Consultants, Inc.
P.O. Box 19365
Raleigh, NC 27619
Phone:
919-870-8003
Email:
Pestandtermite@bellsouth.net
Identify Pest
- Cockroach
- Black Widow Spider
- Bed Bugs
- Clover Mite
- Indian Meal Moth
- Silverfish
- Paper Wasp
- Wolf Spider
Ants
Odorous House Ants
This ant is 2 to 3 mm in length. It is black to brown in color. If crushed it has an odor of oranges.
Outdoors they can be found in the soil or under the base of trees. Indoors they can be found under buildings and inside wall cavities. They look for areas with a regular moisture source, such as leaking plumbing, shower recess, broken gutters or roof tiles.
Carpenter Ants
These ants range in color from black to dark brown or to a brownish orange. The worker ants range in length from 6 to 12 mm. These ants will normally build nest outdoors in wood but will travel inside and long distances to forage for food. They prefer moist wood, soil, twigs, and branches but some will infest timbers in buildings also.
Spiders
Brown Recluse Spiders
This is probably the most commonly asked about spider for us next to the black widow. Brown recluse are found in the United States from the east to the west coast, with predominance in the south. An adult spider is 1/4 to 3/4 inch in body. A violin shape is located on the top of the leg attachment region with the neck of the violin pointing backward toward the abdomen. For your help in identifying this spider here is a photo clearly showing the violin on the spider's back.
Black House Spiders
Adults are about 1/2 inch in body length and of a dark brown to black velvet textured appearance. Black House Spiders are commonly found in window framing, under eaves, gutters, in brickwork, sheds, toilets and among rocks and bark. The spider spins a lacy, messy web and prefers dry habitats in secluded locations.
Black Widow Spiders
The body of an adult black widow is about 1/2 inch long. The female black widow is normally shiny black, with a red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. The marking may range in color from yellowish orange to red and its shape may range from an hourglass to a dot.
The black widow spider can be commonly found around woodpiles, rubble piles, under stones, in hollow stumps, sheds and garages. Indoors it can be found in undisturbed, cluttered areas in basements and crawl spaces.
Bed Bugs
Adult bed bugs are about 1/4 inch long and are brownish in color. They have oval flattened bodies. They are often mistaken for ticks or cockroaches.
Bed Bugs are mainly nocturnal insects. During the day they will hide close to where people sleep. The shape of their bodies enable them to fit into tiny places especially spaces associated with mattresses, box springs, bed frames, or headboards. They are not nesters but they do hide in bunches in the same hiding places.
Cigarette Beetle
Cigarette Beetle is about 1/10th of a inch and shinny brown in color. They are oval shaped and does not have a visible head from above. These beetles are commonly found in pantries or other stored food areas. If they are found elsewhere you may want to save some for a closer examination by us later on.
Cigarette beetles will infest a wide variety of food products and are common in pet food, cereals, nuts, spices, raisins, seeds and dried straw flours.
The control of this beetle generally involves the removal of the contaminated food source and the inspection of any surrounding food sources. Do not be surprised to find small pin-hole-size holes in boxes and bags that the beetle has chewed through to get to the product.
Earwig
Most earwigs are elongated, flattened, and are dark brown. Lengths are mostly in the 1/2 inch range. When earwigs have wings, the hind wings are folded in a complex fashion, so that they fit under the forewings. Earwigs rarely fly.
Earwigs are most active at night and can be seen patrolling household walls and ceilings. Interaction with earwigs at this time results in a defensive free fall to the ground below and the subsequent scramble to a nearby cleft or crevice. Earwigs are also drawn to damp conditions. During the summer, they can be found around sinks and in bathrooms. Earwigs tend to gather in shady cracks or openings or anywhere they can remain concealed in daylight hours. Upon gaining entry to the basement and living areas of the home, earwigs can easily find cover in undisturbed magazine and newspaper piles, furniture/wickerwork, base boards, carpeted stairways, pet food dishes, and even inside DVD cases and keyboards.
