ABOUT FLYING INSECTS
Insects were the Earth's first organisms to evolve active flight. For purposes of this category, we'll include insect pests who have wings full time, and not those whose queens or swarmers are the only fliers in the class.
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Some 350 million years ago insects began to fly. For many insects, flying is the only way to travel, providing access to food that other creatures cannot reach and also proving to be a successful defense against potential predators. Of the 900,000 species of insects on Earth classified, 99.9% of them are categorized as Pterygota (winged insects).
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Insect wings are one of nature's lightest structures and most are shaped to form an airfoil, which is curved at the top and flat on the bottom.
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Because of their travel patterns, Axiom does not guarantee we can eliminate flying pests. Our treatment solutions, however, are effective because we treat where these pests are likely to land.​
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BOTTLE FLY or BLOW FLY
So named because its metallic coloration of green, blue, gold and red resembles bottles, the bottle fly is artistically colored, but it has some nasty habits and is known to transmit diseases.
Classified as filth feeders, bottle flies feed on animal feces, dead animals, garbage and rotting plant materials. These unsanitary practices can lead to the transmission of pathogenic bacteria to people and animals.
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Normally bottle flies are outside insects, but if you find them inside, that signals that they are breeding in the home or within the immediate area. Check your home for dead mice or other vermin in wall voids, attics, crawlspaces or the chimney. Although you haven't found the dead animal, these flies most certainly have.
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You'll want help in combating these flies because a single female can lay 2-3,000 eggs in her short lifetime..
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BOXELDER BUG
So named because they are often found on or around box elder trees, these black and red orange insects tend to show up en mass during the early fall, as they want to find a place to overwinter.
During warmer months they feed on maple, ash and seed-bearing box elder trees. In fall, large masses of box elder bugs cluster on sides of rocks and on sunny sides of your home. If they cannot find shelter in their natural environment, they'll want to enter your home to overwinter in attics, crawl spaces and dark corners.
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Boxelder bugs are not known to bite, but they have a piercing and sucking mouth that might puncture skin and produce a red mark similar to a mosquito bite.
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A professional can help you control these insects and ensure you have a sufficient outside barrier to prevent these insects from entering your home.
Beware if you crush boxelder bugs... they leave a reddish orange stain.
CLOTHING MOTH
Attracted to natural fibers on clothing, carpeting, blankets and taxidermy, you'll find the clothing moth in closets and rooms in the home other than the kitchen.
They're seeking out silks, wool, fur and sometimes leather to feed upon. You might find them feeding on cherished clothing pieces or on carpets and rugs. ​Their damage can be small to large holes in the natural fibers.
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Clothing moths are known for being stealthy. You might not see them because they're tiny creatures. In fact, you might not notice them until you find holes in your rugs or clothing or see flying adult moths.
The larvae need keratin to develop, and that is found in animal furs or byproducts like silk, leather and wool, or in synthetic fabrics or cotton fabrics that contain wool. Keratin can also be found in items made from human or animal hair -- including pets.
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Axiom can give you good direction to rid your home of these moths. Call us if you are seeing infestation.
DRAIN FLY
Drain flies are also called moth flies, sink flies or sewer gnats because they frequent plumbing drains and sewage systems and are sometimes mistaken for moths.
Drain flies are covered with fine, water-repellent hairs. They are difficult to drown, and not affected by contact with bleach or boiling water. Even their eggs are can withstand contact with bleach and hot water.
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Drain flies breed in drains, sewers, septic tanks and sewage contaminated soil. They live off debris ion drain sides and in the drain trap. Sump pump pits and sewers in commercial buildings are also prime environments for these flies.
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You'll want help in combating these flies to ensure you are finding the exact source and are eliminating the breeding area. Call a professional now to control your drain flies.
FRUIT FLY
Fruit flies can be found all over the world, in home kitchens, food processing plants, grocery stores, restaurants, wineries and warehouses. They make their presence known in any place that has decaying vegetation, overripe fruit or where fermentation is happening.
Fruit flies lay their eggs near or on top of the rotting fruits, vegetables and beverages that attract them. Areas that are moist, like drains and mop heads, are particularly attractive. It takes about 10 days for an egg to become an adult.
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Because fruit flies lay eggs directly on overripe fruits and vegetables, humans can eat the larvae, causing intestinal discomfort or diarrhea. That's why sanitation of the area and the food prepared there is of utmost concern.
GNAT
Many people assign the name gnat to any small winged insect. Many think that gnats are just baby houseflies. In actuality, gnats are their own species of the fly family — the mostnoticeable of which is the fungus gnat.
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Gnats have long legs and are poor fliers. Some species bite because they feed on blood. Others, like the fungus gnat, are completely harmless to humans.
