Crawling Insect Treatments
Crawling Insects Such as ants, bed bugs and spiders can be harmful to your home or workplace.
Our professional pest control services, will ensure that pests are effectively erradicated at all stages of their life cycle, to include the eggs, larvae and adults.
Our pest control technicians will also offer education and advice for on going maintenance treatments, to help you maintain an environment, that makes it difficult for pests to make themselves at home at your place!
Pest Information
We can help with your specific pest problem, in the following areas: ants, bed bugs, carpet beetles, cockroaches, fleas, silverfish & spiders.
What is an ant?
Ants are social insects belonging to the order of insects known as “Hymenoptera” – the same order ants__-_logo.jpgcontaining bees and wasps. Social insects, such as ants, live in large communities where they depend upon each other for the survival of the entire colony. Ant colonies generally form underground nests comprised of chambers and interconnecting tunnels where ants store food, lay eggs and maintain nurseries. There can be tens of thousands of ants in a single colony and several colonies inhabiting the soil or landscape surrounding a property. For that very reason, ants can be a particularly difficult pest to eradicate. Although an estimated 14,000 ant species populate the earth, in New Zealand, there are only a handful that are known to invade homes and buildings, including:
- The black house ant
- The coastal brown ant
- The white footed house ant
- The argentine ant
Why do I have them?
All ants share one primary task: to protect and care for the colony. In order to accomplish this, ants require food, moisture and shelter. A colony of ants may range from a few dozen to tens of thousands. Ant nests are commonly found outside under wood piles, flagstone or brick patios and under rocks and garden stones. Ants in the house may nest in wall voids, behind insulation, or in or around wood previously damaged by moisture. You are most likely to find ants in the kitchen or invading your property elsewhere when they are foraging for food. Foraging ants account for only a small percentage (typically 10% or less) of the colony’s size and it is important to understand that ants will travel extremely long distances in search of food or harborage. Once these foragers locate and establish a source of food, ants will produce a scent trail (by way of pheromones) leading to and from the nest. This pheromone trail provides direction for the ants to follow between the nest and food source. This is why you will often see ants like the odorous house ant, marching back and forth along one line with little or no deviation.
Are they dangerous?
In New Zealand, most ant species fall into the category of nuisance pests. Argentine ants however, do pose a series threat. Originally established in Auckland in 1990, they are now a problem in an increasing number of towns and cities throughout New Zealand. From one urban area to another, Argentine ants hitch rides in freight, potted plants, rubbish, vehicles and other such goods. Social impacts that have been noted by council staff, pest controllers and scientists in New Zealand include:
Argentine ants being an extreme domestic nuisance pest within houses, getting into cupboards, sealed jars, electrical areas, behind walls, and beds.
People being unable to garden, hold social events, or let their children play in household backyards because of aggressive swarming and in some cases being bitten. We are also aware of people selling their houses and moving away from the infested areas in the Coromandel and Nelson, and caged pets such as birds and lizards, being killed in the Bay of Plenty and Northland.
The World Conservation Union lists the Argentine ant as one of the world´s worst invasive species.
How do I get rid of ants?
Ants can be a particularly difficult pest to eradicate due to the nature of their foraging habits and colony development. Because only a small percentage of ants within a colony are actively foraging for food, it is vitally important to inspect and locate where the ants are coming from. It is entirely possible for ants to be foraging long distances and the nest may not be located within property boundaries. That is why it is important that, NZ Pest Control professionals are called in to provide a thorough inspection. For optimal results, NZ Pest Control recommends a quarterly pest control service, to effectively prevent ant infestations.
Can I do it myself?
Do-it-yourself methods of ant control are not often successful. Many over-the-counter pesticide products for consumer purchase are not an adequate means to control ant colonies because they are not customized or suited to treat the particular species of ant you are having a problem with. NZ Pest Control professionals, are trained to seek out foraging ant trails around your property, in an effort to locate and eradicate the entire colony.
What is a bed bug?
Bed bugs are very small parasitic insects that are rising in number, making a strong comeback after nearly 50 years of limited activity. Adult bed bugs have a distinct reddish-brown color and have flat, oval-shaped bodies about 6mm in length. In a protected area, an adult female will lay up to five eggs in one day. The eggs are small, approximately 1mm in size and are whitish in color, making them nearly invisible to the untrained eye. Bed bug eggs are slightly sticky when first laid, which allows them to adhere to surfaces to remain safe until hatching. Once hatched, bed bug nymphs are no larger than a pinhead, closely resembling the adults, but smaller and lighter in color until they reach maturity. The nymphs mature rapidly, shedding their exoskeleton as they grow larger after each feeding. Bed bugs feed exclusively on blood, preferring human blood, but will also feed on other warm-blooded animals if necessary. Signs of a bed bug infestation are:
- Small spots of blood on mattresses and bed linens
- Tiny brown droppings
- Exoskeletons, or “cast skins” shed by growing nymphs
- Tiny white eggs and egg casings
Why do I have them?
