Archive for November, 2012

Bed Bugs Dying After Merck Drug Suggests Possible Weapon

?Ivermectin is effective against a broad range of insects — body lice, head lice, scabies,? Sheele said in an interview. ?What I?d like to be able to do is a real-world experiment where we find people who have bed bugs, treat them with …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 15, 2012

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Nov 13, 2012 – Is A Little Still Too Much?

QUESTION:

I have been a PPO for a few years now. I always wear the proper clothing and PPE, but there are still times when I have come in contact with sprayed product, either from a gust of wind or what not. Should I be concerned about this? Should I be getting periodic check ups? Or, am I perhaps just a little paranoid?
Thanks,


ANSWER:

I would prefer to avoid the word “paranoid” and instead use the words “extra cautious”, but yeah, you may be a little paranoid. However, that’s okay, because it still is better to be overly cautious with pesticides than to be so casual as to ignore some common sense ways to avoid exposure. Let’s look at this from a few angles. 

The first is with reference to how some regulatory agencies look at it, and for California, for example, the law states that when using Category 1 or 2 pesticides (Label states either Danger or Warning) the clothing worn as your outer clothing MUST be laundered daily. It must be assumed that the outer clothing is “potentially” contaminated with these more toxic active ingredients and cannot be worn a second day without washing them first. However, the regulations don’t say how often clothing must be laundered if only Cat. 3 (Caution) pesticides are used. This may attest to the recognition that the hazard from slight exposure to these less toxic materials is not a health risk as long as normal personal hygiene if followed. Even though you may not be REQUIRED to put on freshly washed work clothing each day it still would be a good idea. Wearing the same shirt and pants all week long is not going to make you a role model for anyone. 
So, yes, slight amounts of airborne droplets are bound to land on your skin or clothing as you work. Of course, we take steps to keep this from happening any more than necessary, and if we know that a substantial amount of the mist ended up on our shirt or hat then we would have the good sense to remove that clothing at the end of the day and make sure it is laundered before wearing it again. If we spill concentrate liquid on our outer clothing we should probably just dispose of it and never wear it again, since concentrates are harder to completely remove. Regulatory agencies also generally have a policy on working outside during windy days, and this may be a prohibition against working when the wind speed is above some minimum mph, or it may simply be a policy that you cannot spray outside when air movement might blow the pesticide up into your breathing zone, and if it can or does you must wear respiratory protection. 
I think a good policy would be that if you actually feel the mist hitting your skin you should wash that skin with soap and water once you complete that job. I wouldn’t recommend dropping everything and running in a panic to the nearest source of water, but just when you have the chance in the next half hour or so. This also says that we should be carrying SOAP and TOWELS on the vehicle and have a source of clean water within easy reach. It also suggests that everyone ought to be carrying a change of clothing on the vehicle just in case you spill the concentrate on your shirt or pants. These need to come off immediately and the skin beneath it washed and clean clothing put on. And, definitely at the end of each work day it would be good policy to take a shower before any close interactions with your family. Even though the level of active ingredient you might have on your shirt should be very low, it still is a poison, and there is no reason to expose your family to it if showering and changing clothes first can be done. 
As far as medical checkups, at this time there is no standard testing that is done to monitor for pesticide exposure. It WAS the case back when the most common insecticides used were organophosphates and carbamates, as these could cause cholinesterase inhibition and this could be monitored with a blood test. Today’s common products do not affect us in this manner and testing for your exposure would be much more difficult. However, it still is good policy to have at least an annual checkup to monitor all those other things that may even be tied in with a properly working nervous system – heart, blood, etc. But, with proper use of pesticides and the proper wearing of the appropriate PPE your exposure to the active ingredients should be so low that your long term health is not going to be compromised. 

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Pest QuestionsNovember 15, 2012

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SHSU to study ant control for Walker County

Preliminary plans call for bringing an additional researcher to study methods of controlling the two species of ants, working with chemical companies and pest control operators to introduce environmentally safe baits, and testing products locally in the field.

