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REGIONAL PEST REPORT

Winter season

Pest threat

Mice are moving inside and other wildlife may be looking for potential harbourage areas. Cluster flies have hibernated in attics and wall voids. As the temperature fluctuates keep your eyes and ears open for the signs and sounds of unwanted pests this winter. Carpenter ant activity may be seen in the home where moisture is found on a warmer day.

 

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Get more info on local pests

Brown-Banded Cockroach (Supella longipalpis)

Brown-Banded Cockroach

Identification

  • Appears similar to the German cockroach
  • Adults vary in size depending on sex; males larger (13 to 14.5 mm) than females (11 to 12 mm)
  • Coloration also varies by sex: females are a much darker brown than males
  • Adults have two dark, transverse bands running from one side to the other from the base of the wings
  • Pronotum (shield directly behind head) has black, bell-shaped pattern with a translucent border

Habitat and Behaviour

  • Depends greatly on human habitat for survival: lives exclusively in heated indoor conditions
  • Requires warmth, but less moisture than the German cockroach
  • Is generally introduced into structures; they are typically only found indoors in Canada
  • Populations tend to occur in non-food areas of building structures or homes
  • Often found higher up in structures (e.g. ceilings, picture frames, moldings, etc.)
  • Males will readily fly; females cannot

Lifecycle

  • Undergoes gradual metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult)
  • Nymphs are smaller versions of the adults, and will go through several molts until fully grown
  • Female produces small egg capsule (ootheca) containing an average of 14 to 18 eggs
  • On average, produces 14 ootheae; the ootheca is carried by the female for a period of 24 to 36 hours and then attached to a protected surface
  • Lifecycle, from egg to adult, can range anywhere from 90 to 300 days