Bio-Tech Pest Control

Bio-Tech Pest Control - Pests 2

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FLEAS
No one likes to admit they have a flea problem but flea infestations are very common particularly in association with cats and dogs. Flea eggs drop to the ground, onto the carpet, only hatching when the next `meal' walks by. In particular, problems arise following a return from holidays or in dwellings that have not been occupied for a period of time. When fleas have not fed for some time they are likely to be less specific about their choice of host and take a feed of human blood. Fleas are much more common than Bed Bugs. Three species are most likely to bite humans in New Zealand, the Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides fells), the Bird Flea (Dasypsyllus gallinulae), and the Dog Flea (Ctenocephalides canis). The Dog Flea rarely bites humans, but will when no other host is available. The Human Flea (Pulex irritans) is rare in New Zealand, however cat and bird fleas are more common than one might imagine. The unwarranted stigma, attached to a flea infestation, prevents people telling others of the problem. As the name suggests, cat fleas are normally associated with cats. Bird fleas are normally associated with birds and are often a problem where birds are or have nested in some part of a building.

The Black Death, otherwise known as the plague ravaged Europe and Asia between the 14th and 17th centuries, killing hundreds of millions of people. It was the Black Rat that transported the Rat Fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The fleas fed on the blood of the rats and of the people that they came in contact with, spreading the disease as they sucked blood.

CONTROL
Bio-tech Pest Control realise that not all pest control problems are the same and we will taylor make solutions according to your individual needs,
Every situation is different and requires different methods of control, please phone us today for all your solutions.

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COMMON HOUSE BORER
(Anobium punctatum)

No area of New Zealand is free of the common borer, and as the species is a good flier, any house, old or new, can expect a visit by one or more females each season. The common borer attacks only seasoned timber, and damage is usually confined to sapwood. It is not uncommon for borer damage to cause collapse of flooring or floor joists. This borer has a four stage life cycle as follows:-
Adults: Small brownish beetle, 2.5-5.0mm long, recognisable by the head shaped like a hood. Adult borer emerge between November and March and live for about one month. Adult borer do not feed, they only reproduce.
Eggs: Females lay their eggs in wood cracks and crevices or in old exit holes.
Larvae: The eggs hatch in about three weeks. Each egg produces a larvae, which is C-shaped, creamy white with a brown head, about 7mm long. The larvae bore at random in the timber, coming nearer to the surface when ready to pupate.
Pupae: After some three to four years as a larvae, the insect is ready to pupate. A small chamber is excavated just below the surface of the timber in which to pupate. Pupation lasts four to eight weeks. While in this stage the insect changes in form to an adult. The adult now emerges from the wood, leaving a small round hole about 1.0-1.5mm in diameter. This is accompanied by dust and is often the first indication of borer.

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SILVERFISH
(lepisma saccharina)

Silverfish are primitive (older than cockroaches) wingless insects that are 12mm when fully grown.
They are covered with silvery scales and are flattened and somewhat ‘carrot’ shaped. three long slender ‘antennae-like’ appendages project from the end of the abdomen, giving them the name ‘bristle tails’.

Biology
Silverfish are tropical insects that are able to survive in the environment man creates in his home. They are found living in warm (71-90 degrees F) moist locations in the home and are most often found damaging books, cloth, and sometimes dried meats and dead insects. They seem especially fond of sizing on books and paper as well as the glues and pastes found on wallpaper, labels, and paper products.

The female lays eggs singularly or two or three at a time, often depositing them in crevices or under objects. The female malts after laying a batch of two or three eggs and may shed her skin as many as 50 times after becoming an adult. The eggs hatch in about 43 days. The young silverfish look exactly like the adults, except smaller, and feed on the same foods.

Under ideal conditions they molt every two to three weeks and become adults in three to four months. These insects are very long lived, commonly living two to three years. The silverfish are unlike other insects in that they continue to molt after they become adults.

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BED BUG
(Climex Lectularius)

Description
Adult bedbugs are 3/16 inches long, oval, flat, and rusty red or mahogany colored.

