More than 12,000 species of ants have been idetified so far.
According to the entomology department of the University of Sydney, there are 1 million species of insects that have been named, and a projected 5 million to 80 million more are still unclassified. In sheer biomass alone, bugs make up the majority of life on the planet. Of the millions of species, some insects happen to be unbearably annoying with their pesky behaviors.
Ants
Ants are extremely prevalent in homes around the globe. Once they find a food source, they leave a trail of pheromones that an entire colony of workers can follow. Carpenter ants, for example, will make a large nest in the wood framing of a house that can cause considerable damage. They feed on sugars, fruit juice and meat fats. Keeping the kitchen area clean and food stored properly helps to reduce the chance of an ant infestation.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches can nest and breed in a home year round. A female cockroach can live up to 200 days and can produce six cases of 30 to 50 eggs. They're highly resilient, adaptive bugs that are difficult to manage once breeding gets out of control. The best way to avoid a cockroach infestation is sanitation. Cockroaches need food to survive, so storing food properly in a refrigerator and washing dishes immediately after use is important.
House Fly
The common house fly eats just about anything, either by sucking up liquids with the sponge-like mouth parts or dissolving solids by regurgitating digestive liquids onto them. They're constantly on the move and, once you notice a fly buzzing around your home, it becomes an instant distraction. On hot summer days, flies will attempt to gorge themselves on your sweat. Their tiny legs tickle when they land and once they've made you out to be a food source, they're relentlessly persistent.
Mosquitoes
Female mosquitoes require mammal blood to develop their eggs and are happy to gather it from humans. The mosquito is polite enough to numb the area around your skin so you don't feel the bite, but after a few minutes it becomes itchy. Worse still, mosquitoes transmit nasty viruses that cause serious health problems in people, most noteably the West Nile virus and malaria.
Black Flies
Black flies, also known as "buffalo gnats," are quite small, about 1/8 inch long. Like mosquitoes, they develop in moist conditions such as near a river or creak. Black flies will gladly fly 10 miles in a day in search of a blood source. Their bites swell considerably more than those of mosquitoes and are slow to heal. Furthermore, the bite stings and itches insidiously.
Biting Midges
Biting midges are even smaller than black flies; some are only 1/32 inches long, barely visible to the human eye. They have earned a menacing reputation and are commonly called "no-see-ums" or "punkies." They breed along moist sand beaches, rivers, streams and creaks and will bite during the night and day.
Ticks
Ticks are a group of insects that belong to the arachnid family. Both hard ticks and soft ticks can transmit diseases, such as Lyme disease, to humans. They await their prey on the ends of shrubs and tree leaves and latch onto a host whenever possible. A feeding cycle can last days before they move on. Ticks are usually small. For example, the American dog tick is only 3/16 inches long, which makes them difficult to detect.
Bed Bugs
According to the University of Kentucky, bed bugs are making a comeback, appearing in American homes more commonly each year. They have small, flattened bodies only 3/16 inches long and have adapted to feeding on sleeping humans. They nest close by to where people sleep, such as under a bed or inside a mattress. These insects are annoying because they're nearly impossible to detect while they feed and only become noticeable once their breeding has gotten out of control.
The Flea
Fleas are classified as a wingless blood sucker. They move around by jumping. A single bound can propel at tick more than 10 inches. Fleas measure roughly 3/16 inches. They breed rapidly, and eggs hatch within a week of being laid. Larvae are capable of moving great distances to forage for food right from birth. They prefer warm, moist conditions and favor carpeted homes. Fleas are often brought into a home by a pet cat or dog. Once they begin to breed, they quickly become one of the most annoying, active pests.
Lice
Lice are a parasitic insect that feed on human blood. There are three types - head, pubic and body. Head lice make a home in hair on a human head, attaching eggs to the base of hair strands. Pubic lice, also know as "crabs," infest the hair in the pubic region. Body lice are the only type that's known to transmit disease. These lice make a home in clothing and move on the skin only to feed. Lice can't fly or jump; they move around by crawling. The crawling sensation can be unbearable, sending chills down a person's spine.
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