Types of Household Pests in Massachusetts

Ants

• Ants are one of the most common household pests due to their habit of living in colonies. Literally thousands of ants live together in one place, and a few ants seen in a home almost certainly mean more. Ants native to Massachusetts include the pavement ant, which often nests in cracks between pavement. The pharaoh ant has a distinctive yellowish color and commonly creates nests within walls. The carpenter ant comes in two varieties: the winged carpenter ant, which is often mistaken for a termite but is considerably larger, and the worker carpenter ant, which is the most common ant. Carpenter ants are one of the most destructive ants because they create holes in wood to make nests.

Bees and Wasps

• Massachusetts is home to hornets, wasps and bees. They do not normally live indoors but rather along the eaves or on the outside walls of homes. The bald-faced hornet is often mistaken for a yellow jacket. The European hornet is often mistaken for a common wasp but has only one tail segment and is very large, at lengths of up to 1 inch. The paper wasp and the yellow jacket are perhaps the most dangerous of the bees and wasps; they have been known to create paper nests within walls and are aggressive toward anyone who disturbs them. In addition to the preceding, honeybees and bumblebees can be found in Massachusetts.

Cockroaches

• Cockroaches are a very common pest throughout most of the world. They are hard to kill and breed quickly, so a very small number quickly become a full infestation. Massachusetts is home to the American cockroach, the German cockroach and the Oriental cockroach, the Oriental cockroach being about half the size of the common brown American cockroach and the German being of a light yellow or gold color.

Spiders

• Spider pests include the black widow, which is recognizable by long spindly legs, a large body and most importantly, a red hourglass shape on the abdomen. The black widow secretes a powerful venom that can cause muscle seizures, pain and in some cases, death. The common house spider is completely harmless but can be an annoyance because of its web. It can be recognized by a brown body with small yellow bands. The brown recluse, or parson spider, is feared throughout the United States but generally only resides in the Northeast. It can be recognized by a long brown body with a vertical dark brown stripe and spindly legs. The spider's bite causes tissue death resulting in an infected area that is very slow to heal.

Termites and Flies

• The termite is one of the most destructive house pests due to its habit of literally eating any wood that might be in the house. Termites live in colonies made up of worker termites, a king, a queen, and winged females. Termite infestations are usually not noticed until winged females are spotted throughout the house.

  Flies are mostly annoying rather than damaging. The blue bottle fly is a large blue fly, and the drain fly is a somewhat oblong and furry fly that could be mistaken for a small bee or wasp. Fruit flies are rather small and are distinguished by red eyes. The common housefly is relatively small with black eyes and body and is the most recognized fly.

Other

• Some other household pests in Massachusetts include those that attack stored products such as flour, grain and rice. These pests include various types of beetles such as the confused flour beetle, drugstore beetle, larder beetle, lesser grain beetle, red flour beetle and saw-toothed grain beetle. Weevils will also attack stored foods; these include the rice weevil and the granary weevil. Clothes-damaging insects include the carpenter beetle and its larvae, both of which are brown and striped, and the webbing clothes moth that can be recognized via its double wings and cricket-like appearance.

Rats and Mice

• Small mammalian household pests are usually either the deer mouse or the rat; these can usually be identified by their small grey, furry body and long hairless tail, with the mouse being significantly smaller than the rat. These pests are usually discovered by small elongated droppings rather than by sightings of the actual pests.