Archive for September, 2012

Chemical insect fogger sparks attic fire Thursday – Janesville Gazette

Chemical insect fogger sparks attic fire Thursday
Janesville Gazette
EDGERTON ? Chemical insect foggers sparked a blaze in the attic of a rural Edgerton home Thursday, authorities said. Edgerton Fire Chief Brian Demrow said firefighters were called at 12:23 p.m. to a house at 375 Liguori Road. Demrow said firefighters …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 04, 2012

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Monarch migration expected to be disappointing – Kansas City Star


Kansas City Star

Monarch migration expected to be disappointing
Kansas City Star
On the wide-open prairie, cowboys may halt their horses and watch the orange insects with tissue-thin wings push steadily southward. In the highest buildings in downtown Wichita, workers may look up and smile as butterflies headed for mid-Mexico …
Natural Perspectives: How not to be eatenHuntington Beach Independent

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 04, 2012

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Sep 2, 2012 – Many Portals?

QUESTION:

There is a debate going on between myself and another pest control company here in the Southwest. He claims and tells his customers that our bark scorpions come up the house drains and this is the reason they find them in sinks and tubs. My belief is they do not and cannot come up the drains from the sewers and the reason people find them in sinks is that they crawl in or fall into them. Please settle this issue!

ANSWER:

I really do feel uncomfortable getting in the middle of disagreements, so I’ll try to be diplomatic with my response. Let’s examine one thing first, based on my basic knowledge of plumbing. ALL sinks and drains in a structure should have, if properly constructed, a “P” trap below the drain. This is a u-shaped curve in the pipe that retains water, and the purposes of this P-trap are to keep out odors from the sewer and to prevent insects from coming up that pipe from the sewer. Now, I never say never when it comes to bugs, and I used to feel confident stating that even American Roaches should not be able to swim past that water barrier in the P-trap, and therefore “should” not be able to enter homes directly from the sewer. However, I have been corrected twice now by technicians who claim they have personally watched American roaches go down into a drain and continue walking right down into that water barrier. In one case the roach returned within about 30 seconds and in the other it never reappeared, suggesting that it just continued down through the water and on toward the sewer. 

So, what is the chance that a scorpion will be living down in a sealed, enclosed sewer or perhaps in a septic tank in the first place? I think this would be very out of character for scorpions, which definitely prefer a warmer, drier environment, particularly in your area in the southwest deserts. It is impossible for them to be in a sewer? Well, I wouldn’t go quite that far, but it just seems that it is much more likely that they are living above ground and finding ways into the structure that are more in keeping with their life style. It also would seem out of character for a scorpion to willingly take the plunge and move into a water barrier like you have in the plumbing. 
What I believe definitely CAN happen is for scorpions and many other insects to fall into a slick-sided sink or tub of porcelain and not be able to climb back out again. This is why we find silverfish and so many other bugs in tubs and sinks. They fell in, perhaps detecting moisture there that they were seeking or perhaps just being clumsy. I think that given the two choices – up from below or down from above – the far more likely reason the scorpion is there is because it was wandering around in the home and just fell in. 
Bark scorpions in the genus Centruroides are excellent climbers, and their name is given due to their tendency to climb trees and shrubs outside. If branches then touch the structure this enables them to get onto the structure, perhaps the roof, and from there easily find some gaps where they can enter the attic or into wall voids. The bark scorpions, according to some resources, can squeeze themselves down so flat that they can move through a gap only 1/16th inch wide. Clearly this is hardly anything, and it makes your job of providing exclusion that much more of a challenge. But, permanent exclusion for the structure and habitat modification for the landscape are two of the keys for managing scorpions long term. 
In this case I think I need to side with you and go with the more logical approach that the scorpions have found their way inside via holes and gaps around the exterior of the structure, and then in their wanderings have fallen into these places where they cannot manage to get back out of. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 04, 2012

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NJ trees winning wars against bugs, disease

But over the past few decades, trees have been under attack from invasive and diseases. Tens of thousands of trees were damaged or killed every year. But this summer, it appears the trees are winning the war against moths, beetles, fungi and a weed …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 03, 2012

