It's raining on cicadas' parade but spiders and others loving the wet
Brisbane Times
Photo: Nick Moir FOR most insects, a rainy summer gives life. Many smaller species such as termites, flies and some ants do especially well in unseasonable wet conditions. Most summers they expend a lot of energy finding moisture to avoid shrivelling …

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Pesticide protest misguided
Edmonton Journal
What they all failed to note was that banning lawn and garden pesticides (which include weed and insect control products) was not on the table in the first place. Council had simply asked administration to re-port on how the parks department could use …

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Invasive pest spells death knell for region's eucalyptus trees
East African
By BONIFACE MWANGI (email the author) THE EUCALYPTUS tree known for its commercial purposes is under threat of extinction in three East African countries and South Africa, after invasion by a new foreign pest. The tree used for electric poles, …

We can get the same lengthy residual from boric acid or borate products that are labeled for roaches and ants, but these generally are applied in dry dust form. Applying a dry dust to exposed wood surfaces is not a good option. Some of the products, such as Boracide, are specifically labeled for application to “new” or existing construction for ants and roaches, but the directions for use tell us to apply it as a dry dust directly into voids or insect galleries (as in carpenter ants). If these wall voids are currently open it would be difficult to contain the dust to the wood studs using any kind of pressurized duster. You could sprinkle the dust along the base plate, but if that is all you are able to do you could achieve much better coverage once the walls are in place and a power duster is used through some small opening into the void. Then you would get the dust onto the studs and interior wall surfaces as well, greatly increasing the odds that the insects will be in contact with it. 

Similarly Borid Insecticide Dust is labeled for pre-treating new construction for roaches. It recommends applying the dust at 4 lbs per 1000 square feet, but to “base plates and plumbing voids”, so you would not be able to successfully treat all of the studs nor the interior surfaces of the wall coverings. 

Those materials that you could easily spray over all of the exposed wood surfaces would have a relatively short lifespan. In contrast to the years of residual effectiveness of a dry dust of boric acid or diatomaceous earth, the spray-on “residual” insecticides may last a few months, and this may not be what the customer is thinking will happen. You can offer him this choice, but he may opt instead to have you “post” treat those wall voids with an inorganic dust product once the walls are in place, and this will give him the longest lasting material in those voids. 

Ban on glue board urged after cat death
Channel News Asia
By Wendy Wong | Posted: 20 February 2012 2223 hrs SINGAPORE: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has called for an "immediate ban" on glue board traps used by pest control companies. This comes after it found a cat stuck on such …
SPCA calls for ban on glue traps after cat found trappedAsiaOne

all 4 news articles »

Bedbug expert scratches head over extent of UNL infestation
SW Iowa News
LINCOLN — The large number of bedbug reports at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — 94 rooms treated for the pests so far — has led one national expert to wonder whether UNL is getting "false positives" from the dogs it's been using to detect the …
Fraternity buys insurance for bed bug protectionKLKN
Nebraska Fraternity Buying Bed Bug Insurance PolicyClaimsJournal.com

all 18 news articles »

How to keep your hospitality business free of pests
BigHospitality.co.uk
Savvas Othon, technical director at Rentokil Pest Control, advises hospitality businesses on how to keep pests at bay during busy times. The hospitality sector is hoping to be busier than usual this year with international and national events expected …

Disease-Fighting Secrets of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Wired News
By Brian Mossop Insects cover our planet. Filed into 750000 different species, at any given time there are one million trillion bugs buzzing around the globe. About 14000 of those species are blood-feeders, meaning they drink their meals by puncturing …

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These new changes and restrictions on pyrethroid products’ labels is for the purpose of minimizing the runoff of these active ingredients from properties they are applied to. Water that flows off a treated property could carry the active ingredient into the local gutters to storm drains to local creeks, and pyrethroids are fairly toxic to some aquatic organisms. We must be sure we adhere to the new wording, and this restriction on application during rainfall is not the only one. Please read the Label of the product you purchase each time you purchase it to see when you are now buying material with the new wording. Otherwise, you can use the product according to the Label on the package you purchase, meaning “old” stock can be used as labeled. 

There are almost no great substitutes for the pyrethroid granules with respect to their uses and label allowances. About half of the granular non-pyrethroid products are labeled only for turf or ornamental pests. Several are Restricted Use Pesticides. Several are designed primarily as bait products and thus have limited pests they will control. To be very honest, my review of the alternate granular contact insecticides just now came up with a grand total of 1 – no, sorry, no zeroes to follow. That one product is Essentria G from Envincio, formerly called EcoExempt G Granular, which still lingers in stock. 

Essentria G contains clove oil and thyme oil and is a 25-B Exempt insecticide, so it should be quite acceptable to customers, including in any “Green” programs. It is generally labeled for use on many crawling pests around both residential and commercial structures and has no restrictions with respect to rainfall or impending rain. 

So, when it is raining what options do you have for treating regular customers? The pyrethroid products other than granules also have the “not during rain” restriction, so you cannot just switch to spraying the foundation instead. You may find plenty of non-pyrethroid concentrates that could be sprayed during a rain even, applying them to eaves or other exterior areas where the rain is not going to land on the treated surface and negate the active ingredient, but this may not work in many cases. We’ll have to see how this plays out, but it may be that rainy days will become great opportunities to focus on exclusion efforts and closing off openings into the structure. 

