Archive for September, 2012

Hidden bugs, plants found at AZ border

Agriculture specialists with Customs and Border Patrol in Nogales seized over two dozen plants and various insects inside vehicles attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico.

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 25, 2012

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Sep 25, 2012 – Comparing Products

QUESTION:

What is the main difference between Onslaught Microencapsulated and Onslaught Fast Cap? The label for Fastcap says the target pests are spiders and scorpions, but we like the Microencapsulated for fleas. How will it compare for fleas? Should we switch or stay with the original, and why?
Thank you

ANSWER:

Onslaught Fast Cap is still a microencapsulated formulation, so if that is a major consideration then either product still fits the bill. The difference is in the active ingredients. The original Onslaught contains only the pyrethroid esfenvalerate, which is a perfectly good active. But, according to the manufacturer MGK, they felt there was a need for the long residual and effectiveness of the microencapsulated pyrethroid along with a faster knockdown, and they specifically target spiders and scorpions in their product features. To do this they added another short-lived pyrethroid called prallethrin as well as the synergist PBO, which you find in nearly all pyrethrum formulations. These last two may be free materials within the Fast Cap concentrate so that they are available immediately to contact and affect the targeted pest, giving that rapid knockdown. The kill of the pest is then accomplished for sure with the esfenvalerate. 

The label uses, according to MGK, remain very much the same for both Onslaught and Fast Cap. For fleas it is still one of the few products that allows overall treatment of carpeted surfaces, and this can be an important use for fleas indoors. But, for many pests getting that very quick (within 15 minutes) knockdown may not be necessary, as it is not for general flea control where it is the larvae that you are targeting. But, there still is that sense among many of your customers that there should not be anything still moving on their property when you finish the job and leave, so the spider hanging in the web that is not clearly either dead or terribly distressed will make that customer believe you did not do the job. Simply knowing that it is “going to” die may not be enough. 
I would suspect that with the additional active ingredients the cost to use Fast Cap may be slightly higher than for original Onslaught, but I could be wrong. You’ll need to do that calculation yourself, but even if it is slightly higher that difference would be insignificant in the overall cost of doing the work. If the rapid knockdown is a benefit for some customers or some kinds of pests then that would be a good reason for adding Fast Cap to the arsenal. Specifically with respect to flea control, I think that Onslaught original, along with the addition of an IGR to the spray mix, should be perfectly acceptable as long as the customer understands their role in effective flea control and follows your instructions. This means the needed vacuuming and elimination of fleas on the pets. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 25, 2012

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Sep 22, 2012 – Killing the Big Ones

QUESTION:

What works best for smoky brown roaches?

ANSWER:

We could lump smoky brown and American roaches together here, as both of them may be dealt with in a similar manner. They commonly live outdoors and enter structures on their own, unlike the German roach that most often will enter homes and businesses by hitch hiking within some infested packaging. Outdoors the large roaches are scavengers, feeding on many kinds of organic materials that they can find. This is the normal role of roaches in nature – they are decomposers of leftover materials. Inside a home it should be possible to eliminate all available foods for cockroaches, and this is the role of sanitation. Roaches are like any other animal and need food, water, and harborage in order to survive. Lacking any one of these things they will either die or leave.

While it may be difficult to eliminate all possible foods on the outside of a structure the effort still can reduce the level of food available. Garbage cans can be kept clean, with properly fitted lids, and with plastic bags inside to contain and seal the garbage. Pet foods should not remain available outdoors. Harborage opportunities can be limited by removing all unnecessary clutter from the soil and stacking other things neatly off the soil on racks or boards, but not directly in contact with the dirt. Piles of yard debris should be removed regularly and the soil kept dry. Thick vegetation needs to be pruned up off the soil or removed, and branches touching the structure must be trimmed away. These steps reduce the attraction of a property and thus reduce the numbers of roaches that can survive there. It also minimizes the number of roaches that live close to the structure. Now, a careful inspection should also reveal many openings that would allow these roaches to enter the structure, and every one of these that can be permanently closed means less roaches getting inside, and you can focus insecticide applications around those remaining entry points. 
Within a structure dusts within walls work well, since roaches may hide within the walls during the day. Boric acid dust is good as are contact dusts like Tempo and DeltaDust. Liquid insecticides can be applied around travel areas and directly into likely harborage points, as this then puts the roach and the active ingredient together for the longest time. Microencapsulated products like Demand, CyKick, and others have the advantages of lasting longer, being less affected by moisture, and of attaching to the roach as it moves over the surface. 
Granular bait products also seem to be very acceptable to the larger roaches, and these may be applied into wall voids using a duster such as the Centrobulb, or used according to the Label outdoors in and around likely harborage points and travel routes. There also are many kinds of insect bait stations available if the bait needs to be kept in a more controlled manner, and these may be placed around the perimeter of the structure. The roaches may often be hiding outdoors in storm drains, under man-hole covers, under sewer vent covers, or in water meter boxes. These may be treated using a properly labeled contact insecticide, including some dusts. Be very careful, though, to read the Label to be sure the product is labeled for that site. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 24, 2012

