Other Pests

Field Crickets

Description: Field Crickets are approximately ¾” long. They are ground-dwelling, black in color and are the most commonly encountered cricket species in Florida.

Seasonality: Most active in summer.

Attractions: Field crickets are nocturnal and are highly attracted to light sources. They feed mainly on plants and grass and will chew through some fabrics, not for food, but to get through them or out from underneath them. Crickets are normally only noticed when they are traveling in large numbers, collectively singing their songs or jumping onto light sources.

Damage: Field Crickets seldom cause problems in Florida. Occasionally they become abundant in suburbs and cause distress by getting into garages or migrating to lights in nuisance numbers.

Book Louse

Description: The Book Louse nymph is a small, pale, wingless, and soft-bodied insect. They become darker in color with age.

Attractions: Book Lice require high humidity to survive and prefer damp conditions. They are attracted to paper goods such as books, files, wallpaper, textiles and mattress fillings. They travel in large numbers and can frequently be found in freshly wallpapered areas.

Damage: Book Lice feed off trace amounts of mold on paper, bookbinding glue, and wallpaper paste.

Most species are omnivorous scavengers and do little damage. The species that invade books and museum specimens are the only ones that do any real damage. They can also be pantry pests when moldy food is available.

Scorpions

Description: Scorpions vary in size from 1”to 4” in length. Florida species can be clear, reddish brown to brown in color. The front pair of legs is modified into claw-like pincers which are used to hold their prey. Their most noticeable feature is their curled tail which is usually held over their body.

Attractions: Scorpions like to hide outside under boards, rubbish, or other areas that provide shelter and protection. In the home, Scorpions are most likely to be found in areas which provide shelter or hiding opportunities. Be cautious when crawling under a house or in an attic. According to the University of Florida, encounters with life-threatening, non-native scorpions are possible only as a result of stowaways or released exotic pets. And only one of the 90 domestic scorpions can kill people. The majority of domestic Scorpions are found in the Southwest.

Damage: Scorpion venom is a nerve poison, but the dose injected is not enough to kill adults. Scorpions rarely sting humans except when pinned against the skin, such as under clothes or when trapped in bed sheets. The site of the sting may be painful and swollen for some time.

Silverfish

Description: Silverfish are 1/2” to 3/4” in length, silver to gray in color, and wingless. Their bodies are soft, tapered and covered in scales.

Attractions: Silverfish eat starch, glue, sugar, photographs, and synthetic or starched fabrics. Silverfish prefer damp places and paper storage areas.

Nocturnal, they hide during the day and feed in the evenings.

Damage: Silverfish only cause trouble when traveling in large groups. They damage the papers and photographs they eat and can also damage leather articles and synthetic fabrics by gnawing and eating holes.

In bathrooms they feed on hairs, skin scales, and dirt.

Millipedes

Description: Millipedes are 1/2” to 3/4” long, are worm-like, and have several body segments. Most of the body segments have two pairs of legs. Millipedes coil up tightly when disturbed and some species produce a foul smelling fluid.

Seasonality: Millipedes sometimes migrate in huge numbers, especially after heavy rains in the spring. It is during mass migrations that they often enter homes. They climb walls easily and enter through any small opening.

Attractions: Decaying food and plant matter are a favorite for these insects. Millipedes do not often invade homes, they are normally found in the garden or grass, hiding in protected areas such as under rocks or mulch.

Damage: Millipedes do not carry serious diseases and do not damage food or items within the home, but their mere presence is a nuisance. If crushed, millipedes can leave stains. Many millipedes have glands which produce foul-smelling fluids. These can be irritating and cause allergic reactions.

Pillbugs

Description: Pillbugs are approximately 1/2” in length, are oval or slightly elongated, and slate-gray in color. They have distinct body segments resembling armored plates and roll into a ball when disturbed.

Attractions: Pillbugs enjoy damp environments with decaying plant material. Pillbugs can be found in mulch, under rocks or other moist areas during the day. They come out in the evening for feeding.

Damage: Pillbugs feed primarily on decaying organic matter although occasionally they may damage the roots of green plants. Their normal habitat is outdoors, but they occasionally wander inside where they do no damage.

Sowbugs

Description: Similar to Pillbugs, Sowbugs are oval or slightly elongated, are approximately 1/2” in length and are slate-gray in color. They have body segments which resemble armored plates. Unlike the Pillbug, Sowbugs are not capable of rolling into a ball.

Attractions: Sowbugs prefer damp environments where they nest and feed on decaying plant matter. Sowbugs can be found in mulch or other damp places. When resting during the day, they may be found under trash, rocks, boards, under decaying vegetation, or just beneath the soil surface. A heavy infestation indoors usually indicates a large population outdoors. Mulches, grass clippings, and leaf litter often provide the decaying organic matter they need to survive.

Damage: Occasionally Sowbugs will feed on plant roots and may find their way indoors where they do no damage.

Earwigs

Description: Earwigs are short-winged, fast moving insects approximately 1/2” to 1” in length. They are usually dark brown and have a pair of pincer-like appendages at the tip of the abdomen.

Attractions: Earwigs enjoy heavily thatched lawns or mulched flower beds as their preferred daytime habitat. At night they collect in large numbers around street lights, neon lights, lighted windows, or similar locations where they search for food. Favorite foods include armyworms, aphids, mites, and scale. They also forage on food scraps or dead insects.

Damage: Earwigs are harmless to man. Some species have scent glands from which they can squirt a foul-smelling liquid. This is probably used for protection; however, it makes them very unpleasant when accidentally or purposely mashed.