Pestek can both control and prevent infestations, of Insects & Rodents in Leeds, Harrogate and the rest of Yorkshire
Call to make an appointment 01132 172 906. For 24 hour callout call 07977 108 036.
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Pest Insect Identification
To enable you to identify the insect you have in your home, we have provided this insect identification page. These are some of the most common pest species that you are likely to find.
If you are able to identify the pest and require more information please call us on 01132 172 906
If you are still unsure of the pest type we can offer further advice or discuss whether a sample could be sent to us to be identified.
German Cockroach
Size: Adults are about 5/8 inch long (17mm).
Colour: Adult German cockroaches are light brown except for the shield behind the head marked with two dark stripes, which run lengthwise on the body. Young roaches are wingless and nearly black with a single light stripe running down the middle of the back. Egg capsules are light tan.
Description: German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), are the most common roaches found in houses and restaurants. Most cockroaches have a flattened, oval shape, spiny legs, and long, filamentous antennae. Immature stages are smaller, have undeveloped wings and resemble the adults. They eat food of all kinds and may hitchhike into the house on sacks of potatoes or onions rice & flour from infested food stores.
Facts: Without food or water, adults may die in two weeks, but they can live a month with water.
Bed Bug
Size: 1/4 to 3/8 inch (4-5 mm).
Colour: Reddish brown or brown.
Description: Bed bugs are sometimes called "red coats," The adult bed bug is a wingless insect that is flattened from top to bottom.
Facts: Usually discovered in unsuspected areas such as in floor cracks, under carpets, behind loose wallpaper or wall pictures.
Flea
Size: 1/8 inch (3mm).
Colour: Very dark.
Description: Adult fleas are about 1/8 inch long, wingless, and have three pairs of legs. The hind pair of legs is modified for jumping. Fleas are vertically flat like a fish, and can move easily through the hair of a host. The immature stage or larval stage of the flea looks like a small white worm with a dark head. Flea eggs are small and white.
Facts: Allergic reactions to flea bites cause the most complaints.
Variegated Carpet Beetle
Size: About 1/4 inch (6.4mm).
Colour: Dark with some colored marks on back.
Description: The four most important and most common species are the black carpet beetle (Attagenus mezatoma) shown here, the varied carpet beetle (Anthrenus verbasci), the common carpet beetle (Anthrenus scrophulariae), and the furniture beetle (Anthrenus flavipes). The adults feed primarily on pollen and nectar and can be found on outdoor plants during the summer.They are small, oval insects, usually less than 1/4 inch long. Carpet beetle larvae are usually about the size of the adult beetle, 1/4 inch or less in length. They have dense tufts of long setae (bristles) on their bodies. Black carpet beetle larvae have a long tuft of hair at the end of their bodies.
Facts: The old skins are often mistaken for live larvae, and can give the impression of a larger infestation than really exists.
Biscuit Beetle
Size: About 1/10 to 1/8 inch (2-3 mm).
Colour: Brown.
Description: The biscuit beetle is similar to the cigarette beetle in appearance but is slightly larger, more elongate, and has distinctly striated wing covers. The last three segments of the antennae are like a saw. Its food is even more varied than that of the cigarette beetle, and it is said to feed "upon almost anything except cast iron."
Facts: Its peculiar diet includes such odd materials such as and books and flour, spices, and other foods.
Larder Beetle
Size: Up to ½ inch (12.7mm).
Color: Brown or black.
Description: The larder beetle is a small, dark-colored beetle with white and black markings. This beetle is a member of the carpet beetle family Dermestidae; however, the larder beetle, Dermestes lardarius can feed on a great variety of materials-not just carpets. They will feed on any stored animal or plant products, such as leather, insect, bird, and mammal specimens, cured meats, cheese, tobacco.
Facts: Will feed on any stored animal or plant products, even non-food items such as leather or museum specimens.
Psocids (book Lice)
Size: Small, almost microscopic.
Colour: Transparent to grey.
Description: Booklice are small, almost microscopic insects that are grouped together in the insect order Psocoptera. Other members of this order are the "barklice." Most of the species found in buildings are wingless, and because they often live among books and papers, they are usually called "booklice." Psocopterans feed on molds, fungi, cereals, pollen, fragments of dead insects or other similar materials. Booklice (in houses) are frequently found around old books and papers.
Facts: Although there are many species of psocoptera, most people see only a few species that occur in houses or buildings. The term "lice" in the names "booklice" and "barklice" is somewhat misleading for none of these insects are parasitic and they are not louselike in appearance. There are a few instances in which these small insects were the cause of delusory parasitosis, that is, people thought these tiny insects were causing bites and skin rashes. In fact, booklice do not bite humans.
Silverfish
Size: 1/2 to 1 inch (12.7-25.4mm).
Colour: Brown or silver-grey.
Description: Silverfish are small, soft insects without wings. The abdomen has three filaments extending from it. Silverfish are not often seen by homeowners because they are nocturnal and can run very swiftly. Occasionally, they are found in bathtubs. They crawl in seeking food or moisture and can't climb out. These insects prefer vegetable matter with a high carbohydrate and protein content. However, indoors they will feed on almost anything. A partial list includes dried beef, flour, starch, paper, gum, glue, cotton, linen, rayon, silk, sugar, molds and breakfast cereals.
Facts: They can go for up to one year without food.
2008 Pestek - Pest Control Services in Harrogate, Wetherby, Wakefield, Kirklees, Calderdale & West Yorkshire.
Contact us
Office. 01132 172 906
24 Hr. 07977 108 036
Information
Areas covered include
Calderdale.
Castleford.
Harrogate.
Ilkley.
Kirklees.
Leeds.
Otley.
Selby.
Skipton.
Wakefield
Wetherby.
York.