May 27, 2012 – A Need To Kill?
QUESTION:
How do I control Eleodes armata in Arizona? I do work for a pest control company but I am only advised to look at the labels. I have and have used numerous products claiming to control these beetles, but with little to no results. I would also like to know if the heat in Arizona would have much effect on the concentrated chemicals I carry in my service truck.
ANSWER:
I will be very honest with you and say that there is just no reason to kill these large black beetles. Eleodes armata is one of about 120 different species in this genus found in the western U.S., and particularly in the dry areas of the Southwest. They are in the family Tenebrionidae, which is generally called the Darkling Beetles, but these large, slow moving beetles are variously referred to as Pinacate Beetles, Clown Beetles, or more accurately "Stink Beetles" because of the foul-smelling oils they exude when they feel threatened. They are often encountered walking slowly over the ground and when disturbed they immediately raise their hind end and lower their head, coming almost into a complete head stand. They cannot fly and move slowly and are far more of an interesting curiosity than any possible pest problem. They should be left alone and enjoyed.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
How do I control Eleodes armata in Arizona? I do work for a pest control company but I am only advised to look at the labels. I have and have used numerous products claiming to control these beetles, but with little to no results. I would also like to know if the heat in Arizona would have much effect on the concentrated chemicals I carry in my service truck.
ANSWER:
I will be very honest with you and say that there is just no reason to kill these large black beetles. Eleodes armata is one of about 120 different species in this genus found in the western U.S., and particularly in the dry areas of the Southwest. They are in the family Tenebrionidae, which is generally called the Darkling Beetles, but these large, slow moving beetles are variously referred to as Pinacate Beetles, Clown Beetles, or more accurately "Stink Beetles" because of the foul-smelling oils they exude when they feel threatened. They are often encountered walking slowly over the ground and when disturbed they immediately raise their hind end and lower their head, coming almost into a complete head stand. They cannot fly and move slowly and are far more of an interesting curiosity than any possible pest problem. They should be left alone and enjoyed.
I understand that many of your customers want properties that are 100% free and clear of ANY kinds of "bugs", but this really should not be our role in professional pest management. Attempting to use pesticides to kill every 6 or 8 legged creature on a property is unnecessary and an overuse of toxic materials, and it is only going to get us into trouble. Since these beetles pose no threat to people or to plants, feeding primarily as larvae on dead vegetation and seeds of weeds, they really are not "pests". If for some reason they are managing to get into a home or garage then exclusion is the best approach to their management. If, for some reason, you absolutely had to treat for them you could use an insecticide labeled for "darkling" beetles, and there are many with this labeling. However, spraying for these beetles is very likely to have no success unless you managed to treat directly into whatever harborage it was occupying. Spraying generally over the ground in the hope of killing them when they wander about is not going to have any effect and should be avoided.
However, hopefully your better approach of educating customers to understand, tolerate, and appreciate many of the bugs in nature will be successful. A managed landscape really is better off with bugs living in it than with none, and in Arizona you certainly have plenty of interesting bugs that are going to wander in and out of yards. Keeping them out of the structures is a better goal than preventing their presence altogether. Thanks for understanding.
On heat and chemicals, I believe you are probably just fine carrying sealed containers of concentrates and baits in your vehicle, but you should make an effort to use them in a reasonable time, rather than carrying the same jug around for months. Heat definitely can work on the molecules of pesticides to degrade them, but within sealed containers their integrity should be okay for quite awhile. Your biggest problem is going to be with glue traps, and these could be carried in the cab or within a small cooler of some kind to keep them at least reasonably cooler until used. On the containers of liquids and baits and other pesticides you might even consider removing the containers from the vehicle for weekends or other extended intervals of non-use, and storing them instead in the company storage area which should be kept cooler all the time.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
