Archive for July, 2012

Pest control companies busy after Debby – Fox 4

Pest control companies busy after Debby
Fox 4
Tropical Storm Debby did more than dump rain and send hollowing winds across Southwest Florida. The storm disturbed the homes of many insects, which sent them searching for a new place to live.

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Pests in the NewsJuly 03, 2012

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With summer camping season in full swing, state officials say ‘Don’t Move … – Commons

With summer camping season in full swing, state officials say 'Don't Move …
Commons
In order to prevent the spread of invasive pests, Vermont State Parks only permit firewood that comes from within a 50-mile radius. “Our visitors appreciate Vermont's forests and we're glad they've been supportive of this effort to minimize spread of …
Protect America's Beautiful Trees And Forests: Don't Move FirewoodMelodika.net (press release)

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Pests in the NewsJuly 03, 2012

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Don’t Let the Emerald Ash Borer Hitch a Ride for the Holiday Weekend – MarketWatch (press release)

Don't Let the Emerald Ash Borer Hitch a Ride for the Holiday Weekend
MarketWatch (press release)
"Firewood may look harmless, but it's a vehicle for the spread of forest pests and diseases," says Sharon Lucik of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). "For example, the emerald ash borer beetle lives underneath the bark of ash …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 03, 2012

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Not every green insect is an emerald ash borer – Redwood Falls Gazette

Not every green insect is an emerald ash borer
Redwood Falls Gazette
Minnesota has been on high alert to watch for emerald ash borer since it was first discovered here in 2009, but now is the time of year when another insect, the Japanese beetle, is active and can be mistaken for emerald ash borer, according to …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 03, 2012

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Bark beetles may add to intensity of wildfires – CBS News


CBS News

Bark beetles may add to intensity of wildfires
CBS News
The tiny insects have devoured more than 40 million acres of the nation's forests. Some research suggests fire burns hotter and more quickly in beetle-affected areas, while other research indicates that other conditions complicate how fire relates to …
Scientists sorting out beetle-fire relationshipmsnbc.com

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Pests in the NewsJuly 03, 2012

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Jul 3, 2012 – LEED Buildings and PMP’s

QUESTION:

Can you explain the role PCOs play in providing service to businesses that participate in the LEED program? Do PCOs become LEED certified or can any company perform service (for credit to the client) as long as that service adheres to LEED guidelines? Lastly, where can these guidelines be found? Thank you for such a great site!

ANSWER:

The LEED program stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and it is offered by a private corporation called the United States Green Building Council, or USGBC. Their purpose is to certify “Green” buildings, whether commercial or residential, and the complete details on their program can be found on their website at www.usgbc.org. 

It is only the building that becomes LEED certified as a green building, and people do NOT become LEED certified. However, a PMP can have a very important role to play for the owners of that building in their effort to compile enough “points” to reach the higher levels of certification, and in this role the PMP can become a “Green Associate” by taking an exam that tests his knowledge on this program. Having this title adds credibility to that PMP that he is familiar with the standards and the needs of a building owner seeking certification and helps get the foot in the door to be a consultant in the area of pest management in that building. In reality any company could be involved, but having some title in hand is bound to help put you above the rest. 
Within the various areas of a LEED certification a building and its owners must take the presence of pests and their filthy excretions and other health hazards into account. These are well known to be unhealthy for employees to be exposed to, so preventing the presence of insect and rodent and bird pests is important. The overall program also takes into account such things as energy efficiency, recycling, discreet use of resources, etc., and as they accomplish the goals in each area they are given “points”. One point is awarded in the area of “Indoor and Environmental Quality”, which includes prevention of pest problems. Four points are available in the area of “Innovations in Operation” which may include efficient landscape watering, pest exclusion, and other areas of environmental performance not specifically mandated by the LEED program. The intelligent PMP can help to establish how these innovations are done for a building and help gain those valuable points for the owner. 
Every “point” is cherished by the owner seeking LEED certification at the highest level possible – Gold and Platinum being the two highest levels, and a couple of additional points might mean the difference between one or the other. 

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Pest QuestionsJuly 03, 2012

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Jun 30, 2012 – Wood They Live In Furniture?

QUESTION:

What is the best treatment for wooden furniture when infested with pine bark beetles or plain bark beetles?

