Archive for May, 2012

Bedbug evidence – but no actual bedbugs – found at Hamilton Central Library – Hamilton Spectator

Bedbug evidence – but no actual bedbugs – found at Hamilton Central Library
Hamilton Spectator
A recent bedbug inspection at Central Library found “many” spots potentially inhabited by the pests, but officials insist not one was found. Special sniffer dogs brought in for an inspection March 25 showed an “alertness” indicating the possibility of …

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Pests in the NewsMay 14, 2012

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Mosqito count expected to spike – WCBD

Mosqito count expected to spike
WCBD
(more) After a rainy weekend and much needed rain last week, pest control crews expect a spike in the number of bugs looking to make you their meal. Already the Department of Health reported this year's warm temperatures mean bugs will be worse than …

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Pests in the NewsMay 14, 2012

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Homebuyers urged to tackle termites – Sky News Australia

Homebuyers urged to tackle termites
Sky News Australia
The timber pests are often completely concealed by the linings and claddings of buildings, meaning they go undetected when a house is being bought. NSW Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts on Monday launched a new pest inspections code of practice, …

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Pests in the NewsMay 14, 2012

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May 14, 2012 – Which Way For Wasps?

QUESTION:

I’m a PMP in Washington and this year wasps are becoming the pest of the year. What product or products do you suggest along with the best eradication methods to nests that are apparently visible?

ANSWER:

There are wasps and then there are wasps, and I truly believe that it should begin with an accurate identification of just what wasps are on the property. We could really look at all wasps as beneficial, since nearly all of the larger species are predatory or parasitic, either laying eggs on or in other insect larvae such as caterpillars or simply taking entire caterpillars, crickets, and other insects back to their nest to feed to their larvae. Many of these wasps are “solitary” wasps, such as the mud daubers, and they feed on great numbers of spiders, crickets, caterpillars, etc., and pose virtually no threat of stinging. As a solitary wasp they do not defend their nests, and do not tend their larvae beyond the initial building of it and providing a stash of food for their larvae. These kinds of wasps, to the horror of so many homeowners, ought to be encouraged in the landscape, as they provide great benefit and pose little risk. 

If the homeowner simply objects to the presence of mud nests on the walls of their house these nests can by physically removed and disposed of, and no chemical applications are warranted. If the homeowner is afraid of solitary wasps that are entering holes in the ground they can avoid the area for a week or so and the female wasp will be finished, or cover that soil or keep it dry to discourage the wasps from digging. Educating homeowners may help many of them to understand and appreciate the benefits they derive from the work of most wasps. 
For paper / umbrella wasps, which create the hanging nest that is exposed on the bottom, an effective treatment is simply the use of one of the jet sprays that can treat that nest directly from 10+ feet away, instantly killing any wasps on it and many of the exposed larvae as well. This is best done at dusk when the adult wasps should all be back on the nest, but it still is advisable to wear protective clothing to prevent any angered wasp from getting down the back of your shirt. After spraying and immobilizing the adult wasps the nest can be removed and disposed of. The most common player in this group now will be the European Paper Wasp, which has taken over the country and in some places displaced native species by out-competing them for food resources. This species commonly builds its nests within small cavities – hollow pipe fencing, bird houses, porch lights, under tile roofing, and within small cavities under the eaves. For these you may need to expose the nest if possible and then spray, or use a dust within the cavity to kill the adult wasps. 
Yellowjackets are the biggest problem, due to their aggressive behavior when you disturb their nest area, the size of their colonies that can reach 20,000 or more workers (all with stingers and an attitude), and the enclosed paper nest that often is hidden within structural voids or in holes in the ground. If you can directly access the nest itself you can treat into it with a pressurized duster, but absolutely be wearing protective clothing (a.k.a. bee suit, bee gloves, bee hood, etc.) to avoid being stung. Some PMP’s take a twisted wire and poke it into the paper nest and twirl it around vigorously to break up the layers inside the nest. This helps expose more of the interior for the dusting operation. You may only be able to find the entry point in a structure and have no access to the nest itself, which poses a dilemma. For this you may dust into the entry opening and hope the workers passing through there carry the dust into the nest. 
Interesting is that Termidor SC is labeled for wasps and yellowjackets, and labeled for exactly this kind of treatment – directly into the entry points or voids being used by these insects. This may provide you with the same “transfer effect” that seems to be so effective for ants and termites, as passing worker wasps carry the active ingredient into the colony. I was once told by a yellowjacket and wasp expert that you might achieve some level of “prevention” of paper wasps by treating the surfaces under eaves with permethrin, treating only those surfaces that have a history of these paper nests on them. Be careful to adhere to the label uses on the containers that you buy, since pyrethroid labels will all be changing and become more restrictive for exterior applications. 

