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Thrips

(Latin: Order Thysanoptera) These are very small, often dark insects, forming a quite distinct order. Each of the legs ends in a protrusible vesicle, and the two pairs of very narrow wings have hairy edges. In Denmark they are sometimes known as cholera flies. This is because they occurred in enormous numbers in Copenhagen during […]

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 […]

Gamasid mites

These are very large, yellow-brown, active mites with long legs. Most of the species feed as predators on other mites and on small insects, but some, e.g. Kleemannia plumigera, feed on moulds. Now and again they occur in new houses that are still damp, or in lofts with damp hay or straw where they may […]

Bryobia praetiosa

(Latin: sp. Bryobia) These are very tiny mites which sometimes occur in large numbers on the walls and windows of houses with gardens, particularly if the lawn comes close up to the walls. Their red colour often gives rise to the idea that they suck blood, but in fact they live by sucking the juices […]

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, […]

House centipede

This animal has extremely long legs which are used as a kind of capture net when hunting insects and other invertebrates. It occurs naturally in central and southern Europe where it is frequently seen indoors, but is only found very occasionally in northern Europe, having been brought m from further south (see also p. 34).

Geophilus carpophagus

(Latin: Geophilus carpophagus) Commonly known as: Soil centipede With its long, thin, flexible body this centipede is well adapted for living in tunnels and holes in the soil. Now and again it may enter houses, probably during the night when hunting for prey. These centipedes are seen particularly in the spring and autumn and their […]

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 […]

Woodlice

(Latin: Order Isopoda) The greyish, oval woodlice, somewhat reminiscent of tiny armadillos, are among the better known small crawling invertebrates, and they have acquired many folk names. In Scotland, for instance, they are known as slaters. Woodlice are the only crustaceans that have become adapted to living exclusively on land. Other well-known crustaceans include lobsters, […]

Earwig

Earwigs start to come into houses in late summer, seeking good hiding-places, for they are nocturnal animals which spend the day in sheltered places. These they find in abundance in the human environment, in the cracks and crevices of doors and windows, folded handkerchiefs, bath towels and so on. By mid-September, however, they have mostly […]

Thrips

These are very small, often dark insects, forming a quite distinct order. Each of the legs ends in a protrusible vesicle, and the two pairs of very narrow wings have hairy edges. In Denmark they are sometimes known as cholera flies. This is because they occurred in enormous numbers in Copenhagen during the cholera year […]

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 […]

Gamasid mites

These are very large, yellow-brown, active mites with long legs. Most of the species feed as predators on other mites and on small insects, but some, e.g. Kleemannia plumigera, feed on moulds. Now and again they occur in new houses that are still damp, or in lofts with damp hay or straw where they may […]

Bryobia praetiosa

These are very tiny mites which sometimes occur in large numbers on the walls and windows of houses with gardens, particularly if the lawn comes close up to the walls. Their red colour often gives rise to the idea that they suck blood, but in fact they live by sucking the juices of green plants. […]

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 […]

House centipede

This animal has extremely long legs which are used as a kind of capture net when hunting insects and other invertebrates. It occurs naturally in central and southern Europe where it is frequently seen indoors, but is only found very occasionally in northern Europe, having been brought from further south

Geophilus carpophagus

With its long, thin, flexible body this centipede is well adapted for living in tunnels and holes in the soil. Now and again it may enter houses, probably during the night when hunting for prey. These centipedes are seen particularly in the spring and autumn and their appearance may possibly be due to heavy rainstorms […]

Woodlice

The greyish, oval woodlice, somewhat reminiscent of tiny armadillos, are among the better known small crawling invertebrates, and they have acquired many folk names. In Scotland, for instance, they are known as slaters. Woodlice are the only crustaceans that have become adapted to living exclusively on land. Other well-known crustaceans include lobsters, crabs, prawns and […]

Grey worm

(Latin: Allolobophora caliginosa) The principal external characteristic of an earthworm is the division of the elongate body into a series of distinct rings or segments. The skin of an earthworm is kept smooth and damp by mucus produced by glands in the skin, If, however, an earthworm is allowed to slip between the fingers it […]

Occasional visitors

Many different animals may be brought into the house more or less accidentally, e.g. with fruit or flowers. It would be impossible to catalogue them all, but a few examples may suffice.

Yellow-necked mouse

( Latin: Apodemus flavicollis) Most yellow-necked mice spend the whole of the year out in the open, but some enter houses, usually later on than the house mice, about the end of October. They will eat stores of fruit in cellars or other places. In the wild, yellow-necked mice feed on all kinds of seeds […]

House mouse

(Latin: Mus musculus) Many house mice spend the summer out in the fields, but usually not far from houses. Then from the middle of August onwards they start to move indoors again, and the peak of such an invasion will usually be in the middle of September. See also p. 84 for more details on […]

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

Wasps

Often when the loft is being cleared in winter one comes across a very drowsy wasp hidden away in a well-sheltered spot. This will be a hibernating young queen

Seven-spotted ladybird

(Latin: Coccinella septempunctata) In late summer ladybirds are often seen flying around in large numbers. They emerge from fields where the larvae have been feeding on aphids, and they gather in hedges and along the edges of woodland where they will spend the winter under bark or stones. They may also enter houses, where they are […]

Butterflies

(Latin: Lepidoptera) Butterflies sometimes spend the winter in houses, usually in lofts. The species that commonly do this are the small tortoise- shell (Aglais urticae) and the peacock (Inachis io), which are seen in the typical resting position with the wings folded together over the back. They should not be disturbed, for if they come into […]

Common gnat

(Latin: Culex pipiens) This is a small, brownish mosquito or gnat, often found spending the winter in large numbers in, for instance, damp cellars. Sometimes it will take to the • wing during the winter if disturbed, but fortunately it seldom bites humans, evidently preferring the blood of birds.

Theobaldia annulata

(Latin: Theobaldia annulata) Commonly known as: Banded mosquito This is a large grey mosquito with white rings on the legs. The fertilized females spend the winter in suitable cool places, but if disturbed they may wake up and even start to suck blood. In fact this is the species that is nearly always responsible for […]

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.