Archive for the ‘Pest Questions’ Category

Apr 20, 2012 – Bees – Busy and Bothersome

QUESTION:

I work for a hospital that has beautiful, lush lawns, flowers and flowering bushes. When these are watered the excess water dumps into a storm drain in the parking lot, also adjacent to another flower box. The bees are very active around this area. We are surrounded by nut orchards and vineyards, plus our own flowering vegetation, thus the large population of bees. There is water further away from the building, but because this drain is the main drain for the lawns it always has water in it. Is there anything I can do to reduce the bee population?


ANSWER:

This is the shame of honeybee problems. They are so valuable and beneficial that we should do everything we can to preserve them, particularly right now when Colony Collapse Disorder seems to be continuing around the country. I believe the reality is that when the bees are foraging for food or moisture the threat of being stung is extremely low, and a person would have to deliberately go after the bees to trigger an aggressive reaction on their part. However, I also recognize the reality of peoples’ perceptions around bees, and because they are capable of stinging many people are terrified of them regardless of what they are doing. 

With all that is going on with honeybees at this time it probably would be quite negligent to try to kill them off with insecticides, and even if you could it would be a very short term solution. Much better for long term resolution would be to do what is possible to discourage them from coming onto this property, and that means taking away the attractions of nectar, pollen, and wet areas. You make it pretty clear that reducing standing water and wet soils is not going to be easy, but perhaps there is a watering cycle there than can be altered. If the lawns and plantings are currently being watered during daylight hours it could be shifted so that sprinklers come on in very late afternoon or evening, or better yet during the very early AM hours, such as 2:00 AM. This would be healthier for the turf, not to let the lawns stay damp all night long. But, this might help to get the drainage over with earlier and allow the soils and parking areas to dry. It also is possible that some excessive irrigation is taking place, allowing this runoff to occur when it might not be necessary. People in California do tend to rely too much on automatic sprinkling systems that do not get evaluated for proper times and length, resulting in tremendous waste of water. 
The other change that can be done would be to evaluate all those lush flowers and flowering bushes on the site. Many of them could well be extremely attractive to honeybees, and if the nectar and pollen resources are available the bees will come, and this cannot be stopped. You could consult with a qualified botanist or even some beekeepers to look at what currently is planted there and perhaps recommend removing those plants that are most attractive and replacing them with equally enjoyable flowers or shrubs that are not such a draw to bees. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 20, 2012

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Apr 17, 2012 – The Queen Is Dead! Long Live the Other Queens

QUESTION:

I am using carpenter ant bait and they are feasting upon it. Will the Queen be dead in a few days? Will she be replaced? We have treated outside with Termidor and inside with the appropriate crack & crevice pressurized residual and liquid. If the Queen perishes will the colony collapse?

ANSWER:

While a carpenter ant colony has a single “primary” queen, there may be nearby satellite colonies that have established off the primary colony, and these satellite colonies will also be equipped with their own egg-laying queen ant. In a sense they are still part of the nearby parent colony. For this reason it is unlikely that the death of the original queen is going to spell doom for the entire colony. In addition, since all of the worker ants in an ant colony are females there will be many of them that are able to get their reproductive organs in working order and become secondary queens in that colony upon the death of the primary queen. Many species of ants will routinely have multiple queens, sometimes dozens of them, but carpenter ants are one kind that tends to stick with just one queen in a colony. 

The hope with ant baits is that the bait is distributed to all members of the colony. The feeding by ants can be odd, in that the larvae are often used as the food supply. The larvae may eat the granular bait and then regurgitate some of it in a more liquid form that the worker ants then can swallow and digest. This food chain within the ant colony allows toxic baits to be passed around more thoroughly. With luck it is not just the Queen that gets a toxic dose but also all of the workers and larvae, and this definitely would lead to the collapse of the colony. Thankfully, carpenter ants do seem to be quite willing to accept granular insect baits, giving us a good tool for their control. 
Just how long it will take to kill the queen is hard to say. Boric acid is one common active ingredient, and it appears to cause the death of insects by interrupting their ability to digest their food, thus leading to starvation of the insect. This could take awhile or it may happen quickly. Other active ingredients may work much more quickly, almost as fast as contact insecticides. The use of a good non-repellent with a great transfer effect such as fipronil adds to this overall arsenal on the ants. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 19, 2012

