THE INSECT
IDENTIFICATION
GUIDE
S
ome can lift over 50 times their body
weight. Others taste with their feet,
or have ears on their legs. It's the strange
and fascinating world of insects...creatures
that are undeniably vital to our daily lives.
Insects pollinate our crops, and supply us
with products like honey, silk and medicine.
They also serve as food for fish and birds,
and are crucial for research on such topics
as heredity and pollution.
The O. Orkin Insect Zoo, located inside the
Smithsonian Institution's National Museum
of Natural History, will change the way you
view insects and their relatives. Over a
million visitors each year are discovering
their global ecological importance, and the
interdependent relationship between insects
and humans. You may not welcome insects
into your home, but life as we know it
wouldn't exist without them.
Orkin Pest Control is proud to support the
O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
O. ORKIN
NATIONAL MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY
INSECT ZOO
3
APPEARANCE:
CATERPILLAR: Up to 2-3/4 inches
long; black with white and
yellow bands.
BUTTERFLY: Wingspan 3-1/2 to
four inches long; wings brownish-
orange; black to dark brown veins;
two rows of orange and/or
white spots.
HABITS: Found primarily in
meadows, roadsides and sandy
areas where milkweeds grow.
DIET: Caterpillars feed on
milkweed foliage, flower buds
and milky juice; butterflies feed
on flowers.
REPRODUCTION: Females lay
eggs along migration northward;
fully grown caterpillar changes to
barrel-shaped, leaf-green pupa
with gold dots; process from egg to
butterfly takes about four weeks.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Butterflies are capable of flying
2,000 miles during southern
migration each autumn, often
stopping in same rest spots
every year.
MONARCH
CATERPILLAR/BUTTERFLY
Danaus plexippus
Actual Size
Actual Size
4
APPEARANCE: About 1/4 inch long; light
gray with four lengthwise stripes on
thorax; large reddish compound eyes.
HABITS: May migrate up to 20 miles
from birthplace, but most stay within
one or two miles; 98% of flies caught in
houses are house flies.
DIET: Feed on a wide variety of foods, but prefer
liquids containing sweet or decaying material; larvae feed
on moist food rich in organic matter.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs laid singly, but in clusters of 75-150; female may lay over
500 eggs in a lifetime; eggs hatch in 10-24 hours; entire life cycle completed in less
than seven days.
OTHER INFORMATION: Associated with a number of filth-related diseases.
HOUSE FLY
Musca domestica
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: 1/4 inch long; shiny black to
tan with yellowish-white lines; orange head;
wings have black F-shaped bands.
HABITS: Found primarily in orchards and the
edges of deciduous woods with native hawthorns,
blueberry bushes or western snowberries.
DIET: Adults feed on leaves and fruit;
larvae feed on pulp of fruit.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs inserted singly into fruit
skin; fully grown larvae tunnel out, drop to the
ground and pupate in the soil.
OTHER INFORMATION: Males perform
courtship dances, waving their wings while
females watch.
APPLE MAGGOT FLY
Rhagoletis pomonella
Actual Size
5
APPEARANCE: 1/2 inch long;
blackish-brown with dull edges
on sides and down middle;
above head is rosy pink covering
with dull yellow edges and black
spot in center.
HABITS: Nocturnal; live in moist places
under debris, bark or decaying matter on
the ground; on summer nights, blink their
yellow lights to attract mates.
DIET: Adults do not feed; larvae feed on insect larvae,
slugs and snails.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs are left on damp soil; larvae
overwinter, then pupate in moist soil.
OTHER INFORMATION: Female does not fly.
PYRALIS FIREFLY
Photinus pyralis
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Up to 5/8 inch long; reddish-brown
and black with paler, orange-yellow rings on
abdomen; two pairs of wings.
HABITS: Very social; hive in
hollow trees and in hives kept by
beekeepers; pollinate crops and
produce honey.
DIET: Adults drink nectar
and eat honey.
REPRODUCTION: Queen lays eggs
at intervals, producing colonies of
60,000 to 80,000 members; life span
is usually two to three years for the
queen; drones die after mating.
OTHER INFORMATION: Workers
have a stinger that is used when
colony is threatened; members of hive pass
food to one another mixed with saliva to form
a chemical bond.
HONEY BEE
Apis mellifera
Actual Size
6
APPEARANCE: Large, about one inch, resemble
bumblebees; some species may have a
blue-black, green or purple metallic
sheen; no hair on abdomen.
