Common pests in Hong Kong

People often blame a cockroach problem on poor housekeeping. While cleaning floors, kitchens, and bathrooms is useful and very important to reduce food sources used by cockroaches, they may get inside and cause an infestation for other reasons. These pests can hitch a ride on infested items brought inside, get indoors via cracks and gaps in the home’s exterior, enter through drains or sewer pipes and a few species of cockroaches can fly inside when attracted to lights. There are a few different species of roaches that are present here in Hong Kong, with the most common being the German cockroach, Brown-banded cockroach, oriental cockroach and the American cockroach. ​

Ants explore mainly to try and find sources of food. Whenever there's a sudden ant infestation, the most likely cause of it is that there's food somewhere in your house for them. Most ants are opportunistic feeders; they'll eat just about anything. But they usually prefer sweets. Gel bait, granule bait and pesticide treatments will dwindle ants numbers.

Silverfish get their name from the insect’s silvery, metallic appearance and fish-like shape and movements. Silverfish are also known as “bristletails” because of their three long, bristle-like or tail-like appendages on the rear end of their body. Silverfish are found throughout the Hong Kong and are typically seen in moist, humid areas in the home, such as bathrooms, basements, behind baseboards, behind furniture etc

Silverfish eat carbohydrates like flour, rolled oats and starches in cardboard boxes, paper, book bindings, glue and insulation. They also eat protein, such as dried beef and dead insects.

A general pest control treatment can get rid of them.

Clothes moths are pests that can destroy fabric and other materials. They feed exclusively on animal fibers, especially wool, fur, silk, feathers, felt, and leather. These materials contain keratin, a fibrous protein that the worm-like larvae of the clothes moth can digest. Despite their tiny size and often harmless appearance, carpet and clothes moths can unleash untold levels of chaos in your home. It’s not the adult winged moths themselves but their larvae that are rice-sized gods of cloth destruction. Not only will the larvae chew holes in your expensive wool clothing or antique carpets, but they can leave an unsightly mess behind too.

Fungus beetles are a general term covering several different beetles associated with damp, humid conditions where fungi, molds, and mildew occur. When new homes are built, moist uncured lumber and/or freshly plastered or papered walls that become covered with molds attract these beetles. Some occur in sawdust left in wall voids after construction. These mold-feeding beetles sometimes are found in decaying plant material, woodpiles, damp cereals, grains, herbs, spices, cheese, jam, jellies, fibers, and carpeting, Attracted by lights, these small beetles can crawl or fly through window or door screens and then wander aimlessly. Heavy populations may first show up trapped in bathtubs and sinks, or around lamps, near baseboards etc. They are simply a nuisance by their presence and do not bite, sting, spread human diseases nor damage wood, food, fabric, etc.

Booklice (Psocids) are very common but harmless household pests. They are not caused by poor hygiene as they are just as common in scrupulously clean homes. These fast moving, tine, cream-coloured or light brown insects, only 1mm long, occur in small to large numbers in many premises .Booklice are always associated with damp. It could be caused by new plaster drying out, condensation from not having enough ventilation in the house or a leaking water pipe.

Booklice feed on mould caused by damp conditions. They are also believed to feed on microscopic moulds that grow on the glue of book-bindings or on damp cardboard, damp food (especially cereals) or o on the surfaces close to damp plaster inside buildings, which is very common with brand new houses.

For a heavy Booklice infestation, we would recommend you contact professional pest Control Company. A trained professional will have the technical knowledge and access to a range of professional use products and equipment which are not available to the public.

Drain Flies are also called moth flies, sewer flies or filter flies. Their bodies and wings are covered with numerous hairs. If crushed they leave a powdery smudge. The flies are commonly found around drains, but they should not be confused with the Fruit fly, Phorid fly, or Sphaerocierid fly which also infest drains. These pests are a nuisance because they infest in large numbers. Once inside, drain flies may plug pipes and spread bacteria from the filth they live in, possibly contaminating food in the process. These pests, even though they live in filth, are not known to spread any disease to humans.

The body surface is smooth and golden-blue with a strong metallic luster. They are nocturnal. They follow the wood raw materials to invade the interior decoration, and often move on to dead wood

Fungus gnats are a fruit fly–sized insect pest that primarily affects indoor houseplants. Attracted to the moisture of potting soil, adult gnats lay their eggs on organic matter near the soil surface and in the crevices of the bark.. ... Fungus gnats are completely harmless to humans, since they can't bite and don't spread diseases.

Among fleas, cat flea is the most common species in the houses, offices or ware houses etc. Their host range is very wide, including mammals and birds, but mainly cats and dogs, and it is also often found on humans. Flea bites are pretty distinctive. They look like small, red bumps in clusters of three or four or a straight line. The bumps remain small, unlike mosquito bites.

