Pro Active Pest Solutions   Oconomowoc Wisconsin

Most common pests

1. What are the most common pests in our area?

   Ants

   While there are thousands of different ant species, the most common ants to southeastern Wisconsin are carpenter ants, thief ants, pharaoh ants, pavement ants and argentine ants. Carpenter ants don’t actually eat wood like termites do—but they do excavate large chambers in soft or rotting wood in order to build their nests inside. The presence of carpenter ants usually indicates a water problem so it is important to address not only the ant infestation but also the water source that has attracted them. By the time carpenter ants have become a noticeable problem they have often formed several satellite colonies as well. Thief, pharaoh and pavement ants are also commonly found indoors and often nest in wall voids where locating the nest can be extremely difficult without the help of a trained expert. In order to eliminate an ant infestation it is important to find and eliminate the nest since the ants found in the open are only the workers and the queen will continue to produce more ants until the nest is eliminated. Another complication many homeowners encounter when attempting to address ant infestations is that when you are only killing the worker ants you can “stress” the ant colony and inadvertently cause a bigger pest control problem. When an ant colony loses too many of its workers the colony enters what’s known as a stress state, where it produces additional queens and divides into two or three separate colonies in its attempt to survive. The end result is that you will see few to no ants for a while, and once the new colonies have re-established you can end up with an even worse ant problem than you started with.

   Asian Ladybug Beetles

   Asian ladybug beetles have been present in southeastern Wisconsin since 1994 and each year since then their numbers have continued to increase. While Asian ladybug beetles are not known to cause any structural damage they often leave a strong odor and can stain clothing and other surfaces with a foul smelling yellowish fluid. Once indoors they crawl around on walls, windows, lamp shades, etc. and while caulking and exclusion is often helpful, treatment of the outside of your home is necessary to keep them from entering in large numbers.

   Bed Bugs

   While bed bugs were almost totally eradicated from the U.S. in the 1950’s, Increases in immigration, travel from the developing world and restrictions on the use of some pesticides are all factors that recently have led to the increase in bed bug infestations. In southeastern Wisconsin bed bugs will most commonly find their way into your home in your suitcase after having stayed in a hotel or on a cruise ship. Bedbugs can live in any area of the home and will reside in tiny cracks in flooring, furniture, headboards or mattresses. Bed bugs will bite and suck blood from humans on any exposed skin areas while a person is sleeping and since the bites are painless, the small itching bumps left behind are often mistaken for mosquito or other insect bites.

   Bees/Wasps

   Due to the risk of an allergic reaction, bees and wasps are among the most dangerous pests in southeastern Wisconsin. Wasps feed primarily on other insects, while bees feed on nectar or pollen, yet both can be equally dangerous when it comes to being stung. Yellow Jackets (which are paper wasps, not bees) create by far the greatest number of service calls for bees and wasps in Waukesha county. Paper wasps build hives that can be either exposed, within a void or both. If you see bees or wasps going in or out of a hold you should never attempt to plug it as this will cause the bees/wasps to go into a frenzy looking for another way out. Often paper wasps will nest above a ceiling and cause a staining that looks like a water spot. In this case you should never touch the wallboard, as the wallboard is gone and the only thing separating you from the wasps is paper. Colonies can have anywhere from a dozen to several thousand individuals and without proper protection you will get stung. Proactive Pest Solutions can eliminate bees or wasps with a one-time service.

   Box Elder Bugs

   Box elder bugs can be a nuisance and without a pest control treatment they will often be found congregating in large numbers on the south and west sides of your home—particularly on warm sunny days. They are about half an inch long with a black body and three red lines behind the head. They are not known to cause any structural damage and are primarily known as nuisance pests since they will enter your home looking for a warm place to weather the winter. box elder bugs will only live in places that have a maple or box elder tree close by. Treatment for box elder bugs usually involves a combination of exclusion and applying treatments to outside walls and other areas where the bugs are most likely to congregate.

   Cockroaches

   Scientists often describe cockroaches as an evolutionary marvel, since they are largely unchanged from the found in fossils over 350 million years old. We just call them pests! Cockroaches prefer dark moist areas and will eat almost anything. They are most commonly found in kitchens, hiding in cracks and crevices, under appliances and behind baseboards. Cockroaches are also one of the leading causes of allergies in the home and many homeowners that have them don’t even know they’ve got cockroaches in their home since they remain hidden unless they are feeding and are most active at night. The American and German cockroach are the two most common varieties in the Waukesha-Milwaukee metro area. Call us for more information on eliminating and/or preventing cockroach infestations.

