Archive for July, 2012

Guest Column: Be on the lookout for a ‘new’ Raywood Ash Pest – Hanford Sentinel

Guest Column: Be on the lookout for a 'new' Raywood Ash Pest
Hanford Sentinel
The Raywood Ash tree, Fraxinus angustifolia, has many characteristics that make it a favorite Central Valley ornamental. It is rapid growing and develops a lovely, upright and symmetrical canopy. Hanford water quality does not adversely affect it. The …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 26, 2012

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Jul 24, 2012 – Getting To The Source

QUESTION:

The local entomologist ID’d a sample as the carpet or hide beetle that has infested the fireplace area of our client’s home. Inspecting both under and in/over the fireplace we are unable to locate a nesting area that would support this pest. The 4′ crawl space was inspected twice. A chimney sweep took care of the upper works. I would like to hear any eradication ideas and recommended pesticides and application methods.

ANSWER:

I guess we can assume that the ID was accurate, although there can be a big difference between typical “carpet” beetles and hide beetles, with respect to the things they eat. Both kinds are in the family Dermestidae, but hide beetles are more often associated with carcasses and the final bits of skin, flesh, and hair left on the carcass once the flies and other initial insects are through with it. Typical carpet beetles feed on the hair or feathers of carcasses as well as on any grain-based food materials, so old rodent baits, bags of baking goods, dry pet foods are all susceptible to infestation from these smaller, oval beetles. Carpet beetles also feed on dead insects and their assorted remains, so old bee hives or wasp nests often have carpet beetles in them feeding on leftover pupa and shed exoskeletons. Bird nests with leftover feathers or dead chicks could also be a food source for them. 

Which leads us to the question of what might exist in or around this fireplace that could be offering either of these bugs the food they look for. Depending on what kind of fireplace and chimney are here there could be little voids or alcoves up inside that a chimney sweep’s work might not touch, although with their spinning brushes a thorough job ought to dislodge old wasp nests or bird nests. Perhaps you can seal off the opening at the bottom of the fireplace and place some glue traps on either side of that cover, such as plastic sheeting. This may enable you to determine, from captured beetles, which side of the opening the bugs are coming from. The fireplace certainly is not needed in Nevada this time of year, so sealing it shut for awhile shouldn’t be any heartache for the customer and it might help you to narrow the search. If all the beetles you find are on glue traps within the fireplace it could suggest that the problem must be somewhere up inside the chimney. 
If the captured beetles are on the living area side of the fireplace then a continued search for the source is needed, and you might concentrate on looking for grain-based foods rather than animal fibers, although never rule out anything. The adult beetles, in particular, are very active, and may be found wandering well away from their origin as the larvae. I myself had an ongoing problem with them that we finally traced to cupboards in the laundry room where we kept dog “biscuits”, and one of the large biscuits had fallen behind things for most of a year and supported a large population of the carpet beetles. But, there could be wool blankets in storage, wool carpets nearby, wool tapestries on the wall, and other unusual sources near that area. I have also seen ongoing carpet beetle problems due to old rodent baits tossed in the attic and left there. You might investigate this possibility and ask the customer if they have done any rodent baiting themselves. 
There are pheromone traps for carpet beetles and these can be placed here and there throughout the home, the attic, and even the crawl space. Inspecting the glue pads later may offer some clues as to where the beetles are most common and possibly coming from. I hate the idea of using only insecticides to resolve the problem if the source has not yet been found and dealt with. If you have a hidden source it will continue to pump out the adult beetles and continue to attract more of them to the area, since this is the role of these beetles – recycling leftover plant and animal materials. Contact insecticides are great for the mop-up operation to kill any wandering adults and larvae, and any of the pyrethroids should be excellent for this. 
If you determine that somewhere up inside the chimney is the source this is a tough problem. Obviously accessing the exact source is impossible. You may be able to snake a camera up inside the chimney to take a look around, but rigging that up could be interesting. Perhaps another visit from the chimney sweep with more exact instructions on what to try to remove would help. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsJuly 26, 2012

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Bugs like it hot, breeding early, often

Across the country, as a result of record heat, from grasshoppers to crickets and ants to bees are arriving earlier and in greater numbers than usual, entomologists at HomeTeam Pest Defense say. “We’re seeing an increase in a lot of …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 25, 2012

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3Qs: Why a mosquito is more than just a summertime pest – News@Northeastern


