Pests Archive | Page 6 of 26 | Suburban Exterminating

Clover Mite

Clover Mites in Suffolk County & Nassau County

Clover mites are considered a nuisance pest, invading structures by the thousands, primarily in the spring and autumn. Clover mites are distributed worldwide and found throughout the United States. Where once clover mites were considered an occasional invader, they are now a serious pest due to the housing boom associated with suburban sprawl and installation of well-fertilized lawns growing close to the foundations of houses.

Clover Mite Habitat

Clover mites overwinter chiefly in the egg stage, under bark, in cracks in fence posts, under sheathing of buildings, in cracks in the foundation, or in dry, protected sites. Winter eggs begin to hatch very early in spring, and one generation is completed during the spring and early summer. Clover mites are sun-seekers and will gather on sunny southern and eastern exposures of homes. When clover mites have thoroughly infiltrated a building, they can be an extreme nuisance to the homeowners. Clover mites will look like dark red specks crawling around siding, doors, windows, drapes, curtains, and furniture.

Clover Mite Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Clover mites are pests not because they bite or cause disease, but simply because they can invade a structure in unbelievable numbers. In 1954, one single bedroom was estimated to have 250,000 mites crawling on the floor! When crushed, clover mites leave a red stain that is not blood, it’s just their natural color. Since clover mites are so small, homeowners may not even recognize them in their house until they have spread. However, what most people are likely to notice, are the red stains clover mites leave behind.

If you are dealing with a clover mite problem, contact your local tick & mite control experts for help.

Lone Star Tick

Lone Star Ticks in Suffolk County & Nassau County

The lone star tick is distributed from central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, north to Missouri, and eastward in a broad belt across the southeastern United States. Along the Atlantic coast, its distribution extends northward to coastal areas of New Jersey and New York. Bites from the lone star tick are painless and commonly go unnoticed, remaining attached to their host for as long as seven days until it is fully engorged with blood. While it is not a factor in Lyme disease, the lone star tick does transmit bacteria that can cause several types of illnesses.

Lone Star Tick Habitat

Lone star ticks are found in wooded areas and fields and are more common around homes and buildings in secluded or rural areas. Adults are known to feed on large mammals, especially cattle and white-tailed deer. It is an ectoparasite of a wide range of domestic mammals like cattle, horses, goats, sheep, cats and dogs, and poultry. Humans are also commonly bitten by all active stages. This species is rarely found living indoors, and if found inside, it will generally be discovered on dogs or cats.

Lone Star Tick Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

The lone star tick is known to bite humans, and although they do not transmit Lyme disease, a bite from the lone star tick can cause people to develop an allergy to red meat, including beef and pork. This specific allergy is related to a carbohydrate called alpha-gal and is best diagnosed with a blood test. Therefore, if you suspect you have been bitten, expert evaluation from an allergist familiar with the condition is recommended.

If you need more information on lone star ticks, contact your local tick control experts.

Spider Mite

Spider Mites in Suffolk County & Nassau County

Spider mites are the most common mite pests and among the most universal of all garden and farm pests. Mites pests feed on houseplants, fruit trees, vines, berries, vegetables, and ornamental plants. Although related to insects, mites aren’t actually insects but members of the arachnid class along with spiders and ticks. Spider mites are tiny eight-legged animals closely related to spiders and are important pests of ornamental trees, shrubs, and bedding plants. Under favorable conditions, spider mites can build up rapidly and seriously threaten plant health.

Spider Mite Habitat

Spider mites may feed and reproduce all year on plants that retain their green leaves throughout the winter, such as indoor houseplants. In colder areas and on deciduous trees that drop their leaves. They begin feeding and laying eggs when warm weather returns in spring. Spider mites feed on plant leaves by piercing leaf tissues and sucking the green liquid that oozes out. Leaves appear bronzed after the green color is lost from many tiny feeding spots. Heavily infested leaves and branches can become covered with an almost invisible webbing.

Spider Mite Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Spider mites reproduce rapidly in dry, hot weather and are most common from June through September. Mites cause damage by sucking cell contents from leaves. At first, spider mite damage will appear as small yellow or brown spots on the leaves of plants. If the plant is heavily infested, the plant’s health will suffer and it may develop completely yellow leaves and stop growing. Spider mite damage may also include a telltale spider webbing on the plant. Damage is usually worse when compounded by water or drought stress. If you are dealing with spider mites, it’s important to always enlist the help of a professional tick & mite control expert.

