ANT SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

ALL ABOUT PEST can keep your home ant-free year-round by first identifying the invasive ants and then addressing changes in ants’ behavior through a proactive treatment program.

ARGENTINE ANTS

Averaging approximately 1/16″ long, Argentine Ants do not have stingers. They emit a stale greasy or musty odor when crushed. They are typically found in moist areas (such as kitchens and bathrooms) located near food sources. They build colonies under rocks and inside walls. Each female can lay one egg per day and they can live for several years.

CARPENTER ANTS

Usually black, carpenter ants are between 1/4-3/8” long. These large ants do not eat wood but often live in hollow trees or logs. Each colony has only one egg-laying queen, but may have up to 3,000 worker ants.

FIRE ANTS

Aggressive and venomous, fire ants will bite predators multiple times and can kill small wildlife or domestic animals. They can also eat through rubber wire insulation. When these guys bite it hurts. They are between 1/16-1/4″ long and dark red. Fire ants build mounds of earth that can house up to 250,000 worker ants.

PAVEMENT ANTS

At 1/10″ long and brown, pavement ants will sometimes live in the harborage of larger ants, feeding on their hosts’ young. They nest in sidewalk cracks, along curbs, under rocks, under floors, or in walls.

PHARAOH ANTS

The Pharaoh ant is a small (2 mm) yellow or light brown, almost transparent ant notorious for being a major indoor nuisance pest, especially in hospitals.

COCKROACH SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

ALL ABOUT PEST knows that getting rid of roaches on your own is very difficult to accomplish. We can help put your mind at ease and exterminate these hated pests living in your home through a proactive treatment program.

AMERICAN COCKROACH

Usually, between 1-1 1/2″ long with red-brown wings, American roaches like to fly outside. They are scavengers with a special taste for warm damp places, water, and alcoholic beverages. They like to eat decaying organic matter.

BROWN BANDED COCKROACH

Brown banded roaches are brown with strips across their body, they can grow to a length of 1 1/4″ as an adult and look similar to that of an American roach. However, this roach does not have the yellow stripe around its pronotum like that of an American.

GERMAN COCKROACH

About the same size as Brown banded roaches, the German roaches have two brown stripes running the length of their wings. They love fermented foods and venture outside during the warmer months. Without control, one pair of German roaches can expand to more than 2 million in less than a year.

ORIENTAL COCKROACH

Dark brown and about 1″ long, Oriental roaches seek out warm damp areas indoors. They flourish in basements and storage areas where they can stay close to the ground. They eat decaying organic matter and prefer starches.

WASP SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

ALL ABOUT PEST experts can quickly identify wasps that are often mistaken for bees and other insects. Our wasp control professionals know how to find the wasp nests and safely remove them so that you and your family do not have to worry about being stung.

BALD-FACE HORNETS

Bald-faced hornets are protective of their nests and will sting repeatedly if the nest is physically disturbed. They are more aggressive than both the wasps normally called Yellow Jackets and members of the Vespa genus, and it is not considered safe to approach the nest for observation purposes. Bald-faced hornets will aggressively attack with little provocation.

PAPER WASP

Frequently these pests build hanging honeycomb-shaped nests from eaves, overhangs, or tree branches. Colors and sizes differ among species. They are territorial and extremely aggressive. Generally, many wasp stings are more painful than bees or scorpion stings.

GOLDEN WASP

Great Goldens are solitary wasps, live independently and do not share in either nest maintenance or in the caring of their young. Also known as the Digger wasps. There are over 130 known Digger wasps species.

MUD DAUBER WASP

These tiny insects don’t sting, but they can be a nuisance nonetheless. Mud daubers construct nests comprised of mud tubes high on walls and under overhangs.

YELLOW JACKETS

Yellow Jackets typically build nests that hang from trees and buildings, but they will also nest in the ground and in walls-voids and attics. Their nests have one entrance, and many workers that protect the nest. They have a lance-like stinger with small barbs and typically sting repeatedly.

COMMON RODENT SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

ALL ABOUT PEST technicians are experts at identifying and evaluating rodent problems. After a thorough inspection to determine what species of rodent you are dealing with, they will come up with an effective plan to trap and exterminate the infestation.

MICE

Mice are small rodents characteristically having pointed snouts, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate and are generally much smaller than rats. Mice can squeeze through holes slightly larger than a pencil eraser. They have proportionally smaller ears and smaller hind legs than rats.

MOLE

Moles are known pests to human activities such as agriculture, lawncare, and gardening. Because of specialized bone and muscle construction, moles can exert a lateral digging force equivalent to 32 times its body weight. As a comparison, a 150 lb man would be able to exert a 4,800 lb lateral force.

NORWAY RATS

The Norway Rat is a destructive pest found in urban and suburban neighborhoods. These rodents eat and contaminate food, damage buildings and other property by their gnawing and burrowing, and may spread diseases that affect people and pets. These rats are larger than a mice and has proportionally smaller ears and bigger hind feet. It is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America. With rare exceptions, the Norway Rat (brown rat) lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas

ROOF RAT

The Roof Rat (black rat) is black to light brown in color, 7-10″ long, with a long tail, large ears and eyes, and a pointed nose. The body is smaller and sleeker than Norway rats. The fur is smooth. Both the Roof Rats and the Norway Rats, are the most common domestic rodents in this area. Black rats adapt to a wide range of habitats. In urban areas they are found around warehouses, residential buildings, and other human settlements. They are also found in agricultural areas, such as in barns and crop fields. In urban areas, they prefer to live in dry upper levels of buildings,

VOLES

Voles are small rodents resembling mice but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes. Multiply 5-10 times a season with a lifespan averaging 12 months. A mating pair can birth a hundred more voles in a year. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice.

