Have you ever had to deal with a caddisfly infestation in your home or commercial property?
It can be difficult to deal with unwanted pests that pose no real threat. Still, learning how to deal with unwanted pests can become one of the most important aspects of day-to-day life.
Read on for the rest of this article; I’ll reveal to you how to get rid of caddisflies naturally, through effective outdoor pest control.
What Are Caddisflies?
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Although we know caddisflies are insects, they act more like insects than a butterfly or moth.
Caddisflies are herbivores, or plant eaters, but they also prey upon other insects that wander into the open. Caddisflies can also eat aquatic plants.
They may eat detritus, meaning plant material that is tossed up into the air but not eaten, like leaves or twigs. Caddisflies may eat plants, but they are mainly carnivorous and eat other insects.
Their complex eyes and long antennae give them an advantage when hunting.
Caddisflies lay eggs under stones and tree bark. They have a large, strong ovipositor that they use to deposit their eggs.
They also mate under the stone or bark they laid their eggs under.
Caddisflies have a long, thin body.
The majority of their body length is made up by their antennae. Although they do have mouthparts, caddisflies usually have a mouth that is hidden beneath their skin.
A caddisfly’s body has a pair of wings, which are a long membrane that stretches behind the caddisfly’s body. Caddisflies are the only insect known to have two types of wing hairs.
Caddisflies’ primary hairs are long, stiff, and pointed.
The hue of their bodies may range from green to dark brown.
They are aquatic insects. They prefer to inhabit waters with a fast current, warm temperature, and very little water movement.
They can be found in rivers and streams; however, they are found in many artificial water bodies. The higher the surface of the water, the less oxygen there is.
Therefore, caddisflies are adapted to living in high stagnant waters, which also makes them susceptible to pollution. Caddisflies have two pairs , one cerci, or fourth, pair of wings.
The cerci pair is the reproductive pair, which, males in particular, use to mate by palpating the female’s antennae. Caddisflies are different from mayflies in several ways.
Most notable is that they are smaller in size and have a shorter lifespan. Caddisflies are prolific breeders.
Each female may produce up to 100,000 eggs in her lifetime.
In addition, their antennas may be long or short. They have two sets of wing hairs. To top it all off, their antennas are longer than their bodies.
Where do they live and what they eat?
Because they reproduce in the water, they play an important role in maintaining the environment’s ecosystem.
They’re an important feature of many aquatic ecosystems, and help keep the water healthy and clear.
Each caddisfly feeds on fallen leaves and debris in bodies of water.
They’re also an important food source for other predators such beetles, dragonflies, and some frogs.
Caddisflies, like moths, are most often seen at night buzzing around lights.
How to get rid of caddisflies naturally
Caddisflies don’t reproduce inside houses, but if they sneak in , it may be best to remove them in their natural habitat.
Caddisflies only survive a few days after becoming fully-fledged adults, after which they’ll soon die.
If the swarm gets unpleasant or you just don’t want to deal with the situation, consider trying natural treatments for your caddisflies!
To assist treat them, look for products that are designed for killing insects.
To cure the infestation, you may also want to consider cleaning your home and getting rid of any food that can potentially be consumed by the caddisflies.
When it comes to removing caddisfly leftovers, a powerful vacuum cleaner is usually the most efficient way to go.
Also Read: Why Do Crane Flies Fly At Your Face?
How to Prevent Caddisflies From Entering Your House
It is considerably simpler and more effective to prevent caddisflies from entering your house than to try to remove them once they already have.
Turning off outside lights or switching to alternate lighting like yellow (bug lights), white (which bugs hate), or red (which bugs love) light can help keep these pests away.
This will most likely keep caddisflies away.
Excess wetness in locations such as your patio can cause them to form, unfortunately.
If you have a pool on your patio, you can plant creepers or vines around it. This will help partially block the pathway these insects take to enter the home.
Conclusion
Although caddisflies are helpful to freshwater areas, they may become a problem in ponds or on walkways when used in bulk.
It’s important to use non-chemical pest control methods whenever possible. Whenever you can, removing native plants or changing pond parameters may be an effective way to suppress caddisfly populations.
It’s a good idea to combine the treatments above for best results.
