(Latin: Otiorrhynchus sulcatus) This is one of the larger weevils. It moves around in a characteristic slow manner, and like all weevils it is vegetarian. The larvae live in the soil and feed on the underground parts of plants. The adults avoid the light and hide themselves during the day, often in the surface soil […]
Crane fly
(Latin: Tipula paludosa) Crane flies are among the animals which can cause panic in the bedroom when – attracted by the light – then fly in from outside and flap against the lampshades. Crane flies are merely large flies. They do not feed as adults, nor do they bite or sting. The female lays eggs […]
Drone fly larva
(Latin: Eristalis tenax) This is the larva of a hoverfly (Family Syrphidae), and it is not very well known, perhaps because it lives in drainage channels, in pools receiving water from dunghills and similar places with water that is grossly polluted with organic matter. At its rear end this larva has a breathing tube which […]
Hoverfly
(Latin: Syrphus ribesii) During the late summer of some years the house may be swarming with enormous numbers of rather attractive insects, resembling small wasps. These are hoverflies which on a sunny day can be seen hovering almost motionless in the air, and suddenly darting off so quickly that it is very difficult to follow them […]
Devil’s coach-horse
(Latin: Staphylinus olens) This large predatory beetle is common in woodland, but is also found in gardens and sometimes enters houses when hunting for prey, usually small insects, slugs and worms. It is easily recognizable by its size (up to 3 cm long) and by its dark colour. As is typical of the staphylinid beetles […]
Springtails
(Latin: Order Collembola) In these tiny insects one of the abdominal segments has a forked appendage which can be jerked backwards, thus propelling the animal into the air. They are usually greyish, but some species are bright green or black. Springtails live in places with a high humidity and feed on decaying vegetation and on […]
Millipedes
(Latin: Archiuslus sabulosus; Class Diplopoda) Millipedes differ from centipedes in having a greater number of segments and in having two pairs of legs on each segment. In addition, they are peaceful vegetarians which are found, often in large numbers, in the soil, under stones and in similar dark, damp places. There is no doubt that, […]
Lithobius forficatus
Latin: Lithobius forficatus This very common centipede can reach a length of 3 cm. It is easily found by turning over stones in the garden or by searching under loose bark. It sometimes occurs in compost heaps and outhouses, or in piles of dried leaves, and occasionally one comes indoors during its nocturnal hunt for […]
Centipedes
( Latin: Class Chilopoda) These are predatory invertebrates which hide away by day and come out at night to hunt smaller invertebrates which they kill with the help of the powerful poison claws positioned on the first segment of the body. None of the European species are dangerous to man, but their venom is very […]
Springtails
In these tiny insects one of the abdominal segments has a forked appendage which can be jerked backwards, thus propelling the animal into the air. They are usually greyish, but some species are bright green or black. Springtails live in places with a high humidity and feed on decaying vegetation and on mosses, algae and […]
Millipedes
Millipedes differ from centipedes in having a greater number of segments and in having two pairs of legs on each segment. In addition, they are peaceful vegetarians which are found, often in large numbers, in the soil, under stones and in similar dark, damp places. There is no doubt that, like earthworms, they play a […]
Gnats and mosquitoes
These are normally summer insects (see p. 47), but there are two species which are seen in winter, as they sometimes enter houses to spend the cold part of the year.
