Creepy, Crawlies: Top Five Scary Pest Threats

ATLANTA -- With Halloween season just around the corner, Stark Exterminators has prepared a list of the top five creepiest, crawliest, scariest pests guaranteed to send chills down anyone’s spine.

“Halloween is the perfect time of year to think about some of the scariest pests out there – which may be someone’s worst nightmare,” said Mike Malone, Stark pest expert. “While many may have heard the ‘horror stories’ about these pests, most may not fully understand the very real dangers these creepy creatures pose.”

1. Flesh Flies: Flesh flies are most often found breeding in and feeding on decaying material or feces, but some species will lay their eggs in the open wounds of mammals – including humans, hence the name flesh flies. A typical meal for flesh flies consists of decaying flesh, dead insects, excrement, crabs, snails, and spiders.

2. Bats: Historically associated with vampires, only one species of this creepy flier feeds off blood.  While there is very little danger of encountering one of these vampire bats, other species can be quite scary if they invade your home.  These spooky critters can also transmit several diseases including rabies. 

3. Earwigs: The name earwig literally means “ear creature” and is derived from the ancient superstition that these pests would crawl into ears and bore holes into the brain. While this may not be true, these creepy pests do have scary, claw-like pinchers on their abdomen. They use them as weapons for protection and for capturing prey.

4. The Black Widow: Who isn’t “creeped out” after walking into a spider web?  While most spiders are beneficial by feeding on other insects, there are some scary crawlers to avoid, including the black widow.  The female has a distinct black abdomen, with a red or orange hourglass shaped mark, while the males are normally brown in color. The pain from a black widow spider bite is usually immediate and symptoms include fever and increased blood pressure. Be sure to avoid these spiders if you see them!

5. Bed Bugs: Vampires might not be running around biting humans for their blood, but one notorious pest certainly is – bed bugs!  The size of an apple seed, these bloodsuckers typically come out at night to feed on their unsuspecting victims. Bed bugs do not spread disease, but they may leave behind itchy, painful welts on their victims. If left untreated, bed bugs can be a recurring nightmare since they can live for more than a year without food and survive a wide range of extreme temperatures.

Stark protects homes from pests with the STEPS Total Protection System, an industry-leading approach that utilizes Integrated Pest Management (IPM). STEPS includes a full property evaluation to pinpoint pest issues; identification of not only the pest, but the true cause of the problem; and treatment in the most environmentally responsible way to alleviate current issues and to help prevent future recurrences.

Consumers interested in scheduling a free pest inspection can contact Stark at www.starkexterminators.com or call 855-782-7566.

Family owned and operated since 1964, Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators, parent company of Stark Exterminators, is the second largest family-owned pest and termite control company in the United States ranked by revenue.

Visit arrowexterminators.com for more information.