While birds are excellent singers and rouse us up from sleep with chirpy tunes in the mornings it is the crickets that rule the night with song when all else is asleep except the harmonizing of croaking toads. Interestingly it’s only the male crickets that have the ability to produce song. They do so by rubbing their wings together.

There are over 900 species of crickets and they can be found strewn out across the globe and living in various habitats. They are sensitive, delicate but hardy insects and can survive in varied outdoor habitats such as such as forests, meadows, caves, high trees, underground and under rocks.

The population of some species has dwindled alarmingly and these have been declared endangered species. When cricket habitats are destroyed by man or climate change, the crickets will often disappear with them because they are not equipped to migrate as they cannot fly even though they are equipped with membranous wings. Their hopping can only takes them so far when faced with issues like logging or forest fires.

Cricket food

Crickets are versatile eaters and will eat anything from vegetable to meat. In fact their nutrition needs are very similar to human beings because like humans they require a decent amount of protein, carbs, fruits and essential minerals to stay alive and healthy. They are essentially omnivorous and will eat an extensive variety of foods as outlined below:

• Raw Vegetables : pieces of carrots, salad remains, outer cabbage covers
• Raw Fruits: pieces of apple, oranges and bananas are great for vitamins and other nutrients.
• Protein: left over meats such chicken, beef, crushed cat food

As you can see their diet is quite extensive. When crickets lack enough protein, they are known to cannibalize each other in order to stay alive.

Crickets also need fresh water to survive and stay healthy. In case you rear crickets, a constant supply of water is vital. For populations to grow one has to understand that providing stagnant water is a bad move as the kids will almost certainly drown in it. The best mode of providing water to crickets is placing a sponge filled with water in their habitat. That will suffice for their drinking need and keep the cricket kids safe with a decent chance at survival.

Cricket as pets

Crickets belong to the Othoptera order and will grow to about an inch or two depending in there species. Their colors vary, most appearing as black while other will brown, red and even green. In China, crickets are considered to bring good luck and are often kept as pets. Today, there are a good number of people who rare crickets as a protein source for humans but also for poultry as well.

Crickets are an excellent source of protein for other pets such as snakes and lizards. With adequate provision of protein from left overs, crickets form a handsome meal for humans as well. They rarely become an infestation that needs pest control services.

One has to wonder why a bug is called a ‘kissing bug’. And while you might be forgiven to think that it is because the bug is loving, you will be unpleasantly surprised to know that this bug’s idea of romance is absolutely abhorrent and may potentially infect its victim with a loathsome disease.

Now that we have discarded any notion that the kissing bug is even remotely romantic let’s move on to unpack just how unromantic the kissing bug truly is. The bug has been christened this name because of its propensity to bite it’s victims on the face, preferably near the mouth and around the eyes.

Kissing bugs are nocturnal insects and there is nothing in the looks of their 11 species that conjures up anything close to romantic. Quite the contrary as their heads are con shaped and they have oval bodies that will either appear as brown or black in color with orange stripes on the edges of their flat bodies.

Where are kissing bugs found?

They are mostly found in the Central and South of the US and Mexico. The kissing bug loves to live near striking distance of their hosts such inside dog kennels, chicken coops or any other domesticated or wild animal dwelling. They will make their way to human homes through cracks or occupy a pile of wood, the patio and so forth. Their hosts include animals as well as humans beings. They are generally nocturnal animals and will often bite and suck the blood of their host during the night.

Do they transmit disease?

Kissing bugs are carriers of a parasite known as trypanosoma cruzi which is responsible for causing the Chagas disease. Kissing bugs that have drunk the blood of an infected animal will carry this disease and can potentially transmit it to any other host they bite thereafter. What is even more interesting is the fact that it is not the bite itself that transmits the disease. The bite will indeed puncture the skin, but it what the kissing bug does next that totally astonishing. After delivering a bite and getting its fill of the hosts blood, it proceeds to defecate in the area. The feces of the kissing bug are where the Chagas parasite resides. When the kissing bug acquires the parasites, they are stored in the gastrointestinal tract of the bug. After biting and defecating on the host, the host will get infected only if the feces make contact with the wound or come into contact with cut or the host may inadvertently touch the feces then scratch the inside of their nose thus unwittingly allowing the parasite entry into the body. Chagas is a horrid disease in which the parasite causes inflammation to the heart and digestive tissue. The best form of prevention is simply not letting the kissing bug enter one house. Treatment is a combination of benznidazole and nifurtimox.

