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ENTOMOLOGY AND PEST MANAGEMENT |
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KEY CONCEPTS
- Insects
- Other arthropods
II. Insect Pests of Houses, Pets and Humans
IV. Submitting Insects for Identification
V. Orders of Insects and Their Feeding Parts
Return to Introduction
INSECT PESTS OF HOUSES, PETS, AND HUMANS
Many pests found in the house can be controlled by excluding them from the house with screen and filling all cracks and crevices. Other household pests can be controlled by sanitation.
Pantry pests are a group of insects that feed on dried vegetable and animal matter. This can include flour, pasta, spices, cereals, powdered milk, dry cat and dog food and birdseed. Common pantry pests include the following:
Meal moths
Flour moths
Grain moths
Saw-toothed beetles
Merchant grain
beetles
Confused beetles
Red flour beetles
These insects are often first noticed crawling or flying around the kitchen or in areas where food is stored. Careful food purchase, storage and sanitation are critical to control. These insects do not transmit disease, but can make many foods unusable. Fact Sheets 2086, 2087 and 2089, References Ento.7, Ento.8 and Ento.9, give information on identification and controls for each insect.
Vinegar flies or fruit flies, become a nuisance in homes when they fly around overripe fruit and vegetables. They may also be attracted to food that contains yeast, such as vinegar, beer, wine and cider. They may congregate around any area where there is garbage or food-contaminated water. Some can carry disease from human and animal excrement to foods.
To control vinegar flies, concentrate on eliminating sites where larvae feed and adult flies breed. Sanitation is critical to control. Fact Sheet 2109 gives details on preferred foods, sites and sanitation measures for control. It also provides a homemade trap and suggests appropriate insecticides.
Roaches are undesirable insects because they can foul and contaminate food, carry diseases, damage paper and cloth products, and produce unpleasant odors. They can be very persistent pests once populations become established in a dwelling. This happens because roaches can live long periods without food.
The most common roach in urban areas is the German cockroach. German roaches live throughout dwellings, but are often found in kitchens and bathrooms. Because this roach produces more eggs and generations per year than other roaches, it only takes a few roaches to develop quickly into a major infestation. If German roaches are seen by day, it means that a large population exists and all hiding places are taken. Fact Sheet 2099 provides information on identification and control of this roach, Reference Ento.10.
Another type of roach, the oriental cockroach, prefers damp areas and lives both indoors and outside. In dwellings, these roaches can be found in locations where there is dampness or moisture. They stay mostly in the basement and on the first floor. In warm weather they live outside and may migrate indoors when it becomes cool. Fact Sheet 2097, Reference Ento.11, gives details on identification and control of oriental cockroaches.
The brown-banded cockroach prefers to hide in warm, elevated areas near the ceiling within dwellings. However, it will develop and live throughout a building. This makes control difficult. Fact Sheet 2098 gives details on where to look for infestations of this roach and control, Reference Ento.12.
The largest roach, the American roach, is found throughout the house. It is often called a water bug.
Sanitation is critical to the control of all household insect pests that feed on foodstuffs.
- Clean up all spilled food.
- Store food in sealable glass, metal or plastic containers.
- Rinse all food packaging before disposal.
- Use insect-proof containers for garbage both indoors and outdoors.
- Promptly treat any infestation.
- Dispose of vacuum cleaner bags after cleaning infested areas.
- Avoid foods in broken packaging.
Use the Fact Sheets for control recommendations. In cases of severe infestations, a reputable pest control firm may be advisable. Fact Sheet 2091, Reference Ento.13, gives guidelines for choosing a pest control company.
Several insects use firewood and structural wood for their homes and as a food source. They include flatheaded borers; old house borers; bark, powderpost, and darkling beetles; carpenter ants; termites and carpenter bees. Refer to the Fact Sheets on these pests when problems arise. Fact Sheet 2065, Reference Ento.14, "Firewood Insects and Their Relatives," provides guidelines for controlling this seasonal problem.
Infestations of carpenter ants and termites cause alarm and panic among homeowners. Do not feel pressured if these pests are discovered. These insects work slowly. A house cannot be ruined overnight. There are two important aspects in the control of wood destroying pests:
- treatment of the current pest population;
- changes that will bring about long-term control, including structural changes.
Carpenter ants are efficient wood-destroying insects. They are generally large compared to other ants. For specific identification, how to locate nests, and control measures, see Fact Sheets 2063 and 2064, References Ento.15 and Ento.16.
Carpenter ants do not eat wood. They excavate it for their nest. They eat fruits, juices, meats, fats, dead insects and HONEYDEW created by other insects.
Carpenter ants can seriously damage wood structures. They normally nest in decaying wood that is easy to invade. Carpenter ants can nest in or just outside a house and invade rooms in search of food. Carpenter ants infest undisturbed piles of damp or rotting firewood stacked outside on the ground. They also nest in the rotting wood of trees. Do not store wood in damp basements or on the ground against the house.
Fact Sheet 2063 provides information on locating nests and guidelines for control, Reference Ento.15.
Subterranean termites are found in Ohio. These termites are social insects that live in colonies in the soil. Termites cause structural damage as workers feed on wood. They chew wood and convert it to food for other colony members.
Subterranean termites usually limit their attack to wood that is near soil. However, they may build tubes running from the soil to wood. These tubes are usually in protected basements, crawl spaces or in cracks in the foundation. Moisture is essential for their survival.
To avoid termite infestation, do not bury wood near buildings. Remove old tree stumps near buildings. Provide drainage away from structures. Do not allow wooden portions of structures to contact soil. Ventilate crawl spaces under structures. For typical signs of termite infestation, termite identification, and recommended control measures, refer to Fact Sheet 2092, Reference Ento.17.
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