Bed bugs are very efficient hitchhikers, capable of traveling great distances with an unsuspecting host. The affordability and prevalence of mass transit and international travel is a major contributing factor to the increase in bed bug infestations. Travel to countries with less rigorous standards of hygiene and limited pest control practices has become more common and more detrimental as bed bugs have been found in airplane seats, cabs and hotel beds. They commonly travel in luggage, backpacks and even in clothing. Once the bed bug has hitched a ride, its destination could be anywhere, including health care facilities, public transportation and private homes.
Are they dangerous?
Bed bugs are not known to carry or transmit diseases to humans, but their bites can cause skin irritation. Though many people have no reaction to bed bug bites, some experience small red welts that often appear in a line or cluster and may be itchy or painful. Serious health problems can occur if the bites become infected, at which point a medical professional should be consulted.
How do I get rid of bed bugs?
Bed bugs are very difficult to get rid of once an area has been infested. They are nocturnal feeders rarely seen during the day and their flat bodies make it easy for them to hide in cracks and crevices in mattresses, linens, behind baseboards and inside furniture. NZ Pest Control offers EPA-approved bed bug control services. We begin by scheduling a thorough and detailed inspection of your property to ascertain the extent of infestation. Armed with this information, our pest control team will customize a program to your specific needs, treating not only the infested rooms and furniture, but surrounding areas as well.
Can I do it myself?
Do-it-yourself methods of bed bug removal are not often successful due to the naturally elusive and nocturnal nature of the pest. An experienced eye and training are essential to fully understand and eradicate the pests, using tried and trusted techniques. At NZ Pest Control, we employ a team of highly trained, pest control professionals, that are ready to assist whenever you need us.
What is a Carpet Beetle?
In New Zealand, carpet beetles are often found inside homes, warehouses, museums and other buildings, where they may cause serious damage to clothing, furs, carpets and other stored fabric items.
The adult carpet beetle is dark brown to oily-black in colour, and 3mm to 5mm in length. Black carpet beetle larvae are typically seen as having carrot-shaped, or elongated, bodies with a tuft of long bristles at the narrow end. Inside homes, carpet beetles typically deposit their eggs on or near wool carpet and rugs. A female carpet beetle lays around 30 to 100 eggs, which take 10 to 20 days to hatch. A female adult carpet beetle can live for 3 to 8 weeks, and a male can live for 2 to 4 weeks. Adults usually appear in spring and early summer. Indoors, they are often seen near windows.
Why do I have carpet beetles in my home?
Because carpet beetles feed on natural fibers and particles, they are especially attracted to any or all of the following: wool (including carpets, rugs and other woolen goods), animal skins and furs, stuffed animals, feathers, human hair, pet hair, leather book bindings, animal horns, whalebones and silk. They also eat dried plant products and silk plants. Inside homes, these “fuzzy” bugs are often found on the floor or around baseboards, in closets, beneath upholstered furniture and on the undersides of carpet. Carpet beetles, like many other pests, generally enter the home from the outside. As adults, they will frequent homes and buildings by entering through small cracks and openings around windows, doors, underneath siding, or through electrical lines and above-ground pipes that lead into the home.
Are carpet beetles dangerous?
Carpet beetles are not considered to be harmful to humans or pets. Carpet beetles are harmful to carpets, furniture and clothing and will in many cases remain a nuisance pest. In rare instances, the bristles on carpet beetle larvae can create skin irritations, causing a sensation of being bitten.
How do I get rid of carpet beetles?
If evidence of a carpet beetle infestation appears, affected items (such as clothing, wool rugs, carpets, etc.) should be laundered or cleaned in whatever manner is appropriate for the item. Natural fiber rugs commonly affected by carpet beetles (such as wool, silk and sisal materials) are best addressed by sending to a professional rug cleaning company. It is reasonable to expect that any of these items are free of infestation after the appropriate cleaning is done. Following the inspection and identification of infested items, a thorough cleaning and/or vacuuming of the area needs to be performed where the items were. This should involve the use of a crack and crevice tool with the goal being the removal of any and all particles of lint, carpet fiber, pet hair, etc.
Can I control carpet beetles myself?
As stated in the paragraph above, there are several things that you can do to aid in the elimination of carpet beetles. In an effort to maintain and/or prevent future carpet beetle infestations, an NZ Pest Control professional will treat all of the required areas with the appropriate products, after you have laundered or cleaned infested items and areas
What is a Cockroach?
