Select any of the pest pictures below to find out a little about that pest.

	Ants		Bees		Beetles
	Crickets		Earwigs		Fleas
	Hornets		Mice & Rats		Pillbugs/ Sowbugs
	Roaches		Silverfish		Termites
	Ticks		Wasps		Water Bugs

ANTS
Carpenter Ants (Genus Camponotus) 

Appearance: Among the largest ants they range in size from 1/4 to 3/8 inches long, the most common species in this area are the red and black, but some can be solid black, workers have large mandibles (jaws). 

Habits: They normally nest in dead portions of trees, stumps or logs, or under fallen logs or stones; they invade homes in search of food; nests inside of homes can do a lot of damage, they hollow out galleries in wood that are so smooth that they appear to have been sandpapered. 

Pharaoh Ant (Monomorium Pharaonis)  

Appearance: Very small; light yellow to red in color, with black markings on the abdomen; about 1/16th of an inch long. 

Habits: Depends on artificial heating in human dwellings to survive; infestations commonly occur in food service areas; will nest in any well-protected and hidden areas throughout a structure; can nest outdoors.

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BEES
Carpenter Bee (Genus Xylocopa) 

Appearance: Large, about 1 inch, resemble bumblebees; some species may have a blue-black, green or purple metallic sheen; no hair on abdomen. 

Habits: Often burrow into the exposed, unfinished dry wood of buildings, telephone poles, fence posts and bridges; prefer softer woods for nesting; not social insects, although individuals may establish burrows close to each other.

Honey Bee (Order Hymenoptera) 

Appearance: Most species of concern to man have yellow and black coloring; 7/16 to 5/8 inch long; appear to have hairy bodies. 

Habits: Live in colonies of 20,000 to 80,000 individuals; will leave humans alone if not provoked.

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BEETLES
Carpet Beetle (Order Coleoptera) 

Appearance: Small, rounded, gray to blackish, with a varied pattern of whitish and orange scales on the back; shape resembles the lady bug; about one-fifth inch long.

Habits: Adults often inhabit flowerbeds; can enter the home when cut flowers are brought in; outside, feeds on pollen and nectar.

Flour Beetle (Order Genus Coleuptera) 

Appearance: Flattened, oblong and reddish-brown; about one-seventh inch long; larvae are one-fourth inch long and are white to yellow. 

Habits: Infest stored grain and grain products; small size enables them to work themselves into many sealed containers.

Old House Borer (Hylotrupes Bajulus)

Appearance: Adults are black to brownish-black, about five-eighth's to one inch long; slightly flattened; wing covers are usually completely black, but may have distinct white markings.

Habits: Larval stage feeds on seasoned timber for two to ten years before becoming an adult beetle; adult emerges from infested wood, leaving one-fourth inch oval exit hole, and mates, living only 10 to 15 days.

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Crickets
Camel Cricket (Tachycines Asynamorous)

Appearance: Light tan to dark brown; 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long; hump-back appearance.

Habits: Found in cool, damp areas, such as under logs or stones, and in crawl spaces, basements and attics; nocturnal.

House Cricket (Acheta Domesticus)

Appearance: 3/4 to 1 inch long, light yellowish brown, with three darker brown bands on the head.

Habits: Nocturnal; prefer warm areas such as kitchen, basement, fireplace; also in cracks and crevices, behind baseboards; make distinctive, annoying chirping sound.

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Earwigs
Earwig (Order Dermaptera)

Appearance: 5/8 inch long, dark reddish-brown, with yellow-brown legs; large forceps (cerci) on the end of the abdomen, which pose no threat to humans.

Habits: Found all over homes, particularly in cracks and crevices near or on the ground; active primarily at night.

Other Info: Many species have a gland which secretes a foul-smelling, yellowish brown liquid when threatened. Earwigs hide during the day under debris or in dark spaces, emerging at night to feed on plants, organic wastes, and smaller insects. The common name comes from a totally unfounded superstition that these insects crawl into people's ears at night to bite them. Earwigs are harmless, only occasionally damaging flower blossoms.

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FLEAS
Flea (Order Siphonaptera)

Appearance: Black to brownish black, about 1/20th to 1/16th of an inch long: six legs, with many bristles on legs and body, they also have a flattened body.

