Archive for February, 2012

Pesky pests your pet can bring inside – Local 10

Pesky pests your pet can bring inside
Local 10
By David Aaron Moore, Networx Did you know in less than the blink of an eye a single flea is actually capable of jumping more than an entire foot? That's almost 200 times the actual length of the flea's entire body. “Fleas and ticks can be troublesome …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 24, 2012

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Italian vineyards invaded by new moth species – The Hindu


BBC News

Italian vineyards invaded by new moth species
The Hindu
The Italian team enlisted the help of insect expert Erik van Nieukerken from the Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity in Leiden. "We first turned to the scientific literature to find out what was already known, which was appallingly little for this …
Italian vineyards invaded from North America by new species of leafminerScience Codex

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 24, 2012

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Bitterroot Eager To Learn More About Insect Infested Forests – NBC Montana

Bitterroot Eager To Learn More About Insect Infested Forests
NBC Montana
Bitterroot residents are packing a series of workshops to learn ways to protect trees from insect infestation. Mountain Pine Beetles have been detected on almost 100000 acres of forest in Ravalli County. An aerial survey shows pine butterflies left …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 24, 2012

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Victoria approves ban on feeding pests

Feeding wildlife will cost you $350 under new city bylaw

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 24, 2012

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Bees increase in numbers in Solano County as beekeepers team up with researchers

Bees are still on the battlefield trying to fend off diseases and pests that threaten their homes and colonies to do their job of pollinating.

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 24, 2012

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Feb 24, 2012 – Bats, and Not Even A Belfry

QUESTION:

I have an apartment building with bats in the end wall. The entry point is the flashing from the attic vent and brick. What is the best way to get them out?

ANSWER:

One of the first things to do, if it has not already been done, is to grab a chair and sit near that entry point beginning about an hour before dusk in the evening, and carefully watch to see if these bats are emerging to forage at night. Since you are in Texas it is very possible that they are remaining active throughout the winter months, and if they are then they are already doing the job for you by leaving each night to feed. This also should be too early for any new baby bats to be present, so this definitely is the time to do the necessary exclusion. But, check with your local university extension service to verify the species of bats that are found in your area and then brush up on their biology. You definitely do not want to seal out the adult bats and then leave a bunch of babies stranded inside, nor do you want to seal off that opening and leave some hibernating bats inside to die and create problems. 

It would also be advisable to do this evening inspection of other areas around this structure, since there very well could be multiple entry points that would need to be addressed. Once you have determined that the bats are, indeed, leaving the structure at night you can install a one-way door of some kind that allows them to leave but prohibits them from re-entering. This can be a tube of netting or other material that hangs down from that opening, allowing them to push through to exit but not to get back through. Once you are confident that all the bats are out the opening (or all openings) can be permanently sealed shut. 
I don’t know if you are able to access the actual voids in this end wall where the bats are located. If you can you might be able to make them uncomfortable with a couple of things – bright lights that illuminate the void or some kind of fan that creates a strong breeze in that void. Bats do not like these changes and it may encourage them to leave. There are bat repellents that can be placed within an area where bats are roosting, but these can NOT just be dumped into a void and forgotten. They must be placed within some sort of container that can then be removed once the bats are gone or if the odor of the repellent begins to bother the people who live there. These repellents often rely on naphthalene (moth balls) and this odor can be quite strong and objectionable to people. And, it is illegal to use plain old moth balls or moth crystals if they are not labeled specifically for use as an animal repellent. The internet is filled with recommendations like this, and we, as licensed professionals, must stick with labeled products. 

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Pest QuestionsFebruary 24, 2012

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SPCA calls on AVA to stop use of glue traps

It was panting and fighting for its life. The trap was set by a – company, SPCA said. It added on its Facebook page yesterday that the trap, measuring 1.2m by 1.5m, was placed overnight, and that this was not the first time that an …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 23, 2012

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Hampton school treated for bed bugs

Hampton Public Schools called in experts after two cases of bed bugs were discovered at Tucker-Capps Elementary School. Letters went home to parents on Feb. 15 stating that “a bed bug was found in your child’s classroom.”