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Fungus gnats like the damp soil of over-watered house plants or outside plants. These gnats are attracted to the fungus in the soil. Their larvae will feed on the roots and root hairs of both ornamental and edible plants. Their favorite plants to eat are Easter lilies, corn, clover, cucumbers, lettuce and others.
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If you see gnats inside or out, call a professional to help you deal with these, because gnats reproduce quickly.
HOUSEFLY
The housefly is the most common fly species seen in homes. It spends its days eating voraciously, vomiting and constantly depositing feces, making it a dangerous carrier of pathogens.
Houseflies have been tied to the spread of typhoid, dysentery, salmonellosis and parasitic worms, among the 100 pathogens they're known to carry.
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They feed on liquid or semi-liquid substances, as well as solid materials that they soften by salivating or vomiting upon. Without food, adults can live only 2 to 5 days. Normal lifespan is 15-25 days or even up to 2 months.
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Houseflies can be found feeding and breeding in fresh manure, pet manure, rotting fruits and vegetables, garbage and decaying organic matter.
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An Axiom professional can help control houseflies. A complete inspection will identify entry and breeding areas.
HUMPBACKED FLY
This is the fly that gained notoriety on television's CSI, because the humpbacked fly typically is the first to arrive when a corpse is present.
The humpbacked fly also is called the "phorid fly", "scuttle fly" or — more notably — the "coffin fly" because it has been known to set up sustainable communities in coffins.
Because it has small wings, this fly has only short erratic flights, but it runs easily. You might see it running across plant foliage, walls, tables or TV screens. You'll notice a distinguishable arch in their back and might witness them doing a running take off.
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Humpbacked flies can become stable in kitchens, bathrooms and food processing locations. They feed on organic matter and fungi, preferring moist environments.
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These flies need to be controlled because they have the propensity to spread vector diseases. Call a professional today.
LEAF FOOTED BUG
These brown bugs tend to cluster around fruits on your fruit trees or around goldenrod flowers and tomatoes.
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Take a look at their body and you'll notice a flat-leaf shaped abdomen that is brown, gray, black or a mix of these colors. There are also leaf-like growths on the back legs.
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Leaf Footed Bugs aren't harmful to humans, but they are a nuisance because they leave needle-like bites in fruits and leaves that are very tiny to large. They feed by sucking juices from leaves, stems and fruits.
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While not poisonous, they are often mistaken for Assassin bugs or Kissing Bugs, which carry the parasite known to cause Chagas Disease.
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These insects do fly, but most likely you'll find them crawling, resting — and feeding — on your plants.
SAW FLY
The sawfly is an enemy of anyone who has trees. The larvae of these tiny insects can defoliate an entire tree, whether deciduous or conifer. It's a pest commonly found on mountain ash, hawthorn, cottoneaster, quince, cherry, plum, pear and some conifer trees
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Sawfly larvae is approximately 1/2 inch in length and looks like a green-black slug. The larvae feeds on leaves and needles, leaving behind only a skeleton framework. As they grow, they become lighter in color until they mature into a green-orange caterpillar.
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The adult sawfly emerges into a black and yellow non-stinging wasp with 4 wings and is approximately 1/5 inch long.
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Don't let these larvae get to your fruit and flowering trees. Call an Axiom professional now.
STINK BUG
Originally from Asia, the brown marmorated stink bug has only been in the Pacific Northwest since 2004, when it unpacked its bags, found it enjoyed the climate and decided to overwinter and stay forever.
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During summer, these invasive insects damage backyard garden fruits and vegetables and can cause complete crop destruction for farmers. These brown marmorated stink bugs eats any crop with sap, including fruits, hazelnuts and almonds.
Come fall they start looking for a place to overwinter, scrambling up exterior house walls to nest under siding or to make their home inside in attics, crawlspaces or dark corners.
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True to their name, these insects stink when they are squashed or feel threatened. You'll see large groups of them lying in the sun as the days grow shorter.
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You don't want these in your home. Axiom Eco-Pest Control can help keep them out by setting up an exterior barrier. Call us today!
WHITEFLY
You'll find whiteflies on the underside of leaves or near the plant top or stem ends. If you disturb the plant, thick clouds of the white-colored insects will take to the air.
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These insects can be year-round invaders who suck the sap out of leaves on houseplants and greenhouse plants. The pants then slow their growth, leaves turn yellow and susceptible to disease. Grapes, tomatoes, squashes, citrus, potatoes and poinsettias are just some of the plants that are commonly infested.
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Adults feed mainly on dead insects, pollen and nectar. Their larvae also eat dead insects.
