WEBB I N G CLOTHES MOTHS Buffalo Beetles, are derm estids that i nfest woo l e n fabrics, feath stomach poisons. Cheese, cured meats, a n d other fatty foods
House Fly can eat only l iq u i ds.
It sal ivates on solids to di ssolve them, then sponges u p liquid.
pu pariu m 3-10 days
HOUSE FLIES are bothersome, d a ngerous pests, trans
m ittin g d iseases and parasites from the filth i n which they breed to the foods m a n eats. Females may lay h a lf a d ozen or m ore cl usters of 1 00 to 1 5 0 eggs in a sea
son. In favorable cond itions a life cycle is comp leted in a bout two weeks but m ay take m a ny months in cold weather. Wi nter is ord i n a rily passed i n the larva or pupa stage, but a d u lts may overwi nter in warm nic hes. Dis
posal of g arbage, m a n ure, sewage, a n d s i m i l a r d ecay
ing or fermenting wastes in which the flies breed and the mag gots develop is most im porta nt. Win dows a n d doors should be fitted with t i g h t scree n s . F l ies t h at enter can be killed with aerosol sprays . Wa l ls, sil ls, a n d screens can be treated with resid ual surface sprays. As flies in most areas are resistant to D DT, othe r contact i nsecticides m ust be substituted. Poison baits ( m i xtu res of syrup- or suga r-water with an insecticide) are effec
tive in places that can not be scree ned or where sprays can not be used because of danger of conta m i natio n . 32 HOUSEHOLD PESTS
LITTLE HOUSE FLIES are smaller names for them are Vi negar Flies or Pomace Flies. persistent tormentors are most active i n early morn i n g or eve
ning hours.
EYE G N AT
MANY OTH ER KINDS of insects, as well as spid ers, and their kin e nter houses, where they a re either n u i
sa nces or potentia l ly d a ngerous pests. Some of these a re d iscussed i n the section o n i nsects that bite or sting ( p . 3 8 ), others i n the section on stored prod u cts ( p . 1 4 6).
Often an i nvasion of i nsects is o n ly tempora ry, as when they a re a ttracted to lights. When a lawn is mowed, a vaca nt lot is cleaned up, or a crop is h a rvested nea rby, i n sects disturbed from their normal livi n g places m ay be temporary pests . Others are reg u l a r visitors a n d com
panions i n dwellings.
34 HOUSEHOLD PESTS
S I LVERFISH are scaly, w i n g l ess insects that p refer foods with a h i g h starch or sugar content.
They eat the glue i n book b i n d ings or f r o m wal l paper and often damage pai ntings or paper. Sil
verfish prefer cool, d a m p places;
the closely related Firebrat l ives in war m , drier spots. Res idual sprays ar d u sts are effective i n keeping down infestations.
E A R W I G S are e a s i l y r e c o g n i zed b y forceps ot e n d o f ab
domen. Someti mes occur i n large n u m bers in hou ses. They can bite and also p i n c h , but seldom break the s k i n . They hide during the day, feed at n ig ht. Use resid
ual sprays o r d u sts.
HOUSE CRICKETS sing o n the hearth or wherever they can find warm th. When cold, they are sluggish and q u iet. Field Crickets a l so enter houses i n autu m n . As house pests, cric kets eat o variety of foods and may be destructive to clothes. Household sprays, d u s t s , a n d p o i s o n b a i t s a r e usually effective.
WOOD-BORING BEETLES of o n u m ber of species may infest wood used in houses or furni
ture. larvae of the Southern lyctus Beetle reduce wood to a fine powder, which is pushed o u t s i d e t h r o u g h s m a l l h o l e s . D ro p p i n g s o f t h e F u r n i t u r e Beetle a n d others a r e round pel
lets. As some kinds feed, a tick
ing noise in the wood can be heard. F u m i gation by a q u a l ified pest-control operator i s the best control.
