Five Bugs We Love to Hate

#1 Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on human blood.  They love to travel and often make their way into your home by hitching a ride on you or your luggage, though there are other ways bed bugs can travel. Bed bugs were nearly eradicated from the states from the 1940s to the 1980s but made a bold comeback when pesticides like DDT were banned.

In recent months, bed bugs have taken the media by storm, as news of bug-infested dorm rooms and big brand retail chains swept the country. Their message: bed bugs are everywhere, and you can get them too. Moreover, their resistance to modern pesticides has made them increasingly difficult to get rid of. Thermal Remediation (otherwise known as heat treatments), a highly effective new technology aimed at complete bed bug removal, and other non-chemical methods are often used once bed bugs have been detected. Be sure to complete a thorough inspection for bed bugs on any romantic getaways to hotels or bed and breakfasts this Valentine’s Day!

#2 Ants
Odorous house ants are social insects that live in communities which depend on one another for the survival of the whole colony. These colonies can be home to tens of thousands of ants with more than one colony appearing on a single property. This means that even with only 10% of the ants acting as foragers (the ones who go get the food), there is a possibility to have hundreds or thousands of tiny, black ants infiltrate your home. These are unsettling numbers when trying to combat something as small as 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch long. And if they find those sugary treats from your sweetie, it won’t take long for them to contaminate your chocolates! What do you do when you discover ants marching in your kitchen? Call the DC, Maryland pest control experts at American Pest.

#3 Stink Bugs
Stink bugs have created quite a stink for homeowners in DC, Maryland, and Virginia in recent years. While they are typically regarded as an agricultural pest, they continue to wreak havoc inside homes and businesses due to their overwhelming numbers. Although they are not dangerous to humans, they can cause damage to gardens outside and inside their odor can be potent enough to cause real issues when a large number are squashed or vacuumed up. American Pest has professionals on staff to locate the point of entry to prevent more adult stink bugs from entering residences. The stench of stink bugs can certainly ruin that special date night you have planned this year for Valentine’s Day!

#4 Camelback Crickets
The dreaded “spricket,”or “spider-cricket,” as residents across the Washington DC region have been known to call it, has a deep love of hiding in basements and caves. Their proper name is a camelback cricket or cave cricket. Their long legs and ability to jump great distances make them a loathsome creature on par with spiders. Camelback crickets are more of a nuisance than an actual threat to humans. Although they can be held responsible for chewing holes in natural-fiber clothing (such as cotton and wool) as well as cloth-bound books. Partial to their namesake, they spend most of their lives in cool, damp areas. They do climb up into the main level of houses every so often, but normally have no reason to stray from the safety of their cool, dark, and moist homes.

#5 Mosquitoes
The bane of summer lovin’ is the mosquito. A relaxing evening on the Chesapeake Bay can be ruined if someone forgot the mosquito repellant. These buzzing blood suckers reproduce in standing water and have been known to travel up to 20 miles to feed. Male and female mosquitoes feed on nectar but females also feed on human and animal blood to assist them with egg development.  When female mosquitoes bite, they excrete saliva into the skin that acts as an anticoagulant (so the blood does not clot) which is what causes an allergic skin reaction. The saliva is the culprit for those itchy bumps on your skin after being bitten, not the bite itself.

We Love Hearing from You
All these bugs have been known to cause problems for residents of Virginia, Maryland, and DC so before ants crawl across a table set for a romantic dinner for two, or stink bugs are found under the delicate petals of a rose placed for your loved one, contact the experts at American Pest to schedule an initial service today or just drop us a Valentine telling us how we’re doing.