Lone Star Ticks, or Amblyomma americanum, are one of the more easily recognized ticks. This is because the female adults have a white dot on the center of their back, this make them easy to notice. Males tend to have white lines or streaks around the edge of the top of their body. However, the male’s marking is not as noticeable compared to the females. Adult females measure around 5mm in length and males about 3.6 mm. They can be…
With warmer weather approaching we need to be aware of the pests that are lurking in our damp locations. In Wichita, Kansas we are prone to having Cellar Spiders. These spiders are located in damp locations like basements, crawl spaces, and cellars. Theses spiders have long legs and small bodies and are often confused with harvestmen, or better known as daddy longlegs. There are two groups of Cellar Spiders, the long-bodied cellar spiders that have legs up to two inches…
Nothing is more irritating than having dry foods and having an Indian meal moth in it. This is a common occurrence here in Wichita Kansas. The Indian meal moth has an interesting life cycle. It is described as metamorphosis. This meaning they are like a caterpillar. They go from an egg to a larval, then to a pupal and then the adult stage. An adult moth is pretty small just measuring about 3/8 inches long with a wingspan of about…
When the warm days and nights start to come around so do our lovely friends that we enjoy so much here in Wichita, Kansas. Mosquitos in general are a royal pain to almost everyone. Today, we are going to be talking about the House Mosquitos, their appearance, behavior, diet, and signs of infestation. House mosquitos, just like all the rest of mosquitos, have one pair of scaled wings with a pair of halters. They are equipped with slender bodies and…
One of the ways to tell if you’re dealing with a Black Widow or not is to see if they have a red hourglass marking on the underside of their abdomens. Black Widows are also shiny black and are about 3 to 10 mm in size. Females are larger than males and they can measure 13 mm in body length. The most common areas to find Black Widow spiders are in dark secluded area such as crevices and woodpiles. In…
Blow flies are in season and in are a pest that our Wichita Pest Control Services and handle. Blow flies in person are often metallic in appearance. They have feathery hairs on the terminal antennal segments of the males and are 12 to 18 mm long when full grown. Adult blow flies have a sponge-like mouth part, while maggots have a hook-like mouth part. Blow flies belong to the Calliphoridae family of flies found under the Order Diptera. There are…
Brown Dog Ticks are reddish-brown and lack any easily noticeable markings that are found on many other tick species. Adults that have not taken a blood meal are about 1/8-inch long. Blood-fed females are about a ½-inch long and have a blue-gray coloration. Males are smaller than females but are colored very similarly. The preferred host of the brown dog ticks are canines, this species seldom attacks other hosts. However, they may sometimes consume a blood meal from people. Their…
When it comes to pests these ones are the most destructive in the U.S., causing damage well into the billions of dollars annually. Eastern Subterranean Termites are known for consuming wood, but will also feed on and damage almost anything that contains cellulose such as pages of books and other papers. The workers are not able to digest cellulose on their own and depend on microorganisms that reside in the workers termite’s stomach. To breakdown the cellulose into nutrients that…
When it comes to pests these ones are the most destructive in the U.S., causing damage well into the billions of dollars annually. Eastern Subterranean Termites are known for consuming wood, but will also feed on and damage almost anything that contains cellulose such as pages of books and other papers. The workers are not able to digest cellulose on their own and depend on microorganisms that reside in the workers termite’s stomach. To breakdown the cellulose into nutrients that…
When it comes to identifying pests, there can be some complications with getting the correct name to the face of the pest. This is especially difficult when it comes to Bald- Faced Hornets and Yellow Jackets. They look so similar and at times are difficult to tell the difference between them. To make sure you understand the difference between these two pests we are going to explain their appearance, behavior, diet, and even their habits. This way you can have…
