Miscellaneous household pests

Booklice or (psocids)
Small colorless insects that infest books, paper, or old foodstuff. They are about 1/20 of an inch long. Book lice do not bite, but they can be numerous in
humid situations and some people may think they bite.

Reduction of moisture to eliminate formation of mold is a very effective method for controlling booklice. Infested furniture, bedding, or other movable furnishings should be thoroughly cleaned and aired.

Air and sunlight are the best cures for book lice, but short term control can be had with a pyrethrum aerosol.
Link:
Book Lice

Bird Mites

Link: University of Vermont Extension

Blow Fly

    Include a number of species including the common bluebottle fly, Calliphora vomitoria (Linnaeus) the green bottlefly, Phaenicia sericata (Meigen) and others. Adult flies are metallic blue, green, copper or black colored flies that otherwise resemble house flies in appearance.
    Other Calliphoridae include the black blow fly, Phormia regina (Meigen), and the cluster fly, Pollenia rudis (Fabricius). Larvae of cluster flies parasitize earth worms. Adult flies hibernate in homes. Species of the family, Sarcophagidae, are also found in association with carrion and excrement, although some feed on decaying vegetation or are parasitic.

One example of this family is the flesh fly, Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis Fallen (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Adults are similar to blow flies but are patterned a checkerboard (tessellated) of gray and black on the abdomen. The hair on the last antennal segment (arista) is bear or less feathery than those of Calliphoridae.
    Female flies lay eggs on or near suitable habitats. Tiny maggots hatch from eggs in 6 to 48 hours.

When an animal (bird, mouse, squirrel, etc.) becomes trapped in the flue of a stove and dies.
Maggots will be found wandering around stove top.
Pictures © General Exterminating, Inc.
Text Source: © Virginia Cooperative Extension
Links:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/factsheets/blowmag.html

Click here for photo Clover Mite.   Photo credit: Mark Ascerno
Clover Mites
   These reddish brown to almost black mites are about 1/16 of an inch long, and sometimes appear to be much smaller. They move very slowly.
   Clover mites live in turfgrass and feed on plant fluids. They do not bite people or animals. Sometimes in the spring their populations increase rapidly and mites leave the turfgrass and climb on houses, and enter through windows.
   They do not infest houses. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove those that enter; wash them off the sides of the house with a water hose. Outbreaks may last only a few days.

Cluster Flies

Link: University of Vermont

Drain fly
Picture

Diptera: Psychodidae

    Drain flies (or moth flies) are small, dark, fuzzy, moth-like insects. They are
weak fliers, typically flying only a few feet at a time. They are often found clinging to the walls of bathrooms, kitchens, or in the basement. During the day, adult flies rest on walls or on the sides of tubs and shower stalls. They become more active at night, hovering over drains, sinks and other breeding areas.
    Drain flies breed in polluted shallow water or the scum that often collects around drains. In the house, drain flies lay their eggs in the gelatinous material which accumulates on the sides of drains and overflow pipes, and the larvae feed on the decaying organic matter and microscopic plants and animals that occur there. Adults usually emerge in a week or two.
   Drain flies can be annoying and do not bite. Control of drain flies should be aimed at control of the breeding sites. The most effective control method is to
clean the drain pipes with a stiff brush, removing all the slime in which the flies breed. Sometimes it may be necessary to remove the trap to thoroughly eliminate the breeding media. Pouring hot water down the drain provides short-term control. Drain fly larvae are difficult to drown because they are able to trap air bubbles and remain submerged for a day or more.

Source: © Virginia Cooperative Extension
Links:
Drain Fly

Have a Drain Fly control question?
Post it on IPCO message board.

Fruit Flies

Mexican fruit fly
Photo by Jack Dykinga.
If you have been seeing small flies or gnats in your kitchen, they're probably fruit flies.
Fruit flies (Drosophila)are generally brought in with fruit you purchase from the grocery store. They are also attracted to any fermentation process, such as coke syrup, garbage or rotting foods.
Fruit flies are also attracted vinegar and wine, a good test you can use to see if it’s fruit flies you are having a problem with. They also have red eyes, often easy to see.

Links:
Fruit Flies
Fruit Flies, Vinegar Flies, Pomace Flies

Larder Beetle

The larder beetle is a small, dark-colored beetle with white and black markings. This beetle is a member of the carpet beetle family Dermestidae; however, the larder beetle, Dermestes lardarius can feed on a great variety of materials-not just carpets. They will feed on any stored animal or plant products, such as leather, insect, bird, and mammal specimens, cured meats, cheese, tobacco, and dried fish meal.

the life cycle of this insect is regulated by the seasons; indoors it may breed continuously throughout the year. Eggs are laid in batches of 6-8, with the total per female being about 200. The larvae are dark colored and covered with dark brown hairs. The larvae pass through five or six stages during the 35 to 80 days of their lives. The larvae have a strong tendency to remain in dark places. Just before the larvae pupate they begin to migrate, and are often encountered by homeowners at this time. These older larvae often bore into materials such as wood, cork, or insulation looking for a place to pupate. The pupal period lasts about 15 days. The adults mate soon after emerging and eggs are laid near a food source.

The larder beetle will feed on any stored animal or plant products, even non-food items such as leather or museum specimens.

Link: Larder Beetle

Patch or Dust spider (family Oecobiidea)
This spider is much more conspicuous for where it live than what it looks like.
Its shelters are round, slightly bulging patches about half an inch in diameter
placed in corners or hollows on walls. Because they are constructed of slightly sticky silk, they catch a certain amount of dust. Most of these patches are devoid of life at any one time. However, if one keeps tapping patches one at a time, the small pale spider will appear and surrey to the next patch. It is harmless, and makes a contribution by catching small insects. The vacuum cleaner is its worst enemy.

Source: Insects of the southwest (Floyd Werner, Ph.D. & Carl Olson, M.S.)

PSEUDOSCORPIONS

Pseudoscorpions or book scorpions are quite harmless despite their fierce
looks. Occasionally they are found in houses, between the pages of a book,
or between the boards in buildings, but most often they are found out of doors
under bark, in moss, under leaves, or in similar places.