Giant fleas that fed on dinosaurs unearthed
FOSSIL hunters have uncovered the remains of giant Jurassic fleas that sucked the blood of ancient beasts more than 100 million years ago.
Pests in the NewsMarch 04, 2012
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FOSSIL hunters have uncovered the remains of giant Jurassic fleas that sucked the blood of ancient beasts more than 100 million years ago.
Pests in the NewsMarch 04, 2012
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QUESTION:
Why would honey bees swarm inside a school in February in Georgia?
ANSWER:
This has been, perhaps, an oddball weather year in many areas of the U.S. In California we have had very, very little rain and spring-like weather in January. This last weekend it went over 70 degrees, which triggers a lot of insects to emerge from winter dormancy. We have seen the spring butterflies already out, and every tree that will blossom seems to be doing it already. Since honeybees do not die off in the winter their colonies continue to be active, even though the foraging bees themselves may not emerge from their hives. I believe I once read that the minimum air temperature needs to be about 58 degrees Fahrenheit for honeybees to be active and foraging, so if you have also been having springtime weather that is warm this could be the stimulus that is bringing the bees out.
Pest QuestionsMarch 04, 2012
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QUESTION:
Do you have a list of reduced risk pesticides?
ANSWER:
No Mike, this is not something we have put together so far. We do offer a couple of other resources that might be helpful in this regard, and you can find both of them on PestWeb in the tab “Industry” and then PestWeb Features. The resource is the “Going Green and Organic” highlight, with articles on these two topics and long listings of all of the Organic and Natural pesticides carried by Univar.
Pest QuestionsMarch 03, 2012
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FRESNO, Calif. — California grape growers are celebrating a partial victory over the European grapevine moth as state and federal officials lift quarantines for 661,000 acres of vines. Meanwhile, the U.S. secretary of agriculture has released $ …
Pests in the NewsMarch 02, 2012
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QUESTION:
How can an Insect Growth Regulator be mixed with a general pesticide and still be effective? Can you help me understand this? To me it seems sort of like mixing a repellent and non-repellent insecticide and rendering one or both of them useless.
ANSWER:
I think several factors are at work here, if I mix what I have heard over the years with what my perceptions are. First is the question of just how repellent the contact insecticides are, and I think most of these products can be repellent to some degree without being so repellent that insects refuse to rest on the dry deposits. The repellency also likely varies from insect to insect. Ants, for example, seem to have extremely sensitive little systems, and some of the early pyrethroid active ingredients appeared to be repellent enough that foraging ants just would not cross a treated surface. This has become less so with later “generations” of pyrethroids so that we now do get reasonably good success against ants. We also can mask the repellency of pyrethroids by encapsulating them, so microencapsulated formulations keep most of the active ingredient inside that microscopic capsule, releasing it slowly and allowing insects to contact it without being repelled.
Pest QuestionsMarch 02, 2012
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FRESNO (AP) — California grape growers are celebrating a partial victory over the European grapevine moth as state and federal officials lift quarantines for 661,000 acres of vines. Meanwhile, the U.S. secretary of agriculture has released $8 …
Pests in the NewsMarch 01, 2012
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Now is a good time to inspect landscape plants and fruit trees for cankers and signs of overwintering . After plants leaf out, signs of overwintering are more difficult to see. March is the best time to prune fruit trees. While inspecting trees …
Pests in the NewsMarch 01, 2012
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Get ready for a plague of . Right now, fleas are already finding your pets. They found a South Tulsa Maltese named Sasha. Her owner, Ronda Johnson, spotted a teeny black flea on her white fluffy fur. “It was right on top of her ear,” she said.
Pests in the NewsMarch 01, 2012
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The FDA has posted its warning letter about APP Pharmaceuticals’ New York plant, and the citations aren’t pretty: Agency inspectors cited found in the drug production area, not to mention in several drug vials, including one that made …
Pests in the NewsMarch 01, 2012
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It’s one of life’s special moments: a child finds a fat caterpillar, puts it in a jar with a twig and a few leaves, and awakens one day to find the caterpillar has disappeared and an elegant but apparently lifeless case now hangs from the twig.
Pests in the NewsMarch 01, 2012
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