Don't Let the Bedbugs (or Lice) Bite
Inside Higher Ed
Recent outbreaks of lice at Huntington University, norovirus at George Washington University and bedbugs at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln have mobilized campus health officials and raised questions about how to stop pests and diseases from …
Dogs' bedbug detection questionedOmaha World-Herald
Nebraska Fraternity Buying Bedbug Insurance PolicyClaimsJournal.com

all 3 news articles »

New Pest Control Manual Provides Guidance for Plant Operations
Quality Assurance & Food Safety
The methods, materials, and expectations of professional pest control are changing, and today's professionals need to change along with them. Whether you have in-house pest control operations or you outsource the job, PCT's newly released The Service …

10 Proactive Steps to Prevent Pests
Quality Assurance & Food Safety
Pest control is an important component of any food or beverage plant's food safety plan, but implementing a proactive preventive program rather than a reactive control program can provide even greater protection against adulteration from …

Pests infest dorms, to students' ire
The Brandeis Hoot
By Zach Reid In many residence halls across the campus, students have found themselves at odds with all manner of pests. They include but are by no means limited to spiders, flies, mice, beetles, cockroaches and the “East Bug.

Insects Getting Early Start On Spring Activies
WLWT Cincinnati
CINCINNATI — With 11 days above 50 degrees this past month, many insects are getting an early start on spring. Honeybees began collecting pollen Feb. 2 at the Cincinnati Zoo, about a month earlier than usual. "They actually don't hibernate in the …

It's raining on cicadas' parade but spiders and others loving the wet
The Age
Photo: Nick Moir FOR most insects, a rainy summer gives life. Many smaller species such as termites, flies and some ants do especially well in unseasonable wet conditions. Most summers they expend a lot of energy finding moisture to avoid shrivelling …

and more »

Will insects get out of control this Spring?
WWBT
By Ros Runner – bio | email The unusually warm winter here has brought early signs of spring including daffodils, honey bees, some butterfly's, and even ants…so does this mean we'll be overwhelmed with insects when real spring gets here?

Earth Watch: Stink bugs are unwelcome – and stupid – invaders
The Journal News | LoHud.com
Jentsch and other entomologists are studying and monitoring the invasive insect because it poses a serious threat to area orchard crops such as apples, pears and peaches. / Joe Larese / The Journal News I had a visitor this week that I unceremoniously …

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The female engorged tick is going to look for some protected place to dump her eggs, and this could be just about any crack, crevice, or hole in the room. It may be within furniture, behind pictures and other items on a wall, behind baseboards or edges of carpets, or in the case of a log cabin with exposed logs inside obviously in all the gaps that occur between each log. I could go out on a hunch here and suggest that the tick is most likely to enter the first available crevices, meaning lower areas on the walls rather than upper ones, but there really is no way to know this, and ticks often do climb to upper areas of walls. It probably also is most likely that the ticks will fall off the infested pets near to where the pets sleep, so you should concentrate on possible hiding places around that area or areas. My own house cat sleeps EVERYwhere in our home, choosing one place for a week and then moving on. Thus, if pets sleep on furniture the engorged females could even be inside the couch or recliner, and all areas there would need to be inspected and treated. 

You can employ a high powered vacuum along every crevice first, and this will help to physically remove ticks that may be within a shallow crevice or hole. Synthetic pyrethroids still should be excellent for killing these arachnids, and a very thorough application using crack and crevice tips to inject the material directly into all openings you can will help to kill the ticks now as well as the newly emerging ticks if they hatch within the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, tick eggs may not hatch for up to a couple of months, and by then the residual effectiveness of the material you applied may not be around anymore. It may require a second treatment, and the most likely way to get the contact with the ticks is to apply the material directly into the places they hide, rather than baseboard and general surface treatments where the ticks may pass over the surface too quickly. 

I suggest the use of a vacuum, dusting within nearby voids and along carpet edges, and treating crack and crevice with a residual product into as many crevices as possible. And, strongly encourage daily inspection of the pets to remove any ticks on them. 

According to some resources the desiccant dusts like DE and silica gel can be repellent to roaches to some degree. They are abrasive, cutting tiny scratches into the exoskeleton and waxy layers on the exoskeleton, so I suppose it would be expected that the roach could feel this abrasion going on and might prefer to avoid those treated surfaces. On the plus side for these desiccants the toxicity to humans is extremely low, with the biggest hazard being simply skin irritation to some people where the dust may dry out the skin. 

Boric acid dust must be ingested by the roach, but this does not seem to be a problem, as roaches regularly groom themselves by cleaning off their feet and antennae using their mandibles, and take in the boric acid as they do this. Boric acid is only a stomach toxin, again contrary to some of the misinformation on the internet. Both of these dusts could be expected to last for many years when applied into a dry area, but the desiccants absolutely rely on staying dry in order to work properly. If they land on moist surfaces or excessive humidity is present they may not be available to cling to the exoskeleton of the roach. Both dusts should also be used only within voids where you can ensure the dust stays where it is applied. Boric acid is heavier, but the light and powdery desiccants could float out through holes or if applied to attics could find their way out with air circulation. 

