Residential/Commercial Flashcards
Largest group in the Animal Kingdom
Phylum Arthropoda - INSECTS
Biological Classifications
[Limping Dreadfully,] King Phillip Came Over From Great Spain
L D K P C O F G S
[Life, Domain,] Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
Arthropod classes have:
- body made of segments - grouped or fused together.
- legs, antennae, and other appendages attached in pairs.
- a hard or tough external covering with some pliable, or soft parts called an exoskeleton.
Arachnida
spiders, mites, scorpions, daddy long legs and others. usually have mouthparts with two prominent structures that end in a needlelike piercing tip. Four pairs of legs and two body regions.
Crustacea
millipedes. many-segmented and wormlike. cylindrical with short antennae and two pairs of legs per segment.
Chilopoda
centipedes. many-segmented and wormlike, but they may appear flattened, with exception of the house centipede. have one pair of legs per segment and antennae and hind legs are long.
Insecta
three body regions: head, thorax, and abdomen. Usually two kinds of eyes: compound and simple on the front of the head. Simple eyes perceive rapid changes in light for alarm reactions. 3 pairs of legs.
Spiracles
insects breathe through spiracles and not through their mouths.
scientific names
consist of two words. the first word is the genus name (first letter always capital), second word is the species (lower case).
Gradual Metamorphosis
cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, boxelder bugs, earwigs, etc. three distinct stages: egg, nymph (with several instars), and adult. Nymphs do not have wings, though often found with adults, eating the same food.
Complete Metamorphosis
beetles, moths, butterflies, flies, fleas, ants, bees, and wasps. four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Simple Metamorphosis
springtails and silverfish. makes no drastic change in form and shape. Just gets bigger by molting.
Instars
period of time between insect molts.
German Cockroach
1/2 inch long. light brown with 2 black stripes on the areas behind the head (pronotum). Reproduce 30-40 eggs every 3-4 weeks. Female can lay 4-8 capsules in lifetime.
Aggregation pheromone
aggregation of roaches is held together by this short range oder.
American Cockroach
up to 2 inches long. Reddish brown. Pronotum is ringed by an irregular light color that is almost yellow. Reproduce every 45-50 days. 14-16 eggs per capsule. Can live for more than a year.
Brown-banded cockroach
Similar to German Roach, but never has the two stripes behind the pronotum. Light band behind the pronotum.
Oriental Cockroach
intermediate size. much darker than the others. Produces only 1 generation of roaches per year - seasonal. Do not fly.
Ants
Workers, male reproductives, and female reproductives (Queen). Males are smaller, winged ants. Once inseminated, queen ants can produce eggs for life. Males mate and die within 2 weeks. Queens may live many years.
Ant colonies
development is very slow. nests are inconspicuous for several months until a large population of worker ants is produced. colonies contain tens of thousands of workers.
Field Ants
most common. dark brown or black and medium size. do not nest indoors.
Cornfield Ants
small (less than 1/8 inch) and brown or black. make nests in fields and moist, rotting wood.
Harvester Ants
large (1/6 - 1/3 inch) and red or dark brown. gather seeds. rarely enter homes. can sting.
Pavement Ants
most common in homes. small with dark body.
Pharaoh Ants
Small and yellow or pale reddish-brown. mostly found indoors. serious pest in dormitories, hospitals, and apartments. very persistent and difficult to treat for.
Thief Ants
small and easily confused with pharaoh ants. nest indoors, often in the nest with larger ants. will kill and eat the larvae of other ants.
Blow Fly
fairly large, metallic green, gray, blue, or black flies found throughout colorado. more common than the housefly.
House Fly
best know of the house-dwelling flies, but are found relatively infrequently in colorado. 1/4 inch long. grey. found around humans.
Face Fly
similar to house flies, but with different habitats. more common than house flies. found in storage facilities and lofts.
Little House Fly
smaller than house of face flies, but similar in appearance. indoors, fly for long periods and rarely rest.
Cluster Fly
more than 1/4 in long. thorax covered with gray or yellowish hairs and has no stripes. fly awkwardly indoors. once inside, right before winter, they form large aggregations and hibernate. usually nest in upper stories/attics.
Picture-wing fly
do not reproduce indoors. seek overwintering shelter and invade homes and businesses. harmless
Fruit, pomace, or vinegar fly
among smallest flies found in homes. light brown and might have bright red eyes.
Drain Fly
about 1/8 inch long. moth-like.
