The tarantula is one of the most recognized spider and it’s probably one of the most feared. They’re known for being hairy and VERY large.

There are over 900 species of tarantulas around the world and about four dozen of those species live here in North America. Most tarantulas found in the United States are brown and believe it or not, harmless. The bite of a tarantula from around California is comparable to a wasp or bee sting. What to do if bitten by a tarantula?

In addition to their infamous fangs, most tarantulas living in both North and South America also have urticating hairs which are more often than not used as a first line of defense. These hairs contain a mild venom that is irritating to sensitive areas.

Tarantulas are most active at night so chances are, you wont see these arachnids walking   around the yard or house by day. You may however, find their burrows (picture to the right) in your yard.

The first sign you have tarantulas nesting in your house is finding one of their silken tube tent nests. The nests can be found in dark corners of storage closets, cabinets and the attic as well as storage boxes and any storage areas in the garage.

If you’ve located a tarantula nest, the best thing is to call a professional to remove the spiders, any eggs and its web. No one wants tarantulas in the house, but they may be beneficial outside. Tarantulas and other spiders help keep other insect populations down.

Did you know tarantulas can live up to 30 years in the wild?

Fleas are pests that are seen throughout the entire country and can become quite the nuisance to both homeowners and their pets. But fleas particularly flourish in Southern California because of the warm temperatures and high humidity — just what fleas want. These pests can be difficult to control because of their small size and the large numbers of offspring; fleas can reproduce quickly.

1. There are four stages to the flea life cycle (pdf); eggs, larvae, pupae and adults — the life cycle can be completed in as little as 3 weeks if the conditions are just right
2. Female fleas can lay as many as 50 eggs a day
3. Blood from the host animals (cat, dog, human, etc…) is the main source of food for the flea
4. Flea pupae cocoons are actually resistant to insecticide
5. Fleas have been known to jump up to 150 times their own length
6. A flea can live without a meal (blood) for 100 days
7. The typical life span of a flea is 2 to 3 months but fleas can actually live up to a year and a half
8. There are about 2,000 species of fleas in the world but the Cat flea (also uses dogs as a host) is the most common in Southern California
9. Fleas prefer cats, dogs, humans, possums, rats and other rodents as hosts but they can live on any warm blooded animal
10. At any one time in a single room, 50% of the flea population will be eggs, 35% will be the larvae, 10% flea cocoons and only 5% are adult fleas

Bees are an insect that is often considered a pest but unless you’re allergic they probably provide more benefit than harm. In fact, not all bees sting and only female bees (in all species) have stingers. Bees are absolutely necessary for our ecosystem (there are over 80 species in California), and there’s even been some recent concerns about the declining bee population.

If you aren’t allergic, you may want to consider a bee garden. Having a garden allows the bees to cross pollinate our fruits, vegetables and other ornamental plants. Creating a bee garden isn’t difficult but it is important to use native plants and believe it or not, bees prefer some flowers to others. Other factors in the garden that will attract more bees is a wide variety (at least 10) of flowers, and bees seem to prefer gardens that are less manicured and tended to. You might want to consider including flowers in the bee garden that bloom at different times of the year to keep bees around for a longer period of time.

Did you know? Facts about bees:

• There are about 20,000 known species of bees around the world
• Bees are actually a specialized form of wasp
• Honey bees fly at 15 m.p.h.
• Bees have five eyes
• The first bee appears in fossil records dating 35 million years ago

If you aren’t trying to attract the bees and you suspect you have a problem, call a professional exterminator in California to treat the insects, especially if a hive is present.

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.