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Apr 18, 2012 – Phorid Flies In The Homes

QUESTION:

I am dealing with a phorid fly problem in a 24 family building with underground parking. Below the units firewalls separate the building into 3 groupings with 8 families in each one, 4 up and 4 down. They are only getting the flies inside the last 8-family unit and only inside some of the apartments (3 lower and 1 upper unit). The plumbing has been scoped and no breakage or problems found and there is no smell in the units of these clean tenants. The parking area below the units where all the plumbing goes never has any problem at all and the flies pop up throughout the year every so often but not constantly. I can’t find a source. Any ideas?

ANSWER:

Phorid flies exist commonly in nature, so if you were finding just a few flies now and then in these apartments, and randomly at that, it could just be flies coming from outside. But, since you are finding many of them consistently in the same few apartments it strongly suggests a source within the building and connected to these units. If the plumbing truly has been inspected by a licensed and qualified plumber and found to be in good condition (and that is probably a blessing) then some other source is present. 

We know that phorid flies are attracted to certain conditions that provide food for their larvae, and this is not going to change. By that I mean that the larvae feed on a wide variety of decaying materials, either plant matter or even flesh. Dead animals could be fed on by the larvae, but since this is a lingering problem and you or the tenants detect no smell of decaying flesh hopefully this is not the source. Other common sources include grease traps in restaurants, filthy garbage cans, any buildup of sludge in wet areas such as low-lying areas, inside drains, within water basins of any kind, and in soils where sewage accumulates with its concentration of organic matter. They also will breed in the same kinds of resources as do vinegar flies, such as fermenting fruits and vegetables. They are found in garbage cans and anyplace where garbage may accumulate and begin to decompose. Compost piles can produce large numbers of them if not properly maintained, as could thick layers of mulch outside. Bins holding containers for recycling could produce the flies.
Virtually any place where water accumulates and remains wet can build up the organic materials that the larvae feed on – sludge, slime, fermenting materials, etc. Dry places will not support the larvae. The question obviously is what circumstance exists there that is common to these 4 units that seem to be getting the problem, but is not close enough to those other 2 separated groups of units to let the flies get into them. This can only be answered by that thorough inspection that eventually will discover the source, at which point you, hopefully, go “Ah HA! – here it is”. Hopefully be offering a multitude of possible larval sources you can do another inspection, including interviewing the tenants to see which of these may exist, and be able to look in new directions. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 18, 2012

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Apr 13, 2012 – Pyrethroid Granule Alternatives

QUESTION:

Recently, you answered a question regarding Pyrethroid Changes. In the message you stated the following: “An important addition to the labels of ALL pyrethroid products and formulations is the statement “do not make applications during rain”. This is important because the use of granules during rainfall or if rainfall was imminent has been a standard practice. This will no longer be permitted and very few alternate products are available for this.”
My question is this: Can you recommend an alternate product or procedure we can follow?


ANSWER:

This is always a really touchy thing for me to do, because manufacturers tend to carefully read what we say about alternative products, and if I offer the names of some products but neglect to mention others I get spoken to. So, I will avoid “recommending” alternatives, but I will mention a name or two. 

It is a FACT that ALL synthetic pyrethroid pesticides are going to be required to have the same new wording on their labels, probably all within the year 2012. That new labeling must be used on products now being packaged by manufacturers, so if they package product today and we buy that new material from them it is going to have the new labeling in place. YOU, the PMP, are required to follow the label that is on the package that you purchase or already own, so there is going to be some amount of “old” labeled material in the system for awhile. Some manufacturers may have produced an abundance of inventory prior to the requirement for the new labeling, so they may be able to offer old-labeled material for quite awhile into this year. But, ultimately all pyrethroids are going to have the statement to not apply during rainfall on their labels. 
There appears to be only a couple of alternative granular insecticides you might want to check on. By alternative I mean a contact product rather than a bait. One of these is Essentria G Granular Insecticide, which is replacing the old ExoExempt G Granules. It’s active ingredients are Thyme and Clove oils and it has very broad and general labeling for exterior uses without any statements about use during rainfall. These actives are contact insecticides.
A second alternative may be from Rockwell Labs, and this is their Intice 10 Perimeter Bait. The active ingredient in this bait is the stomach poison Boric Acid, but according to the manufacturer it somehow is providing good control of many perimeter insect pests other than just those that will eat the bait. I pass this information along only as coming from the manufacturer. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 17, 2012

