Hobbies And Interests
Asian Longhorned Beetle
The Asian longhorned beetle is a wood-boring insect that tunnels into wood subflooring, interior trim, joists, sills and beams. It is also called the "old house borer," but it prefers new buildings rather than old. The longhorned is one of several types of wood-boring beetles that include true powderpost, false powderpost, furniture and metallic. Longhorned beetles have a somewhat flattened shape with antennae half the length of their body, Their color is grayish black to brown with two bare spots directly behind the head and two white patches on their wing covers. The longhorned larvae make long tunnels into wood and their frass is powder-like, containing many barrel-shaped pellets.
Emeral Ash Borer
The emerald ash borer has caused the death or decline of tens of millions of ash trees in 14 Midwestern and Northeastern states, including Missouri. Its larvae feed between tree bark and sapwood, disrupting the transmission of nutrients and water. After a tree is infested with the borer, its foliage turns yellow, thins and wilts. The canopy becomes increasingly thin and sparse as branches die off. Infested trees eventually die, usually within two years of the initial infestation. Emerald ash borers can be recognized by their bronze or golden-green color and emerald green wing covers. The top of their abdomen under the wings is metallic purplish red. The adults are slender and about 1/2-inch long.
Termites
The most common termite in Missouri is the subterranean, so named because their colonies or nests are underground. When subterranean termites come above ground, they travel through tubes made of mud, saliva and feces; these insects must have moisture at all times to survive, and the tubes create dampness which provides safe passage to their food supply. Termite larvae eat and digest wood and are the number one cause of home damage in the United States. Evidence of termite damage is usually undetected by people other than professional pest control technicians for several years until building structural damage is noticeable. although termite tubes can sometimes be seen on concrete foundation walls and in cracks behind door jambs by laypersons. Adult termites resemble flying ants and are often seen swarming from their colonies to hunt new areas in which to lay their eggs.
Carpenter Ants
The carpenter ant most commonly encountered in Missouri is the black variety that occurs from the Atlantic seaboard to the Rocky Mountains. Carpenter ants prefer to nest in damp wood and, as a result, they are found near water leaks around sinks, bathtubs, poorly sealed windows and door frames and inadequately flashed chimneys. Their name signifies their color, and they are large ants -- about 1/4- to 1/2-inch in length. The adults swarm in the spring and are distinguished from termites by their larger size. Another distinction between the two insects is that a carpenter ant has two distinct body segments whereas a termite has only one. Carpenter ants primarily damage wood to build nests and feed mainly on honeydew produced by insects such as aphids, mealy bugs and scales. These latter insects feed on plant tissue sap. Structural damage from carpenter ants is usually not as extensive as that from termites.