The 9 Most Annoying Insects

Why Mosquitoes Annoy Us:

• itchy, red bites
• annoying buzzing sounds
• carriers of disease

Female mosquitoes need blood to develop and lay their eggs, and really don't mean anything personal when they attack. That's no consolation if you're the one being bitten, of course. The mosquito bite itself isn't horribly painful, and may even go unnoticed. The truly annoying part of being a mosquito meal comes in the hours and days to follow, when those red, itchy bumps make us reach for the calamine lotion. As an added annoyance, mosquitoes like to buzz around your head, letting you know another bite is coming shortly.

Why Fleas Annoy Us:

• tough-to-tackle infestations
• itchy bites on pets and people

If you ask Fido or Fluffy, fleas are the most annoying insect of all. Both flea sexes live on blood, and man's best friend can quickly be covered in scabby bites. Even more annoying, fleas drop their eggs to the ground as your pet walks around, so a few fleas quickly become a houseful of fleas. Once your home is infested, it takes a war on many fronts to destroy the enemy insects. Oh, and if you live in an apartment building or townhouse, there's a good chance you'll share your fleas with the neighbors, too.

Why No-See-Ums Annoy Us:

• painful bites
• group attacks

No-see-ums can take the fun out of a hike or camping trip pretty quickly. The name no-see-um is just one nickname for the biting midge; some people call these nuisances punkies, sandflies, or midgies. Whatever the name, these insects do have the annoying habit of biting us—hard. Biting midges use highly specialized mouthparts to grasp your skin, puncture a hole in you, spit some saliva into the wound, and feed on your blood. No-see-ums live near water, since their larvae are aquatic. They're so tiny they can pass right through ordinary window screens—thus the name "no-see-um."

Why House Flies Annoy Us:

• nasty habits
• tendency to hang out on our food
• disease carriers

Admit it: nearly every meal you've ever eaten outdoors has been a choreographed ballet of biting your food and then swatting away the flies trying to land on it. Flies don't learn, it seems. No matter how many times you swat them away, they come back. House flies do come indoors, too, of course, and transmit quite a few diseases, so they aren't insects you really want around. What makes house flies truly annoying pests is their habit of regurgitating and excreting each and every time they land. House flies feed on all kinds of lovely things like excrement and open wounds. Then they land on your arm and let it all out, from both ends.

Why Ants Annoy Us:

• kitchen invasions
• tough-to-tackle infestations
• large colonies

Ants come in many flavors: Pharoah, fire, thief, carpenter, odorous, crazy, little black, and more. Ants annoy us by appearing, uninvited, in our homes and refusing to leave. Worse yet, ants often lay pheromone trails to the food source they have discovered, effectively inviting all their friends to the party. Some ants go beyond annoying, actually damaging our homes or possessions. Carpenter ants make nests in the structural timbers of buildings, while crazy raspberry ants are known for wandering into appliances and causing electrical shorts. Odorous house ants leave a foul smell behind when you crush them - the ultimate revenge.

Why Biting Flies Annoy Us:

• painful bites
• persistent attacks

Biting flies include horse flies, deer flies, and other members of the Tabanid family. Biting flies feed on mammal blood, usually during the daylight hours, which is precisely when you are likely to be outdoors enjoying yourself—right up until they cover you from head to toe and start gobbling you up. Repellents do little or nothing to stop their feasting​ since flies primarily use visual clues to find their targets.

Why Bed Bugs Annoy Us:

• sneak attacks while we're sleeping
• tough-to-tackle infestations
• really itchy bites

They're baa-ack! Bed bugs were thought to be a pest of the past, but since the turn of the millennium, they've been turning up in apartments and condos all over the place. Nobody's rolling out the welcome mat for these nasty critters, which feed on our blood while we sleep. Bed bugs may be happily feeding on you for weeks before you start to feel the effects. When a bed bug bites, it leaves a little of its saliva behind under your skin. Over time, your body becomes sensitized, and you start to experience itchy allergic reactions. Like fleas, bed bugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of, and can quickly spread to adjoining residences.

Why Cockroaches Annoy Us:

• prolific breeders
• disease carriers
• allergy agents

Cockroaches are just plain gross. There's something unnerving about turning on a light in the middle of the night and seeing dozens of creepy looking insects running for cover. You just can't help but wonder what they were doing. Unlike many home invaders, cockroaches stay year-round, meaning some form of intervention will be needed to keep your home from being overrun. Cockroaches are known to carry disease-causing organisms and are second only to dust for causes of allergy attacks in the home.

Why Ticks Annoy Us:

• hard to remove
• sneak attacks
• bloodsuckers

Ticks are opportunistic, waiting in the tall grass for a hapless human to pass by. As soon as a tick senses the movement of some living thing brushing against its perch, it dashes to hitch a ride. The nasty hanger-on then tries to make its way to a warm, moist place on your body (no more explanation needed). If you're lucky, you'll find the hideaway before it penetrates your skin and blows up like a balloon on your blood. Some ticks, which are arachnids and not insects, carry serious diseases. The black-legged tick, aka deer tick, transmits Lyme disease and is so small it can pass for a freckle.