ANSWER:

Bark beetles compose a large group of tree-infesting beetles formerly in the family Scolytidae, but now lumped into the weevils in the family Curculionidae. These beetles are responsible for tremendous loss of forest trees such as pines and often hardwood trees as well. The larvae feed within the living tissues under the bark, the cambium layer, and eventually girdle the tree and kill it. Several species are referred to as Ambrosia Beetles, and these oddballs have almost a social existence in their galleries in the wood. The female digs a chamber and creates a growth of fungus within that chamber, and it is this fungus that the larvae feed on. Her activities in creating galleries causes the walls of the galleries to become stained a darker color, thus the name “ambrosia”. Even the adult beetles feed on this fungus they introduce and in essence they farm the fungus for their needs. Unfortunately the fungus then infects the tree. 

Since fungi require moisture to live and grow they cannot do so in dry wood, and thus bark beetles rarely continue to live in finished wood products or within structural wood. Dry furniture would be a terribly hostile environment for bark beetles, so we might have one of two circumstances going on here. If you do have an active infestation of wood eating beetles in this furniture it will likely be powderpost or Anobiid beetles – deathwatch, furniture, Lyctus, etc. If what you are seeing is just evidence that was caused by bark beetles this would be surface evidence such as meandering galleries or holes that were cut across and exposed during the milling process. This is a common thing to see on milled lumber where a formerly infested tree was then cut and milled, exposing that old beetle activity. 
If this surface evidence is what you see then it pretty much can be ignored, and it would have to have been there when the furniture was made and purchased. Dry furniture is not going to support bark beetles. If what you see is new holes appearing in the wood then these would be from new adult beetles emerging, and these would be Anobiids or Lyctus, and now there is a problem. These beetles commonly re-infest the wood they grew up in, with generation after generation feeding on the wood, and they do need to be eliminated.
Surface applications of insecticides to finished wood products are usually ineffective, and applying them to a nice finish is also usually unacceptable to the owner of that furniture. The only material that may actually penetrate to kill the beetle larvae feeding within the wood is Bora-Care, and this cannot be applied to finished wood surfaces. It is useful only on unfinished bare wood. Other insecticides applied to the surface will rest there and degrade within a few weeks, and their usefulness is only to intercept emerging adult beetles or adult females that attempt to lay eggs back on that wood when a fresh residual is still present. 
Fumigation by placing the furniture under a tarp or within a chamber is quick and the most effective, but it may not be readily available to you and can be expensive. Heating would also work but the furniture still would have to be retained within some heat chamber for a day or two to ensure the interior of the wood heated sufficiently to kill any larvae or eggs. So, with all of this, I suggest verifying that an existing infestation is actually there and what kind of beetles they are, and this will help you decide what action can be taken. 

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Pest QuestionsJuly 02, 2012

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Jul 1, 2012 – Scorpions Are Bad House Guests

QUESTION:

Do you have any ideas on how to keep scorpions out of a home that was recently built and has hardly any grass around the home yet, but has lots of sand? I know closing all holes and weather stripping will help a lot, but any other ideas would help.

ANSWER:

Well dang it. You already know about the importance of exclusion, so there goes a lot of my normal preaching on scorpion management. However, one thing to keep an eye on is branches and other overhead items that are contacting the structure and the roof, as some scorpions do climb trees and find a way in through upper areas. Since this is a relatively new home it is possible that a natural area has been disturbed and all of the former residents of that natural area are now looking to find new places to live and hide and find food. It is common for bugs to be active and getting into structures for awhile after new construction. 

Since scorpions are all predators that eat mostly other bugs, this is another consideration. If they are living and foraging on this property it is because they are finding things to eat, so elimination of the crickets and beetles and other crawling bugs will reduce the ability for the scorpions to survive on site. They also are nocturnal and hide all day long in some dark place. Are there a lot of things piled on the ground around this new home and close to the structure? If the people recently moved in they may still be finding places to put everything and leaving stuff outside. Anything that can be done to expose the soil by elevating materials will greatly reduce the harborage opportunities for scorpions, and for the other bugs they eat as well. This is particularly important adjacent to the structure where hiding scorpions are that much closer to the structure and more likely to find a way inside. 
Insecticides can be successful as a stop-gap measure, but I always hate relying completely on chemicals if there are other contributing conditions to resolve first. Pyrethroids should work very well to kill scorpions if you treat them directly or treat directly into their hiding places. You need the maximum contact time with these large and hardy critters to be successful. Treating around the perimeter of the foundation may kill those that wander along there that night, and formulations that leave “particles” behind may be more successful as these will adhere to the passing scorpion. This includes wettable powders and micoencapsulated products. 
But, for the long term you need to focus on eliminating the conditions that bring the scorpions onto the property, which is food and harborage. The further you can push them away from the structure the better chance you have that they will not wander close to the home itself. 

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Pest QuestionsJuly 01, 2012

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