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Apr 14, 2012 – ABC’s on Mice

QUESTION:

I am new to the pest control business and have been teaching myself and learning from other friendly pest control business owners about common household pest control (ants, roaches, etc.). I just got a call from a potential customer having mice problems. Since I don’t know much at all about mice (and can’t seem to find a master tech class about them online to help further) I decided to ask if you could provide some good starting tips for mouse control. I have yet to look at the house yet but they live out in an area with lots of open desert all
around them. They claim to have lots of mice in and around their home. They claim a few other pest companies have provided no results. Any help would be highly appreciated, and thank you!

ANSWER:

We do have Course #17 – It Was The Night Before Christmas – that covers The House Mouse, its biology and control, so this would be one good starting point. You also can take course 20 on Urban Rats, and much of the information on rat control will also pertain to mice. I also suggest you obtain a copy of the excellent book by Dr. Robert Corrigan – “Rodent Control – A Practical Guide for Pest Management Professionals”, as this is without a doubt the best and most thorough and most recent book on this topic for our industry, and it will give you tremendous insights to rat and mouse control. You should also consider subscribing to one or both of our major industry trade magazines, as these monthly journals will nearly always offer some new information on rodent management. 

It’s hard to summarize a topic as broad as rodent control, but let me give some highlights at least. Most important may be to begin with those IPM steps of habitat modification and exclusion. It is possible to completely prevent mice from entering residential structures by identifying and permanently closing all possible entry points, keeping in mind that a gap of only 1/4 inch could be enough to allow a mouse to squeeze through. It probably is NOT possible to completely exclude mice from entering the exterior property, so your efforts there should be to remove all the attractions that bring them onto that property. These are going to be, most importantly, food and harborage. Mice can live without a drink of water, but they must eat and they must hide all day, so eliminating these possibilities as much as possible will dramatically reduce the number of mice living around the outside of the structure. 
On the interior it is best to avoid the use of toxic bait if possible. Baiting indoors always increases the chance that a child or pet could access the bait, even if you believe it is placed in inaccessible places or in tamper resistant stations. Trapping and immediate removal of trapped rodents is preferable if you have normal infestations, and using LOTS of trap placements if needed. On the interior you also need to focus on removal of food resources as well as disruption of normal harborage the mice are using. When you disturb the normal routine of rats and mice you make them uncomfortable, and when the rodent is now looking for new food and harborage resources it means they are moving around more, investigating your traps or bait more, and you are more likely to capture them. 
Identify where they are hiding and where their travel routes are, based on signs such as feces, urine, damage, etc., and place your traps and stations directly along these pathways. Place traps and stations directly against the vertical surfaces to take advantage of the rodents’ instinct to stay against walls and other vertical surfaces. Check traps each day if at all possible to remove trapped rodents or reset triggered traps. Mice are curious, and they may quickly investigate the things you put down there for them, so you want to remove them before flies find them or they begin to decay and create foul odors. These are two of the reasons for avoiding baiting indoors, which could lead to dead rodents where you cannot remove them. 
Find out what the expectations are of these customers. It could be that they believe they should have zero mice on their property, and this may be unrealistic. Find out what level of cooperation they gave those previous companies in removing pet foods and other food resources outdoors, or in doing exclusion if they said they would take care of that part, or in eliminating piles of brush and other materials laying on the ground. You should start with a fresh slate on each of these accounts, and with a WRITTEN inspection form evaluate the property inside and out, noting all of the Contributing Conditions that need to be corrected, assigning those to specific people with a specific timetable for getting them done, and check on this on each visit. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 17, 2012

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Apr 15, 2012 – Don’t See The Spot Run

QUESTION:

