Archive for January, 2012

Pest destroys coffee plants – Himalayan Times

Pest destroys coffee plants
Himalayan Times
Hundreds of plants were destroyed after the pests called seto gawaro spread in the plants, said farmers. Only 80 plants remain even though it could bring income of Rs. 80000 annually from 700 plants. No plant will be saved if the epidemic continues, …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 09, 2012

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Understanding Potomac Horse Fever – TheHorse.com


TheHorse.com

Understanding Potomac Horse Fever
TheHorse.com
It was initially discovered that transmission could occur by horses ingesting N. risticii-containing flukes that develop within aquatic snails; however, more recently researchers have found that insects, including damselflies, caddis flies, …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 09, 2012

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Jan 9, 2012 – Pyrethroids And Label Changes

QUESTION:

How will the new language on labels for synthetic pyrethroid products like Suspend and Tempo affect the way perimeter treatments are performed? Will these new restrictions apply to products like Termidor SC when used for the control of ants?

ANSWER:

This has been a worrisome issue. The background on this is that it seems to have begun in California, which has the pleasure of holding more environmental groups than any other state. There is a constant worry about the quality of water, not only groundwater that may end up as drinking water, but also general waterways such as lakes or creeks, and the possible effect of pesticides on the living organisms in those waters. Synthetic pyrethroids have long been known to be highly toxic to many kinds of cold blooded animals (fish, reptiles) as well as to arthropods and other invertebrates. For purposes of the studies on pyrethroids in waterways I believe the most sensitive organism possible was chosen as the signal organism, and this is some microscopic invertebrate that may be sensitive to the presence of pyrethroids at even parts per TRILLION, which is extraordinary. 

For years sampling of runoff water in storm drains has been done, testing for the presence of pesticides, and in particular pyrethroids. This may be due not only to their particular toxicity to the test organisms, but also because pyrethroids have become the most popular products in use today for insect pest control. I suppose I should keep my editorial comments to myself, but having poor common sense I’ll suggest that anti-pesticide groups are always going to go after the biggest fish in the pond, and these attacks on pyrethroids were expected. Witness the past history against DDT, chordane, and methyl bromide as examples. With respect to fipronil (Termidor), yes we should be worried because that will be next and it already has been spoken of because of its popularity for ant control. 
The label changes are going into effect now, as each manufacturer of a pyrethroid product produces their next batch of the product. While CDPR in California initiated this movement the EPA agreed with its need, so EPA requires these label changes on all pyrethroid products. It will be VERY important for you, the PMP, to carefully read the Label for the products you use to compare the wording with what you may be used to. Of course, this has always been a good idea to read the full Label each time. 
From what I can determine the majority of the “new” wording on pyrethroid labels is simply new emphasis on what we ought to be doing anyhow. The whole point is to reduce the amount of insecticide that runs off of a property that you have treated and ends up in a gutter and thus the local storm drain and thus the local creek, which then flows to a lake or the main rivers, carrying any pesticide with it. The new Label statements are primarily aimed at clearly stating things such as “sweep any product that lands on a sidewalk back onto the treated area” and “do not water to the point of runoff” and “application is prohibited directly into sewers”. Gee, these would seem like such common sense procedures that any professional should already understand their importance, but I have actually had licensed professionals ask me how to prevent staining from insecticide granules that landed on top of a car!! Uh………gosh……… maybe don’t granulate the top of the car?
Nearly all of the new wording on pyrethroid labels is in the “Environmental Hazards” and the “Applications for Use” sections, and involves statements such as those above. However, a second issue is rearing its ugly head, and this is in place in California and I believe in New York, and that is the use of pyrethroids on any area where runoff into waterways or habitats of endangered or threatened species could possibly occur. This one is much more troublesome, as it is extremely vague, and now your knowledge of the environmental concerns in your area will need to be sharpened. The labels may prohibit applications of pyrethroids within 100 feet of certain kinds of waterways, and this could really limit their use on some properties. 
So, look for the changes on the Labels of the products you use and carefully read the label on the package you buy to be certain whether the updates are there or not. And, at this moment in time non-pyrethroids like fipronil are not on the hook too, but likely will be the next target. Our best way to minimize drastic restrictions on fipronil or any other pesticide is to use them ONLY according to the label and the allowances we currently have. Do you think anyone in our industry is spraying Termidor on areas well beyond the distance from a structure allowed by the Label? I suspect they are, and that kind of misuse will doom us all. The reason the new pyrethroid labeling is going into effect is because of sloppy use of the products, allowing the active ingredients to wash into gutters and local creeks. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsJanuary 09, 2012

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Daily fogging to fight midges in Bedok Reservoir

