Yellowjacket

Description: Adults from 3/8" to 5/8" long (queens slightly larger). Abdomen banded with yellow and black, sometimes varies to white and black.
Habits:
Social insects, living in nests made of paper carton material. As colony grows, nests consist of rounded paper combs layered one below another. Colony may reach 4000 workers at its peak. After mating, only inseminated queens hibernate and survive the winter. Most species ground nesting, but some may build aerial nests or invade structures. Usually not aggressive unless the nest entrance is approached.
Control:
Locate nest entrance during day and plan to treat during night when bees are in the nest. Wear appropriate safety gear. Dust entrance areas of ground nesting species with appropriately labeled insecticide dust. Wall nesting or aerial nesting species can be treated with appropriately labeled aerosol or dust products. Wall nests should be removed or receive a follow up treatment to prevent later dermestid beetle problems. Baited traps may help reduce adult populations, but require daily maintenance (cleaning / fresh bait) to achieve desired results.

German Cockroach

Description: About 5/8 inch long, brown with two dark longitudinal stripes on the pronotum. Nymphs range 1/8 to 1/2 inch long, wingless, with two dark bands running approximately halfway down their back. Egg capsule yellowish brown, about 1/4 to 3/8 inch long, with 15-20 eggs per side, carried by female until within 1-2 days of hatching.

Habits: Prefer warm, humid places, usually kitchens, but wherever food and water is available. Spend about 75% of time in harborages. Adults require about 3/16" crack; nymphs only 1/32". Feed on almost anything of nutritive value. Nocturnal foragers unless population is stressed for harborage.

Control: Standard crack and crevice treatments - thorough treatment to eliminate 95% of population on clean-out is necessary. Effective bait placements near junctions and/or in harborages are essential. Use IGRs for long-term control.

Red Imported Fire Ant

Description: Workers of many sizes (1/16" - 1/4"). Head and thorax yellowish red with black abdomen. Two segmented pedicel. Ten segmented antenna with two segmented club. Stinger is extruded. 80,000 - 250,000 ants per colony. Mounds up to 18" high and24" in diameter.
Habits: Typically nests outside. Each colony has its own territory. Build nests (mounds) adjacent to walls or other structure. May nest in bath traps or electrical junction boxes, meter boxes, air conditioner units, etc. Prefer food with high protein content, but eat almost anything. Forage in established trails.
Control: Individual mound liquid treatments (time consuming) and broadcast baits are both common for fire ant control. Repeated applications are usually required. Treatments are more effective when applied around the perimeter of the mound. Baits available contain stomach poisons, insect growth regulators, and combinations. Newer products are available to provide year round control by treating the soil over an extended area.

Mosquito

Description: Adults about 1/8-3/8" long; gray to dark color, sometimes marked with lighter colors; body and legs covered with scales; head with long proboscis (beak); 2 long wings; antennae of male feathery, female hairy; larvae (wigglers) aquatic.
Habits: Three main genera are aedes, anopheles, and culex. Many species. Adapted to aquatic environments for breeding. Flight range varies with species, wind direction, temperature, time of year, and distance to blood meal source, required prior to egg production. Species bite at different times of day: culex primarily at night, aedes primarily at day, anopheles primarily dusk and dawn.
Control: Thorough surveys to identify and remove / eliminate breeding resources. Properly labeled pesticides and IGRs to control larvae in aquatic areas. ULV and directed pesticide applications to knock down adults in resting areas. Exclusion measures prevent entry.

Indian Meal Moth

Description: Wingspread about 5/8”, pale gray with front wings reddish brown on outer 2/3 and with coppery luster. Larvae about ½” long, dirty white in color with head a yellow to reddish brown, with 5 pairs of prolegs.

Habits: Most common stored product pest found in homes and grocery stores. Adults do no damage, lay eggs on food material; larvae are surface feeders and produce large amount of webbing in infested product. Attack grains, seeds, nuts, dry dog food, chocolate, candies, dried fruits, crackers and biscuits. Larvae leave food material when ready to pupate.

Controls: Thorough inspection of incoming products. Good sanitation (spillage). Discard infested products. Proper storage practices, including isolation of damaged goods. Stock rotation. Ventilation (moisture content) controls. ULV and residual sprays for temporary control, pheromone traps/monitors, freezing and heating infested product. Remember the pupae are not on the infested products.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Dan Suiter, UGA