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Pest Control Library of Insects
COCKROACHES
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Cockroaches belong to Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta, and Order Blattaria. Some species invade human dwellings and are considered pests. Others are beneficial to the environment as important recyclers of decaying organic material. The pest cockroaches can be carriers of various diseases because they are commonly found near waste deposits or in the kitchen, where food is present. Restaurants may also experience cockroach infestations.
ANTS
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Ants are close relatives of bees and wasps and are can be identified by their three distinct body regions: head, thorax, and abdomen, as well as antennae. Ants are social insects, which means they typically live in large groups or colonies. Depending on the species, ant colonies can consist of millions of ants. Their structured nest communities may be located underground, in ground-level mounds, or in trees. There are three kinds of ants in a colony: The queen (or queens), the female workers, and males. Ant communities are headed by a queen whose function in life is to lay thousands of eggs that will ensure the survival of the colony. Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens. Workers (the ants are typically seen by humans) are wingless females that never reproduce, but instead, forage for food, care for the queen's offspring, work on the nest, protect the community, and perform many other duties. Male ants often have only one role—mating with the queen soon after which they may die.
SPIDERS
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Spiders and their relatives are called arachnids. Arachnids have the head and thorax combined (cephalothorax) with simple eyes, jaws adapted for tearing or piercing prey, a pair of pedipalps, and eight walking legs.
Arachnids include spiders, scorpions, pseudoscorpions, amblypygids( tailless-whip scorpions), schizomids (micro-whip scorpions), palpigrades, harvestmen, ticks, and mites.
Spiders are the only arachnids that have special glands in their abdomen which produce silk
OCCASIONAL INVADERS
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Occasional invaders are insects that you don’t create as much of a buzz as the other more common Florida Insects. They usually wander into your home in search of shelter, warmth, water, or food. Some may or may not be aggressive and may or may not spread diseases. Typically occasional invaders are more of a nuisance pest than anything. Occasional bugs don’t produce indoor colonies the size of other well-known bugs, like Florida’s more commonly known pests which have a reputation for causing structural damage, sanitation, or health concerns. However, they can infest and grow in numbers that may cause aggravation or discomfort in your own home. Regardless of how harmless these occasional invaders may or not be in comparison to other insects, not many of us are willing to share our own home with any little creature that is not of the family, a pet, or paying rent! When it comes to occasional invaders, here are some you could be dealing with:
