House Flies

Within the last week we've had several calls about large populations of flies in residential areas. Seems like a good time to revisit fly habits and control, with an eye to giving homeowners a few helpful hints.

The "house fly" or musca domestica is one of the most common of the thousands of species of flies. When more than the usual number of flies begin to invade a house, control requires some education and a little detective work. Adult flies are pretty easy to kill with over-the-counter bug sprays or an old fashioned swatter. But the problem will not abate until the source of the flies is discovered and removed. Flies can multiply rapidly because of their rapid development time and the large number of eggs produced - several batches of 100-150 per female. Eggs are laid in warm, moist areas, often associated with decaying organic matter such as manure, grass clippings, garbage, damp leaf litter, or decaying fruits or vegetables. They also appear in great numbers when an outdoor pest such as a rodent has died. Eggs hatch into larvae, or maggots. Fly larvae resist light, and typically burrow into the decaying matter from which they hatched. But in cases where flies are abundant and breeding is undisturbed, the maggots may be obvious. In the larval state, these pests are not even slowed down by the liquid chemicals applied for control of other household bugs. Therefore, control of flies is affected by control of the harborage site where flies are breeding. 

The first step in control when flies are invading a house is to check screens and weather stripping on doors and windows. Outdoors, clean up dog feces, rotting fruit, grass clippings, or any other decaying organic matter that may be attracting flies. Homeowners should check garbage cans, cleaning them to remove residual waste. In multiple-unit complexes where dumpsters are used, the dumpster company should be notified if there is fly activity, so a clean replacement can be provided. In both cases, garbage should be bagged before disposal, and cans should be in good repair, with tight-fitting lids. After all these preventive measures have been completed, the residual adult flies can be controlled with fly strips or bug sprays. Again, poor exclusion and/or sanitation are most often the cause of indoor fly problems. Save yourself some frustration by examining the area surrounding your home and eliminating the source of the infestation. For an effective method of killing random flies barehanded, click here. To read an article in Science Daily about how flies react to odors, click here.

Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to yesterday's insect trivia quiz, interesting if not especially useful tidbits of information to tuck away in  your cortex for the next time you appear on Jeopardy. Some of these answers may surprise you!

1. The animal (not just the insect, the animal!) responsible for the most human deaths world-wide is (a) the mosquito. Some of the diseases mosquitos can transmit include malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and locally West Nile virus (a type of encephalitis). To read more about mosquitos, West Nile virus, and how to avoid mosquito bites, see our previous blogs here. To watch an entertaining video clip from Dirty Jobs on mosquito control, click here.

2. The insect responsible for killing 1/3 the population of Europe in the 14th century was (b) the flea. Fleas - mostly traveling via rats - transmitted Bubonic plague, otherwise known as Black Death, killing millions of people in Europe. Thanks to antibiotics, plague can be treated today, but it has not disappeared from the planet. The World Health Organization still lists 1,000 - 3,000 cases of plague every year. Another good reason to control wild rodents and fleas in urban areas.

3. We are not sure why Pacific Grove, California has a city ordinance making it a misdemeanor to kill or threaten (b) butterflies, but we think it sounds like a lovely place to live. Ladybugs are more useful in the yard, and honey bees are endangered in some areas - but please don't kill the butterflies!

4. Crickets actually have a pair of "ears" on their (c) knees. In fact, another acceptable answer would be (b) elbows - as the "tympanum" or ear is a tightly stretched membrane which acts as a sound receptor on the cricket's front legs. Ears on knees (or elbows if you prefer) enable the female cricket to "hear" the chirping sound made by male crickets rubbing their forewings together to attract a mate. Chirp sounds are different for various cricket species, allowing them to find the right mate.

5. An adult cockroach can live up to (c) one week without a head. In fact, cockroaches might be able to survive headless even longer, but they need a mouth to drink water. Keep this in mind if you have to deal with a cockroach infestation: they need water! 

6. An adult bedbug can live up to (d) one year  without food. But the food they want is you! This makes them one of the insect world's best survivors. For more about bedbugs, click here.

7. The Michael Phelps of the bug world is (a) the dragonfly. Clocked at speeds from 50-60 miles per hour, they are the fastest of insects. This means that although it may be legal to threaten or kill a dragonfly in Pacific Grove, you would have to catch one first!

Insect Trivia Quiz

For our quiz today, we have taken factoids from various sources to make up a general pest trivia quiz. Answers to the questions below will be available in tomorrow's blog. Have fun!

