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Throughout Pestech of Greenville, Inc.’s 20 years of pest control experience, we’ve learned a lot of interesting things about the insect population in North Carolina. Here are 50 of our favorite facts about common bugs that you might also find fascinating… and maybe even a little bizarre: 1. While humans have only been around for 130,000 years, insects have been present for about 350 million years. 2. There are about 91,000 different species of insects in the United States. 3. There are about 1.5 million different species of insects in the world.  Houseflies: 4. Houseflies eat their own vomit. 5. A female housefly can lay up to 600 eggs in her short lifetime. 6. Most flies live an average of 21 days and take on various shapes throughout their short lives.  Beetles: 7. Beetles account for one quarter of all known species of plants and animals. There are more kinds of beetles than all plants. 8. Adult beetles have two sets of wings. 9. Most beetles only live for a year. 10. Beetles cannot see very well, so they communicate using pheromones, sounds or vibrations. 11. Ladybugs are beetles and are considered to be good luck in many cultures. 12. Fireflies and lightning bugs are also in the beetle family.  Stink Bugs: 13. Originally found in East Asia, stink bugs were not even reported in the United States until the late 1990s. 14. Stink bugs get their name from an unpleasant odor released when you crush them or when they are protecting their homes. 15. Stink bugs do not hurt humans, but they can cause a lot of damage to crops and plants. Termites: 16. The queen of a South African termite species can lay 40,000 eggs per day. 17. The total weight of all of the termites in the world is more than the weight of all the humans in the world. 18. Termite colonies eat non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 19. Termites have wings that they shed once they have found a good place to build a nest.  Ants: 20. Ants can lift and carry more than fifty times their own weight. 21. There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world. 22. Ants cannot chew their food. They move their jaws sideways, like a scissor, to extract the juices from the food. 23. Ants don’t have ears. Ants "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet. 24. The total weight of all the ants in the world is equal to that of all humans in the world. 25. Of all insects, ants have the longest lifespan. They can live up to 30 years.  Spiders: 26. The largest spider in the world is a species of tarantula found in South America where one specimen had a leg span of over 11 inches. 27. Spiders don't get caught in their own webs because they have self-oiling legs. 28. There are about 3,000 species of spiders roaming around North America. 29. Only two species of spiders in the United States can cause serious harm when accidentally disturbed - the black widow and brown recluse. 30. When hunting or trying to escape a predator, jumping spiders are able to make very agile movements and jump multiple times their body length.  Bed Bugs: 31. Bed bugs do not spread disease, but their bites can become red, itchy welts. 32. Bed bugs can feed on the blood of any warm-blooded animal, yet their most common targets are humans. 33. As their name implies, these bugs are most commonly found in beds, hotels, airplanes, and couches.  Bees: 34. Male bees have bigger eyes to help them find the Queen Bee. 35. The bees’ buzz is the sound made by their wings which beat 11,400 times per minute. 36. Honeybees have to make about ten million trips to collect enough nectar for production of one pound of honey. 37. All worker bees are female. 38. Honey bees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make one pound of honey. 39. While gathering food, a bee may fly up to 60 miles in one day. 40. There are over 20,000 different bee species, found on every continent except Antarctica.  Caterpillars: 41. Some caterpillars can camouflage themselves as bird poop. 42. A caterpillar has 4,000 muscles, while humans have 650 skeletal muscles. 43. Caterpillars have 12 eyes. On each side of its head, a caterpillar has 6 tiny eyelets.  Butterflies: 44. There are more than 17,500 recorded butterfly species around the world, 750 of which can be found in the United States. 45. It takes about one hundred Monarch Butterflies to weigh an ounce. 46. Butterflies can smell each other from miles away. 47. An adult butterfly has a very short life, living just three to four weeks.  Cockroaches: 48. A cockroach can live a week without its head. The roach only dies because without a mouth, it can’t drink water and dies of thirst. 49. More than five million children are sensitive to cockroaches. 50. Cockroaches can run up to three miles in an hour. No matter your pest problem, Pestech of Greenville, Inc. is here to help. Our experts can assist in your various pest management needs. Give us a call at 252-353-4760 for a free estimate. Your East Coast pest management professionals are honored to serve you.
(Facts gathered for this post consist of several expert pest technician opinions. Information was also sourced from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Pest World, the National Pest Management Association, Live Science, and EcoWatch.) May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Each year, approximately 30,000 cases are reported to CDC. The blacklegged tick is found mainly in densely wooded areas that provide an appropriate environment for animal hosts like deer and mice. That said, in addition to human transmission, dogs are also susceptible to Lyme Disease and other tickborne diseases.  Pestech of Greenville, Inc. is fully licensed and trained to help you prevent ticks on your property in order to keep your family and pets safe. Our experienced technicians use pesticides to control infestations. These types of treatments must be done thoroughly with proper equipment in order to achieve adequate control. The time of day, weather, and climate have a large impact on how well the treatment takes to the area. Our experts are trained in the best practices for these types of applications. They are also knowledgeable about all state and local rules and regulations regarding pesticide application on residential properties.  In addition to professional treatment with Pestech of Greenville, all homeowners are encouraged to create a tick-safe zone in order to reduce their population. According to the Chief Entomologist for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, there are various landscaping techniques that are found to reduce blacklegged ticks in the yard. These suggestions include:
 When spending time outdoors it’s important to take additional steps to keep yourself, your family members, and pets protected from ticks. This includes:
 If you have pets, veterinarians recommend using a tick preventative. Talk to your vet about the best prevention option for your dog or cat. There are different treatments for each so be sure to discuss this with them in detail and get specific recommendations. To further reduce potential tick bites, check them for ticks each time they come in from outside. If you find a tick on your pet, remove it right away. Click here for removal information from the CDC. In addition to Lyme Disease, there more than a dozen other types of diseases that are transmitted through tick bites. A report from the North Carolina State Extension found that the blacklegged tick, the American dog tick, the brown dog tick, and the Lone Star tick are the most common ticks found in North Carolina. The Gulf Coast tick has also been found in the Eastern North Carolina region. These types of ticks can be prevented on your properties with service by Pestech of Greenville. Call us at 252-353-4760 to schedule a free consultation. Your East Coast exterminating professionals are honored to serve you with the utmost quality, care, and experience.
