Archive for October, 2012

Stink bugs make an appearance – Worcester Telegram

Stink bugs make an appearance
Worcester Telegram
They are being spotted everywhere, and posted on local Facebook accounts, but state officials are saying the insects might be suffering from mistaken identity. There are two kinds of insects ?invading? Massachusetts, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and …
Stink bugs a common pest in Slippery RockSRU The Online Rocket

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Pests in the NewsOctober 19, 2012

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Oct 19, 2012 – What We Cannot Say

QUESTION:

What are the names of the chemicals that are non-toxic to spray inside for roaches, ants and fleas?

ANSWER:

Thought you’d catch Old Mr. Pest Control with a trick question, didn’t you? The only answer I can give you is that there is NO such thing as a non-toxic insecticide. If any chemical we used were non-toxic then it would not be able to kill any bugs either. The fact is, and the EPA demands this of us, all of the labeled products we use to manage pests in our work are pesticides, and these are defined by EPA as “any substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest“. This includes growth regulators, repellents, and all “natural” pesticides that may be derived from plants or minerals. To go even further, toxicologists will tell us that ALL substances have a level at which they can cause a toxic effect. Even over-consumption of water has killed people. 

So, sorry about the preaching here, but it is very important for licensed members of the professional industry – or even all the unlicensed people as well, such as office staff – to avoid using the words “non-toxic” or “safe” when referring to any kind of pest control chemical. If your customers ask you to use non-toxic pesticides it would be important to discuss with them just what their perception of that term is, because all over the darned internet you CAN find references to non-toxic pesticides, references made by people ignorant of the facts and in many cases playing a dangerous game. I have read plenty of websites pushing boric acid, for example, as non-toxic, and this clearly is not the case. The word non-toxic cannot be in our vocabulary but we do need to help our customers understand why without scaring them. 
The fact is that MANY of the products we use have a very low relative toxicity, and many of these are then diluted to very, very low levels of active ingredient using water as the carrier, thus diluting that relative toxicity to a level that should have no chance of posing any hazard to them or their pets or family. All of this, of course, hinges on our use of these products in a proper manner and according to the Label directions. 
Some of the insecticides that have such a very low level of toxicity to vertebrates include growth regulators, and these are for fleas and roaches. Others may be plant-based active ingredients such as tree oils, mint oils, clove, garlic, Neem, and other oils, but these are still toxic at some level of exposure. However, many of them are also labeled for use in Organic production or labeled as “reduced risk” or “exempt from registration” materials. These may be what your customers are thinking of when they ask for non-toxic pesticides, but you still need to explain to them that while they are natural they still have a toxic level and must be used with care. A lot of people are hospitalized every year due to their exposure to excessive levels of clove in clove cigarettes, and yet because clove is “natural” they believe there could be no possibility of harm. 
If these customers do absolutely demand that you use Non-Toxic products then all chemicals are off the list and you are down to working with traps, sanitation, exclusion, habitat modification, and other steps of IPM, which should be part of any pest management program anyhow. 

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Pest QuestionsOctober 19, 2012

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Squirrels boom after mild winter, good nut crop

In southern Vermont, Clarence Boston said he hasn’t seen such an infestation of pests in the 33 years he has been an orchardist on 60 farms in five states. The squirrels wait until his apple crop is nearly ripe to swarm into the trees from nearby forests …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 18, 2012

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Summer heat brings back the stink bugs

Warm weather this year has contributed to a resurgence in the mid-Atlantic region?s brown marmorated stink bug population, with researchers estimating at least a 60 percent increase this year in insects that soon will be making their way …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 18, 2012

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Pest control services reduced to tackle bed bugs and wasps – Enfield Independent

Pest control services reduced to tackle bed bugs and wasps
Enfield Independent
Enfield Borough Council is reducing the cost of pest control to tackle an explosion in the population of bed bugs and wasps. The council today dropped the price by £10 for wasps and £48 for bed bugs treatment to encourage more people to take up the …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 18, 2012

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UF faces struggle over what to do about feral cats – Gainesville Sun

UF faces struggle over what to do about feral cats
Gainesville Sun
?I'm not going to let an animal starve to death under the building,? she said. The situation is the latest conflict between campus cat lovers and the university workers tasked with controlling the animals as pests. UF policy bans the feeding of feral …
UF employees urge action before catastrophe strikesThe Independent Florida Alligator

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Pests in the NewsOctober 18, 2012

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Getting Rid of Stinkbugs – WBOC TV 16

Getting Rid of Stinkbugs
WBOC TV 16
Joe Thomas, a pest control technician with Ehrlich Pest Control in Sussex County, says his goal is to keep his clients pest free. "We're noticing annually their increasing," said Stacey Arnold, sales representative with Ehrlich Pest Control. Arnold …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 17, 2012

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Squirrel population boom frustrates fruit growers – The Associated Press

Squirrel population boom frustrates fruit growers
The Associated Press
Experts noting an increase in squirrel populations include Paul Curtis, an associate professor at Cornell University's Department of Natural Resources and a pest management expert. Such eruptions are rare but noted in historical literature, he said.

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Pests in the NewsOctober 17, 2012

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Hitchhiking pests make themselves at home in Hamilton – MetroNews Canada

Hitchhiking pests make themselves at home in Hamilton
MetroNews Canada
They're ugly, they smell, and for some reason they like Hamilton. The brown marmorated stink bug is a long name for an insect known for the cilantrolike odour it gives off when squished. But its smell is probably the least of our worries. The creepy …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 17, 2012

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Pigeons: Friend or Foe? – KOLO

Pigeons: Friend or Foe?
KOLO
Pigeons have become major pests in Northern Nevada largely because of the unwanted presents they leave behind. "It's just a mess, it's embarrassing…the germs..it gets tracked in. Our dogs get it, I mean it just, it's a mess!" Laure Gruen, a pigeon …

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Pests in the NewsOctober 17, 2012

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