Termite and Pest Control

We have listed information pertaining to some of the most common pests we are called upon to treat. Many of these insects can carry and transmit disease which is why it's so important to control them in our living areas. If you suspect that any of these bugs are attempting to set up residence in your home, give us a call. We have your solution.

We also have a Pest Photo Library with over 160 photos.

Isoptera

Types: Subterranean Worker, Soldier, Winged Reproductive, Nymphs, King, Queen

Common name for a soft-bodied social insect of the order Isoptera. Termites are easily distinguished from ants by comparison of the base of the abdomen, which is broadly joined to the thorax in termites; in ants, there is only a slender connection (petiole) joining these segments. In addition, the antennae of termites are beadlike or threadlike, while ant antennae are elbowed. Termites have chewing mouthparts. They feed chiefly on wood, from which they obtain cellulose. In primitive species cellulose is converted into various sugars by specialized gut protozoans and in the more highly evolved termites by specialized bacteria living symbiotically in the termite's digestive tract. Termites undergo gradual metamorphosis (see insect ). The nearly 2,000 species are mostly tropical, and some build huge mounds to house their colonies. These mounds, up to 40 ft (12.2 m) high, are a characteristic feature of the landscape in parts of Africa and Australia.

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Orthoptera Blattidae

Types: German, Palmetto, Oriental, American, Smokey Brown

Name applied to approximately 3,500 species of flat-bodied, oval insects forming the suborder Blattaria of the order Orthoptera. Cockroaches have long antennae, long legs adapted to running, and a flat extension of the upper body wall that conceals the head. They range from 14 in. to 3 in. (.6-7.6 cm) in length. Some cockroaches have two pairs of well-developed wings, the front pair covering the hind pair when at rest; others have reduced wings or none at all. In some species only the wings of the female are reduced or absent. Many species are able to fly well, although the familiar household species do not fly. Most cockroaches are shiny brown or black, but bright yellows, reds, and greens occur in some tropical species. Cockroaches are night-active insects and most live in damp places; most are omnivorous scavengers. They are worldwide in distribution but are most numerous in the tropics. Most species live in the wild in their native regions, e.g., the wood cockroaches, species of the genus Parcoblatta, found under forest litter in the NE United States. A few tropical and subtropical species that have been introduced into the temperate zone have become residents in human homes, where they multiply rapidly and are serious pests. They invade food supplies and emit foul-smelling glandular secretions. Their shape enables them to use tiny cracks as hiding places. They are popularly believed to be carriers of human diseases, although this has not been proved. The large, dark Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis, is a cosmopolitan household species. The smaller German cockroach, or Croton bug, Blattella germanica, native to Europe, is the common urban cockroach of the NE United States. The American cockroach, Periplanata americana, is a large light-reddish species that invades houses in the S United States. Cockroaches reproduce sexually. Their eggs are encased in capsules called oothecae, which in some species remain attached to the abdomen of the female until the eggs hatch. In a few species the ootheca is retained within the body of the female and the young are born live. Young resemble the adults except in size. The group as a whole is extremely old; fossil evidence indicates its extreme abundance during the Carboniferous period, about 350 million years ago. These ancient cockroaches were able to fly and were probably the first flying animals. Cockroaches are classified in five families of the phylum Arthropoda , class Insecta, order Orthoptera, suborder Blattaria.

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Hymenoptera Formicidae

Types: Carpenter, Fire, Pavement, Thief, Argentine, Pharoah, Sweet, Oderous House, Crazy

Any of the 2,500 insect species constituting the family Formicidae of the order Hymenoptera, to which the bee and the wasp also belong. Like most members of the order, ants have a “wasp waist,” that is, the front part of the abdomen forms a narrow stalk, called the waist, or pedicel, that attaches to the thorax. The wings, when present, are also typical of the order; the small hind pair of wings is attached to the rear edge of the front pair. The head has two bent antennae, used both as organs of touch and as chemosensory organs. In most species there are two compound eyes. The jaws are of the biting type and in some species are used for defense. Some ants have stings, and some can spray poison from the end of the abdomen. Most ants are black, brown, red, or yellow. Metamorphosis is complete. A soft, legless, white larva hatches from the egg; in most species it is completely helpless and must be fed and carried by adults. In some species pupation occurs within a cocoon. Ants are cosmopolitan in distribution.