Conclusion

By washing the bitten area with soap and warm water, one can avoid infecting the wound with the kissing bug feces. However an ounce of prevention is definitely better than a pound of cure in the case of the kissing bug and Chagas disease. Should you notice any sign of this bug in your yard, porch or in the house, call a pest professional to help you effectively get rid of them but never touch them with your naked hand. On a scale of one to ten compared with a fly, the kissing bug gets a nine out of ten in terms of being dangerous.

silverfish are a very common pest to have in your home. What causes silverfish bugs to come into the house? Why do silverfish invade homes?

silverfish come inside the home for the same reasons other pests come inside. There is food to eat, water to drink, shelter over their heads, a crack to get in, and moderate temperatures indoors.

These ideal conditions will make silverfish want to come into your home and stay. If you want to cut back on the amount of silverfish and other pests, you need to cut off their food and water supplies and seal any cracks you can see.

You have to notice on their lifecycle to design your different moves to silverfish extermination utilizing pest control.

When the eggs are born, you might have to deal with more silverfish than before. Among the main grounds, they stick at homes is the ample presence of their food.

They normally tend to remain around the sources of their food. silverfish can be detected in many places at your house where there is humidness, coolness, and dampness.

Among the first steps you must take is to maintain the sanitation of your house. When your home is clean, nearly all of these bugs will go away as there is no accessibility of damp and cool places.

You must avoid the increase of humidness inside your home; therefore, your home will not provide an appropriate environment for these silverfish to originate. A dehumidifier device is an effective appliance to take out humidness from your house.

Are silverfish harmful to humans? Do silverfish bugs bite? Are silverfish bugs poisonous?

They are not harmful to humans at all. If you look at one closely, it seems that they would be very harmful, but they can’t do anything besides creep you out. There is no reason to become concerned.

How to get rid of silverfish in the pantry?

If you have silverfish in the pantry, they are eating your food, most likely your cereal. Put your cereal into sealed containers since the normal packaging gives the silverfish too much access to the cereal. If you notice any pest around any type of food, get that food sealed up.

Lay down silverfish traps, the sticky glue ones, to trap them as they walk through your pantry and cupboards.

What is the best way to safely exterminate silverfish?

One great option to look into is diatomaceous earth. The food grade version of this dust will kill silverfish on contact. Sprinkle this around house and this will eliminate silverfish.

What can be done about silverfish near drains?

Run warm water and pour bleach down them each day. This will taint their water supply.

You can utilize chemical insect repellent in order to facilitate silverfish control in your home. You must try to maintain their potential hiding places blocked or clean those places so that these bugs conk out of spaces to conceal.

The basic necessity for silverfish elimination as you might have detected by now is to clean your home. If all the wetness is dealt with then the problem of these bugs can be alleviated to a great extent. If all else fails, call in a pest control company.

The Common Clothes Moth also referred to as Tineloa Bisselliella, has completely different nature in comparison with other types of moth.

They hardly ever fly as they prefer uninterrupted, dark areas of the home and often travel through either by running or jumping. They survive and breed in the home through feeding their way through various fabric items and sadly they have a tendency to love the most expensive materials and will do anything in their power to get to them.

These can include wool fur, silk, and feathered products, as the majority of these materials include a substance known as keratin, which is actually one of the most ingestible proteins.

However, certain insects including the clothes moth have special conditions in their gut, enabling them to break down the keratin producing it a digestible material.

In terms of their appearance, clothes moths are generally around 5mm long and are yellow/brown looking in color with narrow wings fringed together with long hairs. They are actually rarely noticed in the home due to their inclination to immediately hide inside garments or furniture if ever disturbed, making them extremely difficult to eliminate.

Carpets, blankets, feathered and fur items can be drastically damaged by this pest and there have been cases where victims have had to replace the carpet in their entire home.

