The American dog tick gets its name from the fact that adult ticks prefer domestic dogs as hosts, and this tick species is only found in North America. The American dog tick can spread diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Pest Stats
Color: Brown with whitish-to-gray markings
Legs: Larvae have 6 legs, and nymphs and adults have 8 legs
Shape: Oval, flattened
Size: 3/16” (5 mm) unengorged, 5/8” (15 mm) engorged
Antennae: No
Region: Found throughout the U.S., except the Rocky Mountains area

Habits

It is thought that American dog ticks are attracted by the scent of animals, so they are common along roads and trails. Adult American dog ticks prefer to bite domestic dogs and can therefore be brought into the home and potentially transferred to humans.

Habitat

These ticks prefer grassy areas with low vegetation where larger mammals pass by. American dog ticks do not survive well indoors.

Threats

The American dog tick is the primary vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the United States. It is also known to transmit tularemia, a rare bacterial infection, and cause tick paralysis.

American Dog Tick Prevention

To help prevent American dog tick bites from spreading disease, wear long sleeping-sleeved pants, preferably light cool light-colored will be easy to detect. Tuck pants into socks, and use tick repellent when outside. To get rid of ticks and limit risks indoors, inspect clothing and skin when heading inside. Wash clothes immediately.

If an American dog tick is found on the body, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp it as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick as this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. Once the tick is removed, thoroughly clean the bite site with soap and water. Then, flush the tick down the toilet or wrap it in a tissue before disposing of it in a closed receptacle.

Color: Black with a white pattern on most of the face
Legs: 6
Shape: Long, wasp-like
Size: 1/2 – 5/8” (12-15mm); queen 3/4” (18-20mm)
Antennae: Yes
Region: Found throughout the U.S.

CAUTION: A VERY AGGRESSIVE STINGING INSECT!!!

Habits

Bald-faced hornets are social insects, although not true hornets. They live in colonies that may contain between 100 and 400 members at their peak. They usually appear in late summer when populations are largest. Unlike other stinging insects, bald-faced hornets do not reuse their nests season after season.

Habitat

Bald-faced hornets build paper nests at least three or more feet off of the ground, usually in trees, shrubs, overhangs, utility poles, houses, sheds, or other structures. These nests can be as large as 14 inches in diameter and more than 24 inches in length.

Threats

Bald-faced hornets are aggressive and will attack
anyone or anything that invades their space. This makes bald-faced hornet removal somewhat difficult. These hornets have smooth stingers, so they can sting over and over again. Bald-faced hornet stings also carry venom that makes the stings hurt, itch, and swell for about 24 hours. Humans are at the same risk of allergic reactions from bald-faced hornet stings as with other insect stings.

Bald-faced Hornet Prevention

If you find a bald-faced hornet nest on your home or property, do not attempt to remove it on your own as this can aggravate the colony and cause the hornets to sting. Contact the Arrest-A-Pest professionals about hornet removal to avoid the risk of bald-faced hornet stings.

Color: Mahogany to rusty brown; red after a blood meal
Legs: Six
Shape: Flat; broad oval
Size: ¼”
Antennae: Yes
Flight: No

Bedbugs get their name because they like to live and feed in beds.

Bed Bug Habits

Bedbugs like to travel and will hide in suitcases, boxes, and shoes to be near a food supply. They are elusive, nocturnal creatures. They can hide behind baseboards, electrical switch plates, picture frames, and wallpaper. They come out at night for a blood meal.

Bed Bug Habitat

Bedbugs like to hide in small cracks and crevices close to a human environment. They can be found behind baseboards, wallpaper, upholstery, and in furniture crevices.

Bed Bug Threats

Although bedbugs can dine on any warm-blooded animal, they primarily dine on humans. Bedbugs do not transmit diseases, but their bites can become red itchy welts.

Bed Bug Prevention

Vacuum suitcases after returning from a vacation. Check your bedsheets for tell-tale blood spots. Bedbugs are elusive creatures, so it is imperative to seek professional pest control to address an infestation.

Bed Bug Treatment

Arrest-A-Pest has extensive experience eliminating bed bugs. No one wants to share his or her bed with this blood-sucking pest. We service several of the largest housing authorities in the state of Rhode Island and nearby southeastern Massachusetts in addition
to single-family, multi-family homes, and businesses. This amounts to thousands of units that we have successfully treated.

Color- Black with yellow stripes
Legs- 6
Shape- Oval; bee shape
Size- 1″
Antennae- Yes
Region- Found throughout the U.S.

Note: A bumble bee generally has a hairy abdomen whereas a carpenter bee has a smooth shiny abdomen.