HABITS: Often burrow into the exposed,
unfinished dry wood of buildings, telephone
poles, fence posts and bridges; prefer softer
woods for nesting; not social
insects, although individuals
may establish burrows close to
each other.
DIET: Pollen and nectar.
REPRODUCTION: Complete one
generation per year in most of the
U.S.; mature from egg to adult in
84 to 99 days; female furnishes nest
with “bee bread,” a mixture of pollen
and regurgitated nectar,
and lays an egg on top of it.
OTHER INFORMATION: Males do not sting, but females
have a potent sting which they rarely use; make loud buzzing noise when flying.
Actual Size
CARPENTER BEE
Genus Xylocopa
APPEARANCE: Variety of shapes and colors; can be
distinguished from bees by their smooth, rather than
hairy, bodies; 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch long.
HABITS: Exhibit predatory and scavenging
behavior; some species are solitary, while
others live in colonies which may number
thousands of individuals.
DIET: Primarily protein such as spiders and
soft-bodied insects, and small animals.
REPRODUCTION: Social wasps begin a nest
with one queen laying all eggs for colony;
if a queen dies, a worker can take over
egg-laying function until colony
produces new queen.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Very protective of
their nests; will
defend against
invaders with
painful stings.
Actual Size
WASPS
Order Hymenoptera
7
APPEARANCE: Most species of concern to
man have yellow and black coloring; 7/16 to
5/8 inch long; appear to have hairy bodies.
HABITS: Live in colonies of from 20,000 to
80,000 individuals; will leave humans alone
if not provoked.
DIET: Nectar and pollen.
REPRODUCTION: Only one egg-laying
queen in a hive; queen may live as long as
five years and lay as many as 1500 to
2000 eggs per day; worker females protect
eggs and the young; drones’ only duty is to
mate with queen, after which they die.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Stings can be painful, but are
harmless to most people.
BEE
Order Hymenoptera
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: About 1/8 to 1/4 inch long; brown to
dark brown with light stripe down center; wings
have dark brown scales.
HABITS: Often found near shallow
temporary pools; larvae live in
quiet bodies of water, ranging
from fluid-filled leaves to stagnant
ponds and lakes.
DIET: Males drink plant
juices; females feed on blood of
mammals, including humans.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs are dropped
in temporary pools; larvae feed, pupate and
emerge over an extended period.
OTHER INFORMATION: Population
increases after summer rains; males do not bite.
SUMMER MOSQUITO
Aedes atlanticus
Actual Size
8
.
APPEARANCE:
About 1-1/4 inches
long; male has violet
abdomen and black
head and thorax;
female is dark brown
to black; clear wings.
HABITS: Found along slow
streams, shallow weedy lakes or
coves of large rivers; alight on
grasses and plant stems.
DIET: Feed on small,
soft-bodied insects.
REPRODUCTION: Females dip abdomen into water to lay
eggs on underwater leaf; when eggs are deposited, male lifts
female from the water
OTHER INFORMATION: Often seen flying in tandem over streams and ponds.
VIOLET TAIL DRAGONFLY
Argia violacea
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: About 2-1/2 inches long; green to tan; wings extend
beyond abdominal tip; large brownish compound eyes.
HABITS: Found primarily in meadows, on foliage and flowers.
DIET: A variety of insects, especially caterpillars, flies,
butterflies, bees and moths.
REPRODUCTION: Females lay hundreds of eggs in large oval masses;
nymphs are dispersed by wind or eat one another.
OTHER INFORMATION: Female often devours the male while mating.
PRAYING MANTIS
Mantis religiosa
Actual Size
9
.
APPEARANCE: The largest of the
common cockroach species, about
1-1/2 inches long; reddish-brown wings
with light markings on thorax.
HABITS: Very aggressive; prefer warm,
damp areas; more likely to be seen in
daytime and outdoors than other species; fly more readily than other species.
DIET: Scavengers; feed on a variety
of foods; prefer decaying
organic matter.
REPRODUCTION:
Female needs to
mate only once to
produce many egg
capsules; each
capsule contains
an average of 13
eggs; nymphs molt
13 times, in about
600 days, before reaching
maturity; can live up to 15 months.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Have shown a marked
attraction to alcoholic beverages,
especially beer; also known as the water bug.
Actual Size
AMERICAN COCKROACH
Periplaneta americana
APPEARANCE:
Dark brown, up to
1-1/2 inches long.
