Miscellaneous Pests
American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus)
The American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus), is the largest
of the common peridomestic cockroaches measuring on average 4 cm in
length. It occurs in buildings throughout Florida especially in commercial
buildings. In the northern United States the cockroach is mainly found in
steam heat tunnels or large institutional buildings. The American
cockroach is second only to the German cockroach in abundance.
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Bed bug, Cimex lectularius Linnaeus
Sometimes referred to as "red coats," "chinches," or "mahogany flats"
(USDA 1976), bed bugs, Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, are blood feeding
parasites of humans, chickens, bats and occasionally domesticated animals
(Usinger 1966). Bed bugs are suspected carriers of leprosy, oriental sore,
Q-fever, and brucellosis (Krueger 2000) but have never been implicated in
the spread of disease to humans (Dolling 1991). After the development and
use of modern insecticides, such as DDT, bed bug infestations have
virtually disappeared. However, since 1995, pest management professionals
have noticed an increase in bed bug related complaints (Krueger 2000).
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Carpenter ant, compact, Camponotus planatus (Roger)
This species of carpenter ant, in the subgenus Mymothrix, can be a serious
structural pest in florida and other parts of the extreme southeast U.S.
Identifying Characters. The Head, thorax, and petiole of this species is
yellowish-red to red and the abdomen is black The body is covered by long
yellowish hairs. Workers range in size from 1/5 to ½ inch (9 to 13 mm).
Due to the strong bite of the workers, Floridians have nicknamed this
species the bullbog or bull ant.
Key Biology Points.
- Colonies usually number from 150 to several thousand workers, occasionally reaching as many as 8,000 individuals.
- Colonies of the Florida carpenter ant, C. floridanus, have been shown to have as many as 10 satellite colonies.
- The flights of most species occur during the spring, but the Florida carpenter ant will swarm during the summer.
- Florida carpenter ant colonies have many size workers
Florida carpenter ant satellite colonies were also found in the following
unusual sites: air conditioning units, switch outlet boxes in the wall, a
ceiling light fixture, a water cooler, book shelves, electronic games,
wall clocks, potter plants, debris in rain gutters, water beds, spa
filters, a steam iron, a VCR, clothes pins store in a milk jug, and the
rubber seal of a refrigerator.
When dealing with infestations of Florida carpenter ants, any item lying
in contact with the ground could harbor a colony. This is particularly
true of piles of items, such as lumber, bricks, firewood or trash. Items
lying on top of mulch in landscape beds provides good nesting sites for
colonies of this species.
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Cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché)
There are over 2,000 described species of fleas. The most common domestic
flea is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis. The adult cat flea,
unlike many other fleas, remains on the host. Adults require a fresh blood
meal in order to reproduce. The dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis, appears
similar to the cat flea, but is rarely found in the United States. Cat
fleas are commonly found on both cats and dogs in North America, while dog
fleas are found in Europe. The two species are distinguished by a slight
morphological difference that is detectable only under high magnification.
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Crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille)
Crazy ants, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille), occur in large numbers
in homes or outdoors. They often forage long distances away from their
nests, so nests are often difficult to control. The name "crazy ant"
arises from its characteristic erratic and rapid movement not following
trails as often as other ants. The crazy ant is so morphologically
distinctive that it is one of the few Paratrechina that is not
consistently misidentified in collections (Trager 1984).
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German cockroach,Blattella germanica (Linnaeus)
The German cockroach is the cockroach of concern, the species that gives
all other cockroaches a bad name. It occurs in structures throughout
Florida, and is the species that typically plagues multifamily dwellings.
In Florida, the German cockroach may be confused with the Asian cockroach,
Blattella asahinai Mizukubo. While these cockroaches are very similar,
there are some differences that a practiced eye can discern.
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House dust mites, Dermatophagoides spp.
The term "house dust mites" has been applied to a large number of mites
found in association with dust in dwellings. The American house dust mite,
Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes, and the European house dust mite,
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart), are discussed here. The first
permanent structures for houses date back to 6,000 to 5,000 B.C., but it
was not until the late 1600s that scientist became interested in the dust
of houses. The pyroglyphids are parasites associated with birds and/or
mammals. Kern (1921) found house dust to give positive cutaneous reactions
in sensitive patients. Cook (1922) and Coa (1922) also found that dust
extracts gave positive skin reactions in over 30 per cent of the
individuals tested. Voorhorst et al. (1964) and Oshima (1964) first
published their accounts that mites were recognized to contribute to the
house dust allergy problem.
