Roach Pizza, Anyone?

Our technicians have been servicing a pizza joint in the Griffin area that had a few roaches.  Well, a few is an understatement!  Our technicians realized the little critters were hiding under the refrigerator.  This was the scene once the fridge was moved:

Thousands of little roaches covered the floor.  Although it's hard to tell from this picture, a bag of onions was covered with them, and our techs were shaking them out like a salt shaker!

This was an infestation of German cockroaches.  This is a small species of cockroaches, averaging 1/2 inch in length.  Their small size makes it easy for them to hide.  German cockroaches are common in restaurants, food processing facilities, hotels, and homes.  They are tan to brown with 2 dark parallel streaks running from their head to the base of the wings.   Here's an up close picture of a German cockroach:



German Cockroach; photo courtesy of www.perdue.edu

What's the Difference? Centipede vs. Millipede

 Centipede: photo courtesy www.commons.wikimedia.org; credit: Vaikoovery

 North American millipede; photo courtesy of www.wikipedia.org; credit: Jud McCranie

If you're like me, you've heard of centipedes and millipedes, and you know they have a lot of legs.  But what's the difference in them?  Before we get to the differences, let's note a few similarities.

Both centipedes and millipedes are considered arthropods.  In other words, they are invertebrates that have an exoskeleton and a segmented body.  They are related to scorpions, crabs, lobsters, and shrimp.  Both of these creatures also extend their body segments by molting.

So, if you see something with lots of legs crawling around, how do know which one it is?  Here's some ways to tell the difference.

CENTIPEDE	MILLIPEDE
Known as “hundred leggers”; most common encountered have less than 31 pairs of legs	Known as “thousand leggers”; most have fewer than 100 pairs of legs
Flattened, elongated, exoskeletal body	Rounded, elongated, exoskeletal body
2 relatively long, segmented antennae that are sensors for feeling and smelling	2 comparatively short, segmented antennae along with sensory organs on head called Tomosvary organs
2 modified, venomous legs that is uses to capture and kill prey	No venomous legs
Single pair of legs on each trunk segment	2 pairs of legs per segment
Uses 2 modified legs on last segment and 2 modified venomous legs on first segment for defense	Uses glands to produce a hydrogen cyanide gas to discourage predators;  will also curl up when poked
Long legs	Short legs
Moves quickly	Moves slowly
Predator-feeds on insects, spiders, birds, and reptiles	Scavenger and herbivore-feeds on decaying vegetation
Male deposits sperm bundles and female finds them and impregnates herself	Male and female join for mating
Can bite-bites can be painful, but not generally fatal to humans;  small children or people with allergies should be observed if bitten	Do not bite
Have their own class, Chilopoda-from the Greek; “cheilos” meaning “lip” and “poda” meaning “foot”	In the class Diplopoda-from the Greek; meaning “double foot”

The better known species of centipede are the giant desert centipede, the banded desert centipede (or common desert centipede), and the house centipede.



Giant desert centipede; photo courtesy of John on www.wikipedia.org

Banded desert centipede; photo courtesy of www.matergardener.osu.edu

House centipede; this one was in my bathtub last summer!

From a distance, millipedes look more like worms until you can see their little legs.



North American millipede; photo credit: RJ Ferret; www.wikipedia.org

Millipede curled up; photo credit: Jud McCranie; www.wikipedia.org

                                                        

A Stink Bug in My Kitchen!!

I don't like winter.  It's cold, and I don't like being cold.  I also don't like bugs.  So, the positive element of winter is that I don't come across many bugs.  Living in the South, however, means that our winters are often mild.  In the last week, we've had January days warm enough for my children to play outside in shorts!  It feels more like spring, and unfortunately, sometimes the insects that are supposed to be dormant also think it's spring.  My husband found this bug on our oven door:

This is the brown marmorated stink bug.  It is native to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.  It was first collected in the United States in Allentown, PA.  In the last dozen years, it has spread to the majority of US states, although it is still most abundant in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The adult brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is 14-17 mm long, or about the size of a dime.  They are a mottled brown color and have the classic "shield" shape of other stink bugs.  One distinguishing characteristic is the white stripes on the antennae.  It is common for large amounts of BMSBs to be seen in the fall trying to invade homes for warm places to overwinter.  Once inside the home, they will go into a state of hibernation and reappear in the spring.  Occasionally, as in my case, they will appear in the winter during warmer periods.  BMSBs do not cause structural damage to homes or reproduce in homes.  They also do not bite people or pets.  So, they really don't sound that bad, right?

Here's why this bug is a problem.  It uses its proboscis to pierce plants and suck the juices out.  They have caused millions of dollars in crop damage in many fruits and vegetables such as peaches, apples, soybeans, pears, corn, and tomatoes.  Feeding results in the formation of dimpled or necrotic areas on the surface of the crop, leaf stippling, and seed loss.  Here's an example of damage cause by the BMSB:



Photo courtesy of pubs.ext.vt.edu; credit: Doug Pfeiffer

The other reason the BMSB is undesirable is that, you guessed it, it stinks!  It emits an smell that has been described as a pungent odor like cilantro.  The odor is a defense mechanism, but it can also be triggered by handling it or crushing it.  Vacuuming is one method of getting rid of any BMSB inside the home.  However, this may also cause the vacuum to stink for awhile.  Instead, try knocking them in a container of soapy water.  After getting our picture, by husband went for the simple crush it and wad it up in a paper towel method.  Luckily, we didn't smell any odor and all is well!   

A Day in the Life of a Pest Control Expert...

Well, maybe not a normal day!  One of our long time Griffin customers had been hearing some type of noise like a rat or squirrel.  Our guys have been setting up traps and looking for ways unwanted critters may have gotten in.  One trap used was a Trapper T-Rex Rat Trap, which looks like this:

However, we learned that rats were not the problem.  Yesterday, the trap snapped on a squirrel's tail.    Because of the interlocking teeth on the trap, it is almost impossible to escape!  As the squirrel ran around with the trap connected to it's tail, banging could be heard from the attic.  A panic call comes from the home of Mrs. Newton Bell.  Going above and beyond, Brandon McCoy heads over to her home after hours.  He finds the intruder, but the trap has now caused it to be stuck in its hiding spot.  Since there was no way to fish him out, Brandon reached back in and grabbed the squirrel by the neck with his hand.  All I can say is WOW!  After choking the squirrel, Brandon was able to remove it safely.  Way to go, Brandon!!  I think this will be the story of the year! 

If you've got a pest problem, Mid-Georgia will find a solution!