Archive for February, 2012

Dogs’ bedbug detection questioned

LINCOLN — The large number of bedbug reports at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — 94 rooms treated for the so far — has led one national expert to wonder whether UNL is getting “false positives” from the dogs it’s been using to …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 21, 2012

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Pesticide protest misguided – Edmonton Journal

Pesticide protest misguided
Edmonton Journal
What they all failed to note was that banning lawn and garden pesticides (which include weed and insect control products) was not on the table in the first place. Council had simply asked administration to re-port on how the parks department could use …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 21, 2012

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Invasive pest spells death knell for region’s eucalyptus trees – East African

Invasive pest spells death knell for region's eucalyptus trees
East African
By BONIFACE MWANGI (email the author) THE EUCALYPTUS tree known for its commercial purposes is under threat of extinction in three East African countries and South Africa, after invasion by a new foreign pest. The tree used for electric poles, …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 21, 2012

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Feb 19, 2012 – A PreTreat That Lasts?

QUESTION:

Is there anything we can use to pre-treat open walls or wall voids for control of insects? A restaurant is asking us to pre-treat for control of roaches, ants, etc. Thank you

ANSWER:

I think it would be important here to discuss with the customer just what his expectations are from a “pretreat” for insects like roaches or ants. I suspect that in his mind you should be able to apply something into this soon-to-be-enclosed void that will last for years to kill any of these insects that find their way in. This definitely is possible for wood infesting pests like termites or beetles. For them we can apply borates as sprays on the wood, and the insects must eat their way through that treated wood to get inside, consuming the borate in the process. Spraying borates on bare wood for insects that do not eat the wood is not likely to work in the same manner, and in fact products like BoraCare and TimBor are labeled only for WDO pests, probably for that reason. 

We can get the same lengthy residual from boric acid or borate products that are labeled for roaches and ants, but these generally are applied in dry dust form. Applying a dry dust to exposed wood surfaces is not a good option. Some of the products, such as Boracide, are specifically labeled for application to “new” or existing construction for ants and roaches, but the directions for use tell us to apply it as a dry dust directly into voids or insect galleries (as in carpenter ants). If these wall voids are currently open it would be difficult to contain the dust to the wood studs using any kind of pressurized duster. You could sprinkle the dust along the base plate, but if that is all you are able to do you could achieve much better coverage once the walls are in place and a power duster is used through some small opening into the void. Then you would get the dust onto the studs and interior wall surfaces as well, greatly increasing the odds that the insects will be in contact with it. 
Similarly Borid Insecticide Dust is labeled for pre-treating new construction for roaches. It recommends applying the dust at 4 lbs per 1000 square feet, but to “base plates and plumbing voids”, so you would not be able to successfully treat all of the studs nor the interior surfaces of the wall coverings. 
Those materials that you could easily spray over all of the exposed wood surfaces would have a relatively short lifespan. In contrast to the years of residual effectiveness of a dry dust of boric acid or diatomaceous earth, the spray-on “residual” insecticides may last a few months, and this may not be what the customer is thinking will happen. You can offer him this choice, but he may opt instead to have you “post” treat those wall voids with an inorganic dust product once the walls are in place, and this will give him the longest lasting material in those voids. 

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Pest QuestionsFebruary 21, 2012

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Mild Winter May Mean Active Bug Season

Bugs are taking full advantage of the nice temperatures and moving in your home a little earlier than usual. are a nuisance, but winter gives us a small reprieve. In metro Atlanta, we’re still waiting on winter to start and that means we …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 20, 2012

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Ban on glue board urged after cat death – Channel News Asia


AsiaOne

Ban on glue board urged after cat death
Channel News Asia
By Wendy Wong | Posted: 20 February 2012 2223 hrs SINGAPORE: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has called for an "immediate ban" on glue board traps used by pest control companies. This comes after it found a cat stuck on such …
SPCA calls for ban on glue traps after cat found trappedAsiaOne

