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Insects
& Pests
 Termites,
powder post beetles, carpenter bees and ants are the focus here. Termites
and beetles are the primary concern because they are much more destructive.
Did you know there are 2200 termite species worldwide and 45 of those are in the
United States? Subterranean termites
come from the soil to eat and digest any cellulose (wood containing matter).
They thrive where cellulose and high moisture exist, therefore it is essential
that moisture drains away from your dwelling and wood products are up and
away from the finish grade. 
Termites can have colonies of over 1,000,000 and can eat one pound of wood per
day. Termites appear similar to winged ants except they have non-segmented
bodies, four wings of equal length and straight antennas (not elbowed like
ants). Power Post
Beetles enter a home already
embedded inside wood members (usually large timbers in older homes). They
too can be devastating to your homes structural integrity. They kick out
their frass (sawdust like powder) from small 1\16 inch holes they create in the
wood.
Subterranean Termites
- Cause serious damage to structures often long before they are discovered
– more than $1.5 billion in property damage a year to over 600,000 homes
in the U.S.
- Feed on books, papers or anything containing cellulose.
- Favor warmer climates and actively avoid light.
- Live in underground colonies – some containing over two million members.
- In a larger nest, a queen and king may live for 15 years, with the queen
laying up to one egg every 15 seconds for most of her life.
Ants
- More than 20 varieties of ants invade homes throughout the United States
during the warm months of the year. Worldwide, there are more than 12,000
species, but only a small number cause problems.
- Destructive ants include fire and carpenter ants. Others ant types include
the honey, Pharaoh, house, Argentine, and the thief ant.
- All ants share one trait: They’re unsightly and contaminate food.
- Ants range in color from red to black.
- Fire ants are vicious, unrelenting predators with a powerful, painful
sting.
- At least 32 deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to severe allergic
reactions to fire ant stings.
- Millions of dollars are spent each year eradicating fire ants alone.
- Carpenter ants range in size from one-quarter inch for a worker ant to up
to three-quarters inch for a queen.
- A carpenter ant colony can have a long life span. Each colony is founded
by a single fertilized queen that establishes a nesting site in a cavity in
wood.
- A carpenter ant colony does not reach maturity until it contains 2,000 or
more workers, which can take three to six years.
Cockroaches 
- One of the oldest insects – fossil remains date back 200 million years.
- Crawl around on six legs, have wings and two antennae.
- Like dark, damp places with a plentiful food supply; hide during the day
in warm, dark places, such as under sinks, behind dishwashers, stoves and
refrigerators, and inside cupboards.
- Feed on a variety of foods, especially starchy and sugary materials,
including book bindings, photographic film, linens, leather goods and
numerous food items; usually forage at night.
- Can survive a month or more without food, but less than two weeks without
water.
- Have an acrid odor that may permeate items with which they come in
contact.
- Can transmit bacteria and organisms responsible for diseases in humans
including food poisoning, cholera, dysentery, salmonellosis and strep.
- A study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a
report in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that exposure to
cockroach allergens is a major health concern for asthmatic children.
- Under optimum conditions, cockroaches can produce two million offspring in
one year, with an average breeding season resulting in 350,000 offspring.
- Found around the world. Two species are prevalent in the United States,
the American cockroach and the German cockroach.
- The American cockroach has reddish-brown wings and light markings on its
thorax and reaches lengths of up to 1.5 inches.
- The German cockroach is between one-half and five-eighths inches long and
is light brown with two dark stripes down its back.
Fleas 
- More
than 2,400 species exist worldwide.
- Attracted to animals by body heat, movement and the carbon dioxide that
animals exhale.
- Adults feed on blood; larvae feed on organic debris.
- Found on cats and dogs year-round, but most common during warm and humid
weather.
- Life span on dogs is typically more than 100 days – enough time for a
pair of fleas and their descendants to produce millions of offspring. Under
ideal conditions, assuming no mortality, a pair of fleas has the potential
to produce more than 20 trillion descendants in one year.
- Found on opossums, rats, other rodents and humans.
- Can transmit tapeworms from dogs and rodents to other animals and humans.
- Can jump up to 150 times the length of their body.