County Eyes Contract for Bed Bug Inspection
PennLive.com
Commissioners on Thursday are expected to approve a $5600 contract with Ehrlich pest control services. Ehrlich twice a year will inspect county-owned buildings and transport vehicles. It's the first bed bug assessment contract of this scope for the …

The second way you can acquire all MSDS’s for every product Univar sells is on our beloved PestWeb, at www.pestweb.com. If you are an active customer of ours then you can “Register” for and receive a password to enter this important resource on PestWeb, by selecting the tab “Products” and then “Product Documents”. Here you can search for any product name in either the Search box or by selecting the manufacturer from the drop down list, and in this second case you will find a list of ALL products from that manufacturer. You can then just click on any Label or MSDS, it will appear on screen, and you can either print it directly or save it to your computer. I can guarantee that our documents database is going to give you the best chance of finding the documents you need and to be confident that they are the most current versions available. We go to great lengths to compare our versions with those on the Manufacturers’ websites many times each year, and understand the need to keep them up to date. 

Now, the fun does not end there. With Product Documents you can create your own “Quick List” of products used by your company, by simply selecting the “Add to Quick List” next to each product name. Then, within the tab “My Quick List” you will find all of these products, and next to each name another command to “Add Notification”. By clicking on this you will be advised by email immediately whenever we change either the MSDS or the Label or any other document for that product. You also can scan down the lists in “Recent Updates” to see all the document changes made for months in the past. The Quick List is your tool only, and you can add or remove products from it as you see fit. 

Another really useful tool in Product Documents is our extensive cross reference listings of products either by Labeled Site or Labeled Target Pest, and these will save you a lot of time searching through labels to find a product labeled specifically for the pest or site you need to treat. We have put these resources together because we recognize the value they bring to you in your effort to stay current and to save time. Thanks for the question. 

Color is key in controlling flies, researchers find
PhysOrg.com
“It's a much more targeted way to deal with the problem,” Koehler said. The device, which controls house flies, phorid flies and blow flies, is now available through pest control distributors. Insecticide is sold separately.

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Exterminators wrap up treatment of Stonequist Apartments in Saratoga Springs …
The Saratogian
By LUCIAN McCARTY SARATOGA SPRINGS — Almost a quarter of the units at Stonequist Apartments contained at least some bedbugs, according to the operations manager for Town and Country Pest Control Services, the company contracted to handle the public …

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UNL frat buys bedbug insurance
Omaha World-Herald
But the tiny pests are creeping closer to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln fraternity. The house sits next to Selleck Hall, where bedbugs have moved into several dorm rooms and common areas. The infestation hasn't been a laughing matter for the …
Nebraska fraternity buying bedbug insurance policyGrand Island Independent
HC, CCC ready if bedbugs biteHastings Tribune
UNK joins ranks of universities battling bedbugsSW Iowa News

all 14 news articles »

Norfolk CBP intercepts arrival of pest
WAVY-TV
(WAVY) – US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists in the Port of Norfolk intercepted the arrival of a pest native to the United Kingdom. Had the red mason bee been introduced in the US, the honey bee population would have been …

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San Marino Residents Asked to Treat Trees For Dangerous Pests
Patch.com
Due to a shifting of resources, the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program is asking local residents to step up and inspect and treat their trees for a small, destructive insect. State agriculture officials are calling on homeowners to self-treat …
Earth Matters by Jacqueline Milner – Is Engineered food on the lunch menu …Cornwall Free News

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One giAnt leap: Incredible insects bridge gap over water with their own bodies
Daily Mail
An ant reaches out for the other side Photographer Vincentius Ferdinand, 39, captured these amazing pictures the insects in Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia, in December. 'These pictures were taken near to where I live,' he said.

We also know that around 70% of the bed bugs in an infested room are going to be found in the immediate vicinity of the sleeping person – the mattress, box spring, and bed framing. The next largest percentage will be nearby in night stands, dressers, etc., and the rest of the bugs could be along edges of carpets, behind items on the walls, in adjacent rooms, and in anything else in the infested room. Perhaps what you are experiencing is a movement of bugs from these outlying locations to the locations where they are now closer to the food source. It may be a factor of available harborage that causes many of the bugs to hide further away, and when the numbers immediately near the person are reduced it opens up some places for the distant ones to move closer. Just my thought, but a possibility. 

These active ingredients definitely should still be present at a reasonable level after 10 days, but the question is “contact time”. Some of the studies done on resistance show that for certain active ingredients it may take 24 hours or longer for the bed bug to die from its exposure to a pyrethroid, and perhaps other actives as well. For this reason it is less efficient to treat open surfaces than it is to treat directly into holes, crevices, and voids that the bugs, theoretically, hide in for most of that 24 hours each day. Treating an exposed surface may achieve only minutes of contact with the traveling bug, as opposed to the bug resting directly on the active ingredient for 23 hours or longer. This may be what you are doing with this framing and headboard – treating crack & crevice – in which case my sermon is unnecessary. However, you do indicate you are fan spraying the decorative grooves in the headboard, which leads me to perceive it as treating open surfaces. 

You say that breaking down the bed frame and headboard are not options, and this should not be necessary if you can access all the hiding places and treat them. Obviously a major need at this time is to eliminate the bugs from that bed so that child can sleep without being fed upon. Can this entire frame somehow be heat treated so that you know all bugs and their eggs are now killed? If so, then perhaps the bed can be isolated by placing the feet of the framing within traps, and ensuring that no blankets touch the floor. This may not stop bugs from falling onto the bed from the ceiling, but it should greatly reduce the problem on that bed from bugs walking over to it. 

Do you have the mattress and boxspring of this bed inside quality encasements? This at least reduces the harborage opportunities for the bugs. Could the headboard itself be enclosed within some plastic material to remove it as a harborage opportunity? Is this customer cooperating fully be passing all bed coverings through a cycle in the hot dryer? In short, do you feel that these bugs you continue to see must be hiding in and on the bed and framing themselves, or are they moving into this location from other places in the room? Have you treated EVERYthing within this room, including all electronic equipment? With Nuvan Prostrips available now with good labeling we have the opportunity to isolate difficult items within plastic bags and to fumigate them with the dichlorvos in the strips, killing bugs and eggs that otherwise were impossible to treat. 

Are you treating along all edges of carpets, either with a steamer, with a residual spray, or with a dust such as Tempo or Drione dust. Are you treating within wall voids in this room using a dust product? I really doubt that you have stumbled upon some population of bugs that are dramatically different than those found everywhere else, but somehow these bugs continue to hide where they are not being exposed to treatment methods. Again, why they would seem to be surviving right there in plain sight on surfaces you have previously treated would seem to be a result of insufficient contact time with the active ingredient. But, hopefully you can take some other steps that will allow you to stop the constant application of the insecticides on this sensitive location so close to the child. 

Utilizing IPM strategies
High Plains Journal
Integrated Pest Management is a valuable management tool that strives to use several complementary control methods to manage pests making the system more stable and subject to fewer production risks. The 20th Annual New Mexico Ag Expo is pleased to …

The summer scourge
Southland Times
In summer, some preventive spraying for insect pests is a good option, as opposed to waiting till a problem erupts. Several spray applications may be needed for control. Hot weather can bring drought conditions, and this puts plants in stress, …

A plague for restaurants
Topeka Capital Journal
Nobody is immune to having pests.” Not everyone considers that to be the case, and only about 3 percent of restaurants in Shawnee County have had a roach problem in the past year, according to inspections by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

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However, I think in our own minds we can generally understand that a structure is some building or other construction that has walls and a roof. In California structures can include vehicles, such as railcars, airplanes, trucks, or ships. It doesn’t have to be a permanent structure that sits only in one place, although obviously placing bait stations around an airplane that is going to move away would not seem to be in keeping with the spirit of the Rodenticide Mitigation Decision (RMD). We also need to avoid trying to work around this. For example, a previous question to this forum asked if a small bird house could be placed on some outlying fence and thus constitute a structure at that point, and my response was that this was highly unlikely to be accepted by any regulatory inspectors. 

Within the discussions on this issue from the rodenticide manufacturers, the information that we received from LiphaTech stated that EPA directs the states themselves to be the ones to interpret label wording. The manufacturers are not permitted to make these interpretations, so all they can do is add to their rodenticide labels exactly what EPA directs them to add, and how the wording is interpreted is then up to each state regulatory agency. On this information from LiphaTech they also state that EPA does NOT consider fences or fencelines to be structures. In fact, the actual wording now on rodenticide labels is “do not apply further than 50 feet from buildings” (not “structures”, but “buildings”), so perhaps this is even more clear of a picture. The concrete walls around a dumpster would not conceivably be considered to be a building. A fence with 4 sides to it would not either. 

So, we will need to stick to the more likely definition that exterior bait stations must be placed within 50 feet of permanent structures that have walls and a roof, but do check with your own regulators to be certain of their intent. 

Riley hospital jumps to attack bedbugs in room
Journal and Courier
After a patient's parent reported finding one of the pests in his child's room, the hospital took steps to remove the bedbugs, said IU Health spokeswoman Abby Gras. The bugs were confined to one room. The incident was not the first time that a bedbug …
13 WTHR IndianapolisBed bugs discovered at Riley Hospital for ChildrenWTHR

all 37 news articles »

Feral cats find new lives and homes as pest control experts
Lodi News-Sentinel
The shelter has a program for local wineries, farms and homes with acreage to adopt feral cats like this to hunt for mice, gophers or other pests. (Maggie Creamer/News-Sentinel) Have a gopher, mouse or rat problem in your barn, at your winery or on …

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The wording in question is as following under the Directions for Use for Liquid Pyrethroids: “Other than applications to building foundations, all outdoor applications to impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches and structural surfaces (windows, doors, eaves) are limited to spot and crack and crevice applications only”. A specific exception to this is “treatment to soil or vegetation around structures”. So, this raises the question – is gravel closer to “soil” or to “sidewalk”, and my opinion (and only my opinion) is that gravel would not be considered an “impervious” surface. If you treat gravel or crushed rock with a spray application it would be unlikely for rain or irrigation to flow off of that gravel and carry the pyrethroid with it, as it would if the spray had been applied to wood decks or concrete surfaces. You spray should soak down through the gravel and into the soil below. 

But, please do make that phone call to your local regulators and get their opinion on this too. The whole intent of these new restrictions on the use of pyrethroids outdoors in non-agricultural settings is to reduce runoff that would carry the active ingredients into local waterways. It has been determined that even tiny levels of these active ingredients could affect aquatic organisms, and since we really don’t need to have the active ingredients in what we spray flowing off the property the new wording is intended to add assurances that what we apply stays where we apply it. There is no reason to spray the top of a concrete driveway, nor to apply granules that end up on the sidewalk. This is a waste of good insecticide and leads to the greatest chance of having that material move off site. Treatments to soil and lawns are likely to stay put as long as the soil is not already saturated to the point it cannot absorb any more liquid, nor to frozen soils that also will not allow the spray to soak in. 

