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The house mouse is the most common rodent pest in most parts of the world. It can breed rapidly and adapt quickly to changing conditions.
House mice can breed throughout the year and can share nests.
House mice live in structures, but they can live outdoors.
Threats
Micro droplets of mouse urine can cause allergies in children. Mice can also bring fleas, mites, ticks and lice into your home.
| Pests' of the Month |
| Mice, Crickets, & Box Elder Bugs |
Certain crickets occasionally invade homes and become a pest by their presence. Homeowners complain of their monotonous chirping, which can be annoying especially at night when trying to get some sleep. Indoors, some crickets can feed on a wide variety of fabrics, foods and paper products. Cotton, linen, wool, rayon, nylon, silk and furs are susceptible, along with soiled fabrics, sizing from wallpaper, glue from bookbindings, fruit, vegetables, meat and even other crickets. An occasional cricket or two in the home usually presents no serious problem. However, large populations may congregate around lights at night, making places unattractive.
Identification
Crickets get their name from the high-pitched sound or "chirp" produced when the male rubs his front wings together to attract a female. Different kinds of crickets can be identified by listening to their song.
The "True Crickets" (House, Field, Ground, Tree) resemble longhorned grasshoppers in having long tapering antennae, striculating (singing) organs on the front wings of the male and auditory (hearing) organs on the front tibiae (4th leg segment).
House Cricket
Adults are about 3/4 to 7/8 inch long, light yellowish-brown (straw-colored), with three dark bands on the head and have long, slender antennae much longer than the body. Wings lay flat on the back but are bent down abruptly on the sides. Females have a long, slender, tubelike structure (ovipositor) projecting from their abdomen (spearhead at the tip) for egg-laying. Both males and females have two antenna-like (cerci) attached to the sides at the end of the abdomen.
Cricket Information from Ohio State University
During the summer months, BEBs live, feed and reproduce on trees, shrubs and other plants (including boxelders, maples, ashes and others). They feed on sap from their host plants but do not cause significant damage. BEBs become nuisance pests in the fall when they leave the plants to find hiding places for the winter. During their random search, they congregate in the sunshine on the south sides of buildings, trees and rocks. From there they stray into houses through cracks in the foundation and siding, gaps along windows and doors, and other small openings. BEBs within walls or attics remain inactive while they are cold. The nuisance occurs when the ones warmed by heat from the furnace or the sun become active during the winter and crawl into the rooms.
BEBs do not reproduce indoors. They only lay eggs on trees and other plants. BEBs do not feed indoors. They are sap feeding insects with a beak that can only suck liquid food (sap) from the twigs and seeds of selected species of trees and shrubs. BEBs are harmless as they can not damage the house, its furnishings or occupants. They can be, however, a considerable nuisance.