- Transmit several major human diseases including plague, murine typhus,
Bartonellosis and tapeworms.
Powder Post Beetles
 
- There are several hundred species of these, but fewer than 20 are
widespread.
- Are small, between one-tenth and one-third inch in length and usually are
reddish brown in color.
- Can emerge from wood used in construction from one to 10 years after a
structure has been built.
- Usually emerge in the spring.
- Are most likely to be found in softwoods (pine, spruce, fir) or certain
hardwoods (oak, maple) frequently used for construction, including wood used
in log homes, conventional homes and furniture.
- Are attracted to lights or to windows.
- Live between one and two years.
- Burrow small, one-eighth inch round holes in wood, and larvae create
channels where they have chewed their way through. There is usually a fine
sawdust-like powder streaming from exit holes.
Carpenter Ants
- Size ranges from one-fourth inch for a worker ant to up to three-fourths
inch for a queen in the most common species.
- May range from red to black in color.
- Build nests in deteriorating, moist wood; often the colony will extend its
nest into adjacent, sound wood.
- Are commonly found in porch pillars and roofs, window sills, telephone
poles, live and dead trees, rotting logs and stumps and wood in contact with
soil.
- Do not actually eat the wood removed during nest-building activities;
rather, deposit it outside entrances to the colony in small piles
Clothes Moths
- Two species commonly infest homes – casemaking moths and webbing moths.
- Attack clothing, blankets, comforters, rugs, carpets, draperies, pillows,
mattresses, brushes, upholstery, furs, piano felts and wool mixed with
synthetic fibers.
- Infest homes by finding their way into woolens improperly stored in dark
places and left undisturbed for long periods of time.
- Deposit soft white eggs in clothing and household furnishings. A single
female is capable of depositing from 100 to 300 eggs.
Carpenter Bees
- Resemble bumblebees, but the top of the carpenter bee’s abdomen is
hairless, often shiny, black, and has no yellow stripe.
- Are about one inch in length.
- Bore into dried, seasoned and untreated wood surfaces, preferring
softwoods such as cedar, redwood, cypress, pine and fir.
- Males are noted for aggressive behavior and a white spot on their face.
They are harmless, however, and do not possess stingers; females have
stingers but are generally docile.
- Nest in nail holes, exposed saw cuts and unpainted wood.
- Leave sawdust piles near perfectly round tunnels in wood; often these
sawdust piles are accompanied by defecation stains.
- Usually emerge from the nest in spring.
- Are commonly found in porch and shed ceilings, railings, overhead trim,
wooden porch furniture, dead tree limbs, fence posts, wooden shingles,
wooden siding, window sills and wooden doors; prefer wood that is at least
two inches thick.
Rats
- Various species are problematic in the U.S., mainly the Norway rat and
roof rat.
- Bite more than 45,000 people each year, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control.
- Can burrow three feet straight into the ground, chew through building
materials such as glass, cinderblock, wire, aluminum and lead, and can climb
inside pipes with diameters between one-half and four inches.
- Primarily rely on smell, taste, touch and hearing.
- Eat and urinate on human and animal food.
- Support many ectoparasites.
Mice
- A female house mouse gives birth to a litter of approximately six mice
about 19 days after mating and is capable of mating again in two days.
- Can produce six to 10 litters a year.
- Are able to mate two months after birth.
- Can produce 2,500 heirs in six months, with ideal conditions and no
mortality.
- Establish a nesting site near sources of food and feed 15 to 20 times a
day.
Fact Sheets:
1.
Bees, Ants, Beetles, Termites: Are They Chewing Up Your Home?
2.
Pest-Related
Health and Safety Issues
3.
Helpful
Hints To Minimize The Risk Of Pest Infestations In Your Home
4.
Protect Your Largest Investment: Check Home For Termites
5.
Frequently Asked Questions About Insects and Pests.
An
informative brochure, titled "Everything You Want To Know About
Household Pests", is now available. The brochure covers
subjects such as the risks of household pests, how to stop pest problems before
they start, pest identification and tips concerning the selection of a pest
management professional. A PDF version of the brochure may be downloaded
here. Need the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader? 
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ABSOLUTE
HOME INSPECTION LLC.