Common Pests in the Area

Deer mice are structural pests in rural, summer/vacation, outbuilding, and shed-type structures, as well as suburban homes located in or near wooded areas. They are of medical concern because they are the primary carriers of hantavirus which causes the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The deer mouse is found in the West from Mexico to the southern Yukon and Northwest territories of Canada, and in the East from Hudson Bay south to Pennsylvania, the southern Appalachian mountains, central Arkansas, and central Texas.

Recognition: Adults with head and body length about 2 3/4-4"(7-10.1cm), tail length about 2-5" (5.1-12.7cm), and hind foot 5/8-1"(1.6-2.5cm) long; woodland forms (primarily northern) usually larger, with tail longer and feet larger than prairie/field form (primarily prairies and midwest). Bi-colored, pale grayish buff to deep reddish brown above and white below. tail always sharply  bi-colored, longer than half length of head and body combined, and covered with short hairs/fur. Hind feet with 6 pads each. Young similar but top/upper side gray. The separation of species is difficult, but the characteristic of being bi-colored with hairy tail will easily separate them from the house mouse.

Scorpions are nuisance pests, and are also of medical importance because of their stings. Their stings can result in a mild wasp-like sting, which can be complicated by an allergic reaction, and can be fatal in rare instances. Distribution in the United States is primarily in the arid southwest.

Recognition: Adults about 2-4"(20-100mm) long. Body form characteristic fused head and thorax elongate and dorsally shield-like, abdomen distinctly segmented, anteriorly elongate with last 5 segments taillike, and ending in a sting usually curved upward; 4 pairs of legs.

The brown recluse or fiddleback/violin spider gets its common names from its coloration and reclusive habits, or the dark violin/fiddle-shaped marking on the top of the body. They occur pretty much throughout the United States and of 11 species recognized, 7 are of public health importance.

Recognition: Adults usually about 1/4-1/2"(6-12mm) in body length. Color tan to dark brown with a darker fiddle-shaped marking on the top of the body, whose neck pints towards the abdomen. Uniquely, with 6 eyes arranged in 3 groups of 2 (diads) in a semicircle.

The bite of of a brown recluse is usually not felt, but it may be delayed for 6-8 hours. A small blister usually appears and the surrounding bite area becomes swollen. Symptoms include restlessness, fever, and difficulty in sleeping. The killed tissue  gradually sloughs away during the next 10-14 days, leaving an open ulcer. Healing is very slow and usually  takes several weeks. (Not all brown recluse bites result in ulcer formation and that bites of other arthropods may cause similar reactions in people). An antitoxin has been developed, but is NOT yet available. Call a physician or go to an emergency room immediately if bitten, and take the spider for identification purposes.

The black widow spider gets its common name from the popular belief that the female eats the male after mating, a phenomenon which rarely happens in nature. There are 5 species occurring in the United States.

Recognition: Adult female body length about 1/2" (12-13mm) including an almost spherical abdomen about 1/4-3/8"(7.2-9.6mm) in diameter , with overall length including legs of about 1 1/2-1 3/8" (38-43mm); males about half female size. Color typically black, abdomen on underneath side with 2 reddish triangular markings usually joined to form a reddish hourglass-shaped marking but sometimes separated or only a single mark; usually with red markings above spinnerets.

the field cockroach gets its common name