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Law emphasizes farming's use of integrated pest management
Morning Sentinel When it comes to producing our food, organic and conventional farmers alike rely on a wide variety of techniques for stacking the deck in favor of a healthful, pest-free crop. In agricultural circles, this anti-pest approach is called integrated pest … |
Pests in the NewsOctober 18, 2011
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Insects may cause flowering plum tree sickness; mites harm tomatoes, squash
San Bernardino Sun Red-leaf flowering plums have been planted in large numbers throughout Southern California, and many have been attacked by insects called clearwing borers. Adult clearwings are moths that look like wasps (no stingers), and they fly in the evening and … |
Pests in the NewsOctober 18, 2011
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QUESTION:
We have a well kept house that we service every two months and the only problem they have is springtails, which I sent off to Mississippi State for proper ID. The only place they have seen them is at the sink and at the back door. I have found no water leaks. The outside has flower beds around the house and no sprinklers in the yard. Any suggestions on what to do?
ANSWER:
Springtails can be one of those very frustrating insect problems. We know that they must be associated with moisture somewhere because they feed on things that grow in damp situations – fungus, mildew, algae, and decaying plant materials. They can be extremely common outdoors in damp landscape, under boards, under potted plants on the patio, under thick layers of leaf litter, mulch, or groundcover. But, it always is dampness that attracts them and indoors they can breed in wet situations. Unfortunately those damp conditions often can be hidden, and the presence of springtails could be telling us that some excessive moisture problem exists someplace that should be located and corrected.
Often it may just be potted plants, and in bathrooms this may be the reason you find them in the sink or bathtub. The springtails are attracted to the wet, rich soil in the pots, breed there and produce more of themselves, and then hop out to wander around on the sink counter, getting trapped in the sink itself by the smooth porcelain. Investigate this possibility in your account, and even move any potted plants outside for awhile to see if the springtails cease to occur. It could be a moisture problem in a crawlspace if one exists, or even under a slab where cracks or gaps allow the springtails to move up into the living areas.
The fact that one of the locations you are seeing them in is at the back door could suggest that these are originating out in that back yard, and perhaps cooling weather or recent rains caused them to move around more and even head into the structure looking for a better location to survive the oncoming winter weather. Sometimes hot, dry weather does the same thing, causing the moisture-loving insects to leave their now dry habitats and move into or under structures. You might place some glue traps around the OUTside along the foundation on either side of this door, and check in a week to see if any numbers of springtails are on the traps. Of course, make certain no other animals can get stuck on the glue, perhaps by placing the traps under something or within a trap station.
Do inspect carefully under all sinks to see if any leaking or sweating pipes are creating damp areas that may grow mildew. Inspect under the refrigerator to check for any moisture problems. If there is a basement check it for wet areas, especially around water heaters. Moisture always is the key for where they are coming from, but they may end up in dry locations that mislead you.
And, while we are on the subject of springtails I have to mention another side topic. The internet is filled with websites that talk about “Collembola Mites” and how these nearly invisible parasites will bite people and burrow into their skin. This is completely, absolutely false, and these kinds of websites are there only to justify the imagined problems that many people have where they are convinced something is eating them. First of all, mites are mites and Collembola are springtails, and as far as knowledgeable entomologists know the two Orders of arthropods have not morphed together to become some new creature. Second, springtails have no ability to “bite” or burrow into skin. These kinds of claims should patiently be countered with accurate information from ethical university websites.
Pest QuestionsOctober 18, 2011
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Lamprey repellent may help control Great Lakes pest
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Section | Blog Great Lakes biologists might have found a new weapon in the never-ending fight to control the devastating sea lamprey – the stench of death itself. Researchers have spent about two decades and several million dollars attempting to better … |
Pests in the NewsOctober 17, 2011
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 The Bay Citizen (blog) |
Pest Never Seen Before in U.S. Invades San Francisco
The Bay Citizen (blog) By Bay City News Service|October 16, 2011 7:36 pm |In Environmental Health Orchids arriving in San Francisco from Thailand in early October were carrying unexpected cargo — an agricultural pest that a federal agency said is the first of its kind to … |
Pests in the NewsOctober 17, 2011
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QUESTION:
I live in Phoenix, AZ and I am just starting my own company. I have been offered a job to do general pest control around Phoenix water treatment plants where there is ground water and potable water and I wanted to know a safe product to use in that situation.
