ID Your Pest

Cockroaches, besides creeping people out, can also make us sick by transmitting bacterial pathogens like Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus.

Although there are thousands of species of cockroaches, there are only a few in Kansas that reproduce indoors. The pictures below might help you make an identification, and our technicians are trained and experienced in identifying and eliminating all kinds of cockroaches.   

A close look at this spider shows why it is sometimes referred to as a "fiddle-back spider". See the violin-shaped marking on its cephalothorax?

Most spiders in Kansas don't pose much of a threat to us humans. However, a bite from a brown recluse spider can be pretty nasty. (You may have seen some pretty frightening pictures on the internet.) The good news is that brown recluse only bite humans in self defense, such as if they get trapped against our skin in our clothing or bedding.

Still, you probably don't want them in your home! Call us today to make an appointment. We have many years of experience getting rid of brown recluse. 

Crickets are an occasional invader that can become a general nuisance pest and cause considerable damage when they invade a home. The house cricket and the field cricket are the most common species invading homes. Cricket chirping is an annoyance to many home owners and may create many sleepless nights. Crickets that get inside the home will feed on cloth and paper products and any uncontained food. Enormous numbers of crickets congregate around lights at night, making roads slick and public places and yards unattractive.

The honey bee is the only bee that builds a home and stays in it year after year. Honey bees survive cold winter weather by clustering together within their hive. As spring approaches, the queen (the only fertile female) begins to lay eggs. As the young hatch, they are fed on pollen and nectar that was gathered and stored the previous summer and fall. At midwinter, the size of the colony may only number around 10,000. However, the numbers increase as plants flower over the growing season. 

If you have flower beds, a vegetable garden, or flowering ground cover plants (like clover), you are likely to see honey bees buzzing around from flower to flower. 

These busy little insects are hugely important in our environment. But if you feel that they are becoming a danger to you or your family, give us a call. We can help guide you through the process of protecting yourself while maintaining a healthy environment for pollinators like the honey bee.   

The House Mouse has some rather aggravating habits, but does that necessarily mean it poses a problem for us? Well, yes, as a matter of fact it does. This animal is one that we really would prefer not to have to live with. Even its scientific name - Mus musculus - describes it well, for in a general way this name means "little thief". When living in close association with people the House Mouse makes its living by stealing our food and our possessions, so it isn't a good tenant.

If you live near a body of water, you are probably familiar with midges. They look like mosquitoes, but they don't bite. 

The larvae live in the water, helping to clean up decaying organic matter and serving as food for fish and other insects.

However, the adults (like the one in this picuture) can't fly very well and often get blown into our yards. They are attracted to artificial lights at night , and take shelter under soffits, eaves, decks, etc. Although the adults don't feed on anything and only live for a few days, they attract spiders and can be a nuisance when there are lots of them hanging around your outdoor living space. 

The cat flea is the most frequently found flea, although the dog, human and stick-tight fleas are also found. Fleas may attack a wide variety of warm-blooded animals, including dogs, humans, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, rats and mice.

Ticks grow from the egg to the adult by what is called simple metamorphosis, meaning their appearance does not change much. They emerge from the egg as a tiny tick, shed their skin some months later to become the second stage and a slightly larger tick, and then shed their outer skin one last time to become the adult tick, at which time males and females mate and large numbers of new eggs are laid. The life cycle of ticks, from egg to adult, generally takes around 2 years.

Several kinds of non-biting flies can be found in and around farms, residences and food-handling establishments. Filth flies can usually be grouped according to their habits and appearance as houseflies and their relatives; flesh flies; blow flies and bottle flies; filter flies; soldier flies; and vinegar (fruit) flies. Flies seek breeding places where garbage, animal droppings or vegetation residues accumulate.

Termites cause billions of dollars of structural damage every year in the United States. In Kansas, subterranean termites are the culprits. These insects are rarely seen–they spend almost all their lives underground, inside shelter tubes, or within the wood they are eating. Their colonies are deep underground, and that's where the reproductive termites spend most of their time. The workers tunnel through the ground and can get into your home as far as 150 feet from their colony.

Most people don't realize their home is under attack by termites until they find damage or see a swarm of reproductive termites, like the one shown at the left. These swarmers look similar to winged ants, but there are differences if you know what to look for. Call us today for more information or to schedule an inspection!

Maybe you’ve read about them in the news yourself, but Bedbugs Are Back. After a 60 year virtual absence in the U.S. we now are finding these blood suckers commonly throughout the country, and your options for preventing them and dealing with them are discussed.