BOOKLICE, or Psocids, some
times beca m e abundant i n stored furn iture, books, or papers, par
ticularly if d a m p . They feed mainly on molds but also eat cereals. Booklice are so s m a l l t h a t it is difficult to k e e p t h e m o u t af a h o u s e . Use contact sprays or d u sts.
BOXELDER BUGS d o not b ite, sti ng, or carry diseases, but ore a nnoyances when large n u m bers occur near or in houses. Can be killed with household sprays.
CRANE FLIES look l i k e Iorge mosqu itoes but are harm less.
Their larvae, or maggots, some
times called leatherjac kets, de
velop i n damp vegetation or in the soil. Adults com monly are attracted to the l i g hts i n houses.
They can be k i l l ed with house
hold fly sprays.
SPRINGTA I L$ often congregate i n cellars o r i n bathroom s or k i t c h e n s , w h erever t h e re is dam pness. They are harm less and can be k i l led with household sprays or d u sts.
SOUTHERN LYCTUS BEETLE
0.1
HOUSEHOLD PESTS 35
HOUSE CENTIPEDE 1 .0-1 .5 i n .
CENTIPEDES a r e flat-bodied, with long antennae and one pair of legs an nearly every tru n k seg m ent. The House Cen
t i pede feeds on ants, fl ies, cock
roaches, and other pests, hence i s beneficial. Its bite, though rare, is painful. Use residual con
loci i n secticides or treat joists, s u bflaors, and cracks with creo
sote or ather repellents.
MILLIPEDES are a l m ost cyl i n drical, w i t h two p a i r s of short legs per apparent body seg
ment, a n d s hort antennae. They move slowly. These features dis
tinguish them from swift-crawl
ing centipedes. Normally m i l l i pedes a r e fou nd only outdoors, feed ing o n decayi ng vegetation , but they may i n vade houses after rai n s or to escape cold in fall.
P I L L B U G S A N D S O W B U G S are land-dwe l l i ng crustaceans.
They can survive only in d a m p places, a s i n leaf mold or in base ments. They feed m a i n ly on decayi ng vegetat ion but also eat tender roots of plants. Con
trols: clea n u p of debris i n which they th rive; contact i n secticides;
poison baits i n h eavy i n festa
tions, as i n greenhouses.
SCORPI ONS are spider rela
tives found o n ly i n warm cli
mates. Two species i n south
western U.S. a re h i g h ly poison
ous. Scorpions are nocturnal and feed m a i n ly o n i nsects, which they catch in their p incers, then paralyze or k i l l with their sting.
E l i m i nate debris close to build
ings and use contact insecticides that have residual action.
body 0.2 i n . 2-3 i n . across l e g s DADDYLONGLEGS, or Harvest
men, rese m b l e spiders but hove a d i stinctly s e g m ented abdomen a n d sti n k glands. They lack s i l k g lands. T h e i r l o n g stiltlike legs are easily s h e d when the a n i m a l is touched. Daddylonglegs a r e harmless, fee d i n g m a i n l y o n dead in sects. They w i l l k i l l a n d e a t s m a l l i nsects, however, a n d m a y feed on fru its or vegetables.
J U M P I N G S P I D E R S of severa l species often enter houses. They do not make webs. I n stead they hunt actively for prey, search·
i n g over cei l i n gs, walls, sills, and fl oors. They can jump quickly, and freq uently use their s i l k as a payout l i n e to let themselves down from h i g h levels. These lines may be a n u i sance, but the spiders are h elpful.
B LA C K W I DOW S P I D E R S are widely d i stributed a n d rather abundant. Their bites are pain
ful and may cause death. A doc
tor should be called i m med iately to give treat ment. Fortu nately, Black Widows are shy and do not bite without great provoca
tion. They usually build their webs in o r beneath objects close Ia the grou n d .
H O U S E SPIDER 0.3 i n .
HOUSE SPIDERS bother house
wives because of their webs.