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Decorative spider webs attract dinner

Orb-weaver spiders attract to their webs with ultraviolet (UV) decorations, a study has found. The function of the intricate patterns in the webs of orb-weaver spiders is subject to much debate in the scientific community. Previous …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 22, 2012

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New Weapon To Protect Oaks – Mountain News

New Weapon To Protect Oaks
Mountain News
Developed by Arborjet of Woburn, Mass., the new treatment is an injectable insecticide that kills pests such as the leaf roller worm, and boring insects such as the bark beetle. Because it is injected into a tree's vascular tissue, the chemical is …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 22, 2012

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Sep 20, 2012 – A Sticky Choice

QUESTION:

Can Gold Stick be used for sewer flies?

ANSWER:

Sewer flies probably could refer to several kinds of filth flies, but let’s go with the common choice that you are referring to drain flies, also called moth flies in the family Psychodidae. The best way to control almost any problem with flies of any kind is to address the source of the problem, rather than trying to eliminate them by catching all the adult flies. Sticky fly traps like the Gold Stick are excellent for catching adult flies now and then, meaning yes, many kinds of flies will be attracted to the bright color of the tube and be captured on it. But, in a sense this is only harvesting some adult flies and more will be produced very rapidly from the breeding source. 

In the case of drain flies that source is going to be some kind of very wet setting where a buildup of organic material is present. The larvae feed on this buildup that might be found in floor and sink drains, in sewers, in cracks and crevices on or at the edges of floors where filth accumulates, in A/C units, under refrigerators or washing machines, in bird baths and stagnant water outside, in sump pumps and grease traps, and nearly any place else that water and other wet organic matter can accumulate. In other words, there is no easy solution to the elimination of drain flies and to only use sticky traps for the adults is not going to be successful. 
However, these flies and others, such as Phorids and fungus gnats, present a great opportunity for you to add some needed services for your customer. You need to begin with a very thorough inspection inside and outside to determine what the source and sources are. You then make recommendations as appropriate for physically eliminating that breeding environment. This may be draining bird baths and plant catch basins and maintaining them better. It may be repairing leaks in equipment where water constantly drips out. It may be better washing of floors and allowing them to dry properly. It may be better maintenance of potted plants to allow the soil to dry or to cover the soil to add a barrier to the flies. But, it also includes the regular use of drain cleaners to eliminate the buildup of scum that the flies rely on. This can be done by you and it is an important service. 
So, sure, sticky traps and UV light traps can attract and capture most kinds of adult flies, but they will not control the situation. You have to go after the unnecessary breeding sites where the larvae are found. 

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Pest QuestionsSeptember 22, 2012

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Less stink about stink bugs this year

Andrew McElroy remembers getting calls from homeowners about stink bugs and then finding thousands of the tiny critters hiding under house siding or in various cracks or crevices. “We’d move the siding, and you couldn’t see the brick underneath …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

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It may be hard to stomach, but you probably eat bugs in your food and just don’t know it

:?All human beings eat quite a few . That’s especially true of Americans eating a diet of processed foods. There’s literally ? and I mean that in the true sense of the word ? no way to ke Bugs give us the willies. We cringe when we …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

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BASF to Acquire Becker Underwood – PCT Magazine


AFP

BASF to Acquire Becker Underwood
PCT Magazine
The unit will merge BASF's existing research, development and marketing activities in the areas of seed treatment, biological crop protection, plant health, as well as water and resource management with those of Becker Underwood. Becker Underwood's …
BASF to Buy Seed-Technology Company Becker UnderwoodNASDAQ

all 96 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

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Act promptly to keep premises pest-free – This is Somerset


This is Somerset

Act promptly to keep premises pest-free
This is Somerset
EVERY day of the year somewhere in the UK a business closes as a result of a pest infestation and even more suffer financially or reputationally. Rats, mice, cockroaches, bed bugs, stored product pests, fleas, and others all have the ability to …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

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