Grub Prevention 101

• Keep an eye out for the beetles that lead to grubs. Certain varieties of beetles are know to lay eggs that hatch and lead to those nasty grubs. The Masked Chafer and the Japanese Beetle are two beetles known to be especially crippling to lovely lawns.
• If you see these beetles you can attempt to nip the problem in the bud by using insecticides, traps and other tools available at your local gardening / farmer supply store.
• Usually these beetles search for the wettest, plushest lawn to bury their eggs in, so, one option is to make sure your lawn isn’t as nice as your neighbors. The beetles may pass up your sub-par lawn and move on to your neighbors. But, seriously, who wants a sub par lawn?
• If your lawn is at risk for grub infestation (i.e. beetles are present and your lawn is way better than your neighbors), there are insecticides that can be applied directly to your lawn to kill any grubs that may have taken up residence there. These are usually applied around late July, before grubs start to do major damage, but late enough to make sure they have all hatched. If these are applied too early, it is possible that they will not be as effective, considering most of the grubs may not even be hatched yet, and thus will not be as exposed to the poison. Again, these chemicals can usually be purchased at your local garden / farm supply store.
• HB nematodes are also an ally in the grub war.  HB nematodes are know to search out the grubs, and infect them with bacteria, thus killing them. This  is less dangerous to your health than the caustic chemicals normally used in fighting grubs. These little guys can be bought through mail order lawn care catalogs or found online.

Tips/Warnings

• Apply insecticides late in the day, around dusk, unless the packaging says otherwise.
• Water your lawn before applying insecticides, this will help them to work their way to the roots where grubs reside.
• If you have children or pets, make sure to keep them well away from the lawn until insecticides are soaked in enough so as not to pose a threat to health.

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They regularly persecute volleyball players, assault hikers, and torment picnickers. In fact, if you’re in the great outdoors, you may be attacked by large swarms of them at any moment. Who are these fiends in bug-shaped form? They are none other than the infamous mosquitoes.

Protect Yourself from Mosquitoes

Unfortunately, while the month of May brings warmer temperatures, it also signals the start of the time when clouds of these insects will quickly surround any individual unfortunate enough to stray near a wooded area. So, are there ways that you can protect yourself? While you may not be able to completely eradicate these pests from your immediate vicinity, there are ways to reduce the number of mosquitoes that attack you:

• Avoid wearing colognes, perfumes, and scented lotions. Humans are not the only ones attracted by pleasant odors! Your wife may like the smell of your aftershave, but  your local mosquito population may enjoy it too. Mosquitoes are also attracted by smells that you may find less pleasant, such as the odor of carbon dioxide from fast breathing and the scent of lactic acid released by sweat glands. Thus, a spectator at a game of softball is less likely to have mosquitoes munching on her than is the pitcher.
• Use an appropriate repellent. Insect repellents that contain DEET are among the most effective in keeping mosquitoes at bay, although they have been known to damage synthetic materials such as nylon, so be careful where you spray. If you’re camping, you’ll want to coat your tent and clothing with a repellent such as permethrin to ward off mosquitoes.
• Wear light, neutral colors. Mosquitoes are often attracted to dark, contrasting colors, while neutral colors, such as tans and whites, blend into the mosquitoes’ natural surroundings. Not only that, but wearing lighter colors will also keep you cooler throughout the day, so that you’ll release less of the sweat that mosquitoes find so tantalizing.
• Dress in long pants and long sleeves. While tank tops and shorts may be comfortable, they also leave plenty of exposed skin that can make a great snack for mosquitoes. If you’re hiking, camping, or otherwise spending the day in a mosquito-infested area, switch to lightweight long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and exchange the flip-flops for socks and shoes.
• Install tight-fitting screens in your windows. The buzz of a nearby mosquito in the middle of the night can be enough to keep anyone awake. Keep mosquitoes out of your bedroom by installing screens in all of your windows. If you’re camping, be sure to check your tent for holes in netting and nylon, and repair any damaged areas.
• Purchase citronella candles. While many scents attract mosquitoes, the scent of citronella actually repels them. So, the next time you host a barbecue on your back porch, you may find that lighting a few of these candles will keep the bugs away.
• Remove mosquito habitats. Mosquitoes love stagnant water! They live and breed near bird baths, septic tanks, pools, ponds, swamps, and other bodies of standing water, both large and small. If you have a bird bath, be sure to change the water at least once per week. Keep the cover to your septic tank covered and sealed, so that mosquitoes can’t get inside and lay eggs. If you have a swimming pool, keep the cover on when the pool isn’t in use, and keep the pool properly maintained. Try stocking your pond with mosquito eating fish. Finally, eliminate all unnecessary sources of standing water, such as water-filled containers.

