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35 mn hectares of forest damaged by pests: Study
indiablooms New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) A guide published by the United Nations aims to help countries prevent forest-damaging pests from spreading to new areas as a result of climate change and growing global trade. The guide, put together by the Food and Agriculture … |
Pests in the NewsNovember 13, 2011
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Bed Bug Conference: Some Choose to Live With the Pests
Cleveland News – Fox 8 "In many places, the tenants or homeowners can't afford to have the problem taken care of," Jeff Saltzman, of Rose Pest Solutions, said. Saltzman believes that is one reason why the bed bug problem is multiplying. Some pest control companies will work … |
Pests in the NewsNovember 13, 2011
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 SILive.com |
Locally cut firewood can help prevent spread of invasive pests
SILive.com Many aren't aware that moving firewood more than 50 miles can increase the risk of new invasive pest infestations that kill trees. The emerald ash borer is among invasive pests most likely to be spread by moving firewood within New York. … |
Pests in the NewsNovember 13, 2011
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Citrus industry enlists homeowners in pest fight
The Packer Long before the Asian citrus psyllid made its way to California, the citrus industry was moving to protect California citrus trees from this pest and the disease it can carry — huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease. It ravaged Florida's citrus … |
Pests in the NewsNovember 13, 2011
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Murder Case Inspires Blowfly Investigation
LiveScience.com When investigators exhumed the body of 33-year-old Jonathan Blackwell, they found something they didn't expect: insect larva on his remains. Insects attracted by a decomposing body can prove to be important evidence, because they can help investigators … |
Pests in the NewsNovember 13, 2011
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Tiny insects are big problem in California
UPI.com SAN DIEGO, Nov. 10 (UPI) — Swarms of gnats making organic farms in San Diego County their home are causing debate between organic farmers and those who want pest control, officials say. The infestations are linked to a couple of organic farms where … |
Pests in the NewsNovember 13, 2011
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QUESTION:
We did a treatment for a severe flea and tick problem three days ago. The customer called on the second day after the treatment that he still has a lot of fleas. What is the correct time span before a re-treatment is done?
ANSWER:
I listened to a wonderful presentation on fleas and flea management some years ago, presented by a flea expert and researcher from Florida. Many of his observations and comments really stuck in my mind, so I will pass them along to you. The first important thing is to understand the biology of fleas, which have the 4 stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult flea. It is only the adult flea that feeds on blood. The larvae feed on various bits of organic junk they find in the carpet or whatever substrate they are living on, but in addition to this general feeding they also MUST feed on some dried blood, available in the form of dried fecal spots from the adult fleas. These fall off the pet and onto that substrate, and without this in their diet the flea larvae appear unable to move along to the next stage. In addition, it is important to recognize that the pupa is enclosed within a silk case that repels insecticides, so according to this expert our insecticide treatments will NOT kill the pupa. There is your trouble stage.
It is very important to prepare the infested home and the customer prior to the arrival of the technician on that very first day. By preparation I mean that the customer must be told what needs to be done before YOU get there, and that is to vacuum as thoroughly as possible every square inch of carpet, to remove everything from under beds and in closets to expose the carpeting for treatment, to have the pets dealt with so their fleas are eliminated, and to wash any pet bedding and throw it in the dryer. If they do not do all of this you will get there and only be able to do an inadequate job. Either that or YOU end up clearing the floor and vacuuming for them, and better get paid for the time. The vacuuming is absolutely vital, and it also should be done again the next day after you treat and for every day they can stand it for the next couple of weeks. Here is why.
A typical flea life cycle takes about 10 to 14 days from that egg dropping on the floor to a new adult flea emerging from its pupa/cocoon, but there is a small percentage of the fleas that just will not emerge until something physically “stimulates” them to pop out of that pupa. This may be physical touching and pressure or just strong vibration, and those “pre-adult” fleas can sit there in that pupa for up to 6 months. However, once stimulated they emerge within seconds and, according to the expert, may bite within a few seconds more. Any of those pupa hanging around may then change to adult fleas when someone walks in the room, and this is probably your source of this continued presence of fleas. Of course, it’s also very possible that you missed some hot spots in the home with your treatment, so you need to reinspect and evaluate where the flea larvae are living and be certain those places are treated. On the other hand, it would not make much sense to add insecticide back on top of insecticide you already sprayed, so retreating the same old surfaces may not be justified.
