Guide to Biting Insects
Bed Bugs
Cimex Lectularius
Description: The adult Bed Bug is oval and flat. They grow to only about a quarter of an inch long. Bed Bugs lack wings, so you won`t see them flying around your bedroom. Under cover of darkness, they crawl in search of blood, preferably from a human. Bed Bugs use a piercing, sucking proboscis to penetrate the skin of their host. Adults are brown, but appear reddish-brown when engorged with blood. For more information, contact us today.
Color: Brown, Red after Feeding on Blood, Rust
Legs: 6
Shape: Flat, Oval
Size: 1/4"
Antennae: True
Habits: Bed Bugs like to travel and will hide in suitcases, boxes and shoes to be near a food supply. They are elusive, nocturnal creatures. They can hide behind baseboards, electrical switch plates, picture frames, even wall paper. They come out at night for a blood meal.
Habitat: Bed Bugs like to hide in small cracks and crevices close to a human environment. They can be found behind baseboards, wallpaper, upholstery, and in furniture crevices.
Threats: Although Bed Bugs can dine on any warm-blooded animal, they primarily dine on humans. Bed Bugs do not transmit diseases, but their bites can become red, itchy welts.
Prevention: Vacuum suitcases after returning from a vacation. Check your bed sheets for tell-tale blood spots. Consider bringing a large plastic trash bag to keep your suitcase in during hotel stays. Carry a small flashlight to assist you with quick visual inspections. Bed Bugs are elusive creatures, so it is imperative to seek professional pest control to address an infestation.
Flea
Siphonaptera
Description: Fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of any warm-blooded body. The most common species is the Cat Flea, which often feasts on cats, dogs and humans.
Color: Dark Red / Brown
Legs: 6
Shape: Flat
Size: 1/12" to 1/6"
Antennae: True
Habits: Fleas transport themselves on rodents and other mammals. They infest both household pests and wild animals. Fleas use their powerful legs to jump as high as 8 inches vertically and 16 inches horizontally.
Habitat: Fleas usually remain on their warm-blooded hosts at all times. They can also be found on shoes, pant legs, or blankets, which can transfer the Fleas to new environments. They are often found infesting opossums, raccoons, and skunks in urban settings.
Threats: Fleas are the most common transmitter of the rare Bubonic Plague. They also transmit the bacterial disease murine typhus to humans through infected rats. Their saliva can cause serious Flea Alergy Dermatitus in pets, and their debris has been reported to cause similar allergic reactions in humans. Fleas can also transfer tapeworms and cause anemia in pets. Flea bites commonly cause painful, itchy red bumps.
Prevention: Clean and vacuum frequently to help remove Flea populations and prevent the laying of eggs. Keep your lawn groomed to avoid rodent habitation. Protect pets by keeping them on a leash when outside, bathing and grooming pets regularly, visiting a veterinarian annually, and using flea treatments according to direction. It is important to hire a pest professional to rid your home of rodents and fleas.
Human Lice
Pediculus Humanus
Description: One of the best known Lice is Pediculus Humanus - the human louse - which has two distinct races. The race Capitis may be found in the hair on the head, and their eggs, stuck to hairs, are termed nits. These can be very difficult and time consuming to remove - this is where the term 'nit-picking' came from. The race Corporis is found on the body. Body Lice can carry diseases such as relapsing fever (caused by Borellia recurrentis) and Typhus (Rickettsia prowazeki) although only if they feed on someone who already has the disease. Sucking Lice on domestic animals can also spread disease. Louse-borne disease is particularly common in wartime, when soldiers are forced to live in crowded and unsanitary conditions. Trench Fever (Rickettsia quintana) was especially widespread during World War I, and was probably a major factor in the final collapse of the Russian Army. Of these two human Lice, the head louse is more common, and sometimes there are outbreaks of Head Llice infestation in schools. Head Lice can survive any amount of washing and combing, so they are not associated with lack of hygiene. Luckily, whilst Head Lice can be irritating, they do not carry disease.
Color: Dark Gray
Legs: 6
Shape: Oval
Size: 1/4"
Antennae: True
Habitat: Lice live on mammals including humans.
Threats: Lice can cause itching and small welts on the skin. Their bites can result in hair and feather loss, blood loss and even skin infection if not managed.
Prevention: Keep animals clean and treat with specialty flea and tick shampoo and grooming products.
Sucking Lice
Siphunculata
Description: Sucking Lice have piercing mouth parts, which they use to suck the blood of their hosts - mostly mammals, including man. They hang on to hair with a single large claw at the end of their strong legs. Lice that feed exclusively on blood do not get a well-balanced diet, and make up for this by having bacteria in their gut that provide the additional nutrients. Nearly every mammal species can be infested by a sucking louse - even seals, whales and walruses have them! These 'marine lice' all belong to the family Echinophthiriidae, and they can exist for long periods under water by taking a layer of air down with them between their specially modified body hairs, or by breathing air trapped in the host's body hair.
Color: Dark Gray
Legs: 6
Shape: Oval
Size: 1/4"
Antennae: True
Habitat: They live on mammals and birds but are not found on humans.
Threats: Lice can cause itching and small welts on the skin. Their bites can result in hair and feather loss, blood loss and even skin infection if not managed.
Prevention: Keep animals clean and treat with specialty flea and tick shampoo and grooming products.
