to black.

Habits:
The smokybrown cockroach is common outdoors in the south where it is found in habitats best described as protected, moist, dark, warm, and out of desiccating air flows. These conditions describe the environment of tree holes and other places such as ground cover ivy and vines, loose mulch, woodpiles, and soffits / eaves of attics where there are moisture problems. Smokybrown cockroaches lose moisture more readily than other cockroaches. This is why they favor moist situations and show relatively little movement because of its resulting exposure to desiccating air currents. They can enter structures by being brought in but the usually enter at night via cracks and crevices through which light penetrates to the outside, light being an attractant to them. Because they are good fliers, they can easily enter via attic openings and are commonly found around eaves and gutters. Inside they can be found anywhere, including attics, but tend to prefer warm and humid areas not exposed to air currents. They feed on any kind of organic matter and do minor feeding on plants. However, once inside they will feed on anything of nutritive value.

ANTS
Control and Recommendations

Ants are social insects that live in colonies and are some of the most successful insects. Ant colonies include one or more queens, as well as workers, eggs, larvae, and pupae. The worker ants maintain their developed structures known as nests. Nests protect the ants against their enemies, offer some protection against extremes of weather, and often are placed close to water and food sources. Some ant species nest in the ground, often times under concrete or slabs. Some species are found in wood, such as fence posts, dead logs, hollow trees, or within buildings. Termites are also found in wood, but their damage will be a lot more extensive because carpenter ants will only dig out or hollow out a cavity known as a nest gallery.

Ants cannot eat wood as do termites because they can't digest cellulose. Some ant species will eat a variety of foods, and others will eat only from a narrow range of foods. Food preferences can change, depending on the specific needs of the colony. Foraging ants will typically bring back proteins to the queen or queens during periods of high egg production, then switch back to sugars or greases as a maintenance for growth or larvae growth. Once a food source is found, they will lay down a hormone called a pheromone to serve as a chemical trail so that other ants can find their way to and from the food source.

Do I Have Termites?! Or Do I Have Ants?

CARPENTER ANTS

Carpenter ants are quite large, from 1/4 o 3/8" long; dark brown to black, but some may have a red or yellowish coloration. The usual carpenter ant is large and black, but you can have the Florida Carpenter ant, which is smaller with a range in colors including yellow, red brown or black.

DIET:
They eat a variety of plant and animal foods and sweets. These ants will also feed on other insects.

HABITS:
They are nocturnal.

Carpenter ants usually nest outside in moist wood or partially decayed wood. They prefer the "softened wood" to hollow out their nests called "galleries". These galleries are quite clean and have a sandpaper appearance (termite galleries are rough looking in comparison). Wood which has been damaged by carpenter ants contains no mud-like material, as is the case with termites. Nests are especially common in such places as moist, hollow spaces like the wall void behind dishwashers. Nests are usually found in areas where water leakage could occur, around bathtubs, sinks, roof leaks, poorly flashed chimneys, or poorly sealed windows or door frames. Outdoor nests can occur in stumps, hollow logs, fence posts or in dead portions of standing trees, however cracks and crevices may be used to start nests in sound wood.

Carpenter ants may establish nests in a number of different locations. It is important to understand that you can have both inside and outside nests. Carpenter ants construct two different kinds of nests: parent colonies which,when mature, contain an egg-laying queen, brood and 2000 or more worker ants, and satellite colonies which may have large numbers of worker ants, but no queen, eggs or larvae. The carpenter ants inside a home may have originated from the parent nests located outdoors in a tree stump, timber or woodpile for example, or from one or more satellite nests hidden behind a wall in the kitchen or bathroom, or perhaps from wood dampened by a roof leak in the attic. Although large carpenter ant colonies can cause structural damage, the damage is not normally as serious as termite damage.

HOW TO DETECT GALLERIES:
Many times you can see "sawdust" near these carpenter ant galleries. This "sawdust" or "frass" are shredded fragments of wood that has been ejected from the galleries. This is a good indication that a nest is nearby. But sometimes this evidence is not seen. Taking a screwdriver and probing the wood may reveal the excavated galleries. Also, you could take the blunt end of the screwdriver to tap along baseboards and other wood surfaces listening for the hollow sound of damaged wood. If a nest is nearby, many times the carpenter ants will respond by making a "rustling" sound within the nest, similar to crinkling of cellophane.

FORAGING CARPENTER ANTS FROM THE OUTSIDE:
Many times the carpenter ants that you see inside your home are simply foraging for food. You won't see large numbers typically. Foraging ants can travel 100 yards from the nest to food and can be simply found wandering throughout your house. However there can be indoor nests found in hollow doors, window sills, behind baseboards, or other natural hollow areas. Carpenter ant damage usually indicates water damage and wood decay.

If you are having problems with pests, please contact us!

This can be a very troublesome question. Some of the winged ants can resemble the winged termite. Here are some ways to identify the difference between the physical resemblances.

1. While both species have four wings, termite wings are all the same size and ant wings have noticeably larger wings in the front as compared to the hind pair.
2. Termite wings are twice as long as the body.
3. Ants appear distinctly segmented because of their thin-waisted appearance. Termites have a broad-waisted appearance.