Archive for September, 2012

Aerial spraying for EEE set in central NY county

More aerial spraying to kill mosquitoes is planned in a central New York county where Eastern equine encephalitis was found in one of the tested by state health experts last week.The Oswego County Health Department says the spraying is scheduled …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 12, 2012

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Sep 10, 2012 – A Threshold Level of ONE?

QUESTION:

In your last article you said “Be liberal with a use of insect glue traps, placed in many locations so you can monitor to see where hot spots may exist.” When servicing restaurants we would love to place glue boards out and the health dept encourages this, BUT if they see 1 live one in the traps they can shut the restaurant down! I call this entrapment! What are your thoughts?

ANSWER:

Well, my characterization of this, if it truly does happen, would be to call that action rather short sighted or narrow minded, or perhaps a bit ignorant of good pest management practices. If, and I qualify it with “if”, a health official were to shut down a restaurant because a single, or even a few, roaches were found in properly placed monitoring devices the end result would be pretty obvious. They would be stifling the use of these monitoring devices that are important for determining if and when pests enter these kinds of places. Non-toxic insect glue traps are an important part of an overall IPM program for good roach management. 

Hopefully there is just some misunderstanding here that can be cleared up with some discussions with the health department itself. Maybe it was a single over-exuberant health inspector who did this or maybe even just claimed that he had the authority to do so, but I would hope this was not the policy of any local health department. Perhaps a meeting with the upper management of your local health department would be beneficial for everyone involved. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 12, 2012

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The most likely to bug you in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is internationally known as the home of gamblers, showgirls and every variety of Elvis one can imagine. But it?s also home to some serious (and no, we?re not talking about the smut peddlers on the Strip). Scorpions, spiders …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 11, 2012

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Fear of spiders, , blood and animals are all common phobias, but one University research project is looking at fears in older age

Are you middle-aged or older and scared of spiders? One university research project could be interested in learning about you. The University of Queensland is calling on middle aged and older people to take part in a study about phobias. Professor Nancy …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 11, 2012

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Ants have higher sense of smell than most

Washington, Sept 11 (ANI): Odour receptors among ants is four to five times higher than most , researchers have revealed. The research team, led by Lawrence Zwiebel at Vanderbilt, recently completed the first full map of olfactory system …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 11, 2012

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‘Super rats’ a problem, says pest control firm – Salisbury Journal

'Super rats' a problem, says pest control firm
Salisbury Journal
This new, tougher breed of pest is especially prevalent in 'hotspots' including Salisbury, Reading and Newbury. Mr Turner said: ?Businesses need to do more and have a greater awareness of health and hygiene issues and what causes problems in the first …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 11, 2012

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Putting pests to good use in laboratories – Sunday Mercury

Putting pests to good use in laboratories
Sunday Mercury
Putting pests to good use in laboratories. Sep 9 2012 by George Tyndale, Sunday Mercury. RATS, mice and, for that matter, guinea pigs serve virtually no useful purpose. They feed on rubbish and they leave behind mess, bad smells and disease. Mankind …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 11, 2012

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Pests Found in Tunisian City Water – OOSKA News

Pests Found in Tunisian City Water
OOSKA News
Pests Found in Tunisian City Water. 11 Sep 2012 – 09:26 by Local Press Report. DJERBIAN (Tunisia Live) ? Residents in the Southern areas of Midoun, and Sdouiksh were aghast on this weekend when they discovered unwelcome guests in their water.

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 11, 2012

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‘Fruit fly’ hits Coulee Region; invasive species likes raspberries – La Crosse Tribune

'Fruit fly' hits Coulee Region; invasive species likes raspberries
La Crosse Tribune
It's too early to say how area growers will deal with the insect in the future. The bugs may not be a problem next year if the insects don't survive the Coulee Region winter. ?We're not 100 percent sure if they'll winter over,? Halfman said. ?We're in …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 11, 2012

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Sep 11, 2012 – One Final Challenge

QUESTION:

I have an apartment complex that I am treating for bed bugs. I have one particular apartment that has a major problem and the tenant is now irate. I have vacuumed the baseboards, mattresses, furniture. I have treated with Phantom, Gentrol, Phantom Aerosol Crack and Crevice III, dusted voids with CimexA dust and I still have a problem. What am I missing?

ANSWER:

If this one apartment seems to have “the” major problem then perhaps it has been the epicenter of the bed bug problem for this complex. Question is, are you getting all the cooperation you need here to eliminate these very difficult pests?

We are fully aware now, due to the great many seminars and articles and advice from experts that insecticides alone are unlikely to eliminate entrenched bed bugs. Since the female bugs can and will deposit (glue) there eggs just about anywhere within an infested room you need to take the necessary steps to ensure that even all those eggs are dead. This means in some way treating in some manner even the curtains, electronic equipment, all clothing and clothing storage areas, all furniture and every crevice in every dresser, headboard, and night stand, and every other crevice or hole in the room, including behind everything hanging on the walls. Edges of carpets and behind floor molding is very important. You also need to inspect all other rooms in the apartment, in particular living rooms where people also may fall asleep and become food for bed bugs hiding there, and now furniture like recliners becomes suspect and difficult to manage. 
You cannot expect to go into a fully furnished apartment and vacuum and then spray and expect to reach all of the places that the bed bugs hide. This becomes particularly important given the high levels of resistance exhibited by many populations of bed bugs. And, in a very recently published article in PCT some of our most respected researchers reported their findings on studies using IGRs for bed bugs and found, unfortunately, that IGRs do not appear to have any benefit in the fight against The Common Bed Bug. I’m sure more will come out on this, but that was their conclusion. Phantom, on the other hand, may still be as good an insecticide as is available, since it is non-repellent and is not a pyrethroid, which many bed bugs have developed resistance to. 
Has this tenant isolated and washed / dry cleaned / or hot dryer cycled every last bit of his clothing? Have the curtains or drapes been removed and in some manner run through a hot dryer or dry cleaned or washed in hot water? Has all electronic equipment in this apartment (TV, computer, bed side clocks or radios, etc.) been fumigated within a sealed plastic bag using Nuvan strips for the proper length of time? Have all other items – suitcases, shoes, sporting equipment, etc. – been removed, sealed in some kind of chamber, and treated with heat or fumigated? All of these items and everything else in that apartment could harbor bed bugs or their eggs and be the reason he continues to have them. Have you firmly identified that the bugs are actually there and that they ARE the Common Bed Bug and not Bat Bugs or Swallow Bugs? Has he installed mattress and box spring encasements to remove those bedding areas from bed bug harborage?
In other words, is this tenant fully aware of what is needed in order to eliminate every last bug and live egg and is he doing his part in the overall process. If you are having success in all the other apartments there must be some reason that this one stands out as unusual, and perhaps it boils down to not having all the needed steps taken care of. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 11, 2012

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