Your top five most annoying pests

[oogaboo]

My folks say that your neighbors can be the most annoying pests. In say cases, yes, but they aren't quite on my list.

5. Outdoor Gnats

These gnats (also known as midges, biting flies, punkies and no see ums) will drive you crazy with their swarming and biting. Whenever I'm walking around and gets muggy or hot a gnat flies right into my face. At times, I'll see a huge swarm of them that are flying around.

4. Wasps

It is annoying when these things make their own nest in my backyard. Whenever they do finish making their nest in MY territory and If I walk any closer to their nest they will attempt to sting me! By the way, their stingers hurt like a MUTHA @#$%!!

3. Mosquito

These pests are capable to fly a long distance in search of blood. Its a good thing I'm not allergic to them but those bites they give me can still give me a small itch. I always have to pour out my "rain catcher" bucket outside because sometimes I'll find lots of little Larvae in it.

2. Blow-Flies

My god these things are annoying...and big! They don't bite but they can be a nuisance. Anytime I cook spinach, cabbage, or any other dark greens I'll occasionally find three or four of these things flying around! Next time I'll keep the windows closed.

1. Fleas

I-Hate-These-Things!  It's a good thing they hate the smell of lemon or Garlic. 'Cause that is one of the few ways I can keep them from biting me! Me and my Cat are pretty allergic to these things. Those bites they give us itch like hell! Whats worse, is they can swiftly multiply in your carpet to infect your total property and life.plus they can be hard to find and kill! The only way I'll be able to notice them is whenever I feel it biting me, I grab it, throw it in the toilet, and then flush it down.

So...whats your list?

[Adder]

5. Pnants

4. Spiders

3. Wasps/Hornets/Bees

2. Ticks

1. House Flies

[Kor]

Roaches, ants and gnats, among others.  

I've heard that Diatomaceous earth may be good for pest control in a year, but you have to re spread it after every time it rains since water washes it away.   Being in an apartment I've not had the chance to try that, nor would I know where to buy any.

[Petrie.]

Keep bees away from me.  I've no desire to find out if I'm allergic from a sting.  Mosquitos are annoying, but tolerable as are spiders.  These things don't scare me.

[DarkHououmon]

I don't really have any top pest list. Yes there are some creatures that annoy me sometimes, like ladybugs during their migration or stinkbugs that get in the house, but I don't necessarily hate them.

Truth is, for the most part, getting rid of all of a "pest" insect (or any species) could result in a lot more harm than good.

Let's take mosquitoes for instance, the female ones that suck your blood. It may seem like they are good for nothing but swatting and causing itching, but in nature, these blood-filled insects provide nourishment for other species. If they were to disappear, well there goes that food source. The effects could get a lot worse than this overtime.

Even more devastating is if bees were to all disappear. They are a major plant pollinator. If they were to die off, then plants would have a harder time spreading themselves around and becoming fertilized. The result: many plants will die, and when those plants die, the animals that depend on them will starve and die off, and the predators that relied on those animals will die off.

Lesson learned: Most of the time, it is better to have these "pests" around and be annoyed by them than to have them disappear and cause problems much bigger than just being annoyed.

[Saft]

All these pests are very important for the environment.  However, every summer we somehow manage to be invaded by an army of flies.  Suppose it doesn't help that we live next to a milk farm (ie: has cows) but mom should learn not to have the windows open like that.  

(also have a 'pest' called Mozart...does he count. )