Despite their small size, midges can be one of the hardest pests to avoid during the warmer months. Adult midges can lay up to 100 eggs at a time, and they have a fast life cycle of between 3 to 10 weeks, from egg to full grown adult. The life cycle of biting midges consists of the egg, the larva, the pupa and the adult. Eggs are usually laid on the surface of mud or wet soil, especially those with plenty of decaying plant materials, which are the major food source for the larvae. Female midges have short mouthparts and cannot pierce clothes and bite people. Therefore, they often attack the exposed parts of hands, arms, legs (when wearing shorts). Midges rarely bite people indoors.
The female midge seeks out blood, and will inject saliva into a bite to prevent clotting, leading to an itchy bite mark.

Bird mites are naturally found where birds, such as poultry, sparrows, starlings, or pigeons, and their nests are located. Bird mites prefer warm and humid living conditions. They typically live on the skin of different birds including chickens but can find their way into homes and other structures. This is when they can become a problem for humans. Symptoms of a bird mite bite are similar to bites of other insects and mites. You may develop small red bumps or a crawling sensation on your skin. Bird mite bites also cause itching, which can be severe at times.

They usually put their eggs in cracks on the wood surface, but the eggs may not hatch immediately. Many times the wood with insect eggs is made into furniture or building materials and brought into the building, and the hatching time is determined according to the insect species, temperature and humidity. The larvae will stay in the wood inter layer to dig tunnels and eat, open a small circular hole in the wood surface and push out powdery excrement to prevent blocking the passage.

However, it can take up to 6 years or more from egg to adult, so in many cases, wood borers are only discovered several years after renovation.

Ticks are small arachnids. Ticks require blood meals to complete their complex life cycles. Ticks are scientifically classified as Arachnida (a classification that includes spiders). They’re attracted to people and their four-legged pets, and they can easily move between the two. If you’ve spent any time outdoors, you’ve likely encountered ticks at some point.

Most of the tick problems at home are related to pets, and the bite can cause skin inflammation.

Mosquitoes are common, flying insects that live in most parts of the world. Over 3,500 types of mosquitoes can be found worldwide.

Not all mosquitoes bite people or animals. When mosquitoes bite people, the most common reactions to the bite are itching and swelling.

Some mosquitoes can be vectors. A vector is an animal, insect, or tick that spreads pathogens (germs) to people and animals. The germs that mosquitoes spread can make you sick.

Some mosquitoes bite, but do not spread germs. These types of mosquitoes are called nuisance mosquitoes.

Adult mosquitoes live indoors and outdoors.

Only female mosquitoes bite people and animals to get a blood meal. Female mosquitoes need a blood meal to produce eggs.

The eggs are laid on a surface of water and hatch into aquatic larvae, or wrigglers, which swim with a jerking, wriggling movement.

Mosquitoes are known to transmit serious diseases, including yellow fever, Zika fever, malaria, filariasis, and dengue.

Mosquitoes get infected with germs, such as viruses and parasites, when they bite infected people and animals.

Centipedes are carnivorous and venomous. They sting and eat their prey, which typically consists of insects and worms. They’re not aggressive towards humans, but may bite you if you provoke them. Centipede bites can be very painful to people. The larger the centipede, the more painful their bite may be. All centipedes use venom to kill their prey. Centipede bites rarely cause health complications in humans, and aren’t typically dangerous or fatal. Centipedes prefer dark, damp places and wet climates, during the day; they hide in the soil, under rocks, loose bark of fallen wood, in rotting wood, fallen leaves, or plant debris. They occasionally crawl into the kitchen or bathroom through the door, window gap or water pipe.

If a gecko invades your home, it is likely that there are other insects in your house including; cockroaches, moths, mosquitoes, beetles, ants, etc. to attract them. Most geckos hunt at night. Geckos are most likely appearing in the house because they can easily find food inside. Make sure the floor is vacuumed regularly and food is stored away properly in containers with tight-sealing lids. A professional general insect Spray of your home with residual insecticide to help cut down on the number of insects the geckos are eating. If geckos cannot find enough food they will either move on or starve.

Stink bugs gain entry into structures through cracks, crevices, gaps and holes in foundations, window and door frames, soffit, attics, and underneath siding. Stink bugs aren't known to bite humans or damage property, but caution should be used when handling them to avoid a release of their unpleasant odor. This odorous liquid with corrosive toxic substances, causing skin irritation in some people. Though they don't pose a direct danger to people,

House centipedes are known for killing the most unwelcome pests in your house — roaches, moths, flies, silverfish and termites. Not only are house centipedes killing the bugs you really don’t want in your house, they also don’t create any nests or webs. They are considered active hunters and are constantly looking for their next prey. Centipedes aren’t eating your wood or carrying a fatal disease. House centipedes just want to go after the bugs. For many people there’s nothing more terrifying than watching a house centipede shoot across their floor and under couch. It’s safe to say that most people are positively terrified of those creepy, crawling, uninvited guests.