SPIDER SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

ALL ABOUT PEST will develop a plan to stop spiders in their tracks and exterminate spiders from your home or business.

BLACK WIDOW SPIDER

Female black widows are about 1/2″ long, black with a red hourglass marking on their underside. Webs are irregular. One egg sac can carry 150 eggs (disperse through ballooning). Their bites are venomous. If bitten, seek medical attention.

BLACK RECLUSE SPIDER

Bites can be deadly to humans. Venomous brown recluses, with a dark brown fiddle-shaped marking is about 1/2″ long. They feed upon soft bodied insects. They hunt prey at night. At sunup they drag their food to spun irregular off-white webs in dark secluded areas. Can live up to 3 years. If bitten, seek medical attention.

DADDY LONG LEGS SPIDER

Daddy Long Legs are NOT spiders, or even insects, at all! They are part of the Arachnid family but in a different class. They are, in fact, called Harvestmen. They have 3 body sections, not two like spiders, and their legs have seven sections which they can break off to surprise or distract a predator.

HOBO SPIDER

Hobos is 3/8-5/8″ long with long legs. Sometimes difficult to distinguish from common house spiders. Bite is similar to Brown Recluses bite—can be deadly. Makes a funnel web, which is not used to capture prey. If bitten, seek medical attention.

WOLF SPIDER

They’re large, brown, and hairy ranging from 1/2-2” long. They look much scarier than they actually are. Wolf spiders aren’t typically associated with webs. Inside homes, they often hang out near windows, doors, house plants, or storage areas.

WOLF SPIDER

Jumping spiders are generally active hunters, which means that they do not as a rule rely on a web to catch their prey. They use their superior eyesight to distinguish and track their intended meals, often for several inches. Then they pounce and administer a venomous bite.

OTHER COMMONG BUGS AND PESTS IDENTIFICATION

Depending on the common house bug infestation you have, ALL ABOUT PEST pest control professionals will help you come up with a plan exterminate the invading bugs.

BED BUGS

Bed Bugs are parasites that feed on human blood and cause a number of health effects including skin rashes, psychological effects and allergic symptoms. Bed Bug bites or cimicosis may lead to a range of skin manifestations from no visible effects to prominent blisters.

CARPET BEETLES

Varied Carpet Beetles are a 3 mm long that can be a serious household pest. The small larvae feed on natural fibers and can damage carpets, furniture and clothing. Carpet Beetles have an unusual life cycle for an insect, developing from larvae to adult in 1–3 years.

TICKS

Ticks are found on pets, domestic animals, wildlife, and people. They are parasites, feeding on the blood of their hosts. Ticks are known vectors of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease and can also cause paralysis in children and dogs.

SPRINGTAILS

Springtails are minute, wingless insects about 1/16-1/8″ long. They get their name from the ability to leap through the air 3-4″ by means of a “furcula” or tail-like mechanism tucked under the abdomen. Populations are often high, up to 100,000 per cubic meter of surface soil. They occasionally invade homes and can be a year-round pest.

BOXELDER BUGS

Boxelder Bugs are a nuisance in and around homes from fall through early spring. This bug is about 1/2″ long as an adult, black with three red lines on the thorax, a red line along each side, and a diagonal red line on each wing. The immature forms are smaller and are easily distinguished from the adults by their red abdomens and lack of wings.

CRICKETS

Yellowish-brown and about 1″ long, House Crickets are heard more often than they are seen. They create a distinctive chirping sound, especially in the dark. They are happy to be outside, but will stray toward warm interiors. They eat just about anything and can bite if captured.

EARWIGS

Earwigs are small, with pairs of horny, forcepslike abdominal appendages, larger in the male than in the female, and short, leathery forewings that cover the membranous hindwings when folded.

FLEAS

Fleas have been around for millions of years, sucking the blood of animals and humans. Fleas live on pets, mammals, in carpets, in sofas as well as other household and farm goods. Female Fleas lay eggs that turn in to grub-like larvae. The larvae then develop into pupae and settle inside a cocoon. They wait for a host to start their life and suck blood.

TERMITES

Termites cause an estimated $1 billion worth of property damage each year, infesting about 1 in 50 homes nationwide. Many infest a home for years before their presence becomes known. Every termite colony has a queen which may live from 15-30 years, laying hundreds of eggs each day.

CENTIPEDES

Centipedes are venomous. Their venom allows them to attack prey and defend themselves against predators and other natural enemies. 5-hydroxytryptamine, which can break down cell walls, is present in some centipede species found in North America. Centipede venom is not fatal to humans, although some individuals may be allergic to it.

MILLIPEDES SPIDER

Millipedes do not have a poisonous bite, but many protect themselves by offensive odors produced by stink glands; and some produce highly irritating compounds that can injure the skin or eyes of attackers. They feed mostly on decaying vegetation, although some will consume decaying animal food. Some species attack plant roots and cause crop damage.

SILVERFISH

These guys like to eat paper, glue, starch, and textiles. Silverfish will feed on wallpaper and are often found in books or cardboard packaging. They are nocturnal and flee from light, they might even jump away. They are silvery-white, cone shaped, and 1/2-3/4″ long.

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