STINGING PESTS: YELLOW JACKETS

Yellow Jacket Wasp**

The Yellow Jacket Wasp family belongs to the Social Wasp category.


Description:Social Wasps have the typical “wasp” body type: a very distinct head with chewing mouthparts, short-elbowed antennae, and large compound eyes. The thorax and abdomen are brightly marked with yellow, red, or brown on a black background. The wasps have four clear or smoky brown wings. They have a short, narrow attachment between the thorax and the abdomen. The abdomen is spindle-shaped and tipped with a long stinger.
Yellow jackets are usually marked with bright yellow and black patterns, appear hairless, and are about 3/8 to 5/8-inch long.

Biology:Social wasps have large nests containing three types of individuals, or castes: queens, workers, and males. The males and queens are produced in the colony in late summer. They mate, and fertilized queen overwinters in a protected site. In spring, she seeks an appropriate nesting site in which she builds a paper nest using chewed up wood fibers. Eggs are laid in the cells of the nest, and the young larvae are fed bits of chewed up meat and insect parts by the queen and later by the workers.

Habits:
Yellow jackets build their flat paper nests in stacks, which are surrounded by a paper envelope. They usually build their nests below ground and in other protected locations. Social wasps use their nests only one season.

Unlike bees, these wasps aggressively defend their nests and can inflict multiple stings. They produce very large colonies with some yellow jacket nests containing as many as 30,000 individuals. These insects are considered to be beneficial because they feed their young a wide variety of insects. They become a nuisance, however, when they build nests in or near structures; scavenge for food in recreational areas and in other places frequented by humans; and seek overwintering sites in structure.

Looking for a yellow jacket exterminator? Contact Suburban Exterminating today for all your pest control needs on Long Island.

**Stayed tuned - More Stinging Pests to come....

Carpenter Ants

CARPENTER ANTS

Description:
Carpenter ants are among the largest ants found in the United States, ranging from 1/8 to ½ inch long, the queens are slightly bigger. The workers of an established colony vary in size. They are commonly black; however, some species are red and black, solid red, or brown in color. They have one node in the petiole and a circle of tiny hairs on the top of the abdomen. Their thorax is evenly rounded when seem from the side.

Biology:
The adult winged female or queen loses her wings soon as mating with the smaller male and selects a secluded nesting site where she raises the first brood of workers. These workers are very small but assume the care of the larvae and the queen after they mature. Future workers are larger than those from the first brood because they receive better care. All workers are wingless.
Mature colonies range in size from several thousand workers to an average of 20,000. When raised at 90°F, black carpenter ants complete their life cycle (egg to adult) Swarmers do not appear in the colony for several years, usually from three to four years up to sic to ten years. Swarming for these species occurs May through August and February through June, respectively.

Habits:

Carpenter ants are social insects that usually nest in wood. They commonly excavate galleries or tunnels in rotting or sound trees and, in structures, readily infest wood, foam insulation, and cavities. They prefer to excavate wood damaged by fungus and are often found in conjunction w2ith moisture problems.
The workers excavate the nest, forage for food, and care for the young. Carpenter ants feed on sugar solutions from honey dew-producing insects such as aphids, sweets, and the juices of insects they capture. They do not eat the wood as they excavate their nests. They actively feed at night well after sunset continuing through the early morning hours. Foraging may extend up to 300 feet and, upon close inspection, can be seen on the ground as narrow worn paths.
Carpenter ants enter structures through gaps or cracks while foraging for food. However, the appearance of large numbers of winged adults inside a structure indicates that the nest(s) exists indoors. The workers push wood shavings and pieces of foam insulation out of the nest through slit-like openings in the surface of the wood or other nesting site material. This material, which may contain fragments of other insects, and structural moisture problems are things to look for when trying to locate a colony in an infested structure. Rustling sounds in wall voids are another indication that there is a colony in the area.

Carpenter ants are known for causing serious damage to homes and business on Long Island. Contact Suburban Exterminator to get rid of these pesky insects today (631) 864-6900 or (516) 864-6900

Pest of the Month for March: TERMITES

Subterranean Termites

Description:
Eastern subterranean termites are found from Ontario southward and from the eastern United States seaboard as far west as Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
Termites are social insects, which live in large colonies. There are three castes: swarmers or reproducers, workers, and soldiers. Termite antennae have bead-like segments. The winged swarmers have a pair of equally sized long wings that are attached to the last two thoracic segments. The wings break off after swarming. The abdomen is broadly joined at the thorax unlike the narrow abdominal attachment found on ants.
The winged swarmers are dark brown to almost black and about 3/8-inch long. The wings are brownish gray with a few hairs and two dark veins on the leading edge. They have a very small pore on their heads. The soldiers are wingless with white bodies, rectangular yellow-brown heads that are two times longer than their width, and large mandibles, which lack teeth.

