Archive for April, 2012

Rice News Release: Plants’ insect defenses activated by touch

Rice University study links touch-activated genes to both growth and insect defense HOUSTON — (April 9, 2012) — A new study by Rice University scientists reveals that plants can use the sense of touch to fight off fungal infections and .

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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Mighty hemlocks falling to tiny, hungry

To help the hemlocks or for more information: ? Donate to the Tennessee Hemlock Conservation Partnership to save the trees on public lands through the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation. ? Trisha Johnson, Tennessee Chapter of The Nature …

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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Nation’s farmers, ranchers aging, USDA fears – Washington Post

Nation's farmers, ranchers aging, USDA fears
Washington Post
It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as drought, rising fuel and feed prices, and crop-eating pests. The country's farmers and ranchers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place.

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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Second Bed Bug Incident Alarms University of Denver Students, BedBugBully.net … – Albany Times Union


PR Web

Second Bed Bug Incident Alarms University of Denver Students, BedBugBully.net …
Albany Times Union
Additionally, one school official stated that they were already working on educating the students about the pests. “Lately, bed bugs have been frequent visitors of schools and dormitories. And with the high traffic in residence halls and campuses, …
Experts Say Warm March Could Lead to Rise in Bed Bugs, BedBugBully.net Advises …DigitalJournal.com (press release)

all 6 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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Bugs That Transmit ‘Silent Killer’ Are Biting More in U.S. – Scientific American


Scientific American

Bugs That Transmit 'Silent Killer' Are Biting More in U.S.
Scientific American
They found that five of the insects contained human DNA, indicating they had bitten a person, and two of those insects had fed on two different people. Moreover, more than half the insects tested were infected with the Chagas parasite, the researchers …

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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Solving crimes with the help of insects – The Sun Daily


The Sun Daily

Solving crimes with the help of insects
The Sun Daily
Like Gil, Nazni (who, incidentally, has never watched the hit TV series) specialises in entomology — the scientific study of insects, and she helps the police shed light on criminal cases with the help of these insects. Catch Nazni in action on April 9 …

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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Native Delaware: Summer forecast unclear for insect onslaught

Prognosticators cite the mild winter and the fact that are out earlier this spring as their rationale. Not so fast, says Brian Kunkel, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension entomologist. “The mild winter may not make much …

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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A wamer winter means spring buzzes with bugs in KC

“We can’t really project forward because we don’t have the experience.” don’t have an internal heat source like mammals do, so they are profoundly affected by external temperatures. Many species that normally experience a large …

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Pests in the NewsApril 11, 2012

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Apr 9, 2012 – Rodents and Disease

QUESTION:

I have a horse stable as a new account and have been asked some questions by the owner of the stable. Do all rats and mouse have the sickness Leptospirosis? If a horse gets the disease will it die quickly or would it take time before it is serious for the horse? Can it be treated in horses? She has 15 to 20 horses and rats in the area. If the rats are infected does it mean all horses will become infected with Leptospirosis? Could this lead to other health problems in the horse? Thanks for your answer and advice.

ANSWER:

Our peridomestic rodents (House Mouse, Norway and Roof Rats) are absolutely wonderful vectors of disease, and Leptospirosis is just one of nearly 60 different known pathogens or parasites passed to humans or domestic animals by these 3 species. This really needs to be kept in mind by those who advocate capture-and-release policies on them. These 3 species of rodents are exotic pests in North America and their presence can threaten the health and existence of many other native animals as well as humans. To capture a roof rat in a home and release it back outside now threatens the local birds, other native rodents, and anything else that rat intends to feed on and compete with. 

Leptospirosis is also called Weil’s Disease and it is caused by a bacteria that may be present in both rats and mice. It is spread from these infected rodents to humans, dogs, livestock, and other animals in the urine of the rodents when that urine gets into drinking water or contacts the eyes or breaks in our skin. Dogs that lick rodent urine within a home or animals that drink water with rodent urine in it are susceptible to acquiring the disease. Many other wild animals also are capable of carrying the disease and being vectors of it. The bacteria can remain alive and viable as long as they remain in a moist situation. Even people swimming in contaminated lakes or streams may be infected. The symptoms of the disease in humans will be fever, rashes, headache, and sloughing of skin, according to Dr. Robert Corrigan’s book on Rodent Control. But, complications from the disease are possible and potentially life threatening. 
If rats are present on this property then we have to assume that they “could” be infected with this disease, and therefore “could” be presenting the opportunity for the horses to become infected as well. Exactly what percentage of rodents in any population are infected would be hard to say, but given the value of horses it’s probably best to work on the assumption that the horses are at least at risk, and the rodents need to be eliminated to ensure the health of the horses. According to one veterinarian fact sheet on this disease and horses, some studies have shown up to 40% of horses may have been infected with the bacteria at some point in their lives. It appears that it is not particularly life threatening to horses, but it can lead to some chronic health problems, such as blood infections, kidney failure, heart complications, and a variety of other ailments. According to this veterinarian guide “the disease is typically seen as a self-limiting mild fever with anorexia”. 
This has to be the message to provide to your customer, and they should consult with their veterinarian on the prevalence of Leptospirosis in your area. A worst case scenario would be that all of the rats and mice could be infected and could be urinating in drinking troughs or on the food of the horses, and if this were the case all of the horses could be at risk and some of them could develop very serious complications. More realistically you might consider that some of the rodents likely are infected and in their daily activities are probably urinating where the horses will eat or drink that contaminated urine. Infected horses most likely would show only mild symptoms and recover, but you need to leave the decision on the horse care up to the customer and her veterinarian. 
However, obviously it would be a really good idea to prevent any rats or mice from coexisting with these horses or any other domestic animals on this property. Even the humans would be at risk if they had a cut on their arm and stuck that arm into a watering trough that was contaminated by rodent urine. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 11, 2012

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Apr 10, 2012 – Old Bait, Now Food

QUESTION:

Can an old and excessive amount of granular bait in a attic (possibly at least 14 years old and maybe Baygon) become a food source for Indian Meal Moths?

ANSWER:

This would not surprise me at all, even though at one time it was a bait that would kill insects that ate it. Propoxur (in Baygon) is a relatively stable molecule as a Carbamate, but granular products do degrade over time, and it would seem likely to me that after possibly 14 years the active ingredient would have degraded to a point low enough not to be able to kill insects any longer. The bait constituent of granular baits will probably be some kind of grain-based product and since the IMM will eat just about anything that bait could be attractive to them. 

So, I am not saying that absolutely the active ingredient is gone, but after that long it would seem likely to be present at an awfully low level. Regardless though, this kind of old bait that I assume must be piled up in this attic should be removed and disposed of properly. It is unlikely that we have an old Baygon Bait label on PestWeb any longer, but you should be able to find one on the internet and read the instructions for disposal of uneaten or spoiled bait. Hopefully it can be disposed of in a garbage can or by burying rather than through a toxic waste process. 
You do point out the important first step in control of any stored food products pest, and that is to discover just where they are coming from. Focusing on the adult moths for control is not going to affect the larvae, and they will quickly mature to new adult moths. Old rodent bait, forgotten pet foods, nuts and other foods stored out in the garage, dried flower arrangements, forgotten food packages in the kitchen cupboards, and pet foods cached in wall voids by rodents are all wonderful sources of food for the IMM and other moth and beetle pests. The IMM may be the most diverse in its food selections. If you suspect some old insect bait that you have found you should easily see the larvae or evidence of them on the bait. They spin lots of silk webbing over the food and this will be evident. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 10, 2012

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