Haledon’s Role in US Labor History

Web Masters, Clever Mice, and All-Female Mites

Haledon is home to a variety of irksome intruders, entering homes through gaps, cracks, open doors, and tattered window screens.

Orb spiders are among the most common spider species in New Jersey. Although they are arachnids, many are as busy as bees; they rebuild their webs every night, routinely eating their old webs as breakfast each morning, recycling the silk proteins and impressing environmentalists. Perhaps due to their daily practice, these eight-legged loiterers are quite the skilled web designers, able to spin webs several feet across.

Mice are difficult to treat with DIY pest control methods, in part because of their rapid reproduction cycles. They’re also clever, with strong memories that help them recall complex routes for months at a time (which is why they come back to your pantry, night after night). They drip urine everywhere they go, creating little scent trails to guide their mouse friends toward food and shelter. This leaves invisible urine on top of counters, tabletops, and cabinets.

Clover mites are an all-female species, able to reproduce without a mate by effectively cloning themselves. It’s not science fiction but rather a process called parthenogenesis (other species that can reproduce this way include zebra sharks, crayfish, Komodo dragons, and scorpions). Because of this process, one clover mite can quickly turn into an infestation; large infestations, especially those outdoors, might contain over a million mites.

Grasshoppers don’t jump as impressively as fleas, but their strong legs allow them to launch themselves up to 20 times their body length. During migration events, they fly for miles, swarming crops and fields under certain conditions. They’re difficult to catch because they’re quick, have nearly 360-degree vision, and wait until the last moment before leaping, making their escape attempts unpredictable.

Mosquitoes invite themselves into Haledon backyard get-togethers, particularly when they find standing water in birdbaths, clogged roof eaves, kiddie pools, and pet bowls. You can run from mosquitoes, but you can’t hide for long; they sense carbon dioxide from human breath from more than 100 feet away. Not all mosquito species like to bite people; some prefer birds, acting as parasites on parakeets and partridges.