Springtail

Springtails in Suffolk County & Nassau County

Springtails are tiny and occur in various shapes and sizes, however, they all have an appendage, called a furcula that is tucked up under their abdomen. When a springtail is disturbed, it releases the furcula, which propels the insect through the air and away from danger. These minute insects occasionally invade homes and are particularly prominent in basements, bathrooms, and kitchens. Most reports of hundreds or thousands of tiny, dark jumping insects can be correctly diagnosed as springtails.

Springtail Habitat

Springtails sometimes alarm homeowners by appearing in large numbers in moist indoor areas such as kitchen sinks, bathtubs, and in the soil of houseplants. They may also be found outdoors in swimming pools, moist landscaped areas or vegetable gardens, and on the surface of mud puddles. They usually appear in the spring and early summer, but can be found year-round in moist environments. Springtail infestations are usually associated with dampness, organic debris, and mold.

Springtail Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Since springtails jump when disturbed, they are sometimes confused with fleas. However, springtails do not bite humans or pets, nor do they spread disease or damage household furnishings. Mainly a nuisance pest, springtails can become a problem in newly constructed buildings because of damp building materials and wet plaster. As the building dries, the springtails will die off or leave. They can also be a nuisance around swimming pools when they fall in and drown in large numbers, often coating the pool surface. Although unsightly in the pool, they can be safely removed without cause for concern.

If you are dealing with springtails, contact your local flea, tick, and mite experts.

Black Fly

Black Flies in Suffolk County & Nassau County

Black flies are small, blood-sucking insects, found in many parts of the United States and Canada. Common names for this pest include buffalo gnats and turkey gnats, and they are known to fly around people’s heads, occasionally getting into eyes and ears, as well as crawling into the hair. Only the females are blood feeders and will readily bite humans and animals. Black flies may sometimes occur in enormous numbers in the late spring and early summer, particularly in the more northern latitudes.

Black Fly Habitat

Black flies breed exclusively in running water, and larvae and pupae develop in flowing, typically non-polluted water, with a high level of dissolved oxygen. The immature stages of black flies develop in oxygenated water sources, therefore adults are usually associated with slow-moving streams, creeks, or rivers where the immature stages develop. Flowing water does not necessarily imply white water rapids, but water must be moving. Water in lakes and ponds that are not flowing is unsuitable for black fly development.

Black Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Black flies can be annoying biting pests, but none are known to transmit diseases to humans in the U. S. The bites of black flies cause different reactions in humans, ranging from a small puncture wound where the original blood meal was taken to a swelling that can be the size of a golf ball. Reactions to black fly bites are collectively known as “black fly fever” and include headache, nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Besides being a nuisance to humans, black flies can pose a threat to livestock. They are capable of transmitting a number of different disease agents to livestock, including protozoa and nematode worms, none of which cause disease in humans. If you are dealing with a black fly problem on your property, contact your local fly exterminators.

Blow Fly

Blow Flies in Suffolk County & Nassau County

Blow flies are one of the most common flies found around dead animals. They prefer highly unsanitary habitats, and because of this, they may be vectors of disease pathogens, such as dysentery. These flies are distinguished by their bright metallic appearance and are abundant around commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential buildings when they are located near recycling centers, garbage dumps, slaughter-houses, and meat processing plants. Blow flies can pick up faint traces of odor of decay and can fly up to 12 miles in search of a suitable carcass to lay their eggs.

Blow Fly Habitat

Blow flies thrive best in weather that is warm and humid. They normally lay their eggs on meat, fish, or dead animals, but will also lay eggs in decomposing organic matter, like garbage, animal manure, decaying vegetables, grass clippings, and poorly managed compost piles. Under ideal temperatures, blow flies can develop from egg to adult in as little as 7 days. Many homeowners have witnessed this behavior as a mass emergence of maggots crawling from their backyard trash cans when kitchen waste placed in these trash cans was not sealed in a plastic trash bag.

Blow Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Blow flies do not bite or sting. They are, however, strongly attracted to human foods and garbage, making cooking outdoors difficult when they are present. As with house flies, they may be involved in the transmission of disease agents acquired from garbage or animal feces and subsequently deposited onto human foods. The primary threat from blow flies is the distribution of disease-carrying organisms that affect humans such as salmonella food poisoning, Dysentery, Cholera, various parasitic worms, and many others.

If you are dealing with a blow fly problem on your property, contact your local fly exterminators.

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