Bedbugs are small, flat, reddish-brown insects, which hide during the day and emerge at night to look for blood. They have a special ingredient in their saliva that keeps blood from clotting while they eat their fill. Normal signs of their activities are red itchy bumps that can occur all over the body.

Do carpet beetles cause damage?

Yes. Products such as fabrics exhibit various holes from the adult and irregular holes in material from the larvae. Furs and brushes may have tips of hairs damaged, leaving uneven areas. This pest is often the cause of damage to wool clothing and rugs. However, many people think the damage is caused by clothes moths.

Nothing can succeed in spreading disease quite like a Housefly. The fly that you see at the breakfast table helping itself to the butter or jam may well have just flown in after carrying out an intimate exploration of animal droppings.

Apart from the diseases they carry, flies have disgusting eating habits. They feed by regurgitating digestive juices and then sucking up the resulting soup through their probiscus. Flies are a common pest in homes and commercial establishments. Flies normally are associated with decayed or spoiled debris. In this kind of habitat of both feeding and breeding, it is a certainty that flies and their maggots will come into contact with a wide variety of bacteria. Because they are associated with disease and because they can readily gain entry to buildings, flies pose significant pest problems.

Questions:

What are the most common pest flies?

The most common flies associated with homes and commercial establishments are the house fly, the fruit fly and the cluster fly.

Cockroaches carry many diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, gastro-enteritis and salmonella. They will happily infest any area where food is prepared or is left lying around, such as restaurants or household kitchens, and often hide out in drains during the day. They are fast breeders, and the largest species can grow up to 1.5 inches in length. They have large appetites and will eat virtually anything.

Stored product pests are found living in dried products such as dried fruits, spices, flour, bran, peas, dried vegetables, dried flowers, grain, cereal products, dog food, nuts, candy, macaroni and other similar products. Stored product pests contaminate far more food than they eat and are common in food processing plants as well as domestic settings.

Mice carry diseases such as Salmonella and they can also transmit a type of Leptospirosis. Their continual dribble of urine contaminates food and feedstuffs. They are a very real pest in grain stores, warehouses, hotels, shops, hospitals and domestic premises. At six weeks mice reach sexual maturity and can have over a dozen in a litter. This means their numbers can increase rapidly which in turn demands effective methods of control and erradication to halt their spread.

Where are Norway rats most common?

Rats are a pest that is found year round. They often live outdoors and then migrate inside when cool weather approaches.

When am I most likely to see Norway rats?

Rats are a nocturnal animal, meaning they are most active in the night. If food and water are scarce, or in the case of large infestations, rats become active during the day.

Rats nest in any safe location where food and water are available such as under rubbish, between walls or between floors. Outdoors, they will burrow into the ground.

Termites eat cellulose for nutrition. Cellulose is found in wood and wood products. Termites have the "flying termite" or "winged reproductive". These winged termites are new kings and queens attempting to establish a new colony. They may also be referred to as "swarmers". Ant colonies also send swarmers, which have nearly the same appearance as termites, but may be identified upon closer inspection.

Wasps and their larger cousins, Hornets, build their nests in a variety of places, mainly in holes in the ground, or in voids in buildings or in trees. The population of a typical nest can quickly grow to several hundred individuals who will attack any intruder that they feel is a threat.