Patriot-News

3Qs: Why a mosquito is more than just a summertime pest
News@Northeastern
You know that mosquito bite you're scratching like crazy on that hot, summer night? According to Rebeca Rosengaus, associate professor of biology in the College of Science, it may be a vector, or carrier, for diseases. And while we may think that …
West Nile Virus Found in Douglas CountyKPTM-TV
More mosquitoes test positive for virus; county has 2nd most in stateThe Banner-Graphic

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Pests in the NewsJuly 25, 2012

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Volunteers battle drought, insects while trying to save trees planted after … – The Republic

Volunteers battle drought, insects while trying to save trees planted after …
The Republic
JOPLIN, Mo. ? Hundreds of trees that were planted after a massive tornado slammed into Joplin are endangered by insects and the extreme heat, but an army of volunteers is working to save them using water trucks and buckets. So far, efforts to save the …
'Bucket brigade' sets out to save young treesJoplin Globe

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Pests in the NewsJuly 25, 2012

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UCDavis museums show their stuff at state fair

Insects! Lions! Two of UC Davis's top research collections, the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, will have special exhibits the final three days at the California State Fair in Sacramento.

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Pests in the NewsJuly 25, 2012

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Jul 25, 2012 – Nasties In Nursing Homes

QUESTION:

What is a good product to use for pest control for spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc. in nursing homes where patients are present?

ANSWER:

A huge consideration here is the physical condition of the people in these kinds of facilities. They likely are going to be older people with serious medical issues, and exposing them or potentially exposing them to toxins is not a good thing to do. There are many insecticide products labeled for use in “Hospitals and Health Care Facilities” and you can review our listing of these on PestWeb in our Product Documents resource, selecting the tab Products by Approved Site / Structures / Commercial Structures. Many or all of these would be effective on these kinds of diverse pests that you mention, but the concern is whether or not they should be applied when the patients are actually present in the room. I suggest that you would be much better off avoiding this, and if a specific room did need to be treated with a “spray” application of any kind the patients in that room should be moved out during the application and until any spray has dried. 

It is likely that the majority of the products labeled for nursing homes are going to mandate this anyhow, and if we pick a single example – Alpine Pressurized Insecticide – the Label states clearly “Do not apply this product in hospital patient rooms or nursing home patient rooms while occupied by the patient”. Even if the Label does not mandate evacuating the room first you probably should have this policy in place yourself to lower your liability. For cockroaches and ants, if treating within the rooms themselves is necessary, you might consider sticking to bait products and non-chemical techniques. Bait gels do not normally require people to be removed from the room as there is no chance of airborne exposure to the active ingredient. Non-chemical techniques include removal of obvious food resources that are attracting these pests to the rooms, vacuuming for removal, and sealing all crevices that serve as entry or harborage points. 
Spider control within any room should be done with a vacuum, as the presence of spiders is going to be only one here and there and easily taken care of with the vacuum. Then, take the fight for the spiders OUTSIDE where they are coming from, and this should be the case for ants as well. Applications of insecticides around the perimeter of the structure are not going to impact anyone on the inside, and if you can intercept them outside before they get in, then all the better. The use of one of the excellent non-repellent insecticides that gives a good transfer effect should be great for eliminating local ant colonies. Do take the time to inspect the exterior carefully, and note in writing where you find contributing conditions that are encouraging these pests to be there. This may be dense vegetation that covers the soil, excessively wet soils, piles of debris that are unnecessary, or plants whose branches touch the structure, etc. Changing the look of the exterior to discourage the pests from being there close to the structure will be very helpful in keeping them outside. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsJuly 25, 2012

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Bugs out in force this summer

In general, it is peak season for many bugs and flying and Mother Nature has helped ensure they are out in force this summer. ?It?s a good time to be a pest,? said Kristin Dodd with the North Carolina Pest Management Association. Dodd said a …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 24, 2012

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Pests plague Colorado farm – 9NEWS.com

Pests plague Colorado farm
9NEWS.com
LASALLE, Colo. (AP) – If the drought isn't enough, Colorado farmers are now seeing crop-eating insects chomping on their fields. Agriculture experts say grasshoppers are back this year in huge numbers in some areas of Colorado. But grasshoppers aren't …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 24, 2012

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Webworms out earlier than usual – Mail Tribune

Webworms out earlier than usual
Mail Tribune
Gauzy, Halloween-like webbing from insects known as fall webworms may be decorating trees in the Rogue Valley a little early this year. Usually found in forested areas, the creepy crawlers, known scientifically as Hyphantria cunea, have infested trees …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 24, 2012

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