Little Buggers! How to identify, treat & prevent insect infestation

INTRODUCTION

Every pest-control company’s website wants us to believe that even the common house spider requires a systematic plan to eradicate them from our homes before life as we know it ends. This, of course, is nonsense. As my knowledge and understanding of insects grew, I learned that with few exceptions insect infestations can be handily dealt with by us without a lot of money spent or toxic chemicals.

It doesn’t take much for an infestation to start. Most living beings need the same necessities: water, food and shelter. And keeping insects outside where they belong requires us to determine whether we are providing or depriving these essentials to them.

Keeping them out of our homes is an important job not to be overlooked and the chapter on preventative measures lists the common areas that require attention to reduce your chances of hosting unwanted guests.

It’s important to understand that no matter what we do nature will do what nature does. We'll never have bug-free gardens nor should that be a goal. Insects help us, plants, birds and other insects. And we all need to get along... outside.

While there may be more insects that enter homes this book is limited to those commonly found in our gardens that somehow enter our homes or those that have adapted to living with us, notably bed bugs and certain cockroaches.

Globally, we have hundreds to thousands of species for just about all the insects referenced here. And most are going to look fairly close to the photos chosen with perhaps slight variations depending on where in the world you live. Family name and genus have been included where possible to aid identification. Winter refers to the Northern Hemisphere; tropical climates by wet and dry seasons.

This book follows the principles of integrated pest management (IPM). That is, rather than reaching for a can of aerosol insecticide every time you see an insect, any insect, it matches the best treatment to the correct insect. And how to correct the reasons of how and why an infestation may have happened. I have included links to more pictures and more information, for example CLICK HERE to learn the difference between what’s a bug and what’s an insect.

To reduce repetition the ants, bees, hornets & wasps, woodboring beetles, moths and venomous spiders chapters begin with general information the multiple species in each chapter share and should be read, if applicable.

Collecting correct information was a challenge. There is much online misinformation and disinformation. Should you wish more information the bibliography for this book is a good place to start. It lists many publications by those who make their living studying insects. Government and university websites offer practical unbiased information. Of course, your local book store or library will have trusted resources.

If you’re curious about the where, why and how insects travel around the world THIS ARTICLE is for you. Written by entomologist Howard Russell. What lifted my spirits while revising this book was he owned up to having misidentified an insect for twenty years. That helped me get over the gaffs made in the previous copy of this book. This edition of Little Buggers! will likely still have errors (as most books, even those with paid editors, do)—the insect world can be quite complex–I just hope I’ve corrected the glaringly obvious ones. Finally, while I have provided informative and practical guidance in treating infestations, I am not an expert and this book should not be considered authoritative or comprehensive.

HYMENOPTERA

Depending on sources there are 150,000 - 190,000 species spread across 54 families, 13 superfamilies and one suborder Apocrita, all in order Hymenoptera. Impressive.

Okay, that’s not precisely true, it just sounded better to say so. Symphyta is the other suborder which includes sawflies, wood wasps and their extensive relatives. These solitary insects are attracted to damaged plants and trees and do lay eggs in the wood or bark but were excluded here because there’s no evidence they infest our homes.

Hymenoptera is where we find ants, bees and wasps. Wasps encompass the majority of families compared to just one for ants: Formicidae. Ants evolved from wasps a very long time ago. This dryinid is a wasp yet looks quite ant-like. The tiniest hymenopteran is 1mm / .04in and the largest is 50mm / 2in.

Larvae undergo holometabolism, meaning they have a pupation stage, changing from one organism to another. Most of their lives are spent getting to adulthood compared to the relatively short time they live as an adult. Ants have the longest lifespans of this order.

Except for worker ants and some solitary wasps, for example the female velvetant, all have two pairs of thin veiny-looking wings which interlock with as many hooks as their size demands to keep them working in unison during flights.

While the majority of hymenopterans are solitary the remainder excelled eons ago at the social game with overlapping generations sharing quarters and the assignment of specific duties among colony members, collectively known as eusocial. (Termites are eusocial but aren’t hymenopterans.)

Eusocial insects feed each other by way of trophallaxis which is the exchange of solids or liquids from one body to another. This can be done via mouth-to-mouth (stomodeal) or anus-to-mouth (proctodeal).

Stomodeal feeding is simple regurgitation of solids or the exchange of liquids although some species deliver liquids proctodeally. Proctodeal exchange happens when solids are fed to larvae that in turn excrete a liquid, much the way aphids produce honeydew which contains nutrients the adults consume. But trophallaxis is so much more.

Beyond simple nutrients there’s also the transfer of antimicrobial matter that increases immunity throughout the colony. It’s also believed that foragers exchange samples of newly found food to other foragers as a reward for learning where they must go to collect more.

While most insects use pheromones for varying reasons, though most often for mating purposes, eusocial insects use them to identify nest mates, colony, signal where food is and alarm others of danger. Messages from queens that affect behavior, development and reproduction of eggs are also passed throughout the colony in this exchange.

Overall, we’ve got to give hymenopterans credit for their incredible diverseness and intellect.

Some ants are as tiny as 1mm / .04in while some tropical species are 30mm / 1.18in but the average is around 3mm / .6in. They’re usually black, brown, yellowish or reddish.