HABITS: Prefer to live
outdoors; populations are
relatively immobile
compared to other
species.
DIET: Scavengers; normally
feed on plant material, but can
feed on a variety of foods.
REPRODUCTION: Egg capsules
hatch in 24 to 70 days; each
contains an average of 20 eggs;
females reach maturity in 320 days
and produce an average of seven cap-
sules; adults can live up to 200 days.
OTHER INFORMATION: Particularly
numerous in southeastern U.S.;
fly towards lights at night.
Actual Size
SMOKEY BROWN
COCKROACH
Periplaneta fuliginosa
APPEARANCE: About 5/8 inch long;
wings have two brownish-yellow bands.
HABITS: Nocturnal; can fly; may be
found throughout any structure, but
prefer dry, warm areas, high locations,
and inside furniture.
DIET: Scavengers; eat a variety of foods,
but prefer starches.
REPRODUCTION: Female carries egg capsule for 24 to
36 hours, then attaches it underneath or on the side of a
protected surface; capsules contain an average of 18 eggs; nymphs reach maturity in an
average of 161 days; adults live up to 10 months.
OTHER INFORMATION: Sometimes confused with German cockroach; frequently
transported in furniture; not as dependent on moisture as other species.
Actual Size
BROWNBANDED COCKROACH
Supella longipalpa
10
light to medium brown, with two dark
longitudinal streaks on the thorax.
HABITS: Nocturnal; most common urban
cockroach; often found around buildings;
can be found outdoors during warm months.
DIET: General feeder; particularly
attracted to fermented food.
REPRODUCTION: Females produce one egg
capsule every 20 to 25 days; each capsule
contains from 18 to 48 eggs; newly born
become adults in as little as 36 days;
adults can live up to one year.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Often found aboard ships;
widest distribution of all roaches in U.S.
Actual Size
GERMAN COCKROACH
Blattella germanica
APPEARANCE: Dark brown, about one inch long.
HABITS: Common outdoors; tend to live near
the ground and in warm, damp areas; most often
found indoors in high moisture areas, particularly
basements and ground-floor storage areas.
DIET: Scavengers; often eat decaying
organic matter; prefer starches if
available.
REPRODUCTION: Egg capsules
contain 16 eggs; female will
produce an average of
eight capsules;
nymphs go through
seven molts before becoming adult, in
about a year; adults can live up to
180 days.
OTHER INFORMATION:
also known as water bugs or black beetles; more sluggish than
other species; give off distinctive unpleasant odor.
Actual Size
ORIENTAL COCKROACH
Blatta orientalis
APPEARANCE: About 5/8 inches long;
11
the largest ants,
APPEARANCE: Among
from 1/4 to 3/8 inch
long; most common species
is black, but some have red-
dish or yellowish coloration;
workers have large mandibles.
HABITS: Normally nest in dead or water-damaged
portions of standing trees, stumps or logs, or
burrow under fallen logs or stones; nests look
like hollow “galleries” in wood; may move into
buildings in search of food; foraging ants will
travel up to 100 yards from nest to look for food.
DIET: Do not eat wood; feed on a variety of both
plant and animal food; prefer sweets and meats; also feed
on other insects.
REPRODUCTION: Queen lays 15 to 20 eggs the first year, and
up to 30 eggs the second year; eggs complete their life cycle in about 60
days; worker ants can live up to seven years, while a queen may live up to 25 years.
OTHER INFORMATION: Hollow “galleries” in nests are so smooth, they appear to
be sandpapered; colonies can contain up to 3,000 workers, but usually have only one
egg-laying queen per colony.
Actual Size
CARPENTER ANT
Genus Camponotus
APPEARANCE: Dark reddish-brown to black,
1/10 inch long; antennae have 12 segments.
HABITS: Nests found in a great variety of situations,
both indoors and outdoors; nests are usually shallow
and found beneath a stone or behind a board or wall;
travel in trails; forage day and night.
DIET: Honeydew, in the wild; inside, prefer sweet items.
REPRODUCTION: Each female in the nest lays only one
egg a day; young reach adulthood in an average of 24
days; workers and females live for several years.
OTHER INFORMATION: When crushed, give off very
unpleasant odor; colonies are very large, but can be
driven away by invading Argentine ants.
ODOROUS HOUSE ANT
Tapinoma sessile
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Reddish, about 1/4 inch long.