ANSWER:
I think this is a situation that absolutely demands IPM, and the insecticides should not even take the forefront in your approach. Obviously you are dealing with a sensitive site that could have serious consequences if you somehow managed to get any kind of pesticide into the drinking water for a city. The reality may be that ground water is not a major concern, since nearly all of our synthetic and natural insecticides have very low water solubility, and therefore have little likelihood of moving down through the soil to enter underground water aquifers. Certainly, though, any runoff of pesticides from treated sites or dust blown off treated soils and into drinking water might be a concern, and given that pesticides can be detected at extremely low concentrations these days (in parts per trillion) someone really looking for these molecules in the water could stand a chance of finding them if you are careless.
I don’t know exactly what pest problems would occur around a water treatment plant, other than the usual assortment of crawling pests. But, I think it would be important for you to put in writing exactly what pests you have discovered there with your inspection and exactly what contributing conditions you have found that are encouraging these pests to be in this location. You then can outline the steps needed to correct those contributing conditions, such as physical changes to the landscape, better storage practices for things that may be stored outside, sanitation to remove unnecessary rubbish or plant materials, exclusion to prevent bugs from entering the facilities. Every step you can make in these areas means less insecticide usage and longer relief from the pests.
Since contamination of the water is the principal concern you should look at products and application methods that would prevent any possibility of the products entering the water. One of these would be the use of bait products, and these could be placed within bait stations where only the pest animals would have access to them. Again, it all depends on what the pests are as to whether or not baits are useful, but you can determine that. Another preventive method is to avoid any treatments that may enter the air, so fogging is out and perhaps even power spraying should be avoided. If you need to “spray” you can use a backpack or hand sprayer to control the mist and to direct the application only into pest harborage points. These may be cracks and crevices, voids, under objects on the ground, etc.
I don’t know that any “pesticide” would be considered 100% “safe”, and of course we avoid the use of the “S” word anyhow. Some groups of insecticides may be more suspicious than others, such as the pyrethroids that currently are taking hits in the political arena with respect to potential contamination of waterways. You may want to stick with products that have very short residuals, such as many of the plant-derived insecticides. Not only might these be more acceptable to this kind of customer, but their rapid degradation once applied means less chance of their finding a way into the water. Granular formulations, applied carefully and only to selected sites, might be good choices to prevent the chance of runoff or drift into water.
If there are any pigeons or other pest birds hanging around these facilities this also gives you a great opportunity to offer bird exclusion and management. There have been some highly publicized incidents in my area where local water supplies were contaminated with bird feces, and the facilities had to shut down to correct the health problem.
Pest QuestionsOctober 17, 2011
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 Belfast Newsletter |
RATS ON THE RUN: Relief in Hillsborough
Belfast Newsletter In August, the News Letter reported that users at Hillsborough forest park were alarmed at the sight of numerous large rats at the scenic Co Down venue during daylight hours – prompting a pest control contractor to be brought in. … |
Pests in the NewsOctober 16, 2011
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The Virginian-Pilot |
Customs agents seize port shipment containing invasive beetles
Daily Press The khapra beetle, hardy and resistant to many insecticides, is considered one of the 100 most-invasive pests in the world. It is native to India and can survive long periods without food. The pest was eradicated from the United States in the 1950s and … Destructive beetle intercepted at Norfolk portThe Virginian-Pilot Dangerous pest intercepted at Port of NorfolkWVEC.com (subscription) |
Pests in the NewsOctober 16, 2011
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New York Daily News |
US food safety risks since 9/11: Pest explosion breaks out as anti-terror …
New York Daily News Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the … 'Pest explosion' threatened the nation's food supply.TakePart |
Pests in the NewsOctober 16, 2011
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The Nation, Pakistan |
Insects invade City
The Nation, Pakistan LAHORE: A strange insect, less than the size of mosquito which had been witnessed almost everywhere in the City during the past several days, invaded the residents on Thursday night, forcing many shopkeepers to shut down their businesses. … |
Pests in the NewsOctober 16, 2011
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