ROACHES
Cockroaches can enter your home in many different ways, from the outside through the cracks and crevices, vents, sewer and drain pipes. We even bring them in on products like grocery bags, boxes, purses and on our person! Your home provides an ideal breeding ground for cockroaches with plenty of food, warmth, and nesting sites. Cockroaches are nocturnal, remain active all year round, and reproduce quickly. Cockroaches can cause health issues because of the dust created by cast – off cockroach skins, dead bodies and droppings. This can aggravate asthma/allergies, especially in children and sensitive individuals. They also carry a range of serious illnesses including salmonella, dysentery, gastroenteritis and typhoid. The risk is particularly high in homes with children, the elderly or those fighting illnesses. Cockroach droppings also cause eczema and asthma.
SPIDERS
Spiders are arthropods, not insects. They have four sets of legs and eight simple eyes, sometimes six. Below their eyes are two jaws which end in a hollow fang that connects internally to a poison duct. There are approximately 3,000 species in North America and 35,000 in the world. All spiders are predators, paralyzing or killing their prey with venom. They feed by injecting a predigested fluid into the body of their prey and then consuming the digested liquid food. Most spiders are nocturnal and will scurry away when disturbed unless they are tending egg sacs or young.
FIRE ANTS
Lawn and outdoor fire ant control is essential for protecting your family and pets, as fire ants are extremely territorial and will attack anyone that comes near their nest. Those who wander too close to a nest often suffer numerous stings from multiple fire ants in just a matter of seconds.
Redd Pest Control of Shreveport checks around the outside of your home to prevent Fire Ant mounds against your foundation, driveway, and walkways. Fire Ants may also damage your Air Conditioning units by way of mounds and infestation, call us today to get your home serviced.
SILVERFISH
Adult body length is ½” excluding the tail. Their coloration ranges from gray to almost black, with a metallic sheen. All silverfish taper from head to tail. They are covered with silvery scales and have a flat carrot shaped body. Three long, slender antennae-like appendages project from the end of the abdomen, giving them the name “bristle tails.” All silverfish are nocturnal and hide in cracks and crevices. They can be found almost anywhere in a house or commercial structure. Silverfish will survive for weeks without food or water. They prefer temperatures of 70-85 degrees and humidity of 70-100%. Silverfish are fond of paper, particularly glazed paper, wallpaper, and wallpaper paste. They will also eat proteins such as dried beef and dead or injured of their own kind. They may be found anywhere but especially in attics with roofs made of wooden shingles.
Millipedes
Millipedes are similar to centipedes, but have two pairs of legs per body segment. Some people mistakenly refer to them as “wireworms.” Millipedes are usually brown to blackish in color. The elongated body is rounded, not flattened, and they have no poison claws or legs. They usually coil up when disturbed. They are usually restricted to moist places where they feed on organic matter. In the fall, they may become a nuisance because they migrate away from feeding areas and invade homes. Because they crawl along the ground, they are usually found in lower floors and basements. Once inside the home, they usually die due to desiccation, although in moist basements, they can survive longer.
Centipedes
Centipedes are sometimes called “hundred-leggers” because of their many pairs of legs. Even though they are predaceous and therefore beneficial, most customers consider them a nuisance pest. Some species can inflict a painful bite, but it is not lethal. They are widely distributed throughout most of the United States and the world.
