Bald-Faced Hornet
Yellow-Jacket |
BALD FACED HORNET & YELLOW JACKETS: Yellow
Jackets
have yellow bodies surrounded by black stripes and are 12-18 mm long. Bald faced hornets
are about 25 mm long and have a black and white body with white on their face. These
social insects make large, gray nests that eventually contain hundreds of insects. A new
nest is started each spring by a single fertilized queen. Nests may be located above the
ground in a protected location or in underground holes. Hornets and yellow jackets are
very aggressive if their nest is threatened or disturbed and multiple stinging can occur. |
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FLEA: Adult fleas are flattened from side to
side, dark colored, wingless and have strongly developed legs. Their hind pair of legs are
especially adapted for jumping. They have sucking mouthparts used to siphon out the blood
of animals. Larvae are worm-like, legless and tan. They feed on organic debris, dried
blood and excrement from adult fleas. Fleas usually bite humans where clothing fits
tightly against the body. Adult fleas can live for several weeks without a blood meal.
When found indoors, they are usually associated with pet dogs or cats. Fleas can transmit
several diseases including bubonic plague and tularemia. They are also the carriers of a
tapeworm which, in the adult stage, is found in dogs and men. |
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SOWBUG: Sowbugs resemble miniature armadillos.
Their oval small bodies are segmented, many legged, and bear two antennae. Because they
feed on decaying organic material, they need a very moist habitat to survive. They avoid
light when possible. During the day they hide under rocks, boards, mulches, or other
similar materials that lie flat on the ground. When sowbugs crawl indoors, they usually
die quickly because of lack of food and moisture. Many also fall prey to spiders. |
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MILLIPEDES: Millipedes are hard, dark-brown or
black, worm-like creatures with two pairs of short legs attached to each body segment.
They characteristically curl up when disturbed. Millipedes seek the same habitat as do
sowbugs and exhibit similar behavior. |
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BOXELDER BUG (Leptocoris trivittatus): Adult
boxelder bugs are black with red markings. Nymphs have bright red abdomens. They feed on
the seeds of the female boxelder tree and leave them during late slimmer and early fall to
seek overwintering sites near building windows or the foundation. Boxelder bugs commonly
congregate on the sides of buildings where the sun warms them during the day and early
evening. These insects do not sting or bite but become annoying when they invade buildings
or homes during warm days in the fall, winter or spring. They are excellent flyers. |
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CARPENTER ANTS (Camponotus sp.): These are
among the larger (6-12 mm) ants in the United States. Most are black but some are various
shades of brown or red and black. They usually have an evenly rounded thorax when viewed
from the side with a circle of tiny hairs on the tip of their abdomen. There is only a
single node in the thin-waisted petiole region. Carpenter ants are social insects that
usually nest in the center of rotting trees or water damaged areas within wooden
structures. These ants feed on many foods. They do not feed on wood. The colonies are
sometimes located by sawdust-like debris dropped near their excavation. At 900 F, their
life cycle is completed in about 2 months Eggs hatch in 24 days with the larval and pupal
stages lasting 21 days. |
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SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES (Reticulitermes sp.):
Being in nearly every state, they are the most common pests injuring structural timber.
The winged forms are about 13 mm long and the wingless workers and soldiers are 6 mm long.
Termites develop from eggs laid by primary or secondary reproductives. The nymphs proceed
through several molts during which the 4 different castes formed are called workers,
soldiers primary (winged) reproductives and secondary (wingless) reproductives.
Subterranean termite colonies are usually located in the soil from which workers build mud
tubes to the wood upon which they must eat for food. |
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German cockroach, Blattella germanica. This
is the most important species of cockroach in the United States. It is about 1/2" to
5/8" long as an adult. Nymphs and adults of both sexes have two dark stripes behind
the head. It prefers to live in kitchens and bathrooms of homes and apartments,
restaurants, supermarkets, and hospitals. The Asian cockroach, Blattella asahinai, is
identical to the German cockroach in appearance and lives outdoors in lawns and leaf
litter. |
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American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. This
cockroach is about 1 1/2" long as an adult. It is reddish-brown with light markings
behind the head. The cerci at the tip of the abdomen are long and thin. It is commonly
found in sewers and basements. |
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Brown cockroach, Periplaneta brunnea. This
cockroach is almost identical to the American cockroach in appearance and is about 1
1/4" long as an adult. It is reddish-brown. The cerci at the tip of the abdomen are
stubby; whereas the American cockroach has long, thin cerci. The brown cockroach is found
outdoors. It readily enters houses and is often called a palmetto bug. |
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Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis. It
is about 1" long as an adult. It is shiny black and has no distinctive markings. The
male has wings that cover only about 3/4 of the abdomen; the female has only wing pads or
lobes. This cockroach is not commonly found in Florida. It is usually found in damp
basements, sewers, and crawl spaces beneath houses. |
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Indianmeal moth, P. interpunctella. The
basal half of the frontwings of the Indianmeal moth are light colored with
the distal portion reddish-brown to copper. The hind wings lack distinctive markings and
are more or less uniformly gray. The wing span ranges from 1/2" to 3/4". |
