Colorado Pest Identification | Learn More About Common Colorado Pests

Biting Insects

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are a parasite that have existed since ancient times. They are small wingless insects that are reddish brown, flattened, oval, and wingless, with microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance.

Mosquitoes

The most common species of mosquito found in Colorado is the Culex. They on average are pale brown with whitish stripes across the abdomen and can grow to 1/4-3/8" long.

Common Household Pests

Ants

The most common in Colorado are Pavement, Sugar, and Carpenter ants. Pavement and sugar ants are usually 1/4" to 3/8" long and are black or brown in color.

Box Elder Bugs

Box elders are found primarily on maple and ash trees. The adults are about ½ inch long with a dark brown or black coloration, relieved by red wing veins and markings on the abdomen.

Cockroaches

The most common cockroach found in Colorado is the American. We also have German and Oriental Roaches in our area.

Spiders

There over 30,000 classified species of Spiders. The most common in Colorado are house, rock, wolf, and black widows.

Nuisance Wildlife

Bats

The most common bats in our area are called little brown bats. They generally brown and black in color and similar in size to a mouse.

Pigeons

The feral pigeon is the number one urban pest bird. Large numbers exist in every city across the country. Not a native bird, feral pigeons are descendants of domestic homing pigeons brought over from Europe and released here in the 1600s.

Raccoons

Of the 6,940 documented rabies cases reported in the United States in 2006, 2,615 (37.7%) were in raccoons. They are very common in urban areas and are constantly searching for new sources of food and shelter. As a result many homeowners have raccoon problems including raccoons living in attics or under decks.

Skunks

Skunks are well recognized mammals that vary in size from about 15.6 to 37 inches and in weight from about 3 pounds to 15 pounds. They have a moderately elongated body with reasonably short, well-muscled legs, and long front claws for digging.

Squirrels

A squirrel is one of many small or medium-sized rodents in the family Sciuridae. Squirrels can carry fleas, but usually do not pose a health threat to humans. However, they can cause significant damage to property and trees.

Rodents

Mice

Two types of mice are common in Colorado. The house mouse is a smaller rodent that has a slightly pointed nose; small, black, somewhat protruding eyes; larger ears; and a nearly hairless. They are generally grayish brown with a gray or buff belly.

Moles & Voles

Moles are small mammals that have long narrow snouts, small eyes, rounded bodies and front claws that they use for digging and tunneling. A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes.

Rats

The rat that is most commonly found in Colorado is the wood rat, or pack rat. It is 6 to 9 inches in length with a tail that ranges from 5 to 9 inches long. It is a grayish tan color on its back with a light colored underbelly, which is often peppered. Wood rats have large eyes and ears and long whiskers.

Stinging Insects

Honey Bees

The easiest way to determine this is to observe them. Honeybees will commonly build a hive in a soffit or roof area where this is a protected open space.

Wasps

Stinging insects such as wasps and yellow jackets send over 500,000 people to the emergency room each year. The easiest way to determine what you have is by the type and location of the nest.