HABITS: Nests in mounds of one to two feet in
diameter, and about 1-1/2 feet high; large colonies
can have up to 250,000 workers; very active
and aggressive; will sting any intruding animal
repeatedly.
DIET: Omnivorous; known to eat meats, greasy
and sweet materials.
REPRODUCTION: Total time from egg to
adult averages 30 days; workers live up to
180 days; queens live two to six years.
OTHER INFORMATION: Has been known to
remove rubber insulation from telephone wires;
sting is painful, and can kill young wildlife
and domestic animals.
FIRE ANT
Genus Solenopsis
Actual Size
12
APPEARANCE: From light to dark brown,
about 1/10 inch long; antenna has 12 segments.
HABITS: Readily adaptable and can nest in a great
variety of situations; colonies are massive, and may
contain hundreds of queens; nests are usually located in
moist soil, next to or under buildings, along sidewalks or beneath
boards; travel in trails; forage day and night.
DIET: Eat a wide variety of foods, particularly sweets.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs are white, laid in summer;
larvae emerge after about 28 days; adult stage reached in
about 74 days.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Have no important natural enemy in the United States.
ARGENTINE ANT
Iridomyrmex humilis
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Very small; light yellow to red, with
black markings on abdomen; about 1/16 inch long.
HABITS: Require a warm temperature to survive; will
nest in any well-protected or hidden area; nests are very
difficult to find because ants stray far from them, usually
over established trails.
DIET: Feed on a diverse array of material, including sugars,
greasy foods and proteins; will also eat dead insects.
REPRODUCTION: Egg to adult in about 45 days; females
live up to 39 weeks and lay about 400 eggs; workers only
live up to 10 weeks.
OTHER INFORMATION: Mature forms have wings, but do not fly;
very large colonies, with up to several million workers and thousands of queens; when the
colony is stressed, it splits and scatters into sub-colonies in a process known as “budding".
PHAROAH ANT
Monomorium pharaonis
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Light brown to black,
appendages lighter than the rest of the body; about
1/10 inch long; parallel lines on head and thorax;
antennae have 12 segments.
HABITS: Sometimes enters buildings foraging for food;
nests are outdoors under stones, along curbing or in
cracks of pavement; can nest indoors in walls and under floors.
DIET: Eat a variety of foods; prefer sugars
but require protein for reproduction.
REPRODUCTION: Queen produces five to 20 eggs per day; brood
develops in about 40 days; young go through three larval stages.
OTHER INFORMATION: Slow-moving; often live in nests of larger ants,
where they feed on the larvae of the host.
PAVEMENT ANT
Tetramorium caespitum
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: One of the smallest household ants,
about 1/32 to 1/16 inch long; antennae have 10
segments; range in color from yellowish to brown.
HABITS: Nests occur in a great variety of locations
outside the home, especially under rocks; may nest
indoors in cracks and cupboards.
DIET: Feed on immature forms of other ants and insects; also attracted to
greasy or high protein foods such as cheese and animal matter.
REPRODUCTION: Queens lay an average of 105 eggs, which
incubate for 16 to 28 days; larval stage may last 21 days in
summer, but can last through the winter.
OTHER INFORMATION: So small they are difficult to detect.
THIEF ANT
Solenopsis molesta
Actual Size
13
APPEARANCE: Reddish-brown to black,
about 1/8 to 1/4 inch; elongated and slender.
HABITS: Females bore into wood and create tunnels for
laying eggs; feeds on both softwoods and hardwoods.
DIET: Usually new wood, less than 10 years old.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs are laid inside tunnels;
larvae complete their development usually in
about one year, but have been known to take
up to five.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Often found in oak firewood,
and in furniture.
BOSTRICHID
POWDERPOST BEETLE
Family Bostrichidae
Actual Size
e small, slender and
flattened, reddish-brown to black; from 1/8 inch to
1/4 inch; short antennae; larvae are usually less than
1/4 inch long, cream colored and slightly C-shaped.
HABITS: Attack the sapwood of hardwoods,
especially oak, hickory and ash; create small, round holes
which appear in hardwood floors, furniture,
molding and fixtures.
DIET: Starch, sugar and protein in the sapwood
of hardwoods; prefer moisture
content of between
10 and 20 percent.
REPRODUCTION: Life cycle
averages one year, with the
majority of time spent in
the destructive larval stage;
females lay an average of
20 to 50 eggs.
OTHER INFORMATION: Most common
of the wood-boring beetles in the U.S;
larvae reduce timber to a mass of very fine,
powder-like material.