Habits

The occupant of a disturbed bumble bee nest will buzz at a loud volume. They defend their nests aggressively.

Habitat

Bumble bees often nest in the ground but can be found above ground around patio areas or decks. They will sometimes build their ness in soffits of attics.

Threats

As part of the aggressive defense of their nests, bumble bees will chase nest invaders for a considerable distance. The bumble bee sting is one of the most painful. Unlike honey bees, bumble bees can sting more than once.

Bumble Bee Prevention
Looking to get rid of bumble bees? Bumble bees can be prevented through the inspection of potential nesting areas the and removal of potential harborage materials. Because bumble bees will sting when threatened, homeowners are advised to seek out a bee pest control service rather than try to address the infestation themselves.

Carpenter ants are important in the balance of nature because they burrow and nest in dead trees and enhance the decay of the wood. They achieve pest status when a colony invades and damages the integrity of the wood within a house.

Carpenter ants are generally jet black, but there may be some that are reddish in color. They are among the largest of ants; their size ranges from one-eighth to one-half inch in length. This variation in size depends on the species. Also, colony members include “major” and “minor” workers as well as the “queen”, the reproductive member that produces all additional members of the colony. The “castes” are different in size and appearance.

Mature colonies produce winged reproductive ants at any time, but the majority develop in late summer. Surviving pairs attempt to establish new colonies.

The diet of carpenter ants is quite varied and includes living and dead insects, honey-dew from aphids, sweets, meat, and fats. They do not eat wood. Foraging workers collect all the food for the colony. They carry food back to the nest intact or ingested and later regurgitate it to non-foraging members in the nest. These ants may forage up to 100 yards from the nest to search for food.

Carpenter ants may become pests in houses by foraging there for food. The greatest concern, how, ever is that they may cause serious damage to the two wood in the structure. Unlike termites, they do not feed upon wood, but merely use it as a place to nest.

Carpenter ants construct their nests in hollow trees, logs, posts, landscaping timbers, and wood used in homes and other structures. These ants prefer to infest wood that is moist and rotting. They will also use an old abandoned nest or wood that has been “galleried” by termites. The nest may be located in hollow doors or small void areas produced during construction. Carpenter ants may move from decaying portions of wood into sound lumber in the process of expanding the nest. They cut galleries with the grain of the wood following the softer parts of the wood. The ants leave harder parts of the wood as walls separating the tunnels and cut openings in these walls to allow access between tunnels. Access to the outside may be through natural openings, or the ants may cut openings where none exist.

Carpenter ants keep occupied galleries clean. They remove wood in the form of a coarse sawdust-like material, which they push from the nest. This often results in a pile of frass (sawdust) accumulating just below the nest entrance hole. This pile may include, in addition to wood fragments, other debris from the nest, including bits of soil, dead ants, parts of insects, and remnants of other foods they ate.

Professional Pest control services are recommended for the elimination of carpenter ants within a structure.

One treatment usually does not eliminate the infestation, because the nest may be difficult to locate. Also since, in some cases, only foraging workers will be affected, repeat applications are necessary to continue to kill these exposed ants until the entire colony dies from lack of food from the foragers. It may be a slow process to destroy an ant nest, so be very patient.

Carpenter Ants Treatment

Arrest-A-Pest has extensive experience treating carpenter ants. Over our 30+ year history, we have treated thousands of homes and other structures successfully for this invasive and destructive pest.

Color- Yellow or black
Legs- 6
Shape- Oval and robust
Size- 1/4 – 1 inch long
Antennae- Yes
Region- Found throughout the U.S.

Habits

Unlike bumble bees, carpenter bees are solitary insects. The adult carpenter bees hibernate over winter, typically in abandoned nest tunnels, and emerge in the spring to feed on nectar.

Habitat

Carpenter bees do not live in nests or colonies. Instead, female carpenter bees bore circular holes through soft wood to lay eggs and protect their larvae as they develop.

Threats

Carpenter bees are a serious property threat, as they can cause structural damage over time if left untreated. Male carpenter bees can be territorial and may hover in front of one’s face aggressively, but they have no stinger and these actions are merely for show. Female carpenter bees do have a potent stinger, but it’s rarely used.

Carpenter Bee Prevention

Looking to get rid of carpenter bees? Carpenter bees prefer bare wood, so painting and staining wood can sometimes help deter them. However, they will sometimes attack stained or painted wood, so contact the Arrest-A-Pest, Inc. professionals for proper carpenter bee control. Homeowners should also routinely inspect wood on the property for signs of a carpenter bee infestation, including round, smooth holes.

