An Introduction to Various Household Pests Thomas J. Weissling Assistant Professor of Entomology University of Florida Fort Lauderdale Research

Beneficial or not considered to be pests (> 99%) Considered to be pests All insect species in the world

Pantry Pests Cockroaches Damage Food Damage “Stuff” Carpet Beetles Clothes Moths Silverfish Crickets Cockroaches Some Ants

COCKROACHES

Natural Foods Leaf litter Wood Arthropods Fungi Algae Domestic Foods Preferred Cheese Wallpaper Beer Artwork Sugar Old Paper Meat Stamps Hair Finger Nails Also require water but can survive for a long time without food or water

German Cockroach

The Asian Cockroach, Blattella asahinai

American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana UF - IFAS

Brownbanded Cockroach, Supella longipalpa

Pantry Pests

Grouped by feeding habits: 1) Internal Feeders Larvae live entirely within whole grain kernels Rice Weevil, Granary Weevil, Angoumois Grain Moth 2) External Feeders Larvae chew on outside of grain Lesser Grain Borer, Drugstore Beetle, Flat Grain Beetle, Cadelle, Khapra Beetle, Cigarette Beetle

3) Scavengers Feed on broken grain Confused Flour Beetle, Red Flour Beetle, Sawtoothed Grain Beetle 4) Secondary Pests Feed on rotting, moldy materials Yellow Mealworm, Psocids, Some Mites

Associated with wool and other animal hair and feather products in clothing, carpeting, furniture, and other household items.  Will consume synthetics contaminated with nutritive material  Broken into two groups: 1) Clothes moths and 2) Carpet beetles  In both groups, only the larval stage is damaging  Damage can also be caused by termites, crickets, cockroaches and silverfish PESTS OF FABRICS

Black Carpet Beetle, Attagenus megatoma

Furniture Carpet Beetle, Anthrenus flavipes

Varied Carpet Beetle

Webbing Clothes Moth, Tineola bisselliella

Damage to Carpet

Paper Pests

Silverfish (Thysanura: Lepismatidae)

Firebrats  A type of silverfish but with a mottled brown appearance  Like high temperature locations (around ovens, furnaces, hot-water pipes)

Author: Tom Weissling, University of Florida Photos: University of Florida University of California Entomology And Nematology Department Copyright University of Florida 2000 For more detailed information see the Featured Creatures WWW site at