Learning Center

Check out our pest library to learn about common pests, prevention tips, and effective solutions. Our expert guidance helps you protect your home or business year-round.

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Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites live underground and build tunnels; and like other termite species, they feed on products containing cellulose. Subterranean termites swarm in the spring – groups of reproductive termites (called alates) are winged and leave to start new colonies.

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Brown Recluse Spiders

Brown recluse spiders are usually between 6–20 mm (1⁄4 in and 3⁄4 in), but may grow larger. While typically light to medium brown, they range in color from cream-colored to dark brown or blackish gray.

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Fleas

Flea infestations can rapidly get out of control. That’s because fleas lay eggs in such large numbers. At a rate of 40 to 50 per day for around 50 days, a single female flea can produce 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.

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Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are so-named because these social insects excavate galleries in wood to create nest sites. They use their strong jaws (mandibles) to remove quantities of wood as they expand the size of their nests. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not consume wood.

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American Cockroaches

The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), also known as “waterbug” or “palmetto bug”, is the largest species of common cockroach. They are reddish-brown and have a yellowish margin on the body region behind the head.

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Mosquitoes

There are about 200 different species of mosquitoes in the United States, which live in specific habitats, exhibit unique behaviors and bite different types of animals. Despite these differences, all mosquitoes share some common traits, such as a four-stage life cycle (egg, larva, pupa, adult).

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Spider Beetles

Spider beetles are small beetles belonging to the family Anobiidae. They are called spider beetles because they look somewhat like small spiders (or large mites) due to their long legs and relatively large, rounded abdomens.

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Pharaoh Ants

From tiny eggs to thriving colonies, ants undergo a remarkable four-stage life cycle of transformation. Pharaoh ants, small golden “sugar ants,” form large indoor colonies with multiple queens and a taste for sweets and greasy foods.

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Southern House Spiders

The Southern house spider is a large North American species known for its striking differences between males and females. Often mistaken for the brown recluse, it’s harmless to humans and known for its unique, velvety appearance, crevice-dwelling webs, and wandering males that sometimes appear indoors during winter.

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Mice

The greatest economic loss from mice is not due to what they eat, but what must be thrown out because of damage or contamination. The pest control industry’s standard procedure for dealing with mice infestations is baiting with rodenticides.

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Little Black Ants

Little Black Ants (Monomorium minimum) are a shiny black color, with the workers being 1-2mm long while the queens are 4-5mm long. They are monomorphic producing only one caste of worker, and polygynous meaning more than one queen can exist in a nest. Colonies are usually moderately sized with only a few thousand workers in each.

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Cheese Flies

The species known as “cheese flies” are the best-known members of the family Piophilidae. This family of flies are scavengers of animal products, carrion, food products, and fungi. They are sometimes useful in forensic entomology and medical entomology.

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Drywood Termites

Like ants and bees, drywood termites are social insects that form colonies. In late August and early September, reproductives develop wings and swarm to form new nests. Different species of Drywood termites can be identified by looking for particular characteristics on either reproductives (swarmers) or soldier termites.

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