An Introduction to Various Household

Pests

Thomas J. WeisslingThomas J. Weissling

Assistant Professor of EntomologyAssistant Professor of EntomologyUniversity of FloridaUniversity of Florida

Fort Lauderdale Research Fort Lauderdale Research

Beneficial or not considered to be pests

(> 99%)

Considered Considered to be peststo be pests

All insect species in the world

• Pantry Pests • Cockroaches

Damage FoodDamage Food Damage “Stuff”Damage “Stuff”

• Carpet Beetles• Clothes Moths• Silverfish• Crickets• Cockroaches• Some Ants

COCKROACHESCOCKROACHES

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 longtime without food or water

German Cockroach

The Asian Cockroach, Blattella asahinai

American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana

UF - IFAS

Brownbanded Cockroach, Supella longipalpa

Pantry PestsPantry Pests

Grouped by feeding habits:Grouped by feeding habits:

1) Internal FeedersLarvae live entirely within whole grain kernelsRice Weevil, Granary Weevil, Angoumois

Grain Moth

2) External FeedersLarvae chew on outside of grainLesser Grain Borer, Drugstore Beetle, Flat Grain

Beetle, Cadelle, Khapra Beetle, Cigarette Beetle

3) ScavengersFeed on broken grainConfused Flour Beetle, Red Flour Beetle,

Sawtoothed Grain Beetle

4) Secondary PestsFeed on rotting,

moldy materialsYellow 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 materialBroken into two groups: 1) Clothes moths and 2) Carpet beetlesIn both groups, only the larval stage is damagingDamage can also be caused by termites, crickets, cockroaches and silverfish

PESTS OF FABRICSPESTS OF FABRICS

Black Carpet Beetle, Black Carpet Beetle, Attagenus megatomaAttagenus megatoma

Furniture Carpet Beetle, Furniture Carpet Beetle, Anthrenus flavipesAnthrenus flavipes

Varied Carpet BeetleVaried Carpet Beetle

Webbing Clothes Moth, Webbing Clothes Moth, Tineola bisselliellaTineola bisselliella

Webbing Clothes Moth, Webbing Clothes Moth, Tineola bisselliellaTineola bisselliella

Damage to CarpetDamage to Carpet

Paper PestsPaper Pests

Silverfish (Thysanura: Lepismatidae)Silverfish (Thysanura: Lepismatidae)

FirebratsFirebrats

A type of silverfish but with a mottled brown appearanceLike 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

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/