Archive for August, 2012

, disease, drought taking their toll on trees

The drought isn’t just withering plants in Nebraska. It’s also making them more susceptible to and disease. ” can tell when a tree is stressed,” said Amy Seiler, western Nebraska community forestry specialist for the Nebraska …

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Pests in the NewsAugust 24, 2012

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Learn all about at Bug Fest

You?d think that any mention of and bugs would send people running to the nearest screen house in search of cover. But that?s not exactly the case here. In 2010, the Fox Valley Park District unveiled a new event called Bug Fest.

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Pests in the NewsAugust 24, 2012

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New Mexico Fire Station Reopened After Bat Infestation – Firehouse.com

New Mexico Fire Station Reopened After Bat Infestation
Firehouse.com
Crews noticed bats within the ceiling space of Fire Station 1, and crews had to be moved to other stations as the flying pests were dealt with. AFD spokeswoman Melissa Romero said high frequency electronic pest repellent devices were used. Also, bat …

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Pests in the NewsAugust 24, 2012

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Three Libraries In Hamden, Connecticut Infested With Bed Bugs – Student Operated Press


Student Operated Press

Three Libraries In Hamden, Connecticut Infested With Bed Bugs
Student Operated Press
Charlie Mastroberti of Quest Pest Control in Avon said the bugs were in books recently returned to the Hamden Public Library`s central branch. He used a beagle named Ellie to track down and take care of the pests, WCBS-AM, New York, reported Thursday." …

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Pests in the NewsAugust 24, 2012

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Bedbug scare clears Detroit court – The Detroit News


CBS Local

Bedbug scare clears Detroit court
The Detroit News
Detroit ? Bedbugs, which experts say have become a major pest in the city, infiltrated a Detroit courtroom Thursday, forcing a judge to evacuate the room after a bailiff spotted the bugs crawling on a man who was accompanying a witness to a hearing.
Detroit courtroom clears after bedbugs seen on manSan Francisco Chronicle

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Pests in the NewsAugust 24, 2012

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Bees Seized In Queens: 3 Million Insects Terrify NYC Neighborhood – International Business Times


International Business Times

Bees Seized In Queens: 3 Million Insects Terrify NYC Neighborhood
International Business Times
August 23, 2012 4:12 PM EDT. About 3 million bees were seized from the home of a Queens, N.Y., man who had been a beekeeper in his native China and found the insects were getting out of control. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)<br>About 3 million bees …
3 million bees seized from Queens man in stunning 'sting' operationNew York Daily News
bee man accused of funny-honey 'scam'New York Post
3 million bees seized from Queens, NY, man's homeNBCNews.com (blog)
The Inquisitr
all 52 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsAugust 24, 2012

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Insects, disease, drought taking their toll on trees – North Platte Telegraph

Insects, disease, drought taking their toll on trees
North Platte Telegraph
"Insects can tell when a tree is stressed," said Amy Seiler, western Nebraska community forestry specialist for the Nebraska Forest Service. "That's their signal to go in there and break that tree down. It's how nature takes care of itself …

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Pests in the NewsAugust 24, 2012

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Aug 24, 2012 – Wasps Over Water

QUESTION:

I have a client who has a well head infested with Polistes dominulus wasps. The nest was
exposed when I removed the metal cover and it is sitting on the wiring at the top of the tube. Any pesticides used here would likely drip down into the water supply 20 feet below. Any suggestions on how to treat this and with what product? Dusts and liquid sprays seem
dangerous and I don’t want to get sued for a well contamination claim.

ANSWER:

Since you are able to carefully remove the cover and expose the nest I see two options. Both would require that you be wearing the appropriate protective clothing of “bee” hood,  bee gloves, bee suit or some other thick clothing that prohibits the wasps from getting under it and to your skin. Regardless of whether you treat the nest chemically or non-chemically, getting that close to a nest of stinging wasps calls for protecting yourself. 

