Maintaining a clean environment is important, but harmful microorganism can conta…
by Pest Killer
Crawling Pests
Crawling pests refer to a group of insects and arthropods that move around by crawling and can cause damage or nuisance to humans and their environment. Common crawling pests include ants, cockroaches, termites, bed bugs, and spiders, among others. These pests can enter buildings through small cracks and crevices, and once inside, they can contaminate food, damage property, and even cause health problems such as allergies and asthma. Effective pest control measures such as regular cleaning, sealing entry points, and using pesticides can help prevent and eliminate crawling pests.
Rodents types:
Scientific Name: Formicidae
Ants
Known for their incredible strength (they can carry 10-50 times their weight!!), their resourcefulness and their spirit of community, the annoyingly persistent ant manages to inspire humans with their eusocial nature while causing significant damage to human property.
Studies have shown that ants have been around since the period of Dinosaurs and are still thriving, proving that size does not matter. With over 10 trillion ants in the world, it is estimated that there are approximately over 1 million ants per human being right now.
Out of over 12,000 species of ants that have been classified so far, 4-5 types are especially more common in UAE –
Odorous House Ants- Black or dark brown; 0.07-0.12 cms.
Pavement Ants- Often brown; appx. 1 cm.
Carpenter Ants –Black; Usually between 0.6-1.2 cms.
Pharaoh Ants – Light brown; 0.2-0.5 cms.
Ants bite humans they come in contact with. Their bites can cause mild discomfort and some redness or swelling. Ants are carriers of germs and contaminate food they come in contact with. Pharaoh Ants especially, are known to carry and transmit a number of harmful pathogens. Foods they come in contact with, spoil faster.
Carpenter Ants tunnel through wood and can significantly damage wooden structures. Ants attract other pests that feed on them. This includes Spiders, Beetles, Flies, Lizards and even Snakes.
All species prefer warm, moist environments with food. This causes them to seek kitchens especially those that contain easily accessible foods (unsealed bags of cereal, bread, dirty dishes), bathrooms that usually have some moisture and sinks that may have remnants of their diet. Pharaoh Ants in particular, prefer the constant artificial warm temperature provided indoors.
They are Omnivorous pests that follow scents and odors. They have a varied diet and especially prefer sweet foods, protein, breads and liquids. Carpenter Ants specifically thrive on decaying wood. This eusocial pest sends its scouts to look for food sources. Once a source is identified, these ants send pheromones to guide other ants to the location.
Ants on any exposed food. The amount of time they take could indicate how close the infestation is. Wooden sawdust below or around a wooden structure – In case of Carpenter Ants. An obvious sign would be seeing a line of ants travelling to and from a particular nest. A less conspicuous sign would be solo ants (scout) moving around. Ant nests on your exterior walls. These nests are mostly made of soil. Odorous house ants also leave traces of a sweetish, rotting coconut smell when squished. Remember 1 ant is enough to indicate the presence of more ants nearby.
A Queen ant mates with short-lived male ants and lays hundreds to thousands of eggs per day and a few millions in her lifetime.
The life cycle of an ant comprises of four stages and can take between 6-10 weeks to complete.
The lifespan of Ants depends upon its species and its caste:
Male Ants – Die after a few days of mating. They have a lifespan of a few weeks.
Queen Ants – Could live for over 10 years. Pharaoh Ant Queens live for 2-3 years
Worker Ants – Have a lifespan ranging between 2 months to a few years. The workers of the commonly found Odorous House Ant and Carpenter Ant could live for 2-3 years.
The dreaded Pharaoh Ant however only lives for 2-3 months. Dreaded because their ability to split and form multiple colonies under threat, makes it hard to get rid of them.
Scientific Name: Cimex lectularius
Bed Bugs
One of the oldest known human parasites, bed bugs are nocturnal creatures that live off the blood of humans and pets. This pest has become a growing concern in recent times due to more travel globally and resistance being shown to certain traditional pesticides.
There are two types of bed bugs that are commonly found in human habitats:
– The common or household bed bug “Cimex lectularius” found worldwide.
– The tropical bedbug “Cimex hemipterus”.
Firstly, bed bugs are not a sign of poor sanitation. They can be found in any space that sees a lot of travelers including hotels, poorly ventilated accommodations and hostels. They also find themselves in vehicles, luggage and even second-hand clothing or furniture.
– The most common health concern reported is Allergic reaction to the bites, some of which can be severe.
– Insomnia and anxiety also seriously impact the well-being of people dealing with an infestation.
They infest mattresses, wooden bed frames, any wooden furniture nearby, door moldings and any crevices.
Bed Bugs are an ectoparasite and exclusively feed on blood.
– Tiny blood stains on your mattress or sheets.
– Uncomfortable, itchy nights.
– Red marks or itchy bites on the body.