   Earwigs

   Earwigs can be anywhere from ¾” to 1” long and the European Earwig is the one that is most common in southeastern Wisconsin. The large pincher appendage is the most recognizable trait identifiable to the earwig and the insects usually range from brown to light brown in color. Earwigs eat both other insects and vegetation and prefer to live under mulch and other areas that hold moisture—this is why when they invade your home you will most often find them trying to seek out moist places. It was once thought that earwigs would crawl into peoples ears while they were sleeping, which is how the earwig got its name. If left untreated earwigs will damage your flowers, plants and other vegetation and will try to find access into your home.

   Fleas

   There are over 2,000 species of fleas and the life cycle is similar in almost all of them. The two most common types of fleas in Wisconsin are the cat flea and sticktight flea. Cat fleas are found on cats, dogs, raccoons, skunks and some squirrels, while sticktight fleas infest cats, dogs and birds. Fleas multiply fastest when the humidity is high and will readily bite people.

   Flies

   There are more than 120,000 different species of flies worldwide, but if you live in the Waukesha-Milwaukee metro area then chances are the flies you are seeing are either house flies, drain flies, fruit flies or deer flies (sometimes referred to as horse flies). Most flies live an average of 21 days and usually lay their eggs in garbage or animal carcasses. Flies multiply quickly-- laying hundreds of eggs at a time. Flies can only ingest liquid and because of this when they land on food they will first spit on it. Their saliva contains a chemical that turns their food into a liquid which is one of the reasons that having flies around is so unsanitary and can spread disease. At Proactive Pest Solutions we are experts in controlling all types of insect infestations—call us for a free consultation!

   Milipedes

   Millipedes are small and worm-like with many legs, but are distinctly separate from centipedes. Most millipedes are brown or black in color and are can be found outdoors under bricks, stones or in soil or debris. They eat plants and decaying material and move very slowly. Millipedes do not bite and are not known to carry diseases dangerous to humans, however they do emit a bad smell and it can be quite unnerving to find them inside your home. Often you will find them crawling across the floor or dried out and curled out. Pro Active Pest Solutions will stop millipedes outside your home so you don’t have to deal with them on the inside.

   Mosquitoes

   A single female mosquito can lay one hundred to three hundred eggs at a time and often average 1000 to 3000 offspring in its short lifespan. Eliminating standing water around your home can reduce the risk—this includes areas like gutters, sandboxes, buckets, etc. Many municipalities have begun to treat for mosquitoes; however these treatments are primarily focused on public parks and water sources and rarely are undertaken in a way that will eliminate them or reduce their numbers in your yard. West Nile Virus has also been spreading rapidly across the country, with Wisconsin’s first case having been confirmed in 2010. Fortunately Mosquitoes can only fly for very short distances without resting, so having your lawn and landscaping treated by a pest control service can all but eliminate them from your property. Once the lawn and landscaping have been properly treated they will be safe for pets and people to use, but mosquitoes will die as soon as they land on them to rest. This means the ones flying in from your neighbor’s yard will most likely never make it to your backyard barbeque. Enjoy your yard while the summer is here!

   Rodents

   The two most common rodent invaders in the Waukesha-Milwaukee metro are the common field or house mouse, and the Norway rat. Mice are small with tails that are as long as their bodies, while Norway rats grow from 7 to 10 inches long and have a long tail. Rats will always travel along the same runways and leave dark colored smudge marks from the oil and dirt on their fur, while mice are less noticeable. Both leave droppings, gnaw marks and are common sources of allergies in humans.

   Silverfish

   Silverfish are small silver colored bugs similar to cockroaches. Their feeding causes moderate damage in homes and they are rarely seen during the day. Silverfish prefer warm moist places and often hide under clothing, boxes, rugs, etc. Silverfish feed on carbohydrates and will eat wallpaper paste, books, glue or any wooden materials that are held together by glue. They have very long life spans, can live for years and are very difficult to kill using common household products. Silverfish—like cockroaches live in cracks and crevices such as under and behind baseboards and you may not know you have them until your home starts getting damaged, or you turn on the light and see one go skimming across the floor towards its hiding place. They are very fast and you may even doubt what you’ve seen at first.

   Spiders

   There are 29 different types of spiders native to southeastern Wisconsin and two (the brown recluse and black widow) are poisonous. Spiders are not insects for two main reasons- they have eight legs and two body segments. Each female spider lays eggs in an egg sack that can contain as many as 3,000 eggs. While commonly found in all parts of the home spiders infestations usually tend to be worse in basements and near window wells.

   Stink Bugs

   Stink bugs can be some of the worst garden pests-- and they smell bad too. They are an invasive species from Asia that derives its name from the stink glands that they carry on the sides of their bodies. Stink bugs commonly enter into peoples homes in large numbers and are a very nasty crop pest as well.