The Brown Recluse Spider
For definitive identification it is imperative to examine the eyes. While most spiders have eight eyes, recluse spiders have six eyes arranged in pairs with one median pair and two lateral pairs. Only a few other spiders have three pairs of eyes arranged in this way. Brown Recluse are also known for their light brown, fiddle or violin shape on their back.
Recluses have no obvious coloration patterns on the abdomen or legs, and the legs lack spines. The leg joints may appear to be a slightly lighter color.
Brown Recluse are commonly confused for the Brown Sac Spider, as seen above.
Life-Cycle
Adult brown recluse spiders often live about one to two years. Each female produces several egg sacs over a period of two to three months, from May to July, with approximately fifty eggs in each sac. The eggs hatch in about one month. The spiderlings take about one year to grow to adulthood. The brown recluse spider is resilient and can tolerate up to six months of extreme drought and scarcity or absence of food. On one occasion it survived in controlled captivity for over five seasons without food.
Brown recluse spiders build asymmetrical (irregular) webs that frequently include a shelter consisting of disorderly thread. They frequently build their webs in woodpiles and sheds, closets, garages, cellars, and other places that are dry and generally undisturbed. They have also been encountered in shoes, inside dressers, in bed sheets of infrequently used beds, in clothes stacked or piled or left lying on the floor, inside work gloves, behind baseboards and pictures, in toilets, and near sources of warmth when ambient temperatures are lower than usual. Human-recluse contact often occurs when such isolated spaces are disturbed and the spider feels threatened.
Bed Bugs
A bed bug nymph in the process of ingesting food.
Bed Bug bites
Are parasitic insects of the cimicid family that feed exclusively on blood. The name "bed bug" derives from the preferred habitat of Cimex lectularius: warm houses and especially nearby or inside of beds and bedding or other sleep areas. Bed bugs are mainly active at night, but are not exclusively nocturnal. They usually feed on their hosts without being noticed.
Bed bugs are elusive and usually nocturnal, (peak activity usually occurs between 10:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.), which can make their detection difficult. They often lodge in dark crevices, and the tiny adhesive eggs can be nestled by the hundreds in fabric seams. Aside from bite symptoms, signs include fecal spots (small dark sand-like droppings that occur in patches around and especially beneath nests), blood smears on sheets (re-wetted fecal spots smear like fresh blood), and the presence of their empty moulted shells.
Health Concerns
A number of adverse health effects may result from bed bug bites, including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms. They are not known to transmit any pathogens as disease vectors. Certain signs and symptoms suggest the presence of bed bugs; finding the insects confirms the diagnosis. Bed bugs can cause a number of health effects, including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms. Bed bug bites may lead to a range of skin manifestations from no visible effects to prominent blisters.
Lifecycle of the Bed Bug
Cockroaches
Roach leg
Head of the American Cockroach.
Pest species adapt readily to a variety of environments, but prefer warm conditions found within buildings. Many tropical species prefer even warmer environments and do not fare well in the average household.
Cockroaches are generally rather large insects. Most species are about the size of a thumbnail, but several species are bigger. Cockroaches have broad, flattened bodies and relatively small heads. They are generalized insects, with few special adaptations, and may be among the most primitive living insects. The mouth parts are on the underside of the head and include generalized chewing mandibles. They have large compound eyes, and long, flexible, antennae.
A female German cockroach carries an egg capsule containing around 40 eggs. She drops the capsule prior to hatching, though live births do occur in rare instances. Development from eggs to adults takes three to four months. Cockroaches live up to a year. The female may produce up to eight egg cases in a lifetime; in favorable conditions, she can produce 300 to 400 offspring. Other species of cockroaches, however, can produce an extremely high number of eggs in a lifetime.
Cockroaches are one of the most commonly noted household pest insects. They feed on human and pet food and can leave a bad odor. They can also passively transport microbes on their body surfaces including those that are potentially dangerous to humans, particularly in environments such as hospitals. Cockroaches are linked with allergic reactions in humans.