Ticks

Behind mosquitoes, ticks are one of the leading carriers of diseases to humans and pets in the United States. Ticks can carry diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, Texas fever and Colorado tick fever. They are most active between May and September and tend to populate tall, grassy areas and shrubs.

Roaches

One of the oldest group of insects, roaches are scavengers and will eat anything organic. They prefer food sources such as starches, sweets, grease and meat products, but other items may include cheese, beer, leather, glue, hair, starch in book bindings, flakes of dried skin or decaying organic matter (plant or animal). Cockroaches are attracted to warm, moist environments. They spend the daylight hours in dark, secluded sites under refrigerators, stoves, false bottoms in kitchen cabinets, in the backs of cabinets, and in crevices between baseboards and floors or cabinets and walls.

Brown Recluses

Brown recluse spiders are golden brown in color and can be identified by the characteristic dark brown to black fiddle-shaped pattern on the head region. These spiders commonly live in dark, undisturbed areas, hiding between boards, boxes, and old towels and clothes. Neither the black widow nor the brown recluse spiders are aggressive, but they will both bite when accidentally trapped or disturbed – to devastating effects, too, as their venom is extremely toxic.

Earwigs

Earwigs thrive in dark moist environments and being flat from top to bottom can gain access to your home through small cracks and crevasses. Earwigs prefer flowerbeds and plant materials, but indoors will eat oily or greasy foods. Abundant in Texas, these pests can lay up to 600 eggs per year and live in large colonies that can be particularly bothersome to property owners.

Silverfish

Silverfish are chewing insects and general feeders but prefer carbohydrates and protein, including flour, dried meat, rolled oats, paper and even glue. They can survive long periods, sometimes over a year, without food but are sensitive to moisture and require a high humidity to survive. More of a nuisance than a threat, silverfish are not known to carry disease but can contaminate food, damage paper goods and stain clothing.