Archive for September, 2011

Life cycle of hover fly and its specialty

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Hover Flies are also named as Flower Flies in America. It is quite interesting to analyze about the attractive fly Hover. They are called as the true flies or Diptera that comes under the Family Syrphidae. Hover Flies may sometimes pretends like a stinging bees or wasps because of their mimic color.

Their bodies are described as a slender one which ranges from small to medium in size. Their abdomen contains the yellow-black wasp’s model and the narrow waist mimic pattern.  These flies come with very large eyes and short antenna and they contain a pair of wings which is very clear in color.

Like bees and wasps hover flies may take a visit to flowers. They are considered to be the major pollinators of some flower plants. They seemed to be usually resting on flowers and feeds on the nectar and more over they are the pollinators of plants as well.

The maggot-like larvae of Hover Flies are considered to be the predators of many spongy body insects like aphids, scale insects, thrips, and caterpillars.  Many Hover Flies are sometimes seemed to be searching for the aphids.

It has been said that they hover even at the time of mating. Various species of Hover Flies lay their eggs near the aphid’s colony. Hover Flies also feed on honey dew that is being formed by aphids as well. It has been analyzed that some larvae in the family of hovering flies lives in ant nests in which they play their role as scavengers or predators.

Hover flies family and Bee flies families resemble the same appearance. The main attribute to distinguish between them is that the Bee Flies come with longer wings where as hover Flies come with shorter wings with a series of closed cell on the wings hind margins. The specialty among the hover flies is that – their neck remains still at the same time as in flight.

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Cockroaches and Asthma

Monday, September 12th, 2011


Many studies have pointed to the fact that cockroaches are a leading trigger of allergies and asthma attacks. The pests’ saliva, droppings and decomposing bodies contain allergen proteins known to trigger allergies and increase the severity of asthma symptoms, especially in children.

“Most people are aware of typical indoor allergens including mould, pet dander, dust and second-hand smoke, but they should also be mindful of any cockroach infestations in their home or other places such as schools,” said Steve Anderson, owner of Cambridgeshire-based SDA Pest Control.

“Cockroach allergens are typically found in areas that are hard to see, such as under appliances and sinks, so it’s important to periodically check those areas, keeping them clean and dry.”

Cockroaches also spread disease such as Salmonella by picking up germs on the spines of their legs, easily contaminating food and surfaces that they touch. They spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six types of parasitic worms and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens.

Cockroaches are quite large insects. They vary in size from 10mm – 23mm in length with long antennae and two sets of wings. The two main species of cockroach found in the UK are the German cockroach and the Oriental cockroach.

The German cockroach prefers warm, moist environments, particularly heating systems in large buildings. It can swim, fly, climb smooth surfaces easily and hide in inaccessible places.

The Oriental cockroach is found mainly indoors in heated buildings like hospitals, hotels, restaurants, prisons and blocks of flats. It is sometimes found outdoors around dustbins and rubbish tips. It is dark brown to black in colour, very shiny, and has long flexible antennae and a flattened body. It cannot fly or climb smooth surfaces but can move very rapidly.

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