Have you ever had a large swarm of small moths coming out of your kitchen cabinets or flying around your home?

Generally these are going to be the Indian Meal Moth.

The adults of this moth have a wing spread of about ¾”. The front wings are tan on the front third and reddish/brown with a coppery luster on the back two-thirds of the wings. Their larva is about ½” long, and usually a dirty white color, sometimes with a yellowish, greenish or even pinkish hue.

This moth is most often found in products in the home. The Indian Meal Moth larva (pdf) feeds on all types of grains and grain based products. They also love seeds, pet foods and treats, crackers, powdered milk, bread crumbs, nuts and almost any other dried foods. Having these moths in your home isn’t usually a cleanliness issue because they are normally packaged in the food when it was purchased. It only becomes a cleanliness issue if you don’t take measures to get rid of the insects.

Eradicating the infested food source is 75% of the battle, followed by a crack and crevice treatment to eliminate the stragglers.  It’s important to note that there are other moths that look similar but may have different habits, and this is why a professional technician should be called out to properly identify the problem.

Centipedes are common house pests that are often misidentified by a homeowner. The most common homeowner description of a centipede is a big spider with lots of legs.

The body of a house centipede is usually about 1″ to 1- ½” long and has 15 pairs of very long legs, which is why it’s often confused with a spider. The body of a house centipede is grayish yellow with three dark stripes extending along the full length of the back; which also makes the insect look larger than it really is.

One major difference between the house centipede and other species of centipedes is that the house centipede generally lives its entire life inside a building, where most other species will live primarily outside.

In homes and other buildings, the house centipede prefers damp areas such as closets, cellars, bathrooms and unexcavated areas under the house. House centipedes will lay their eggs behind baseboards and the bark of firewood stored inside the building.

Aside from their creepy appearance, house centipedes are considered to be a beneficial insect since the bug hunts at night for spiders, smaller insects and their larvae. House centipedes typically leave humans alone but on occasion, a house centipede will bite which could cause swelling and redness.

Treatments by a professional pest control company are all a homeowner needs to keep house centipedes at bay.

The pest in the picture to the left is a glassy-winged sharpshooter. The name is not made up but the insect is considered both exotic and invasive to the state of California, this pest has is even been seen in Orange County.

A pest that is exotic and invasive is a pest that is not a native species (insect, plant, etc…) and has rapidly spread throughout the region. Exotic and invasive pests can be intentionally or accidentally introduced. But many times it is very difficult to eradicate the species and can often cause environmental problems within its new home.

According to invasivespeciesinfo.gov, almost half of endangered and threaten species in the United States are impacted by invasive species. The same site mentions that one study estimates that invasive species cost more than $100 billion for the United States every year.

It’s interesting to note that species that are staples in our country such as rice, corn and cattle were once introduced and could be considered invasive and exotic. So it’s possible to say that there are pros and cons. But more often than not, the introduction of invasive and exotic pests should be avoided.

Here are a few easy steps to prevent a non-native species from becoming invasive:

• Avoid dumping anything from an aquarium into local ponds, streams, etc… This include plants, fish and invertebrate
• Burn firewood where you buy it…transporting firewood can move insects and other pests from one region to another
• When possible, use native plants in your landscaping
• Think twice when buying exotic pests such as pythons, parrots, etc… these animals can cause numerous problems including threats to safety and human health

Here’s a great resource for invasive and exotic pests. This site includes information and pictures for exotic insects, plants, weeds and other species. Invasive.org is also a great place to find related links and publications dedicated to invasive and exotic pests.

Insects and other pests are a year round problem in the mild climate of Irvine, California. Some of these pests cause structural damage such as termites, some pests can cause personal damage such as black widow spiders and other pests such as house mouse are just a pain to have around.

Next time a bug or mouse scurries across the floor, visit Accurate’s gallery of pictures of common pests in Southern California to get a positive ID on the pest you’re dealing with.

If your pest isn’t listed in the gallery, try the University of California guidelines for pest management. This site allows you to choose your pest (i.e. mammals, insects, mollusks, etc…) or the plant in your yard or garden that is infested with the pest. This informative site also has information on pesticides, exotic pests and quick tips on how to manage pests.

Not all pests are bad, here is an interesting site with information about plants that attract beneficial insects and are helpful to have around.

Fumigation also known as tenting, is a method of pest control that completely gets rid of pests within the area being fumigated.

The pests are eradicated with the use of pesticides in gas form. Methyl bromide used to be the most widely used pesticide in tenting but has since been restricted because of its environmental damage. Nowadays there are several fumigants that can be used including formaldehyde, methyl isocyanate and hydrogen cyanide.

The structure is either sealed with plastic, tape or other materials or the entire structure is tented with the use of nylon tarps. See pic above. The length of fumigation or tenting can vary from a couple hours to a week; depending on the pest problem and the size of the structure.

It’s important to remember that the pesticides used to kill the termites can also kill or poison other living things. All people, pets (fish included), plants, etc… are to be removed. Also, it’s a good idea to remove or completely seal anything that will eventually be ingested (pills too!).