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That’s not going to be on any Hallmark cards anytime soon.

But, it’s very true. In the spring time, ticks start coming out, and planning their attacks, especially Deer ticks, those Lyme carrying blood suckers. These are the #1 pest to look out for in many areas of the US. Just one bite from an infected tick will transmit Lyme disease to you, a disease that can plague you for years. So, how can you protect yourself and your family? With knowledge!

Where Do Deer Ticks Come From?

In the fall, Deer ticks lay their eggs in sheltered, woodsy areas. Once spring comes, the baby ticks hatch, and gather on blades of grass or similar low objects that can act almost as a dock. They wait for a mouse or other rodent to scamper by, and make their move. When the rodent brushes against the grass or other tick harboring object the ticks transfer into the rodent’s fur, and crawl down to the skin, latching on, and sucking blood from their host. This is where Deer ticks pick up Lyme disease. If a rodent is infected, the ticks will bring the disease into their system.

Once the ticks have grown, they fall off the rodent and start searching for larger hosts to satisfy their lust for blood. Often this turns out to be just another animal, a deer, bear, moose, really anything that lives in the woods and has blood in its’ veins. Occasionally, however, that host turns out to be a human.

What Are the Signs of Lyme Disease?

Early signs of Lyme disease include:

• A rash around the bite area.
• Headache.
• Fatigue.
• Nausea.

At this point in the progression of Lyme, infection can be stopped and reversed by properly administered antibiotics. If you notice these symptoms, see your doctor as soon as you can.

Advanced symptoms of Lyme disease:

• Heart trouble.
• Soreness and stiffness of the joints.
• Problems related to the central nervous system.

How Can You Keep Yourself From Becoming a Tick Host?

• Tuck in your shirt! By tucking in your shirt it makes it more difficult for ticks to climb up your pants, onto your stomach, the longer they have to travel to reach skin, the greater chance you have of spotting them.
• Avoid tick filled areas. Ticks are often attracted to areas with tall, damp grass and dark wooded areas.
• After coming in from a day outdoors, check yourself carefully for ticks. Stand in front of a mirror and turn 360 degrees, making sure to get a good view of your back. If possible have a friend help you (only if you and your friend are comfortable with this, of course.)
• If you do find a tick who has bitten you, make sure to monitor the bite for any signs of a rash or peculiarity.

By arming yourself with knowledge you can put up a fight against these villains of the forest!

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When you see crickets, beetles, and other insects in your home, is your first instinct to reach for a heavy shoe? If so, then according to one Dutch cookbook, you may be destroying part of a delicious and nutritious meal. The Insect Cookbook, released last Tuesday, contains recipes for such mouth-watering dishes as chocolate muffins with worms and mushroom risotto with grasshoppers.

In fact, the cookbook is part of a growing worldwide trend in insect consumption. While many feel an inherent antipathy towards eating bugs, supporters of entomophagy, or insect eating, argue that bugs not only make for tasty snacks, but are also more  sustainable sources of protein than larger animals such as cows and pigs.

Beef, Pork, or Grasshopper?

According to some estimates, as much as 70% of agricultural lands are currently used to care for livestock. As the human population continues to expand, demand for beef and pork will increase, and many fear that in the near future, the supply will no longer be able to match the demand. In such a case, insects may make for a viable alternative. For instance, a cow requires 1,000 gallons of water in order to produce one pound beef, while in order to produce the same amount of protein, insects only require 1 gallon of water. Insects as food are also more environmentally friendly than pigs, as insect production releases only 1/100 of the greenhouse gases released during pork production. Additionally, unlike larger animals,  insects actually enjoy living in cramped, small spaces.

However, are insects really safe to eat? Surprisingly, more than 1,000 varieties of insects are edible, and pound for pound, they are more efficient sources of protein than either beef or pork. Many are also bursting with nutrients such as zinc, iron, and calcium. Need foods low in carbohydrates? Insects such as termites and silkworms contain almost no carbs. Looking for low-calorie snacks? If you eat 25 crickets, you’ve consumed a mere 60 calories.

