Archive for October, 2012

Drosophila suzukii, a new invasive pest for small fruits and berries – FreshPlaza


FreshPlaza

Drosophila suzukii, a new invasive pest for small fruits and berries
FreshPlaza
Additional costs are related to increased production costs related to pest control (monitoring and chemical input costs, increased labour and fruit selection, reduction of the fruit shelf life, storage costs) and to the decrease of foreign market …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 25, 2012

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Smelly fall pest make an appearance – WWLP 22News

Smelly fall pest make an appearance
WWLP 22News
According to Keith Lacross, service manager at Braman Pest Elimination , "The best way to keep them out of your house and to prevent them going into your house will be to seal around doors and windows with calking, materials like that. Close off those …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 25, 2012

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Gaps in border controls are related to alien insect invasions in Europe – Phys.Org

Gaps in border controls are related to alien insect invasions in Europe
Phys.Org
According to the study, known insect pests on many agricultural imports may be frequently undetected by European plant protection authorities. The authors suggest that this leaves European imports vulnerable to pests from countries like the USA …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 25, 2012

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UT experiments with way to eradicate Emerald Ash Borer using another insect – WBIR-TV


WBIR-TV

UT experiments with way to eradicate Emerald Ash Borer using another insect
WBIR-TV
University of Tennessee entomologists said one way to decrease the number of Emerald Ash Borers is to fight fire with fire. The foreign insect is notorious for cutting off the water supplies in ash trees' trunks. Dozens of trees in 17 East Tennessee …
Nebraskans Urged to Buy Firewood In-State, Stop Tree Killing Insects and DiseaseNTV
Ash borer workshops help you battle insectYorkRegion.com
Ash trees in danger as Asian beetle targets eastern OntarioSeaway News
San Francisco Chronicle –1011now
all 34 news articles »

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Pests in the NewsOctober 25, 2012

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Oct 25, 2012 – Meal Moths – A Forever Thing?

QUESTION:

I service an ethnic supermarket with an ongoing issue with Indian Meal Moth. We install some traps with lures every now and then, but would like to take care of this issue for good. I’ve asked them to clean all of their shelves in the store and they did (more or less). I suggested they contact their supplier because that may be the actual source, but they don’t want to go this far because they have more than one supplier for their orders. What do you suggest I do next?

ANSWER:

Indian Meal Moths (IMM) are our most common stored foods moth pest, and one reason is because of their diverse food choices. In addition to just about any food material based on grains they also infest nuts, dried fruit, powdered milk, candy bars for the chocolate or nuts in them, pet foods, bird seed, spices including peppers, rodent bait, and even dried flowers. They may even infest fresh fruits if they can find slightly damaged areas. They breed rapidly, with females producing around 300 eggs, and the larvae are very mobile, often leaving the infested food and wandering throughout a structure to find the perfect place to pupate. All of this makes it more difficult to isolate the problem and they may be infesting a multitude of packages. 

The adult moths fly very well and it is absolutely amazing how quickly they can spread throughout an entire structure and multiple floors from a single origin within one infested package. They are strongly attracted to pheromone lures, so this is one tool in our favor for helping to narrow a search. I have known food quality consultants who would put a pheromone tap on a clipboard and simply walk up and down the aisles in supermarkets. They often would have the adult moths flying out of infested candy aisles or bulk food bins when they would stop for a minute or two in that aisle. I have seen candy bar vending machines with the adult moths resting inside, the result of infested candy bars in the machine. 
I suppose if we consider where these moths came from originally it is possible that some adult moths simply flew in from the outside and began the infestation. They are so common that some of them must be flying around outside. But, I’ll bet that it’s far more likely that the original problem did come into this store in some infested product from another source. It’s difficult and another thing to have to do, but all food products entering a store really should get inspected before it is accepted and place in storage. They may not be able to do such a thorough check that no moths can slip by them, but they also may be able to intercept some infested materials by checking inside boxes for larvae, holes in packages, silk webbing or fecal material, or other evidence that something is amiss. 
I understand that with many suppliers of products it would be difficult for them to go to each and every one and ask to be allowed to inspect their stored product, and that is why this customer needs to at least make the effort to inspect on his own what is coming in. If you want to eliminate these moths once and for all it is going to take a huge effort on your part as well as the customer. Every area of the store needs to be carefully inspected for evidence of the moths, and this includes removing all packages of food, checking them carefully, and replacing them once you are sure there is no IMM in them. Spills must be cleaned up. Bulk foods need to be inspected and then stored in bins or containers that can be sealed to prevent the moths from entering. 
Fogging is not going to affect this problem, nor would applications of contact insecticides along bases of shelves or walls. You may be able to kill some adult moths, but this will not affect the larvae living hidden within packages or food materials. One tool you might consider is one of the “mating disrupters”, such as CideTrak. This is another kind of pheromone device, but it emits such a large amount of the mating pheromone into the air that the hope is that males cannot find females to mate with, and with luck you can break the cycle of new eggs being produced and the problem will more or less go away by itself. Better, of course, would be to find and dispose of the infested food materials so that they do not end up being sold to someone who objects to bugs in their food. 

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Pest QuestionsOctober 25, 2012

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Transport Mikron Approved for Bed Bug Control – PCT Magazine


PCT Magazine

Transport Mikron Approved for Bed Bug Control
PCT Magazine
"The supplemental label allows PMPs to apply Transport Mikron in most areas of a bedroom when there is evidence of bed bugs," said Catherine Bernards, pest product manager, FMC Professional Solutions. "With this supplemental label, PMPs can now use …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 24, 2012

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BASF Announces Termidor Foam – PCT Magazine

BASF Announces Termidor Foam
PCT Magazine
Termidor Foam is ideal for spot treatments in wall voids and is effective on termites, ants and other listed pests including ant problems both on- and off-structure, BASF said. "Fulfilling the localized interior component of a PerimeterPLUS Exterior …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 24, 2012

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They’re Ba-ack: Return of the Stink Bugs – Patch.com

They're Ba-ack: Return of the Stink Bugs
Patch.com
Pesticides aren't the best way to rid of the insects though, Gruner said. He suggests gently vacuuming the bugs up and immediately disposing of the bag afterward so the stink doesn't penetrate the vacuum components. Another pesticide-free solution is …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 24, 2012

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US-Jamaican war on pests

MONTEGO BAY, St James ? America is teaming up with Jamaica to fight mealy bugs, army beat worms and other farm scourges. The “Don’t Pack a Pest” initiative launched Wednesday in Montego Bay aims to warn international passengers not to let bugs …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 24, 2012

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The Bug Chicks: Two hip Portland entomologists’ love affair with insects is contagious

Kristie Reddick stands in front of a semicircle of 4-year-olds, her long body contorted into the human version of a praying mantis. “Crisscross applesauce, hands in your lap,” her partner in bugs, Jessica Honaker, tells the kids, who quiet down …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 24, 2012

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