Actual Size
POWDER POST BEETLE
Family Lyctidae
APPEARANCE: Adults ar
14
APPEARANCE:
adults are black
to brownish-
black, about
5/8 to one inch
long; slightly
flattened; wing
covers are
usually completely
black, but may have
distinct white markings.
HABITS: Larval stage feeds on
seasoned timber for two to 10
years before becoming an adult
beetle; adult emerges from infested
wood, leaving 1/4 inch oval exit hole,
and mates, living only 10 to 15 days.
DIET: Larval stage feeds on wood with moisture con-
tnt of between 10 and 20 percent; prefers softwoods.
REPRODUCTION: Life cycle averages three to five years,
but can take as long as 12 years, depending on environmental and nutritional
conditions, with the majority of time spent in the destructive larval stage.
OTHER INFORMATION: Contrary to its name, it occurs mostly in houses less
than 10 years old.
OLD HOUSE BORER
Hylotrupes bajulus
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Dark brown to
blackish-brown, about 1/8 to
1/4 inch; range in shape from
slender and elongated to oval.
HABITS: Larvae live in and create
tunnels in hardwoods and softwoods,
usually more than 10 years old; create small,
round holes of 1/16 to 1/8 inch diameter, which
appear especially in structural timbers.
DIET: Larvae feed on both
hardwoods and softwoods.
REPRODUCTION: Life cycle averages two to three
years, with the majority of time spent in the destructive
larval stage; females lay about 50 eggs.
OTHER INFORMATION: Unlike termites,
some anobiids are able to digest wood without the aid
of protozoa, and can live on a diet of cellulose.
ANOBIID
POWDERPOST BEETLE
Family Anobiidae
Actual Size
15
APPEARANCE: Flattened, oblong and reddish-brown;
about 1/7 inch long; larvae are 1/4 inch long and are
white to yellow.
HABITS: Nest in stored grain and grain products;
small size enables them to work themselves
into many sealed containers.
DIET: Feed on a variety of foods, but most commonly
flour and cereal products.
REPRODUCTION: Females lay an average of
300 to 400 eggs; life cycle usually takes
about seven weeks, but may last up to three
months; four or five generations per year.
OTHER INFORMATION: Attracted to light, but quickly
run for cover when disturbed; adults may live as long as three
years; impart a disagreeable odor and taste when found in flour.
Actual Size
FLOUR BEETLE
Order Coleoptera
APPEARANCE: Small, rounded, gray to blackish,
with a varied pattern of whitish and orange scales on
the back; shape resembles the ladybug;
about 1/5 inch long.
HABITS: Adults often inhabit flowerbeds; can enter
the home when cut flowers are brought in; outside,
feeds on pollen and nectar.
DIET: Feed on keratin-based foods; eat a variety of
dead animal materials, fur, hides, feathers, silks
and woolen items.
REPRODUCTION: Female lays 30 to 100 eggs,
which hatch in 10 to 18 days; larval stage lasts
60-325 days; adults live 20 to 60 days.
OTHER INFORMATION: These beetles have a complete
metamorphosis, with the larvae being the only stage that causes
damage to fabrics; some species have hair tufts that can be irritating to the skin, or if
breathed into the nose or lungs.
CARPET BEETLE
Order Coleoptera
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Up to 3/8 inch long; round body; bright
red or yellow, with black, red, white or yellow spots.
HABITS: Found in meadows, fields, gardens and forests.
DIET: Feed primarily on aphids and other small insects.
REPRODUCTION: Clusters of bright, yellow eggs are
attached to foliage near food supply; female may lay up to
500 eggs during a lifetime; life span of a few months.
OTHER INFORMATION: Have been used to control
insects which eat fruit crops; seek warmth of
buildings in autumn.
LADYBUG
Family Coccinellidae
Actual Size
16
APPEARANCE: Four “castes” of a termite
colony: 1. worker: approximately 1/4 inch long,
light colored, wingless; 2. soldier: elongated head
with mandibles; 3. supplementary reproductives:
wingless or very short, non-functional wings;
light colored; 4. primary reproductives: winged,
and darker than other members; caste most
often seen by homeowners.
HABITS: Live in colonies underground; able to reach food
above the level of the ground by building mud tubes;
dependent on moisture for survival.
DIET: Wood and other cellulose material; harbor one-celled
organisms in their digestive tracts to help them digest cellulose.