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‘Unprecedented threat’ for UK trees from

UK trees are facing an “unprecedented level of threat” from and diseases, the Forestry Commission has warned. All species are vulnerable to potential attacks – from ecologically vital oaks to non-native ornamental species, such as lawson …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 03, 2012

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Bangladeshi farmers not heeding pesticide warnings – Gant Daily

Bangladeshi farmers not heeding pesticide warnings
Gant Daily
Training for safe pest management is provided by the Department of Agricultural Extension through the Integrated Pest Management project (IPM), initiated in the'80s by FAO. In 2011, some 900,000 farmers received training, out of 12 million farming …
BANGLADESH: Farmers not heeding pesticide warningsThe Muslim News

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 03, 2012

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Even the rats and insects have moved out of these buildings – Gulf Daily News

Even the rats and insects have moved out of these buildings
Gulf Daily News
Fellow Bangladeshi Ameen Al Aslam, 36, said the accommodation he stayed in was so bad that even insects had moved out. "With the exception of rats, insects have migrated from this building and the only ones left here are us, like cattle – eight in one …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 03, 2012

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Sep 3, 2012 – Death to Black Widows

QUESTION:

What is the best pesticide for killing black widows?

ANSWER:

Based on their history of success I think that the synthetic pyrethroids still are excellent products for spiders of all kinds. We do have to keep in mind, though, the new labeling on all pyrethroid products and how this may affect our application. There are now restrictions on how much of the exterior surface of a structure can be treated, and this now allows only “spot” applications above that 3 feet above grade level. Since a spot is an area no larger than 2 square feet, as defined by EPA, the use of a power sprayer to treat for spiders may not be the most manageable way to apply the products. The new labeling does not further restrict applications to turf and ornamentals, so if the spider problem happens to be on and within shrubbery in the landscape then there are no changes. And, it appears that treatments to the “undersides of the eaves” also fall into the “exceptions” the EPA put into place and that treatment to this area is not restricted to spot application. 

Prior to the introduction of pyrethroids for our industry we had some tough times killing certain spiders, and in particular this was the cellar spiders (a.k.a. “daddy long legs spider”) that make so many messy webs under the eaves and around windows. When cypermethrin was first used it seemed to resolve all these difficulties and spider management took a nice turn for the better. I still hope, however, that many customers can develop a tolerance and appreciation for many kinds of spiders that do not make messy webbing and which are not dangerous. This includes wolf spiders, ground spiders, and the fascinating jumping spiders. Given that all spiders are feasting on other kinds of bugs, having them around would seem to provide a benefit. 
The news media recently has headlined, in California at least, the appearance of the Brown Widow – Latrodectus geometricus – and since the best news headlines are the scary ones they also have “suggested” that the venom of this species “may” be more toxic than that of the black varieties. For decades this species has been present in Florida, but in 2000 began to show up in other surrounding states and in 2003 showed up in southern California. Now, there’s nothing we folks in California like better than a good spider scare, so the media have accepted the brown widow with open arms. However, experts at U.C. Riverside tell us that the venom itself appears to be no more or less potent than the venom of black varieties and that the Brown Widow appears to be unable to inject as much venom with a bite, so the overall effect on people is less. 
The web of black widows is usually easy to distinguish. It is a haphazard pattern and not the neat geometric design of orb weavers. It is sticky and extremely tough, so that passing a stick through the web results in an actual audible “snap” as you break the strands. The spider itself will often be hiding nearby in some cozy crevice, so treating the surfaces around the web will be necessary. It also is handy to remove all the webbing so that you can tell if the job is successful. If new webs are built shortly after your treatment then the spiders somehow survived. 
Black widows are one group that disseminate by “ballooning”. The very young nymphs release strands of silk into the breeze and then let go of the surface, allowing the wind to transport them to wherever it will, sometimes well up on buildings. The widow spiders are very clumsy on the ground and are far less likely to walk to a structure than to fly to it. This makes prevention more difficult but helps your customers to understand why they keep getting the darned things. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 03, 2012

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Aug 31, 2012 – Chickens With The Munchies

QUESTION:

I have a customer with American roaches in her shed. She’s concerned if we treat the shed and kill the roaches the chickens next to the shed may get contaminated or hurt if they eat the dead roaches.