– Bed bug exoskeletons, translucent egg casings, blackish feces.
The average female bed bug may lay around 1-5 eggs per day and up to 250 eggs in her lifetime. It takes approximately 7 weeks for an egg to grow into an adult.
They usually have a lifespan of 6 months. However, they can survive for months without feeding. These are one of the hardest pests to get rid of without professional help due to a very high likelihood of missing their barely visible eggs hidden in the lining of mattresses, upholstery and any cracks or crevices in furniture.
Scientific Name: Blattodea
Cockroaches
With evidence to indicate that they have been in existence for over 300 million years, the highly adaptable and resilient Cockroach is now found in every continent of the world including Antarctica. Out of 4600 cockroach species, about 30 of them have been associated with human habitats. They are nocturnal creatures that thrive on social interaction. They communicate with each other and tend to send signals of food sources to fellow cockroaches using pheromones due to which they manage to aggregate and co-exist effectively.
Some of the most prevalent species found in human habitats are:
– American Cockroach.
– Oriental Cockroach.
– German Cockroach.
– Brown banded Cockroach.
– Smokey Brown Cockroach.
The average size of this creature ranges from 1 inch to 2.5 inches and even though most species are equipped with wings, very few species have been known to fly.
The most common type found in the UAE is the German cockroach. It is found indoors and prefers a warmer environment but can survive cold weather. Their color varies between Tan-Dark brown and can be distinguished by two parallel, dark stripes behind the head.
Most species prefer darkness and usually haunt kitchen and bathroom cabinets, wall and furniture joints, cracks or crevices.
They infest mattresses, wooden bed frames, any wooden furniture nearby, door moldings and any crevices.
They are Omnivorous insects that can and will eat almost anything they come across. This includes – All kinds of bread, meat, cooked food, glue, clothes, hair, dead insects, soap, all kinds of waste, skin flakes and even dead wood! However, they can go a month without food and a week without water.
– A lingering musty, pungent smell under your sink, cabinets.
– Cockroach skins or exoskeletons.
– Oval, brown egg cases behind appliances or furniture.
– Cockroach droppings.
– Brown or dark colored smear marks on various surfaces.
A female cockroach could produce up to 8 egg capsules containing appx. 40 eggs i.e. 1 female to give birth to 200-400 offspring.
The most common type in UAE – The German Cockroach has one of the highest reproductive rates among its species. Due to this, in moist, food-rich spaces, less than a handful of cockroaches can cause a severe infestation within 6-8 months of entering a premise.
Under favorable circumstances, a cockroach could live for 1 year. They have an adult life span of about 6 months and take around 3-5 months to develop from an egg to an adult.
In addition, these resilient insects with their diverse food resources, ability to survive being submerged under water and their capacity to gradually develop resistance to toxic substances, make the process of complete extermination more complicated.
Scientific Name: Siphonaptera
Fleas
Fleas includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that survive as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by consuming blood, or hematophagy, from their hosts. Their legs are long with the hind pair well adapted for jumping.
The three most common types of fleas are:
– Cat Fleas.
– Dog Fleas.
– Bird Fleas.
Oriental rat fleas can carry the coccobacillus Yersinia pestis. The infected fleas feed on rodent vectors of this bacterium, such as the black rat, Rattus rattus, and then infect human populations with the plague, as has happened repeatedly from ancient times. They are carriers of dangerous bacteria.
Flea bites often appear in clusters or lines of two bites, and can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks afterwards. Fleas can lead to secondary hair loss as a result of frequent scratching and biting by the animal. They can also cause anemia in extreme cases.
Fleas feed on a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates including humans, dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, ferrets, rats, mice and birds. Fleas normally specialize in one host species or group of species, but can often feed but not reproduce on other species.
Fleas breed close to the resting and sleeping places of the host, in dust, dirt, rubbish, cracks in floors or walls, carpets, animal burrows and birds’ nests. High humidity is required for development.
There are four stages in the life cycle of a flea: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Depending on the environmental temperature and humidity levels, the total life cycle will take anywhere from a couple weeks to many months.
A flea might live a year and a half under ideal conditions. These include the right temperature, food supply, and humidity. Generally speaking, though, an adult flea only lives for 2 or 3 months. Without a host for food, a flea’s life might be as short as a few days.
Scientific Name: Lepisma saccharina
Silverfish
A silverfish is a small, primitive, wingless insect. Its common name has been derived from the animal’s silvery light grey colour, combined with the fish-like appearance of its movements. The silverfish’s diet consists of carbohydrates such as sugar or starches.
The most common types of moths are the:
– Bristletails.
– Common Silverfish.
– Four-line silverfish.
– Gray silverfish.
– Firebrat.
– Jumping Bristletail.
Silverfish are considered household pests, due to their consumption and destruction of property and they don’t transmit diseases.