Bedbugs are flat and thin when unfed, but become more elongated, plump and red when they are full of blood. They have four segmented antennae that are attached to the head between the prominent compound eyes. The two-segmented beak or proboscis is located beneath the head, passing back between the front legs. Bedbugs cannot fly, their wings have degenerated into stubby remnants.

Biology
Bedbugs hide in cracks and crevices during the day, preferring to rest on wood or paper surfaces instead of those of stone or plaster. They leave these harborage areas at night to feed on their hosts, which include man, birds, hogs and family pets. Over time, the harborage areas become filled with the molted skins, feces, and old egg shells of the resident bed bugs. These areas have a characteristic smell caused by a secretion that the bedbugs emit.
Female bedbugs lay about 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetimes. They glue the eggs into cracks and crevices in the harborage area. Under ideal conditions, eggs hatch in about seven days and the nymphs molt five times, taking a blood meal between each molt. It takes about 50 days for them to become adults.
Some individuals react to the bite of the bedbug, others are unaware of its feeding activity. The bite area may become inflamed and itch severely in sensitive people. This pest does not transmit any diseases.

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WHITE TAILS
(Lampona cylindrata)
(Lampona murina)
(Family Lamponidae (Araneomorphae)

Features
White-tailed Spiders have a dark reddish to grey, cigar-shaped body (males about 12mm, females up to 18mm long) and dark orange-brown banded legs. The grey dorsal abdomen bears two pairs of faint white spots (less distinct in adults) with a white spot at the tip; the male has a hard, narrow plate or scute on the front of the abdomen. The two common species in New Zealand (Lampona cylindrata & Lampona murina) are similar in appearance. Their bites have been controversially implicated in causing severe skin ulceration in humans.

Distribution
An Austrailian immigrant, the white-tail spider prefers the dry Australian bush, but in New Zealand finds the dryness of our homes preferable to the damper bush. it is often found in dry, warm confined spaces such as piles of clothing, linen cabinets & beds. They will even climb the washing line to get into clothing. They are now found throughout the country.

Biology
White-tailed spiders are vagrant hunters that live beneath bark and rocks, in leaf litter, logs and detritus in bush, gardens and houses. Tufts of specialised scopulate hairs on the ends of their legs allow them to walk easily on smooth or sloping surfaces. They make temporary silk retreats and spin disc-shaped egg sacks, each containing up to 90 eggs. They are most active at night when they wander about hunting for other spiders, their prefered food.
They have been recorded eating Curtain-web spiders (Dipluridae), Daddy-long-legs spiders (Pholcidae), Redback spiders (Theridiidae) and Black house spiders (Desidae). During summer and autumn White-tail spiders are often seen in and around houses, where they find both sheltered nooks, crannies and plenty of their favoured Black house spider prey.

Human interaction/ threats
White-tailed spider bites can cause inital burning pain followed by swelling and itchiness at the bitten area. Occasionally, wealts, blistering or local ulceration have been reported - conditions known medically as necrotising arachnidism. As well as the spiders venom, minor bacterial infection of the wound maybe a contributory factor in such cases.

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SPIDERS

New Zealand is home to about 2,500 kinds of spiders, most of them harmless to people. Only some spiders are capable of bitng humans. There are three species of spiders in New Zealand that should be avoided ‑ the Katipo, the Redback and the Whitetailed Spider. The Katipo (Latrodeetus katipo) a Redback spider (Latrodectw hasselti) belong the same genus as the American Black Widow spider. These two are the only dangerous venomous spiders found in New Zealand. In both species it is the adult females that are capable of biting humans. Bites from both species are rare and there is safe and effective anti venom for both Redback and Katipo bites. The Katipo is a native of New Zealand and is found in close proximity to beaches in the North Island and the north of the South Island. The Redback is an import from Australia and is rarely found outside Wanaka in the South Island and New Plymouth in the North Island.

There are numerous other spiders in New Zealand, none of which are dangerous. However, many produce extensive webbing in and around buildings that can be unsightly and difficult to remove. A treatment of the external areas where these spiders live and spin webs will keep your home spider free and looking good.

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Proud to have been servicing Taranaki for over 15 years

PH 06 758 0041
or 027 575 4362

Bio-Tech Ltd, PO Box 7132, New Plymouth