Pest and Termite Control in Rolla, MO Pest Control Resource Library | Central Missouri | Plank

Lady beetles, often called ladybugs, include many useful predators of garden pests. The concern around homes is usually seasonal entry by beetles seeking shelter.

Ground beetles are often beneficial outdoor predators. One found indoors is usually an accidental visitor rather than evidence that wood or stored food is being attacked.

Crickets are jumping insects that may wander into buildings or find shelter in damp, cluttered areas. Species identification helps explain whether the problem is occasional entry or persistent indoor activity.

Boxelder bugs often gather on sunny exterior walls before seeking shelter as temperatures cool. Large numbers can be frustrating even when the insects are mainly a nuisance.

Black vine weevils are plant-feeding beetles. An occasional adult indoors calls for identification and an entry check; damage to landscape plants calls for a closer look at the plant and its roots.

Lone star ticks are an important bite-prevention concern in Missouri. Recognizing a tick helps with reporting an encounter, but illness or an allergic reaction needs medical evaluation.

American dog ticks are among the ticks people may encounter outdoors in Missouri. Despite the name, they can bite people as well as dogs.

Brown dog ticks can become an indoor problem in homes and kennels. Repeated ticks around a dog’s resting area deserve a coordinated plan for the animal and the building.

The blacklegged tick is also known as the deer tick. Tick identification is useful, but a photo cannot tell whether a tick carries an infection.

Deer mice are native rodents that may enter buildings. Identifying the animal and the route indoors helps turn a recurring sighting into a practical prevention plan.

White-footed mice are native rodents associated with wooded places. They can resemble deer mice closely, so white feet alone are not enough for a dependable identification.

Roof rats, also called black rats, are climbing rodents. Noises in an attic are a reason to investigate, but they do not establish which animal is present.

Voles are small rodents that can damage garden plants and bark near ground level. Missouri has prairie, woodland and meadow voles, so the word vole does not refer to just one species.

Norway rats are large rodents that may burrow around structures and use buildings for food and shelter. Suspected activity warrants identification and a coordinated control plan.

Pack rats are native woodrats, a different group from Norway rats and roof rats. A rodent seen near a rocky or wooded Missouri property needs identification before a control plan is chosen.

House mice can live in buildings where food and shelter are available. Identification and evidence help guide trapping, exclusion and follow-up.