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Pest QuestionsMay 14, 2012

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RIVERSIDE: Avocado-killing pest identified at UCR

“Everyone is racing to this meeting, because California has done a good job of localizing .” They’re hoping to do the same — keep the beetle and fungus from spreading — in this case, he said. The beetle is not limited to avocado tree

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Pests in the NewsMay 13, 2012

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Early spring has termites on the move – The Tennessean

Early spring has termites on the move
The Tennessean
Earl Lipscomb of Franklin Pest Control says it is imperative that homeowners keep their homes protected year round by a professional pest control service. “Some things to watch for in your home are shelter tubes — they're made of mud,” he said.

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Pests in the NewsMay 13, 2012

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PPMA Retains a Medical Spokesperson. – PCT Magazine

PPMA Retains a Medical Spokesperson.
PCT Magazine
Dr. Jorge Parada, a leading infectious disease specialist will offer health perspectives about the dangers of pests. FAIRFAX, Va. — The Professional Pest Management Alliance announces that it has chosen Dr. Jorge Parada, medical director of the Loyola …

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Pests in the NewsMay 13, 2012

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May 11, 2012 – Take Away The Grease

QUESTION:

I have a restaurant customer that has a large outdoor patio. Would using Bio-mop as a surface mop agent cut down on the organic material enough to make a difference in the fly population if I use fly bait along with it in critical areas?

ANSWER:

Bio-Mop Plus is one of several biological, bacteria-based cleaners that do a good job of “eating” the buildup of organic materials on surfaces and within drains. These not only help to reduce pest problems by removing food and breeding resources, but they remove materials that encourage the growth of other bacteria that constitute an unsanitary situation. They would be excellent choices for use in restaurants, and Bio-Mop Plus is labeled very generally for use on “all washable surfaces”, so using it on an outdoor patio should be within the label uses. This could be done as a regular application for your customer, providing you with a useful add-on service and additional income. 

According to the product information for Bio-Mop Plus you should get some immediate cleaning from solvents in the formulation, as well as long-term cleaning due to the action of the bacteria. When you apply it to a floor surface it then flows into floor drains, and now works to eat away the buildup of organic sludge in that setting, discouraging the presence and breeding of drain flies and phorid flies. It would be of some importance to keep in mind that this product is not specifically registered by EPA as a pesticide, and therefore the Label cannot make claims to assist with fly management. It only can claim to remove organic materials and provide cleaning. 
Depending on what your fly problem is at this restaurant this kind of application may or may not be helpful. If it is small flies that could be breeding in the organic materials then certainly it will give immediate results. If the problem is, as is so common, houseflies drawn to that outdoor eating area, then cleaning the floors may not be as much help as you would like. Definitely dirty floors are going to contribute to the overall attraction of flies, but houseflies are breeding in very different areas and will come to food service establishments because of the odors of food or garbage. You might do well to evaluate the overall setting for any and all sanitation issues. This includes the waste stream inside and outside the restaurant. Is garbage inside disposed of properly and removed from the inside on a daily basis. Are the garbage receptacles inside kept clean? Is the dumpster area outside clean (this would be another good area to spray with Bio-Mop Plus) and the receptacles clean and with tight fitting lids in place?
The use of baits outdoors would be excellent, including spray on / paint on baits on exterior walls using products like Maxforce Spot-on. Trying to keep the numbers of houseflies down to a tolerable level requires the use of as many tools as possible, so you could also install fly traps around the dumpsters, window glue traps inside, UV light traps inside and possibly under cover for the outdoor patio if it is darkened enough. Each tool on its own is unlikely to control the problem sufficiently, but putting them all together, with each one capturing or killing more flies, the overall result gets to a decent level. The customer still needs to understand, though, that he cannot expect flies outdoors to get to zero. You cannot control the presence of flies around the exterior environment, and more are always going to fly to this place to investigate the great odors they detect. 

