Pest List
- Bald Faced Hornets
- Bed Bugs
- Brown Banded Cockroach
- Bumble Bees
- Carpenter Ants
- Carpenter Bees
- Centipedes
- Cluster Flies
- Earwigs
- Fleas
- German Cockroaches
- Indian Meal Moths
- Mice
- Mud Daubers
- Oriental Cockroach
- Pavement Ants
- Pharoh Ants
- Pillbugs/Sowbugs
- Polistes Wasps
- Rats
- Red/Confused Flour Beetle
- Saw toothed Grain Beetle
- Silverfish
- Yellow Jackets
Ident-a-Pest
Use our directory to help identify pests
Mice
There are two types of mice that infest structures in OntarioThe most common being the House Mouse which is grey in colour.
The body is 3 to 4 inches long with the tail another 3 to 4 inches. Pointed head with large ears. The deer mouse is bi-coloured
with the upper portion of the tail and body a brownish colour. The underside of the tail and stomach area is white. The body is
2.75 to 4 inches long and the tail 2 to 5 inches long. Eyes and ears are large.
A house mouse can drop up to 100 black rod (rice) shaped droppings per day. They have 3 to 8 liters a year, each litter averages aprox. 6 young. Mice live an average of 1 to 2 years. They can squeeze through holes about the size of a dime (3/8 inch). The can jump aprox. 12 inches high and are good climbers.
Rats
The most common Rat in Ontario is the Norway Rat. The head and body span aprox. 7 to 10 inches long with the tail an additional
6 inches. Body looks stocky and is dark brownish to black. The muzzle is blunt, eyes and ears small. The Bi-coloured tail is shorter then
the head and body. The can leave up to 50 ¾ inch blunt droppings per day.
They produce 3 to 6 liters a year averaging 7 to 8 young each litter. These rats tend to prefer to burrow in the ground (soil). They can enter structures through holes that are about the size of a quarter (3/4 inches round).
German Cockroaches
The most common cockroach to infest structures in Ontario is the German Cockroach. It is 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch long when mature and tan
to brown in colour. Just behind the head are 2 dark parallel bars separated by a tan area.
The female will carry her egg sac until the young are about to emerge. There are typically 30 to 40 young per egg sack. The female German cockroach can produce 8 egg capsules in her lifetime. The German roaches favour moist and warm areas to live and hide. They are typically found in the kitchen and bathroom. Behind the fridge is a common area. They are most active at night. Being seen during the day indicates a high population.
Brown Banded Cockroaches
These are much less common then the German Cockroach but occasionally are found infesting structures in Ontario. The adult is about ¼ inch
long and light brown to brown in colour. They have 2 light coloured bands running across their body. The female's egg capsule typically has 15 to 20
eggs inside. They can produce 14 capsules in their lifetime. The female deposits the capsules in safe areas until they hatch. They prefer warm and
dry environments, typically being found off the ground behind pictures, around drapes, inside TV's, computers etc.
Oriental Cockroach
The Oriental roach is 1 to 1.25 inches long. They are red-brown to black in colour. Their useless wings don not cover the entire body especially
on the females. In her lifetime the female can produce up to 8 egg capsules with about 16 eggs inside each. They are not overly common in homes but
do infest structures particularly commercial facilities. They prefer dark damp areas like crawl spaces, drains and basements. Atypically, homes
in the north Hamilton area have been experiencing problems with these roaches.
Bed Bugs
The adult Bed Bug is 3/16 of an inch long, oval, flat and rust red in colour. The female lays 1 to 5 eggs per day and 200 to 500 in her lifetime
(aprox. 15 months). The adults and their secretions can be easily seen while the eggs are small and whitish needing magnification to be seen properly.
The Bed Bug hides during the day preferring wood and paper over other surfaces. Normally they like to hide as close to their food (blood) as possible.
