Archive for October, 2012

Think like a pest inside the "bug house" – WBTV

Think like a pest inside the "bug house"
WBTV
"We want to let them touch and feel and get on their knees and look under areas where pests might be present," Baumann said. Stepping out back we find two more structures. A house in various stages of construction is called the termite pavilion …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 28, 2012

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Oct 26, 2012 – Crazy Ants – Finally A Proper Name?

QUESTION:

What to use to treat rasberry crazy ants?

ANSWER:

This ant has taken a wild ride, taxonomically speaking that is. Way back in the 1950’s a new “crazy” ant was found in Florida and believed to be a species native to the West Indies, and thus is was dubbed the Caribbean Crazy Ant. Then, in 2002 in Texas another invading crazy ant appeared and was dubbed the Rasberry Crazy Ant after the PMP who brought it to the attention of Agricultural officials. Now, most recently, new studies have decided that these two ants are one and the same species and that it actually is a South American species with the Latin name Nylanderia fulva, and a proposed common name for it is The Tawny Crazy Ant. This decision may well change again, but as of a 2012 publication this is the latest and greatest thought. 

But, naming things does not help you in the field. Theproblem is not any immunity the ants have to current insecticides, but insteadis the sheer numbers that they occur in. They so overwhelm an area that eventhough millions may die there are millions more to take their place. One PMPreports he commonly finds them inside oak trees that have hollow interiors fromrot, and treating within this void causes major numbers of the ants to emergequickly, but hours later they are still emerging. The pesticides easily killthe ants on contact, but there are too many ants to affect them quickly. So farthese ants are still confined to the southeast from Texas to Florida, but living things have away of expanding their range. Not a lot is known about their specific biology,but it appears they have colonies with multiple queens, increasing theirpotential to replace lost workers. They nest in almost any available place,feed on both proteins and carbohydrates, and forage in wide trails of thousandsof workers.

TheUniversity of Florida and Texas A&M continue to work on developing an effective controlstrategy for this ant, but some of the standard IPM practices can be offered to atleast reduce the problems in landscapes and homes. Trimming vegetation awayfrom the exterior walls of structures reduces pathways into the home, creatingbare strips around the immediate perimeter of the foundation helps keep theants further away and maximizes the efficiency of any pesticides applied, andremoval of unnecessary clutter on the soil reduces nesting sites. Keepinglandscape plants free of pests such as aphids or scale insects reduces thehoneydew that these ants crave.

Atthis time even the universities suggest that pesticides are necessary, althoughnot the perfect answer. In some feedback from PMPs in south Florida there issome promise using synthetic pyrethroids for their repellent action, and pyrethroidsof most kinds have given some relief from the ants for several weeks. The useof these as a perimeter treatment around structures may provide a “buffer zone”that lasts for a month or longer. There also has been good kill of the antsusing the non-repellents such as Termidor or I Maxx Pro, although completeelimination of nests and colonies does not seem to be happening yet. Baitinghas met with limited success so far, even though the ants do seem to feed oncarbohydrate baits. One suggestion that was offered was the use of the newerproduct Transport GHP, which received great label expansion in early 2008, withgood uses now for ant control around the exterior of structures. This isanother of the non-repellents and may be worth giving a try. The newerTransport Mikron has also given some PMP’s good results on these ants, alongwith the use of Talstar granules where labeled.

Themost up-to-date information from Texas A&M and from University of Floridatell us that the magic wand for this ant still does not exist. They suggest theuse of contact insecticides sprayed as a perimeter application aroundstructures and along trails the ants are using. This can be followed byplacement of sugar baits that are replaced regularly to keep them fresh andacceptable. Removal of all potential harborage sites on a property will help tolimit the presence of the ants, and this will be anything on the soil,including piles of landscape debris, boxes, lumber, etc. 

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Pest QuestionsOctober 28, 2012

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Oct 27, 2012 – Is IPM Worth It?

QUESTION:

First, can you help me find ancient or even Biblical references to pest management chemicals and concepts? I have read of some, but perhaps you have others. Second question, do routine barrier sprays actually do more unnecessary kills of insects than good kills, such as carpenter ants or roaches trying to trail up the side of a house? I understand the need to stop ants/roaches from crawling into the home, but the Pyrethroids restriction of only “3 ft up” is kind of a bummer. I’d prefer the worded it instead like “a barrier no taller than 3 ft”, to imply that it could begin at 3 ft high and stop at 6 ft up the wall if the PMP wanted. My third question regards servicing using IPM, and I have actually read and found through personal experience that customers expect chemical to be sprayed, even with no pests there. I think the idea of hiring a PMP to come on a routine basis and having him do only an inspection and leave seems like it wouldn’t be as worthwhile to the customer as if he came, did a nice maintenance spray, maybe some bait, and left. I generally don’t do a dedicated inspection of the property first and have been doing routine sprays in and out. I think NOT spraying would just raise the odds of pests being there next time. I am skeptical of the value of a technician doing only spot applications around thresholds or behind equipment. Do big companies really send a guy out, charge a standard fee, and maybe not even offer a guaranteed perimeter-type spray? I feel like the IPM stories in the magazines allude to a world where PMPs are more into fixing doors, trimming bushes, handy man type tasks, and sometimes use chemical. Imagine you are a homeowner who noticed a few roaches inside, called a pest control company, got a quote for a start-up, and hired someone to come out. He talked to you, walked around the place, and only sprayed C&C inside areas, pointed out an air gap in the door, and offered to fix it for an EXTRA fee. Would you really be satisfied paying as much as most companies charge plus the door-fix fee? I feel like IPM encourages fixing seals and outside conditions but not much in the realm of preventive CHEMICAL treatments, like hitting it with a 2-month routine spray even if nothing’s there at the time, and I think that’s what most of my customers expect they are paying for. Leaving them with a note that they didn’t have any bugs and that they should hire someone to fix that front door gap does not really, in my opinion, justify the price. I do believe in being reasonably respectful of Nature, but I believe there is almost zero demand for a true IPM service in my area. What are your thoughts on these things? A final question. Are Masterline Bifenthrin 7.9% and the original Talstar going to provide the same results? I know both brands contain 7.9% bifenthrin, but are the other inert ingredients important in the end residual properties?

ANSWER:

Your question is a very interesting one, and I hope it was OK to reword it a bit to reduce the length, and hope the meaning is still intact. First, I think you should expect MasterLine Bifenthrin and Talstar liquid concentrate to provide pretty much the same results. All things considered, once everything dries following the application what you are left with on the surface is the bifenthrin, and this is what will kill the pest insect. Second, on the new restrictions for pyrethroids outdoors, we probably should be happy for now with the ability to treat up to 3 feet above grade (California has reduced this to 2 feet). The issue of pyrethroids moving off site and into natural waterways is a hot one, and we probably have not seen the end of the challenges from anti-pesticide groups who would prefer pyrethroids were not used at all. We can accept that most PMPs could be given the ability to make their own decisions, but every industry has its, shall we say, bad apples, and there would be those who would take that ability to do as they wish and misuse the products. 

On historical references to pest management, I am no authority on The Bible, so I cannot help you there. But, of course, The Bible does mention the “10 Plagues” that include lice, flies, and locusts, so pest problems certainly were in their thoughts. Historical references to pest control and chemicals are abundant. In 1200 B.C. the ancient Egyptians used hemlock and aconite to control unwanted bugs. In 1000 B.C. the Greeks used burning sulfur to “fumigate” homes to kill bugs. In the first century A.D. Pliny The Elder recorded the pest control practices of the previous 3 centuries, including using “gall” from a lizard to protect apples from bugs and rot. Early Romans used another plant called Hellebore to kill rats and insects. Ninth century Chinese used arsenic to kill insects and in the 1300’s Marco Polo referenced the use of mineral oil to kill lice on camels. The toxic qualities of pyrethrum, rotenone, and boric acid (borax) have been known for many centuries, so ancient peoples were able to use natural insecticides to help better their lives. 
Your thoughts on IPM are the most important here, and in the interest of space I guess I’ll need to keep my reply down a bit. First, I agree that there is that percentage of homeowners who still want toxic chemicals applied to their home every time you come, and who believe that if you did not “spray something” they did not get their money’s worth. I believe this is very, very old thinking on their part and it needs to change, and the only way it is going to change is for our industry to educate them to understand better what the nature of pesticides is and what our role should be. We should not be attempting to kill all living creatures on a property, and even when a customer DEMANDS that you kill the frogs or lizards or praying mantids or ladybugs, because they just get the creeps with these things, it is important for us to make every effort NOT to do so. Maybe we even should walk away from some customers who demand that we harm the environment in their belief that it makes them happier. 
I think that IPM clearly offers the best long term pest management, even for the customers who currently think that pesticides are the answer to everything. A much better approach to simply spraying the same things onto the same surfaces on every visit, regardless of whether or not there is actually something to kill, would be to evaluate the property to determine what conditions exist that are inviting pests to be there and then supporting their existence on that property. Doesn’t it make more sense to close that gap under the door that the roaches, earwigs, spiders, and mice are using to get inside than to have to spray toxic substances inside to kill them now that they made it in? Does it make more sense to trim branches away from the roof and exterior walls so that bugs cannot use them for pathways in, than to have to spray those branches on every visit in an effort to keep the bugs from trailing on them? I believe that IPM addresses these issues and is very important for us to embrace. 
What the customer really is paying for is relief from unwanted pests, and too many of them still cling to the idea that the only way to accomplish this is to spray often enough that a constant layer of active insecticide exists around their home and everywhere inside. Perhaps this made more sense when the older active ingredients first came into use and could last for several months, but this constant use is also a wonderful way to encourage resistance to the active ingredients as well as to pose the opportunity for the wrong living creatures to be exposed to the material. Rather than hoping that a layer of insecticide will intercept crawling ants and roaches before they make it into the house, we should remove the harborage outside that they hide in, remove the food resources that they rely on, and close permanently the openings they need to get inside. 
Our industry’s leaders and experts and consultants all agree that the non-chemical steps of exclusion, sanitation, habitat modification, and other handy-man tasks are just as important in pest management as is the use of pesticides. We must address these “contributing conditions” or we will have a constant presence of the pests outside that are putting constant pressure on the inside. Talking with the customer, helping them understand the benefit of IPM, and helping to reduce our reliance on pesticides are good things. In addition, if WE don’t lead the way on this it will be forced upon us. We really do need to be the leaders in protecting the environment. It is the way things are going with your customer base too, and you will find more and more of them who would prefer knowing that they are not having their homes sprayed constantly. We really don’t want to be the pill-pushers who prefer to hold a problem at bay with chemicals when we could take a different approach and correct the root causes of the disease. 

