Search Results for: White-shouldered house moth with its wings open

Small mites

…ges and adult males and females have eight legs. The mites do not have any wings and travels by being blown by the wind or by crawling around. Most mites are blind and deaf. They move around by feeling and smelling their way. In comparison with the insects, the mites have very thin skin. Consequently, they are forced to live in places of high humidity. In dry environments, the mites will of dehydration. About a thousand different mite species are…

Insect development

…when the hormone is below a certain value, the larvae begin to go into the pupal stage. Knowledge of these processes is of great practical value. Synthetic-made insect hormones may in some cases be used in pest control without being dangerous to humans. Sprayed on insect habitats or in tiny amounts mixed in baits, synthetic hormones may mess up the vital processes so that insect development is impaired or the insects simply die….

Fungal mosquitoes

…in exceptionally large numbers. They are even harder to get rid of in greenhouses. Often there are also several plants in the green house, which attract the fungal mosquitoes. Prevention and pest control One way to prevent the occurrence of fungal mosquitoes is not overwatering the plants. If they are already present in a potted plant, do not water the plant, allow the soil to dry or simply only water it from below. By doing so, the surface of the…

Blowflies

…gs, flyblow from blowflies in fish The blowflies most commonly seen in the house are the large bluebottles, Calliphora erythrocephala and the slightly smaller, iridescent greenbottles such as Lucilia sericata. Under normal conditions female blowflies lay their eggs on dead animals, the smell of which can attract them from a distance of several kilometres. They also lay on other decomposing organic matter and on faeces. During the day, the flies pr…

Opilo domesticus

…lls’. Opilo domesticus is a natural enemy of timber pests….

Australian spider beetle

…00, but it is now common more or less everywhere. The female can lay up to 1000 eggs, and the larvae will live in all kinds of dried plant products, such as grain, flour and spices. They may also breed in birds’ nests and in desiccated carrion. In lofts and warehouses they can make do with the remains of insects and rat or mouse faeces that collect in corners. In factories producing foodstuffs or bone meal this beetle can be a very serious pest, a…

Ciniflo fenestralis

…he spider runs out, seizes the insect by a leg and drags it backwards into its retreat. The eggs are normally laid in June. The female spins a spherical nest chamber in a sheltered place near the web and camouflages the nest with various foreign objects. In this completely enclosed chamber she lays her eggs and remains nearby, guarding them and taking no more food. In late summer old nests can be found from which the young have disappeared, leavin…

Dermestes frischi

…ding species, other very similar dermestid beetles are frequently imported with goods from overseas. The present species is one of the commonest of these and it often arrives in cargoes of untanned skins. As in the cases of its relatives the larvae that are ready to pupate wander about and eat their way into a variety of goods. This is a warmth-loving species which would not normally become established in northern Europe. In a few cases it has, ho…

Cheese fly

…e but also on other milk products, on meat as well as offal and faeces. The larvae, known as cheese skippers, have a fantastic ability to hop. They do this by bending themselves in the middle so that they can grasp the hind part of the body with the mouth- hooks. They then suddenly release their hold and the body is hurled into the air. At one time they were something of a scourge in shops selling cheese and smoked products and also in private hou…

The jet black ant

…Latin: Acanthomyops fuliginosus Jet black ant It may also find its way into the kitchen. It makes it’s nest in timber and is discussed in more detail in the book on page 145 – jet black ant and timerberpest – together with the pests of timber….

Pharaoh ant

…in the early years of this century. It is completely dependent upon heated houses. Like the native ants, this tropical species lives in colonies, but in contrast to most other ants there are sometimes several queens in each colony. When a colony has reached a certain size, some of the workers and queens leave taking with them a number of eggs and larvae. The colonies are established in sheltered dark places, usually near a source or warmth, for th…

Tobacco beetle

…movement ceases at temperatures below 18° C. The beetles are often carried with goods to temperate regions, where they can survive in heated buildings. The larvae, which can tolerate nicotine, live both in raw tobacco and in finished tobacco products, and are a very serious and costly pest of the tobacco industry. Tobacco beetle larvae in cigars They also have a very varied diet, for they are found in many other products, such as rice, dried fish,…

Ambrosia beetles

…f ambrosia beetles in a split piece of wood. The horizontal passage is the mother passage, from whose floor and ceiling the short larval passages emanate. When the tree dries out the fungi can no longer thrive and the attack dies out, so in normal circumstances this is not an economically important pest of building timber. If timber is directly exposed to wind and rain the holes made by the beetles will provide an entry for various moulds. When ti…

Prune mite

…legs, but it can be distinguished, amongst other things, by the fact that its body is not divided into two by a transverse line. These mites live mainly in dried fruit, and sometimes in jam. People who work with mite-infested goods may suffer from an eczema-like condition because they become sensitive to the mites and to their moulted skins and faeces. Prune mites are particularly likely to produce this type of condition, often known as grocer’s…

Animals that gnaw metal

…this means that some insects are able to gnaw these materials. Sardine can opened by a rat. You can clearly see the traces of the front teeth. The enamel on our teeth and on those of other mammals is almost as hard. It is scarcely so well adapted for gnawing hard materials, because it is relatively brittle. However, some rodents can gnaw the softer metals. No animal will gnaw a metal for its own sake, but they do so when for some reason it is in t…