Human habitation is associated with 30 of the 4000 species of cockroach in the world but only four species are considered pests in New Zealand. These four species are:
- The American cockroach
- The German cockroach
- The Gisborne cockroach
- The Native cockroach
The German cockroach is thought to be one of the most invasive species of cockroach known to man. They are the most common species of cockroach found in homes, apartments and food service establishments, and are one of the most challenging pests known to the pest control industry. They can be found in virtually every type of structure or building where people live or work and have become quite adept at adapting to ever changing environments. They are skillful hitchhikers, extremely prolific breeders and may tolerate many pest control treatments.
The female German cockroach can carry as many as 40 eggs at a time, producing up to three or four generations in a single year. Singlehandedly, the German cockroach can produce infestations of towering proportions in as little as 3 months.
Why do I have them?
Both the American cockroach and German cockroach seek similar environments in which to breed. A suitable site will consist very simply of food, water, humidity, warmth and a secure breeding place. The American cockroach prefers to breed in and around underground sewer facilities and utility networks from which they may venture out into other buildings. This is why we often find American cockroach activity in older row homes. Areas of high humidity are preferred, such as in basements, boiler rooms, steam tunnels and sewers. German cockroaches on the other hand, are much more likely to be found moving from place to place in bags, boxes and even on clothing. With both species, it only takes one pregnant female to create an infestation and cockroach numbers can increase nearly exponentially if conditions are favorable.
Are they dangerous?
Many illnesses and health problems have been associated with American and German cockroaches. They carry viral and bacterial pathogens on their bodies and in their faeces which can cause:
- Asthma Attacks
- Diarrhoea
- Dysentery
- Salmonella Poisoning
How do I get rid of cockroaches?
Most people understand just how difficult cockroaches can be to get rid of ; in fact, their toughness is the stuff of urban legend. This naturally nocturnal pest has a keen ability to quickly adapt to almost any surrounding. NZ Pest Controls highly trained pest professionals, excel at knowing just where cockroach hiding places are located, and which cockroach treatment solutions will be the most effective. We will customize a solution to rid you of these tough, disease carrying pests.
Can I do it myself?
Many do-it-yourself methods to try and get rid of cockroaches simply do not work. Several over the counter products are available but without the keen eye of a professional pest technician, it would be nearly impossible to locate all the cockroach hiding places. As mentioned before, it only takes one egg-carrying female to create an infestation
What is a Flea?
Ctenocephalides felis, the ‘cat flea’, is one of the most profuse and prevalent fleas found in the world. As the name suggests, the ‘cat flea’s’ primary host is the domestic cat but they can also live on other pets and animals, such as dogs, rodents and possums. The cat flea, is also the primary flea, that infests dogs in most parts of the world.
They can be found indoors in narrow cracks where these animals frequently visit, or outdoors in humid climates. Their larvae live in the same kinds of places, especially where there is high moisture. Cat flea adults are about 2.5 mm long with a body that is flattened from side to side and has no wings. Brownish black to black in color but reddish black when full of blood, ‘cat fleas’ have chewing mouthparts and feed on organic debris, as well as dried adult flea fecal blood. After each blood meal, a female cat flea lays 4-8 eggs among a host animal’s hairs or in its bedding area, amounting to 400-500 during her life. Eggs are tiny white ovals, about .5 mm long, which take 1-12 days to hatch. They may fall or be shaken off into crevices where the animal sleeps or spends time. Larvae need high relative humidity (45-95%), going through 3 instar stages in 1-2 weeks to several months. Cocoons (pupae) with camouflaging debris on the surface last 4-14 days, up to a year. The pre-emerged adult stays in the cocoon for up to 20 weeks, protected from dangers such as pesticides. Adult fleas look for a blood meal soon after emerging, but can survive for several months on stored fat. Once on a host, they feed, mate and lay eggs. Many adults live only a few days, but survivors can live about one year.
Why do I have them?
Fleas can enter buildings that do not have pets as they can jump up about 15 cm and enter on peoples’ shoes and clothes. Even if a structure has been empty for 6 months, should there have been flea larvae or cocoons present, it is possible for the population to have grown to be a nuisance, since a continual food source is not required.
Are they dangerous?
Cat fleas bother both the host animal and the household. They are intermediate hosts of dog tapeworm, which can infest indoor cats and rodent tapeworm, which can sometimes infest humans. They may also transmit plague and murine typhus.
How do I get rid of fleas?
Fleas can be a very difficult pest to get rid of as they can be brought in to your property from outside sources, even though you may not have a pet. Should you find a flea infestation, calling NZ Pest Control is your best bet for a quick, efficient and safe resolution to your flea problem.
Can I do it myself?
