Pests to Expect in Tennessee

Contrary to popular belief, the Asian lady beetle is NOT a ladybug. These beetles were originally introduced into the United States to control aphid populations.

Boxelder bugs are fall pests. It is black with red markings along the edge of its wings and traditionally measures 1/2 inch in length.

Camel crickets are wingless insects with legs that resemble a spider’s. Camel crickets have also been referred to as cave crickets, cave wetas, and spider crickets.

They are a common pest with three species being most often identified: the varied carpet beetle, the common carpet beetle, and the furniture carpet beetle. All three are about the same size, ranging in length from 1/8 – 3/16 of an inch.

The body of a centipede can measure from 1/8 of an inch to 6 inches in length. These insects are easily recognizable and can be found throughout the United States.

Cigarette beetles are a species of stored product pest that is known for their humped appearance which is due to their head being bent downward at a right angle. Cigarette beetles are oval and can be red, yellow or brown.

There are two types of clothes moths that will commonly infest Tennessee homes and they include the casemaking clothes moth and the webbing clothes moth. The adult clothes moth is approximately half an inch in length and a yellowish-tan color.

Clover mites are tiny. They measure only about 1/30 of an inch in length, which is smaller than a pinhead. They belong to the arachnid family and therefore have eight legs.

The drug store beetle received its name because they are frequently found feeding on drugs in pharmacies, but they will also happily feed on dry food goods like flour products, spices, seeds, dry pet food, along with non-food items like wool, aluminum foil, leather, and books.

Earwigs may best be known for the myth associated with them—that they crawl into sleeping people’s ears and burrow into their brains to lay eggs. This, of course, is false.

Firebrats look very similar to silverfish and are often confused with them. They are equipped with a very long pair of antennae and grow to be about ½ an inch in length.

Fleas are external wingless parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts. They have a hard flat body that measures 1/8 of an inch in length.

Tiny, black flies often found in and around house and office plants.

Granary weevils are a type of stored product pest and are a brownish red color. An interesting fact of granary weevils is that when adults are disturbed they will play dead.

Ground beetles can range in size from 1/8 of an inch to one inch in length. They have three pairs of legs and can move very quickly.

Indian meal moths are also referred to as pantry pests, stored product pests and/or food infesting pests. They are winged insects that are capable of flying.

Kudzu bugs are a type of true bug, but because of their appearance, many people think that they are beetles, when, in fact, they are actually more closely related to stink bugs.

Adult merchant grain beetles are brown in color, they have 6 legs, antennae, and have an oval narrow shaped body with a flattened head. They also have 6 saw-like teeth that are found on either side of their head.

Although its name suggests it has a thousand legs, the millipede actually only has between 80 and 400 legs. Contrary to popular belief, millipedes are actually an arthropod, not an insect.

Mosquitoes are members of the same insect order as flies and gnats. They are 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch in length with a round head and slim body.

Adult pill bugs grow to be about ½ an inch in length, they have 7 pairs of legs, two antennae, and are brown or gray. When they feel scared or are being threatened, they will roll themselves into a complete ball.

These winged insects are reddish-brown to black and have four yellow or reddish spots on the corners of their forewings. Their “nose” is very distinctive as it is about 1/3 of its total body length.

Adult sawtooth beetles grow to be about 1/8th of an inch in length and have a long, flattened, narrow body. As their name suggests, they have rows of saw-like teeth located on the first body segment found behind their head.

Silverfish have been appropriately named as their entire body is covered in silver scales. Silverfish measure between ½ to ¾ of an inch in length and their body is teardrop-shaped.

Sow bugs, also known as "roly poly" bugs, are rounded on top, flat on the bottom, and have armadillo-like segments covering their body. Adult sow bugs grow to be about ½ an inch in length.

Springtails are a type of arthropod. They are very tiny, only reaching about the size of a pinhead.

Brown marmorated stink bugs are part of the group of pests known as fall invaders. Stink bugs are easy to recognize because of the triangular-shaped plates on their backs (earning them the nickname "shield bugs”).

Eastern subterranean termites are destructive wood-destroying insects commonly found in Nashville, throughout Middle Tennessee, and most of the U.S.

Ticks are an external parasite that feed on the blood of mammals. There are up to 15 species of ticks that live in Tennessee.