Beetles - Merchant Grain

Merchant grain beetles are typically not found in grain products, but instead like to attack cereals, cake mixes, macaroni, cookies and chocolate. Merchant grain beetles are dark brown and have six saw-like teeth on each side of their bodies. They can grow to be one-eighth of an inch long and have very flat bodies. The merchant grain beetle's body shape allows it to crawl into packaging to eat, live and have babies. Merchant grain beetles are found in pantries or in food processing areas or warehouses. Merchant grain beetles can infest stored food products and can contaminate food.

Ants

Ants are social insects living in colonies comprised of one or more queens, and hundreds or thousands of workers. The queen generally stays deep and safe within a nest. Depending on the species, foraging ants may be similar in size, or there may be a range of sizes.  Ants come in a variety of colors from pale yellow to bright red to jet black.  Winged ants are the reproductive form of most ant species and their presence is an indication of an established colony located nearby.

Bats

All species of bats found in Ontario are voracious insect predators. Bats eat up to half their weight every night in moths, mosquitoes, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers and flies. A single Little Brown Bat may catch up to 600 insects an hour. There are 16 species of bats in the province and all are protected under the provincial Wildlife Act.You can; however, still evict bats from your property.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are an increasing problem and are appearing in hotels, single family homes, used clothing and furniture stores and many other structures. They can hide behind baseboards, electrical switch plates, picture frames, even wall paper. They have not been found to transmit disease but should be taken seriously.

Bees

Bees are social insects found all over the world. They are an extremely important beneficial insect because of their role in pollination. Honeybees are active pollinators, and produce honey which feeds their young in colder months. The honeybee is the only social insect whose colony can survive many years. Honeybees produce honey from pollen and nectar of the plants they pollinate. They store the honey in honeycombs in their nests. They often build their nests in tree crevices, but will occasionally build nests in attics or chimneys. Honeybees do sting, but they only sting once. The sting can be extremely painful if the stinger is not immediately removed from the sting. Persons allergic to insect stings will have a more severe reaction.

Beetles - Carpet

Varied carpet beetles get their name from the rainbow of colour on their back surfaces. These pests enjoy dining on carpets, woolen fabrics, dead insects, furs, hides, feathers, horns, hair, silk and bones. It can take 249-354 days to three years for varied carpet beetles to grow from an egg to an adult. Varied carpet beetles are found in homes in attics, Oriental carpets, tapestries and wood-based wall-to-wall carpeting. Varied carpet beetles feed on dead insects.