Their bites m ay be very poison
ous. House S p i ders p rey o n the House Fly a n d other i nsects.
Their webs are usually built in corners, w h e re they col l ect d u s t a s well as prey. T h e s e and other spiders can be k i lled with con
tact s p rays o r d usts; residual i n
secticides prevent reinfestation.
3 8
I N S E C T S T H B E 0 5 N G Biting flies fee d on the blood of their victi ms. They cut or sta b through the skin with their k n ife-sh a rp piercing mouthparts, then lap up blood that flows from the wou n d . Th ey m ay also b e carriers of diseases.
Insects that sting usually do so as a defense when d isturbed or a n noyed. Sti ngs of bees or wasps may be extremely painful and also d a n gerous. I n the U n ited States more deaths result from insect sti ngs than from the bites of poisonous s n a kes. Med ical knowledge about the effect of i nsect venoms and h ow to treat stings is sti l l l i m ited . Usually there is swelling and i n m a ny cases a throbbing ache that m ay last for several d ays . Sti ngs vary i n severity with the species of insect a n d also with the amount of poison i njected . A sting i n an a rm or a leg is less d a n g erous than a sti ng i n the neck, where the poison may pa ralyze the vocal cords or h a m per breath
i n g . The effect of a sti ng also varies with i n d ividuals a n d with their physiological cond ition . Beekeepers com
monly build u p a n i m m u n ity to sti ngs.
HORSE FLIES, active only i n the dayt i m e, are m a i n ly pests of l i vestock (p. 56) but may a lso bite people. The bite, only from females, is very painful. Females lay egg masses on leaves, stems, or rocks . . O n hatc h i ng, larvae
BLACK HORSE 0.8-1.0 i n .
d r o p to g r o u n d and complete develop ment in d a m p soi l or i n water. Maggots m a y overwi nter in mud, pu pate i n early spring, a n d em erge as adults a few weeks later. Equally pestering are closely related Deer F l ies.
DEER FL 0.4 in.
BLACK FLI ES, also called Buf bite, causing a persistent irrita
tion) crawl an noyingly i nto the are principally pests af livestock but may at times bother people.
MOSQUITOES total more than 2,500 species. Many a re carriers of diseases ( m a la ria, yellow fever, d e n g ue, and fi l ariasis). Others, as a n noyances, cause costly losses of m a n-hours to outdoor workers or reduce the p leasure of being outdoors.
Adult fe m ales lay their eggs on or near the s u rface of perm anent pools or in moist or te m porarily flooded locations. Some species lay their eggs sing ly; others deposit them in " rafts" of as many as several h u n d red.
I n most species the fem ale m ust h ave a meal of blood before she can prod uce eggs. Males are nectar feed
ers a n d do n ot bite. The larvae, a lso called "wigg l ers, "
swi m or rest just beneath the surface. They feed on microscopic organic matter. Development may be com
pl eted in as short a time as five days or m ay req uire several months; the average is a week to 1 0 d ays. Then the l a rvae tra nsform into pu pae, also k n own as
"tum blers" because they continue to be active. The adults emerge i n from two days to two weeks or lon ger, depending o n the species and the water cond itions.
Adu lts l ive for a few days to several months, a n d most species do n ot travel more than a m i l e . Some hibernate in the adult stage.
Large-scale mosq uito control consists of e l i m i n ating breeding a reas by d ra i nage, sprea d i n g oil films over the surface of the water, using i nsecticides to destroy the la rvae or pupae, or sp rayi n g with contact insec
ticides to k i l l th e adults. All of these controls m ay a lso destroy h a b itats or kill fish, bi rds, or other va l u a b l e wild
life a n d should be undertaken only after ca reful study by profession a l ly trained peop le. Aro u n d h ouses, get rid of breed i n g places, such as ditches, l ow spots where water stands i n lawns, or conta i n ers . Screen i n g wi l l k e e p a d ults o u t o f houses.