Mulch Pests
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Find Your Insect:
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| Book Louse | Pillbug | Amphipod | Springtail |
| Centipede | Fungus Gnat | Milliped | |
| Earwig | Plaster Beetle | Sowbug |
| Photo | Offical Name | Name | Characteristics | Habitat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Liposcelis Divinatorius | Book Louse | These are small pale-brown to white insects less than 6 mm long. | Found outdoors, on tree bark, plant foliage, or under stones. Found indoors in damp, warm, undisturbed places where mold and fungi are growing, especially during spring and summer. |
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Chilopoda | Centipede | Centipedes are common arthropods with long, flattened, segmented bodies with one pair of legs per segment. The house centipede is up to 1 1/2 inches long and has 15 pairs of very long, almost thread-like, slender legs. Each leg is encircled by dark and white bands. | Centipedes prefer to live in damp portions of basements, closets, bathrooms, unexcavated areas under the house and beneath the bark of firewood stored indoors. |
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Forficula Auricularia Linnaeus | Earwig | Adult: brown; about 15 mm long; head and thorax conspicuous; antennae long and bending forwards; elytra short and covering the hind wings, which are rarely spread out; abdomen unprotected, very mobile and terminating in pincers. | Most species feed on plants and some are serious pests; others are predaceous or scavengers. |
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Armadillium Vulgare | Pillbug | They are 5/8″ long and have seven pairs of legs and two pairs of antennae. They roll into a ball when disturbed. | Pillbugs breathe with gills, so they are restricted to areas with high humidity, under rocks or logs, in leaf litter or in crevices. Some species are nocturnal. |
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Lycoriella | Fungus Gnat | Fungus gnats are flies that are common household pests. They are slender, mosquito-like, and delicate with long legs and one pair of clear wings. | They are usually seen flying at windows and around house plants. Homeowners may notice these small flies when watering potted plants. |
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Cryptophagus | Plaster Beetle | They are elongate and are reddish-brown in color. The wings have six to eight rows of punctures. | They feed on moulds and mildews and can only survive in damp conditions. The beetles may sometimes infest food stuffs, fabrics, carpets, etc., that have become mouldy. The conditions found in new and refurbished buildings suit them, since moulds may develop on recently plastered walls and ceilings before drying-out has been completed. |
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Amphipoda | Amphipod | They are usually pale brown in color when living, but turn a reddish color when dead. They are shrimp like in appearance. | They are found in the top serface of mulch and moist ground. |
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Schizophyllum Sabulosum | Millipede | They are often called “thousand-leggers”. They have many cylindrical body segments and one pair of short antennae with seven segments. | They are found in decaying vegetation or mulch areas. |
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Porcellio Laevis | Sowbug | Sowbugs are approximately 0.5 inch (12.5 mm) in length. They have one pair of jointed antennae, a flattened body, fused abdominal segments and seven pairs of legs. They are gray to brown in color and covered with armor-like plates, reminiscent of miniature armadillos. | Moist micro-climates, including damp, dark spaces and wooded areas. Prime habitats are under stones or in decaying wood. In cities, they frequent gardens, along house foundations and basements. |
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Hypogastruridae | Springtail | Springtails are very small (rarely more than 1/5 inch long), pale brown to cream colored insects that seem to hop and disappear when disturbed. | Springtails are commonly found in moist or damp places, usually in contact with soil. Homeowners encounter them in damp basements and on the surface of the soil of household plants. |
