Archive for July, 2012

Collectors Remove for a Good Purpose

Carl Roush gets stung by an average of two times a week. That’s a side effect of his job. Since 1986, Roush, of Longview, has collected stinging — such as yellowjackets and hornets — for medical use. Roush has a master’s …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 20, 2012

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Heat drives infestation of black widow spiders in Oklahoma, Missouri – Examiner.com


Examiner.com

Heat drives infestation of black widow spiders in Oklahoma, Missouri
Examiner.com
Exterminators have been busy dealing with an exploding population of black widows in Oklahoma and Missouri so far this summer season. Pest control experts say b.

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Pests in the NewsJuly 20, 2012

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Oxitec Scientists Clip Wings of the Asian Tiger Mosquito – MarketWatch (press release)


The Guardian

Oxitec Scientists Clip Wings of the Asian Tiger Mosquito
MarketWatch (press release)
The Asian tiger mosquito is an extremely difficult pest to control: conventional methods rely on chemical pesticides which not only harm other insects but are increasingly ineffective as mosquitoes develop resistance. Now, an Oxitec team led by Dr …
Genetically modified mosquito test angers Key WestFirst Coast News
Mutant mosquitoes: Re-mutating?Canton Repository (blog)
'Mutant' Mosquitoes Could Be Released in FloridaWFMY News 2
Nature.com –Examiner.com
all 40 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsJuly 20, 2012

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Connecticut Sets Traps In Hunt For Emerald Ash Borer – Patch.com


Nashville Public Radio

Connecticut Sets Traps In Hunt For Emerald Ash Borer
Patch.com
First detected in the 1980's, yellow ash disease has already weakened many ash trees–and, so, makes them more vulnerable to the insect. The ash disease results from a microbe that, like the beetle, invades a tree. Hiskes said the emerald ash borer has …
Nothing fab about these beetles: emerald ash borer threatens ash treesMontreal Gazette
Scientists Enlist Insects to Help Protect Ash TreesNashville Public Radio
Time to take inventory of city's treesOttawa Citizen

all 35 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsJuly 20, 2012

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Jul 18, 2012 – Roaches Gotta Eat

QUESTION:

I have a friend with a custom car building / mechanic shop which is a large place, equipment around the walls, car lifts, etc. With the restrictions we have now how would you go about treating a shop like this for roaches? In the past I have treated around the base of the walls as much as possible, under equipment the best I can, and spot treated around the doors and any possible entry points. Mainly I see American and Australian roaches and there are no moisture issues that I can see. There is no break room so no feeding area or water resource. There are two bathrooms just off of the shop which I treat. The way I have treated in the past has worked just fine, and just wondering what your professional thoughts are.


ANSWER:

First, I guess, is that I don’t know of any new restrictions on the use of insecticides indoors for a site like this. You may be referring to the new label changes on synthetic pyrethroids, but these only address outdoor settings and refer to restrictions in using these products on exterior surfaces of the structure and on “impermeable” horizontal surfaces such as patios or sidewalks. I don’t think these changes should have much effect on how you would treat for cockroaches, either inside or out. This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that what you are doing or have been doing should not change in some way. If it is not currently fixing the pest problem then continuing it would seem to be a poor course of action. 

I personally believe that just about any of our currently popular cockroach products is going to kill cockroaches. The key is getting the active ingredient and the roach together for a long enough period or time, and this is referred to as “contact time”. The a.i. must be given the opportunity to get inside the roach in concentrations high enough to kill it by affecting its nervous system, or in the case of boric acid baits to be eaten in sufficient quantities. A quick run across a dry deposit of insecticide by a large cockroach is really unlikely to achieve this contact time, and for this reason I am not a great fan of baseboard treatments or other surface spot treatments. Much better for roaches found indoors is to take the fight directly to where they spend 80% of their time, and that is hidden within crevices, voids, and beneath materials resting on the floor. Placing the active ingredient directly into their harborage maximizes the contact time and also puts that material where other roaches may choose to hide if they enter. 
One IPM step that could be offered to this account would be storage of materials off of the floor, perhaps on metal racks as much as possible. Removing that harborage opportunity limits what is left so you can treat it more easily, less roaches can live inside with the reduced hiding places, and you put those present under stress because you have taken away one of their needs. 
Now, whether or not you know of any food or water resources we have to recognize that these roaches are, indeed, eating something. Perhaps their foods are outdoors and they are just using the interior for harborage during the day. Perhaps there are foods inside that you have not discovered or your customer has not revealed to you. Presumably the people who work there do eat lunch at work occasionally, so something may be discarded or fallen and forgotten. Ditto for the moisture, and Australian roaches in particular require high moisture in their environment. Of course, you are in Florida, so humidity is high anyhow, and with all the recent incredible rain you have had it may be that much higher. This also may be a reason these roaches have moved indoors more to escape excessive water outside. 
I would take a really close look around the exterior to see where these roaches may be coming from, since they often are outdoor roaches. There may be opportunities to change conditions outside to remove food and clutter that support them. You also might try granular insect baits outside and even inside with a bait labeled for the interior. Large roaches seem to like this kind of bait and eat it readily, particularly if other foods are removed or restricted. Take a look at any voids inside such as wall voids that connect to the exterior, as the roaches may live within them and they could be treated with a contact dust. Take a close look at where you can fill in openings on the outside that the roaches may be using for entry, and seal those permanently where possible. 