There is no genuine answer to why only certain houses suffer from infestation, although older properties have a tendency to be more affected than newer builds, due to a moth’s love of older garments and the difficulties in completely eradicating a moth infestation.

The bad news is that over the last twenty years there has been a rise in the number of homes affected by these pests. Some say this is due to the temperature of houses in today’s society, as many years ago moths would be killed off in the winter season, others say the increase is due to the sheer volume of clothing the average woman now owns.

This means hundreds of moths have plenty of items to feed on, or on the other hand, the increase could also be down to lack of hygiene, moths adore dirty materials, therefore putting away unwashed clothes items, or leaving a winter coat hanging up that hasn’t been dry cleaned, is like leaving crumbs of bread out for a rat.

There are specific remedies that if followed can reduce the possibilities of becoming the victim of a moth infestation; regularly shaking garments in the light where moths tend to remain, such as rugs, cushions or blankets, will disturb them and motivate them to leave.

As already mentioned moths love un-clean clothing particularly clothing such as coats and suits that sit in a wardrobe for many months without being cleaned, regularly deep cleaning any textiles and then storing them in sealed plastic cases will also help prevent an infestation.

If all else fails or you are unsure, contact the professionals. A reliable pest control company will treat each case differently and offer various types of traps and treatments dependent upon the severity.

Bat bugs are to bats what bed bugs are to humans. They are parasitic bugs that feed on the blood of bats. Here is the thing: the two parasites are close relatives just with difference blood preference. They are from the Cimicadae family of insects and unfortunately, despite their preference for bat blood they have no problem getting into your bed and furniture and biting you.

Bat bugs are predominantly found in places where there have been bat colonies. If that is your chimney or attic you can expect them to migrate to your furniture when there no longer any bats in the vicinity. Since the bat bug doesn’t attach to the bat like a tick they need to live nearby to access the bat during feeding times.They live within the crack and crevices of these areas as long as bats are available.

Difference between bed and bat bugs

These two parasites are very similar in color, shape and characteristics. It is very hard to tell the two apart but upon close inspection you will notice that the bat bug has hairs on the upper thorax that are much longer than those on a bed bug.

Are bat bugs dangerous?

Of course, bats are known to carry rabies and their fecal matter can transmit histoplasmosis to humans and both diseases can be fatal if not treated. But that doesn’t mean that the bats are carriers so or transmitters of these diseases.

When these bat bugs are starved of blood they can resort to feeding on humans. However, they can survive in your furniture or carpeting for as long as a year without feeding. No amount of vacuuming will get rid of them.

In desperate times they will also feed on cat and dog blood.

How to get rid of bat bugs

Bed bugs are more tenacious compared to bat bugs so getting rid of the latter is probably a little easier. However, they are just as secretive and furtive as their cousin and since they don’t feed frequently getting them can become a bit of a task. Professionals know where to go to find them and what to look for and that is why it is advisable to call in pest control experts when you notice bat bugs.

Of course, the best way to get rid of these pests is to never let them in at all. This means that you have to check your space for bats and get rid of them to prevent an infestation of bat bugs.

Symptoms of bat bug bites

Their bites are very similar to bed bug bites. Once they bite the area gets a burning sensation that is quickly followed by a bump that swells and raises a clear center. The bug uses their proboscis to pierce through the skin and suck the blood out into their stomachs. Like bed bugs they are also nocturnal creatures that are most active when you are asleep. They bite the most during the early hours of the morning or during the night. They will hide in the bedframes and under the mattress seams.

The pincher bug can become a nuisance if they set camp in your yard. Like most insects, pincher bugs are attracted to white lighting outside the house. In summer, having pincher bugs invade your patio and other outside house areas with white lighting is a common occurrence. If possible, a simple solution such as getting the outside light to face the house as opposed to the yard or changing the bulb from white to yellow may help in not attracting them. They are drawn to a white light, therefore switching to a yellow build often proves helpful.

What do they look like?

These little bugs can strike fear in you especially when you don’t know exactly what they are. That is because if you see one or several, it can only mean the rest of the horde is not far behind. Pincher bugs produce pheromones which helps explain why they often cluster together in huge populations. They are pretty fast for insects and that coupled with forceps or pincers on the back of their body is enough to cause concern to anyone who spots the in or around the home. The pincers are a weapon they use to defend themselves against predators as well as for sparring matches with their own kind.