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Areneida

Types: Brown Reclusive, Black Widow, Daddy Long Legs

Organism, mostly terrestrial, of the class Arachnida with four pairs of legs and a two-part body consisting of a cephalothorax, or prosoma, and an unsegmented abdomen, or opisthosoma. The cephalothorax is covered by a shield, or carapace, and bears eight simple eyes. On the underside of the head (the cephalic part of the cephalothorax) are two pairs of appendages, the anterior pair called chelicerae and the second pair pedipalps, with which the spider captures and paralyzes its prey, injecting into it venom produced in the poison glands. The spider then liquefies the tissues of the prey with a digestive fluid and sucks this broth into its stomach where it may be stored in a digestive gland. Breathing is by means of tracheae (air tubes) or book lungs , or both. Arachnid book lungs are similar to the gill books of horseshoe crabs but are internal and adapted to a terrestrial habitat. Three pairs of spinnerets toward the tip of the abdomen produce protein-containing fluids that harden as they are drawn out to form silk threads. Several kinds of silk glands and spinnerets produce different kinds of silk used variously for constructing cocoons or egg sacs, spinning webs, and binding prey; other light strands are spun out for ballooning, or floating, the spiders, especially young ones, long distances on air currents. Spider silk is used for the cross hairs in certain optical instruments. Spiders live chiefly on insects and other arthropods; some large spiders ensnare and kill small snakes, birds, and mammals. Many are cannibalistic; the female may eat the male when courtship and mating are completed. Young, growing spiders can regenerate missing legs and parts of legs. Several species of spiders have bites that are exceptionally painful, or even dangerous to humans. Species of black widow spiders, which are found in the warmer parts of the world including the United States and S Canada, have a virulent neurotoxic venom. The bite venom of the brown recluse spider of SE and S central United States decomposes tissue, resulting in slow healing and sometimes leaving a sunken scar as large as a quarter. Among the more interesting spiders are the tarantula ; its relative the trap-door spider , which ambushes its prey from a silk-lined burrow covered by a hinged lid; the orb weavers, which spin beautiful circular webs; and the crab spider, jumping spider, and wolf spider, named for their habits. Spiders are classified in the phylum Arthropoda , class Arachnida, order Araneae.

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Atlanta pest control - Bees Hymrnoptera Apidae

Types: Carpenter Bees, Wasps, Hornets, Yellow Jackets

Flying insects of the superfamily Apoidae, in the same order as the ants and the wasps. Bees are characterized by their enlarged hind feet, typically equipped with pollen baskets of stiff hairs for gathering pollen. They usually have a dense coat of feathery hairs on the head and thorax. In many, the lip forms a long tube for sucking nectar. Bees feed on pollen and nectar; the latter is converted to honey in the bee's digestive tract. There are about 20,000 species of bees. They may be solitary, social, or parasitic in the nests of other bees. The solitary bees (which do not secrete wax) are called carpenter, plasterer, leaf-cutting, burrowing, or mason bees according to the material or method used to construct nests for their young.

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Diptera

Types: Cat, Dog, Northern Rat, Oriental, Rat, Rabbit

Common name for any of the small, wingless insects of the order Siphonaptera. The adults of both sexes eat only blood and are all external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas have hard bodies flattened from side to side and piercing and sucking mouthparts. Their legs are powerful and adapted for fast movement and jumping, enabling them to find new hosts as well as to escape quickly the attempts of the hosts to remove them. The adults can survive away from a host for several weeks without eating. Flea eggs are usually laid in dirt or in the nest of the host; the larvae feed on organic material and the feces of adult fleas. Metamorphosis is complete; the larvae spin silken cocoons when ready to pupate. Many species are not specific to a particular host species, and cat and dog fleas, as well as the human flea of the warmer parts of Europe and Asia, attack humans. Certain rat fleas transmit typhus and bubonic plague to humans, and another species transmits tularemia from rabbits. Fleas also transmit several species of tapeworms that sometimes infest humans. The chigoe is a flea. Water fleas and beach fleas are crustaceans and not closely related to the insects. Fleas are classified in the phylum Arthropoda , class Insecta, order Siphonaptera.

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Types: House Mice, Norway Warf, Roof Rats

Mice: Name applied to numerous species of small rodents , often having soft gray or brown fur, long hairless tails, and large ears. The chief distinction between these animals and the variety of rodents called rats is in size: mice are usually smaller. Many small rodents are adapted for leaping or hopping and are named accordingly, e.g., the North American kangaroo rat and Asian jumping mouse.

Rat: Name applied to various stout-bodied rodents , usually having a pointed muzzle, long slender tail, and dexterous forepaws. It refers particularly to the two species of house rat, Rattus norvegicus, the brown, or Norway, rat and R. rattus, the black, roof, or Alexandrine, rat. Both species originated in Asia, but have spread throughout the world, mostly on board ships. The black rat was common in Europe in the Middle Ages and was responsible for the spreading of plague. It has since been largely displaced in cooler regions by the brown rat, which reached Europe early in the 18th cent. and North America by 1775. The brown rat is the larger of the two, growing up to 10 in. (25 cm) long excluding the naked, scaley tail and sometimes weighing more than a pound (.5 kg). It is commonly brown with whitish underparts and pink ears, feet, and tail. It is a poor climber, but an excellent burrower and swimmer; it is found in the damp basements and sewers of most temperate zone cities. The laboratory white rat is an albino strain of the brown rat. The black rat is commonly dark gray. It reaches a maximum length of 8 in. (20 cm) and has a longer tail and larger ears than the brown rat. A good climber, the black rat inhabits attics and upper floors in warm areas; it is the common rat of the Mediterranean region, the SE United States, and Central and South America. Rats are omnivorous, aggressive, intelligent, adaptable, and extremely fecund. Females produce as many as 8 litters each year with as many as 20 young per litter. The gestation period is three weeks, and the young reach sexual maturity in about two months. Rats may live as long as four years. They are social animals but sometimes fight among themselves. They live mostly in and around human settlements, where they have few natural enemies and an abundant source of food. They invade food supplies and cause widespread destruction; they also spread human diseases such as typhus and tularemia. Despite human efforts to exterminate rats, the house rat population is probably equal to the human population. Besides the house rats, the genus Rattus contains several hundred wild-living species. In addition, many other members of several different rodent families are called rats, e.g., the bandicoot rat , the wood rat, or pack rat , the rice rat, the muskrat , and the kangaroo rat. House rats are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Muridae. See also mouse .