House Mouse
Mice usually walk, run, or stand on all fours, but when eating, fighting or orienting themselves they stand only on the hind legs supported by the tail. When running, the horizontal tail serves for balance, the end stands up vertically unless the mouse is frightened. Mice are good jumpers, climbers, and swimmers.
Mice are mostly active during dusk or night; they do not like bright lights. They live in a wide variety of hidden places that are near food sources and construct nests from various soft materials.
House mice can transmit diseases and can damage food and food packaging. They can also cause substantial damage when feeding on grain. Usually, most home invasions occur in the fall, not because of cooler weather, but because the seeds and plants on which rodents feed outside are gone.
Our service includes coverage of communal rats and mice, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures.
Millipede
Their body lengths vary from 1– 1 1/2 inch. Brownish and similar to a worm in appearance with many body segments. Due to their lack of speed and their inability to bite or sting, millipedes' primary defense mechanism is to curl into a tight coil — protecting their delicate legs inside an armored body exterior.
Many species also emit poisonous liquid secretions or hydrogen cyanide gas. As far as humans are concerned, this chemical brew is fairly harmless.
They typically live outside in moist vegetation, leaf litter, and mulch and feed upon decaying organic wood and plant matter. When conditions are right, migrations can occur and large numbers will find there way inside homes through cracks and crevices.
Termites
Termites eat material that contains cellulose, such as wood, roots, plant debris, paper or cardboard. Termites can gain entrance into a structure through any part of the wood frame in contact with the ground, through openings in the foundation around pipes and conduits or through cracks in the foundation. Termites can enter through cracks that are no wider than 1/64 of an inch.
Subterranean termites require moisture to survive. They will create mud tubes to obtain access to a structure that is above ground. These tubes are created from soil cemented with secretions and fecal material. The tubes are to protect the termites from exposure to sunlight or dry conditions. Termites are able to survive in a structure without contact to the ground if there is a sufficient moisture source.
Termite colonies consist of:
1. Primary reproductive function of reproducing and laying eggs
2. Secondary reproductives
3. Soldiers - defend the colony/nest from invaders
4. Workers - forage for food and feed their nutrients to the rest of the colony
How can you help protect your home?
Start by eliminating food and moisture conditions around your home.
- Repair leaking faucets, water pipes, and a/c units
- Divert water from foundation
- Keep gutters and downspouts clean
- Ventilate crawl spaces
- Remove excessive plant cover and wood mulch
- Get rid of standing water on roof
- Keep all vents clear and open
- Seal entry points around water and utility lines or pipes
- Keep firewood, lumber, or paper away from foundation or crawl space
- Get rid of stumps and debris near house
- Wood on your home shouldn't contact the soil
What we are checking for when your termite inspection is preformed:
- A temporary swarm of winged insects in your home.
- Any cracked or bubbling paint.
- Wood that sounds hollow when tapped.
- Mud tubes on exterior walls, wooden beams, or in crawl spaces.
- Discarded wings from swarmers.
Subterranean Termite
Workers are approximately 1/4-inch long, light-colored and wingless. Soldiers have elongated heads with mandibles. Supplementary reproductives are light-colored and wingless or have very short, nonfunctional wings.
Termites live in colonies underground, from which they build tunnels in search of food. They are able to reach food above the ground level by building mud tubes and are dependent on moisture for survival. There is one queen per colony, which can lay tens of thousands of eggs in its lifetime, but most eggs are laid by supplementary reproductives in an established colony.
Termites cause over $2 billion in damages each year. Subterranean termites cause 95% of all termite damage in North America. Colonies can contain up to 1 million members.
Cockroaches
American Cockroach
These cockroaches are large (1" to 1½") and winged. These are common in the south and in tropical climates.