Adults will measure anywhere between 5-25 mm depending on the species. There are at least 20 different species in the United States with significant variance in behavior from one species to another. They are all nocturnal and prefer to emerge at night.

Are pincher bugs dangerous to humans?

Other than looking creepy, pincher bugs are a not a danger to human beings. Some species of this bug are known to secrete a foul smelling liquid as a way to defend themselves against predators. Their bite is not venomous and they rarely attack. This same bug is also called the earwig. They prefer to live in cool, damp and undisturbed places such as under rocks, logs, under leaves and mulch in the garden. When the conditions are right, such as wet soil, food and ground cover, these little bugs can wreak havoc in the garden. They eat and live on vegetation such decaying vegetation and sprouts. Some species of pincher bugs are predators and will therefore prey on other insects.

Pincher bugs rarely enter the house, unless they just happened to wander in your home as a result of an open door. They tend to seek shelter in a home during extended periods of heat and dryness.

The best way to control the pincher bug is by ensuring that your yard is dry and clear of rotting debris. Removing damp leaves, logs and twigs, as well as pruning trees that cast a shadow on the compound preventing it from drying will help in keeping this bug away from your yard and home.

Conclusion

Some people fear earwigs because they have been told that they enter people’s ears when they are asleep. This but a myth and has no truth in it.

Infestations by this but are very rare, however should you notice that these bugs are in your house in areas with water such as the kitchen and bathroom, call an exterminator to help you get rid fo the problem.

Bat bugs are to bats what bed bugs are to humans. They are parasitic bugs that feed on the blood of bats. Here is the thing: the two parasites are close relatives just with difference blood preference. They are from the Cimicadae family of insects and unfortunately, despite their preference for bat blood they have no problem getting into your bed and furniture and biting you.

Bat bugs are predominantly found in places where there have been bat colonies. If that is your chimney or attic you can expect them to migrate to your furniture when there no longer any bats in the vicinity. Since the bat bug doesn’t attach to the bat like a tick they need to live nearby to access the bat during feeding times. They live within the crack and crevices of these areas as long as bats are available.

Difference between bed and bat bugs

These two parasites are very similar in color, shape and characteristics. It is very hard to tell the two apart but upon close inspection you will notice that the bat bug has hairs on the upper thorax that are much longer than those on a bed bug.

Are bat bugs dangerous?

Of course, bats are known to carry rabies and their fecal matter can transmit histoplasmosis to humans and both diseases can be fatal if not treated. But that doesn’t mean that the bats are carriers so or transmitters of these diseases.

When these bat bugs are starved of blood they can resort to feeding on humans. However, they can survive in your furniture or carpeting for as long as a year without feeding. No amount of vacuuming will get rid of them.

In desperate times they will also feed on cat and dog blood.

How to get rid of bat bugs

Bed bugs are more tenacious compared to bat bugs so getting rid of the latter is probably a little easier. However, they are just as secretive and furtive as their cousin and since they don’t feed frequently getting them can become a bit of a task. Professionals know where to go to find them and what to look for and that is why it is advisable to call in pest control experts when you notice bat bugs.

Of course, the best way to get rid of these pests is to never let them in at all. This means that you have to check your space for bats and get rid of them to prevent an infestation of bat bugs.

Symptoms of bat bug bites

Their bites are very similar to bed bug bites. Once they bite the area gets a burning sensation that is quickly followed by a bump that swells and raises a clear center. The bug uses their proboscis to pierce through the skin and suck the blood out into their stomachs. Like bed bugs they are also nocturnal creatures that are most active when you are asleep. They bite the most during the early hours of the morning or during the night. They will hide in the bedframes and under the mattress seams.

A common complaint that pest control companies receive from customers is about moths in the kitchen.

The moth most often responsible for this type of complaint is a pantry pest called the Indian Meal Moth. This moth is a stored product pest that is picked up from food material that is brought into the home, typically from a grocery or organic food store.

There are characteristic signs of an Indian Meal Moth infestation. The most common complaint heard is that there are adult moths flying around the kitchen.

