New and emerging pest species PMPs should be looking out for

Illustration: Antonio-BanderAS / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

Once again, the respondents to Pest Management Professional’s 2025 State of the Industry survey have spoken: The top profitable pest categories continue to be ants, rodents, cockroaches and wood-destroying organisms (WDO) — with the last two in reverse order from last year’s results. Species within each category, however, continue to change slightly based on location and service clientele.

Ants: Diverse Species, Diverse Challenges

Greg Bausch

Once again, carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) lead the ant category — and rank No. 2 among WDO — thanks to their potential for structural damage and the complexity of their control. While the other four top species mirror those of last year, regional differences play a significant role in some lesser-known ant species.

For example, Greg Bausch, ACE, reports Southern California’s most common ant is still the Argentine species (Linepithema humile).

“I would say dark rover ants are also becoming more prevalent here, because I am getting them coming in for identification a little more often,” notes Bausch, VP of Gardena, Calif.-based American City Pest & Termite, of Brachymyrmex patagonicus.

Lane Zimmerman, operations manager of Minnetonka, Minn.-based Rainbow Pest Experts, ranks his market’s Top 5 species as carpenter ants, pavement ants (Tetramorium caespitum), field ants (Formica spp.), acrobat ants (Crematogaster spp.) and odorous house ants (Tapinoma sessile).

Alex McCurter

Overall, notes Alex McCurter, lead technician for Mantis Pest Solutions in Lee’s Summit, Mo., milder winters across the nation in recent years is seemingly beginning to affect many insect populations, particularly hymenopterans like ants, wasps and bees. He’s seen in uptick in both ant activity and stinging insects.

“My theory is that for the past several years, winters have been practically nonexistent. But this past winter had a couple of good hard freezes. Some insects survive winter better than others, and hymenopterans are particularly hardy,” he explains. “Because a lot of competing species saw a significantly larger natural die-off over those cold spells, ants, wasps and bees were able to proliferate. Again, it’s only a theory, but it’s what makes the most sense to me.”

Rodents: Public Health Threats

Lane Zimmerman

Rodents remain a significant concern for many respondents, with house mice (Mus musculus) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) leading the pack of top revenue generators. These adaptable creatures continue to thrive in urban environments, posing health risks and causing property damage. Roof rats (R. rattus), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and moles (Talpidae) round out the Top 5.

Zimmerman, however, notes voles are in his Top 5. “Voles cause heavy damage to lawns when there is snow cover,” he explains, noting that pest management professionals (PMPs) might not be as familiar with their biology and behavior as they are with other rodent species. “During the winter, one of their only food sources is the seed from lawns — so they create burrows in people’s yard and cause damage.”

Cockroaches: Persistent Urban Pests

German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) maintain their long-reigning position as the most revenue-generating cockroach species, followed by American (Periplaneta americana), Oriental (Blatta orientalis), smoky brown (P. fuliginosa) and brown-banded (Supella longipalpa) cockroaches. These pests continue to be a significant concern, particularly in multi-unit housing and food service establishments.

Zimmerman has encountered a couple cases of Asian cockroaches (Blattella asahinai) in southern Minnesota in recent years. This species physically resembles its German cousins, except that it is attracted to light. When Asian cockroaches enter structures, they land on lamp shades, light-colored walls and even TVs. They rarely establish nests indoors, however, and experts advise looking to outdoor sources such as leaf litter and thick grass to cut them off at the source.

WDO: Structural Threats

Natasha Wright

Thanks to their distribution over much of the country, Eastern subterranean termites (Reticulitermes flavipes) again lead the category of termites and wood-destroying insects, followed by carpenter ants, carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.), drywood termites (Kalotermitidae) and Formosan termites (Coptotermes formosanus).

Natasha Wright, BCE, technical director of Braman Termite & Pest Eliminating in Agawam, Mass., reports an increase in the New England market for both deathwatch beetles (Xestobium rufovillosum) and true powderpost beetles (Lyctus spp., or lyctids). Of the latter, she says, calls are mostly coming from affluent customers. The same clientele is calling for webbing clothes moths (Tineola bisselliella), as well.

“Both pests seem more common among the clients who can afford more wool and real wood than the average person,” she points out.

Wright recounts how a residential customer had new hardwood floors installed eight years before. A year in, the customer blamed her young child for marring the floors.

“It wasn’t until our visit that she came to realize that it was not him, it was lyctids — and the damage was spreading,” Wright says. “I wonder if she has apologized to her son yet for all the accusations!”

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2024/11/20/new-and-emerging-pest-species-pmps-should-be-looking-out-for/
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