Other Pests |
| Insects are the most diverse
group of animals on the earth, with around 925,000 species
described—more than all other animal groups combined.
Sometimes it may seem that all of them live in North Texas.
Listed below are some of the more common insects you will
find around your home. |
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Millipedes are very elongated with cylindrical bodies that have two
pairs of legs for each one of their 20 to 100 or more body
segments (except for the first segment behind the head which
does not have any appendages at all, and the few next which
only have one pair of legs).
Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two
single segments fused together as one.
These animals are detritivores, slow and nonvenomous; unlike
the somewhat similar and closely related centipedes, which
can be easily distinguished by their single pair of legs
for each body segment.
Most millipedes eat decaying leaves and
other dead plant matter, moisturizing the food with secretions
and then scraping it in with the jaws.
Many species also emit
a somewhat poisonous liquid secretion or hydrogen cyanide
gas through microscopic pores along the sides of their bodies
as a secondary defense. Some of these substances are acidic
and can burn the exoskeleton of ants and other insect predators,
and the skin and eyes of larger predators. As far as humans
are concerned, this chemical brew is fairly harmless, although
it should never be eaten or applied to the eyes. Because
of this, caution should be used when handling millipedes.
Earwig is the common name given to an insect characterized
by large membranous wings folded underneath short
leathery forewings.
The abdomen extends well beyond the wings, and frequently,
though not always, ends in a pair of forceps-like
cerci. Earwigs themselves are quite
common throughout the world, often finding their way
into houses, where they are usually first noticed
scurrying across the floor.
The earwig's abdomen is flexible
and muscular, and capable of both maneuvering and
opening/closing the forceps. The forceps seem to be
used for a variety of purposes. Their role in self-defense
is familiar to every child whose first grab at a passing
earwig resulted in a pinch—more surprising than
painful, the forceps not being particularly strong.
The Silverfish is a small, wingless insect. Its common name derives from
the animal's silvery grey colour, while the scientific name
indicates the silverfish's diet of carbohydrates
such as sugar or starches.
The body of a silverfish is approximately
1 in. long, excluding the antennae. The metallic sheen is
due to silvery scales, which only appear after the third
moult.
The silverfish is widespread in human dwellings. Silverfish can often be found under refrigerators
or around a well-heated toilet, if the crevices in the floor
tiles are large enough.
The favorite food of silverfish is any
matter that contains starch or polysaccharides, such as
dextrin in adhesives. These include glue, book bindings,
photos, sugar, hair, dandruff, and dirt. Silverfish can also cause damage to books, tapestries, and textiles.
A scorpion is an invertebrate animal with eight legs.The body
of a scorpion is divided into 2 main
segments: the cephalothorax (also called the prosoma)
and the abdomen/opisthosoma.
The claws are used primarily for prey capture but
also play an important part in the scorpion mating dance. The claws are made of up of 6 segments.
The claw itself consists of the upper fixed finger
(tibia) and the lower movable finger (tarsus). The
size of the claws is highly dependent on the species;
however, a general trend is that the more venomous
the scorpion, the narrower the
claws, as scorpions with less potent
venom use their larger pincers to subdue prey.
All species of scorpion possess venom. In general, scorpion venom is described as
neurotoxic in nature. It consists of a variety of small
proteins as well as sodium and potassium cations, which
serve to interfere with neurotransmission in the victim.
Scorpion venoms are relatively harmless to humans; stings produce
only local effects (such as pain, numbness or swelling).
However a few scorpions can be dangerous
to humans.
One symptom of a scorpion sting can include numbing at the injection site, sometimes
lasting for several days. Unless molested, scorpions are generally harmless and timid and make use of the sting
only for the purpose of killing prey. Generally, they will
run from danger or remain very still.
Flea is the common name for a small wingless insect. Fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood
of mammals and birds. In most cases, fleas are just a nuisance
to their hosts, but some people and some animals suffer
allergic reactions to flea saliva resulting in rashes.
Flea bites generally result in the formation
of a slightly-raised swollen itching spot with a single
puncture point at the center. Fleas can also lead to hair
loss as a result of frequent scratching and biting by the
animal, and can cause anemia in extreme cases.
To deal with a home infestation
one needs to break the life cycle of the fleas and kill off the breeding age individuals which will otherwise
produce a new generation within about 10-18 days.
Ticks are second only to mosquitoes as vectors of human
disease, both infectious and toxic. Hard ticks can transmit human diseases
such as relapsing fever, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain
spotted fever, tularemia, equine encephalitis, Colorado
tick fever, and several forms of ehrlichiosis.
Ticks are often found in tall grass,
where they will rest themselves at the tip of a blade
so as to attach themselves to a passing animal or
human.
It is a common misconception
that the tick can jump from the plant onto
the host. Physical contact is the only method of transportation
for ticks. They will generally drop off
of the animal when full, but this may take several days. Ticks contain a structure in their mouth
area that allows them to anchor themselves firmly in place
while sucking blood. Pulling a tick out
forcefully may squeeze contents of the tick back into the bite and often leaves the mouthpiece behind,
which may result in infection.
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