Humpbacked fly
self explanatory
Fungus Gnat
small, dark. most often found around windows during fall and winter. may infest potting mixes used for houseplants. Overwatering increases fungi and fungus gnat development.
Silverfish
Prefer warm temperatures and high humidity. Can live from 2-3 years. feed on starchy substances - even those found in paper.
Firebrats
Like silverfish, but prefer 90 degrees or warmer.
Millipedes
1 to 1 1/2 inches in length. “little black worms in the window wells.” often curl up when dead. do not pose any danger to humans.
Duff Millipedes
1/8 in long at the most. Looks like tiny carpet beetles.
Centipedes
legs are quite prominent. feed on insects. Cannot bite through skin, so hazard to humans is remote.
Clover Mite
front legs look like antennae. red body. leave red streak when squished. harmless.
Army Cutworm (Miller Moth)
Most common nuisance moth in colorado. two characteristic light spots on each wing. do not bread indoors and die within a few days. Home insecticides work poorly.
Carpet Beetles
almost all clothing damage results from carpet beetles. black carpet beetle is most common
Indian Meal Moth
most common small moth in colorado. grain moth. newly hatched larvae can penetrate sealed packaging.
Flour Beetles
“bran bugs.” 1/8” long and reddish brown. common in milling operations. feed on stored food products.
Paper Wasps
3/4” long. brownish with yellow markings. Semi social. signal queen. nest is abandoned in fall and is not reused the next year. only new queens survive.
Yellowjackets
banded yellow or orange and black. 1/2” long. social insects - live in nests or colonies. queens and males are reared later in the season and leave the nest to mate. may fly as far 1000 yards from the colony.
Bald-faced hornet
dark. marked with white stripes. social insects with aerial nests. queens and males are reared later in the season and leave the nest to mate.
Mud Daubers
usually black. can be more than 1” long. non aggressive.
Bumblebee
plump and covered with black and yellow hairs. social insects. annually establish new colonies started by single queens. colonies often underground or on walls void of insulation. aggressive and may sting repeatedly.
Leafcutter and Ground Bees
darker with light bands on the abdomen. make tunnels within plant stems, rotten wood, or in the ground. do not form colonies. not aggressive, mild sting. control by modifying soil conditions.
Bed Bug
wingless. can live up to a year or more.
Bat Bug
brown and wingless. often cease most development during the winter months when their animal hosts are absent or dormant.
Cephalothorax
two-part spider shape – head and thorax are combined.
chelicerae
spider mouthparts, located in front below the eyes, two of them.
Widow Spiders
Western Widow most common in colorado. Female is poisonous, male is not. Bites are characterized by a slight swelling with two tiny red spots where the fangs entered.
Brown Recluse
the only spider with 3 pairs of eyes. all other have 4 pairs. egg to adult takes 336 days. Males and Females both inject venom. Average life span is 600 days.
Daddy Long Legs
unlike true daddy long legs, these kind make webs. harmless.
Plague
transmitted primarily by the oriental rat flea. no major outbreak since 1924.
Rat-bite Fever
disease is carried in the teeth and gums of many rats. symptoms similar to flu. can be fatal. can be transmitted to house mice.
Salmonella food poisoning
thrive in the intestinal tracts of rats. droppings can transmit salmonella to humans. mice are probably more responsible than rats for spread of this disease.
Leptospirosis or Weil’s Disease
seldom fatal. spread through rat urine into water or food. mouse can also transmit this.
Trichinosis
nematode that invades intestines and muscle tissue. rats help spread when hogs eat food or garbage contaminated with infested rat droppings.
Rickettsial pox
chicken pox type. transmitted to humans from mice by the bite of the house-mouse mite.
meningitis
virus of house mice. may be transmitted to humans through food or dust.
Dermatitis
skin irritation and itching. associated with house-mouse infestations. Mites
Neophobia
fear of new object. rats have this. mice don’t
Norway Rat
most common rat in colorado. 7-10” long. course brown fur, white belly. yellowish belly. small ears. tail is shorter than head and body combined. droppings 3/4” long, capsule shaped, blunt ends. live outside in burrows. prefer meat, fish, and cereal. lower levels of buildings.
Roof Rat
6-8” long. fur is soft and smooth. large ears. tail is longer than head and body combined. smaller droppings - 1/2”. pointed ends. commonly nest in trees. prefer to eat plants. prefer attics and upper levels of buildings.