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Atlanta pest control Diptera

Types: Scorpions, Millepedes, Centipedes, Silverfish

Scorpion: Any arachnid of the order Scorpionida with a hollow poisonous stinger at the tip of the tail. Scorpions vary from about 1/2 in. to about 6 in. (1-15 cm) long; most are from 1 to 3 in. (2.5-7.6 cm) long. They are predominantly tropical or subtropical, but some species live in temperate regions. During the day they hide in crevices or under objects, emerging at night to feed, mostly on other arthropods. The body is composed of a prosoma (head) covered by a solid protective covering, or carapace, and a segmented opisthosoma (body) divided into a broader mesosoma and a narrower metasoma, which ends in a sting. There are six pairs of appendages located on the prosoma: short, pincerlike appendages called chelicera, which are used to tear up food for swallowing; large appendages called pedipalps, equipped with powerful pincers used to grasp prey (which is then immobilized by stinging if necessary); and four pairs of walking legs. The first segment of the opisthosoma has vestigial appendages in the form of a genital opening (operculum), and the second segment bears unique, comblike sensory appendages known as pectines. The next four opisthosomal segments each bear a pair of respiratory structures known as book lungs , which open into the body by way of a hole, or spiracle. The metasoma is carried high in the air, in preparation for a quick stinging thrust. Although scorpion stings are painful, they are not usually dangerous to humans. The scorpion neurotoxin causes convulsions; death results from respiratory or cardiac failure. Complex courtship rituals precede mating. The young scorpions are born alive and are carried for a time by the mother, leaving her after the first molt. About a year is required to reach maturity. Scorpions are classified in the phylum Arthropoda , class Arachnida, order Scorpionida.

Millipede: Longated arthropod having many body segments and pairs of legs. Millipedes, sometimes termed thousand-legged worms, have two pairs of legs on each body segment except the first few and the last. They do not have a poisonous bite, but many protect themselves by offensive odors produced by stink glands; some produce highly irritating compounds that can injure the skin or eyes of attackers; and some can roll up into a ball or spiral for protection. They are widely distributed in temperate and warmer regions, living in surface litter, under stones or logs, and in relatively humid surroundings. They feed mostly on decaying vegetation, although some will consume decaying animal food. Some species attack plant roots and cause crop damage. Most temperate region millipedes are rather small and dull in appearance, but a few tropical species are brightly colored, and some reach 1 ft (30 cm) in length. The millipede body is nearly circular in cross section, with two pairs of legs on most segments. In contrast, centipedes , with which millipedes are often confused, are carnivorous, have a single pair of legs on each segment, and a body that is flat in cross section. Millipedes belong to the phylum Arthropoda , class Diplopoda.

Centipede: Common name for members of a single class, Chilopoda, of the phylum Arthropoda . Centipedes are the most familiar of the myriapodous arthropods, which consist of five groups of arthropods that had a separate origin from other arthropods. Centipedes are widely distributed in temperate and tropical lands, living in the soil or surface litter, and under logs or rocks. The largest species, Scolopendra gigantea, may reach 12 in. (30 cm) in length; many other tropical species are over 6 in. (15 cm) long. Temperate species are usually only about 1 in. (2.5 cm) long. The flattened body is divided into a head and a trunk composed of segments, or somites. The head bears long antennae, jaws, and two pairs of maxillae used for food-handling. Although the name centipede means “hundred-legged,” the average is actually about 35 pairs of legs, one pair on each body segment except for the last two, the pregenital and genital segments. The appendages of the trunk's first segment are modified into claws that are equipped with poison glands and are used to kill or stun prey.

Silverfish: Common name for primitive, wingless insects of the family Lepismatidae. The silverfish, which has two long antennae and three long tail bristles, is named for its covering of tiny, silvery scales. It develops directly in six or more molts into an adult about 12 in. (1.27 cm) long. It has chewing mouthparts set in a head cavity and eats starch from book bindings, wallpaper, and clothing. The silverfish is common indoors in cool, damp places such as basements. The firebrat, in the same taxonomic family, is found in warm places, e.g., near steampipes and boilers. Silverfish are classified in the phylum Arthropoda , class Insecta, order Thysanura, family Lepismatidae.

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