Warm Winter Weather Causing Insects to Hatch Early
The unusually mild winter has many insects and rodents peeking out early.
Pests in the NewsJanuary 25, 2012
No Comment
Archive for January, 2012
Jan 25, 2012 – One Tiger’s Trash Is Another Dog’s Treasure
QUESTION:
We volunteer at a tiger farm. They have a pit with the excess food from the tiger, which flies obviously love. The dogs go into the pit for treats so we would like ideas on how to treat the pit safely without hurting the dogs. Thank you so much.
ANSWER:
This definitely qualifies as a new one for me, so thank you. I am forming a picture in my mind of this situation that may or may not be an accurate one, but either way I think a non-pesticide approach to this problem will be the much better long term solution. If you focus on trying to kill the flies with pesticides it is going to be a very constant need to re-apply your products, and you don’t want this. And, anything you apply to the meat in that pit that will kill the flies is going to have some level of toxicity to other animals that eat it too.
So, my first question is whose dogs are these, and why do they have access to this pit on a tiger farm? It would seem to me that the best solution here would be to prevent any other animals from going into this pit for leftover meat, by fencing it off. Making spoiled meat that might be filled with maggots available to other animals is probably not a good idea. That would go for other wildlife as well, and keeping them out is a long term suggestion for keeping them from consuming things that may hurt them.
The second suggestion is that anything tossed into this pit probably should immediately be covered with something to prevent flies, and other animals, from getting to it. If this practice continues the management of this place is essentially putting out the Welcome sign for flies, and then making it your job to deal with the problem after the fact. In fly management we should always address the SOURCE, meaning where the flies are originating, rather than trying to manage adult flies after they emerge. If there is a source like this constantly available for flies to access it just compounds the problem, and whether or not you manage to kill a lot of the flies a lot of them are also going to make it through to the adult stage and become a major nuisance around this compound. Could a layer of dirt go over any meat tossed into this pit? Could a large tarp be placed to cover the pit between those moments when more garbage is tossed in? Somehow just leaving an open pit with garbage, including meat, in it seems unnecessary to me, and hopefully you and the customer can come to some agreement and they will be willing to change the way they do things to eliminate the flies non-chemically.
The use of fly baits around this area could be helpful, but with lots of wonderful garbage in the pit there is going to be a lot of competition for the bait products to try to attract the flies. UV light traps would be ineffective outdoors like this. Spraying residual pesticides over the garbage would not only last too short a time but also pose a hazard to other animals that eat the garbage. Fogging would kill flies but last only an hour or so. Hopefully you can work to find a way both to prevent the dogs from getting into this unsanitary situation as well as cover the garbage to discourage or prevent the flies from getting to it. I don’t think insecticides are the answer here.
Pest QuestionsJanuary 25, 2012
No Comment
Bedbugs found in 2 more University of Neb rooms
Only days after bedbugs were found in a University of Nebraska-Lincoln dorm room, staff members have found the in two more rooms. Sue Gildersleeve, the university’s housing director, tells the Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/zaSApA) that the bugs …
Pests in the NewsJanuary 24, 2012
No Comment
Hemlock-killing insect found in Ohio for 1st time
The are called hemlock woolly adelgids. The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/zm7yd0 ) reports foresters found the in southern Meigs County in December, and they’ve been spotted on five trees. The bugs can kill hemlock trees …
Pests in the NewsJanuary 24, 2012
No Comment
Lodi Insectfest visitors get a hands-on feel for exotic creepy-crawlies – Stockton Record
|
Lodi Insectfest visitors get a hands-on feel for exotic creepy-crawlies
Stockton Record The event featured exhibits from local insect store owners, a university museum and Clark Pest Control. With her cheeks decorated with temporary tattoos of spider webs and butterflies, Samantha Lee, 8, held out her hands and cupped a giant spiny … |
Pests in the NewsJanuary 24, 2012
No Comment
East Texas Turfgrass Conference to be Feb. 2 – Longview News-Journal
|
East Texas Turfgrass Conference to be Feb. 2
Longview News-Journal The conference will adjourn at 3 pm Instructors will be AgriLife Extension specialists in turfgrass, horticulture, plant pathology, and integrated pest control, Mr. Reeves said. Registration for the program will begin at 8 am and will be payable at the … |
Pests in the NewsJanuary 24, 2012
No Comment
Budget cuts threaten California pest eradication – The Packer
|
Budget cuts threaten California pest eradication
The Packer The severity of the state's budget crisis could carve another $12 million from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and jeopardize its on-going, but successful, programs against invasive pests. The cuts, revealed Jan. 5 in Gov. … |
Pests in the NewsJanuary 24, 2012
No Comment
Jan 22, 2012 – Rodenticide Labels And The Law
QUESTION:
Concerning the labels for rodent baits, there is a statement that says you must maintain a steady supply of bait for 10 days. In the realm of service, what does this mean?
