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Nature's Biggest Pests

flyaway flyaway - 2 years ago

10.Bedbugs






 



Checking the sheets late at night is your best chance of catching these critters in the act of hunting down a midnight snack of warm blood. To stop them from crawling up your bed, coat furniture legs with Vaseline or mineral oil; on the floor, place a barrier of chalk or double-sided carpet tape around the bedposts.



9.Flies






 



While adult houseflies help themselves to your food and drink, they defecate on your meal. In order to digest solid foods, they turn it into liquid by regurgitating it. These unsanitary habits transmit diseases. To defend against the, install screens on doors and windows, and cover your picnic basket.



8.Ants






 



Ants create scent trails to communicate with each other and find their way home. When you spot an ant path, start at the food source and wipe away the trail with soapy water and a sponge. Ants also dislike Vaseline, chili powder, cinnamon, and boric acid, which can be used to block a trail entrance. These methods are unsafe, however, if you have small children.



7.Deer






 



Deer eat their way through gardens and lawns, cause traffic hazards, and carry deer ticks that transmit Lyme disease. To keep them at bay, plant sweet-smelling plants that they dislike, such as lavender, rosemary and sage. In woodsy areas, tuck pant legs inside socks and check pets regularly for ticks.



6.Cockroaches






 



Cockroaches need just a crack in the wall as thin as a dime to carry germs into your home. Their ability to adapt is key to their 200-million-year history. Yet, they can only survive without water for a week. Make them thirsty by pouring Lysol into toilet bowls and down drains.



5.Rabbits






 



Rabbits gnaw on lawns, vegetables, herb gardens, and even plastic irrigation lines, and of course they multiply like themselves. They also can spread a serious bacterial illness called tularemia. To protect Australian farms from these invasive species, construction began in 1901 of the Rabbit Proof Fence, the world's longest--and apparently most inefficient--fence. Keeping rabbits out of a fenced backyard involves plugging every tiny hole.



4.Pigeons






 



Pigeons carry diseases that can inflict humans with weak immune systems, but their mess is their worst offense. Droppings deface buildings and can inflict long-term architectural harm. To avoid the foul dirt, don't feed the birds. Pigeon-proof buildings by replacing damaged roof tiles, sealing holes, and installing spikes or wires where they roost.



3.Mosquitoes









To nourish their eggs, female mosquitoes feed on animal and human blood, and in turn transmit diseases like malaria, dengue, and West Nile Virus. Two days after a female lays her eggs, they are ready to hatch, but can withstand drying for months. Prevent hatchings by cleaning up pools of standing water. Fish can be introduced to gobble up the insects too.



2.Rats






 



As the largest single group of mammals on Earth, rats damage buildings by making nests out of insulation, chewing electrical wires and causing fires. In the Middle Ages, millions of Europeans died after being bitten by rodent fleas carrying the plague bacterium. Hide your food and trash from rats, as they also transmit typhus, trichinosis, and food poisoning.




 



1.Superbugs






 



Overuse of antibiotics has developed this relatively new pest, resistant to almost all antibiotics. Bacteria that cause staph infections, heart valve infections, and pneumonia have outwitted antibiotics in a classic example of Darwinian survival: only the strongest survive an onslaught of antibiotics and are able to reproduce. Their offspring, superbugs, are most often found in hospitals, nursing homes, and other settings where people fall sick often. The best defense is surprisingly simple: Wash your hands



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Secret Weapons

flyaway flyaway - 2 years ago

Centipede






 



The many legs of a centipede (usually less than 100, by the way) make them creepy. But take a look at these fangs! The front and back of many centipedes look similar. If you mistakenly pick up the back, they'll coil and bite. This scolopendrid centipede eats mostly bugs but is known to take on toads and mice. And why not? It can grow to nearly a foot long.



Florida Woods Cockroach






 



In the abdomen of Eurycotis floridana is a gland that produces a secretion with 40 components, including acids, ether and the smelly substance known from stink bugs. It can squirt the stuff 6 inches or more. In your eyes, it would be excruciatingly painful. Mice and lizards don't like it either.



Honey Bee






 



The sting of a bee can kill people who are allergic. More people in the United States die from bee stings than from snakes, spiders or any other venomous creature. Only females have a stinger, and sterile females make up the bulk of the working class in a hive. A bee drives its stinger into the victim and leaves it there; the venom is released when the bee departs. Losing its hind end dooms the bee to death.



Moth






 



When threatened, Automeris io spreads its wings to reveal a startling pair of "eyes." In studies, captive birds have been startled by the display. Exactly the point, no doubt.



Scorpion






 



The venom of scorpions, delivered by the tail, varies greatly. Though many people fear them, a sting from most scorpions is typically about as painful as a bee sting and rarely fatal. But there are a handful of potentially deadly species, including the bark scorpion in the U.S. Southwest.



Vinegaroon






 



Don't try this at home! Bothered by forceps, Mastigoproctus giganteus discharges a highly concentrated dose of acetic acid (the sour component of vinegar) via the gland openings at the base of the whip that it can point in any direction with high accuracy. The spray repels ants, mice and other predators.



Bug with a Beak






 



This bug, Apiomerus flaviventris, has a beak for injecting insect prey with a venomous salivary fluid. The bite can be painful to people, too. The critter also emits strong odors for defense when disturbed.



Caterpillar






 



An ant trying to bite into this moth caterpillar, Dalcerides ingenita, will have its mouth gummed up by a sticky coating on the caterpillar's warts.



Earwig






 



The pincers of an earwig look fearsome, but to other small creatures it's a spray of chemicals from the abdomen that prove bothersome. The spray is conveniently directed toward the pincers.



Diving Beetle






 



This beetle is a predator that dives to hunt. It's a good swimmer and can even feed on small fish. No prey is safe, as Thermonectus marmoratus can also fly from one pond to another. If attacked, these beetles emit steroids that are toxic to fish and amphibians



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