The Aljunied-Hougang Town Council has deployed – firms to 35 affected blocks in the estate after the insect nuisance surfaced last week. The problem also made headlines last year. Fogging of common areas such as void decks …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 08, 2012

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No study by city on skunks, raccoons

Councillors shot down a proposed study of Winnipeg’s nuisance raccoon and skunks amid concerns it will call on the city’s animal services agency to do more wildlife . A city report released this week revealed Manitoba Conservation and private …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 08, 2012

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Predator Wasps to be Introduced in L.A. to Counter Citrus

Mark Hoddle has the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster. That’s not something one usually says about an entomologist. The script might start this way: UC Cooperative Extension biological control specialist Mark and his wife Christina, assistant …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 08, 2012

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Explosion blows doors off Melbourne restaurant

The shop’s owner was fumigating with an aerosol can when the can caught on a pilot light and exploded about 10:00am (AEDT). The explosion has ruined the kitchen and blown the doors off their hinges, showering the street with glass. Nobody was hurt …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 08, 2012

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Police Bug, Trap, Nab Jewelry Thief – Patch.com

Police Bug, Trap, Nab Jewelry Thief
Patch.com
By offering to help a Navesink homeowner rid pests from her home, an alleged jewelry thief entered her residence and helped himself to $10000 worth of bling, Middletown Township Police report. Thanks to someone putting a bug in the ears of township …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 08, 2012

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Grant aids researchers in battle to save ash trees – Sacramento Bee

Grant aids researchers in battle to save ash trees
Sacramento Bee
What doesn't work, he said, is cutting down healthy trees in an attempt to slow the insect's spread. That approach was sometimes suggested when the insect was first discovered here, but it's ineffective, Herms said. The insects just fly farther to find …

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Pests in the NewsJanuary 08, 2012

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Jan 6, 2012 – Big, Bulky, and Bed Bugs

QUESTION:

I am concerned about how to effectively treat a couch for bed bugs. That piece of furniture is so massive and hard to get to. How to do it and what best to use? Also, any good, cheap heat treatments available to the little pest control firm?

ANSWER:

It is amazing to many folks in the General Public that bed bugs are simply not confined to “beds”, and their eyes pop open pretty wide when we tell them that bed bugs now are found routinely on airplanes, in schools, in theaters, buses, delivery trucks, and just about anyplace that humans go and spend time. The potential for bed bugs to be in clothing in the infested home and then transported to a clothing store changing room exists, and must be accepted. Within an infested home bed bugs are going to hide close to anyplace they can find that blood meal, and they are also not restricted to feeding only at night. There is evidence that daylight feeding also occurs routinely. 

So, chairs, couches, recliners, etc. all are potentially infested and must be dealt with in some way. The couple of bed bug eggs that may be glued within the workings of that recliner represent a continuing infestation if they are not killed in some manner. Obviously, spraying every nook and cranny within a complicated recliner becomes a problem, as does opening up all those possible cavities within a large couch. Top this off with our current dilemma that insecticides are still not the ultimate answer to bed bug control, and you may hesitate to treat all the surfaces with a toxin anyhow. Heat, fortunately, is a very effective enemy of bed bugs, and a temperature of only 115 degrees, held for just 1 hour, should be lethal to all stages of the bugs. Get that temperature increasingly higher and the exposure time drops quickly. According to some previous studies a clothes dryer at 175 degrees takes just 5 minutes to kill bugs and eggs, and our experts now even tell us that running things through a hot wash first is not needed if the dryer can be used. 
At the recent NPMA Conference there were no less than 25 vendors showing products or solutions for bed bugs, many of these offering heat treatments. More and more companies are setting up their bed bug management with localized or whole room/structure heating. The advantages are many, including eliminating the use of toxins and, if done properly, completing the eradication quickly. Some of the top companies still do use dusts and certain other insecticides along with the heat treatment to be doubly sure the work is done effectively, but heat is an excellent option. 
You need two things – a sealed container that will hold the temperature at the effective level for the effective period of time, and a heat source. These are becoming more and more available. Some companies even use portable chambers that are modified (sealed) so that larger items like furniture can be placed in them, the doors closed and sealed, and the heat injected for the prescribed length of time. I hate to name brand names, but one image I have seen shows one of the “Pods” used for this. 
One of the speakers at this recent NPMA Conference offered her results using a home-made “heat box”, and the results were very positive. Essentially the box was made from plywood and uses a simple propane heater for the heat source. She suggested that you can Google “heat box Phil Koehler” to find the instructions online for building this device yourself, along with step by step instructions on using it. I just tried this and found an excellent PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Koehler (et. al.) from Univ. of Florida that would be extremely helpful to you in providing the options and instructions for this. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsJanuary 08, 2012

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