INTRODUCTION The common name comes from its primary distribution being in the Rocky Mountain states and the preferred habitat being the woods to meadow/lawn transition zone. Although not a structural pest, the Rocky Mountain wood tick is the primary vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and also transmits the casual organisms of Colorado tick fever […]
Origins Pigeons and doves have been around for a long time—long before humans. Rock doves are thought to have originated in southern Asia several million years ago. Compare this to modern humans that first appeared about 120,000 years ago. Size and Weight A pigeon is about 13” (32cm) in length from bill to tail and […]
Skunks are legendary for their powerful predator-deterrent—a hard-to-remove, horrible-smelling spray. A skunk’s spray is an oily liquid produced by glands under its large tail. To employ this scent bomb, a skunk turns around and blasts its foe with a foul mist that can travel as far as 10 feet (three metres). Skunk spray causes no […]
The bushy-tailed wood rat, otherwise locally known as the pack rat is the only native rat found in Canada. It is immediately distinguished from the introduced Norway and roof rats by its bushy tail. It is a large, gentle, squirrel-like rodent. Its adult fur coat is long, soft, dense, usually grey on the back and […]
The house mouse is common in all parts of Canada. The house mouse is dusty grey in colour and measures from 10 to 15cm in length with large ears and small eyes. The tail is usually the same length as the mouse. The house mouse is sometimes confused with the deer mouse, which is pale […]
The deer mouse is a small, white-footed mouse with large dark eyes and long whiskers. The tail is relatively long and sharply bicolored, white beneath and dark above. The soft fur of the deer mouse varies in colour from a golden brown to a pale grey on the back, while the underparts are white, including […]
There are six types of woodpeckers common to the Kootenay region. They are the downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, black-backed woodpecker, pileated woodpecker, and the northern flicker. Downey Woodpecker (Picoides Pubescens) Length: 17cm A white back generally identifies both this woodpecker and the similar hairy woodpecker. The downey woodpecker is smaller, with a much […]
The wasps that are known as “yellowjackets” and “hornets” are medium-sized insect pests 10 to 25mm, and are easily recognized by the bands of black and yellow or white on their stomachs. However, many other types of harmless wasps look similar and can be mistaken for pests. A hollow stinger, found at the rear of […]
Silverfish are always wingless and are silvery to brown in colour because their bodies are covered with fine scales. They are generally soft-bodied. Adults are up to three-quarters of an inch long, flattened from top to bottom, elongated and oval in shape, have three long tail projections and two long antennae. The Firebrat, Thermobia domestica […]
The Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), is one of the most commonly reported pests of stored grains in Canada. Larvae of the Indian meal moth feed upon grains, grain products, dried fruits, nuts, cereals, and a variety of processed food products. The Indian meal moth is also a common pantry pest. The Indian meal […]
