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Pest Library > Pest Library: Occasional Invaders
Occasional Invaders
In New England, there are some pests we consider Occasional Invaders. These pests, although not common, can be a nuisance when present in your home or yard. Centipedes, Lady Bugs, House Crickets, Millipedes, Earwigs, Larder Beetles, Stink Bugs, and Western Conifer Seed Bugs are some of the usual suspects. To learn more about any of these particular pests, click on the profiles available for each type.
Full-grown browntail moth larvae are about 1.5 inches long, and dark brown with a broken white stripe on each side of the body. There are also two conspicuous reddish spots on the posterior end of the back. They eventually develop into moths with a wingspan of about 1.5 inches. The wings and midsection are pure white, while the abdomen is brown with a tuft of brown hairs at the tip.
What is the Browntail Moth’s Diet?
In the larval stage from August through June, browntail moths feed on the foliage of hardwood trees and shrubs such as oak, apple, cherry, beach plum, and rugosa rose. In the spring, the larvae crawl out of their webs and feed on tender new leaves.
What is the Browntail Moth Reproductive Cycle?
The browntail moth only produces one generation per year. There are four life stages: egg, larval, pupal, and adult. The larval stage lasts from August through June. By late June, larvae are full-grown. The full-grown larvae spin cocoons in which to pupate. The pupae develop into moths, which emerge from the cocoons in July. The females then lay eggs on the underside of leaves and cover the eggs with brown hairs from their bodies. Each of the 200-400 eggs that the females lay will hatch during August or the beginning of September.
Where do Browntail Moths Live?
Browntail moths are a perennial problem in towns along the southern Maine coast. In autumn, colonies of larvae build winter webs in trees from a single leaf wrapped tightly with large amounts of white silk. The winter webs are two to four inches long and are usually found far out on branch tips. It’s common to find them on red oak and apple trees. In the spring, larvae begin to emerge from their webs. By late June, they spin cocoons in which to pupate. The pupae emerge as moths in July.
Why is the Browntail Moth a Pest?
The larval, or caterpillar, stage of the browntail moth feeds on the foliage of hardwood trees and shrubs. This can cause a reduction in growth and occasional death for the tree or shrub. However, the primary impact of the browntail moth is the toxic hairs found on the caterpillars. These hairs can become airborne and stick to foliage and other surfaces. They cause a rash similar to poison ivy that can be severe. People with respiratory issues like asthma can also be aggravated by the air when they are inhaled. They can create a burning, stinging, or itching sensation in the throat. Cocoons full of poisonous hairs should be carefully removed from buildings and other structures. Arborists are needed to treat nests high in trees, and special pesticide licensing is required. Modern Pest can treat for the adult browntail moths when they are on structures, but not on trees or shrubs due to pesticide licensing restrictions.
Centipedes are usually yellowish to dark brown in color and range in length from 1/8 – 6 inches. Their bodies are flat and have 10 to 177 segments. Centipedes usually have one pair of legs per segment.
What is the Centipede’s Diet?
The centipede’s main diet consists of insects, spiders, and other arthropods.
What is the Centipede’s Reproductive Cycle?
Centipedes generally lay about 35 eggs in the summer. The newly hatched centipede has only four pairs of legs, and after each molt, the number of body segments and legs increases. Depending on the species, the centipede can live from 1 to 5 years.
Where do Centipedes Live?
Preferring damp, moist areas, centipedes are frequently found in basements, storage areas, and bathrooms. Outdoors, they tend to be under an accumulation of leaves, under stones, decaying firewood, or mulch. They are generally active at night. Although centipedes can bite, the bite is seldom worse than a bee sting.
Clover mites are dark reddish-brown arachnids that are smaller than a pinhead. They’re 1/64” long, and soft, oval, and flattened from top to bottom. Their defining characteristic is the very long pair of front legs that extend forward like antennae as they crawl.
What is the Clover Mite’s Diet?
Clover mites like to eat sap from clover, well-fertilized grass, and other plants. They are known to eat over 200 different plant species.
What is the Clover Mite Reproductive Cycle?
Clover mites are parthenogenetic, which means they develop from unfertilized eggs and their entire population is female. Overwintering eggs usually hatch around April 1, or when temperatures are greater than 45 degrees F. They typically complete one generation before they estivate for summer. Estivation is a type a warm-weather hibernation. Clover mites prefer cooler weather, and usually emerge again in the fall to complete another generation. The eggs then overwinter in a dry, protected location. However, the mites can be found in all stages of growth. They will not reproduce in indoor conditions.
Where do Clover Mites Live?
Clover mites are encountered as household pests in early summer and in fall when they enter homes by mistake. Otherwise, they exclusively live outdoors. Spring infestations usually occur because of the sudden growth of lush vegetation around the perimeter of a house, which is delicious to a clover mite. Clover mite populations then move inside in the fall when the plants they feed on start to die. Once inside a home, they will die within a few days of dehydration.
Why are Clover Mites a Pest?
Clover mites are harmless and can’t bite or sting. They aren’t a health concern for humans, and they don’t cause major damage to homes. But clover mites can be a huge nuisance to homeowners when they invade structures in large numbers. When an adult clover mite is crushed, it leaves behind a red stain, especially on items like curtains, wallpaper, rugs, and other light-colored furniture. Because of this, clover mites should be vacuumed up and not smashed.
Adult earwigs range in length from 1/4 – 1 inch. The body is long and flat, usually dark brown to black in color. They usually have two pairs of wings, and forceps-like pincers at the end of their abdomen.
What is the Earwig’s Diet?
Although earwigs are scavengers, they generally prefer plant material.
What is the Earwig’s Reproductive Cycle?
