Archive for March, 2012

What do you call a city full of rabbits? Melbourne – The Age


The Age

What do you call a city full of rabbits? Melbourne
The Age
Pest controller Alex Krstic points out more than a dozen varmints in quick time, alongside burrows, dirt scratchings and droppings. ''The fact we're seeing them in broad daylight indicates there is a significant infestation,'' he says.

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Pests in the NewsMarch 06, 2012

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Pesky boll weevil wiped from state – Monroe News Star

Pesky boll weevil wiped from state
Monroe News Star
AP file Farmers' most feared cotton pest for the past century, the boll weevil, has finally been wiped out in Louisiana, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said. Taxpayers and farmers have spent more than $175 million to annihilate the pest since …

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Pests in the NewsMarch 06, 2012

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Mar 4, 2012 – Shelf Life

QUESTION:

How long can you keep chemicals on the shelf? How many months will they last?


ANSWER:

This is going to vary a great deal and it depends on several factors. One of these is the formulation itself. Dry products such as dusts and granules tend to change faster than liquid formulations, so take a look on the packages and note any dates or restrictions placed there by the manufacturer. Because synthetic active ingredients are subject to degradation over time, as opposed to the inorganic mineral actives such as boric acid, borates, or diatomaceous earth, you would be best off using the dry products within the first couple of years. This will also depend a lot on the conditions of that storage area, particularly dampness. If dry products are exposed to water they are going to degrade and become unusable very quickly. High humidity may even be a factor if the bags are not kept sealed properly. 

Temperature is another important factor, and virtually every pesticide label is going to state that it should be stored in a cool, dry environment. The higher the temperature the faster the molecules break apart and change and become something other than the original active ingredient. This may take years to happen for liquid products, but bit by bit they are changing and if you don’t get around to using a product for 5 or 6 years after you bought it there may be a lot less active ingredient in it than you think is there. 
Another concern is physical changes in a liquid formulation. The active ingredients are often manufactured as a solid material, a crystalline material for example. This solid is then put into liquid form using solvents, and then it may further be diluted with water or other diluents to become the end use concentrate that you buy. Over time the original crystalline active ingredient is likely to re-crystallize and begin to settle out of the formulation, and getting it back into that homogenized and usable state may be impossible. If this occurs you now have toxic waste on your hands, and the legal disposal of toxic waste becomes very expensive. 
Aerosols are also not forever. If they sit on a shelf for years they can lose propellent, they may develop rust around the seams and ridges that eventually eat through the can, and contents also may separate inside the can and be impossible to get back into an even solution. I once visited a pest control company warehouse where several cases of methyl bromide in 1 lb. cans had been stored for many years – about 50 cans in all. ALL of these cans of fumigant had long since rusted through, releasing all of that methyl bromide into the warehouse and the nearby offices. 
It is important to have good control over your inventory and stocking procedures and to not buy more product than you know you will use in a reasonable time period. Use the FIFO concept of “first in, first out” so that products never sit at the back of the shelf and get forgotten. Another interesting incident was with an old pentachlorphenol product in large caulking tubes. Long after penta had been banned from use one company still had dozens of these tubes in their warehouse, and by that time the problem was that there was no way to legally use it, legally store it, or even legally dispose of it. 
So, it’s hard to put firm numbers on this, but do check the containers themselves for “expiration” dates, keep your storage areas in good condition and cool, and use up product in a reasonable time  period. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 06, 2012

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Bedbugs found in Camp Curtin School traced to students

Apparently, the were brought to Camp Curtin School by a few students after the bugs took residence in their homes. Coordinator of Facilities Tim Curtis said the district is taking preventive measures against having them spread through the school.

