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New Post has been published on Spectrum Pest Control Inc.
New Post has been published on http://spectrumpestcontrolinc.com/2013/03/18/mosquitoe-control-pittsburgh/
Some Interesting Facts About Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes belong to the Culcidae family and are described as disease causing insects. They are regarded as undesirable pests and are always linked to disease, but there are also some interesting facts about them. Find out more below.
Studies show that mosquitoes have been around for 100 million years and they come from over 3000 different species. There are mosquitoes all over the world and they can survive in any climate, even in extremely cold places like the Arctic.
In most cases, they will live one mile away from their breeding ground but some might live as much as twenty miles away. A female mosquito can live between three to one hundred days, while the male lives for ten to twenty days. One of the surprising facts is that mosquito eggs can stay alive for over five years.
A mosquito’s life stages extend from the egg, larvae, pupae and adult. Except for the last stage, the mosquito will lay eggs in water. They prefer stagnant water such as lakes and ponds. A female mosquito can lay up to 200 eggs in one go. The egg can become an adult in four to seven days.
Most mosquitoes feed on fruit nectar and juices, only a handful will feed on human beings. Some species eat other mosquitoes, while others prefer frogs. Only female mosquitoes feed on or bite humans, as many species are blood eating pests. While drawing blood some will transmit dangerous diseases such as malaria to people and livestock. Other disease includes dengue, encephalitis and filariasis. One mosquito with the malaria virus can infect over one hundred people. Mosquitoes will kill more humans than any other insect.
A male mosquito can be distinguished from the female by their sensory organ (palp) and feather-like or plumose antenna. The female mosquitoes make high-pitched sounds when their wing beats and this causes the males to find them easily.
Mosquitoes are naturally more attracted to dark colors. They are mostly attracted to carbon dioxide and would use smell in order to hunt. Due to their poor eyesight, they identify preys through an infrared vision of their body temperature.
Important information on how to lessen the mosquito population:
You can start by getting rid of the stagnant water in your drums, tin cans, garden, bottles, and so on. All the water containers must be covered properly and emptied regularly because they are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Cover or drain the water from idle swimming pools and drain all the swamps around the yard. Ensure that water is not accumulating in the ground surrounding the house.
Use DDT or some other pesticide if you want to kill the mosquitoes.
Lastly, the shrubs and grass in the garden or yard must be cut short to prevent mosquitoes from populating the space.
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New Post has been published on Spectrum Pest Control Inc.
New Post has been published on http://spectrumpestcontrolinc.com/2013/03/13/carpenter-ant-control-pittsburgh/
Carpenter Ants: What Should We Know About Them
Are you having problems with Carpenter Ants? Give Spectrum Pest Control a call for a free evaluation to solve your Carpenter ant problem.
Carpenter ants belong to the Camponotus genus and are known for making colonies in wood. These ants generally build nests in rotting wood stumps and trees, but they are also found in wooden structures of houses and outdoors in places like telephone poles. Since the ants live in wooden structures, they can cause serious damages in homes especially to the roofing materials, windowsills and porch pillars.
The carpenter ants have large sizes which range from 0.75 inch (19.1mm) to 0.25 inch (6.4mm). They are generally black in color, but some red and black ones are found at times. Ants on a whole are divided in various groups including the workers, males and queens. The workers in the carpenter ants species have various sizes.
There are several other ant species with slight resemblance to the carpenter, but one could always distinguish them by their physical features. A carpenter ant has a thorax with an evenly rounded upper surface and a node or single petiole waist. Even more importantly, the other ants don’t infest wood.
Carpenter Ants Breeding Habits
These ants usually make longer lasting nesting colonies. One fertilized queen would establish a colony by creating a nesting place inside a hollowed area in the wood. Once that is done, the queen produces the first offspring which is the workers and they feed on salivary excretions. During this time, the queen never leaves the nest and will not feed on anything. When the workers grow bigger, they collect food to feed the younger larvae. The colony population will continue to increase at a fast rate and food supplies also comes in more regular.
A colony will matures when it has two thousand or more workers. At this time, it has the capabilities to produce some young queens and males. This could take around three to six years. After reaching this stage, the colony will produce more winged queens and males to fly from the nesting sites to mate and create new colonies.
Ways to Control Carpenter Ants
Even though these ants don’t generally cause structural damage to buildings, they create hollow sections in wood which are long lasting and could lead to significant problems over time. There are also some recent evidences which show that these ants can cause significant damage to foam insulation.
Now, one of the common methods used to control ant infestation is to locate and destroy the nesting sites. Studies indicate that carpenter ant species uses distinct scent trails to travel from the parent nest to the satellite colonies. The ants also use the scent trails to help other nest mates find different food locations. When you want to rid carpenter ants from your home, you can monitor the trailing characteristics. Once you identify their nests, you could use an insecticide spray to get rid of the ants.
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