Solitary bees
There are about 200 different species of solitary bees in northern Europe. Although they may live gregariously, e.g. Colletes daviesanus (see p. 157), they are known as solitary bees because each individual female makes her own nest, lays and tends her eggs and collects her own food. According to the species, solitary bees may construct […]
Bumble bees
Unlike the honey bees, in which the whole colony survives the winter, a bumble bee colony only lasts for a single season. This means that all the workers die in the autumn, so that only a few young mated queens survive and spend the winter in hibernation. The bumble bees seen in March flying low […]
Honey bee
(Latin: Apis mellifera) This is one of the few, if not the only insect species to have become a true domestic animal. The ancient Egyptians had beehives some 5,000 years ago. The importance of honey bees as pollinators cannot be overestimated, and their honey has always been much sought after. Honey bees live in colonies […]
Bees
(Latin: Superfamily Apoidea)
Wasps
(Latin: Superfamily Vespoidea) There are seven different species of social wasp in Britain and northern Europe, and they all have the same general appearance with the black-yellow barring, and the same habits. The wasps usually seen in or near houses are the common wasp Vespula vulgaris, the German wasp, Vespula germanica, and the hornet Vespa […]
Fungus beetles
This is a group of small beetles which have a somewhat unusual way of life. Both the adults and the larvae feed predominantly on moulds and they therefore live where these are to be found growing. They occur in cellars, outhouses and store-rooms where the humidity is high, and it is not uncommon for them […]
Davies’s Colletes
(Latin: Colletes daviesanus) These are solitary bees (p. 180) which do not form true colonies although several may live close together. Like other bees they have a sting, but are not very aggressive. In the wild they live in chalk or clay, but they may also live in mortar if it is not too hard. […]
Termites
( Latin: Isoptera ) On a world scale the termites are by far the most serious pests of timber. There are about 2000 different species, but they require warmth and a high• humidity and therefore only thrive under tropical conditions. Like ants and bees, termites live in colonies which consist of so-called kings and queens, concerned with […]
Spider beetle larvae
Spider beetle larvae behave similar to dermestid beetles, but their pupation tunnels are smaller.
Dermestid larvae
Dermestid larvae usually wander away from the material they have been living in when they are fully grown (p. 73) and then gnaw into some other material and pupate there. In buildings they often attack timber, and in stores of hides or dried fish which have been attacked by the larder beetle the woodwork may, […]
Goat moth
(Latin: Cossus cossus ) From time to time one finds remarkably large circular holes in timber, particularly if there are willows or poplars in the vicinity. These holes are always in the surface timber of structures such as doors and window frames, and they are made by goat moth larvae. The female lays her eggs in […]
Small black or garden ant
Latin: Acanthomyops niger, lasius niger Preferred common name: Common black ant Several of the ants which otherwise live in the ground will occasionally build their nests in damp timber in the house, and these include the garden ant. They will only start to gnaw their way into timber which has already been subject to damp and […]
Wharfborer
(Latin: Nacerda melanura) This species is rather like a cerambycid, having long antennae, but it actually belongs to a completely different family. It is thought to have come originally from the Great Lakes area of the U.S.A., but has now been carried to all parts of the temperate zone by ships. The adult beetle is […]
Leptura rubra
Aka: Red-brown Longhorn Beetle This beetle is easily distinguished by the attractive yellowish-red coloration. The females lay their eggs in damp softwood, often in diseased or dead branches. The larvae live exclusively in the sapwood and their development normally takes two years. When seen indoors this beetle has usually flown in from adjacent woodlands, but […]
House longhorn
(Latin: Hylotrupes bajulus) From the economic standpoint this beetle is one of the most important pests of structural timber, but it is not widespread in Britain. In the wild the larvae live in old and completely dry coniferous trees. The adult beetle, which is only rarely seen, emerges in lofts in the warmest part of […]
Phymatodes testaceus
(Latin: Phymatodes testaceus) There are different colour variants of this beetle, some having yellowish elytra, some blue. The life cycle is the same as that of the preceding species with the sole exception that the present species only attacks hardwoods, such as beech, birch and oak. In a house the first sign will normally be […]
Callidium violaceum
Latin: Callidium violaceum This is probably the species that is most commonly seen in the house; though not as serious a pest as the house longhorn (p. 135). It lays eggs exclusively in softwood, and only in dead or felled timber that still has its bark on. The larvae live in the growth layer and […]
Longhorn beetles
(Latin: Cerambycidae) These are mostly quite large beetles, often with very long antennae. The larvae of the different species, which are difficult to distinguish from one another, are pale, plump, rather flat, and broadest towards the head which has powerful, dark jaws. The females lay their eggs in bark crevices or splits in the timber, […]