Pests Archive | Page 3 of 13 | Delta Pest Control Inc. - Pest Control and Exterminator Services

American Dog Tick

American Dog Ticks in Arkansas

The American dog tick is distributed east of the Rocky Mountains and in a few western states such as California, Idaho, and Washington. As its name suggests, the American dog tick is most commonly found on dogs, but it will readily attack larger animals, such as mice, deer, cattle, horses, and even humans. Pets and humans may contract diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia from a single tick bite. American dog ticks can survive for up to 2 years at any given stage if no host is found.

American Dog Tick Habitat

American dog ticks are found predominantly in areas with little or no tree cover, such as grassy fields and scrubland, as well as along walkways and trails. Residential areas containing overgrown shrubs, weeds, tall grass, and clutter attract the rodents that are hosts for immature ticks. Adult ticks climb onto a grass blade or other low vegetation, cling to it with their third pair of legs, and then wave their legs when a potential host approaches. As the host brushes against the vegetation, the tick will grab onto the passing animal or human.

American Dog Tick Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

The highest risk of being bitten occurs during spring and summer, and adult females are most likely to bite humans. Nymphs and adults can transmit diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia. To avoid being bitten, apply an insect repellent containing an EPA-registered ingredient, such as DEET. Also, consider wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, preferably light-colored so ticks will be easy to detect, and tuck pants into socks.

If you are dealing with a tick problem, contact your local tick control experts for assistance.

Chigger Mite

Chigger Mites in Arkansas

Chigger mites or redbugs infest people and animals during the summer months, causing intense itching and irritation. In the United States, chiggers are mostly found in the southeast, south, and midwest. They are most active from early spring to early autumn, until the first frost. Chigger larvae do all the damage and do not burrow into the skin, as it is commonly believed; rather they attach on the surface of the skin or at the rim of a hair follicle.

Chigger Mite Habitat

Chigger mites prefer damp, grassy, and wooded areas, especially at the edges of forests. They can be found near lakes and streams, and even on your lawn. Adult chiggers may often be seen as large brilliantly red-colored mites crawling over lawns and pavements. Adult chiggers spend winter underground and will deposit eggs during the first warm days of spring. The adults soon die and the eggs hatch into chiggers, which crawl about and eventually make contact with people or other hosts.

Chigger Mite Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Chigger mites usually hide in thick brush, grass, parks and gardens, grassy fields, and in moist areas around rivers or lakes. All of these areas are popular with humans for recreation, hiking, and camping. After coming into contact with flesh, they will settle down and begin to feed. Most chiggers will attack around the ankles or under the knees, although some go higher up to attack the crotch and armpit areas. Once bitten, the body will react to the digestive enzymes that chiggers use to liquefy skin cells, causing a rash and intense itching that begins a few hours after they have fed.

If you are dealing with chigger mites, it’s important to always enlist the help of a professional tick & mite control expert.

Spider Mite

Spider Mites in Arkansas

Spider mites are the most common mite pests and among the most universal of all garden and farm pests. Mites pests feed on houseplants, fruit trees, vines, berries, vegetables, and ornamental plants. Although related to insects, mites aren’t actually insects but members of the arachnid class along with spiders and ticks. Spider mites are tiny eight-legged animals closely related to spiders and are important pests of ornamental trees, shrubs, and bedding plants. Under favorable conditions, spider mites can build up rapidly and seriously threaten plant health.

Spider Mite Habitat

Spider mites may feed and reproduce all year on plants that retain their green leaves throughout the winter, such as indoor houseplants. In colder areas and on deciduous trees that drop their leaves. They begin feeding and laying eggs when warm weather returns in spring. Spider mites feed on plant leaves by piercing leaf tissues and sucking the green liquid that oozes out. Leaves appear bronzed after the green color is lost from many tiny feeding spots. Heavily infested leaves and branches can become covered with an almost invisible webbing.

Spider Mite Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Spider mites reproduce rapidly in dry, hot weather and are most common from June through September. Mites cause damage by sucking cell contents from leaves. At first, spider mite damage will appear as small yellow or brown spots on the leaves of plants. If the plant is heavily infested, the plant’s health will suffer and it may develop completely yellow leaves and stop growing. Spider mite damage may also include a telltale spider webbing on the plant. Damage is usually worse when compounded by water or drought stress. If you are dealing with spider mites, it’s important to always enlist the help of a professional tick & mite control expert.

