 Portland Tribune |
Putting the bite on bedbugs
Portland Tribune By Steve Law Grant Walter of Home Forward Pest Control inspects for bedbugs in the couch cushions of an apartment with an LED light during a routine inspection. “Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.” The old bedtime saying has taken on … |
Pests in the NewsFebruary 02, 2012
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Invasive insect threatens MDI hemlock trees
Fenceviewer 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 the insect, which is already spreading in southern … Hunt for tiny, sap-sucking tree-killer expands to MDIBangor Daily News |
Pests in the NewsFebruary 02, 2012
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QUESTION:
I went on a fly job last fall and was informed that the home was infested with 200-300 flies for the past couple of weeks. I expected to find the usual fly – fruit fly, phorid, or drain fly. I was also informed that another company had treated the area before me. I am sure I looked in the same spots he did, which were sink drains, under the sink, washing machine lines and drains. I was unable to find any signs and inspected the rest of the house. As I came into the front room on the south-facing wall, on the outside of the electrical outlet, I spotted a couple 1/8 inch flies. I took off the outlet cover and sprayed a flushing agent behind the outlet. Within ten minutes, thirty flies came out of the outlet and died. I removed the outlets and dusted inside and behind the outlet boxes and after a week this seemed to resolve the problem. But I still have remaining questions.
What organic material could they be feeding on and breeding in behind the wall? Could this be a foundation leak? Could this be an underground sewer leak? And, could they reappear in the spring due to temperature change?
Feedback is much appreciated.
ANSWER:
One thing that was missing from your question was the species of fly that you discovered, and this is very important in determining the possible breeding sources or other reasons for the presence of these flies. If you had not suggested you were expecting small flies like phorids or drain flies I would have said that this sounds like a classic Cluster Fly problem. But these much larger flies don’t look anything like the small, orange phorids or gray, hairy drain flies. Cluster flies are larger than house flies, have distinguishing short, curly golden hairs all over their thorax, and commonly overwinter within the walls or attics or other voids in structures. Since your first call came in the fall, and you are in the Northeast, this would be very characteristic of Cluster flies. If it turns out that these are the larger cluster flies then there isn’t necessarily any sanitation problem within this home. The flies are just opportunistic and found a way into this home to spend the cold winter months.
Pest QuestionsFebruary 02, 2012
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Going back to the 1980s I have worked professionally with elements of the industry providing public relations services The process of educating the public is necessary because new generations must be informed of the threats pose to …
Pests in the NewsFebruary 01, 2012
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Some were hit with some difficult diseases because of the cool, wet spring and early summer last year. The usual plethora of and summer problems made the plants suffer even worse. The tall, upright conifers in Davis and Weber counties …
Pests in the NewsFebruary 01, 2012
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Mouse madness
The Daily News of Newburyport By Ulrika G. Gerth Correspondent NEWBURYPORT — Dave Herbert of Essex Pest Control has seen his fair share of mice during his 32 years in the business. But nothing compares to this season. The number of calls regarding mouse infestations began rising … |
Pests in the NewsFebruary 01, 2012
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New Laws for Pesticides in School
KBND All schools in Oregon, including community colleges, will soon be required to adopt what's called IPM, integrated pest management. It gives preference to the use of non-chemical pest control measures. The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon … |
Pests in the NewsFebruary 01, 2012
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 Chicago Reader |
The perils of bedbug research
Chicago Reader One of the most interesting interviews I did while researching this week's story on bedbugs was with Dini Miller, an associate professor of entomology at Virginia Tech and the Urban Pest Management specialist for the state of Virginia. |
Pests in the NewsFebruary 01, 2012
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QUESTION:
In the past it seemed as though there was one rodent bait that stood above the rest. Now it is avoided despite any other food source around. Do mice build up a dislike for or a taste avoidance to these baits?
ANSWER:
Hopefully those things I have learned in the past are not now all outdated and incorrect, and one concept that was taught to us is that rodents can develop bait “shyness”. There can be other factors involved instead, and we’ll mention those too, but bait shyness could be possible where a rodent associates some negative feeling or reaction with the food (the bait) it has been eating, and begins to avoid that bait in the future. Or, perhaps even might avoid eating baits placed in stations if it somehow associates the station with the problem. This could be a rodent that has eaten less than a lethal dose of the bait but begins to feel ill, and decides that the bait and the ill feeling are connected. Mice, in particular, are nibblers and may not quickly consume enough of the bait to kill them.
Pest QuestionsFebruary 01, 2012
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