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Pest QuestionsJuly 20, 2012

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Jul 19, 2012 – Pump and Spray Performance

QUESTION:

How can I measure output pressure (p.s.i.) at the nozzle of my JD-9 gun or lawn wand on my truck mounted spray rig? Not just the pressure the device is rated for. I am trying to evaluate major changes to the output p.s.i. of my spray rig and their ultimate effect… this may be plumbing changes, orifice configurations, aging components, and other variables that all have effects on the ultimate pressure of the insecticide applied. I am a pest control technician who utilizes this rig at least 5 days per week for perimeter spraying, lawns & outdoor commercial.

ANSWER:

The ideal and most accurate way to measure pressure at the nozzle would be to have a pressure gauge installed on the spray gun, and JD-9 gunjets do come as one model tooled to accept a pressure gauge. If yours is not set up to screw a gauge directly onto the gunjet the next best thing would be to install a gauge in-line between the hose and the gunjet, and these are available as well. The gauge will probably feel like it is getting in the way if you leave it in place for all your work, but you could at least determine what the pressure is and then remove the gauge for your daily routines. 

Exactly what the pressure is at the nozzle tip where the liquid comes out varies, as you indicate, with a number of considerations. The diameter and length of the hose are big ones, and there is a dramatic drop due to friction between the pump and the end of the hose. You can find formulas for determining what this loss of psi is, but it still could be somewhat subjective and only an estimate. The kind of spray gun and the size of the orifice are also major considerations, and the larger the orifice the less resistance you have pushing back on the flow of the liquid, so a larger orifice should equate to somewhat lower psi actually coming out the nozzle. A “flood” or “shower” style nozzle reduces that even more and is probably the best kind of nozzle to use for turf applications, as you get a faster treatment of the turf with far less fine particles being produced, thus less drift. These kinds of lawn guns are available from Univar. The shower style nozzle would not be appropriate for spraying taller trees, so for that a JD-9 gunjet is good but with a fairly large orifice to put out the volume with less mist and fine droplets that drift. 
But, to get the most accurate reading of the psi at the tip of the gunjet you would want a gauge installed as close to that tip as possible. Knowing exactly what your output psi is could be a very important consideration, as many product labels may restrict what psi you are using for your application. Certainly this is a restriction on termiticide applications where guessing at the psi could be a problem. 

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Pest QuestionsJuly 19, 2012

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Rat warning as floods flush out

Health experts have warned homeowners to take measures to stop “huge numbers” of rats flushed out by floods from re-establishing themselves. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) said people clearing up after the heavy rain should block up …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 18, 2012

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Arachnophobia? Spiders lie in wait after warm winter -7/16/2012, 9:40 AM – Hays Daily News


Hays Daily News

Arachnophobia? Spiders lie in wait after warm winter -7/16/2012, 9:40 AM
Hays Daily News
Advance Termite and Pest Control president Al Wells said the company has received more calls from people about black widows this summer than they have in the past three summers combined. On average, five to eight people call each day requesting …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 18, 2012

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Scientists Enlist Insects to Help Protect Ash Trees – Nashville Public Radio

Scientists Enlist Insects to Help Protect Ash Trees
Nashville Public Radio
Scientists in Tennessee are working to keep an invasive insect in check, as it gnaws through ash trees in the Smokies. The weapon of choice against the Emerald Ash Borer? It's actually more bugs. Photo Courtesy of David Cappaert, Michigan State …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 18, 2012

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Tenant forced out of flat by insect infestation – Scotland Courier


Scotland Courier

Tenant forced out of flat by insect infestation
Scotland Courier
''My tenant has been forced to move out as a result of the bug infestation caused by congested gutterings,'' she said. ''There are insects living and breeding in the wall cavities and eaves of the building, and last week my tenant noticed insects …

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Pests in the NewsJuly 18, 2012

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