Pest Stats

Color: Orange-brown with dark legs
Legs: 8
Shape: Flat; broad oval
Size: 1/8″
Antennae:No

 Region Found primarily in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, southeastern, and north-central regions of the U.S.

Habits

During the winter, adult ticks feed primarily on the blood of white-tailed deer, which is why they are sometimes called deer ticks. In the spring, a female tick will drop off its host and will deposit about 3,000 eggs. Nymphs, or baby ticks, feed on mice, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, dogs, humans, and birds.

Habitat

Blacklegged ticks prefer to hide in grass and shrubs while waiting for a passing host.

Threats

Blacklegged deer ticks are a vector of anaplasmosis, (very bad for dogs). babesiosis and Lyme disease (very bad for people). Lyme disease is a primary concern in the United States. Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic bull’s eye-shaped skin rash. Lyme disease can also affect joints, the heart,t, and the nervous system if left untreated.

Blacklegged Tick Prevention

When in an area where deer ticks are common, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, preferably light-colored so ticks will be easy to detect. It’s also important to wear a tick repellent containing at least 20 percent DEET. To get rid of ticks and their risks indoors, inspect clothing and skin when heading inside. If you find a tick, remove it with a slow and steady pull. Consult with a doctor immediately if there is a reaction at the bite site or if you believe you have contracted Lyme disease. To address ticks on your property, contact the professionals at ARREST-A-PEST INC.

Fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of any warm-blooded body. The most common species is the cat flea, which often feasts on cats, dogs, and humans.

Habits

Fleas can live for about 100 days during which time the females produce 400-500 offspring. Fleas transport themselves on rodents and other mammals and usually remain on their hosts at all times. These pests use their powerful legs to jump as high as 8″ vertically, which is 150 times their height. If humans could do this, we would be able to leap over skyscrapers.

Habitat

Fleas infest both household pets and wild animals like opossums, raccoons, and skunks. They can also be found on shoes, pant legs, or blankets, which can transfer the fleas to new environments.

Threats

Fleas are the most common transmitter of the rare bubonic plague. They also transmit the bacterial disease of murine typhus to humans through infected rats. Their saliva can cause serious flea allergy dermatitis in pets and their debris has been reported to cause similar allergic reactions in humans. Fleas can also transfer tapeworms and cause anemia in pets, which is why active flea management is an important component of pet care. Flea bites commonly cause painful, itchy red bumps.

Treatment

Arrest-A-Pest, Inc. has been ridding fleas from homes and businesses for over 30 years. If you are tired of hosting this bloodthirsty creature, contact Arrest-A-Pest at info@arrestapest.com or call us at 1-800-338-PEST. We’ll provide pricing and will schedule a treatment for putting an end to another home invasion.

The German cockroach is the most common species of cockroach. German cockroaches can breed at a rate of up to six generations per year. The German cockroach can fit through an opening as small as 3/8 inch in width.

Habits

German cockroaches will feed on almost anything, including soap, glue, and toothpaste. German cockroaches are good hitchhikers and often find their way into new structures via grocery bags, cardboard boxes, drink cartons, and secondhand appliances.

Habitat

German cockroaches prefer to live in warm, humid places close to food and moisture sources. They are frequently found in residential and commercial kitchen environments, and bathrooms.

Threats

In addition to being a nuisance, the German cockroach has been implicated in outbreaks of illness and allergic reactions in many people. Cockroaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms, and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these into food or onto food surfaces. Medical studies have shown that German cockroach allergens cause allergic reactions and can exacerbate asthma attacks, especially in children. This makes German cockroach control incredibly vital.

Treatment

What should you do? Call the experts at Arrest-A-Pest of course. We’ll explain the latest techniques and weapons available for ridding your dwelling of this most unwanted and undesirable tenant. Who, by the way, doesn’t even pay rent? So, contact Arrest-A-Pest at info@arrestapest.com or call us at 1-800-338-PEST. Let’s get that eviction process started…

House Mouse Prevention & Control

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is considered one of the most troublesome and economically important pests in the United States. House mice live and thrive under a variety of conditions in and around homes and farms. House mice consume food meant for humans or pets. They contaminate food-preparation surfaces with their feces, which can contain the bacterium that causes food poisoning (salmonellosis). Their constant gnawing causes damage to structures and property.

Recognizing Mouse Infestations

Droppings, fresh gnawing, and tracks indicate areas where mice are active. Mouse nests, made from finely shredded paper or other fibrous material, are often found in sheltered locations. House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence. Mice are occasionally seen during daylight hours.

House Mouse Facts

House mice are gray or brown rodents with relatively large ears and small eyes. An adult weighs about 1/2 ounce and is about 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches long, including the 3 to 4-inch tail.

