Summary

This bug is about 1/2 inch long and 1/3 as wide. It is black with three red lines on the thorax, a red line along each side, and an oblique red line on each wing. The wings lie flat on the back when at rest. The young nymphs are red and gray. The population of bugs may number into the thousands.

Habitat

Boxelder bugs normally feed on the leaves, flowers, and seed pods of the boxelder tree or silver maple. Large infestations are usually on the female, or pod-bearing, tree. While they may feed on male boxelder trees and other trees and plants, they usually do not build up to such large numbers. The adults’ search for a place to overwinter brings them into houses where they hide in small cracks and crevices in walls, door and window casings, attics, and around the foundation. During warm days in winter and early spring they come out and scatter through the house. They are primarily a nuisance as they crawl or fly about in the rooms.

Life Cycle

The adult bugs lay eggs in the spring and the nymphs emerge in a few days. The nymphs are small and show more red than adults. These nymphs develop into adults during the summer, then mate and lay eggs which hatch into the nymphs of the second generation. Activity of nearly fully grown nymphs is noticed in August and September when they gather in large numbers on the trunks of boxelder trees. The migration of the adults begins at this time.

Damage

The boxelder bug becomes a pest in many houses each year in fall and spring. They do no damage by feeding, but their excrement spots on draperies are difficult to remove. The bugs cause little damage to trees.

Pest Control

Non-chemical control: Boxelder bugs do not feed on household structures, so there is no need for extensive chemical control in the house. The bugs can be cleaned up with a vacuum cleaner. Eliminate hiding places such as piles of rocks, boards, leaves, and general debris close to the house. Repair places where the bugs may enter the house, such as cracks around doors, windows, weather-boarding, and in the foundation. Chemical control: If the bugs become so numerous, chemical control may be necessary. It is usually best to treat the trees on which the bugs are feeding.

Summary

The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae includes the camel crickets, camelback crickets, cave crickets, spider_cricketspider crickets (sometimes shortened to “sprickets”) and sand treaders. In some regions, such as Virginia, these crickets are referred to as “moon hoppers”. Most are found in association with caves, animal burrows, cellars, crawl spaces, in garages, under stones, in wood or in similar environments that they can gain access to. They are characterized in part by their long antennae and legs. They may be found on all continents and many continental islands, though Africa has but one species and that is confined to the southern Cape region.

Description

Camel crickets have very large hind legs with “drumstick-shaped” femora and long, slender antennae. They are brownish in color and rather humpbacked in appearance, always wingless, and up to two inches/5 cm long in body and 10 cm (4 inches) for the legs. On baby camel crickets the body may appear translucent. As the name implies, “cave crickets” are commonly found in caves. However, most species live in other cool, damp situations such as in wells, rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards, and logs. Occasionally, they prove to be a nuisance in the basements, crawl spaces and garages of homes in suburban areas.

Their distinctive limbs and antennae serve a double purpose. Typically living in a lightless environment, or active at night, they rely heavily on their sense of touch, which is limited by reach. While they have been known to take up residence in the basements of buildings, many cave crickets live out their entire lives deep inside actual caves. In those habitats they sometimes face long spans of time with insufficient access to nutrients. To avoid starvation, they have been known to devour their own extremities, even though they cannot regenerate limbs. Given their limited vision, cave crickets will often jump towards any perceived threat in an attempt to frighten it away. Although they look intimidating, they are almost completely harmless.

Cave and camel crickets are of little economic importance except as a nuisance in buildings and homes, especially basements. They are usually “accidental invaders” that wander in by mistake from adjacent areas. They generally reproduce indoors, especially in situations that provide continuous dark, moist conditions, such as a basement shower or laundry area, as well as organic debris to serve as food.

The group known as “sand treaders” are restricted to sand dunes, however, and are adapted to live in this environment; they are active only at night, and spend the day burrowed into the sand, to minimize water loss. In the large sand-dunes of California and Utah they serve as food for scorpions.

Hadenoecus is a genus of common cave cricket of the southeastern United States. The Mammoth Cave system in central Kentucky is populated by the species Hadenoecus subterraneous.

An interesting characteristic of these crickets is their long antennae and powerful rear legs which allow for quick movement in the dark cave system. When threatened, H. subterraneous will jump and turn up to 180 degrees before landing again and jumping in another direction. This is suspected to be an adaptation to escape predators.

