Pest Library

American Cockroach
American cockroaches are a large roach up to one and a half inches long. They are medium brown with yellow coloring behind their heads. American cockroaches tend to be mostly outside and in garages. An outside treatment plan will keep them under control.

Carpet Beetles
Carpet beetles are small beetles that are multicolored. Adults feed on nectar and pollen while the larvae feed on natural fibers such as carpets and keratin which is in things like hair, skin, and dust. The larvae can cause a reaction to humans that resemble bites and are commonly confused with bed bugs. An interior and exterior treatment combined with a deep cleaning of dust in the house will keep them under control.

Boxelder Bug
The boxelder bug is black with thin red lines on their backs. Like their name they are attracted to boxelder trees. During certain times of the year they will congregate in large numbers on the sunny side of homes and trees. An outside treatment plan will keep them under control.

Springtails
Springtails are a seasonal bug that are many times confused with a flea. They are small and jump when disturbed. They are attracted to moisture and light. They feed on damp organic material and as the soil dries they will move on to the surface in large numbers to look for moisture. They will sometimes be found inside toilets or sinks. An outside treatment will usually reduce their numbers but because of their sheer numbers they could still active.

Oriental Cockroach
Oriental cockroaches also known as water bugs are dark brown or black in color and are about one inch long. They love to hide in the cracks of concrete and they especially love garages. They eat decaying organic material and are associated with dark moist environments such as drains. They usually do not come into homes in large numbers. An outside treatment plan will keep them under control.

Silverfish
Silverfish enjoy eating carbohydrates and wood products. Many times silverfish can be seen on old wood such as fences. An outside treatment plan will keep them under control.

Indian Meal Moth
Indian meal moths are brought into the home from food that is already infested. They will find food such as flour, cereal, grains, dried food, and pet food that is not air sealed and infest it. The infested food must be thrown out and all other food air sealed. A treatment with an insect growth regulator and a residual spray will help speed up their control.

German Cockroach
German cockroaches are light brown to dark brown with two darker brown stripes on the back of their heads. German cockroaches rarely live on the outside of homes. They can eat anything a human can as well as eat many different objects not suitable for a human such as soap or paper. They are the fastest breeding cockroach species and can take over a home quickly if there is enough food and water available. Sanitation is a big factor for German cockroaches because if they can find a food and a water source they will continue to breed. The kitchen and bathrooms are their favorite places to nest because of the close availability of water and food. They spend nearly all of their time hiding and generally only come out during the night or early morning. These tend to take multiple treatments to get under control because they spend so much of their life hiding and are effective breeders.

Argentine Ants

Black Widow
Female black widows spiders are usually black with a red or orange hourglass shape pattern on the underside of the abdomen. The males are about half the size of the females and have red or white patterns on their backs. Black widows like to build their webs near the ground. A black widow web is strong and irregular shaped and will make a ripping noise when destroyed. Black widows are one of the most poisonous spiders in the United States their venom is fifteen times stronger than a rattlesnakes. Although poisonous they rarely bite unless provoked and rarely cause death. An outside treatment plan will keep them under control.

Ticks
house mice thrive under a wide range of conditions, are secretive and very cautious, they are hard to control. The pests are rarely apt to bite someone, but their presence can be harmful to human health.

Bird Mites & Rat Mites
Bird and rat mites live on their animal hosts and will come into the living areas of homes to bite people. They are very small about the size of a twelve point font period. They tend to become the biggest problem after the bird nest or rats have been eliminated because they are looking for a new meal. An interior and exterior treatment plan will get them under control.

Mice

Jerusalem-Cricket
Jerusalem crickets feed on decaying organic matter and sometimes other insects. They are usually only seen at night and in small numbers. An outside treatment plan will keep them under control.

Fleas
Fleas usually need to be treated two times about a month apart because the eggs cannot be killed with most methods. Our flea treatment uses an insect growth regulator which works like birth control and we mix that with an adulticide which kills adults. Fleas are almost always brought by an animal which can be a domestic animal like a cat or dog or a wild animal such as a raccoon or a skunk.

Earwig
Earwigs or pincher bugs are attracted to moisture and decaying organic material. They are found under rocks or mulch especially where there is moisture. Often they will enter a home looking for moisture. An outside treatment plan will keep them under control.

Yellow Jacket
Most types of wasps in the Bay Area are paper wasps. Paper wasps build nests using dead wood and their saliva to create a honey comb nest usually which is usually found under roof eves. There is not an effective treatment that can be performed to repel wasps from building on a home. The best plan is of action is to spray the nest if possible and knock it down.

Wolf Spiders

Wasps