Although house mice usually feed on cereal grains, they will eat many kinds of food. They eat often, nibbling bits of food here and there. Mice have keen senses of taste, hearing, smell, and touch. They are excellent climbers and can run up any rough vertical surface. They will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 13 inches from the floor onto a flat surface. They can slip through a crack that a pencil will fit into (slightly larger than 1/4 inch in diameter).

In a single year, a female may have five to 10 litters usually five or six young each. Young are born 19 to 21 days after mating, and they are pure in six to 10 weeks. The life span of a mouse is about nine to 12 months.

Prevention and Control

Effective mouse control involves sanitation, mouse-proof construction, and population reduction. The first two are useful as preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction is almost always necessary. It may be time to call in the professionals at Arrest-A-Pest, Inc.

House Mouse Treatment

Arrest-A-Pest has extensive experience eliminating the elusive house mouse. We implement the latest technics and products available. Also, we make sure that safety regarding children and pets is our primary concern, in addition to a successful result. Contact Arrest-A-Pest at info@arrestapest.com or call us at 1-800-338-PEST.

One of the best-known summer pests, mosquitoes breed in stagnant water or soft soil. There are about 170 different kinds of mosquito species in North America alone.

Habits

Mosquitoes hunt for food by detecting body heat and the carbon dioxide humans exhale. However, only female mosquitoes suck our blood. Male mosquitoes feed on plant nectars.

Habitat

Mosquitoes can breed in any form of stagnant water, including ponds, marshes, floodwaters, storm drains, old tires, and water in tree holes.

Threats

Mosquitoes are vectors of numerous diseases including malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, encephalitis, and West Nile virus – a disease that has become a serious concern in the U.S. in recent years. Signs of West Nile virus include common flu-like symptoms. In extreme cases, symptoms include high fever, head and body aches, worsening weakness, confusion, and even coma. Practicing mosquito management when outdoors can help reduce the risk of disease from bites.

Mosquito Prevention

Mosquito control begins with eliminating areas of standing water around the property such as flowerpots, birdbaths, grill covers, and baby pools. Homeowners should also screen all windows and doors, repairing even the smallest hole. Another mosquito management tip is to minimize outside activity between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. For stronger mosquito treatment, people should use an insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin and wear long pants and sleeves to prevent mosquito bites when outdoors.

Arrest-A-Pest can help control this annoying and dangerous pest with a control program to reduce the threat of mosquito-borne disease. contact Arrest-A-Pest at info@arrestapest.com or call us at 1-800-338-PEST. Will provide a no-cost site visit to explain our process and provide a free estimate.

IDENTIFICATION

Norway rats, Rattus norvegicus, sometimes called brown or sewer rats, are stocky burrowing rodents that are larger than roof rats. Their burrows are found along building foundations, beneath rubbish or woodpiles, and in moist areas in and around gardens and fields. Nests can be lined with shredded paper, cloth, or other fibrous material. When Norway rats invade buildings, they usually remain in the basement or ground floor. Norway rats live throughout the 48 contiguous United States. While generally found at lower elevations, this species can occur wherever people live.
Roof rats, sometimes called black rats, are slightly smaller than Norway rats. Unlike Norway rats, their tails are longer than their heads and bodies combined. Roof rats are agile climbers and usually live and nest above ground in shrubs, trees, and dense vegetation such as ivy. In buildings, they are most often found in enclosed or elevated spaces such as attics, walls, false ceilings, and cabinets. The roof rat has a more limited geographical range than the Norway rat, preferring ocean-influenced, warmer climates. In areas where the roof rat occurs, the Norway rat might also be present.

How to Spot a Rat Infestation

Inspect your yard and home thoroughly. If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, you may have a rat problem.
• Do you find rat droppings around dog or cat dishes or pet food storage containers?
• Do you hear noises coming from the attic just after dusk?
• Have you found remnants of rat nests when dismantling your firewood stack?
• Does your dog or cat bring home dead rat carcasses?
• Is their evidence rodents are feeding on fruit/nuts that are in or falling from the trees in your yard?
• Do you see burrows among plants or damaged vegetables when working in the garden?
• Do you see rats traveling along utility lines or on the tops of fences at dusk or soon after?
• Have you found rat nests behind boxes or in drawers in the garage?
• Are there smudge marks caused by the rats rubbing their fur against beams, rafters, pipes, and walls?
• Do you see burrows beneath your compost pile or the garbage can?
• Are there rat or mouse droppings in your recycle bins?
• Have you ever had to remove a drowned rat from your swimming pool or hot tub?
• Do you see evidence of something digging under your garden tool shed or doghouse?

