Crawling insects like mites, beetles, fleas and cockroaches pose a real threat to the health and safety of animals, property, feedstocks and people. We understand this, and the worry that comes with realising you may have an insect infestation. Here at AFS Supplies, we offer quick and efficient ways to prevent and eliminate these tiny but damaging insect pests with our insecticide concentrates and ready-to-use insecticides.
First, though, it’s important to be able to identify the crawling insects you may see on your property so that you’re better prepared to invest in products to eliminate them. In the third post of our common UK pests series, let’s get into crawling insects and what you can do to kill and deter future infestations.
Crawling insects
There is an incredibly vast range of crawling insects that can cause damage to you, livestock, property, and workers. It’s essential that everyone knows how to spot these insects and what can be done to exterminate them.
Beetles
The type of beetles that those working in agriculture consider pests are those that infest grain and pulses. There are over 50 species of beetles, weevils and mites that make their homes in stored grain, including grain weevils, flour mites, saw-toothed grain beetles, brown house moths, hairy fungus beetles, and mould beetles.
The beetles eat the grain and leave their droppings and carcasses amongst them. If your food stores become infested with these insects, then they may need to be thrown out, which can be incredibly costly. You’ll need a product like K-Obial EC25, a chemical to be diluted in water and sprayed over your grain and pulses. It doesn’t penetrate the bran so the grain within remains untouched.
Packaged food is not safe from these insects; they’ll chew through paper and other materials to get to the food source within, causing expensive damage in replacements.
Mites
There are thousands of species of mites, which are tiny arachnids that can irritate, bite, suck blood, eat plants, eat animals, and other behaviours, depending on the type. Bird mites feed on birds, with their bites causing itching, scabbing, feather loss, and even respiratory problems. Red spider mites can harm plants by sucking the sap from them, sometimes destroying them completely.
Red mites are a serious pain point for chicken keepers. These 1mm insects, almost invisible to humans, bite chickens through the night and cause them serious discomfort. They may scratch and peck themselves, or even become anaemic, which can be seen by the paling of their combs and wattles. More evidence would be chickens that do not want to enter their coops as they know irritation and pain lie inside.
Products such as CBM8 and Perbio Choc are perfect for spraying or fogging in animal housing, farm buildings, sewage works and waste storage to eliminate these bloodsuckers. Ensure there are no animals inside the housing and buildings when in use.
Fleas
Fleas are very small, incredibly irritating insects that bite repeatedly and drink blood. They are jumpers and can jump around 8 inches high and even farther forward. Thanks to their size and their robust bodies, fleas are very difficult to kill without introducing chemicals. If any readers have ever had a cat or dog with fleas, you’ll perhaps understand the frustration of combing the bugs out of fur and trying to crush them in paper towels to no avail.
If fleas bite people, pets or livestock, it causes intense itching, and if persistently bitten, allergies can develop which make the bites worse. Fleas can also carry diseases and parasites – they can act as hosts for tapeworms and spread flea-borne spotted fever.
Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to spot fleas. Look for pets that scratch excessively, or bites around the ankles of anyone on the property. For homes, check for flea dirt, which is a very telling sign of an infestation. As the name suggests, flea dirt looks like actual dirt and isn’t too hard to spot on fabrics when you know to look for it. Wear white socks and no shoes and walk around your home if you suspect fleas and you may find them stained.
We would recommend residual products such as Cimetrol Super and Cypermax – these have a strong knockdown and residual active that will continue to kill for up to 3 months. If you don’t want to use a residual, then try strong knockdown-only products like Permost Uni against fleas and many other crawling and flying insects. Permost can be used in a sprayer or a fan-assisted rotary atomiser to reliably kill off this disease-carrying insect pest.
Ants
While most UK ants, like the black garden ant, the yellow meadow ant and the horse ant, are essentially harmless, if not annoying, there is a common species of ant to look out for around your property. The red ant is easy to spot thanks to its deep red colouring. This aggressive insect bites, and will often do so instead of running away if it feels threatened. Found under stones and logs or in soil, red ants will bite livestock and people, causing irritation.
You should also keep an eye out for carpenter ants, who tunnel through moist wood, but sometimes dry, too. Though they don’t cause too much structural damage doing so, if left unchecked or for enough time, that structural damage can turn serious and costly. These ants can be identified by their large bodies, heart-shaped heads, and the single node that connects their thorax and abdomen.
It’s always wise to stay vigilant when it comes to ants, regardless of species. If their numbers continue to increase then you may end up overrun. Ants can even get inside electricals, damaging wiring and electronics in a way that could cause serious delays or costs for your business.
An excellent ant killer product is Vulcan Dust. This insecticide is biodegradable, poses no risk of environmental contamination, and is ideal for use in spaces where liquid-based insecticides aren’t suitable.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches can pose a serious infestation threat, as their diet includes adhesives that bind wood together. For barns, stables, and any other wooden structure, enough cockroaches have the power to bring them down. Cockroaches are also disease carriers, spreading E. coli, gastroenteritis, and salmonella across surfaces and contaminating food and water supplies. These insects can cause harm to both humans and livestock, so if you spot even one, you need to take action.
In the UK, the two main species of cockroaches are the German cockroach and the Oriental cockroach. German cockroaches are typically smaller at 15mm in length, with slimmer bodies and a brown-red colouring. Oriental cockroaches have flatter, rounder bodies, are black and shiny, and tend to be bigger, at around 20mm. Both species enjoy warm, dark environments, but Oriental roaches prefer damp spaces so are more likely found close to water sources.
AFS Supplies is here to help
Insects can irritate people and animals and cause behaviour-altering distress, damage and destroy food stocks, and some even carry diseases that can lead to animal fatality. If you think you might have an infestation of fleas, red mites, grain beetles, or other crawling insects, it’s essential to act fast.
As experts in pest poisons, traps, insect control products, pest control supplies, and biosecurity hazard prevention, we are equipped to give you the best advice and product suggestions to eliminate your crawling insect problem. For difficult-to-reach places, such as spaces underneath immovable machinery, we suggest Coopex Maxi Smoke Generators. The rapid, highly penetrating smoke is clean and almost odourless and will help you eliminate all sorts of insects including fleas, ants, roaches, and flying insects.
Give our knowledgeable team a call on 01842 765 634 and let us help you figure out the best insecticide for your situation and environment.