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Pests in the NewsMarch 05, 2012

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Prove Worthy Adversaries to MLB Games: Fan Reaction

Despite all of the modern technology afforded to humans and Major League Baseball teams, sometimes the smallest things can disrupt a baseball game. Take for instance, one small honey bee times a million. That’s what happened in Scottsdale, Ariz., March 4 …

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Pests in the NewsMarch 05, 2012

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Global Biopesticides Market to Reach US$3.4 Billion by 2017, According to New … – PR Web (press release)

Global Biopesticides Market to Reach US$3.4 Billion by 2017, According to New …
PR Web (press release)
Follow us on LinkedIn — As next generation of pest control products, biopesticides is gaining in popularity. With food supplies in most countries testing positive for violative pesticide residues, the business case for biopesticides is strengthening by …

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Pests in the NewsMarch 05, 2012

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Minnesota seeks lookouts for invasive pests – Pine Journal

Minnesota seeks lookouts for invasive pests
Pine Journal
Minnesota is looking for volunteers to join the hundreds of citizens who already have stepped up to help keep an eye out for new infestations of emerald ash borer and other destructive invasive pests. These volunteer “first detectors” form part of the …

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Pests in the NewsMarch 05, 2012

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Bug off! Will there be a bumper crop of biting insects? – The State Journal-Register

Bug off! Will there be a bumper crop of biting insects?
The State Journal-Register
“There are some exceptions, but for the most part, the insects we find in Illinois are adapted to conditions from Atlanta, Georgia to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada,” says Phil Nixon, extension entomologist with the University of Illinois.

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Pests in the NewsMarch 05, 2012

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Mar 5, 2012 – Put The Heat On Clothes Moths?

QUESTION:

My question concerns clothes moths. I was talking with a prospective customer where another company said they would use heat mitigation to kill the clothes moths. I have heard of heat for bed bugs, but not clothes moths. The home builder said due to the quality of the wood he doesn’t recommend it. What have you heard about this approach? What about an IGR?

ANSWER:

Well, my mind is swirling right now with these various issues, but let’s begin with the home builder’s thoughts. My first question is why would the builder of the home be involved with this pest problem now? Is he a family friend of this customer or is he somehow involved with the pest problem? I can see bringing a builder back in for a wood infesting beetle problem, but clothes moths…….? However, I don’t know quite what he means by the “quality” of the wood except he may be concerned that a high heat could affect some of the wood products, such as plywoods or particle board or other construction materials. But, as we have seen now from the use of heat for bed bugs, it is not necessary to take the heat so high that it is going to ruin wood products or finishes. All it takes is about 130 degrees for a few hours and all stages of insects are likely to be killed, as long as they were exposed to that heat. 

My second thought is that the proliferation of bed bugs has led to a proliferation of companies and products using heat to control them, so now the ability to do whole house or whole room heating is mainstream, and costs have probably come down as well. There will be those faction of customers who prefer to use something “non-toxic” for pest management, and heating done properly kills the bugs without any chemical use. Having said this, for bed bugs some companies using heat still use residual dusts and other standard insecticides within voids and other difficult hiding places, given the  nature of bed bugs to be hard to control. 
My third thought is that heating the entire structure seems like serious overkill for controlling clothes moths. These insects are feeding on something that should be relatively easy to find and dispose of, although taking the time to go through everything and deal with the infested materials may not be an attractive way to spend a day. Perhaps this is why the customer is entertaining the idea of avoiding all of that searching and just having the whole darned place heated. But, I myself would prefer to remove all the clothing from the closet and inspect susceptible items carefully. Then, when you do find the infested wool blanket or sweater or lined gloves or slippers you can decide how badly it is damaged and what you will need to do with it. It may be that only a few items are infested and these can be laundered or dry cleaned or even just tossed into the hot dryer for a cycle at a fraction of the cost of whole house heating. 
It may be other items that are infested, such as animal hair, feathers, and even some stored food products. Some clothes moths also will feed on fungus, and perhaps there is a moisture problem the moths are telling this homeowner about, and this would need to be discovered and corrected. Heating and killing all the bugs might overlook some other serious problems. I would prefer to see a careful inspection done, the source determined and dealt with at that level, and if you have a lot of wandering moth larvae or adult moths those can be vacuumed or killed with applications of residual insecticides in the proper places. You then can also advise the customer about the proper storage of susceptible fabrics so that the problem does not reoccur. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 05, 2012

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Spring rains, warmth boost insect numbers – Mississippi State University


Mississippi State University

Spring rains, warmth boost insect numbers
Mississippi State University
By Keri Collins Lewis MISSISSIPPI STATE — Many Mississippians wonder whether the mild winter will increase the insect pest populations in their gardens and fields this year. However, spring weather could be the more significant factor, said Mississippi …

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Pests in the NewsMarch 04, 2012

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