Common areas to look include mattress seems, bed frames headboards and bed side tables. They leave these harborage areas at night to feed on their
hosts which include humans and pets. It feeds on its host without them knowing. Depending on the allergen of the person bites may show from 1 to 14
days later or for some not at all. The bites can be seen as small bumps to large welts or rashes depending on the person. Overtime one usually
develops more and more of an allergy due to the secretion of bed bug saliva in the bites.
The young can survive months without a meal while the adults can survive up to a year. They are extremely resilient so proper methods must be taken to control them. ... more information
Carpenter Ants
There are a number of species of Carpenter Ants. On average the adults are mostly black and range from 1/8 to ¼ inch in length. Carpenter Ants
have a single node (connecting bump) between the body and abdomen. They are the largest ants found in Ontario. Swarmers or winged reproductives
do not appear until a colony is nearly 5 years old. A mature colony can have anywhere form a few thousand ants to 20000 ants. They generally have
a main colony found in damp wood with a number of Satellite colonies found in wood or insulation that isn't near as damp or water damaged as the
main colony. Often the main colony may not be in the same structure or even on the same property of the satellite colonies. Carpenter ants do not
eat wood, they chew it and spit it out, making nests and pathways through it.
Pharoh Ants
Are tiny yellowish to clearish brown ants that are aprox. 1/16 of an inch in size. A colony can get very large, in the hundreds of thousands.
They nest in warm hard to reach areas such as in walls, sub floors and ceilings. Improper control measures kill very few ants in comparison to
the size of the colony and cause the colony to split and infest other areas aswell.
Pavement Ants
Pavement Ants are small reddish to black coloured ants measuring about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. Commonly found on the main floor or basement.
They commonly nest outdoors under sidewalks, concrete slabs or rocks to name a few. The can infest structures by coming up through cracks in
foundations etc. In some cases they can push up "sand" form their tunnels.
Yellow Jackets
Yellow Jacket Wasps are aprox 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch long. Bright yellow and black in colour. They build paper nests out of chewed up wood
that grow in size throughout the summer and can get quite large, like a bloated soccer ball. The nests can be found in places like in the ground,
hanging from a tree, under a soffet or roof line area and inside a wall entering through a hole in the brick or siding. Yellow Jackets can be
aggressive. Caution should be taken when near them and their nests. The fertilized Queens over winter in protected areas and start new nests in the spring.
Polistes Wasps
Polistes wasps are usually dark coloured with yellow or orange markings ranging in size form 1//2 to ¾ of an inch long. In flight their long
legs dangle below their body. They typically build small umbrella type single comb nests that are often visible hanging under a roofline or under
the lip of a fence. They often also build their nest in the roofline around the eaves through, here the nests usually are not visible. Normally,
nests are small in size. The are not overly aggressive but will defend their nests. Often can be mistaken for yellow jackets or bald faced hornets.
Mud Daubers
These wasps are long and slender in shape varying from ¾ to 2 inches in size. The colouring varies form brown to brilliant red, yellow
or blue. Usually have a metallic sheen to the body or wing. They build nests out of mud in places like on fences and under roof lines. Not overly
aggressive but will sting if handled.
Bald Faced Hornets
Bald Faced Hornets are white and black in colour measuring aprox. 5/8 to ¾ of an inch long. They build grayish brown paper nests out of
chewed up wood that grow in size throughout the summer and can get quite large, like a bloated soccer ball.. The nests can be found in places like
hanging form a tree, in a bush under a soffet or roof line area Bald Faced Hornets can be very aggressive. Caution should be taken when near them
and their nests. The fertilized Queens over winter in protected areas and start new nests in the spring.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter Bees resemble large Bumble Bees. They differ by having a bare shiny black abdomen while he bumble bee has a hairy one. They typically
are ¾ to 1 inch long. In the spring and early summer they excavate holes in wood facia/soffit and lay their eggs in the holes.