Swallow

…s access to the outside, or it may build under the eaves. Swallow building its nest on a ceiling beam The nest is in the form of a hemispherical saucer of mud mixed with earth and a little straw. Swallows are territorial, so there is usually a fair distance between the individual nests. They often return to the same nest year after year, and in Britain they usually start to lay eggs in the middle of May. They feed on insects, mainly flies, gnats,…

The european pigeon tick

…s. In a pigeon house the European pigeon tick is a nuisance. If the pigeon house is highly infested, the pigeons can be weakened and die from anaemia. In Denmark, the European pigeon tick has been known for some time, but it is not very common. European pigeon ticks live near the nests of domesticated pigeons, and they can reproduce heavily in old pigeon houses. During the long periods between meals, they stay in cracks and crevices – no more than…

If the European pigeon ticks are not controlled

When a pigeon house is dismantled, dusting with powder insecticides can solve the problem once and for all. If this detail is forgotten and the place is into houses, the ticks will wander around until they get hungry. Most will die in the process. The few that are spotted in living areas are probably so weakened that they cannot figure out how to bite. This is especially applies to pigeon ticks that spotted in broad daylight, because the ticks ar…

Geophilus carpophagus

…survive for a long time and become a nuisance. They are sometimes seen in houses with thatched roofs, where they may possibly establish themselves in moss cushions on the roof or in the thatch itself. These centipedes cause no damage in the house; they do not gnaw timber or anything else, but are naturally rather unpleasant when they occur in large numbers. This centipede sometimes produces a luminescent secretion, of which the origin is not full…

Cone bug

…( Latin: Gastrodes ferrugineus) Cone bug This is an example of an insect which has nothing to do in a house, but which may be brought indoors from time to time. It is a bug that lives in coniferous forests where it can be found under the bark of trees. In winter large numbers of these bugs live in fallen spruce cones, and if a number of these are collected for decoration it is quite easy for the bugs to find their way into the house….

How do you get bed bugs?

…racks in the panels or pipe penetration, for example. A piece of furniture with bed bugs has been introduced, maybe bought at a flea market or found in a container Bed bugs from bats, swallows or swifts can occasionally seek into the house, especially if their natural host animal is removed from the property, so the bed bugs get hungry Bed bugs do not come in from outside, they do not live freely in the Danish countryside. They are not introduced…

Prevention and control

…Fig. 44. Louse flies are present from May to August, however they are mostly common in June. One should not refrain from having birds on the house out of fear for louse flies. The risk of them getting inside the house is, after all, very little. If they show up, they are easily eradicated with one of the usual pesticide sprays with pyrethrin. Treating nest environments with an insect powder will usually stop a louse fly infection….

5. Non-chemical control measures

…e method provides good results. Mites, booklice, plaster beetles and brown house moths are dependent on a damp environment and are easiest fought by drying-out the premises and goods. Chemical control of these animals will rarely be useful for long if the humidity is not simultaneously reduced. Cooling: The cooler food is stored, the less the risk that there may develop pests in them. At very low temperatures, e.g. -20 ° C for one week, one will u…

Cat fleas bite people

…in cellars and outbuildings where semi-feral cats have lived. After a vacation, it is also typical that many fleas when returning to a house where a large number of fleas have hatched while you were away attack you. In a house with cat fleas, flea bites are often seen equal frequent in children. On adult humans, flea bites are mostly common with women (2/3) and not as common with men (1/3). The cause of this phenomenon is not known….

Control

…cessary to carry out a thorough and troublesome flea control program. It is sufficient to treat the animal’s sleeping places and favorite relaxation spots. Cleaning the house is a good idea, however, you should only vacuum the house – do no soap and water. In humans Concentrate on treating the infected animals. It is not necessary to treat people. Once the treatment is started, you do not get new bites and the symptoms will disappear within a few…

Mouse eradication

…laid obliquely against the base of the house. When mice are already in the house the first thing to do is to try and eradicate them with the help of traps. If poison is used indoors it often happens that dead mice lying in inaccessible places will produce a most unpleasant smell, and they will also provide breeding places for blowflies, larder beetles and other insects. Spring traps can be baited with a suitable substance such as cheese, bread or…

Human fleas

…but not in Denmark. In Southern and Central Europe, the human flea is still common inside houses. Human fleas are controlled by spraying the house with one of the remedies used to control cat fleas….

Prevention and control

…per wants to collect it. A thorough, repeated dusting of the hive entrance with an insect powder will quickly kill the colony. It is important to close the hive entrance thoroughly after the eradication, and remove beeswax and honey; otherwise it will tempt other swarms to settle in the same place. Do not close the hive entrance while there are still live bees inside. It will just force the bees to find other entrance holes – often inside the hous…

Colour plates

…ysanura – Silverfish Varied carpet beetle White-shouldered house moth with its wings open White-shouldered house moth Animals in paper, leather and plastics Blue woodlouse Book worm (Furniture beetle larva) Booklouse with wings Booklouse without wings Cigarette beetle Common woodlouse Dermestid beetle Drugstore beetle Great slug Male spider beetle Spider beetle, Sphaericus gibbioides Thysanura – Firebrat Thysanura – Silverfish Yellow slug Animals…

Mice

…When mice start to come into a house in autumn they will usually be house mice, wood mice or yellow-necked mice. Other species sometimes come indoors but they usually do not survive very long. For precautions to be taken to prevent such invasions see p. 87…