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Although native to South America, the Indianmeal moth is now present in most of the world and one of the most common stored product pests. “Indianmeal” is another name for cornmeal, in which the American entomologist who named the moth found larvae feeding. Indianmeal moths attack a wide variety of both whole and processed seed products. They prefer coarse flours like whole wheat and cornmeal. In homes, bird seed and dry pet food are common infestation sources. Dried fruit, spices, powdered milk, and chocolate can be infested as well.
Adult Indianmeal moths do not feed. The larvae tend to feed at the surface and not deep within infested products. They produce silk webbing that aids development by creating a warm and humid environment. This webbing can mat the surface of infested products and cause more damage from contamination than from the amount of product consumed. Larvae leave their food source when ready to pupate and pupae can be found far from the infested
There are just over 20 species of paper wasp in North America. Like yellowjackets and hornets, they chew wood and mix it with saliva to create the paper with which they build their nests. Their nests consist of an open comb layer supported by a stem and often resemble an umbrella. A mature colony may contain up to 200 to 300 wasps, but colonies are usually smaller.
Paper wasps are semi-social. All the female “workers” have the potential to become reproductive in the absence of the queen, so they are not a true sterile worker caste. When a queen is present, they build the nest and forage for prey to feed the larvae while she lays eggs. As a colony begins to decline in the fall, males are produced along with additional females which leave the nest to mate. Paper wasp colonies are annual colonies. The queen, workers, and males die at the end of the year and only fertilized females overwinter in protected sites. They emerge in the spring and begin building new nests.
The common malaria mosquito (Anopheles quadrimaculatus) is actually a group of five species that are genetically different but look so much alike that it is difficult to tell them apart under a microscope. These mosquitoes are present in the eastern United States up into southeastern Canada, but are more prolific in the southeastern states, especially along the Gulf of Mexico. They are the main vector of malaria in North America. Although malaria outbreaks have not happened in the United States since the 1950s, local transmission does occur sometimes.
Common malaria mosquitoes prefer to breed in clean freshwater ponds and lakes with aquatic vegetation. Populations tend to increase after rainfall raises water levels. Their larvae don’t have siphons and, instead, breathe through hairs along the abdomen, so they lie parallel to the water’s surface. Adults are dark with four dark patches on each wing and hold their body angled to the surface when they are resting.
Starting today, the industry’s two most respected training catalogs will be available through a single online platform: ProTraining by Univar.
We have partnered with PCT to integrate their entire Label Training library directly into ProTraining on PestWeb, giving professionals unparalleled access to courses approved for CEUs in most of the United States and Canada. See the end of this article for the full list of everything that’s been added today.
With two course libraries available on a single unified platform, technicians and managers can now review training history from Univar and PCT simultaneously — creating a complete picture of every employee’s education and certification.
Phorid flies are small flies that mostly breed in decaying animal or plant material. Some are parasites, as in the genus Pseudacteon, which contains species that have been released in the United States to biologically control red imported fire ants. The larvae of these phorid flies decapitate worker ants by consuming the contents of the head and causing it to fall off.
In structural pest management, phorid flies are found breeding in a wide variety of materials. They are common in medical waste and corpses and, therefore, in healthcare facilities and mausoleums. Where animals are cared for, they can breed in soiled bedding and feces. In food handling establishments, they can breed anywhere moist organic matter is allowed to accumulate, for example, underneath equipment and in poorly maintained grease traps. The worst-case scenario is when a plumbing line breaks underneath a building’s foundation and phorid flies breed in the soil moistened with organic matter, then enter
Millipedes are multi-segmented arthropods that have two pairs of legs on most of their body segments. Most millipedes live outdoors in damp soil and feed on decaying vegetation. Some species defend themselves by producing noxious or irritating fluids that leave stains or cause blisters.
Millipedes that tend to invade structures are usually brown or black and ¼ - 1 inch long. Around structures, they are common under items on the ground, mulch or leaf litter and in heavily thatched turf. Populations build when excess moisture is present, as in excessive irrigation or rainfall. Mass migrations into structures may occur from spring through fall (fall is more common) and may be due to waterlogged soil, mating behavior or overwintering site selection.
The Oriental cockroach is a worldwide pest with its origin most likely in the Middle East. It is a large cockroach that cannot fly. Adult males have short wings that do not cover the abdomen. Adults females have wing stubs and may look like beetles before taking a closer look.
Oriental cockroaches are more cold tolerant than other pest cockroaches and can survive outdoors in temperate winters, especially around garbage containers. In structures, they tend to occupy cool and moist areas like basements and crawlspaces where they infest the voids in brick and concrete block walls. In some cities, Oriental cockroaches are the predominant cockroach in sewers. Like the American cockroach, they can travel up sewer pipes into buildings, although maybe not as high.
The pavement ant is an introduced species from Europe that arrived in North America with settlers in the early 1800s. It is a significant pest on the West Coast, the Midwest to northeastern states and on into Canada. Because it prefers disturbed areas with little vegetation, it is common in urban areas where it often nests under concrete slabs. Colonies generally have one queen and one nest site. Nests near or under sidewalks, driveways, patios or building foundations are usually marked with displaced soil.
Pavement ants will nest under buildings for warmth during the winter and enter through cracks in the foundation or by following utility
The American cockroach is the largest pest cockroach in North America, averaging 1½ inches long. Being native to Africa, it is American in name only and was probably introduced to the United States on ships in the early 1600s. As one of the most common cockroaches on ships, it eventually spread to become a worldwide pest.
The American cockroach is a peridomestic cockroach, which means it mostly lives outdoors but moves into structures when conditions are more favorable. Because it requires high heat and humidity, it is found outdoors in tropical and subtropical areas (i.e, the southeastern US). In cooler or drier regions, it becomes more confined to sewer and drainage systems that provide both the right environment and a food source. Large populations or heavy rainfall often force American cockroaches up into structures via open pipes or dry drains.
Bat bugs belong to an insect family that primarily contains human, bat and bird parasites, including bed bugs. Two bat bug species are present in the United States: the eastern and western bat bugs. Bat bugs are closely related to bed bugs and are very similar in size and appearance. Under magnification, bat bugs look harrier than bed bugs because the hairs on their bodies are longer.
Although current thought is that bed bugs evolved from bat bugs that began parasitizing humans in ancient Mediterranean caves, North American bat bugs are better at feeding on bats than on humans. Like bed bugs, bat bugs are nest parasites that are not able to stay on their hosts very well, especially during flight. When bats roost on or in structures, bat bugs may attempt to parasitize humans if there are not enough bats to feed upon or the bats leave due to seasonal migration or exclusion efforts.