Pest Knowledge
Termites
Termites live in colonies that, at maturity, are numbered from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use a decentralised, self-organised systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence to exploit food sources and environments that could not be available to any single insect acting alone. They have highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification. Termites are sometimes called "white ants", though they are not closely related to true ants. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10% of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests.
Cockroaches
There are about 4,500 species of cockroach, of which 30 species are associated with human habitations and about four species are well known as pests. Some cockroaches have been known to live up to three months without food and a month without water. They prefer warm climates and considered "cold intolerant” but, are resilient enough to survive occasional freezing temperatures. This makes them difficult to eradicate once they have infested an area.They feed on human and pet food, and can leave an offensive odour. They can also passively transport microbes on their body surfaces including those that are potentially dangerous to humans.
Rats
Rats have acute hearing, are sensitive to ultrasound, and possess a very highly developed olfactory sense. Their average heart rate is 300 to 400 beats per minute, with a respiratory rate of around 100 per minute. Rats carry a number of pathogens which can result in disease, including Weil's disease, rat bite fever, cryptosporidiosis, Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), Q fever and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome .
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes go through four stages in their life-cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Adult females lay their eggs in standing water, which can be a salt-marsh, a lake, a puddle, a natural reservoir on a plant, or an artificial water container such as a plastic bucket. Adults live for 4–8 weeks. There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes found throughout the world. In some species of mosquito, the females feed on humans, and are therefore vectors for a number of infectious diseases affecting millions of people per year.
Flies
Flies, one of the most common pest found in houses and complexes are more dangerous than you think. Each female fly can lay approximately 500 eggs in several batches of about 75 to 150. Some 36 hours after having emerged from the pupa, the female is receptive for mating. They are active only in daytime and rest at night e.g. at the corners of rooms, ceiling hangings, etc. Because of their high intake of food, they deposit faeces constantly, one of the factors that makes the insect a dangerous carrier of pathogens .
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are small parasitic insects which feed on human blood. Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts. They usually remain close to hosts, commonly in or near beds or couches. Nesting locations can vary greatly, however, including luggage, vehicles, furniture and bedside clutter. A number of health effects may occur due to bed bugs including skin rashes, psychological effects and allergic symptoms.
Ants
Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies which may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. The colonies are sometimes described as Super- organisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony. Most of ant species are considered pests, and because of the adaptive nature of ant colonies, eliminating the entire colony is nearly impossible.