Female earwigs lay several batches of about 50 eggs in a shallow area under a rock or other form of protection. In cooler temperatures, they take about 70 days to hatch. In warmer temperatures, they hatch in about 20 days.
Where do Earwigs Live?
Being nocturnal, earwigs usually hide in moist, shady places during the day. Outdoors, they can be found under rocks, boards, and other debris. Indoors, they hide in cracks, crevices, carpeting, and under furniture.
The adult house cricket is about 3/4 – 7/8 inch in length and yellowish brown in color. There are three dark bands on their head, and they have long, slender antennae. The wings of the adult lie flat on their backs.
What is the House Cricket’s Diet?
Outdoors, house crickets feed on plants and other insects. Indoors, they will also eat plants and insects. But they will also chew large holes in fabrics.
What is the House Cricket’s Reproductive Cycle?
The male house cricket rubs his front wings together to attract females. Female crickets lay an average of 728 eggs outdoors, and 104 eggs indoors at room temperature.
Where do House Crickets Live?
In warmer weather, house crickets usually live outdoors, and are often found near garbage. In the colder months, they seek shelter. Crickets are nocturnal, hiding in warm, dark places during the day.
Ladybugs are beetles that are oval to almost round in shape. They are approximately 1/16 – 1/4 inch long. Their colors are bright, and most are red, brown, or tan with black spots. Although they look similar to Asian lady beetles and are in the same insect family, they don’t behave the same way.
What is the Ladybug’s Diet?
Both larvae and adult ladybugs feed on plant-eating insects such as aphids, mealybugs, and mites. They also eat insect eggs.
What is the Ladybug’s Reproductive Cycle?
Once ladybugs emerge from overwintering, they will lay 12 eggs, singularly or end to end, on plants that are infested with aphids or other insects that they feed on. The eggs are orange in color, while the larvae are blue, black, and orange.
Where do Ladybugs Live?
As temperatures cool, ladybugs seek protected outdoor areas to overwinter, such as under rocks, bark, and leaves.
Adult larder beetles are about 1/4 – 3/8 inch in length with a long oval oval-shaped body. They are dark brown to black, with a wide yellow band that has 6 or 8 spots across their wings. Their short antennae are clubbed. The larvae are brown, 3/8 – 5/8 inch in length, and hairy.
What is the Larder Beetle’s Diet?
The larder beetle feeds on a large variety of animal products such as bacon, cheese, ham, meats, dry pet food, feathers, etc.
What is the Larder Beetle’s Reproductive Cycle?
Adult female larder beetles lay their eggs on any one of their many feeding sources, or in cracks or crevices near the food source. They lay as many as 800 eggs, which will hatch in about 12 days. The male larvae molt 5 times while the female will molt 6 times. The mature larder beetle larva will wander around looking for a location to bore into to pupate.
Where do Larder Beetles Live?
Larder beetles overwinter outdoors in cracks or crevices. In spring, they enter homes and buildings. Both the larvae and the adult larder beetle cause damage by feeding and boring into solid materials in which to pupate.
The majority of millipedes are brown or black, but a few species are orange or red. Their size ranges from 5/8 to 4 1/2 inches. Most species of the millipede family are long and round, but a few have a flattened appearance with 30 to 90+ pairs of legs.
What is the Millipede Diet?
Millipedes are scavengers and feed on decaying organic matter.
What is the Millipede Reproductive Cycle?
Female millipedes lay between 20 to 300 eggs in a nest in the soil. They hatch after several weeks, and then go through 7 to 10 molts. During each molt, the number of body segments and legs increases. Many of the species reach sexual maturity in two years, while others take four or five years.
Where do Millipedes Live?
Normally found outdoors, the millipede requires large amounts of moisture. They can be found under trash, grass clippings, mulch, and leaf piles. If rising water invades their home, they will seek shelter indoors, sometimes in large numbers. Drought can also cause millipedes to seek shelter, in hopes of finding moisture.
The average length for an adult stink bug is 3/4 inch. Their body is shaped similarly to a shield, and the most common colors are green or brown. Their antennae are fairly long.
What is the Stink Bug’s Diet?
Both the adult and nymph stink bugs feed on sap, seed pods, and nectar. Their feeding can damage plants and cause deformed buds and fruit.
What is the Stink Bug’s Reproductive Cycle?
Stink bugs generally mate in spring. The adult female will lay her eggs on leaves which she will aggressively guard. The eggs hatch in about 30 days.
Where do Stink Bugs Live?
The stink bug is a good flier, which can become a pest in the fall when they try to enter structures for warmth. They are named for the foul odor they secrete, which is used as a defense mechanism.
Adult western conifer seed bugs are about 3/4 inch in length and brownish-red in color. They have long antennae and 3 pairs of legs. Western conifer seed bugs make a loud buzzing noise that sounds similar to a bumblebee when they are in flight.
What is the Western Conifer Seed Bug’s Diet?
The western conifer seed bug feeds on cones and seeds from a large variety of trees such as pine, spruce, hemlock, and holly.
What is the Western Conifer Seed Bug’s Reproductive Cycle?
In spring, the female western conifer seed bug will lay her eggs in the needles of a host tree. The eggs will hatch in 10 to 14 days. The emerging nymphs look similar to the adult, but are wingless and orange-brown, changing to a reddish-brown as they mature. By the end of summer, they should reach adulthood.
Where Do Western Conifer Seed Bugs Live?
The western conifer seed bug does not bite or sting, but it can become a pest in structures. These rather large insects can invade homes, offices, and buildings in large numbers, looking for shelter from the cold. Outdoors, they may seek shelter in such places as bird nests, under bark, or in leaf litter.