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Pests in the NewsNovember 14, 2012

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After convening rat summit, DCR confident of reining in Castle Island pests

The Department of Conservation and Recreation believes it can curtail the rat problem on Castle Island in South Boston, a spokeswoman for the department said Tuesday afternoon. Officials with DCR, the Massachusetts Port Authority, and the city of Boston …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 14, 2012

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Hurricane Sandy Predicted to Have Long-Term Effect on Pest Populations

Flood and storm-ravaged areas can expect to experience greater contact with pests including rats, bed bugs, termites and flies in the weeks and months after the storm due in large part to population displacement, as well as increased moisture. The NPMA is …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 14, 2012

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Unwelcome visitors: Biological control for invasive pests

Other collaborators are in China, Thailand, Nepal, and Africa. ?Working with all these groups, we normally do pre-screening before we ever bring the insects over to the U.S. Once we find an insect that shows promise ? that proves to be a …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 14, 2012

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Denver ‘UFO’ likely has earthly explanation

A bug or insect, probably a fly or bee. Assuming that the TV station is not being pranked by the anonymous cameraman, it’s not difficult to see how the insects could fool people. It’s not necessarily that anyone is stupid or gullible …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 14, 2012

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San Francisco To Track Bedbugs’ Trails – NBC Bay Area

San Francisco To Track Bedbugs' Trails
NBC Bay Area
That is the message from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which approved an ordinance last week that aims to give the city a more accurate picture of where the pests lurk. Exterminators will now be required to report to the Department of Public …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 14, 2012

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Bed Bugs – The Unwanted Holiday Travel Guest – Sacramento Bee

Bed Bugs – The Unwanted Holiday Travel Guest
Sacramento Bee
13, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ — Atlanta-based pest control leader Orkin reminds holiday travelers to look out for bed bugs because they can be a threat to you and your home, whether you are staying at a five-star hotel, visiting relatives or have friends …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 14, 2012

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Nov 14, 2012 – Little Flies, Big Annoyance

QUESTION:

I have a restaurant that recently called about a small fly infestation. When I arrived I noticed a lot of tiny black flying insects that seem to stay up towards the ceiling and stored items on their shelves. I believe they are fruit flies. The room is 5 feet wide by 10 feet long and 8 feet high with the dish washing sink, water heater, two fridges and cleaning supplies. I placed vinegar traps and Gold Sticks and also placed Bio-Gel down the drain. It helped a little, but we still have some flying around. Any suggestions.

ANSWER:

It is very important for any kind of pest problem to identify exactly what pest you are facing, and in fly management this often becomes even more critical. Knowing only that it is some small flying gnat is not sufficient to tell you what its likely breeding sources and food attractions are, and until you can find the source of the problem – the place these flies are coming from – you will be likely to have a continuing problem. And, in a restaurant the presence of small flies usually indicates that a sanitation problem exists that needs to be addressed. It is the presence of filth such as spills, plumbing leaks, food buildup on equipment, or dirty drains and floors that small flies often breed in and which should not continue to exist in a food service account. 

So, in a sense we ought to thank these little flies for pointing out that a more important problem may be present. That is my first suggestion, and if you have already captured some of the flies on a sticky trap you could examine them under high magnification to determine just what kind they are. The choices most often are fungus gnats, phorid flies, drain flies, vinegar flies, and dark-eyed fruit flies, but of course other small flies might also be present, so don’t close the door to something else. Even the use of a small hand lens magnifier should be sufficient to show you the details needed for proper ID, and I strongly suggest that one of these ALWAYS be with you in the field. One supplier of a variety of low cost models is BioQuip, and you can find them online. 
All of these small flies are going to be associated with moist situations, but if it turns out to be fungus gnats, for example, you might be looking for wet soils in potted plants, water leaks under sinks where mold may be growing, or even an exterior source that is feeding the gnats to the inside when doors are opened. But, since you feel you are seeing them primarily in upper areas around the shelving these gnats don’t seem as likely. Phorid flies are easily ID’d by their annoying habit of landing and then running a short distance on the surface, which may be your face or arm. These breed where there is a buildup of organic crud, so dirty drains, buildup of food debris around floor edges or within equipment, and broken plumbing under slabs are some of the sources for them. 
Also commonly breeding in drains and wherever food debris accumulates in very wet settings could be drain flies, and if your treatment of the drains seems to have helped a bit you might take your inspection further to see what else exists. Dark eyed fruit flies are drawn to the same kinds of fermenting food materials as are vinegar flies, but also to the same kinds of wet filth as the phorid flies, making them a double whammy. Another common problem within food accounts is the grease trap, which may not be properly maintained or emptied, allowing large numbers of flies to find it and breed in it. 
But, bottom line is that you need to find the SOURCE, and finding it will be easier if you know what kind of fly you are dealing with. ID first, inspect to find the source second, clean up that sanitation problem third, and then if necessary do a mop up operation to eliminate the final adult flies that are lingering in the area. Univar now carries many biological cleaners that can be used by our industry to clean surfaces, drains, grease traps, and most other places within a restaurant that might accumulate filth. I would take my focus away from the adult flies and spend my next visit there with a flashlight and the cooperation of the customer, working to find out where the problem is originating. 

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Pest QuestionsNovember 14, 2012

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