Archive for November, 2012

Junk bugs are cute, but that load they carry is gruesome – al.com (blog)


al.com (blog)

Junk bugs are cute, but that load they carry is gruesome
al.com (blog)
Behold the junk bug, a larval insect known for carrying a heap of debris around as camouflage. But study the debris closely. Those are dead bugs stuck all over the junk bug's back, insects the bug killed and ate. If you look closely, you can see the …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 08, 2012

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Nov 8, 2012 – Amazing Webs And Spiders

QUESTION:

My daughters k-1 class wants to know why spiders don’t get caught in their own webs and do they get caught in other spiders’ webs?

ANSWER:

The web-making of spiders, and the large garden Orb Weavers in the family Araneidae in particular, have been the subject of intensive and lengthy studies for many, many years. The orb weavers make the large, symmetrical and beautiful webs that we see along garden paths in the summer, ready to ensnare any insect that tries to fly along that pathway. Some species even eat their entire web each night and rebuild it for the next day, ensuring a web without any damage from wind or birds that might have stumbled through it. The chemicals of their silk are precious commodities, so by eating it they can recycle the material for the new web. 

The silk itself is an incredible chemical composition that may be ejected through 16 or more openings at the end of the spider’s abdomen, manipulated and wrapped to increase its strength. As the spider builds the web it places a series of spots of “glue” on certain strands, and it is this glue that is the actual stickiness of the web, not the silk itself. The spider that builds the web then instinctively avoids, as much as possible, those strands that have the glue on them, choosing instead non-glued strands when they need to race across that web to grab, bite, and paralyze some insect that has blundered into the web. But, as added insurance the spider also exudes some oil onto the tips of its feet, and it is this oil that further prevents it from getting stuck on its own web should it come into contact with that glue. So, without the glue there is a chance that a spider could be stuck on its own webbing. 
With this in mind I suppose the answer to the second question regarding other spiders’ webs would be that any spider whose feet are properly oiled could walk on the silk of another spider and not get stuck in the webbing. However, perhaps a spider on the wrong web might have a greater chance of being stuck if it did not properly recognize the strands that were glued versus non-glued, whereas on its own web it probably feels right at home and more rapidly “knows” which strands to use for travel. And, spiders probably are likely to avoid the webs of other spiders, particularly webs of other KINDS of spiders, as the structure of the webs of different kinds can be very different. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsNovember 08, 2012

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Deadly Snakes, Insects Lurk in Iraq

For soldiers deployed in Iraq there’s more to worry about than enemy fire. Danger could also be lurking underfoot, inside crevices or within clothing. A bite from the local saw-scaled viper, for example, may seem harmless at first, but in days it causes a …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 07, 2012

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As weather turns cold, critters want in – Midland Daily News

As weather turns cold, critters want in
Midland Daily News
And once they're in, pest control experts say it can be difficult to get rid of them. Ryyan Kelley of All American Pest Control, 4912 Mac St., said it's not just the colder months that mice try and escape the elements. ?I did notice a definite influx …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 07, 2012

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Fruit flies threaten production, exports – IPPmedia

Fruit flies threaten production, exports
IPPmedia
Comments. Tanzania earns about USD35m from exports of fruits and flowers annually, according to statistics from the Bank of Tanzania, but Bactrocera invadens, a destructive pest commonly referred to as the fruit fly, has been undermining their production.

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Pests in the NewsNovember 07, 2012

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Scientists Identify Insect-repelling Compounds in Jatropha – Kansas City infoZine

Scientists Identify Insect-repelling Compounds in Jatropha
Kansas City infoZine
Washington, D.C. – infoZine – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have identified components of Jatropha curcas seed oil that are responsible for mosquito repellency. Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Natural Products …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 07, 2012

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Boxelder bugs harmless to people

Q. I have noticed large numbers of orange or red insects collecting around my patio door. When I open the door, the insects fly inside. What are these insects and should I be alarmed? Boxelder bugs are familiar insects to many people.

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Pests in the NewsNovember 07, 2012

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Nov 5, 2012 – Adapted to the Dry

QUESTION:

On rare occasions I am confronted by clusters of centipedes. My question is how in this usually very dry climate (Nevada) do these moisture loving insects appear, seemingly out of nowhere? Secondly, are they always present and are just waiting for some moisture like a pipe leak to make their presence felt?

ANSWER:

I think the answer lies in the fact that every habitat has its occupants, and many kinds of centipedes have adapted to life in very dry environments. However, they still have a problem retaining body moisture, as their exoskeleton may be more porous than that of most other arthropods, so they will be nocturnal to avoid sunlight and the hot daytime and they will hind in dark places where, hopefully, there is some level of moisture to help them out. 

You did not go into details on exactly where you are finding these cluster of centipedes. Are they someplace indoors or are they under objects on the ground outside? Why you would suddenly find groups of them in one location is a good question, and since I can’t think like a centipede we just have to guess at the answer. Perhaps that place where you found them presented the coolest place around with the highest level of moisture, and that drew them to the same location. Perhaps there is some relatively abundant food resource in that area and following the nocturnal banquet they all withdrew to the nearest available harborage. 
I would guess that centipedes, at some level, are always present but are hiding really well. The axiom “Nature hates a void” means that available space is going to get occupied by living organisms around it, and if other insects and appropriate hiding places exist then the predatory bugs are going to discover it and hang around until those resources run out. Certainly a water leak could increase the attractiveness of a place, as well as attract other insects that like the moisture and could serve as food for predators like spiders and centipedes. Another great reason to manage excessive moisture problems. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsNovember 07, 2012

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PESTS: Experts encourage local firewood use

?Buy it where you burn it? is the slogan of a campaign urging people to control pests and plant diseases around California by using local firewood. Firewood is one of the least regulated resource industries in California, said Tom Scott, a …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 06, 2012

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Scientists identify insect-repelling compounds in Jatropha

often find effective plant-derived compounds to deter insects by gathering plants in the wild and investigating those used in traditional folk remedies. ARS is USDA’s principal intramural scientific research agency. After learning that people in …

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Pests in the NewsNovember 06, 2012

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