Black Fly

Black Flies in Arkansas

Black flies are small, blood-sucking insects, found in many parts of the United States and Canada. Common names for this pest include buffalo gnats and turkey gnats, and they are known to fly around people’s heads, occasionally getting into eyes and ears, as well as crawling into the hair. Only the females are blood feeders and will readily bite humans and animals. Black flies may sometimes occur in enormous numbers in the late spring and early summer, particularly in the more northern latitudes.

Black Fly Habitat

Black flies breed exclusively in running water, and larvae and pupae develop in flowing, typically non-polluted water, with a high level of dissolved oxygen. The immature stages of black flies develop in oxygenated water sources, therefore adults are usually associated with slow-moving streams, creeks, or rivers where the immature stages develop. Flowing water does not necessarily imply white water rapids, but water must be moving. Water in lakes and ponds that are not flowing is unsuitable for black fly development.

Black Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Black flies can be annoying biting pests, but none are known to transmit diseases to humans in the U. S. The bites of black flies cause different reactions in humans, ranging from a small puncture wound where the original blood meal was taken to a swelling that can be the size of a golf ball. Reactions to black fly bites are collectively known as “black fly fever” and include headache, nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Besides being a nuisance to humans, black flies can pose a threat to livestock. They are capable of transmitting a number of different disease agents to livestock, including protozoa and nematode worms, none of which cause disease in humans. If you are dealing with a black fly problem on your property, contact your local fly exterminators.

House Fly

House Flies in Arkansas

Found on every continent except Antarctica, the house fly is one of the most familiar of all insects. House flies are generally found in the greatest numbers during the hotter summer months and generally live in close proximity to humans and animals. These pests breed in animal wastes and decaying organic material, including animal corpses and food waste from which they can pick up bacteria and viruses that may cause human disease. House flies defecate almost every time they land, contaminating food, with the potential to spread disease.

House Fly Habitat

In rural areas, manure piles are often the main source of house flies, and in urban areas, piles of fermenting lawn clippings commonly generate large numbers of flies. Animal manure is a favorite breeding medium for flies with the most important sites being horse manure, human excrement, cow manure, fermenting vegetable refuse, dumpsters and refuse containers, and household garbage. Some species of flies can live and breed in recycling containers, and fly problems are common in recycling centers.

House Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Although house flies do not bite, they are capable of transferring more than 100 different pathogens, including salmonellosis, typhoid, and tuberculosis. Pathogenic organisms are picked up by flies from garbage, sewage, and other sources of filth, and then transferred on their mouthparts, through their vomitus, feces, and contaminated external body parts to human and animal food. They can carry a wide range of germs from filthy breeding sites to the dinner table or spread some diseases within herds or flocks.

If you are experiencing a house fly infestation on your property, contact your local fly exterminators for help.

Elm Leaf Beetle

Elm Leaf Beetles in Arkansas

Several types of beetles damage elm leaves, but one invasive pest is a severe threat to elm trees. Found throughout the United States and Canada, Elm leaf beetles are common insects that chew the leaves of elm trees, especially favoring Siberian and English elms. Adult elm leaf beetles chew holes in elm leaves and their larvae feed on the leaf surface, producing injuries that make leaves look lacy. Elm leaf beetles often spend winter in and around buildings and can be a significant nuisance pest in homes, as they often enter attics, crawlspaces, and living areas seeking winter shelter.

Elm Leaf Beetle Habitat

Adult elm leaf beetles overwinter in protected locations, often in houses or other structures. In homes, they find protective locations to overwinter, like attics and crawl spaces, and then emerge in the spring. Adults move to elm trees where they lay their eggs in groups of 5 to 25 on the underside of leaves. Elm leaf beetles feed upon all elms, and larvae skeletonize the leaf surface, causing damaged foliage to turn brown to whitish. Elm leaf beetles, when abundant, can entirely defoliate large elm trees, which eliminates summer shade and reduces the aesthetic value of the trees.

Elm Leaf Carpet Beetle Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Elm leaf beetles are nuisance pests as they do not bite or sting and they do not reproduce or feed indoors during the winter. They do not harm people or the wooden components found in homes. The effects of beetles feeding on trees can greatly affect the appearance of elms, however, rendering them unsightly, and can reduce growth and weaken them, particularly when large beetle populations persist for several years. If beetles are observed in the autumn as they approach the house, it’s wise to contact a pest management professional for licensed treatment and beetle control.

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