Table 11-1. - Guide for commonly encountered pests
Pests | Importance | Characters/Biology | Survey | Control |
Cockroaches | Morale Factor; contaminate food | German: small light brown with 2 dark stripes on dorsum of thorax; omnivorous; nocturnal, inhabit cracks and crevices 3/16" or less in width | Flush harborages every 2 weeks with pyrethrin or resmethrin aerosol and 1% Baygon | Excellent sanitation supplemented with chemical control |
Rodents | Serve as hosts for plague and murine typhus vectors; poison food; contaminate and eat stored foods | Norway rat: stout body, blunt nose, tail shorter than body, brown Roof rat: slender body, pointed nose, tail longer than body, black to gray House mouse: small and slender, tail longer than body | Look for gnawing on food packages, nests, rub marks, tracks, droppings, live or dead rodents, odors | Prevent entry with metal rat guards; provide minimum access to food and shelter; use rat traps indoors and rodenticides outdooors |
Stored Products Pests | Over 100 species of moths and beetles exist; infest stored goods, creating economic loss; morale factor | Small, photophobic; rapid breeding: prefer confined areas with high temperature and humidity | Inspect incoming goods for holes, feces, webbing, cast skins, live or dead insects; inspect seams and flaps of packages in storerooms periodically | Remove infested goods; clean up all spills; rotate stock; maintain good sanitation; insecticide treatment. Keep high infestivles (coornmeal, grits, farina) in the chill box or freezer |
Crab lice | Ectoparasites; morale factor | Small, whitish; abdomen very short; large 2nd and 3rd pair of legs give crablike appearance | Found on pubic hairs, also on hiirs of chest, armpits, eyebrows, and beard; eggs (nits) found glued to body hairs | Kwell ointment (1% lindane); 1% malathion dust; segregation of infested personnel |