Do It Yourself

• Identify: Acrobat ants prefer wood softened by high moisture and fungal decay or Styrofoam insulation. Outside the mostly nest under rocks or in logs, firewood or trees where decay allows them to tunnel under the bark into the wood. When disturbed, they are quick to bite and give off a repulsive odor.

• Identify: Inside, Argentine Ants usually nest near a moisture source such as water pipes, sinks and potted plants. They prefer sweet foods, but will eat just about anything. Outdoors, they typically live in shallow, moist areas like under boards and stones, beneath plants and along sidewalks.

• Identify: Look for ants foraging inside or if there is a nest inside. Check for sawdust piles that contain insect parts. Outside, check around the building’s perimeter for foraging trails, especially heading toward trees and shrubs. They are most active between sunset and sunrise.

• Identify: Fire ants typically nest outside. They have a habit of nesting on foundation walls; however they will sometimes nest in areas of exposed soil within buildings such as bath traps. Fire ants are also attracted to electrical items, such as air conditioners. When they group around the electrical contact points they cause the equipment to malfunction. Red imported fire ants are particularly destructive to vegetation.

• Identify: Indoors, nests are located in woodwork, decaying wood and masonry. Outside, they nest under stones/rocks, rotting logs and lawns. They forage in trails which can be seen on foundation walls and along sidewalks.

• Identify: Inside, these ants usually construct their nests in wall voids especially near hot water pipes and heaters, in crevices around sinks, cupboards, etc. They prefer sweets but will eat meat and cheese, also. Outside, they are often found in the nest of larger ants, in exposed soil but mostly under objects.

• Identify: These ants will occasionally nest in walls, in insulation and under floors. Most likely, they are ground-level in masonry walls of the foundation and especially near some heat source in the winter. Outdoors, they typically nest under stones, cracks in pavement and next to buildings. They are not aggressive, but workers can bite and sting.

• Identify: Indoors, Pharaoh Ants nest in warm, humid areas near sources of food and/or water. The nests are usually located in inaccessible areas such as wall voids, behind baseboards, in furniture, under floors and between linens. Pharaoh Ants are common problems in commercial food handling establishments such as hotels, grocery stores, hospitals and in apartment complexes.

• Identify: Pyramid Ants usually nest in soil in open, sunny areas. Occasionally they may nest under objects on the soil. They are not known to nest inside structures but they will occasionally forage for food indoors.

• Identify: Inside, these ants nest in small crevices and in woodwork and masonry. They commonly enter structures during hot weather. Outside, they nest in exposed soil or under objects, in trash, rotten wood and cavities in trees.

• Identify: Inside, these larger moisture ants nest in areas of moist, well-rotted wood such as wood behind tub tile walls, bath traps and damp crawl spaces. Outside, nests are usually located adjacent to structures and under stones or logs.

Bed Bugs

• Identify: Although the bites of bedbugs are painless, about 80% of people develop an allergic reaction to the saliva injected by the bug as it feeds. The bites usually swell however there is no red spot as there is with flea bites. These bugs hide in cracks and crevice during the day and come out at night to feed. They are typically found around mattress buttons and beading, box springs and their coverings and in wooden bed frame crevices. Bedbugs tend to give off a sweet odor. Also check for small red to reddish brown fecal spots randomly on surfaces.

Fleas

• Identify: It is not necessary to have pets in the building in order to have fleas present. Fleas can jump about 6” vertically; therefore they can easily hitch a ride on shoes, pants, etc. Fleas are typically found where animals sleep or frequent.

• Identify: It is not necessary to have pets in the building in order to have fleas present. Fleas can jump about 6” vertically; therefore they can easily hitch a ride on shoes, pants, etc. Fleas are typically found where animals sleep or frequent.

Bees, Hornets and Wasps

While these bees, hornets and wasps can be annoying, they play a very intricate part of our ecosystem. They are the major pollination source of flowering plants and help reduce the number of many insect pest species.

Bees

• Identify: These bees are not social insects. Females will nest in a wide range of woods, but prefer weathered and unpainted wood. Male carpenter bees tend to become aggressive when humans approach, usually buzzing one’s head. Males do not have a stinger; however females do have a potent sting which they rarely use.

Hornets

• Identify: These insects build their nests anywhere; shrubs, vines, utility poles, houses, etc. They only use their nest for one season then abandon it to build a new one.

• Identify: Colonized hornets. They typically nest in hollow trees, barns, hollow walls of houses and attics. Unprotected nests are covered with a brown envelope because they use cellulose from decayed wood. The worker hornets are predators, feeding on large insects such as grasshoppers, flies and yellowjackets. They will also feed on the sap of numerous bushes and trees. Since they break open the twigs to get the sap, the plants will sometimes die. The workers fly at night and are attracted to light.

Wasps

• Identify: Paper wasps are semi-social; they exist in small colonies but without workers. Their nests hang from twigs and branches of trees and shrubs which can cause alarm when ornamental shrubs and hedges are trimmed. If a nest is disturbed by a human, chances are they will get stung. They also like to hang their nests from porch ceilings, eaves, attic rafters, window and door frames, etc.

Ticks

• Identify: Deer ticks climb on grass and shrubs to wait for a passing host. They concentrate on vegetation located in transitional areas, i.e. where forest meets field, mowed lawn meets unmowed fence line, etc. These ticks also nest in its host’s nests, like skunks, raccoons and especially the white-footed mouse. A favorite feeding area for these ticks on humans is at the back of the neck, near the base of the skull. Ticks will usually wander on the host for up to 4 hours before attaching. The tick has to be attached for a period of 6-8 hours before a successful transmission can take place.

Fleas

• Identify: Dog ticks prefer warm, dry conditions where dogs live; therefore it does not do well outdoors. They will attach anywhere on a dog and do not travel far after feeding.

• The nymphs and adults are free-living predators. Adults live in the soil of grasslands and forests, in mammal nests and burrows, crevices of decaying wood, bat caves, lawns and marsh areas. When humans are attacked, the larval mites most frequently attach themselves at hair follicles in areas where clothing is tight fitting, such as the ankles, waist and armpits. Itching is usually not felt for 3-6 hours after attachment. Scratching often removes the chigger but can result in a secondary infection. Chiggers are not known to transmit any infectious diseases in the U.S.

Mosquitos