ANSWER:

I really believe this is not a concern. The amount of actual insecticide active ingredient that is needed to kill a cockroach would be FAR too low to be harmful to the large chickens. However, it still would be a very good idea for you to ensure that dead cockroaches lying around are removed as soon as possible just to alleviate her fear. Frankly, roaches are pretty filthy animals, and the chickens probably stand a bigger risk of consuming some nasty bacteria and being made ill than they do any reaction to minute traces of insecticide. Poultry houses also routinely treat chickens directly with insecticides in an effort to kill the various bed bugs, lice, and mites that are common on these birds, so many insecticides can be used on and around the birds without harm to them. 

However, since she has voiced this concern to you it would be proper for you to spend some time helping her to feel comfortable with what you plan to use. I would suggest going online and downloading information on poultry that shows how insecticides are used on them for their health. Many of these may be pyrethroids that you could use yourself for the roaches. You also have many “natural” insecticide options. You also can use insect baits in stations that can be highly effective on these large roaches, and the active ingredients in many roach baits have extremely low toxicity to vertebrate animals. 
Along with your decision to use insecticides you should also do a careful inspection of this property to determine just why these roaches are there in the first place, and then do whatever you can to change that environment so that you remove the contributing conditions. The roaches are hiding somewhere, whether it is under things on the soil or within thick vegetation, so doing a major cleanup to eliminate that harborage will be very helpful in reducing the numbers of the roaches. On the shed itself you may be able to do void and crack and crevice treatments to kill the roaches without any exposure by the chickens to the products you use. Again, granular bait products are very effective but they MUST be secured within bait stations to prevent the chickens from accessing them. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 02, 2012

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Sep 1, 2012 – Now You Have Them, Now You Don’t

QUESTION:

What are the flying insects that lose their wings and come in the hundreds?

ANSWER:

We have two choices here, but one that is more likely, and that is termites. Back to them in a moment. The other possibility is ants, as most ants have “swarming” flights of winged males and females. These are fertile ants that leave their colonies for the mating flight, and following this event the males all die and the female ants lose their wings and begin new colonies. 

However, far more dramatic will be the swarming flights of termites, and all kinds do this – drywoods, dampwoods, and subterranean. Where dampwood termites exist these are often amazing events, as they swarm shortly after the sun goes down and many or all of the colonies in an area will swarm at the same time. Hundreds of these large termites come out of every colony and take flight, and they are not strong fliers, so it is more of the appearance of hundreds of thousands of fluttering insects all around you. Subterranean termites do this as well, usually in late morning to early afternoon and often triggered by some rain event followed by sunshine. This combination of the proper temperature, water, and light intensity tell the termites that things are appropriate for their mating swarms to be successful and for the newly mated females to be able to find a new place to establish a colony. 
Sometime shortly after they swarm from their parent colony all of these termites will lose all 4 wings, which quickly snap off at a weakened line near their thorax. They may even reach back and use their mandibles to remove a wing that seems to be stubborn, but once they are again safely within a cavity in the soil there would be no use for their wings and these long appendages would just be in the way. Again, here, the dramatic ones are the dampwood termites. Since they swarm when it is getting darker they often come to exterior lights around homes, and when many hundreds of them gather like this in one location the result may be a layer of thousands of their wings on the patio or deck or front porch. 
The time of day when the swarming takes place can be indicative of the kind of termite – dampwoods and Formosans swarm in the evenings and come to lights. Other subterranean termites and drywoods swarm mid day. If the wings are found on the ground or patio outside then it does not necessarily indicate an infestation of the structure. But, if they are found on the inside, perhaps in window sills, there is a good chance they emerged from points inside the structure and the termites are infesting structural wood. A close look at the wings and the patterns of veins on them will easily distinguish termite wings from ants. And, another careful examination will distinguish the specific kind of termite based on the color, pattern of veins, and presence of hairs along the margin of the wing. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 01, 2012

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