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 20, 2012

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Bedbug expert scratches head over extent of UNL infestation – SW Iowa News


ClaimsJournal.com

Bedbug expert scratches head over extent of UNL infestation
SW Iowa News
LINCOLN — The large number of bedbug reports at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — 94 rooms treated for the pests so far — has led one national expert to wonder whether UNL is getting "false positives" from the dogs it's been using to detect the …
Fraternity buys insurance for bed bug protectionKLKN
Nebraska Fraternity Buying Bed Bug Insurance PolicyClaimsJournal.com

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 20, 2012

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How to keep your hospitality business free of pests – BigHospitality.co.uk


BigHospitality.co.uk

How to keep your hospitality business free of pests
BigHospitality.co.uk
Savvas Othon, technical director at Rentokil Pest Control, advises hospitality businesses on how to keep pests at bay during busy times. The hospitality sector is hoping to be busier than usual this year with international and national events expected …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 20, 2012

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Disease-Fighting Secrets of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes – Wired News


Wired News

Disease-Fighting Secrets of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Wired News
By Brian Mossop Insects cover our planet. Filed into 750000 different species, at any given time there are one million trillion bugs buzzing around the globe. About 14000 of those species are blood-feeders, meaning they drink their meals by puncturing …

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Pests in the NewsFebruary 20, 2012

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Feb 20, 2012 – What Now When Raining?

QUESTION:

Technicians around the country routinely apply pyrethroid granules during rainy weather. With the new label changes to pyrethroid products what would be a substitute “rainy day service protocol” for a service technician to follow?

ANSWER:

Yes, the new EPA-mandated wording that will be going on ALL labels of ALL pyrethroid products as the manufacturers produce them this year has certainly thrown a monkey wrench into our gears. For those who may still be unaware of this, you can find the complete update on PestWeb in the “Industry / PestWeb Features” link on our home page. The new wording for Granular formulations of pyrethroids is short and to the point, as it now will say “Do Not make applications during rain”. This doesn’t leave much room for debate and interpretation. 

These new changes and restrictions on pyrethroid products’ labels is for the purpose of minimizing the runoff of these active ingredients from properties they are applied to. Water that flows off a treated property could carry the active ingredient into the local gutters to storm drains to local creeks, and pyrethroids are fairly toxic to some aquatic organisms. We must be sure we adhere to the new wording, and this restriction on application during rainfall is not the only one. Please read the Label of the product you purchase each time you purchase it to see when you are now buying material with the new wording. Otherwise, you can use the product according to the Label on the package you purchase, meaning “old” stock can be used as labeled. 
There are almost no great substitutes for the pyrethroid granules with respect to their uses and label allowances. About half of the granular non-pyrethroid products are labeled only for turf or ornamental pests. Several are Restricted Use Pesticides. Several are designed primarily as bait products and thus have limited pests they will control. To be very honest, my review of the alternate granular contact insecticides just now came up with a grand total of 1 – no, sorry, no zeroes to follow. That one product is Essentria G from Envincio, formerly called EcoExempt G Granular, which still lingers in stock. 
Essentria G contains clove oil and thyme oil and is a 25-B Exempt insecticide, so it should be quite acceptable to customers, including in any “Green” programs. It is generally labeled for use on many crawling pests around both residential and commercial structures and has no restrictions with respect to rainfall or impending rain. 
So, when it is raining what options do you have for treating regular customers? The pyrethroid products other than granules also have the “not during rain” restriction, so you cannot just switch to spraying the foundation instead. You may find plenty of non-pyrethroid concentrates that could be sprayed during a rain even, applying them to eaves or other exterior areas where the rain is not going to land on the treated surface and negate the active ingredient, but this may not work in many cases. We’ll have to see how this plays out, but it may be that rainy days will become great opportunities to focus on exclusion efforts and closing off openings into the structure. 

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Pest QuestionsFebruary 20, 2012

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