1. Which insect is listed as the animal (not just insect!) responsible for the most human deaths world-wide?

a. mosquito

b. flea

c. tsetse fly

d. Africanized honey bee

2. Which insect was responsible for killing 1/3 of the population of Europe in the 14th century?

a. mosquito

b. flea

c. tsetse fly

d. bedbug

3. According to City Ordinance #352 in Pacific Grove, California, it is a misdemeanor to kill or threaten which of these insects:

a. ladybug

b. butterfly

c. dragonfly

d. honey bee

4. Crickets "hear" through their

a. thorax

b. elbows

c. knees

d. all of the above

5. How long can a cockroach live without a head?

a. up to one hour

b. up to one day

c. up to one week

d. up to one year

6. How long can an adult bedbug survive without eating?

a. up to one hour

b. up to one day

c. up to one week

d. up to one year

7. Which insects are the fastest?

a. dragonflies

b. honey bees

c. cockroaches

d. common house flies

Leggy Pests: Centipedes and Millipedes

Common House Centipede
Millipede
We had a call from a concerned homeowner last week who had encountered a couple of leggy pests in her home. Were they millipedes or centipedes or something else? Without seeing a sample pest, it is difficult to say. Here are some facts to help homeowners not only identify the many-legged insects that sometimes invade, but also keep houses more secure against these infrequent invaders.

First, for purposes of identification, let's look at some of the differences between centipedes and millipedes. Adult centipedes are yellowish to dark brown, often with dark markings, and 1/8 to 6-inches long. They have one pair of legs per body part - usually a total of closer to 30-40 legs rather than the 100 their name implies. Common house centipedes are greyish-yellow with three stripes down the back and very long legs banded with white. Their last legs extend backwards, they move very quickly and they do bite. Unlike millipedes, centipedes do not curl up when disturbed.

Most millipedes are brown or black, and can range in size between 5/8 of an inch and 4-inches in length. They do not have millions or even thousands of legs, although they may appear to have that many. Usually their legs total less than 100. Unlike centipedes, millipedes have multiple legs per body segment, usually 2-4. Their back legs do not extend backward, they move more slowly than centipedes, and the do not bite. Only three species of millipede live in California, the common millipede, the bulb millipede and the greenhouse millipede. Both millipedes and centipedes will not live long indoors - they prefer to be in the yard where there is moisture and vegetation. For this reason, control begins outdoors.

Neither centipedes nor millipedes are dangerous, nor do they carry diseases. Although a centipede may bite humans, the bite is rarely more serious than a bee sting. In fact, centipedes and millipedes are useful in the garden, feeding off other pests. But if you want to control them, the methods are similar. Remove any moist harborage in the area, like wood debris, rock piles, grass clippings, compost and leaf litter. Indoors, dry out any moist areas such as basements or bathroom closets. Rarely is chemical intervention necessary. Remember, if you do see one of these temporary invaders - they will not be able to survive long in your house, and are actually good for the yard. If you want to read more about centipedes and millipedes, click here or call us at Centurion.

Arachnophobia

Because we've had more calls on spiders than usual this week, we are getting a jump on Hallowe'en by featuring information on spider control today. For all of you who have a touch of arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, be warned! Spiders are not always the bad guys. Fear of spiders may have sprung from myths and legends, or perhaps because of the few spiders that can be harmful. We've noted in a previous post how to recognize and avoid the two spiders in our area which can deliver a poisonous bite - the brown recluse and the black widow. Here's a little more general information on spiders, members of the arachnid family.

Unlike insects, spiders have eight legs and two body parts, a fused head and thorax. There are literally thousands of different kinds of spiders. While spider bites may itch, the vast majority of spiders do not have fangs big enough to puncture human skin. And they will rarely bite unless they feel threatened or trapped. The smallest spiders are around 1 mm in length, the largest can have a leg span of 10 inches! One of the distinctive features of most spiders is their ability to spin webs. Just as there are a huge variety of spiders on the planet, there are also a huge variety of web shapes and sizes. The black widow spins a heavy, irregular, messy-looking web - and prefer to spin their webs in dry, protected locations. For this reason, we advise home owners to remove wood piles, rock piles and other clutter from their yards - and do so carefully, with  gloves on. Indoors, spiders, webs and egg casings can be removed with a vacuum - the bag should then be sealed and disposed of.

But what about the spiders in your yard who go about the daily task of catching and consuming flies, mosquitos, roaches and aphids? Do we really want to get rid of them? For many, even though spiders are helpful in the yard, they prefer to dissuade them from a proximity to the house. After you have cleared wood piles, weeds and debris, if spider webs are noticed in the eaves of the house they can easily be knocked down with a broom. Check window and door screens to assure they are in good repair, as well as weather stripping at the base of all outside doors. Keep in mind that most spiders are helpful in the garden and non-threatening. They have even been helpful to scientific studies such as the one shown here, where spiders are observed after they have been injected with various drugs. The resulting webs  give us an idea of how chemicals can impair function. To learn more about spiders and how to control them, see the UC Davis web site here (pun definitely intended!). If all else fails, and those spiders are really bugging you, call  your pest professional.