Habits: Found on dogs and cats year round, but most common during the warm and humid months of the year, they readily attack and feed on humans; they can jump as much as 7/8 inch vertically and 14 - 16 inches horizontally.

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Hornets
Hornets (Order Hymenoptera)

Appearance: The female hornet measures from .5-1.5 inches long. Males and workers are significantly smaller in size. Eyes of the hornet are deeply indented and C-shaped. Wings are colored reddish-orange and the abdomen is orange with a single brown stripe crossing its middle.

Habits: Like other social wasps, hornets use paper and wood pulp to construct their nests. Rotten wood is often used as the building material. Workers can often be found scraping wood fragments from fences, buildings, telephone poles and homes, and bringing it back to the colony.

Other Info: Like almost all other nest building insects, hornets work to defend their colony. Rapid movement around a colony is considered a threat by the hornet population and could result in a sting. Outside the nest however, hornets almost never attack groundlessly.

Removal: If you spot one of these nests in or around your home, do not attempt to destroy the nest yourself. Call Superior Pest Control since hornets are easily aggravated when their nests are disturbed.

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MICE & RATS
House Mouse (Mus Musculus)

Appearance: Small and slender, 3 - 4 inches long, with large ears, small eyes and pointed nose, light gray or light brown, droppings are rod-shaped.

Habits: Nests within structures and burrow; they will normally make their nest within 10 to 30 feet from a food source; they are excellent climbers.

Norway Rat (Rattus Norvegicus)

Appearance: Brown, 6 - 8 inches long, small eyes and ears, blunt nose, tail is shorter than head and body; droppings are capsule shaped.

Habits: Nest in underground burrows, from which they enter buildings in search of food; they tend to remain in hiding during the daylight hours.

Roof Rat (Rattus Rattus)

Appearance: Brown or Black, 7 - 10 inches long, with a long tail and large ears and eyes, and they have a pointed nose.

Habits: They nest inside and under buildings, or in piles of wood debris and other rubbish; they are excellent climbers and are often found in the upper parts of structures.

Signs of Rodents in and around your structure:

• Droppings along well traveled pathways, in feeding areas and near the rodents shelter. 
• Droppings may be as long as 3/4 inch and up to 1/4 inch in diameter. Fresh droppings are soft. 
• Tracks, including footprints and tails marks, on dusty surfaces, in mud or snow. 
• Urine along traveled pathways or in feeding areas. Both wet and dry rodent urine will glow under ultraviolet light (Black Light). 
• Smudge or rub marks on beams, rafters, walls, pipes, and other fixtures. 
• Gnawing marks on doors or ledges, in corners, in wall material, on stored materials or on other surfaces. 
• Noises in the walls caused by gnawing, climbing, clawing, squeaks, and fighting; particularly at night when rodents are the most active.

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Pillbug/Sowbug
Pillbug (Order Isopoda)

Appearance: Not more than 3/4 inch long; thorax composed of 7 hard overlapping plates with 7 pairs of legs; only pillbugs are able to roll up into a ball.

Habits: Prefer moist locations; found under objects on damp ground; mostly nocturnal; often invade basements and first floors of houses.

Other Info: Pillbugs and sowbugs are the only crustaceans that have become completely adapted to living their whole life on land.

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ROACHES
Brownbanded Roaches (Supella Longipalpa) 

Appearance: About 5/8 inch long; wings have two brownish-yellow bands.

Habits: Nocturnal; can fly; maybe found throughout any structure, but prefer dry, warm areas, high locations, and inside furniture.

German Roaches (Blattella Germanica)

Appearance: About 5/8 inch long; light to medium brown, with two dark longitudinal streaks on the thorax.

Habits: Nocturnal; primarily infest areas close to food; moisture and warmth; most common cockroach found in and around apartments, houses, supermarkets and restaurants.

Smokey Brown Roaches (Periplaneta Fuliginosa)

Appearance: Dark brown, up to 1-1/2 inches long.

Habits: Prefers to live outdoors; populations are relatively immobile compared to other species.

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Learn more about these general pest information

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