BIOLOGY AND LIFE CYCLE

Rats, like house mice, are active mostly at night. They have poor eyesight, but they make up for this with their keen senses of hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Rats constantly explore and learn, memorizing the locations of pathways, obstacles, food and water, shelter, and features of their environment. They quickly detect and tend to avoid new objects and novel foods. Thus, they often avoid traps and baits for several days or more following their initial placement. While both species exhibit this avoidance of new objects, this neophobia is usually more pronounced in roof rats than in Norway rats.

Both Norway and roof rats can gain entry to structures by gnawing, climbing, jumping, or swimming through sewers and entering through toilets or broken drains. While Norway rats are more powerful swimmers, roof rats are more agile and are better climbers.

Norway Rats
Norway rats eat a wide variety of foods but mostly prefer cereal grains, meats, fish, nuts, and some fruits. When searching for food and water, Norway rats usually travel an area of about 100 to 150 feet in diameter; seldom do they travel any further than 300 feet from their burrows or nests. The average female Norway rat has 4 to 6 liters per year and can successfully wean 20 or more offspring annually.

Subterranean Termites are wood-destroying (eating) insects that live in the soil. They typically nest approximately 4 ft. below the surface of the soil but can nest as much as 12 ft. or more below the surface.

Termites live in colonies that can contain several thousand members and up to several hundred thousand members. These insects have a “caste” structure which means that each “caste” has a different function to perform, as well as, a different appearance.

Swarmer appears in the Northeast usually in April and May. It is not unusual to have swarmer sightings as early as February if there is an early thaw. After a swarm, the kings and queens mate and form a new colony. Swarmer loses their wings soon after their brief flight. The presence of these wings indicates that a swarm has occurred within the home or structure.

Winged termites (swarmers) which are usually black in appearance, are often confused with carpenter ants. It helps to know the difference.

Soldier termites protect the colony from predators such as ants. That is their sole purpose and will fight to the death to protect the colony.

The worker termites are very numerous, are white to cream-colored, and are the providers for the colony. They are approximately 1/8th of an inch in length.

They feed on wood or other materials that contain cellulose, such as paper, cardboard, fiberboard, and some fabrics as well. A small organism lives in the digestive tract of the insect. The protozoa help to convert cellulose into nourishing food.

Subterranean termites build “mud” tubes to shelter them from low humidity and afford them a controlled atmosphere.

Termites can cause substantial damage over time, and unless you know what to look for, you may not be aware that you have a problem. Houses should be inspected at least once a year for evidence. This evidence could consist of damaged wood, mud tubes, swarmer wings, or “sounding” the wood to check its integrity.

Termite Treatment

Arrest-A-Pest has extensive experience in the treatment of termites. Since being established in 1986, we have treated thousands of homes in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. We use the latest technology and materials that are people and pet friendly for protecting your home from this destructive pest. These materials provide you with years of protection and peace of mind. So, for information and cost, contact Arrest-A-Pest
at info@arrestapest.com or call us at 1-800-338-PEST.

Color- usually black and yellow patterned similar to bands
Legs- Six
Shape- Wasp-like
Size- Workers 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch long
Antennae- Yes
Region- Found throughout the U.S.

Habits

Yellow Jackets are social insects that live in nests or colonies with up to 4,000 workers. They are most active in the late summer and early autumn when a colony is at its peak. Yellow Jackets feed on sweets and proteins, and therefore commonly invade outdoor events.

Habitat

Yellow Jackets can be found anywhere humans are found. They build paper carton nests out of chewed-up cellulose, which is usually found in the ground or cavernous areas such as eaves and attics.

Threats

Yellow Jacket stings pose significant health threats to humans, as they are territorial and will sting if threatened. They are known to sting repeatedly and can cause allergic reactions. Yellow Jackets and other stinging insects send over 500,000 people to the emergency room each year.

Yellow Jacket Prevention

Looking to get rid of the Yellow Jackets? Call a pest Arrest-A-Pest, Inc. if you suspect Yellow Jackets activity on the property. Because they tend to sting when threatened, Yellow Jackets control requires specialized equipment and safety precautions. Homeowners should remove garbage frequently, keep trashcans covered, and ensure all doors and windows have screens that are in good condition. People should also avoid wearing sweet-smelling perfumes as the scent attracts Yellow Jackets.

Arrest-A-Pest has been eliminating yellow jacket problems for over thirty years. No one enjoys being threatened by this hurtful and potentially deadly pest for those people who are allergic. If you have a nest on your property threatening you, don’t become a target. Contact Arrest-A-Pest, Inc. at info @arrestapest.com or call us at 1-800-338-PEST.