Bees

Bees belong to the third largest insect order which also includes wasps and ants. Together, these creatures pollinate crops, turn over the soil more effectively than earthworms, and, in the case of the bee, furnish food in the form of honey. Even more importantly, some members of this order prey on other insects -- the single most important factor in keeping the earth's insect population in check. The bee's eyes, like those of other insects, differ greatly from human eyes. They consist of a pair of compound eyes made up of numerous six-sided facets (28,000 in some dragonflies, 4,000 in house flies) plus three simple eyes. Despite this, their vision is believed to be sharp only for a distance of about 1 m. Bees, however, are capable of seeing ultraviolet light, which is invisible to humans.

Bed Bugs

Adult Bed Bugs measure approximately 1/5 inch in length by 1/8 inch in width. They are reddish-brown in color and typically oval and flattened in shape. After feeding, the abdomen becomes engorged giving the bed bug a somewhat elongated appearance. Immatures are yellowish-white in color. The head bears piercing-sucking mouthparts which enable bed bugs to pierce the skin and retrieve blood from their hosts. The antennae have four segments and two compound eyes are visible. The wings are reduced to short pads and incapable of generating flight. Eggs are white and approximately 1/32 inch long.

Fleas

Fleas are the common name for any of the small wingless insects of the order Siphonaptera. Fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood of mammals and birds. Genetic and morphological evidence indicates that they are descendants of the Scorpionfly family Boreidae, which are also flightless; accordingly it is possible that they will eventually be reclassified as a suborder within the Mecoptera. In the past, however, it was most commonly supposed that fleas had evolved from the flies (Diptera), based on similarities of the larvae. In any case, all these groups seem to represent a clade of closely related insect lineages, for which the names Mecopteroidea and Antliophora have been proposed.

Hornets

Hornets are the largest eusocial wasps, that reach up to 45 millimetres (1.8 inches) in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa, and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex (part of the head behind the eyes), which is proportionally larger in Vespa; and by the anteriorly rounded gasters (the section of the abdomen behind the wasp waist).

Red Imported Fire Ants

The Red Imported Fire Ant has invaded new territory, and it came without any natural controls to keep its numbers low and to keep it from spreading. The problems are numerous and dramatic, but possibly the two most important are the ability of this ant to cause a huge negative impact on the environment in the United States, and its ability to sting. One of the characteristics of the RIFA is that it commonly makes mounds of dirt above its underground colonies. These mounds may be as high as 3 feet, and they are composed of hard, compacted soil, that interferes with equipment used in harvesting crops or mowing lawns.

Arachnids (Spiders)

Arachnids (Spiders) are usually predaceous. Often they hunt or lie in wait for small animals such as insects. Food may be partly or wholly broken down by secreted fluids and then sucked in. Arachnids have simple eyes and various prey-subduing structures, such as the segmented, stinging tail of scorpions and the abdominal spinnerets with which spiders construct elaborate insect traps (orbs or webs). The bites of some spiders and the stings of a few species of scorpions are dangerously poisonous to humans. However, most arachnids are harmless and contribute to the balance of nature by controlling the populations of the insects they prey on or the plants, reptiles, birds, or mammals that serve as their hosts.

Wasp

The northern or paper Wasp is about 3/4 to 1-inch long, slender, narrow waisted with long legs and reddish-orange to dark brown or black in color. There are yellowish markings on the abdomen (rear body part). Paper-like nests, shaped like tiny umbrellas, are suspended by a short stem attached to eaves, window frames, porch ceilings, attic rafters, etc. Each nest consists of a horizontal layer or "tier" of circular comb of hexagonal (six-sided) cells not enclosed by a paper-like envelope. The ends of the cells are open with the heads of the larvae exposed to view.