Recently Found During Pest Control Austin

Recently during a routine Austin pest control inspection one of our inspectors came across a very unusual creature that resembled a large gray colored slug. Not knowing exactly what he had found, he quickly captured a couple of the live specimens and brought them back to the office for further inspection. He said that the 1/2”-5/8” long, dark grey worm like pests were found in a residence crawling on a floor out in the open.

It never ceases to amaze me the different kinds of creature we encounter on a day to day basis doingpest control Austin services. Literally every week a different technician will bring in something new that they have never encountered. Of course there are the normal pests like fleas, roaches, ants and even scorpions but then something will pop up that’s new to somebody.

This morning I got an email from one of the local hotels in town that included a photo of the sign on the front of their building. There on the front of the building in plain sight was a small colony of Mexican Free-tailed Bats. We don’t know if they were resting or looking for a new place to call home but there they were just hanging from the brickwork around the sign. By late afternoon they had moved on. They were more than likely driven away by the afternoon sun.

Two weeks ago an inspector called me from the field. “Mike” he said, “it’s the weirdest thing.” “There are termite shelter tubes all over the grass around the home I’m inspecting” He went on to explain that the termite shelter tubes were covering dead grass stems and some small twigs but that he could not find a single tube on the structure anywhere. Right away I knew what this pest was. I explained that in the west Austin area and especially south and west Texas there are termites known as Agricultural Termites. These termites closely resemble the Eastern Subterranean termite that feed on wood in our structures. They are small white insects and they build shelter tubes just like their cousins but they are in fact a different termite. Agriculture termites eat grass and small twigs that they find on the ground and do not feed on wood.

Two weeks ago an inspector called me from the field. “Mike” he said, “it’s the weirdest thing.” “There are termite shelter tubes all over the grass around the home I’m inspecting” He went on to explain that the termite shelter tubes were covering dead grass stems and some small twigs but that he could not find a single tube on the structure anywhere. Right away I knew what this pest was. I explained that in the west Austin area and especially south and west Texas there are termites known as Agricultural Termites. These termites closely resemble the Eastern Subterranean termite that feed on wood in our structures. They are small white insects and they build shelter tubes just like their cousins but they are in fact a different termite. Agriculture termites eat grass and small twigs that they find on the ground and do not feed on wood. About two or three years ago, in the fall we got a good soaking rain and these termites decided it was perfect weather for them to swarm. We were getting call after call for pest control Austin but they actually do require treating as they will not harm you or your structure.

I am always telling my friends and family, for me pest control Austinis an awesome job that never gets boring and is constantly providing new challenges. What is the dark gay worm looking bug that was brought in? Black Soldier Fly larva, of course! Soldier flies are attracted to decomposing organic matter, mold and algae. The adult soldier fly closely resembles a black wasp but when looked at closely it is fairly easy to see by the head that it is a fly. The larvae are sometimes found indoors when they breed in organic matter like faulty plumbing or other sources of moisture. They can go unnoticed until they crawl out looking for a dryer place to pupate into the adult fly.

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. What will be next?

• The kissing bug
• A Leaf footed bug
• The Dobsonfly

I hope so, that’s it! A Dobsonfly would be very cool!