Animals at Home (Pests)

They are either pets or pests. Pets are kept by humans for companion, protection, or entertainment. They are often known for their use,
physical appearance and loyalty. On the other hand, pests are the undesirable animals you can find at home which cause diseases, or
other stressful outcomes.

NAME OF PEST DESCRIPTION ADVANTAGE DISADVATAGE

1. Rat A typical rat is 9 inches long They are a source of food for In USA alone, they destroy
from nose to tail. They are other animals e.g. snakes billion dollars worth of
commonly black, brown or In the forests they spread properties.
gray. They have exceptional seeds of trees in forests. They are diseases bearers.
hearing capacity and are also Digging holes in soil fertilizes They can also cause extreme
fit for a nocturnal lifestyle. it and buries carbon in it food losses.
Rats have very powerful set which is essential for plant
of teeth a jaws that can chew growth.
even concrete block or lead
pipe. Their jaw muscles exert
24,000 lb (12 tons) per
square inch.
Rats often live in colonies.
They have a well-hidden
tunnel with an entrance
coven with rocks, roots of
shrubs and thick vegetation.
A colony consists of hundreds
of rats(of both sexes and all
ages) which have a clear
hierarchy which make the
colony more peaceful.

2. Mosquito Mosquitoes carry different
number of diseases that is
why they are considered as
the deadliest animals on
Earth.
Female mosquitoes are the
only one biting man and
animals since they need
protein and blood for their
eggs and in order to
They serve an important role
in the ecosystem of arctic
tundra
Only few mosquitoes bite
human and the number of
mosquitoes that transmit
diseases are not high
They serve as food for birds
and other insects and their
larvae serves as food for
They transmit many diseases to
humans
Since they are small and fast
they can easily attached
themselves to humans during
night without even noticing
them until humans feel it.
 reproduce.
Instead of biting man and
animals, male mosquito
search for flowers because
they are not the one who
carries the young.
3. Termites Termites range from 1/4 to
1/2 an inch in length. The
queens and kings are larger,
capable of reaching over one
inch long. The workers are
typically soft-bodied and
pale-colored. Flying termites,
also called reproductives,
have two pairs of prominent
wings.
Termites are detritivores, or
detritus feeders. They feed
on dead plants and trees.
Termites get nutrients from
cellulose, an organic fiber
found in wood and plant
matter.
4. Ants Ants belong to the order
Hymenoptera and are close
relatives of bees and wasps.
The wingless adult forms of
ants, known as workers are
fishes.
Termite is a good source of
protein and other micro- and
macronutrients. The
proximate composition,
mineral, vitamin and anti-
nutrient contents of termite
queen, workers and soldiers
of Macrotermes bellicosus.
The proximate composition
revealed that the crude
protein content of the
soldiers was higher unlike
that of queen and workers.
The highest mineral content
was sodium found in queen,
while the least mineral was
manganese found in the
termite soldiers. Termites are
rich in vitamin A, vitamin C,
fat while anti-nutrient
components were low.
On outdoor plants and
sometimes indoor, ants
protect and care for aphids,
soft scales, whiteflies , and
mealybugs which are
Termites eat wood, and they can
eat a lot of it in a short time. The
average colony can eat about
one foot of a 24 in six months,
but certain species of termite
can tear through homes at a
much faster pace. In eating
wood, termites are also making
tunnels inside the wood in order
to help foster and grow their
colonies, each of which contain
about 60,000 termites.
Termites can also cause odor
due to their fecal pellets. These
fecal pellets also cause
discoloration and blisters on the
walls, and may have to replace it
completely in order to get rid of
the smell and the unsightly
stains.
Some ants build their nests on
walls, foundations, indoor
plants, and small spaces
between fittings and walls.
Usually they just use pre-
 the most common and easily
recognized. While the winged
form of ants are usually
mistaken for winged
termites. The winged ants
leave the nest in large groups
to mate and build new
colonies.
Ants are attracted to a wide
range of foods with different
species having different
preferences. They could be
attracted to sugars, proteins ,
fats, oils. They also search for
water during dry period.
5. Cockroaches Cockroaches can measure
over 50 mm (2 in) length,
with tropical species tending
to be larger than those found
in other climates.
Cockroaches have six legs,
two antennae and some have
wings. However, most winged
cockroaches are not
particularly adept at flying.
honeydew-producing insects.
Ants also have functions
useful for the environment
such as feeding on other
pests like fleas, caterpillars,
termites, dead insects, and
decomposing tissue from
dead animals.
In nature, cockroaches
provide food for other
animals, many of which we
treasure. Also, they play a
vital role in the life cycle of
plants. As they crawl through
flowers seeking food, they
also transport pollen and thus
help with plant reproduction.
Cockroaches eat what other
organisms leave laying,
breaking it down and
increasing the amount of
nitrogen in the soil. Without
their nitrogen-rich excrement,
the forests would suffer.
existing spaces or taking
advantages of existing
deterioration which generally do
not cause structural damage.
Some species can form nests
with large number of chambers
just below the soil surface
causing the soil to become soft
and uneven.
Cockroaches have several
disadvantages in a household. It
may cause food contamination
and food poisoning since. It may
also invade a persons body
parts, may cause allergies and
asthma. A lot of diseases might
get from the colony of
cockroaches.