Bed Bugs
The Bed BugThe bed bug is a survivor. This insect has been here since before man moved into caves and chased the normal prey they fed upon out. In fact there are cave drawings found in France that depict these insects feeding upon people. He has evolved into a formidable foe. Almost eradicated in the 1960s through the 1990s but back again with a vengeance.
Full-sized adult bed bugs are about the size of an appleseed and when engorged with blood just about the same color. They are not the fastest of creatures moving along at about 5 ft./m but they can fit through the tiniest of cracks and crevices. In fact an adult bed bug can slide into war under a crack the width of a single sheet of looseleaf paper. They can reproduce rapidly in fact once established their populations double every 14 to 21 days. In addition they naturally spread out. In fact many cases where DNA sampling has been done on large-scale building infestations we find that the DNA is identical in all apartments. What that means is one female insect was introduced into that environment and was the cause of the resulting spread and tenant misery. The bedbug is resistant to almost all the pesticides that we now use against it. Bug bombs the common refuge for the apartment dweller is only good for spreading this insect from one unit to the next. Most of the over-the-counter products are based in permethrin. This product even at 1000 times its normal concentration has shown no affect on the insect. Most of the insecticides that are available to the pest control operator take anywhere from five days to 30 days before any discernible effect is noticed. This means that although they may be dosed they are still continuing to lay eggs, feed and spread. . |
German CockroachGerman cockroaches are well-known indoor cockroaches with a distribution that is world-wide. Adults are easily recognized by their light brown or tan coloration with two black horizontal stripes located on the pronotum immediately behind the head, and growing to a length of 13-16 mm. The much smaller young, or nymphs, are darker, almost black in color, also with the black stripes behind the head.
In most cases, German cockroaches are introduced into a structure or residence when bags, boxes or cardboard containers are brought into the home. They may even be brought in with used appliances. In multiunit buildings, German cockroaches can easily move between units, using the shared plumbing and pipes as a highway. German cockroaches are scavengers, capable of feeding on most any food source available, including toothpaste, soap and the bindings of books. These pests are known for their ability to capitalize on the availability of even the smallest amounts of food by feeding on crumbs missed during cleaning or feeding on the dirty dishes left in the sink overnight. ReproductionGerman cockroaches are known for their ability to reproduce quickly. Female German cockroaches only need to mate once for the production of young. After mating, and under normal conditions, they will produce, on average, 4 to 6 egg cases during the course of their lives, with each egg case, or ootheca, containing approximately 30 to 40 eggs. This egg case is then carried by the female until 1 to 2 days before hatching. Depending upon the conditions, the average time for development, from egg to adult can range from 54 to 215 days, with an average of approximately 100 days. As adults, German cockroaches can survive anywhere from 100 to 200 days German cockroaches adulterate food or food products with their feces and defensive secretions, physically transport and often harbor pathogenic organisms, may cause severe allergic responses, and in extremely heavy infestations have been reported to bite humans and feed on food residues on the faces of sleeping humans. |
Indian meal Moth
The Indianmeal moth larvae can infest a wide range of dry foods such as dry pet food, birdseed, cereal, dried soup mixes, bread, pasta, rice, flour, spices, dried fruits and nuts. Lesser-infested foods include chocolate and dried flowers. When looking for Indianmeal moths, do not forget to look in dried plant and dried flower wreath arrangements. This wide range of suitable foods explains why this pest is considered by most experts to be the most common stored-food pest in homes and grocery stores.Adults and larvae are common signs of an infestation. When flying, adults often appear to move in a zigzag motion instead of maintaining a direct flight line. Adults may fly to distant rooms in the house away from the infestation; therefore, they are commonly mistaken for clothing pests. Adults do not feed and normally rest during the day in dimly lit areas of the home. The larvae are surface feeders and cover their food source with silken webbing. Most of the damage to stored products occurs when the larvae spin massive amounts of silk that accumulate fecal pellets and cast skins in food products. The damage to stored products due to this contamination exceeds the amount of food eaten by the insects..
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PIGEON
Feral pigeons foul buildings, creating unwanted "stained glass" windows and "decorated" architecture. All sorts of pests may migrate from their nests into buildings. Originally descended from the wild Rock Dove, a cliff-face dweller, these birds find the next best thing is a block of flats, a bit of Victorian Gothic architecture or a railway arch. In the absence of natural predators, birds which fall sick survive to infect healthy ones with ornithosis and other diseases, some of which can be transmissible to man. Their accumulated droppings are also sources of disease. Birds such as Pigeons carry a variety of diseases such as Ornithosis, Listeria and Ecoli that can be transmitted to man not only from the droppings but also the birds themselves. When dry, pigeon droppings can become airborne in small particles, which can lead to respiratory complaints such as psittacosis.Pigeon droppings are acidic and can corrode/erode metals, stonework and brickwork. Nesting materials birds use can block chimneys, flues and guttering, causing possible issues with carbon monoxide and damage to buildings as water overflows from blocked gutters.
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