I know you have covered the EPA definition of a “spot” area, but based on that have you found most regulatory interpretations to be flexible about the new pyrethroid label changes regarding spraying higher than 3 feet? Also, the general consensus that I have heard about interior ‘spot’ treatments is that it should be less than 15-20% of the area of the room and no larger than a 2×2 foot area. Does that mean it can be less than 15-20% of the room floor area, but still a bunch of 2×2 areas seperated by 1 foot spaces? A lot of my interior spraying is baseboard, behind stuff, around toilet bowl kind of spraying.
On a separate note, in your experience, how many customers/properties does the average work day consist of for a typical pest control company that does primarily maintenance and residential GHP? Thanks!


ANSWER:

The more I investigated the definition of a “spot” treatment the more I realized I had been giving bad information to people for years. I too have always preached that an application of “spot” treatments should cover no more than 20% of the overall surface, and in my mind’s eye I believe I read this somewhere. However, it turns out that EPA’s definitions stops with the requirement that a single “spot” is no greater than 2 square feet, and it does not address how much of the surface area can be covered by spots. However, I have seen a couple of product labels that DO state how much of the surface area can be covered by spots with THAT specific product, so it is vital that you read each product label carefully to be aware of these kinds of restrictions. 

Let’s examine your questions. First, it is confusing on that “2 square feet”, which would be 288 square inches in some configuration or another. You mention a spot of 2 ft x 2 ft, but that would actually be FOUR square feet, not two. A 1×2 spot would be 12 inches x 24 inches, or 288 square inches. Other dimensions that would accommodate this definition, then, could be 6 inches wide by 4 feet long, 4 inches wide by 6 feet long, or 2 inches wide by 12 feet long (2 inches times 144 inches equals our magic 288 square inches as a legal “spot”). Now, it is very important to carefully read each Label of the products you use to determine just how that Label allow you to apply the product. You may be allowed to do general surface treatments in certain areas of a labeled site, such as a restaurant, but be restricted to spot or crack and crevice treatments in the food areas. Or, in that food area you may even be restricted to just C&C, and to apply any of that insecticide to an exposed surface could be illegal. 
The current issue with the Pyrethroid labeling may bring much of this confusion into focus for us. It also is VERY important to consult with your own local regulatory agency to determine just how they interpret some of this. They may decide what overall percentage of a surface can be covered with spots, as EPA does allow states to be MORE restrictive than the federal regulations, but not LESS restrictive. How close together you are permitted to place those spots does not appear to be defined or stated by EPA, but we do need to use good common sense on this or we are liable to get our hands slapped with new regulations. If we feel sneaky and place our spots immediately adjacent to each other, managing to cover the entire surface with individual “spots”, that clearly is not in the spirit that EPA intended, so keeping some distance between spots is more responsible. 
On your second question regarding how many accounts to service each day, this depends greatly on what kinds of service you offer and the size and difficulty of each account. When I worked in pest control (we called it “control” back then) our company offered turf and ornamental treatments along with the structural, so each monthly or quarterly stop at a residence might involve treatments of shrubs, trees, and other ornamentals as well as treatments around the structure for ants, spiders, etc. This certainly increased the time per account, and for large properties with a lot of trees could GREATLY increase the time spent there (along with the monthly fee for doing all of it). You might have some accounts where you need to get through locked gates or past outside pets, and dealing with these issues adds to the time it takes to provide the needed service. Another issue is how well your route is set up. Are you working in a small geographic area each day or do they have you running all over town, driving 20 minutes or more between stops?
This is what makes it hard to tell you a good average, but 10 accounts per day could be realistic or you might get in 18 accounts if they are small and easy to get into. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 17, 2012

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Apr 16, 2012 – Bed Bug Blood Bait?

QUESTION:

Are baits possible for bed bugs? They have piercing-sucking mouthparts. I was thinking of perhaps a type of bait station with artificial blood and attractant built into it, such as a poison with a transfer effect. I would think it would need some type of artificial skin or membrane to use their type of mouthparts on.