The adults are about ½” long and have pale gray wings with a copper to rusty color shine. The adults are a sure sign that there is a problem, but upon further inspection of the cabinetry and areas where the wall meets the ceiling, a cotton tube-like mass will be found.

This mass is the pupal stage and it’s one of the reasons the problem continues. The Indian Meal Moth has 4 life stages of life, they are egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Of the 4 stages, 3 will be visible during an inspection of the infested areas and food materials.

As stated earlier, this pest was brought into the home with some type of food material. The most common materials are grains, pasta, birdseed, dry dog food or some other similar type of product.

The key to stopping the problem is to find the infested food source. This, unfortunately, will take some doing and often can get expensive as most people will throw all of the food in their cabinets away.

This practice is neither recommended or necessary as rarely will all of the food be affected. Focus on finding the items which have been affected, the other items can stay. All canned goods are safe and need not be inspected.

In order to inspect your food storage for Indian Meal Moths, you must inspect each individual package of dry food for the presence of larva (a yellowish worm) or the aforementioned cotton pupa mass.

If a product is infested it will be obvious upon inspection if you have found the culprit. By throwing the infested food material(s) out you have effectively interrupted the life cycle.

After the infested food material is gone, you must catch or kill the adults and remove all the pupa stages before they are able to pupate into reproductive adults.

Failure to do this will allow the insect to repopulate your home. The adults are easily caught by using sex scented sticky pheromone traps available at most home improvement stores.

The pupa stages are best scraped and cleaned from the areas they are sticking to. A crack and crevice application of a pesticide to the cabinet interior corners and cracks may help to prevent re-infestation, but sanitation is the best method of control for this pest.

In some circumstances, a problem may continue even after all the preceding steps have been taken.

In this situation, it is best to contract with a pest management professional who can help identify areas and items that may have been missed.

It’s possible that an unforeseen harborage area in a wall void or under a cabinet may be the source of a continued problem.

Stick insects like the walking stick bug are excellent at camouflage. They belong to the insect order known as Phasmatodea which is commonly referred to as ghost insects of phasmids. They tend to look like leaves or dry twigs which is why they find themselves called leaf bugs.

There are over 3000 species of walking stick bugs worldwide and they are found in all types of weather. Depending on their habitat they adapt to look like the indigenous plants in the area. They come in various sizes and some species are asexual. The largest walking stick bug is native to Borneo and it is known as the Phoebaetictus Kirby. This species can reach 21 inches in length. The smallest species in found in North America and it is known as the TimemaChristinea.

What do they eat?

Walking stick bugs are all herbivores. Their physical appearance allows them to enjoy eating the leaves without attracting attention to themselves. They are preyed upon by small mammals like rodents and spiders as well. These unassuming looking insects can become a menace when they become a heavy infestation in an area with much greenery like a park or even a crop in the fields. They do not have to be native to the area to inflict damage. Walking stick bugs will feed on all the greenery leaving trees and plants bare in their wake.

The female walking stick bugs do not have wings so their degree of movement is curtailed to a large extent. The male have wings so they can move around quite a bit in search of food and mates. However, the male walking stick bug is rare. This prevents them from causing as much damage as locusts. Also, it makes it easier to eradicate them once they settle into a place.

Lifespan

Their lifespan varies from species to species. One species may live for several months to as long as two years. The female, depending on the species, will typically lay around 100 to 1000 eggs in the soil or the hollow areas in a plant. The eggs are hard-shelled and small and they are usually hatched within a few weeks or months.  These hatched eggs are known as nymphs and they resemble the adult although they have several rounds of molting to go through before maturity. Nymphs can shed off limbs and regenerate tem during molting. However, adults cannot.

To survive predators the male insects can play dead for a long time tricking animals into thinking they are dead or are twigs. They also emit a foul smelling fluid that deters predators. The females are larger in build compared to males with larger mouths for more food consumption and large abdomens for egg product.

The walking stick bug can reproduce through parthenogenesis which means the eggs can be unfertilized but continue to develop nonetheless. When the insects do mate, they can stick together during coupling for hours, days and even weeks. These intriguing insects are the masters of camouflage. But with the right pest controlservices they can be removed from your greenery.