How to Identify Categories of Pests

How to Identify Categories of Pests

When you have a pest problem of any size, one of the first steps most people naturally take is to figure out what kind of critter is invading your home. This will not only help you figure out how to treat this specific issue, it will also be important information to provide to the pest control company if you decide that the pros should handle it. It is not necessary to figure out every specific stat of the pest beforehand (we won’t quiz you on your pest knowledge), but it can be beneficial to know if the small critters are basic garden pests or eusocial insects who serve their colony. Let’s look at some of the general categories of common pests and the specific signs that can be the key to solving the mystery.

Rodents

General Signs: 

• dark droppings (round or rice-shaped)
• random shredded paper or fabric pieces
• the sound of scurrying or squeaking
• musty odor
• gnaw marks on walls and objects
• your pet acting strange in certain spots of the house

It is typically easy to differentiate a rodent invasion from an insect invasion. Rodents are much larger, which means they are louder and leave sizable droppings as evidence. Rodent pests are primarily nocturnal, exactly why they are more difficult to catch or discover when they are in an isolated part of the house. Rats and mice are some of the “dirtiest” pests out there, in that they carry harmful bacteria and diseases wherever they go. Hantavirus is possibly the most common, and it can be transmitted through their droppings, feet, and bites. If you believe that you have a rodent infestation, it is best to call pest control as soon as possible. Where there is one rodent, there is likely another due to their rapid reproducing.

Mice and rats are both pests that you definitely don’t want in your home, but there are some slight differences between them. For one, rats are typically larger than mice and have more pointed snouts than mice. Mice also have longer tails and larger ears, like that famous cartoon mouse with his own theme park. Another difference is in their nesting habits. Rats like to either live in low points (sewers) or high points (under roofs) depending on the species, while mice stick to burrows and nests close to the ground, in general. The other clear difference between them is their reproduction. Rats produce about three to six litters per year with anywhere from five to ten in each litter. Mice breed sooner and more often, yielding about seven to eight litters a year with anywhere from four to sixteen in each litter. Neither pest is ideal though, which is why we recommend solving the problem as soon as possible.

Insects

General Signs:

• Small eggs or egg cases
• Skin castes
• Tiny droppings
• Multiple dead insects
• Tiny holes in containers, papers, fabrics, etc.
• A sudden increase in spiders around the home as they search for food

The category of insect pests is more expansive than rodent pests, which makes it more difficult to determine which one is the current problem. There are all kinds of specific sub-categories that you could use to separate insect species, so we just stuck with the five primary ones that seem to affect the most homes and businesses. Again, it is not necessary to know the exact species and family of insect to have it treated (unless you have an interest and some time on your hands), but at least knowing the general category of insect can greatly improve your chances of getting the problem solved as soon as possible. 

Pantry

Signs:

• Random wings or dead insects around stored food
• Droppings in pantry or cabinets
• Tiny holes in food containers
• Webbing in pantry or cabinets
• Larvae and/or eggs around stored food
• Insects actually inside food containers

Primary Culprits:

• IndianMeal Moths
• Meal Moths
• Weevils
• Ants
• Flour Beetles
• Sawtoothed Grain Beetles
• Roaches

The good news about pantry pests is that they are generally the least dangerous and easiest to remove (besides roaches). It is definitely frustrating that they can ruin recently-bought groceries by eating the foods like they own them, which is why it’s best to just cut your losses and throw out any food items with insects in them. The pantry pests won’t bite you or be a threat in any way, but their eggs and droppings are not secret ingredients we want in our meals. The primary targets for these pests are cereals, rice, pasta, flour, sugar, syrups, nuts, cornmeal, spices, and oats. We highly recommend using airtight containers to store any kind of dried food, such as the pop-top ones with a silicone seal. These insects can chew through cardboard, paper, and plastic, so it is best to use thicker containers as much as possible.

Eusocial

Signs:

• Seeing multiples of the same insects
• A nest or hive anywhere in the house/yard
• Swarmers hovering around certain areas to find nesting sites

Primary Culprits:

• Ants
• Bees
• Wasps
• Hornets
• Yellow jackets
• Termites

This category of insects is usually the one that most homeowners are concerned about, and for good reason. Some of these pests can cause extensive damage to any home, as well as deliver painful stings or bites to anyone who comes close to their nest. Eusocial insects are colony-based insects, meaning they live in a colony with their same species and gather food and materials for everyone, including the all-important queen. The individuals that we see are typically the workers, the insects responsible for all of the hunting and foraging. The colonies can number in the thousands if they are left alone. This is exactly why, if you ever see one ant or stinging insect, there are surely plenty more in the area since they never live alone. We know how much you want to eliminate a stinging insect’s nest when you find one in your yard, but this is another job we recommend you save for the pros. The equipment they use is much safer and more efficient  than trying to knock down a full nest with a shovel before running inside. 