ANSWER:

Never say never when it comes to pest management, and I am confident that universities and manufacturers are currently evaluating the potential to create an effective bait for these difficult pests. You are correct that the only thing they feed on is blood, so it would have to be some concoction that either is actual blood or so closely resembles blood that the bugs are willing to ingest it. I really don’t know all of the possible stumbling blocks in producing such a thing, but let’s give it a whirl. 

Putting live blood into human habitations might very well have a ton of legal implications, so that might be one consideration. Keeping the blood fresh and warm definitely would be another, as blood wants to clot quickly and to spoil, so shelf life is going to be a huge factor. You might have to buy it and use it immediately, and now the cost factor is increasing. Add to that the need to simulate animal skin so that the bugs would not be repelled by the whole thing. It could be that an artificial “blood” would be the better way to go. 
I’m not sure about the transfer effect, and we might be more likely to achieve this from the use of non-repellent insecticides that are contacted by the bugs. If we could develop an active ingredient that is as effective on bed bugs as, for example, fipronil is on ants, it might be present on the cuticle of the bugs in high enough concentrations to be passed onto other bugs when they crowd into the same hiding places. However, bed bugs are not going to have the grooming and other social behaviors of ants and termites that are instrumental in helping a transfer of the active ingredient from one individual to another. 
The sudden reappearance of the Common Bed Bug caught everyone by surprise, and developing new technologies to take the place of our less than efficient insecticides takes a long time, so hopefully we will have some amazing surprises on the horizon. Look for the market release of the new monitoring stations from FMC, called the Verifi monitors, as one of these new and unique products for our industry. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 16, 2012

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Apr 12, 2012 – Pyrethroids Changes

QUESTION:

You have referenced label changes to synthetic pyrethroids recently in your articles. Can you summarize these changes?

ANSWER:

You can find the complete lists of the label changes and the interpretations of some of them by EPA on PestWeb in the “Industry / PestWeb Features” resource. This has changed slightly since we first put it up on PestWeb as new information and interpretations came along, but the basics are the same. NPMA also did a recent Webinar on this important subject and that is available on their website. 

The basics of the changes are that they are intended to further minimize the ability for synthetic pyrethroids to leave the intended application site and to get into local aquatic sites – streams, lakes, etc. and since rain gutters flow to creeks this is a big part of the new labeling. Broad applications to exterior surfaces that are likely to be contacted by rain or irrigation are, in general, now prohibited, except for applications to surfaces where the material can immediately be absorbed, such as soil and turf, and will not then run off the surface. But, our ability to spray entire surfaces of sides of structures is now prohibited. You can continue to treat a band around the base of a structure up to 3 feet above grade if the label allows that, and can continue to treat entire undersides of eaves if the label allows treatment under eaves. But, other exterior surfaces are limited to spot or crack and crevice treatments. 
An important addition to the labels of ALL pyrethroid products and formulations is the statement “do not make applications during rain”. This is important because the use of granules during rainfall or if rainfall was imminent has been a standard practice. This will no longer be permitted and very few alternate products are available for this. 
There also are now specific new requirements for posting and notification for Termite Pre-treatments, requiring that the PMP work with the contractor of the site to be treated to ensure the site is covered with plastic sheeting following the treatment if rainfall is to occur within 24 hours, as well as prohibitions against treating within certain distances of aquatic sites or during specific wind velocities. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 12, 2012

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Apr 9, 2012 – Rodents and Disease

QUESTION:

I have a horse stable as a new account and have been asked some questions by the owner of the stable. Do all rats and mouse have the sickness Leptospirosis? If a horse gets the disease will it die quickly or would it take time before it is serious for the horse? Can it be treated in horses? She has 15 to 20 horses and rats in the area. If the rats are infected does it mean all horses will become infected with Leptospirosis? Could this lead to other health problems in the horse? Thanks for your answer and advice.

ANSWER:

Our peridomestic rodents (House Mouse, Norway and Roof Rats) are absolutely wonderful vectors of disease, and Leptospirosis is just one of nearly 60 different known pathogens or parasites passed to humans or domestic animals by these 3 species. This really needs to be kept in mind by those who advocate capture-and-release policies on them. These 3 species of rodents are exotic pests in North America and their presence can threaten the health and existence of many other native animals as well as humans. To capture a roof rat in a home and release it back outside now threatens the local birds, other native rodents, and anything else that rat intends to feed on and compete with. 