ANSWER:
This is a very good and a very timely question Bill, and we should discuss some Label statements beyond just the one you mention. What we now find on labels for rodenticides that are labeled for our structural rats and mice is some very consistent wording from product to product. This is due in big part to the recent RMD – Rodenticide Mitigation Decision – from EPA that required manufacturers to put some specific wording on their labels. You can find all the details on this on PestWeb under “Industry / PestWeb Features”, and it is well worth making yourself familiar with these changes in how rodenticides may now be used.
Given that it is the Law that if the Label tells you to do something it must be done. There is some leeway allowed for judgment calls in some cases, and often pesticide labels will purposely be vague or very general to allow this judgment, but let’s look at some mandatory statements on rodent bait labels now. First, regarding safety equipment, they state that while handling the bait or dead rodents you are required to wear “waterproof gloves”, and that BEFORE removing the gloves they are to be washed. How many folks do that? Then, as soon as is practical you also must wash your hands. Labels also state that you must remove all dead animals, and this may be very difficult to do when the rat or mouse dies in a location where you cannot retrieve it or may not even know where it is. But, at the least you need to perform an inspection of the area to make certain no dead rodents are lying where they are exposed to other animals that may then eat them.
Rodenticides labeled for use on Norway or Roof Rats and for House Mice now state that they are for use ONLY for those 3 species of rodents, and now cannot be placed further than 50 feet from a structure and for outside use must be placed either within burrows or within a tamper resistant station. Generally you also find instructions telling you to remove any uneaten bait once rodent activity ceases or your service at that account ends. This tells us that there is no such thing as a one-service rodent baiting program. At the least a second trip must be made to remove leftover bait, and this time needs to be built into the cost for that service.
With respect to your actual question about how long to leave the bait, in the past I would have said this was a “guideline”, but with stricter interpretation of rodent bait labels could it be mandatory? Well, most states allow us to follow EPA’s guidelines under FIFRA that went into effect way back in the 1980’s, where you could use LESS pesticide than the label suggested and at a lower frequency than stated on the Label. In other words, if the Label said “retreat in 2 weeks” you could wait for 3 or 4 weeks and still be legal. Perhaps this statement on the rodenticide label could be taken in this manner, making it okay to remove the pesticide sooner than required by the Label. This would be something that you should discuss with your own local regulatory inspectors, as they will be the ones to say yes or no to this interpretation.
To me it would only logical in the spirit of using less pesticide and reducing non-target animals to it less to be allowed to remove the bait as soon as you believe it has done what was intended – elimination of the rodents. But, I only take orders too, so getting the opinion of your regulatory folks is always a good idea. I am sure that much of this instruction on the labels is there because of the nature of anticoagulant baits. They are chronic toxins that may need to be ingested over a period of time to take effect. For mice it states to leave the bait for 15 days since they are nibblers. However, we also note an “out” in these statements where they do say to leave the bait for that period of time “or until signs of activity cease”, so you would still be well within the label to remove it at any point prior to that 10 or 15 days.
Pest QuestionsJanuary 24, 2012
No Comment
MGK to host third-annual misting conference
and White Castle, shares his strategies for helping your business effectively engage customers via the rapidly changing world of social media. NPDES update: What you need to know In October 2011, EPA issued a final NPDES Pesticide General …
Pests in the NewsJanuary 23, 2012
No Comment
Nematodes: Unseen but must be dealt with
I have found one of the most difficult garden to control, especially in annual vegetable crops, is the root-knot nematode. Nematodes are microscopic eel-like roundworms which feed on plant roots, restricting a plant’s ability to take up …
Pests in the NewsJanuary 23, 2012
No Comment