Biology:
Subterranean termite colonies usually are located in the soil from which the workers build mud tubes to structural wood where they then feed. Subterranean termite colonies are always connected to the soil and/or close to a moisture source.

Termites digest cellulose in wood with the aid of special organisms within their digestive system. The workers prefer to feed on fungus-infected wood but readily feed on undamaged wood as well. The foraging workers feed immature workers, swarmers, and soldiers with food materials from their mouths and anuses.

A mature queen produces 5,000 to 10,000 eggs per year. An average colony consists of 60,000 to 250,000 individuals by colonies numbering in the millions are possible. A queen might live for up to 30 years and workers as long as five years.

Habits:
Subterranean termite colonies are established by winged swarmers/reproducers, which usually appear in the spring. Swarms usually occur in the morning after a warm rain. A male and female that have swarmed from an established colony lose their wings and seek a dark cavity inside which they mate and raise the first group of workers. Both of these swarmers/reproducers feed on wood, tend to the eggs, and build the initial nest.
After the workers mature, they take over expanding the colony and feeding the swarmers, as the colony becomes larger, light colored supplementary reproducers are produced to lay eggs, which then become workers. The soldiers, which are also produced as the colony increases in size, are responsible for repelling invading ants and other predators.

If you have a termite problem on Long Island, visit our Long Island Termite Exterminator website for more information on control, prevention, and extermination.

DON’T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE – SOME TIPS TO KEEP THE BEDBUGS AWAY

Bedbugs are rapidly developing into an epidemic and as many experts have stated, the situation will get worse before it gets better. The Harvard School of Public Health says, "bedbugs are increasingly becoming a problem within residences of all kinds, including homes, apartments, hotels, cruise ships, dormitories and shelters."

Long Island Bedbugs may be found anywhere, anytime covering all social and economic groups. The best resorts and hospitals, even movie theatres and modes of transportation, can have infestations. “Simply put, you can never predict where they will turn up,” says. Lynn Frank BCE, Entomologist and technical director of Suburban Exterminating Co., Inc. If you are taking up residence in a college dorm and are concerned about bedbugs, there are things you can do to minimize the risk of an infestation.

Frank urges college students to arm themselves with facts about bedbugs and become aware of what they can do to protect themselves and their belongings.

What is a bedbug?
A bedbug is a small insect that feeds on the blood of humans and animals. They live in the folds and crevices of mattresses, bedding, clothing, and carpets, and can also be found inside backpacks, purses, box springs, furniture, electronic equipment, and other hidden, dark crevices.

How do I know if I have bedbugs?
Bedbugs usually leave red, itchy bite marks on the skin and may become severely inflamed. The pests can sometimes be spotted hiding in cracks and crevices during the day and may leave molted skins, feces and old eggshells in harborage areas. There may be a sweet, sticky smell.

TIPS TO KEEP THE BUGS AWAY
Wiemer has compiled tips on what to look out for and what to do in case you encounter these pests:

1. Determine if the University performs regular inspections of rooms.
2. Locate and properly identify the insect - Do not assume that “bites” are caused by bedbugs. Even medical professionals cannot positively identify bedbug bites.
3. DO NOT TAKE ACTION ON YOUR OWN if there is a confirmed identification of bedbugs - Do not panic and seek help immediately. The dorm and university should be informed and fully involved.
4. The university should have a professional pest control company respond immediately and begin bedbug treatment.
5. Do not throw items away or move out all belongings - This may spread bedbugs and transport them to a new location.
6. Encase the mattress and box springs - A properly designed encasement will prevent bedbugs from nesting inside and will make control measures (if they become necessary) easier and more effective. Encasements may be purchased at stores such as Bed Bath & Beyond.
7. Stay clean - The less “clutter” in the room, the less harborage sites for bedbugs.
8. Heat control – Wash and dry any items you think may be infested for at least five minutes on a hot cycle.
9. Store items in sealed plastic bags to contain or prevent items from infestation.
10. Inspect new items being brought into the room. Examine seams, zippers, corners for signs of bedbugs or live insects. Do not accept any item you think might be infested.

Go to www.suburbanexterminating.com for more information

Surburban Exterminating Awarded Internation IPM Award of Excellence

Suburban Exterminating Awarded International IPM Award of Excellence