Part of “setting up” the job in advance is educating the customer to know what to expect, and they must expect to see some fleas for the next 2 weeks, because you are not going to kill the pupa with your sprays and activity in the home and constant vacuuming will eventually push all the pre-adult fleas out of that difficult stage. By the way, your competitors cannot kill flea pupa that are within their cocoons either, so no one has the magic wand. Advise the customer that their daily vacuuming is going to speed up this process and eliminate the fleas that much faster, getting them out of their pupae and exposed to your residual insecticide. If there really are a lot of adult fleas then a light misting of pyrethrum would kill them and provide the relief. In addition, your initial treatment really should include an IGR, as this will last for many months to prevent eggs from hatching and prevent flea larvae from developing to adult fleas.
My direct answer is that the correct time span, if possible, would be 2 weeks. The customer can shorten this by cooperating and vacuuming daily and keeping the pets and pet bedding free of fleas. If you do go back it should be to evaluate where you may have missed some spots where the flea larvae are developing, and this would need to be treated.
Pest QuestionsNovember 13, 2011
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QUESTION:
I have a few questions on bed bugs. Can you have bed bugs and not see brown spots on the mattress?
My client is saying that she did not feel being bitten – is that not normal as you would be asleep? My client traveled within the last 15 days and might have picked up this pest.
ANSWER:
This is one more reason that bed bugs present such a challenge to us – they do not always follow the rules. Typically, most people will not detect the biting activity of bed bugs, as the bug uses its saliva to numb the bite location enough to feed undetected. I have talked with several people who have told me they WATCHED the bug biting them and feeding on them and they felt absolutely no sensation of the bug’s proboscis being shoved into their skin. What someone might feel is the bugs crawling on them, but even this may not happen as the bugs often rest on the bed covers and feed on the skin exposed right at that point. What people find that alerts them to the possibility they have bed bugs is usually the red bumps that may or may not appear shortly afterward, and even this can be inconsistent, with some people showing no reaction at all and others having a very severe reaction.
When WE go into an account to determine whether or not bed bugs are present we look for several visible signs, and those dark brown/black spots are one of them. This is the fecal spot that bed bugs commonly leave behind, excreting a blood drop from their anus right after feeding. That little spot may appear on the sheets or along the mattress where the bug has wandered as it returned to its hiding place. These spots also may emit pheromones that guide the bug back to its harborage or enlist other bugs to seek that harborage site as well. These dark spots would normally be expected where you have a resident population of bed bugs, but if this is a relatively new infestation there may not be many spots yet or the bug may have dropped that spot someplace else that is less visible. So, blood spots are just one of the things we look for.
About 70% to 80% of the bed bugs in an infested room are going to be on the bed, mattress, box spring, or bed framing – in other words, right there as close as they can be to their food supply. The good news is that this helps us with our inspection, but should not be completely defining, as in a small infestation the bugs may have chosen to reside in the nearby furniture, carpet edges, or anyplace else nearby. But, we can carefully examine the folds of the mattress for blood spots, shed exoskeletons, tiny white eggs, or the bugs themselves. More difficult is to examine the box spring, as the bugs can find their way inside and hide in less obvious places.
If you cannot find any evidence I suggest you place monitor traps under the posts of the bed frame, such as one of the pitfall traps. You also can place other kinds of monitoring traps nearby along the edge of the carpet to see if any bugs find their way in and are captured. Catching this problem early on will really help you to eliminate the bugs with the least effort, although that effort is still going to be pretty extensive.
Pest QuestionsNovember 12, 2011
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 BigHospitality.co.uk |
One in five hospitality businesses encounter pest problem
BigHospitality.co.uk Almost one in five hospitality businesses have encountered a pest problem in the past year, with a lack of effective cleaning and maintenance cited as the main cause for attracting rats, mice and ants. The research, conducted by pest control experts … A third of small businesses smell a rat (among other things)Management Today Over one in ten SMEs encounter pest infestationSMEweb |
Pests in the NewsNovember 11, 2011
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LHS looks at adopting pesticide policy
Lassen County News “Pests will be controlled to protect the health and safety of students and staff, maintain a productive learning environment and maintain the integrity of school buildings and grounds. Pesticides will not be used to control pests for aesthetic reasons … |
Pests in the NewsNovember 11, 2011
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