REPRODUCTION: Different rates of growth from egg stage to adult depend on
individual species; one queen per colony, which can lay tens of
thousands of eggs in her lifetime; most eggs are laid by
supplementary reproductives in an established colony.
OTHER INFORMATION: Colonies can contain up to
1,000,000 members; termites are primitive insects
closely related to cockroaches; in nature, termites
help convert dead wood to humus
(the organic layer of the soil).
Soldier
Worker
Actual Size
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE
Order Isoptera
APPEARANCE: Larger than
subterranean termites, up to
1/2 inch long; no worker
caste in the colony.
HABITS: Create colonies in
wood, with no connection to the
ground necessary; often found in
attic wood; need very little moisture.
DIET: Wood and occasionally other cellulose material.
REPRODUCTION: Nymphs pass through seven stages before
reaching adulthood; sexual forms eventually swarm to form
new colony.
OTHER INFORMATION: Wood damage is different
than that of other termites; these termites cut
across the grain of the wood, excavating large
chambers which are connected by small tunnels;
colonies may contain up to 2700 members.
Soldier
Supplementary
Reproductive
DRYWOOD TERMITE
Genera Kalotermes and Incisitermes
Actual Size
17
APPEARANCE: 1/2 to
1-1/4 inches long; black.
HABITS: Found in pastures, meadows,
lawns, occasionally indoors.
DIET: Eat almost anything but are
partial to field crops,
especially alfalfa, wheat,
oats, rye; will also
feed on textiles of cotton,
linen, wool and silk.
REPRODUCTION:
Usually one generation per
year, generally hatch in May,
become adults in July and
August, mate, then die in
September.
OTHER INFORMATION:
Occasionally break out
in massive numbers,
with swarms covering
many square miles.
FIELD CRICKET
Genus Gryllus
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: 3/4 to 1 inch long, light yellowish-brown,
with three darker brown bands on the head.
HABITS: Nocturnal; live outdoors, but may be found
indoors in warm areas, particularly the kitchen,
basement, fireplace, or in cracks; make a
distinctive chirping sound.
DIET: Eat or drink almost anything
that is available, especially crumbs
and food scraps.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs deposited
singly in crevices and behind
baseboards; 40 to 170 eggs
laid at one stage; egg stage
lasts eight to 12 weeks.
OTHER INFORMATION:
May bite when captured.
HOUSE CRICKET
Acheta domesticus
Actual Size
18
APPEARANCE: Light tan to dark brown;
1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long; humpbacked appearance.
HABITS: Found in cool, damp areas, such as under
logs or stones, and in crawl spaces, basements and
attics; nocturnal.
DIET: Will eat just about anything; they have been known
to feed on clothes and lace curtains.
REPRODUCTION: Females lay eggs in spring, which hatch around
April; there is only one generation per year.
OTHER INFORMATION: Unlike other crickets, they do not chirp; they
become immobile in the presence of strong light.
Actual Size
CAMEL CRICKET
Tachycines asynamorous
APPEARANCE: About 1-3/8 inches long;
greenish-yellow to dark greenish-brown with yellow
midline stripe; forewings blackish-yellow.
HABITS: Found primarily in tall grass
and open sandy woods.
DIET: Grasses.
REPRODUCTION: Female thrusts mass of
about 25 eggs one inch or more into soil; nymphs emerge in
about a week; they hatch when it rains.
OTHER INFORMATION: Called “bird grasshoppers”
because they can fly rapidly over great distances.
Actual Size
ALUTACEA BIRD
GRASSHOPPER
Schistocerca alutacea
APPEARANCE: Colorless to gray or light brown, ranging from 1/25 to 1/12 inch long.
HABITS: Prefer to live in damp, warm areas; can be found outdoors in grass
or leaves, and in areas where molds grow.
DIET: Microscopic molds and starchy materials such as
paste and glues of book bindings and wallpaper.
REPRODUCTION: Single female produces
between 120 to 456 offspring; lifetime averages
24 to 110 days.
OTHER INFORMATION: Over 100 species in the U.S.,
with only a few species found indoors; may become
abundant and cause damage to books.
Actual Size
BOOKLICE
Family Psocidae
19
APPEARANCE: Adults have wingspread of
5/8 inch; wings are pale gray, with outer
portion of forewing reddish-brown; larvae are about
1/2 inch long, with dirty white color.
HABITS: Adults fly mainly at night.