Bayer also offers a product called CoreTect Tree and Shrub Tablets, also containing imidacloprid but along with fertilizer and micronutrients to help the treated trees stay healthier. These are easily applied into the soil around the base of the tree where they dissolve and the a.i. once again taken up by the roots. Neither of these products is likely to kill beetle larvae already feeding under the bark of an infested tree, as the active ingredient does not tend to settle in the cambium layer where the larvae feed. They should be considered preventive only. 

In an article on the Asian Longhorn some years ago the authors mentioned that they sprayed the foliage of trees where it was suspected that the adult beetles might be feeding, using Demand microencapsulated product. What they observed was that within minutes the adult beetles were falling out of the tree to die on the ground, and they considered this to be a good way to sample for the presence of this destructive beetle. The adults are huge – over an inch long – and shiny blue with white spots, so they are pretty distinctive and noticeable when they drop. Demand CS is labeled for ornamental trees, although not specifically for longhorn beetles, so you should check with your local regulatory agency to see if your state is one that permits the use of a product if the site is on the label but the specific pest is not. 

And, with the recent new restrictive labeling on pyrethroids for outdoor use hopefully the uses on turf and ornamentals will not be affected. At this time the new wording specifically exempts use on turf and other vegetation from the new “spot or crack and crevice” requirements. 

Usually we think that moderate winter temperatures will help a lot of overwintering bugs survive, as freezing temps often kill eggs or pupae that are exposed. The moth pupae buried in the soil may freeze solid and be destroyed. Overwintering female paper wasps and yellowjackets will probably survive in greater numbers if the winter is mild, and particularly if they get an early start in the spring they will be able to get the new colony going earlier and larger colonies of worker wasps would result. 

Moderate winters and abundant moisture also usually equate to LOTS of plant life – weeds, early crops, early sprouting of leaves on dormant trees and shrubs, and all of this foliage means a lot of food for insects that feed on plants. This in turn (lots of bugs) means that much more food for the predatory insects, so the food chain benefits when it starts well early in the spring. If shrubs sprout early then you may get early populations of aphids and other plant parasites, and these bugs produce honeydew that may encourage ants to get going earlier and stronger. It can just snowball into the summer. 

Mosquitoes, of course, should absolutely thrive on this kind of weather. Plenty of rain means plenty of aquatic habitats for the larvae, and this could be low areas and seasonal pools as well as tree holes full of water. Everyone’s backyard with old tires, buckets, planters, and anything else that can retain water become potential breeding sites for larvae. Rain gutters get clogged with dirt and leaves and retain all that water, and if the temps are mild the larvae can run through their life cycle in just a week or two and adult mosquitoes will be early and abundant. 

All in all it sounds like a good year approaching for pest management. California, on the other hand, is currently in the grips of a really severe lack of rain. 

Dr. Corrigan, in his Rodent Control book, describes the use of stainless steel shoved into gaps as a very effective but only temporary protection. He does not elaborate on why it is temporary, but perhaps this is because of the eventual deterioration of the material or perhaps the rodents do have the ability to pull it out to reopen the hole. A very coarse steel wool might be more durable against the rat activity than a fine mesh, but copper and stainless steel are much coarser and might be jammed into the hole more tightly. Rats and mice also would have difficulties trying to pull the material out with their teeth. I don’t know that it has as much to do with being painful on their feet as it does just a barrier that they cannot chew away. 

Regardless though, a more permanent and aesthetic exclusion would be, at some point in time, to replace the wool or mesh with caulking or concrete or wood or whatever material is appropriate for that point on the structure. This could then be painted over to blend in and with a little luck the gap will be gone and invisible. 

Unseasonably Warm Weather Could Mean Earlier Termite Activity
Sacramento Bee
9, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ — According to Atlanta-based pest control leader Orkin, the above-average temperatures much of the US has seen recently could mean earlier termite activity. Subterranean termite swarms have already been seen in south-central …

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Big threat to citrus trees is quite tiny — it's called Asian Citrus Psyllid
The Friday Flyer
The CDFA learned the pests were here by hanging yellow traps in trees in the community, according Mayor Pro Tem Mary Craton, who had a trap placed in her tree. Residents started receiving notices last week from CDFA that the tiny, flying insect had …

and more »

Inspectors Squash Bugs in Valentines Flowers Heading into Chicago
MyFox Chicago
Chicago – With Valentine's Day around the corner, shipments of imported fresh cut flowers are picking up at O'Hare, and some of those floral bouquets contain more than enticing scents — they're home to hitchhiking insects. From Jan. 1 to Feb.

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Peekskill Woodside Students Bug Out With Terminix
The Daily Peekskill
by Art Cusano (email) 8 hours ago Kindergarten Students at Woodside Elementary School check out a millipede brought by Terminix's Bob Young, who talked to the students about insects. Students asked many questions about bugs of all sorts.