Polistes dominulus is the European Paper Wasp, and these imported problems really like making their nests in just such a location – small cavities. We find them in bird houses and bird feeders, mail boxes, porch lights, piping outdoors, and here in California under the edges of Spanish tiles on roofs. Their nests may often be smaller than those of the native paper wasps that they seem to be displacing in the U.S. and they are not terribly aggressive, but having them around structures still poses that threat of stings. 
If you can approach this at dusk there is a good chance that all of the adult wasps are going to be on or near the nest, and while wearing your protective clothing you could physically remove the nest for disposal. The problem I see with this is that just removing the nest does not do anything to kill all the adult wasps, so the problem could easily start again, so on to option two. 
I think insecticides are called for, but how to ensure nothing ends up in the water below. Since I cannot properly picture the situation is it possible for you to remove this cover and move it slightly away from over the well tube? If so you then could treat the nest with a directed aerosol wasp “freeze” that would instantly kill all adult wasps. Again, do this late in the day when the wasps are most likely to be back on that area. You could use a product like EcoExempt Jet Wasp and Hornet which contains plant-based active ingredients of rosemary oil and hexa-hydroxyl, which you still wouldn’t want dripping down into the well but which could dry quickly before replacing the cover. 
If this well sits adjacent to the structure you might also look at the label of Termidor SC to see if you could use this product at that point. It is labeled now for paper wasps and can be applied to points where the wasps “enter” the structure including up to 1 foot away from the foundation. Termidor is working very well to kill social wasps that have hidden nests, but removing the nest physically is always a good idea. If the cover cannot be moved away for treatment is it possible for you to cover the tube leading down into the well first so that you then can spray the nest but prohibit any insecticide from dripping down into the well? If you can and then use one of the very short-lived plant derived products like pyrethrum or the EcoExempt product the active ingredients should break down very rapidly to prevent any chance of their being present later. 
And , always discuss these options with the customer so they understand the nature of the materials you intend to use. 

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Pest QuestionsAugust 24, 2012

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New insect invader damaging plants, leaving gunk on cars, lawn furniture and … – TCPalm

New insect invader damaging plants, leaving gunk on cars, lawn furniture and …
TCPalm
Hire a certified pest control operator to apply pesticide to roots or tree trunks. Apply treatments for at least six months, and preferably for one year. Learn more at http://pbcgov.com/coextension/horticulture/whitefly/pdf/RugoseSpiralingWhitefly.pdf …

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Pests in the NewsAugust 23, 2012

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Aug 21, 2012 – Parasites and Products

QUESTION:

What is the industry using for the control of Fleas and ticks.

ANSWER:

Fleas and Ticks are really two very different problems with very different measures for control, so I will abbreviate my answers here to keep it concise. For fleas it must be kept in mind that preparation by the customer is extremely important, as is follow up work on their part. For preparation they must clear the entire floor of everything to give you access to it for your treatment. This clearing ahead of time also prepares them for the very thorough vacuuming that is absolutely necessary if you expect to control the problem indoors. And, following your first application the customer should vacuum again every day or two, using a strong vacuum over every square inch of the carpet if possible. This will “stimulate” many flea pupae to hatch to the adult stage which otherwise might remain in the pupa stage for weeks or months, keeping the problem in place. 

Your choice of products also depends on the setting. Some of the aerosol products, such as Precor 2000, might be the best choice for an office, where people cannot afford to vacate for the entire day. Once applied, with the adulticide and IGR together in the mix, it will dry within minutes or less and allow people back into the treated area more quickly. For a residence a liquid concentrate may be better, along with the IGR, and the labeling becomes important, for very few products allow you to treat the entire carpet. Dragnet SFR remains one of those few, so check the label carefully to be certain you are applying the material in accordance with what is allowed. Pyrethroids like permethrin do work well both indoors and outdoors for fleas as long as the area is prepared properly first. For the IGR both methoprene and nylar products are excellent. 
Tick management is tough once they are established indoors, but pyrethroids should also be excellent for them. In particular you might consider a microencapsulated product that is going to extend the residual and perhaps more easily adhere to the tick that crawls over a treated surface. Since the female tick that is fully engorged may seclude herself in any crevice available and then deposit several thousand eggs into that hidden place, you need something that may be capable of intercepting these new “seed” ticks once they hatch and emerge and go looking for a blood host. 
Tick management should rely heavily on cooperation and education of the customer. They need to understand the importance of daily inspection of pets that are active outdoors where ticks are prevalent, and the proper way to remove embedded ticks. They also can use insecticidal shampoos on the pets to kill ticks as well as some of the collars or on-animal drops that also can kill ticks early. Outdoors is where the ticks are coming from, so keeping grassy areas mowed short, keeping pets from wandering into tall grass or thick brush, and treating outdoors with a labeled pyrethroid also are part of the overall program. 

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Pest QuestionsAugust 23, 2012

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