FOR SERVICE & IMMEDIATE ATTENTION CALL 718-635-2067

 

 

Pests

PEST IDENTIFICATION

A To get rid of your pests once and for all, our first step is to identify the specific pests that have invaded your property. Then we can look for evidence of infestations and entry and exit points. With this information, we will develop a comprehensive strategy to eliminate the pest problem.

American Roaches
The American roach is also known as the water bug. It is the largest of the species, growing to more than 1 1/2 inches in length, and is reddish brown, with a pale brown or yellow border on the upper surface. The female drops her egg capsules within a day after they are formed, and each egg capsule contains 14–16 eggs.Once hatched, the roaches can live up to 15 months. You’re most likely to find American roaches in dark, moist areas, such as basements, crawlspaces, floor drains, sewers, boiler rooms, and garbage rooms.

Ants
Ants are social insects and live in colonies. So if you see one ant, many more are likely nearby. Ants are particularly attracted to sugary items, though they’ll eat just about any food lying about. Ants typically live 4–8 weeks—enough time for more eggs to hatch and to keep your property infested. Ant eggs are almost microscopic, meaning home and business owners can have difficulty noticing an ant problem until it gets out of hand.

Bed Bugs
Adult bed bugs are oval, flat, and brown, with a reddish tint after sucking blood. Though bed bugs are small—only 1/4 inch long—they are a big problem and almost impossible to get rid of on your own. Under cover of darkness, bed bugs will crawl to highly populated places, where they are most likely to find food; their preference is human blood. Bed bugbites leave itchy red welts.

Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees have black and yellow stripes. These bees resemble bumble bees but have very different nesting behaviors: carpenter bees typically make nests by drilling holes in wood. Though carpenter bees prefer soft wood, they will also nest in hard wood.

Blow Flies
Blow flies are common in highly populated areas. Adult flies generally have green or blue metallic bodies. Blow flies have a short life span—approximately 10–25 days—but each female lays around 250 eggs before dying. Eggs are commonly laid on meat, dead animals, and garbage.

Fleas
Fleas are small, wingless insects that average 1/12 inch to 1/6 inch in length. Their long, powerful legs permit them to jump as high as 5 feet. Fleas typically prefer feeding on animals rather than humans, but when animals aren’t readily available, humans are a prime target.

Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are prevalent around and in homes and offices. Theseinsects are black and vary greatly in size, from 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch in length. They often build nests in tree stumps, hollow logs, telephone phones, fence posts, and other wood structures, particularly if the wood is moist and decaying. Carpenter ants can cause damage as severe—and costly—as the damage of termites.

Fruit Flies
Not only are fruit flies a nuisance, they also contaminate food. Large populations can form quickly in food establishments because eggs develop into adults in about 1 week. As the name suggests, fruit flies are drawn to fruit, particularly very ripe and fermenting fruit.

Crickets
House and field crickets often invade homes and offices. In particular, crickets like damp and dark areas, such basements that have a partial dirt floor. These pests are a considerable annoyance, and in large numbers they can damage fabric and fur. Crickets grow to about 3/4 inch and are more active at night.

German Roaches
About 5/8 inch in length, German roaches are usually found in cracks and crevices, which provide warmth and some protection. These roaches “hitchhike” into offices, warehouses, restaurants, hotels, homes, and other buildings. Adult females look for a protected place to hatch their egg capsules, which typically contain 30–48 eggs.

Paper Wasps
Paper wasps are about 3/4 inch to 1 inch long and have a painful sting. They usually build nests beneath horizontal surfaces like eaves, windows, and roof ledges. Thesewasps make their nests out of plant stems and dead wood, mixed with saliva; the papery-looking result is the reason for this insect’s name.

House Flies
House flies earned their name for commonly being found in the home. They are particularly prevalent around plants, the ground, fences, and garbage cans. House flies are more than just annoying—they can also carry serious diseases.

Sewer Rats
Sewer rats, also called house and Norway rats, are longer, stronger, and more aggressive than any other type of rat. Sewer rats are also better adapted to surviving in cold climates and reproducing all year long. Sewer rats weigh around 12–16 ounces and have reddish- to grayish-brown fur, with white bellies. The nose is blunt, and the ears are small and close set. The tail is scaly and shorter than the head and body.

Mice
Mice typically weigh 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce and have large ears and long tails. The fur is usually dark grey, though variations include black, brown, and white. Mice are intelligent rodents, with good hearing and a good sense of smell;however, mice have poor vision. Mice can carry many diseases, triggering numerous health problems.

Yellow Jackets
At 1/2-inch long, yellow jackets are among the smallest types of social wasps. Yellow jackets make nests underground and in openings at or near ground level. These wasps can be unpredictable, stinging someone who accidentally approaches a nest. Experts consider yellow jackets to be the most dangerous type of wasp because of their nesting and foraging behavior, as well as their venom, which can cause life-threatening allergic responses in those who are stung.


Call for a FREE estimate!

Westchester County: 914-920-3248
Brooklyn, Bronx, Long Island, and Queens: (718) 635-2067
Manhattan: (212) 390-8500
Nassau and Suffolk: 516-564-2013
New Jersey: (201) 448-7462


 

 

Call for a FREE Estimate!
718-635-2067