Kent Pest Control
Welcome to the Gruesome World of Insects
Definition of an Insect
An insect is a small animal (arthropod, meaning the skeleton is outside of the body). Insects not only have an external skeleton, they are also invertebrates, which means that they have no back bone.
There is so much to say on this subject, because the insect has the largest population than any other animal on earth and their roles vary immensely. They can be predators, prey, decomposers, herbivores, hosts, we could go on, but there will be no room to say anything else.
All insect bodies are divided into 3 sections, the head, the thorax (chest) and the abdomen (stomach).
Bed bugs are the bugs of nightmares. Probably because they invade our beds, our haven, where we dream.
The bed bugs is roughly the size of a very big ladybird, only not nearly as pretty. The reason we don’t see bed bugs so easily is because they tend to only come out at night looking for food. Your blood is that food, and because you are sleeping, you’re not even aware that he has had a feast with your blood, until the next day when you’re itching like crazy. If that does happen to you, wash the bite thoroughly, apply calamine lotion to prevent itching and give Kent Pest Control a call and we will rid them for you.
They all lay eggs. Some of the young are born incomplete (larvae) and carry on developing after birth (metamorphism). Flies and beetles are examples of this.
One insect that metamorphoses is the caterpillar, whom as we know after its resting stage of being a pupa becomes a butterfly.
These are insects that do not have the resting stage of being a pupa. The babies look like miniature adults only without the wings. They will grow at a later date. Cockroaches and grasshoppers are examples of this.
“Go to the ant you lazy one, observe its ways and become wise” (Quote from the book of Proverbs)
We can’t guarantee you will become wise, but one things for sure, the ant is far from lazy. It is a very hard working and social insect. This can mean bad news for us humans unfortunately, because while they are making their little homes nice, they are destroying ours. They live in large colonies practically all over the world. The exception being places like Antarctica or other lands that are inhospitable for them.
These ant colonies home millions, all working independently and yet together digging mounds to live in. They have 6 legs, and 2 antennas that enable them to smell, hear, taste and touch and excellent eyesight as they have more than one lens.
As intricate and amazing as they are, they are pests, so don’t feel guilty if you have to call a company like Kent Pest Control as they have survived mankind for the last 100 millions years and will still be here long after we have gone.
The flea is much smaller than the bed bug, but its bite is big, as anyone whose been bitten will tell you. Fleas are so tiny (the size of a sesame seed) and will attack you in pairs or groups, in other words you will have more than one bite at a time. If you own a pet (dogs and cats mainly), then it’s inevitable that you have had fleas in your home and on your body at some point. You might have even spotted them jumping from the dog straight on to you. We kid you not. They do jump.
Do you know some people cant even say this word without feeling squeamish? Grown up big people have been known to cower in the corner of the room frozen with fear on sight of a cockroach.
There are absolutely trillions of cockroaches in the world and some of them we do need. But not the ones that carry diseases into your home, cafés and restaurants. They are about 2 inches long with 6 legs and 2 antennae. Some cockroaches have wings and can even fly at you and land in your ear.
Did you know that it is very important to make sure you don’t have cockroaches living under the skirting boards if you are an asthma sufferer! Cockroaches like many other insects are bad if you suffer with allergies. Sometimes it’s unavoidable for these pests to be living in your home and we cant always detect them. But if you do catch sight of one and your child has allergies (especially asthma) it is advisable to call Kent Pest Control.
These insects can get quite big and move extremely quickly. Have you ever startled them by turning the lights on? That is an incredibly cringe worthy sight to see, and not the nicest way of finding out you have an infestation.
“I know an old lady who swallowed a fly. I dunno why she swallowed a fly. I guess she’ll die”.
Most people had that nursery rhyme read to them as kids, but thankfully we didn’t all experience ladies swallowing flies in reality. What we have experienced in adult life though is the fly fight. At some point in our lives we have all had an encounter with a fly. They have us running around the room on a merry dance trying to swat them, or at least steer them toward the window. The fly often win hands down.
The fly doesn’t live for very long and there are many different species. The common house fly will live for about 3 to 4 days providing it doesn’t get electrocuted by a fly zapper. Some flies can live up to 2 months or even a year in some parts of the world.
As little and harmless as they look, they can pose to be a health risk as they are known to spread diseases like Salmonella and E. Coli, both of which can cause death, so cleanliness is crucial to prevent flies visiting your home. Rubbish and food left around will attract them, especially in the summer.
Remember, if a fly has regurgitated on your meal, you wont necessarily even know it’s been there.
Kent Pest Control is a family run business that covers all areas of Kent.