Cockroach Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to yesterday's Cockroach Quiz. How did you do? Hopefully, the answers will help you understand some of the habits and control methods for cockroaches.

1. Cockroaches have (c) membranous wings, whereas beetles have hardened forewings (elytra). This does not mean that all cockroaches or all beetles can fly. If you want to see pictures of the various kinds of cockroaches most common in California, there are pictures and descriptions here. To the best of our knowledge, none of the cockroaches common to San Diego click when disturbed. Beetles, not cockroaches, are related to lady bugs, and feed on plants and fungi.

2. An adult German cockroach can fit through an opening as small as (b) 1/16th of an inch. An immature cockroach can fit through an even smaller opening. Part of exclusion involves sealing cracks and crevices in kitchens and bathrooms, where cockroaches can hide.

3. The egg cases of cockroaches are called (b) oothecae. HEPA (a) is an acronym for High Efficiency Particle Absorber - the kind of  vacuum filter suggested for use in vacuuming up roaches to avoid allergic reactions. The pronotum (d) is the shield-shaped section on most cockroaches located behind the head - another way to tell it is a cockroach and not a beetle.

4. German and Oriental cockroaches are the most common varieties seen in San Diego. Oriental cockroaches are (b) larger and darker in color than the German variety. Oriental cockroaches prefer cooler weather and survive well outdoors; American cockroaches can fly.

5. In controlling an infestation of cockroaches, (a) sanitation and exclusion are most critical. No amount of chemical treatment will eliminate a cockroach population without sanitation and exclusion. Keep food in tightly covered containers, clean kitchen and bathroom cabinets and walls, keep trash areas outside clean and garbage cans with tight fitting lids, eliminate piles of newspapers, paper bags, and boxes inside and outside the house, fix plumbing leaks, seal cracks to the outside, and check weather stripping on doors and windows.

6. Monitoring stations are helpful in identifying the origin of a cockroach infestation. It is wise o place monitoring stations in (d) the backs of kitchen cabinets, behind the refrigerator, and in corners of rooms.

7. One of the inherent problems with effective chemical control of cockroaches is (c) cockroaches can develop a resistance to chemicals used frequently or improperly. Cockroaches can actually pass along some resistance to their offspring if liquid chemicals are sprayed too frequently. Integrated pest management involves sanitation and exclusion, and the use of chemical applications used according to label directions.

8. The answer is (d) - all of the above. Cockroaches can carry salmonella, hepatitis or staphylococcus germs. Far from harmless, these invaders can put your family at risk for these and other diseases. If you have an existing problem which you cannot solve yourself, call your pest professional.

Cockroach Quiz

Today's Tuesday Quiz will test  your knowledge of one of our least welcome pests: Cockroaches. If you have been following this blog, you already know how quickly they can multiply.  Now try some cockroach questions that may help keep these common pests at bay.

1. Cockroaches and beetles may look alike, but they have different habits and attributes. Which of the following are common only to cockroaches?

a. Cockroaches make a clicking sound when disturbed.

b. Cockroaches are related to lady bugs.

c. Cockroaches have membranous wings.

d. Cockroaches feed on plants and fungi.

2. Cockroaches are nocturnal. They like to hide in narrow, warm, dark places. How small a hole can an adult German cockroach fit into?

a. 1/32 of an inch

b. 1/16 of an inch

c. 1/8 of an inch

d. 1/4 of an inch

3. Cockroaches sometimes glue their egg cases underneath furniture, in appliance motors, or under kitchen shelves or drawers. What is another name for cockroach egg cases?

a. hepa

b. oothecae

c. larvaettes

d. pronotum

4. The difference between German and Oriental cockroaches is:

a. German cockroaches prefer cooler weather and live mostly outdoors.

b. Oriental cockroaches are larger and darker in color.

c. German cockroaches can fly.

d. all of the above.

5. In controlling an infestation of cockroaches, which of these methods are most critical?

a. sanitation and exclusion

b. trapping and baiting

c. exclusion and spraying

d. spraying and baiting

6. Monitoring stations help identify where the origin of an infestation of cockroaches is located. Where is the best place to put monitoring stations?

a. in the backs of cabinets in the kitchen

b. behind refrigerator

c. all corners of rooms

d. all of the above

7. What is one of the inherent problems with effective chemical control of cockroaches?

a. not putting enough chemical in place

b. chemicals evaporate and become useless

c. cockroaches form a resistance to chemicals used frequently or improperly

d. chemicals can't sterilize cockroaches, so they continue to reproduce

8. Which of the following diseases can be spread by cockroaches?

a. Salmonella

b. Hepatitis

c. Staphylococcus

d. all of the above

Answers to today's quiz will be posted in tomorrow's blog.