Summary

These pests enjoy dining on carpets, woolen fabrics, dead insects, furs, hides, feathers, horns, hair, silk and bones. It can take 249-354 days to three years for varied carpet beetles to grow from an egg to an adult.

Habitat

Varied carpet beetles are found in homes in attics, oriental carpets, tapestries and wood-based wall-to-wall carpeting.

Threats

Varied carpet beetles feed on dead insects, but also feed on upholstery and carpet, so they can damage those materials. They can also damage clothing fabric.

Prevention

As with moths, to avoid varied carpet beetle infestations, store clothing in plastic containers. Dry clean clothing thoroughly before storing for long periods of time.

Summary

Centipedes and millipedes are not insects because they have more than six legs, but they are closely related invertebrates. When outdoors, these invertebrates are innocuous organisms, but they may be considered centipede pests when they share living space with us. Both of these groups of invertebrates have long, segmented bodies with either one pair (centipedes) or two pairs (millipedes) of legs on each segment. Their food preferences vary greatly.

Habitats

The house centipede is found throughout the United States. This centipede can be found outside under stones, boards, or sticks or beneath moist leaf litter and other organic matter. When disturbed, centipedes move swiftly toward darkened hiding places. When they are found in homes, they are often found in moist basements, damp closets and in bathrooms. Centipedes require moist habitats. If they are plentiful, there may be an underlying moisture problem that should be corrected.

Threats

Some species of centipede can be hazardous to humans because of their bite. Although a bite to an adult human is usually very painful and may cause severe swelling, chills, fever, and weakness, it is unlikely to be fatal. Bites can be dangerous to small children and those with allergies to bee stings. The bite of larger centipedes can induce anaphylactic shock in such people. Smaller centipedes usually do not puncture human skin.

Summary

Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera, found throughout the Americas, Eurasia, Australia and New Zealand. With 1,800 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forceps pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folded underneath short forewings, hence the scientific order name, “skin wings.” Some groups are tiny parasites on mammals and lack the typical pincers. Earwigs rarely use their flying ability.

Earwigs are nocturnal; they often hide in small, moist crevices during the day, and are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and plants. Damage to foliage, flowers, and various crops is commonly blamed on earwigs, especially the common earwig Forficula auricularia.

Earwigs have five molts in the year before they become adults. Many earwig species display maternal care, which is uncommon among insects. Female earwigs may care for their eggs, and even after they have hatched as nymphs will continue to watch over offspring until their second molt. As the nymphs molt, sexual dimorphism such as differences in pincer shapes begins to show.

Etymology

The scientific name for the order, Dermaptera, is Greek in origin, stemming from the words dermatos, meaning skin, and pteron, wing. It was coined by Charles De Geer in 1773. The common term, earwig, is derived from the Old English ēare, which means “ear”, and wicga, which means “insect”. The name may be related to the old wives’ tale that earwigs burrowed into the brains of humans through the ear and laid their eggs there. Earwigs are predisposed to hiding in warm humid crevices and may indeed occasionally crawl into the human ear canal (much like any other small organism).

The common earwig was introduced into North America in 1907 from Europe, but tend to be more common in the Southern and Southwestern states.

Summary

Field crickets hatch in spring, and the young crickets (called nymphs) eat and grow rapidly. They shed their skin (molt) eight or more times before they become adults. They eat a broad range of feeds: seeds, plants, or insects (dead or alive). They are known to feed on grasshopper eggs, pupae of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) and Diptera (flies). Occasionally they may rob spiders of their prey. They will also practice cannibalism if they are very hungry.

Acheta domesticus (the house cricket) and Gryllus bimaculatus are sometimes raised in captivity for use as live food for exotic pets. Ironically, one of the ways to produce the most nutritious crickets is to feed them dry pet food.

Identification

Field crickets normally range between 15mm and 25mm in size, depending on the species, and can be black, red or brown in color. While both males and females have very similar basic body plans, each has its own distinguishing feature(s).

Females can be indentified by the presence of an ovipositor, a spike-like appendage, about 3/4 of an inch long, on the hind end of the abdomen between two cerci. This ovipositor allows the female to bury her fertilized eggs into the ground for protection and development. In some female field crickets, species can be distinguished by comparing the length of the ovipositor to the length of the body (i.e.G. rubens has a longer ovipositor than G.texensis).