Although there are Do-It-Yourself methods and products available it is worth remembering that any pest control method that utilizes chemicals can be potentially harmful to humans or pets if used incorrectly. NZ Pest Control’s, pest control professionals, are highly trained in the use of pest control products, their correct dosage and positioning.
What is a Silverfish?
The silverfish (Lepisma saccharina), sometimes called “fishmoth,” “urban silverfish,” or “carpet shark,” is a small insect with a long, slender, flattened body measuring from 12.5mm to 25 mm in length. It derives its name from the light grey and blue colouring which can shimmer and look silvery as it moves its gradually tapering body across floors and surfaces in an almost fish-like manner. Silverfish have a three stage life cycle, unlike many other insects and until maturity the young silverfish are white in colour and lack the silver scales of the adult. From egg to adult takes about three to four months and the female silverfish can lay eggs at any point during the year
Are they dangerous?
Silverfish are not associated with any disease so although not dangerous they can certainly be a nuisance and cause damage. Their source of food can be anything that contains starch or polysaccharides. Many common items containing this substance are:
- Sugar
- Human hair
- Dandruff
- Photos
- Paper
- Glue (especially wallpaper paste, which they eat after biting a small hole in the paper)
- Book bindings
Cellulose can also be consumed by silverfish which means that areas like baths, showers and sinks are targets for silverfish looking for the cellulose in shaving foams, shampoo, and other personal products.
How do I get rid of silverfish?
Getting rid of silverfish can be a difficult task as they are generally nocturnal and can move about the entire property in search of food and a place to nest. NZ Pest Control is your one-stop company for eradication of silverfish problems. Our highly trained pest control professionals will make a thorough inspection of your property and then create a custom designed solution to rid your property of silverfish in the quickest and safest manner possible.
Can I do it myself?
Do-It-Yourself methods of Silverfish control are often not successful as it takes a trained eye to know just where to look for these fast and slippery pests. Chemicals and pesticides should always be used with great care as they can be extremely harmful to humans and pets if mixed or used incorrectly
What is a Spider?
Spiders are predators of insects and other spiders. Some hunt during the day, some hunt at night. Most spiders can deliver a poisonous bite, but few of them have mandibles that can penetrate human skin, and when they do the venom is usually harmless. Spider bites are similar to a mosquito bite: there is a small swelling and itching for a short time.
Spiders generally hunt live creatures, mostly insects, often subduing them first by injecting them with poison. Many weave silken webs to trap their prey, and most have eight eyes. The number of spider species in New Zealand is estimated to be about 2500 (1300 of them so far named), all but approximately 40 of them native.
The most common species we know in the urban environment as pests in New Zealand are:
- Avondale Spider
- Black Tunnelweb Spider
- Cellar or Daddy-Long Legs
- False Katipo Spider
- Katipo Spider
- Redback Spider
- Sheet Web Spider
- White-Tailed Spider
Why do I have them?
Spiders are predatory insects that can move indoors, especially during the cooler months of the year, to find secure areas to build their webs. They primarily live outside in protected areas in gardens, around windows and doors, or under eaves where light will attract prey. Spiders prefer to feed on small flies, mosquitoes and other invertebrate insects. Inside, you will find their webbing strung in roof cavities, subfloors, garages, sheds, barns, warehouses, in corners and closets, under furniture, or along joints where the wall meets the ceiling.
Are they dangerous?
The spiders we have in New Zealand are not known to be aggressive. Although most spiders can deliver a poisonous bite, few of them have mandibles that can penetrate human skin, and when they do the venom is usually harmless.
How do I get rid of spiders?
Spiders are opportunistic pests that generally will only enter into your property if there is an easy means of doing so. You can help to control interior spider populations from the exterior by keeping shrubs and bushes trimmed away from the exterior of the property, as well as sealing any holes or cracks around doors, windows, and basements. Calling NZ Pest Control is the best way to ensure your property is kept free of nuisance pests.
Can I do it myself?
While there are some Do-It-Yourself spider control products on the market, they are generally ineffective unless proper, continued maintenance is carried out.
Let Us Help
How soon can you get here?
At NZ Pest Control, we strive to give our customers a rapid, efficient service, and make every effort to be with you as soon as possible.
Is the treatment safe?
All products used by NZ Pest Control, must have first been thoroughly checked by the EPA and registered for pest control use. Only then can they be considered for use by our highly trained pest control professionals. You can be assured that pest control services provided by NZ Pest Control will not cause any harm to humans or pets.
How can I prevent Crawling Insects in the future?
The best way to discourage crawling Insects is to remove their food sources, and access to your property. Keep any possible food sources well hidden. Make sure bin lids are secure and rubbish bags are not left out in the open.
