Archive for September, 2012

Pest control, landlords or tenants responsibility? – Property118

Pest control, landlords or tenants responsibility?
Property118
At NPG, from time to time we get tenants calling about pest control. It can range from mice, to rats, ants, fleas, bed-bugs, cockroaches and even wasps nests. By the way, if you start scratching whilst you are reading this, don't worry ? it happens to …

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

No Comment

Garden Help: With every swing of the door, pests can enter – Florida Times-Union

Garden Help: With every swing of the door, pests can enter
Florida Times-Union
Both are nuisance pests and do not spread diseases that affect people. Centipedes and millipedes are not insects, but are more closely related to shrimp and crayfish. They are members of the subphylum Myriapoda, which means many legs. Both have a …

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

No Comment

Tennessee Department of Agriculture reports Emerald Ash Borer found in Middle … – Clarksville Online

Tennessee Department of Agriculture reports Emerald Ash Borer found in Middle …
Clarksville Online
While Jefferson County is adjacent to previously quarantined areas where EAB has been confirmed, the find in Smith County was of particular concern because of the distance the insect was found from the already quarantined areas in East Tennessee.

and more »

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

No Comment

Orb Weaver Spider Builds Intricate UV-Decorated Webs To Attract Insects – RedOrbit


RedOrbit

Orb Weaver Spider Builds Intricate UV-Decorated Webs To Attract Insects
RedOrbit
Researchers suggest that the UV light-reflecting patterns seen in the webs of orb-weavers, particularly the Wasp Spider, could trick flying insects into landing on them. The Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi), which is common throughout Europe, north …
Decorative spider webs attract dinnerBBC News
Cobwebs with UV decorations attracts preyTruthDive

all 5 news articles »

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 21, 2012

No Comment

Sep 21, 2012 – Food Plant Pest Management

QUESTION:

What are the guidelines and procedures for treating a Food Processing Plant?


ANSWER:

In general you are simply required to follow the product Label for any pesticides you may use in a food processing plant. However, this can depend upon a couple of things. One is whether or not the plant you are working with is inspected by AIB – the American Institute of Baking – which is a private organization that more or less polices food manufacturing in North America. They provide food safety inspections, audits of these businesses, training, and certifications all in the name of protecting the quality of food produced in North America and other countries around the world. If AIB inspectors do oversee the plant you are working with you will be obligated to work with their on-site inspector to follow the AIB guidelines, and you can access all of their “Standards” on their website at https://www.aibonline.org// 

Another consideration will be whether or not there is any “Organic” production going on at the plant, in which case you would need to follow quite strictly the USDA requirements for the use of pesticides in organic facilities with their National Organic Program. You can find details on this at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop . You may also want to talk with the plant management to find out if they have any other programs going on, such as LEED Certification for green buildings. If so this will also affect how you do your work and the kinds of products you may be permitted to use. 
But, in the absence of any other controlling circumstances you would need to ensure that any pesticides you use are specifically labeled for use in a food manufacturing plant, and if possible even more specifically labeled for the kind of plant – dairy, brewery, cannery, grain mill, etc. Most product labels seem to be fairly general once it gets to the “processing” stage of that production and they may not micro-divide it further than just Food Processing or Food manufacturing. 
Within the plant you need to determine which areas are “food handling areas”, meaning those locations where food is “held, processed, prepared, or served”. Many pesticide products may be allowed for use outside the food handling areas but not within them, and it is important to know this and adhere to it in that plant. Even within a food handling area, if the product you choose is labeled for that use, you need to follow the label with respect to how it can be applied, and the choices usually are crack and crevice or spot treatment. This will be important in determining whether or not you can treat general surfaces or if you need to confine the material to voids and crevices and not on exposed surfaces. 
I also believe that it is vital that you perform a careful and thorough Inspection before doing anything else. You should use a Written Inspection Report Form to document all of your findings so that you can present it to the management and discuss what needs to be done non-chemically. Clearly any pests residing comfortably within a food plant are there because of “contributing conditions”, and many of these conditions are unacceptable and should be fixed. This may include abundant openings from the outside that admit the pests and which can be permanently closed. It may be doors and windows propped open to admit flies. It may be exterior lighting that is inappropriate. It may be interior sanitation problems such as poor management of the waste stream, filth or spills on the floors, unnecessary wet areas, etc. 
Depending on the kind of pests you should consider the use of pheromone traps for monitoring and UV light traps for flying insects. Anything you can do non-chemically to manage or reduce the pest problem is preferred over the use of chemicals, which are important but which should not be relied upon as the only tool you use. This, hopefully, is a basic overview of what is really a much more complex topic. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsSeptember 21, 2012

No Comment

It’s Official: Washington Stinks, and the pest problem may not be what you think

DALLAS, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The biggest in Washington, D.C. this fall may not be politicians. According to a national survey from HomeTeam Pest Defense, Washingtonians have more problems with stink bugs than any other region of …

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 20, 2012

No Comment

Sep 18, 2012 – Got Blood?

QUESTION:

Do Horse flies have nests and why do they attack people?

ANSWER:

Horse flies and the closely related deer flies do not have nests, but deer flies, in particular, often hang out in groups waiting for food to stroll past them. That food, for the female horse and deer flies, will be the blood of warm blooded animals, and humans are perfectly acceptable. The males of these flies feed only on the nectar and other sweet plant fluids available, but the females also need blood in order to properly develop their eggs. They have mandibles similar to a pair of sharp scissors, and with these blades they slash open the skin, apply some saliva to act as an anticoagulant and keep the blood flowing, and lap up the blood rather than suck it out like a mosquito does. Attacks on livestock by large numbers of these flies can lead to serious blood loss, and when they bite people it seems they are not always kind enough to anesthetize the bite site first, so it can be really painful. 

Females hang out on vegetation, often in sunny locations, and home in on movement near them, indicating a potential blood source. They then quickly swoop in and find a comfortable place to feed. For deer flies this is often around the back of the neck and arms and for horse flies if the person is wearing shorts it is often the legs, but arms and other exposed skin work nicely too. 
The larvae of most species are predatory, living in holes in damp soils and damp, rotting plant matter on the soil. When they detect another insect moving past their tunnel entrance they lunge out, grab the prey, and pull it back into the tunnel to consume. This kind of habitat makes the control of deer and horse flies extremely difficult. You really cannot control or treat the vast areas where the flies are developing and must try to control the adult stage. Part of control is, of course, simply wearing long sleeves and long pants and perhaps even some head gear to protect the back of the neck. So, no they do not have nests and they attack people because we are food. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsSeptember 20, 2012

No Comment

Sealing Homes After Winter’s Wrath

“Increased moisture from melting ice and snow can create cracks and holes in roofs and foundations, allowing easy access,” said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association. “Ice dams …

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 19, 2012

No Comment

still pestering state workers

An official with a union representing some of the workers in the state’s Labor & Industry Building said today she is still fielding isolated reports of workers who are suffering from flea bites. State officials have been fighting late summer …

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 19, 2012

No Comment

Spencer Pest Services Gives $500 to Facebook Fan for Cancer Treatment – Patch.com

Spencer Pest Services Gives $500 to Facebook Fan for Cancer Treatment
Patch.com
Fans of Pest Control For A Cure – a program started by Spencer Pest Services dedicated to curing cancer – nominated friends or family who were battling cancer. Top stories were selected and Facebook fans voted on a winner: Terri Jo who was diagnosed …

View complete article

Pests in the NewsSeptember 19, 2012

No Comment

« Older Entries Newer Entries »