Insect Meals Around the World

While for Americans, venturing into the world of insect-eating may be a novel and stomach-churning experience, other cultures have been aware of the benefits of insect ingestion for centuries.  The Chinese have long enjoyed dishes of fried bee larvae, while Brazilians discovered the joys of chocolate-covered and fried ants decades ago. Citizens of Bangkok, Thailand take for granted the dozens of  street vendors in their city offering deep-fried grasshoppers. Perhaps we’ll soon join the rest of the world in enjoying the occasional moth larvae.

Knowing that bugs are healthy is not quite the same thing, however, as feeling ready to eat them. Personally, I’m not sure that I’m ready for a meal of crickets, but maybe someday I’ll be able to get past that creepy-crawly sensation, and try a recipe from The Insect Cookbook.

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1. Patch all possible entry points. This can be extremely difficult in older houses, but it is the most guaranteed method of prevention. Even a small hole big enough for a mouse’s head to fit through can turn into a veritable “mouse highway” into your home.
2. Use steel wool to plug all mouse holes. Steel wool blocks the holes and is tough enough so the mice cannot chew through it to reopen their holes.
3. Use a mouse beeper. These devices emit a frequency only mice can hear. It doesn’t affect us or our pets, but it makes things annoying for the mice and, usually, they leave.
4. Keep food stored securely. If there is nothing for mice to eat they will not find your home so welcoming. Make sure all food is stored in airtight containers, strong enough so that mice cannot chew through.
5. Peppermint oil can keep mice away as well. It is such a powerful scent, it overloads the sensitive olfactory senses and they will try to avoid it as much as possible. It is also strong enough to mask the scent of any food in your home. Try dabbing a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball and placing them near any places a mouse may enter your home.
6. Place trash cans as far away from your home as possible. The smell attracts mice and if it is close to your house they can then become curious and enter in.
7. Try using a “Have-a-Heart” trap. These traps are built so mice can get in, but can’t get out. Once you catch a mouse, take him far away from your house and release him. It is recommended to release them over 200 feet from your home.
8. If you have a cat, try placing the kitty-litter boxes near the areas a mouse may come in. Upon entering your home, they will smell the cat urine and usually abandon hopes of raiding your home, choosing to leave rather than risk getting eaten.
9. Poisons are common, but are not recommended. They can be dangerous to those living in your home, and, since they do not work immediately, they poisoned mouse can crawl away and die in an impossible to reach place. They will then decompose there, creating a smell that will linger for weeks. If this doesn’t bother you, then by all means, use a poison.
10. Keep stacks of wood or brush far from your house. These often harbor mice and if they are in close proximity to your house, it can be a temptation for the mice to enter into the warmth and safety of your home.

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I walked out of the back door of my apartment building last week, and noticed an odd-looking creature in my next-door neighbor’s yard. This animal was slightly larger than your average cat, and had grayish fur, a pointed snout, and a long, creepy-looking hairless tail that strongly reminded me of a rat’s tail. I had to do a double-take before I could confirm that I was looking at an opossum, right in the middle of the city!

Over the next few days, I saw the opossum several times, and, like most opossums, this one was adept at playing dead. When I walked by, it lay perfectly still, its teeth bared, its eyes half-closed, and saliva foaming out of its mouth. It also smelled terrible.

Bothersome Opossums

Prior to this, I had always assumed that opossums lived only in forests, far from human habitation. However, it turns out that these marsupials frequently venture into densely populated areas. As omnivores, these creatures feed on not only on fruits, nuts, plants, insects, snails, frogs, mice, birds, mice and rats, but also upon items that can be found in garbage cans, compost piles, vegetable gardens, and upon pet food, and are therefore not uncommon in cities. In fact, a few years ago, New York City officials imported opossums to control the local mice population, and soon had to combat an opossum population instead!

Opossums will also occasionally sneak inside houses, and become pests in the process.  They often live under porches, decks, and  steps, and in sheds, attics, garages, and will create messes by leaving behind feces and by building nests composed of sticks and other debris. Note that opossums are nocturnal creatures so you are most likely to spot these animals in the evening, although during cold weather they will occasionally show themselves during the daytime.

Opossum Control

So, if you have an opossum on your premises, what should you do? First, don’t touch the creature. Opossums are not generally vicious unless cornered, although they will hiss, growl and bare their teeth if threatened. However, they do carry diseases such as leptospirosis, tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia, spotted fever, toxoplasmosis, coccidiosis, trichomoniasis, and Chagas disease. They may also be infested with fleas, ticks, mites, and lice.

Be aware that opossums are protected in many states, so you will want to investigate local fish and game regulations before taking any steps to remove the creatures. Removing remove opossums from their premises by using Have-A-Heart and similar traps is legal in some areas, but not in all, and poisoning opossums is illegal in most states.