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Spider, southern house, Kukulcania (Filistata) hibernalis Hentz
The southern house spider, Kukulcania (Filistata) hibernalis Hentz, is a
conspicuous arachnid in Florida due to its relatively large size and
distinctive flat, tangled web. It is common throughout Florida and much of
the southern United States in human populated areas. Males of this species
are often mistaken for the notorious brown recluse spider, Loxosceles
reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik, because of their color and general shape.
Southern house spiders are not known to have a dangerous bite. However,
two bite cases reportedly caused the victims pain and swelling for a few
days. Systematics
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Termites
Drywood termite, West Indian powderpost, Cryptotermes brevis (Walker)
Although described from specimens collected in Jamaica in 1853 and now
occurring on all inhabited islands of the West Indies, Cryptotermes brevis
is not indigenous to that region. Because this species only infests
structural lumber, its origin remains unknown, but is likely indigenous to
an obscure location in the Neotropics. Cryptotermes brevis was probably
spread by wooden ships carrying wooden goods from port to port as
development of the New World proceeded in the 17th century. This species
is thought to have been introduced into the continental United States at
Key West, Florida, before 1919. Some structure-infesting members of the
genus Cryptotermes, like C. brevis, are called powderpost termites because
their fecal pellets tend to be somewhat smaller than those of other
drywood termite species. A second species of Cryptotermes, C. cavifrons
Banks, is endemic to and very common in woodlands of peninsular Florida,
however, C. cavifrons has a higher moisture requirement and is, as such,
seldom a pest of buildings.
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Subterranean termite, Formosan, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki
The genus Coptotermes contains the largest number of termite pests (28
species) among the >2,500 termite species worldwide, and the Formosan
subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, is the most widely
distributed and most economically important. The Formosan subterranean
termite (FST) acquired its name because it was first described in Taiwan
in the early 1900s, but C. formosanus is probably endemic to southern
China. This destructive species was apparently transported to Japan prior
to the 1600s and to Hawaii in the late 1800s (Su and Tamashiro 1987). By
the1950s, it was reported in South Africa and Sri Lanka. During the 1960s
it was found in Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina. In 1980, a
well-established colony was thriving in a condominium in Hallandale,
Florida. A single colony of FST may contain several million termites
(versus several hundred thousand termites for native subterranean termite
species) that forage up to 300 ft in soil. Because of its population size
and foraging range, the presence of FST colonies pose serious threats to
nearby structures. Once established, FST has never been eradicated from an
area.
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Lawn and Ornamental
Armyworm, Southern, Spodoptera Eridania (Cramer)
This insect is native to the American tropics, occurring widely in Central
and South America and the Caribbean. In the United States, the southern
armyworm is found principally in the southeastern states; its range
extends as far west as Kansas and New Mexico. It also is reported from
California, but is of no consequence there.
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Ant, little fire, Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger)
Prior to the advent of chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphates, and
carbamates the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger), was a
problem in Florida. The use of persistent pesticide chemicals reduced the
populations of the ants until they were no longer a menace. With the
reduction in the use of these persistent pesticide chemicals populations
of little fire ants have been allowed to increase, and in some areas, to
develop into a serious problem.
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Green stink bug, southern, Nezara viridula Linnaeus
The southern green stink bug belongs to the order Hemiptera or "true
bugs". Stink bugs are in the family Pentatomidae and are recognized by
their ovoid shape, five segmented antennae, and their malodorous scent.
The southern green stink bug is a highly polyphagous feeder, attacking
many important food crops. This species should not be confused with the
green stink bug Nezara hilaris Say. Nezara hilaris' range extends farther
north than Nezara viridula and there are physical differences. The shape
of the stink gland pore, located on the sternum between the second and
third leg, is short and broad in the southern green stink bug but long and
curved in the green stink bug.
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Thrips, redbanded, Selenothrips rubrocinctus (Giard)
Selenothrips rubrocinctus, the redbanded thrips, was described by Giard
(1901) as Physopus rubrocinctus. He received specimens from Guadeloupe,
West Indies, where it was causing considerable damage to cacao. It was
referred to earlier as the cacao thrips. The earliest report relating to
this thrips was a report by W.E. Broadway in 1898, when he called
attention to the "blight" of cacao.
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