 You may be familiar with the joke that claims North Carolina’s state bird is a mosquito. Of course, the state bird is actually a cardinal. Although, if you’ve been around North Carolina long enough, you’ve probably seen way more mosquitoes than cardinals. All jokes aside, mosquitoes in North Carolina can be more than a nuisance as some bites can also be dangerous. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, mosquitoes in our state are known to transmit various arboviruses. These are viruses that are transmitted by bite which can lead to serious illnesses in people. Arboviruses are also known as vector-borne diseases. The three main arboviruses are transmitted to both people and animals by various types of mosquitoes in North Carolina include West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and La Cross Encephalitis. Most people have mild or no symptoms of these diseases. However, some people do get sick and show symptoms that are similar to the flu which can include headache, fever, chills, and/or vomiting. If these illnesses get worse or are left untreated, they can cause seizures, coma, brain damage, or death.  Studies find that North Carolina’s mosquito season ramps up between June and September, although mosquitoes are common year-round in many parts of the state. While not every mosquito carries disease, it is important to protect yourself and your family, including pets, from all bites. Pestech of Greenville, Inc. specializes in mosquito prevention to keep you and your family safe from potential disease. The pest management company’s technicians are trained in various measures to reduce mosquito populations. Pestech of Greenville is fully licensed and insured to spray North Carolina approved larvicide pellets and insecticide mists to kill adult mosquitoes and prevent mosquito larvae from hatching. These services utilize superior products applied in strategic locations to solve the problems, while limiting the exposure of any toxins. Technicians are also skilled in finding and eliminating mosquito breeding areas. In addition to servicing these areas, they are able to explain to residents the best ways to reduce populations. This includes: 1. Turn over buckets, planters, wading pools, etc. when not in use 2. Tip standing water in pet bowls, buckets, birdbaths, etc. 3. Toss empty bottles, cans, garbage, etc. that can collect water  In addition to reducing the population of infected mosquitoes, Pestech of Greenville encourages the Eastern North Carolina community to take proper personal protection measures. This includes reducing time outdoors in the early morning and early evening hours, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and applying mosquito repellent to exposed skin areas. Click here to read about safe use of insect repellents.  It’s also important to be aware of disease that can be spread in other parts of the nation and world. Other viruses transmitted by mosquitoes outside of North Carolina include Zika, Dengue, Malaria, and Chikungunya. The NC DHHS says while these diseases aren’t transmitted by mosquitoes in North Carolina, residents may contract one of them if they travel to certain countries or regions where these diseases are found, such as the tropics or sub-Saharan Africa.
Trust Pestech of Greenville, Inc. for your mosquito control and pest management needs. Give us a call at 252-353-4760 for a free estimate. Your East Coast pest management professionals are honored to serve you. Over the past few weeks, Pestech of Greenville, Inc. has noticed an increase in calls for miner bee infestations on properties in Eastern North Carolina. Miner bees, also known as digger bees, are small to medium in size. According to the U.S. Forest Service, miner bees have a stout, furry body. They are often mistaken for bumble bees, also being black and yellow summertime bees. Fortunately, miner bees aren’t an aggressive species and aren’t likely to sting unless threatened.  Miner bees are solitary, which means they aren’t part of a colony and don’t have a queen. They are part of the 70% of all the 20,000 species of bees that nest underground in burrows. The female miner bees are known to dig a vertical tunnel through the soil and creates small chambers. They will then lay eggs, which turn into a larva, and then develop into a pupa. Once adults, the miner bees are typically only active a couple months out of the year. Researchers have put a lot of time into studying miner bees due to their nesting behavior. Since these bees are ground nesters, they like to burrow in well-drained soils like clay. Due to that preference, they are often found in banks, hills, and road cut-outs. The U.S. Forest Service adds that they’ve also been found burrowing between stones of old buildings and between logs in cabins or barns.
This species can quickly take up a large majority of a yard or property, which is why they are often considered a nuisance due to their nesting habits. They are also known to nest in the same location for several years.
Your East Coast exterminating professionals know how to properly treat your yard for this type of ground bee. Our technicians are knowledgeable about their complex nesting and burrowing habits and will service your property while keeping you, your family, and our environment safe. If you’ve noticed an infestation of miner bees this year, call Pestech of Greenville at 252-353-4760 or click here. |
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Pestech of Greenville, Inc.
Pestech of Greenville, Inc.