Garden

Signs:

• Tiny holes in leaves
• Ragged edges on leaves
• Discolored or silvery leaves
• Wilting leaves
• Prematurely rotten or wilted fruits

Primary Culprits:

• Weevils
• Thrips
• Caterpillars
• Spider mites
• Aphids
• Slugs
• Snails
• Stink bugs
• Cutworms

These insects like to primarily stay outside, but they can be found indoors occasionally if you also have a few houseplants. Most of them are pretty small and can be easy to miss if you aren’t looking for them, especially since they are experts at hiding and waiting until the coast is clear to feed. Some like to live on the leaves and drink the vital plant juices from there, like aphids and stink bugs, while others prefer to stay near the base and feed there, like snails and cutworms. No matter where on the plant they live, these pests can deal some serious damage to the general health of your landscaping if they are not removed. Plants are hearty beings, but even they cannot survive a family of garden pests drinking their nutrients and munching on their leaves every day.

Bloodthirsty

Signs:

• Red, itchy, irritated bites on anyone in the home
• Pets scratching behind their ears more often
• Insects landing on people in the home
• Insects in beds or on furniture
• Rust-colored marks in beds or on furniture

Primary Culprits:

• Mosquitoes
• Bed bugs
• Ticks
• Fleas 

Is this a dramatic name for this group of pests? Maybe! But it is pretty accurate, when you think about it. These insects all seek out blood from mammals to satisfy their need for protein and nutrients. The exception to this list being compromised of purely blood-consuming insects is the mosquito, surprisingly. Only female mosquitoes drink blood when they need it for their eggs, and the male mosquitoes live off of nectar from flowers like bees do. There are a couple of dangers to having these bloodthirsty pests in your home. One is the obvious consequence of dealing with itchy bites on your body that don’t seem to go away. But there is a risk of further issues stemming from these bites. Since the pests bite a wide range of people and animals, they become carriers of various diseases by biting an infected being. Mosquitoes can carry malaria, Zika virus, and West Nile virus, and ticks are known for their risk of carrying Lyme disease. Not every bite has these diseases, but it is worth it to take caution and seek medical attention if the bitten person develops noticeable symptoms. 

Flies

Signs:

• Multiple flies in the kitchen or house in general
• Eggs in overripe fruit or trash
• Dead flies around the home
• Flies hovering around fruit or other food on the counters
• Multiple flies in the garbage 

Primary Culprits:

• House flies
• Drain flies
• Fruit flies
• Horse flies

Seeing one annoying fly buzzing around the kitchen is not a huge deal and likely just means it found the food and shelter to be quite enticing. But finding a whole group of flies around food or trash is not a coincidence. Depending on the species, flies lay their eggs in overripe fruit, trash, or waste, and they can lay hundreds of eggs at a time. The only common biting fly is the horse fly, which can even puncture skin with its sharp mandibles! But the main risk of having flies is contamination. Houseflies walk all over everything since their taste receptors are on their feet, but this means that the bacteria from the trash or literal waste they walked on before is transferred to the food they are now stepping on! For flies to invade a home, the trash and sink drain would have to be untouched for a long time, so we recommend keeping a clean kitchen as much as possible to prevent these pesky flying insects from ruining your delicious meals.

Pest Control Services is the Answer to Any Pest Problem

Whether the pests you see are rodents or insects, nocturnal or diurnal, our pest control services are here to serve you! Our EPA-approved pest treatments are tailored to fit various pest issues, from prevention to treatment of a full invasion. No matter what the current season is, you should not have to live with a pest problem in your home or business. Contact us to learn how our experienced team of technicians can solve your specific pest issues and leave you with a pest-free space in which to enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Citations

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Common urban pests: Identification, prevention, and control. (2011, September 1). PSU Extension. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://extension.psu.edu/common-urban-pests-identification-prevention-and-control 

Inman-Murphy. (2020, June 16). Buggin’ out: How to identify different types of pests like a pro. Inman-Murphy. Available at https://inman-murphy.com/identify-memphis-pests/ (Accessed on October 11, 2022).

King, K. (2021, May 7). What are the four different types of pests?. Prokill UK. Available at https://www.prokill.co.uk/blog/what-are-the-four-different-types-of-pests/ (Accessed on October 11, 2022).

Sisk, A. (n.d.). Identifying insect pests. HGTV. Available at https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/planting-and-maintenance/identifying-insect-pests (Accessed on October 11, 2022).

What is the difference between a rat and a mouse?. (n.d.). Rentokil. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.rentokil.co.uk/mice/rats-vs-mice/