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What you do when you work with recently killed deer is to bring yourself into close contact with the ticks themselves, and these little buggers can be pretty stealthy and possibly manage to get onto you without your knowing it. But, various university sites as well as CDC tell us that all the evidence to date suggests that a direct bite and feeding by the infected tick is the only route of exposure. It also is known that the Lyme ticks – most in the genus Ixodes – will not pass the bacteria into a host for at least the first 24 hours of attaching, giving us plenty of time to examine ourselves and remove any ticks when we have been in areas where ticks are prevalent. 

According to the Lyme Disease Foundation the percentage of ticks infected with Lyme varies greatly across the country. In the western U.S. it is very low, with only 2-4% of Ixodes ticks infected, and thus a lower incidence of the disease in humans. In the upper Northeast it may be as high as 50% of the ticks in some areas, dropping to 5% or less the further south you go. Interestingly, there is some anecdotal evidence in the West that the first instars of the ticks feed commonly on lizards, including fence lizards (“blue belly lizards”), and that in some manner the bacteria may be killed within the system of that lizard. This helps reduce the level of the bacteria in the general animal population, thus reducing the numbers of infected ticks that would acquire the pathogen by feeding on an infected vertebrate host. 

Weasels are entirely carnivorous predators that hunt during the daytime as well as at night. They remain active for most of any 24 hour period. In the winter their hair may turn white to camouflage against a background of snow, and at this time the hair is referred to as “ermine”. While they are extremely aggressive hunters I don’t think they would be thought of as aggressive toward humans, unless a person tried to grab the weasel, at which point it would defend itself. But, I really can think of a lot more reasons for a rat to be on the bed than a weasel, so it would pay to verify what animal is occurring there. You also need to offer this customer a program of rodent / animal exclusion to ensure that no more animals of any kind can get indoors. I’d suggest setting plenty of rat traps around in this home to see what turns up over the next few days, and hopefully you can reassure this customer that they can sleep without any disturbance. 

Bed bug concerns continue in Saratoga Springs
WXXA
Over the past several weeks, several pest control experts and even the city's health inspector have concluded that the only way to fully eradicate the bed bug infestation for good is to treat the entire building, that still hasn't happened.
Housing Authority contracts specialists to treat bedbugs at StonequistThe Saratogian

all 4 news articles »

Indonesia: Excessive imports bring in pests and diseases
FreshPlaza
For one thing, the increasing volumes of fresh goods from outside the country has brought about a rise in pests and diseases affecting local crops. 15 new diseases have been identified in the last two years alone. The government is looking at new ways …

We must beat pest plagues
Weekly Times Now
PESTS such as rabbits, foxes, wild dogs, mice, feral pigs and carp cost Australia more than $1 billion a year. Scientists, who are touring Victoria to inform the public of their efforts to combat the rise of pests around Australia, receive only a …

Beware of Homewreckers, Termite Season Is Here
First Coast News
"When you're looking at your home the first thing you'll see, if you have a termite problem, is a huge mass of insects flying out from the colony," said Cooksey. Insects that look like ants, except they have four wings and the wings are larger than …

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Yes, there is a downside to a mild winter
Mother Nature Network
Mild winters could mean an increased in the insect population, though it is likely that only our crops would notice. By Andrea Mustain, OurAmazingPlanetTue, Feb 07 2012 at 12:10 PM EST WARMING UP: A positive Arctic Oscillation is keeping much of the …

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Now, according to some studies reported in the news, it is believed that as much as 15% of the armadillos in the U.S. may be infected with the leprosy bacteria, and therefore are capable of passing this disease onto humans who handle the animals or eat the meat, and some medical personnel even suggest avoiding stuffed armadillos sold as trophy mounts. So far the infected animals appear to be primarily in the South from Texas to Alabama, but as armadillos expand their range they could carry the problem with them. 

So, your question of “could” you acquire leprosy from armadillos is answered as YES. But, the odds of this happening are really slim. I suppose we could say that it is possible for you to be stomped by a rampaging elephant in your driveway, but the odds are good that it won’t happen. There are so many other risks that we face each day that to worry about a rare disease spreading from an easily identified and avoided animal is not necessary. In addition, you are in New York, and this makes it even more unlikely that armadillos will be living there anytime soon. Some university experts tell us that the most likely scenario of infection from armadillos is when people eat under-cooked armadillo meat, so even properly cooking the meat should kill the bacteria. Casual contact with the animals or having them around your area is extremely unlikely to pass the disease. 

Armadillos are unusual in this case in that it is rare for a human disease to also infect other animals, and armadillos appear to be the only mammal capable of carrying the Leprosy bacteria. Thus, it should not pass along to dogs that may go after armadillos, nor be spread to people who contact pets that may have contacted armadillos. This is a very rare circumstance that can be avoided with basic precautions. However, it is likely that the news media will have a field day with wild headlines, so educating yourself so you can advise your customers with the facts will be important. If you do need to handle armadillos during trapping or other management then wear gloves, long sleeves, and wash your hands afterward. 

Early crop of mosquitoes sparks spraying in the Lafayette area
The Republic
With mosquitoes cropping up around the Lafayette area because of recent warm and wet weather, spraying to control the pests is beginning. Glenn Stokes of Mosquito Control Contractors Inc. said the company is sending crews to Carencro and to Ridge Road …

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Hunt under way Down East for invasive insects
Seacoastonline.com
By AP AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Forest Service says a survey crew has begun a search Down East for signs of an invasive insect that's already damaged trees along southern Maine's coast. A Forest Service crew is looking for evidence of hemlock woolly …

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Housing director to target bedbugs
Albany Times Union
By Dennis Yusko SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city's public housing director on Friday pledged to change the way the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority operates, and hire a licensed pest control expert to kill all bedbugs in Stonequist Apartments.

