Perimeter Invaders and Miscellaneous Pests

ALLGone Services is a full-service pest control company able to handle any pest problem that you may experience. Here are some less-common pests that occasionally become problems in the Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas Metropolitan area but aren’t quite troublesome enough to have their pages on the site.

Sowbugs and Pillbugs

Sowbugs and pillbugs are not “bugs.” They’re not even insects. They’re crustaceans.

Sowbugs and pillbugs usually live outside in moist, decaying organic matter like leaf litter, mulch, etc. They often can be found outside homes, under rocks, and in other wet areas rich in organic matter. They’re harmless scavengers, but occasionally they become annoyed when they migrate inside (where they usually die on their own due to lack of sufficient moisture).

In most cases, no chemical control is necessary. Correcting extreme moisture conditions outside the home and removing the leaf litter and organic mulches often will solve the problem by itself. But when non-chemical treatment is impractical or when the number of sowbugs or pillbugs is excessive, there are several products that we can apply which are effective at reducing sowbug and pillbug populations.

Silverfish and Firebrats

Just as sowbugs and pillbugs aren’t bugs, silverfish aren’t fish. Silverfish and firebrats are insects belonging to the order Thysanura. They’re commonly referred to as “bristletails” by exterminators because of the three bristle-like appendages at their rear ends.

Silverfish favor dark, secluded, somewhat damp areas such as voids around plumbing pipes and bathtubs, gaps behind cedar shakes and roof shingles, unfinished basements and crawl spaces, maintenance holes, and utility tunnels. They move very quickly, and their bodies are shiny and “squiggly.”

Silverfish eat things humans don’t usually think of as food, such as wallpaper paste, mold, and even some soaps and cosmetics. Inside homes, they’re usually seen in the kitchens and bathrooms, where their food and moisture needs can be met. They’re harmless, but they do gross people out. It’s also possible that they can track filth and disease organisms onto food and food preparation surfaces in kitchens.

A closely related insect known as the “firebrat” looks like a silverfish, but firebrats favor warmer, dryer environments such as boiler rooms and hot mechanical spaces.

Millipedes and Centipedes

Closeup of a Centipede from the front Centipedes (such as the common house centipede on the right) and millipedes are not insects. Insects, by definition, have six legs. Millipedes and centipedes have lots of legs. Centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment, and millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment.

Most centipedes and millipedes are harmless, but some centipedes can inflict a “bite” with the pincers on their rear ends. Although they can be painful, the “bites” of most centipede species are not life-threatening except for people who are allergic to them.

Millipedes and centipedes usually live outside in dark, secluded areas. Treatment generally is required only if they become indoor pests and may consist of correcting conducive conditions, mechanical exclusion (caulking and sealing), sticky traps, and the use of insecticides labeled for their control.

Earwigs

Despite their scary appearance and their prominent pincers, earwigs are harmless insects that usually live outside in damp, secluded areas that are rich in decaying organic matter. Sometimes, however, they make their way inside homes — especially when there are moisture problems, such as water leaks around doors or windows.

Earwigs get their name from an old wives’ tale that taught that they crawled into people’s ears at night and made them crazy. But they don’t. We suspect the people who believed that were probably a little crazy already and just used the earwigs as an excuse. But they do occasionally crawl into homes and make a nuisance of themselves.

Earwig control may consist of the correction of conducive conditions (such as moisture problems, lousy grading, or organic mulches), exclusion (caulking and sealing), and the use of insecticides.

For more information about perimeter pest control or any of our services, please call us at 817-589-1632.

Need more information? Call us at 817-903-9109 to speak with one of our pest control experts.

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