This insect can move very quickly and fit into small cracks and under doors. It does well in moist conditions as well as dry as long as there is water nearby.
German Cockroach
This cockroach is a smaller roach (1/2" to 5/8"); it is tan to light brown and has two streaks from its head to the base of its wings.
This is a common household roach. The size of this roach enables it to hide easily from humans.
The German cockroach prefers eating starches, sugary foods, grease, and meats. They are nocturnal.
Oriental Cockroach
One of the larger species of cockroach (1 inch in length), it is dark brown to black and a glossy body. The female has two very short and useless wings just below her head. It is wider in the body than the male. The male has long wings and are brown in color with a narrow body.
These roaches can be found around decaying organic matter, in sewers, drains, damp basements, porches, or other places where they can easily obtain water. They can also be found outside under mulch.
Clover Mite
Clover mites sometimes invade homes in large numbers, in early spring and late autumn, gathering on floors, walls, drapes, window sills and furniture, even occasionally into beds and clothing. If crushed, they leave a reddish stain quite noticeable on linens, curtains, walls and woodwork. They are un-welcome by their presence but do not bite humans or animals and do not feed on household furnishings or pantry supplies. They live outdoors and feed on various plants.
Clover mites are about 1/30 inch long (about the size of a gain of sand), oval-shaped arachnids, reddish-brown to olive to pale orange or sometimes green-brown after feeding. They have eight leg's with the front pair of legs longest, protruding forward at the head. Young are smaller and bright red. Crawling mites are sluggish, slow-moving and normally invade the home where the sun is warmest on the south, southwest and east side of the house.
Indian Meal Moth
The outer 2/3 of the forewings are bronze or copper in color while the upper third are yellowish-gray, with a dark band at the interface between the two. The wingspan is 0.6-0.8 inch. The larva is off-white with a brown head and about 1/2 inch long when mature. They are commonly called "flour moths" or "pantry moths."
After larvae or moths have been found, it is important to throw out all grains (cereal, bread, pasta, rice), spices (salt, etc.), dried fruits (raisins), and any other food source that is not in a very tightly sealed container. The moths are able to get into surprisingly tight spots, including sealed bags and Tupperware containers. They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of.
It is recommended to place questionable items in the freezer during the clean out phase. This can possibly kill off any larvae that could have been missed.
Silverfish
Homeowners may not see silverfish because they are nocturnal and run very fast. They are small, soft insects without wings. They have three filaments extending from their abdomen. When rubbed or smashed they leave a silver color on your hand or surface, this is where they get their name.
These insects normally feed on vegetation with high carbohydrates and protein content. Inside they will feed on just about anything. (See list for partial list)
- Dried beef
- Flour
- Starch Paper
- Gum
- Glue
- Cotton Linen
- Rayon
- Silk
- Sugar
- Molds
- Breakfast cereals
They prefer to live in dark spaces such as attics. They are attracted to cedar shake roofs.
Paper Wasp
Wasp are 3/4 inch to 1 inch long and variable in color. They can be brown, black, orange or yellow. In addition, their bodies may or may not have stripes.
Paper wasps are wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct water-resistant nests that appear to be made of gray or brown papery material. Most social wasps make nests from paper; although some wasp species, such as Liostenogaster flavolineata (commonly called mud dopers), use mud. These nests can be found under the eaves of houses, under branches of trees and shrubs, under decks or inside pipes.
Paper wasps will generally only attack if the nest is threatened.
Wolf Spiders
Wolf Spiders adults is 1/2 inch to more than 1 inch in body length - mottled gray to brown in color, with a distinct Union Jack impression on it's back. The female carries it's young on it's back.
Commonly found as a ground dweller with a burrow retreat. It has a roaming night lifestyle to hunt their prey and can move very quickly when disturbed. Commonly found around the home, in garden areas with a silk lined burrow, sometimes with a lid or covered by leaf litter or grass woven with silk as a little fence around the rim of the burrow.