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Pest QuestionsOctober 27, 2012

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Bedbugs in York County: Is a ‘tidal wave’ arriving?

Two years ago, York pest-control business owner B.J. Riley was at a seminar in Washington D.C. when the topic of bedbugs was discussed. “The tidal wave is coming,” Riley remembers hearing at the National Pest Management Association conference.

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Pests in the NewsOctober 26, 2012

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A pest is a pest in the desert of Arizona or the swamps of Florida

These are smaller, less frightening than those monsters. But they’re roaches! Pests! To war! We don’t have bomber-sized mosquitoes here either, but the ones we do have often carry West Nile virus. Not all mosquitoes bite but all skeeter bites itch.

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Pests in the NewsOctober 26, 2012

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Pesticides hit non-pests: exposed bees forage poorly, die more often – Ars Technica


AFP

Pesticides hit non-pests: exposed bees forage poorly, die more often
Ars Technica
Pesticides hit non-pests: exposed bees forage poorly, die more often. Study also shows the long-term impact takes weeks for bees to feel. by John Timmer – Oct 23, 2012 10:10 pm UTC. Life Sciences · 22. The recent demise of many commercial bee hives has …
Pesticides Are Killing Bumblebee Colonies, Risking Pollination Vital For Plant …Huffington Post
Pesticides could be the culprit in bee drop-offDeutsche Welle
Pesticide cocktails harm bumblebeesPlanet Earth
ABC Science Online
all 78 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsOctober 26, 2012

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Protect your ash trees from pests – Tidewater News


Indiana Public Media

Protect your ash trees from pests
Tidewater News
In the seemingly never-ending invasion of exotic invasive pests, 2012 brings us the Emerald Ash Borer. And while this critter may not be the economic and aesthetic destroyer that it was in the Midwest 10 years ago, it may still be significant for some …
Fall Pests Invade Firewood, Homes1011now
Neb. residents encouraged to buy local firewoodSan Francisco Chronicle
Emerald Ash Borer Workshop Held in St. Louis ParkKAALtv.com

all 30 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsOctober 26, 2012

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Stink bugs invade Tristate – Cincinnati.com

Stink bugs invade Tristate
Cincinnati.com
Unlike bed bugs, another of the region's home-invading insects, stink bugs don't pose any real health risks and do not lay eggs or feed indoors. If killed in large numbers, however, they could attract other pests, such as mice or insects that feed off …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 26, 2012

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Oct 24, 2012 – What Kind of Little Fly?

QUESTION:

We have a customer that recently had the black worms coming up in his commode identified as “black scavenger fly larvae” or Sepsidae larvae. We are unfamiliar with this fly species. Would this infestation be treated like a drain fly infestation?

ANSWER:

Well, Sepsids are more associated with feces and decaying plant materials than the wet organic sludge of the drain fly larvae, but it is possible that either could breed in the same unsanitary setting. And, since this is a commode it certainly could provide the proper breeding conditions for the larvae of Sepsids. I’m not certain myself that I would recognize the larvae of black scavenger flies, but those of drain flies are fairly distinctive in appearance. 

But, yes, you would treat either kind of fly in the same manner with respect to eliminating the materials that the larvae are using to feed in. Since so many of the small flies found inside structures are indicators of unsanitary or some other unwanted condition (excessive moisture, fungus, accumulations of wet organic sludge) it is important and appropriate to clean up that setting to eliminate the larvae as well as to create a more healthful environment for people. Now, exactly what you mean by “coming up” in his commode I am not certain, but if you are suggesting that these larvae are actually coming up from the water at the bottom of the toilet………….well, yuck! Is it an equally yucky possibility that somewhere above waterline in this toilet there is some hidden accumulation of, well, “splatter” that has been ignored?
For drain flies living in the sludge within a sink or floor drain the resolution may be more clear cut for us, using one of the many drain cleaners to eat away that sludge and in the process eliminate the fly larvae as they lose their food resource. For a toilet it still is going to be a cleaning process but you may need to identify just where the cleaning needs to be. 

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Pest QuestionsOctober 26, 2012

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Preventing Pests Before the Fall Cool Down

This weekend’s cooler weather could send more pests trying to get into your homes. OSU Extension’s Brian Jervis said this summer’s dry, hot weather means more bugs to deal with this time of year. He said you can expect to see more scorpions, spiders, Asian …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 25, 2012

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