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 23, 2012

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Feb 21, 2012 – What For De-Licing

QUESTION:

What can you use to get rid of lice from your home?

ANSWER:

Whether or not there is any need to treat a home for lice depends heavily on what kind of lice these are, so once again accurate identification is necessary. Unfortunately, doctors often dish out the wrong information to their customers, and this muddies the water for our industry pretty badly. I also have seen serious mis-identifications of these kinds of things made by physicians, such as some crab lice that were ID’d by the family doctor as “bed bugs”. You can see the importance of ensuring that YOU actually see the pests that are present so you can make the proper ID and then proceed in the proper manner for management. 

There are lice and there are lice. Birds and rodents are frequently infested with chewing lice that do not feed on blood and are not going to attack people. The more likely lice in homes or on people are going to be our Big Three – crab lice, head lice, and body lice, and only one of these warrants any kind of insecticide treatment by a pest control technician, and this would be Body Lice. Head and crab lice are completely, 100% the role of a doctor to deal with by prescribing a medication or shampoo that will kill the lice on the people. These two species are unlikely to be found in the environment of the home, although this is not always the case. They stay on their host (people) but may be dislodged onto clothing, hats, bed coverings, or couches when a person with the lice comes into contact with those items. Then, a second person may acquire the lice if he or she immediately comes into contact with those items as well. These two lice lay their eggs on the host animal and both will die within 24-48 hours if they are unable to get back onto a person. Control is treatment of the infested areas along with laundering or hot drying of all clothing and other fabrics that may have the lice on them. 
Everything you read from reliable sources on crab and head lice tells our industry that we have no role in their management, and no insecticide applications around the home are needed nor would be of any benefit. Killing the lice and their eggs on the person as well as on personal items is what eliminates the problem, and some items may not be considered initially, such as bicycle helmets and other things an infested child may have been wearing. If this is head lice and on a child this needs to be addressed immediately to prevent the child from being kept out of school as well as to prevent the social stigma of a child infested with lice. Head louse infestations have a way of running wildly through elementary schools. 
If it is body lice then there may be some need to treat areas of a home. This species tends to remain more on the clothing, to lay its eggs on the clothing, and to move to the person only to feed before moving back onto the clothing. Control also should involve the same thoroughness of laundering in hot water and hot dryer any clothing that has been worn while the infestation was going on, along with all bedding and other fabrics that the lice may have gotten onto. Even a hot dryer cycle alone is going to kill all lice and eggs that may be on fabrics that you may not want to launder. If items are sent to a commercial dry cleaner the store personnel MUST be advised they are accepting potentially infested fabrics, so they can keep them separate from others in the facility until treated. 
There are about a dozen insecticides specifically labeled for Lice or Body Lice, and you can view this list on PestWeb in the Product Documents resource – choose “Products by Target Pest / Biting, Blood feeding / Body Lice”. The list includes both residual products as well as contact products for fogging, but the emphasis should be around areas where the clothing is stored. This would be where lice may move off the clothing or eggs hatch and initiate movement of new lice. Emphasize the laundering and hot dryer, a thorough vacuuming of areas such as furniture, and treatment of the lice directly on the infested person using a prescription product. 
But, try very hard not to get talked into spraying insecticides around a home for crab or head lice, as it is unnecessary and would do little in the overall effort. 

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Pest QuestionsFebruary 23, 2012

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Couple Says From Burnt Out House Infesting Their Home

An elderly Anderson County couple says mice and snakes have infested their home, and they blame a burnt out neighboring house. Fire blazed through the home on Marrs Avenue back in 2009, leaving a scorched shell. Nearly three years later, the hulk remains …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 22, 2012

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