Ants belong to the family Formicidae and, except for a few—hot and cold–islands, are worldwide. More than 12,000 species have been identified and it’s estimated there may be another 10,000 nameless species wandering about.

The commonest house-infesting ant species are listed alphabetically but the most common are: carpenter, odorous, pharaoh and thief. It’s the black carpenter that’s able to cause structural damage. The others are considered mere nuisances.

Having said that, the ants that cause the most overall harm are the invasive (tramp) species; those that have taken up residence in another country. Colonies tend to grow by new queens moving next door rather than flying off to start her own colony elsewhere; this is known as buddying up and how colony numbers swell rather quickly. Ella Davies’s BBC article BATTLE OF THE ANTS offers a good account of the ecological and economical devastation around the world caused by these small animals.

While a fair portion of this book involves learning how to get rid of them inside your house, there are benefits of having most ants in your garden: their labyrinthine tunnels aerate soil allowing water and nutrients to reach plant roots; they steal other insects’s eggs to feed queens and larvae; and they themselves are a food source for beetles, birds, flies and spiders. And other ants. So we want some around for what they offer we just need to keep them in balance with the rest of the garden inhabitants.

Ants often live in colonies of hundreds or thousands or millions; many are monogynous but some species are polygynous. Most nests are found in soil; the carpenter ant tunnels into soft wet wood to create nesting chambers. That’s where our houses come into play. Most homes are wood-framed regardless of its exterior faҫade. Exterior gaps and unchecked leaks that affect the wood structure offer the best nesting scenario: out of the elements and away from predators.

Most species’s colonies consist of three social castes. Queens determine offspring as: wingless sterile female workers (some do lay eggs, which could become fertile but it’s a complicated game of thrones story) that divide the labors of food foraging and tending to queen or nursery, or winged reproductive-capable alates. As mentioned previously, queens determine who’s who by controlling via pheromones to workers how much food larvae receive. She won’t lay any alates until comfortable with the size of her colony. Something to think about when you see them flying about in your kitchen.

After the nuptial flights aka swarming flights of alates in late summer or thereabouts the males die and fertilized females / princesses / or queens—whichever you wish to call them–fly off to find a place to overwinter. They mate only once.

In temperate climates, come autumn, most ants will dig down below the frost line where internal temperature and humidity can be maintained. Queens stop laying eggs, mature larvae and pupae enter diapause and workers that in autumn built up fat reserves slooow down. In tropical climates they may temporarily cease activities when temperatures run too high or during the wet season but otherwise carry on.

Workers have two stomachs. One is a communal stomach (crop) used to collect protein- and fat-based food for the larvae and queen(s). Because a worker’s growth is complete all she requires is carbohydrates, typically from honeydew excreted from aphids and other scale insects to get them through their busy days or via trophallaxis in the nest.

Most everything we consume attracts ants. Scouts gain entry to homes and buildings through cracks or gaps in foundation walls, doors or windows. If food is found they’ll leave a pheromone trail on the return trip for their sisters to follow.

If ants are entering your home to retrieve food and heading back outdoors locate their entry point. Caulk the opening. Kill those trapped inside. Clean up the source of food that attracted them indoors. Wash away the pheromone trail indoors and outdoors. After that, head back outside and inspect the perimeter of your house for any other possible entry points and caulk them.

If you notice a hump in your lawn that wasn’t always there chances are you’ve got a large colony below. If ants, other than fire ants, using a shovel take off the top and using boiling-hot water start pouring it over the exposed ground. Depending on how far down you dig you may not reach the queen but you will have killed enough others to lower their numbers considerably. Replace the top and pat down.

Spraying insecticides indoors will kill only what gets caught under the spray. The rest scatter throughout the home exacerbating the problem and helping them build up immunity. And there are a whole heap of reasons for not spraying outdoors; the collateral damage of killing beneficial insects in your garden is just one.

Moisture attracts all insects therefore leaky faucets or pipes, outside or inside, clogged eavestroughs / gutters and downspouts and possibly lot grading should be seen to. See PREVENTATIVE MEASURES for more steps you can take to keep insects outside.

Baiting is the most reliable way to eliminate to tackle an infestation. Size of colony and species will determine which bait to use. Refer to BORIC ACID for details on making and using baits.

Here’s a great tip from entomologist Michael Merchant to help identify an ant: take a small jar or container with a lid and using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol pick up a few ants; deposit them and swab into the container, then close the lid. The alcohol will soon kill them. Depending on their size a magnifier may be needed to help with identification.

Should you feel the need to hire the professionals refer toe RESIDENTIAL PEST CONTROL COMPANIES before making the call.

Refer to STINGS & BITES for information and treatment options.

ARGENTINE ANT

Within the genus Linepithema spp. Argentine ants (L. humile) are 2mm / .08in and light to dark brown. It’s an invasive species making new homes in warm climates the world over.

Argentine ants, courtesy matthew townsend cc2.0

In their native homeland these ants are genetically different to other Argentine species resulting in smaller colony sizes. Being unrelated they aren’t as friendly to each other. Natural predators such as parasitoid flies keep numbers in check. They also seem to get along with other ant species which maintains biological diversity. These ants are good neighbours.

Away from home, however, they’re taking full advantage of being higher up the food