DIET: Larvae feed on all kinds of grains, flours, and dried fruit.
REPRODUCTION: Females lay between 200 to 400 eggs in
spring; complete life cycle ranges from four to six weeks.
OTHER INFORMATION: Larvae and adults are often mistaken for clothes moths;
adults live only one or two weeks; larvae spin white, silken cocoons where they pupate,
and sometimes leave “webbing” behind.
INDIAN MEAL MOTH
Plodia interpunctella
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Larvae are
shiny, white worms about 1/2 inch
long; adults have narrow fringed wings,
are yellowish-brown and also about
1/2 inch long.
HABITS: Prefer darkness; can disappear quickly if disturbed.
DIET: Wool and other fabrics, fur; other protein-based materials.
REPRODUCTION: Adult females lay up to 200 eggs; larvae reach maturity in
35 days to 2-1/2 years; adults live 15-30 days.
OTHER INFORMATION: Only the larvae feed and are capable of
damaging material items.
CLOTHES MOTH
Order Lepidoptera
Actual Size
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Flattened, with
one pair of legs on most of their
segments; segments number from
10 to 100; one to 1-1/2 inches long;
various colors.
HABITS: Usually live outdoors beneath damp
accumulations of leaves, stones, boards, etc;
occasionally find their way into homes, where they
hide in moist basements, damp closets and bathrooms;
when disturbed, they run swiftly
DIET: Insects and spiders.
LIFE SPAN: Some species live as long as five to six years.
OTHER INFORMATION: Large jaws can bite humans,
but the bite is seldom worse than a bee sting.
CENTIPEDE
Class Chilopoda
20
segmented, with a pair of legs per segment.
HABITS: Nocturnal; normally live outdoors
under objects located on damp soil;
hordes will crawl into homes.
DIET: Damp and decaying wood
and plant matter.
REPRODUCTION: Eggs are
deposited in the soil; most species
reach sexual maturity in the second year,
and live several years after that.
OTHER INFORMATION: There are occasions when
thousands of millipedes will populate an area,
sometimes carpeting the ground with their bodies.
Actual Size
MILLIPEDE
Class Diplopoda
APPEARANCE: Yellowish to brown, with a dark brown
violin-shaped dorsal marking; 5/8 to 1/2 inch long.
HABITS: Can be found outside under rocks, leaves,
debris, bark, woodpiles, utility boxes; found inside in
storage areas such as closets, attics, bedrooms; usually
found close to the ground.
DIET: Cockroaches, crickets and other soft-bodied insects.
REPRODUCTION: Mating occurs from Feb. to Oct.; 40 to 50
eggs are deposited in off-white, round silken cases; lifetime
averages from one to two years.
OTHER INFORMATION: Bites when disturbed;
bites can cause a disfiguring scar.
BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER
Loxosceles reclusa
Actual Size
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: From 1/8 to 1/2
inch long; yellowish to greenish-
brown or reddish-brown;
four pairs of long, thin legs.
HABITS: Found in open areas on
foliage and tree trunks, or on shady walls outside buildings.
DIET: Small insects and decaying organic matter; plant juices.
REPRODUCTION: Females deposit eggs into soil individually; eggs
overwinter and hatch in the spring; one generation a year.
OTHER INFORMATION: Legs break off easily and
cannot be regenerated; if disturbed, they furiously wave second
pair of legs in the air.
DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Family Phalangiidae
APPEARANCE: Female is 1/2 inch long;
shiny black, with hourglass-shaped red mark
on underside of abdomen.
HABITS: Can be found almost anywhere, indoors
or out; prefer to build their nests close to the ground.
DIET: Insects trapped in web made by female.
REPRODUCTION: Contrary to popular belief, female is usually
unsuccessful in any attempt to eat male after mating; 300 to 400
eggs are laid in silken cocoon, hatch in about ten days.
OTHER INFORMATION: Black widows are not aggressive,
and will not bite unless provoked; bites are poisonous,
but rarely fatal; if bitten, seek medical attention.
BLACK WIDOW SPIDER
Genus Latrodectus
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Brownish, one to 1-1/2 inches long;
APPEARANCE: 5/8 inch long, dark reddish-brown,
with yellow-brown legs; large forceps (cerci) on the end
of the abdomen, which pose no threat to humans.
HABITS: Found all over homes, particularly in cracks and
crevices near or on the ground; active primarily at night.
DIET: Scavengers; will eat just about anything.