A silverfish can consume book bindings, carpet, clothing, coffee, dandruff, glue, hair, some paints, paper, photos, plaster, and sugar. They will damage wallpaper in order to consume the paste. Silverfish can also cause damage to tapestries. Other substances they may eat include cotton, dead insects, linen, silk, leftover crumbs.
The female lays the tiny eggs in any cracks and crevices that she can find. The eggs are white, oval, and about one millimeter long. They may hatch in weeks or months, depending on the environmental conditions. A silverfish usually lays fewer than 100 eggs in her lifetime.
The silverfish nymphs that hatch out of the eggs are about 1mm long and paler in color than their adult counterparts. Silverfish nymphs will molt their external shell 6 – 7 times before they reach sexual maturity which can take anywhere from several months up to three years. Silverfish continue to molt even after they become adults, which is unusual for an insect.
Silverfish are long-lived insects. They may live for two to eight years, depending on their environment.
Scientific Name: Araneae
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing creatures that have eight legs and chelicerae with fangs able to inject venom. There are about 40,000 known species of spiders. Most spiders use a web to catch their prey, which are usually insects. Spiders create silk from spinneret glands in their abdomen that is extremely strong.
The seven most common types of house spiders are the:
– American House Spider.
– Long-Bodied Cellar Spider.
– Brown Recluse.
– Sac Spider.
– Jumping Spider.
– Wolf Spider.
– Hobo Spider/ Funnel weaver.
The venom of Spiders is what is so dangerous for humans, not the bite. That venom is used in the wild to kill prey. Spiders can’t consume solid food so they have to liquefy it first .The venom in the body of a human may be toxic enough to start to liquefy the skin and the tissues. When a person has been bitten by such a dangerous spider they need to seek immediate medical attention. Nonetheless, spiders spin webs, which can give your home or office an unkempt look.
Though most known spiders are almost exclusively carnivorous, a few species, primarily of jumping spiders, supplement their diet with plant matter such as sap, nectar, and pollen.
Spiders reproduce by laying their eggs in a sac. Female spiders can carry the egg sac wherever they go or deposit it in a web. The egg sacs can contain hundreds of eggs. After about two to three weeks, the eggs hatch into live spiders. It takes about one year for the hatchlings to reach adulthood.
All spiders, from the tiniest jumping spider to the largest tarantula, have the same general life cycle. They mature in three stages: egg, spiderling, and adult. Though the details of each stage vary from one species to another, they are all very similar.
In general, males have a shorter lifespan than females and it varies in every species of course, but these are common generalities. In general, males live for ~1-1.5 months. Females of most spiders tend to die either after laying their eggs, or after the eggs hatch and the juveniles are dispersed. Maximal span is 2-3 years, with most of them dying before 1 year of age.
Scientific Name: Ixodida
Tick
Ticks are typically 3 to 5 mm long. They are external parasites, living by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. Ticks are widely distributed around the world, especially in warm, humid climates. Adults have ovoid or pear-shaped bodies, which become engorged with blood when they feed, and eight legs. Ticks find their hosts by detecting animals’ breath and body odors, or by sensing body heat, moisture, and vibrations. They are incapable of flying or jumping, but many tick species particularly lie in wait in a position known as “questing”. While questing, ticks cling to leaves and grasses by their third and fourth pairs of legs.
The two most common types of ticks are the:
– Soft Tick: Have their mouthparts on the underside of their bodies.
– Hard Tick: Having a hard shield on their dorsal surfaces, hard ticks have a beak-like structure at the front containing the mouthparts
Certain infectious diseases of humans and other animals can be transmitted by ticks because of their habit of ingesting blood, with the species of tick involved tending to be those with a wide host range. Spread of disease in this way is enhanced by the extended time during which a tick remains attached, during which time the mobile host can be carried long distances, or in the case of bird hosts, across the sea. The infective agents can be present not only in the adult tick, but also in the eggs produced plentifully by the females.
Some ticks attach quickly, while others wander around looking for thinner skin, such as is found on the ears of mammals. Depending on the species and life stage, preparing to feed can take from 10 minutes to two hours. On locating a suitable feeding spot, the tick grasps the host’s skin and cuts into the surface. They extract blood by cutting a hole in the host’s epidermis, into which they insert their hypostome, and keep the blood from clotting by excreting an anticoagulant.
The female lays the tiny eggs in any cracks and crevices that she can find. The eggs are white, oval, and about one millimeter long. They may hatch in weeks or months, depending on the environmental conditions. A silverfish usually lays fewer than 100 eggs in her lifetime.
Ticks have four stages to their lifecycle, namely egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Ticks taking at least a year to complete their lifecycle.
Ticks can live up to 3 years and it depends on the species. A tic’s survival and development are dependent on the environment and the availability of hosts.
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