Glen Ridge’s Historic Homes and Sought-After Aura

Eight-Legged Evaders, Toothless Flies, and Rascally Rodents

Pests flock to Glen Ridge, attracted by the inviting geography. Seasonal invasions are common on both residential and commercial properties.  

Spiders are spotted throughout the county, including black widows. They are among the most feared spiders on earth, even though they’re elusive and usually nonaggressive unless triggered. Their prototypical shiny black skin and hourglass sign are only relevant in females; males are much smaller, vary in color (brown, tan, gray, or brownish-black), and have longer legs. While they may have some semblance of an hourglass, it’s usually faded or broken if present at all. Males are technically venomous, but their bites are often too weak to break skin; females are responsible for the vast majority of medically significant black widow bites. 

Houseflies aren’t venomous: they don’t even have teeth! This prevents them from taking a bite out of a discarded chicken fillet or apple core; instead of chewing, they release digestive enzymes that liquefy their food. Biting flies, such as horseflies, have different mouthparts; houseflies possess sponge-like mouths, while horseflies have needle-like structures capable of piercing the skin. 

Mice and rats can bite people, yet rarely do. Instead, they’re far more likely to chew on old clothes, boxes, drywall, plastic, and, sometimes, cement. These rebellious rodents do much of their damage with their insatiable munching and crunching, especially when they chew on cords, electrical wires, and cables (presenting a fire hazard). But the intent from their chewing isn’t to interfere with your wi-fi or prevent you from watching your stories; their incisors never stop growing, so they must chew to survive. 

Wasps are sometimes confused with bumblebees, but they possess important differences. From an ecological standpoint, wasps aren’t the queens of crops or important pollinators the way bees are. They also have narrower, more segmented bodies, a shinier appearance, and less fuzziness. They’re notoriously more aggressive, too, and don’t lose their stingers when they sting; they can sting you multiple times until they tire or you get away. 

We treat Glen Ridge rodents to roaches, and we’re here to remove infestations and keep your property pest-free!