Weird Facts about Pests

Check out these interesting facts about pests that you probably didn’t know!

For more than 3,000 years carpenter ants have been used to close wounds in India, Asia and South America

Each year, insects eat 1/3 of the Earth’s food crop

The queen of a termite colony may lay 6,000 to 7,000 eggs per day, and may live 15 to 50 years

Cockroaches can survive underwater for up to 15 minutes

Did you know that you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than a poisonous spider

Nashville & Columbus…Here We Come!

Northwest Exterminating is expanding to Columbus, GA and Nashville, TN!

Northwest Exterminating is proud to announce that we are expanding into two new markets.  In March, we opened our 15th service center in Columbus, GA.  After servicing the Columbus area for many years, we thought it was time to put some roots down in the growing community. 

Most recently, Northwest Exterminating has announced that it will soon be opening a location in Nashville, Tennessee.  We have worked with builders in the area for a few years and decided that Nashville would be the perfect place for us to open our first service center outside of Georgia. 

 We are very excited about the expansion into these new areas and we’re looking forward to being a part of the local communities.

Nashville & Columbus…Here We Come!

Northwest Exterminating is expanding to Columbus, GA and Nashville, TN!

Northwest Exterminating is proud to announce that we are expanding into two new markets.  In March, we opened our 15th service center in Columbus, GA.  After servicing the Columbus area for many years, we thought it was time to put some roots down in the growing community. 
Most recently, Northwest Exterminating has announced that it will soon be opening a location in Nashville, Tennessee.  We have worked with builders in the area for a few years and decided that Nashville would be the perfect place for us to open our first service center outside of Georgia. 
 We are very excited about the expansion into these new areas and we’re looking forward to being a part of the local communities.

10 Myths about Spiders

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders or other arachnids.  According to Wikipedia, “in Western societies, as many as 55% of females and 18% of males” experience arachnophobia.  Although some spiders do pose a threat, there are many misconceptions regarding these creepy crawly creatures.  Here are 10 myths about spiders:

Myth: A spider always has 8 legs
Truth: This isn’t always true.  All arachnids have 4 pair of legs (one pair per leg-baring segment).  Some individual legs can be lost.

Myth:  “Daddy-longlegs” is a spider
Truth:
This one can be a bit confusing since different people refer to different creatures as “daddy-longlegs”.  The majority of people refer to a Harvestman as a “daddy-longlegs” when actually it is an arachnid, not a spider.  Harvestmen have one body section whereas spiders have two.

Myth: Spider specimens can be mailed with a letter in a common envelope for identification
Truth: No.  Through the postage process envelopes can take a pretty heavy beating which leads to crushing of the spider.  This causes the spider to be unidentifiable.  If you would like to send a spider in for identification, call your pest control company or entomologist for special instructions on how they would like the spider delivered.

Myth: Spiders in the home are a danger to children and pets.
Truth: Spiders that are most often found in homes prey on insects or other small creatures rather than humans and pets.  It is extremely rare for a venomous spider to be found in a home, and when they are, they are usually unaware of your existence and will not bite.

Myth: A “Daddy-longlegs” is the world’s most venomous spider but it can’t bite you
Truth: As we discussed above, most people confuse “daddy-longlegs” with other species of arachnids or spiders.  The fact is, most of these creatures that they are confused with either have no venom at all or such weak venom that it has no effect on its victim.

Myth: A spider leaves 2 puncture marks when it bites
Truth: In most cases, the fangs are so small that there is no visible entry mark.  Also, the two fangs are so close together there is little visible separation. 

Myth:House spiders” should be put outside
Truth: Most spiders found in the home cannot survive outside and will perish quickly due to weather and other elements. 

Myth: One specimen is enough of a sample to tell what spiders live in a house
Truth: The truth is that there are many different species (10-30) of spiders living in your home.  Just knowing one species won’t help you with all of the spiders that could be found.

Myth: Spiders are poisonous
Truth:  Spiders are “venomous”, not “poisonous”.  In most cases, the venom from spiders is too weak to effect humans. 

Myth: Spider bites are deadly
Truth: Although, there have been occasions where people have died from spider venom, in most cases, if medical attention is sought, death from a spider bite is almost unknown.

What's the Difference Between Centipedes and Millipedes?

Millipedes and centipedes are both common pests that can be found in homes across the US.  Both pests are arthropods which mean they are inverebrates – having an external skeleton, a segmented body, and jointed appendages.  Although these pests look similar and are oftentimes confused, they do have some major differences. 

Centipede

 

  •  Centipedes tend to occur in lower numbers than millipedes
  • 14 or more segments
  • Centipedeshave forcipules (modifications on the first pair of legs that form pincer-like appendages) are found on no other arthropods.
  • Considered carnivorous compared to the millipede
  • Have 1 pair of legs per body segment
 

Millipede

 

For more information on Centipedes and Millipedes, visit our Pest Library!

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