Males are distinguished from females by the absence of an ovipositor. At the end of the abdomen there are simply two cerci. Unlike females, however, males are able to produce sounds or chirps. Thus, males can be identified through sound while females cannot.

Behavior

In mid to late summer, males begin chirping. The acoustical properties of their calling song provide an indication of past and present health. Females evaluate each song and move towards the one they prefer. When the male senses a female is near, he will produce a softer courting song. After mating, the female will search for a place to lay her eggs, preferably in warm, damp soil.

Field crickets prefer to live outdoors, but will move inside when environmental conditions become unfavorable. Their method of entry into buildings include open doors and windows as well as cracks in poorly fitted windows, foundations, or siding.

Unlike house crickets, which can adapt themselves to indoor conditions, the field cricket will die by early winter. Consequently, field crickets in temperate regions exhibit diapause.

Summary

Slow-crawling, round-bodied pests which have two sets of legs on each body segment. Millipedes develop best in damp and dark locations with abundant organic matter (food). They often curl up into a tight “C” shape, like a watch spring, and remain motionless when touched. The body is long and cylindrical.

Habits

Millipedes have caused some problems around Virginia in the summer and fall. Areas around houses that provide conditions for millipede infestations include piles of grass clippings, a wooded lot close to the house, excessive mulch around the house, and similar locations.

Life Cycle

They lay eggs in the spring and populations build up during the summer. Under good conditions (adequate food and habitat), populations can become very large. Then changes in the habitat (excessive moisture, lack of food, too little moisture) cause the population to disperse.

Damage

May infest a basement and other parts of the house in the fall.

Pest Control

Controlling such large numbers of millipedes can be very difficult. It seems that most insecticides available to homeowners are not very effective in killing millipedes. Non-chemical control measures, such as looking for the source of the problem, may be useful but not always possible or effective. Populations of millipedes may build to large numbers in one year, the habitat becomes overcrowded, and thousands of them migrate to other areas.

Summary

Lepisma saccharina (commonly called the fishmoth, urban silverfish, silverfish or carpet shark) is a small, wingless insect typically measuring from a half to one inch (12–25 mm). Its common name derives from the animal’s silvery light grey and blue color, combined with the fish-like appearance of its movements, while the scientific name indicates the silverfish’s diet of carbohydrates such as sugar or starches. It belongs to the basal insect order Thysanura.

Habits

As with many colorless or nearly colorless invertebrates, silverfish inhabit dark or damp areas such as kitchen cupboards of houses, bathroom sinks, and tubs. They can sometimes inhabit dry papery areas such as old books and newspaper stacks or be found high on ceilings in bathrooms, bedrooms, etc.

Diet

Silverfish consume matter that contains starch or polysaccharides, such as dextrin in adhesives. These include glue, book bindings, paper, photos, sugar, hair, and dandruff. Silverfish can also cause damage to books, tapestries, and textiles. Silverfish will commonly graze in and around showers, baths, and sinks on the cellulose present in many shampoos, shaving foams and so on. Apart from these cases, the damage caused by silverfish is negligible and they have no direct effect on human health. Other substances that may be eaten include cotton, linen, silk and synthetic fibers, and dead insects or even its own exuvia (moulted exoskeleton). During famine, a silverfish may even attack leatherware and synthetic fabrics. In extreme cases, silverfish may live for one year without eating. Silverfish can be found anywhere in homes including, but not limited to, bathrooms, garages, closets, underneath beds, couches, and in electrical appliances where food can be found, such as computer keyboards. They generally prefer dark areas.

Reproduction & Growth

The reproduction of silverfish is preceded by a ritual involving three phases, which may last over half an hour. In the first phase, the male and female stand face to face, their trembling antennae touching, then repeatedly back off and return to this position. In the second phase the male runs away and the female chases him. In the third phase the male and female stand side by side and head-to-tail, with the male vibrating his tail against the female. Finally the male lays a spermatophore, a sperm capsule covered in gossamer, which the female takes into her body via her ovipositor to fertilize the eggs she will lay later on.

Young silverfish are white in color.

Summary

Stink Bugs enter homes seeking a nice, warm place to shelter and lay eggs over the cold winter months. Since they are attracted to light and warmth, homes can be a very attractive place to hibernate. Additionally, they gather in groups when they hibernate, so if one is seen, that is an indication that there are many more.