Kudzu bug making inroads in Southeast soybeans
Southeast Farm Press
By Patrick Shepard, Contributing Writer ? The kudzu bug is a new insect pest that has invaded the Southeast and is probing the Mid-South. ? Researchers observed a 19 percent average yield loss in Georgia trials in 2010, and even greater losses in 2011.

The Gentrol Label also does offer various uses, including surface treatments, spot or C&C, as well as fogging, and in a large warehouse fogging would be the most efficient way to disperse the active over large areas. Since the molecule of hydroprene is fairly stable it is possible that it may last for several months to affect larvae that emerge from eggs or even new pest insects that enter the facility well after the application. Hydroprene and methoprene (in Precor) also have the unusual ability to “move”, and this is why Gentrol Point Source works. The vapors of the active ingredient sort of “flow” over the surfaces adjacent to where it is placed, or where the mist or spray from fogging or spraying the material has landed. The Gentrol label does instruct that when fogging it should be directed into hidden locations as much as possible, such as under pallets or behind equipment, so ensure better coverage. 

There also are some very specific directions for use in any kind of food facility. If this warehouse that is being fogged packages food or has any exposed foods or surfaces where foods will be placed and exposed, those surfaces cannot be treated. They must be covered ahead of time or thoroughly washed following the fogging if they were left exposed. Even though these IGR’s have extremely low toxicity to people they still are pesticides and must be applied according to the label. 

Bug Free Flower Imports for your Sweetheart on Valentine's Day
Laredo Sun
At ports of entry, CBP agriculture specialists ensure that plant pests and plant diseases are detected and prevented from being introduced into the USwhere they could cause harm to our flower industry, our agriculture and our economy.

State Forest Service to begin looking for woolly adelgid on MDI
Bar Harbor Times
By Staff | Feb 06, 2012 Courtesy of: Maine Forest Service Hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect that kills hemlock trees, appears to have spread to the Mount Desert Island area. A Maine Forest Service crew will begin a survey this week to look for …
Hunt under way Down East for invasive insectsSeacoastonline.com

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That being said, the EPA does clearly define what a “spot” is, and we can find this in some of their literature as well as on some product Labels. A spot is an area no larger than 2 square feet. Period, end of definition. So, a single spot could be 1 foot wide by 2 feet long, or 4 inches wide by 6 feet long, or a circle 19 inches in diameter, or any other combination of dimensions that add up to 288 square inches. This is a pretty broad definition, but that seems to be all the EPA has to say about it. Directly out of FIFRA here is what EPA says:

“Spot treatment is application to limited areas on which insects are likely to occur, but which will not be in contact with food or utensils and  will not ordinarily be contacted by workers. These areas may occur on floors, walls, and bases or undersides of equipment. For this purpose a “spot” will not exceed 2 square feet”. 

The question of how close together these spots can be is the hard one to define. For many years I have taught in seminars that the overall surface you treat with “spots” can have no more than 20% of the surface area covered. Then one day I decided to find this in some regulations somewhere, preferably in FIFRA from EPA, and by golly I could not, and still cannot, come up with it. I spoke with my own state’s regulatory agency and asked where in their laws a “spot” was defined with regard to the overall area and it appears not to be in our laws. I have seen on at least one product Label, and I do not remember now which product that was, the statement that spots cannot cover more than 15% of the overall surface area. Obviously this contradicts what I had been preaching, and since it is on that specific label then you MUST adhere to that guideline when using that product. But, there simply appears to be no further legal definition of spot treatment beyond what I show above. 

So, does this mean we can be sneaky and treat a 2 square foot area, stop spraying a moment, and then spray another 2 square foot area immediately adjacent to the first one, and so on? No, I really don’t think we ought to start that. Logic and common sense tell us that the INTENT of the definition is to limit the treatment to spots that are separated by some reasonable distance, and since 20% has stuck in my mind for all these many years perhaps that would be a reasonable guideline to use until someone in authority tells you different. 

Officials: Monroe school rid of bugs
Toledo Blade
The locker and classroom were cleaned and treated by school staff certified in pest management techniques and no pests have been found since Monday, when the pest control team found a bug in the locker, Mr. Vergiels said. Two classrooms in neighboring …

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Strengthening Measures to Protect Canada From the Asian Long-Horned Beetle
MarketWatch (press release)
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Feb 02, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has introduced new requirements to prevent the introduction and spread of the Asian long-horned beetle, a pest that could seriously threaten Canada's …

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Pests in schools in St. John the Baptist Parish test patience
NOLA.com
By Jennifer Boquet, The Times-Picayune The St. John the Baptist Parish school district is working to resolve communications issues that one board member says have led to unresolved problems with pests in its schools. Board member Albert "Ali" Burl …

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Purdue researchers look to develop new method to control disease-carrying insects
Purdue Agricultural Communications
They have developed a method to discover the next generation of insecticides based on specific insect genomes, or hereditary information encoded in DNA. (Purdue Research Foundation photo) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue researchers are discovering the …

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As strong as an insect's shell
PhysOrg.com
Credit: Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer Harvard researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have come up with a tough, low-cost, biodegradable material inspired by insects' hard outer shells.