Leptospirosis is also called Weil’s Disease and it is caused by a bacteria that may be present in both rats and mice. It is spread from these infected rodents to humans, dogs, livestock, and other animals in the urine of the rodents when that urine gets into drinking water or contacts the eyes or breaks in our skin. Dogs that lick rodent urine within a home or animals that drink water with rodent urine in it are susceptible to acquiring the disease. Many other wild animals also are capable of carrying the disease and being vectors of it. The bacteria can remain alive and viable as long as they remain in a moist situation. Even people swimming in contaminated lakes or streams may be infected. The symptoms of the disease in humans will be fever, rashes, headache, and sloughing of skin, according to Dr. Robert Corrigan’s book on Rodent Control. But, complications from the disease are possible and potentially life threatening. 
If rats are present on this property then we have to assume that they “could” be infected with this disease, and therefore “could” be presenting the opportunity for the horses to become infected as well. Exactly what percentage of rodents in any population are infected would be hard to say, but given the value of horses it’s probably best to work on the assumption that the horses are at least at risk, and the rodents need to be eliminated to ensure the health of the horses. According to one veterinarian fact sheet on this disease and horses, some studies have shown up to 40% of horses may have been infected with the bacteria at some point in their lives. It appears that it is not particularly life threatening to horses, but it can lead to some chronic health problems, such as blood infections, kidney failure, heart complications, and a variety of other ailments. According to this veterinarian guide “the disease is typically seen as a self-limiting mild fever with anorexia”. 
This has to be the message to provide to your customer, and they should consult with their veterinarian on the prevalence of Leptospirosis in your area. A worst case scenario would be that all of the rats and mice could be infected and could be urinating in drinking troughs or on the food of the horses, and if this were the case all of the horses could be at risk and some of them could develop very serious complications. More realistically you might consider that some of the rodents likely are infected and in their daily activities are probably urinating where the horses will eat or drink that contaminated urine. Infected horses most likely would show only mild symptoms and recover, but you need to leave the decision on the horse care up to the customer and her veterinarian. 
However, obviously it would be a really good idea to prevent any rats or mice from coexisting with these horses or any other domestic animals on this property. Even the humans would be at risk if they had a cut on their arm and stuck that arm into a watering trough that was contaminated by rodent urine. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 11, 2012

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Apr 10, 2012 – Old Bait, Now Food

QUESTION:

Can an old and excessive amount of granular bait in a attic (possibly at least 14 years old and maybe Baygon) become a food source for Indian Meal Moths?

ANSWER:

This would not surprise me at all, even though at one time it was a bait that would kill insects that ate it. Propoxur (in Baygon) is a relatively stable molecule as a Carbamate, but granular products do degrade over time, and it would seem likely to me that after possibly 14 years the active ingredient would have degraded to a point low enough not to be able to kill insects any longer. The bait constituent of granular baits will probably be some kind of grain-based product and since the IMM will eat just about anything that bait could be attractive to them. 

So, I am not saying that absolutely the active ingredient is gone, but after that long it would seem likely to be present at an awfully low level. Regardless though, this kind of old bait that I assume must be piled up in this attic should be removed and disposed of properly. It is unlikely that we have an old Baygon Bait label on PestWeb any longer, but you should be able to find one on the internet and read the instructions for disposal of uneaten or spoiled bait. Hopefully it can be disposed of in a garbage can or by burying rather than through a toxic waste process. 
You do point out the important first step in control of any stored food products pest, and that is to discover just where they are coming from. Focusing on the adult moths for control is not going to affect the larvae, and they will quickly mature to new adult moths. Old rodent bait, forgotten pet foods, nuts and other foods stored out in the garage, dried flower arrangements, forgotten food packages in the kitchen cupboards, and pet foods cached in wall voids by rodents are all wonderful sources of food for the IMM and other moth and beetle pests. The IMM may be the most diverse in its food selections. If you suspect some old insect bait that you have found you should easily see the larvae or evidence of them on the bait. They spin lots of silk webbing over the food and this will be evident. 

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Pest QuestionsApril 10, 2012

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