REPRODUCTION: Up to 60 eggs are laid in burrows in the
ground and guarded by the female; hatch in the spring.
OTHER INFORMATION: Many species have a gland which
secretes a foul-smelling, yellowish-brown liquid when threatened.
Actual Size
EARWIG
Order Dermaptera
21
APPEARANCE: Not more
than 3/4 inch long; thorax
composed of seven hard
overlapping plates with seven pairs of
legs; only pillbugs are able to roll
up into a ball.
HABITS: Prefer moist locations; found under objects on damp
ground; mostly nocturnal; sometimes found in basements
and ground levels of structures.
DIET: Decaying vegetable matter.
REPRODUCTION: Female gives birth to between 24 and 28 young per brood; usually
one to three generations a year; may live as long as two years.
OTHER INFORMATION: Pillbugs and related sowbugs are the only crustaceans that
have become completely adapted to living their whole life on land.
PILLBUG/SOWBUG
Order Isopoda
Actual Size
22
APPEARANCE: About 1/4 inch-1/2 inch long,
somewhat “carrot-shaped” from above;
gray or silver-colored; three filaments
extend from rear.
HABITS: Nocturnal; move
swiftly, can jump; found where
there is excessive humidity; are
attracted to books, wallpaper
and other paper products that
have a high starch content.
DIET: Prefer starch, paste,
glue; paper products of all
kinds; starched textiles.
REPRODUCTION:
Two to three month reproductive cycle; lay
about 50 eggs per batch; live two to 2-1/2 years.
OTHER INFORMATION: Thought to belong to one of the most primitive
existing insect orders, more than 400 million years old.
Actual Size
SILVERFISH
Order Thysanura
APPEARANCE: Appearance differs by species, but all
adults are very small, roundish, with eight legs (larvae
or seed ticks have six legs); 1/8 to 1/2 inch long.
HABITS: Live on the bodies of mammals,
birds and reptiles.
DIET: Blood; all species can swell to a considerable
size after feeding.
REPRODUCTION: Mating usually occurs while adult ticks
are on the host animal; female hard ticks feed only once,
and lay one large batch of up to 10,000 eggs; female soft
tick will feed several times and lay 20-50 eggs after each
meal; eggs hatch in 19 to 60 days.
OTHER INFORMATION: Ticks are known carriers of many
serious diseases, including encephalitis, tick paralysis, typhus and
Lyme disease; adults can live over 500 days without a meal.
TICK
Order Acarina
Actual Size
APPEARANCE: Black to brownish-black, about 1/12 to
1/16 inches long; six legs, with many bristles on body
and legs; flattened body.
HABITS: Found on cats and dogs year-round,
but most common during warm and humid weather;
r
eadily attack and feed on humans; can jump as much
as 7/8 inch vertically, and 14 to 16 inches horizontally.
DIET: Blood.
REPRODUCTION: Female can lay about 25 eggs a day, and
up to 800 eggs during her lifetime; fleas undergo complete
metamorphosis, usually in 14 to 90 days.
OTHER INFORMATION: Carrier of many diseases; adults
can live one to two months without feeding.
Actual Size
FLEA
Order Siphonaptera
23
APPEARANCE: Range in size from 1-1/2 to
three inches long; eight legs, a pair of large pinchers
and a pair of small pinchers near the mouth;
tail possesses a stinger.
HABITS: Most active at night; during the day, they
hide under bark, logs or stones; in houses, they hide in
closets, shoes and folded clothes.
DIET: Small spiders and soft-bodied insects; will eat
other scorpions.
REPRODUCTION: Females produce an average of 32
young; young reach maturity in three to four years.
OTHER INFORMATION: Common in southern states;
most species deliver a sting no more harmful than a
bee’s; very poor eyesight; use pinchers as feelers.
Actual Size
SCORPION
Order Scorpionida
APPEARANCE: Up to 5-7/8 inches long; almost cylindrical body;
nymphs are green, becoming a twig-like brown at maturity.
HABITS: Woods, forests and grasslands.
DIET: Foliage of grasses and woody plants,
especially grapevines,
oaks and hazelnuts.
REPRODUCTION:
Females lay eggs
individually; eggs overwinter
and hatch in spring; one
generation a year.
OTHER INFORMATION: Have the
ability to regenerate lost legs; so
closely resemble leafless twigs, they
are generally overlooked.
WALKINGSTICK
Family Phasmidae
Shown Approx. 2/3 Size
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