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Pest QuestionsMay 13, 2012

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May 12, 2012 – Hantavirus Facts

QUESTION:

What are the symptoms of hantavirus and how common is this virus in Ohio?

ANSWER:

Hantavirus is a very serious pulmonary disease, and the mortality rate is actually pretty high, with about 1 in 3 people diagnosed with the disease dying from it. While this disease probably has been present in people in the U.S. for a very long time, it wasn’t really well known until 1993 when an outbreak occurred in the “Four Corners” area of the Southwest. From this outbreak an intensive study was done to determine the pathogen causing it, and it was finally isolated as a virus simply called the Sin Nombre virus. Several other viruses now also are known to cause the disease. The primary carrier and reservoir of the virus appears to be Deer Mice. They excrete the virus in their feces, urine, and saliva, and when these dry and become airborne they can be inhaled by humans. Many species of rodents have been shown to be “capable” of carrying the hantavirus pathogens, but deer mice in the genus Peromyscus continue to be the primary reservoirs. When the mice inhabit structures where people then enter the opportunity for infection occurs. 

The symptoms initially are very similar to the flu – fever, headache, nausea, fatigue – but as it progresses the lungs fill with fluids and it now becomes life threatening. The progression of the disease can be very rapid, and news reports of people with the disease suggested that death occurred within just a few days after the first symptoms were felt. Without question medical care needs to be sought if a person believes he was exposed to dust that may be infected with the virus, due to activity in and around deer mice. This also emphasizes the importance of removing rodent fecal matter from structures in the PROPER manner, and sanitizing the surfaces where the feces or urine may have been deposited. This is an opportunity for pest management professionals, but you need to be very clear on the proper method and the personal protective equipment that must be worn. 
The disease occurs more commonly in some states than others. Washington State, for example, states that 1 to 5 cases per year are confirmed. An Ohio Department of Health fact sheet on Hantavirus, updated in 2011, states that there have been “no confirmed cases in Ohio”. 

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Pest QuestionsMay 12, 2012

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May 9, 2012 – Some Don’t Like It Hot, Others Cold

QUESTION:

Does it matter what the temperature of the water is when mixing with a pesticide (let’s say Tempo for instance)? I was told if it’s hot tap water it will break down the active ingredient. Is that true?

ANSWER:

I suppose there is some merit to the thought that hot water is going to degrade an active ingredient more quickly than cooler water will, but for the immediate use of the product I think you would have to get REALLY hot to cause a significant loss of the active ingredient. The hotter you get those molecules of the a.i. the more agitated they become and the more likely they will start falling apart. This would be the same for applying that product in shade versus direct sunlight – heat affects the molecule. So, just don’t use scalding water, and maybe let the garden hose run a moment to pull cooler water into it just to be on the safe side. 

Of more concern might be the use of really cold water, particularly when using soluble packets. These soft outer packets are designed to dissolve in the water, and a soluble packet is considered a closed mixing system that is really a benefit for us. By taking a pre-measured packet out of the box and just placing it directly into the water we don’t worry about measuring the dose and the box it came in is not considered to be contaminated, giving us ease of disposal. But, really cold water that you might get during the winter could cause that packet to dissolve very slowly, and this not only causes you a delay when waiting to use the mixed material, but if it has not dissolved completely the goo could get into the syphon tube in a hand sprayer or congested in the pump of a power sprayer and cause problems. Even wettable powders may not homogenize in the water as easily with cold water, and in the winter when using outside faucets you need to be aware of this and increase the mixing before using the products. 

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Pest QuestionsMay 11, 2012

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