Common Insect ID & Biology
Box Elder Bug
Box elders feed and lay their eggs on seed-bearing boxelder trees. They often become a nuisance in the fall as they search for overwintering sites on our homes.
Earwigs
Earwigs are mostly nocturnal and often hide in small, moist crevices during the day and are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and plants. They can often be found indoors under damp towels and in kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms.
Pillbugs
Pillbugs are common inhabitants of landscapes and garden sites around homes. They feed on decaying vegetation in the soil. In years with high rainfalls, they often invade homes and can be found in basements and homes with slab foundations.
Mice
Mice often invade homes in search of food and shelter. Primarily nocturnal, they have poor eyesight, but compensate with a keen sense of hearing. Mice can spread diseases through their feces (Hantavirus) which may lead to Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Additionally, they often carry parasites.
Yellow Jackets
Yellow jackets are predatory social wasps. They have lance-like stingers with small barbs, and typically sting repeatedly. Their stinger occasionally becomes lodged and pulls free of their body. Yellow jackets build nests in trees, shrubs, under protected structures, and in the ground. Their diets consist of sugars and carbohydrates, such as fruits, flower nectar, and tree sap.
Bald Faced Hornets
Their colonies consist of between 400-700 workers. Workers will aggressively defend their nest by repeatedly stinging invaders. Bald faced hornets are a species of yellow jacket.
Pavement Ants
Pavement ants nest beneath sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Their telltale mounds of sand are the result of excavating nesting sites below grade. They invade homes in search of food and water.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants build their nest in wood, preferably in soft, water damaged wood. They don’t eat wood (like termites), rather, they chew through the wood and expel the wood shaving (called frass) to form their nesting galleries. Carpenter ants are primarily nocturnal and can forage up to 300 feet from their nests in search of food and water.
Paper Wasps
Paper wasps gather fibers of dead wood and plant stems which they mix with their saliva to form their nests. Their signature “umbrella” nests can be found in protected areas under soffits of homes. They also build nests in fence posts, or any other isolated area.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs spend the majority of their time hiding together in cracks and crevices where they will not be seen or disturbed. Bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide produced by host exhalations as well as body heat.
Carpenter Bee
Carpenter Bees resemble bumble bees but typically have a shiny, hairless abdomen. Carpenter bees tunnel into wood to lay their eggs. Their entrance holes are symmetrically round holed approximately 1/4 inch in diameter.
Mole
Moles are known pests to homeowners, destroying lawns and garden beds. They do not eat plant roots but cause indirect damage by eating earthworms and other invertebrates. They have cylindrical bodies with short powerful hind limbs with large paws used for digging.
Ticks
According to the CDC, Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. It is transmitted through the bite of the Blacklegged tick.
The presence of the Blacklegged tick in Michigan is growing. In fact, based of 2021 data 77 of Michigan’s 83 counties have a known risk for Lyme disease.
Ticks are efficient carriers of disease because they attach firmly when sucking blood, feed slowly and can go unnoticed for a considerable time. It can take ticks several days to complete feeding. Ticks have four distinct life stages; egg, six legged larvae, eight legged nymph and adult. Females deposit 3,000-6,000 eggs on the ground.
Our comprehensive approach to reducing tick populations in and around client properties has proven very effective. In addition to the treatment, we will provide a Preventative Checklist that includes practical tips for homeowners to utilize to reduce the opportunity for future tick infestations.
It is recommended that infested yards be treated a minimum of three times throughout the year. The first application is done in May, the second in Mid-June and the final application in October.
Mosquitos
There are more than 60 species of mosquitoes in Michigan. Mosquitos have four distinct stages of development; egg, larvae, pupae and adult. Because of their development life cycle, successful treatments for mosquitoes MUST address all four stages.
Among the most common mosquito borne viruses here in Michigan, West Nile Encephalitis is becoming more common. This virus is transmitted by the mosquito species Culex pipiens which is the most common species found in urban and suburban habitats. This virus is transmitted from various bird species.
There are no shortcuts when servicing a home for Mosquito Control. Our integrated pest management approach includes a comprehensive inspection and evaluation of your property to locate breeding sites and all sources of infestations. And using the appropriate EPA registered products to treat ALL stages of mosquito development is critical.
We have set the standard for General Pest Control in Macomb County and are at the forefront of residential mosquito control.