Bumble Bees
Bumble Bees are large hairy bees that prefer to nest in the ground. They measure about ½ to 1 inch. Normally are have black and yellow bands on the body.
Fleas
Normally the fleas that infest structures are Cat Fleas, and occasionally dog fleas. They are very similar in appearance and just because
the name says cat flea, it doesn't mean that they are not pests of dogs or other animals. They are very small, about 1/8 of an inch long and
blackish in colour. The flea has a flat shape making it hard to squish between your fingers. The female flea can lay between 400 to 800
eggs in her life. Eggs are normally laid on the host animal or its bedding. The larval stages of fleas are normally found on or near the host
animals bedding. After the larvae turn to pupae vibrations of "food" walking on the floor stimulate them to emerge as blood sucking adults.
Centipedes
Adult centipedes are yellowish to dark brown ranging from 1/8 inch to occasionally as big as 6 inches. Some are grey-yellow with 3 stripes
down the back. The all have many long legs. Indoors they live in moist areas such as damp basements, damp closets or washrooms. Centipedes feed
on other insects.
Earwigs
Adult Earwigs are ¼ to 1 inch in length. Their bodies are dark brown to black with their head and legs a lighter shade. Notably, they have
pincer like appendages at the end of their bodies. They prefer to live outdoors but in the early summer when populations are high they find their
way indoors through cracks and crevices. Most species in Ontario are attracted to light.
Pillbugs / Sowbugs
Often called potato bugs Pill Bugs/Sow Bugs are grayish in colour and measure ¼ to 5/8 of an inch long. Pill bugs can roll into a ball when
alarmed while sow bugs cannot. They are typically found in moist environments where they feed on organic matter. Basements and crawl spaces are
common areas to find them inside structures.
Indian Meal Moths
Indian Meal moths are small copperish moth with a grayish band along the wings. The larvae are dirty white with a yellowish head, they measure
about ¼ inch long. They are one of the most common stored product pest. They prefer coarsely ground flour and meal but commonly feed on whole
grains, nuts. choclates, dried fruits, beans, crackers, biscuits, dry dog food, bird seed, dried flowers and red peppers. The larvae will leave behind
silk webbing in the food. Mature larvae will crawl away form their food to pupate (usually up high - ceiling/wall junctions).
Saw Toothed Grain Beetle
Saw tooth Grain beetles are stored product pest. They small, slender flatish insects that measure about an 1/8 of an inch long. Distinquising
characteristic is the 6 saw/tooth like area behind the head. But magnification is required to properly see it. They feed on a wide variety of
stored products such a s flour, bread, breakfast cereals, macaroni, dried fruits, nuts, dried meats, sugar and dog food to name a few.
Red / Confused Flour Beetle
Adult Flour beetles are about 1/8 inch long and slender. They are reddish brown in colour. The are major pests of flour, they can feed on whole
grains but prefer the dusts of grains, flour, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, spices and rodent baits. Foods infested by these insects tend to have a
disagreeable odour and taste due to the secretions from their scent glands.
Silverfish
Silverfish are primitive, flattened carrot shaped insects that are about ½ inch long. They tend to be a silvery colour/sheen. They prefer warm,
sometimes moist areas to live. They can be found just about anywhere in a structure or outside. Their preferred foods are glue from books or wallpaper,
dead insects, dried meats and cloth.
Cluster Flies
Cluster Flies look very much like typical house flies and are aprox the same size (3/8 of an inch). The easiest way to distinguish the difference
is when resting the Cluster Fly will close (overlap) its wings and they lack stripes on their backs. The larvae are rarely seen as they are parasites
of earth worms. Adult flies mate in the spring where the female will deposit her eggs in the soil. In one to two months they emerge as adults and come
late summer/fall they converge on rural structures in 100's to 1000's to find a way in so they can over winter inside. They seem to prefer the sunny
sides of the structures. On warm or sunny days in the winter they can be fooled into emerging from their hiding areas and be quite a nuisance.