Insects in winter
Lancaster Eagle Gazette
Each species has its own life cycle characteristics, so the stage an insect overwinters in and how tolerant it is to temperature tells the true story. Below are some examples of the area's more common insects and how they overwinter in Fairfield County …

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The stated purpose of the changes is to minimize applications that are likely to lead to runoff of the active ingredient from the property. Thus, applications to turf and soils around landscaping are still permitted, essentially as they have been previously. The assumption is that the soil and the plants will soak up or attach to the spray and runoff is not likely to happen. But, granular applications where granules end up on sidewalks or other hard surfaces (where they have no business being) need to be swept back onto the lawn or garden soils. 

The changes are for applications to HARD, or “impervious” surfaces, and the new wording specifically mentions “sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches, and structural surfaces such as windows, doors, and eaves”. These are limited to spot or crack and crevice treatments ONLY. No more broadcast applications to large surface areas. In some discussion on these statements that I have found the question of covered patios comes up, and since these could possibly be affected by rain or sprinkler irrigation they too must be treated by spot or C&C only. I don’t recall finding “decks” specifically mentioned in the new regulations, but logic would tell us that a deck of wood or any other material would be considered an impervious surface that cannot be treated overall. Therefore, a deck built adjacent to the structure could not be treated as a band treatment of any kind, but would have to be spot or C&C. 

There is one important interpretation on the word “spot”, in that EPA is allowing the application of bands no more than 1 inch wide around doors and windows, and is allowing this kind of narrow band to fall within their definition, in this case, of spot or C&C. They also will continue to allow surface / spot applications under the eaves if the eaves are covered, as this area is unlikely to be affected by rainfall or irrigation. There also will be wording in most cases to avoid applications of any pyrethroids during a “rain event” or even if rainfall is predicted within 24 hours. Again, the whole purpose is to keep pyrethroids out of waterways, and driveways drain to gutters, and gutters drain to storm drains, and storm drains lead directly to the local creek. 

So, just in case I talked too much and the answer to your question was lost in the mix, NO, you will no longer be allowed to do any band treatments of impervious outdoor surfaces such as decks, porches, or patios. You can continue to do wider applications to soil or turf around the structure. 

There is tremendous profit to be made by our industry if we know how to remove bed bugs from a structure, and of course the list now goes well beyond just homes to include stores, schools, hospitals, theaters, etc. The liability to those commercial accounts is HUGE, and they should be willing to pay the price needed to eradicate the bugs before someone sues them or they make the headlines on the front page of the morning news. A properly trained pest control company recognizes the long journey to elimination of the bugs, and will be charging the price needed to be profitable. The pest control company should also accept that it too is immersed in the liability once it takes on the responsibility of removing the bugs, so the fee to do so needs to be high enough to take that into account. 

So, there we are. A huge public health and liability issue with a pest that is terribly difficult to extract from a structure, so who are we going to send out to do the work? The new guy? I hope not. It must be the technician or team of technicians who are willing to do tedious work of this kind, who are diplomatic and outgoing enough to work with and get the cooperation of terribly stressed clients, and who are willing to accept that added burden of ensuring they do not take these bugs home with themselves. This can be very rewarding and profitable work when it succeeds, but it can be terribly frustrating and tedious to do. I think that deserves a higher pay scale than the technician who does other more routine work. Something about if you want monkeys you pay peanuts. 

I don’t know of any surveys on this, and no mention of pay scales ever came up during the many sessions I recently attended on bed bug topics at the NPMA conference. Perhaps money matters are just areas that university speakers and researchers prefer not to become involved with. However, if you plan to put a lot of time and effort into developing technicians who are successful with bed bug eradication you would hope to keep them with your company, and compensation talks. 

Mountain pine beetle epidemic slows as insects eat up large pines in Colorado …
The Republic
AP DENVER — US Forest Service officials say the mountain pine beetle epidemic in Colorado and southern Wyoming is slowing, as insects have largely depleted the large pine trees they attack. Susan Gray is assistant director for forest health projects.

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Years ago we had a product introduced and then removed from the market, and this contained powdered limestone. It was used as a desiccant much the same as our current silica gel and diatomaceous earth dusts are, so it had the ability to kill insects in that “non-toxic” manner by cutting into their exoskeleton and causing dehydration. It is possible that by painting a thick slurry of the cheap lime over barns and maybe even fencing it could help to keep fly populations down by killing the adult flies that landed on those surfaces. Lime and limestone dust are not, I do not believe, considered to be of any use when ingested by insects, and once the lime gets wet it may lose its desiccant properties. So, for termites the lime is probably not an effective material at this time. Mixed in the soil it is not likely to either repel or kill termites, and on wood the termites may bypass it of put mud over the top of it. 

It’s always interesting to look for information on the toxicity of such “non-toxic” products, and as luck would have it the internet is filled with good information. For example, the LD-50 for hydrated lime is about 6500 mg/kg, making it only a little less toxic to mammals our Synthetic Pyrethroids, and since lime is used at a very high concentration, while the pyrethroids are diluted hundreds of times for use, it kind of makes that whitewash more hazardous that our “toxic” insecticides. 

At this time I do not know of any commercial insecticide products using lime or its derivatives, so just in case he was asking for your approval to once again white wash the barn, I’d stay away from it.