Daily Archives: December 31, 2013

Featured: Insect Info Listing | Ants | Bed Bugs | Wood Destroying | Biting Insects | Stinging Insects | Service Plans

Biting insects can be a serious problem for New Jersey residents and business owners, especially bed bugs and spiders. Not only do some of these insects feed on human blood, but some carry disease and several can cause swollen bites that can be quite itchy. Our pest control services for biting insects are designed to rapidly get your pest problem under control and then to keep your home, business or environment pest-free for the long term.

We invite you to find out more about these common New Jersey biting and then encourage you to visit our Seasonal Home Protection Plan page to find out how your home, office and property can be biting insect-free year round.

Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius). Virtually annihilated in the U.S. in the 1950s, bed bugs have returned to America with a vengeance and are now common in all 50 states. These flat-bodied, reddish-brown, apple seed-sized insects hide in small cracks and crevices near beds, coming out at night to feed on the blood of their sleeping human victims. While considered a nuisance pest because they do not spread disease, bed bugs take a heavy emotional toll on their victims, and their intensely itchy bites can provoke allergic reactions.

People carry these adept hitchhikers into buildings in their luggage or on their clothing. Most prevalent in major urban areas, bed bugs are prolific breeders and infestations can spread rapidly through multi-unit buildings such as hotels, apartments, hospitals, college dormitories, office buildings, school classrooms, retail centers and nursing homes. Exposure and evolution have made modern bed bugs impervious to home and garden insecticides. Successful bed bug extermination can only be accomplished with a combination of professional pest control products and techniques. Please visit our bed bug information section for more detailed information on the growing New Jersey problem with bed bugs.

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Flea (Siphonaptera). Adult fleas live on wildlife and house pets, feeding on their blood. Just 1/6 inch long, fleas are reddish-brown with a very flat profile that allows them to slip between dense animal hairs. Fleas are distinguished by their powerful trailing hind legs and unique jumping ability. These insects can jump 8 inches vertically and 16 inches horizontally. Fleas can lay 50 eggs a day, laying them loosely in the coats of their animal hosts. As the animal moves, eggs roll off onto pet bedding, carpeting and furniture, spreading infestations. Infested squirrels, raccoons, opossums, skunks and rodents frequently spread fleas to pets when eggs drop onto lawns during scavenging.

When eggs hatch, tiny, hairy, white worm-like larvae will be seen infesting pet bedding. In summer months when flea populations expand rapidly, fleas can progress from egg to adult in just two weeks. While fleas do not live on humans, they will bite people. Fleas found in New Jersey are not known to transmit deadly diseases, but flea bites can transmit bubonic plague, typhus and tapeworms and can trigger severe allergic reactions. If your pet spends time outdoors, you should consult your veterinarian about flea protection.

Mosquito (Culex sp.). Most active at dawn and dusk, mosquitoes are a perennial summer pest in northern New Jersey. From 1/4 to 1/2 inch long with a narrow, pale brown body, 3 pairs of long, thin legs and delicate oval wings, mosquitoes have piercing and sucking mouthparts used to feed on plant juices and the blood of mammals, including humans. While both males and females feed on plants, only the female mosquito feeds on blood which she requires for egg production.

Sheltering in overgrown vegetation or clutter, mosquitoes spend their entire life near their breeding site, although a female will travel more than a mile for a blood meal when she is ready to lay her eggs. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water found in ponds, birdbaths, drainage ditches, clogged gutters, storm drains, pet dishes, children's wading pools and rain barrels. Mosquitoes spend their larval and pupal stages in the water, emerging as adults. In favorable conditions, mosquitoes can progress from egg to adult in less than two weeks. Known vectors for dangerous viruses and parasites, mosquitoes spread West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and canine heartworm.

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