Proper precautions are taken when it comes to fumigation. For instance, the re-entry date, time and other information will posted on the house when the structure is safe to re-enter. But, if headaches, nausea or any other symptoms appear after re-entering the structure, leave immediately and contact a doctor or poison control.

For more in depth information about fumigation, view California’s Structural Pest Control Board’s FAQ about fumigation.

Fumigation is an aggressive method of pest control but it’s not flawless. Since the pesticide used is in gas form, there is no poison left behind so the termites or other pests can return. Also, the deadly dosage of pesticide for one pest may not be enough to kill another pest. But if fumigation is performed correctly, the target pest should be eradicated.

Male black widow spiders are sometimes killed by the female black widow after they mate

the most venomous spider in the United States. But how can you tell if it’s a black widow and where do they usually dwell?

Luckily black widow spiders are fairly easy to ID. Mature black widow spiders are usually 1.5 inches long (about the size of a small paperclip) and .25 inches wide. Their bodies are jet black with a distinguishing feature, a red hourglass on the underside of their very round abdomens.

What most people don’t realize is that the name black widow is actually a general name for a group of spiders that include the western black widow, the northern black widow and the southern black widow. But because the three species are very similar it’s common to just refer to any of the three species as just black widow spiders.

The bite of a black widow is said to be 15 times stronger than the venomous bite of a rattlesnake and it’s interesting to note that only the female’s bite is dangerous. Contrary to popular belief only about 1% of black widow spider bites are fatal AND no one has died from a black widow bite in over 10 years. But here are some symptoms of black widow bites:

• Pain and redness at the bit site
• Muscle cramps
• Headache
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• High bloog pressure
• Weakness and/tremors
• Sweating

A regular inspection for black widows is often a good idea if the spiders are common in your area. Black widow spiders are often found in dark places such as attics, closets, woodpiles and garages.

One of the most obvious problems with bees in a house or building is the fact that they can sting, and this can be especially dangerous if a person is allergic to bee stings. But there are other problems associated with the presence of bees.

Other than bee stings, honey is the next common problem caused by a bee infestation. Honey from a bee hive can cause a couple problems; one it can cause staining and damage to walls and/or ceilings. Two, honey from bee hives can drip and attract other insects and even rodents. Lastly, the honey in a bee hive can grow mold.

Honey bees and bumble bees do not eat or chew wood, therefore cannot cause structural damage. But carpenter bees are capable of boring holes into walls, roofs and any other wood.

After you spot bees and before you call an bee exterminator, remember that yes, bees may sting but bumble bees and honey bees are actually helpful. Bees are used extensively for pollination in the agricultural industry and the estimated value of bee pollination is often in the billions of dollars. Honey bees obviously also produce honey and bees wax which are used for a variety of uses such as consumption and candles.

Think you have a bee problem? Here’s a helpful identification guide for bees, hornets, wasps, etc…

Most people think termites are the only insects that can inflict damage to property. But in fact they are just one in a list of insects that eat (and destroy) wood. The list of wood-destroying insects includes carpenter ants, termites (several species), round-headed borers, carpenter bees, wood destroying beetles, brown wood rot and several others.

Different wood-destroying insects prefer different types of wood. For instance, termites generally like soft wood that is found in the structure of the building but round-headed borers like both soft and hard wood less than 10 years old. LivingWithBugs.com has a really informative chart about wood destroying insects (pdf). The chart lists the insect, the type of wood it prefers, damage potential and a few other facts.

Wondering what brown wood rot is? Brown wood rot (there is also a white wood rot) is actually a decay fungi that typically grows on wood with a lot of moisture. Both brown and white wood rot is sometimes mistaken for termite damage but can be disproved once it is determined there aren’t any tunnels or sawdust.

So when a termite inspection is preformed, termites are just one of the pests being inspected for. And termites aren’t the only insect that can destroy your home, porch or deck.

Very few people appreciate the cockroach and as one of the most common household pests it’s no wonder. But cockroaches have been around for millions of years so chances are they aren’t going to disappear anytime soon. There are some simple and inexpensive ways to cut down on the number of roaches around your house.

Five Easy Ways to Reduce the Number of Roaches in Your Home:

1. Store both your plastic and paper bags in a zipping plastic bag…bunched up bags are great nesting environments for cockroaches

2. Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink and uncovered food on the counter for an extended period of time

3. Keep pet food out of the kitchen and in air tight containers

4. Take care of extra moisture from leaky pipes, faucets, etc..

5. If you store garbage under the sink, regularly clean the area for spilled food, debris and anything that may attract roaches

6. Hire a cockroach exterminator.

Did you know…

• Cockroaches can be found around the world and adapt very easily to many environments
• Fossils of cockroach-like insects date back to between 354–295 million years ago
• The largest species of cockroach is over three inches long
• There are over 4,000 different species of cockroaches but only four species of cockroaches are considered pests in the United States