You can, however, discourage opossums from nesting in or near your home. Cut back overgrown shrubbery, and tree branches that hang over your rooftops. Stack firewood tightly, so that opossums have no space to creep in between logs and nest. Use tight-fitting lids on all of your garbage cans, and avoid placing table scraps in your compost bin.

Prevent opossums by entering your home or shed by closing off potential openings and areas under porches with 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth. Before you install the mesh, confirm that you will not trap the animal inside. If you have an opossum under your deck, one way to confirm that an animal has left its nest is to place a 1/8 inch thick layer of flour in front of the space that the opossum uses as an entrance. You will then be able to see the animals footprints in the flour once it leaves the nest.

Finally, if you find that you cannot encourage the animal to leave your property, consider calling in a licensed animal control handler to remove the opossum.

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Like my sister, you may already be repelled by the inherent sliminess of slugs. However, there are more serious reasons for keeping these creatures away from your garden. They feed on seedlings, herbaceous plants, and fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, artichokes, tomatoes, and citrus fruits, and can cause genuine damage to harvests. Not only that, but the slime trails that they leave behind can also contaminate produce. Unfortunately, the warm winter temperatures of this past year mean that slug populations are likely to be larger than ever.

Keep Your Garden Slug-Free

So, if you have slugs in your garden, what can you do? Here are a few tips for slug control:

• Reduce soil moisture. Slugs require cool, moist habitats. Since these molluscs are composed mostly of water, and produce large amounts of protective mucous, they dry out easily. Therefore, reducing moisture conditions in your garden can also reduce the slug population. Applying a 1 to 3 inch layer of mulch over your garden may create a dryer environment and at the same time keep your plants from drying out.
• Eliminate slug hiding places. Slugs are mostly active at night, and during the day will seek out cool, dark places in which to hide from bright sunshine.  Therefore, removing boards, stones, weeds, low-lying leafy branches, dense ground covers such as ivy, and other debris from your yard can discourage slugs from settling near your garden. Slugs also tend to attach themselves to fences, tree trunks, and walls, so you may be able to eliminate individual slugs by checking these areas regularly.
• Set slug traps. Fermenting liquids attract slugs, so small cups of beer in the soil will often serve as lures for these creatures, which then fall into the cups and drown. This method is recommended only if you have small slug populations in your garden, however. If you have more serious slug infestations, you may need to apply different methods.
• Create slug barriers. Copper flashing makes an effective slug barrier, since the copper reacts with the slime that the slugs produce, causing the slugs to experience mild shocks. Consider placing copper foil around plant or flower boxes and plant pots.
• Use molluscicides and baits. A number of baits and molluscicides currently on the market, such as ammonia spray, are effective at treating slug problems. Note however, that some (although not all) are hazardous to pets. Be sure to follow manufacturer instructions when applying chemicals to your garden.

With a just a few precautions, your garden (and pant legs) can remain slug-free this year! Personally, I’m just glad that doctors no longer attempt to cure peptic ulcers by having their patients swallow whole, live slugs, as they once did in rural southern Italy!

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Found in most temperate climates, this paper clip sized spider delivers a powerful bite, 17 times more powerful than a rattle snake bite! Effects include muscle aches, and nausea. Bites also cause a paralysis of the diaphragm, leading to difficult breathing. But, bites are not commonly fatal as many think. Most do not die from bites. However, bites can be fatal in some instances. The elderly, infirm and very young are the most susceptible to the effects of Black Widow bites.

Fortunately, Black Widow Spiders are usually docile and do not attack without provocation.

Those most in danger of attack from Black Widows are insects and male Black Widows. Female Black Widows devour their mates after they have completed the mating ritual! This bizarre and grisly behavior is how Black Widows got their name.

What to do if bitten by a Black Widow

• First, clean the area of the bite with soap and water.
• Next, apply a cool compress to the bite, keeping the area elevated to about heart level if possible.
• Third, apply a mild antiseptic. Bites are susceptible to infection, but an application of iodine or hydrogen peroxide may prevent this from occurring.
• Attempting to suck out the poison has been proven ineffective.
•  Make sure to contact your physician ASAP! A doctor can administer a drip of calcium gluconate to counteract the effects of the poison.

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What were these unusual bugs? They were fire ants! Our lawn had become infested with the creatures, and until the ants were removed, spring picnics would have to be postponed.

I Know It Itches, but Don’t Scratch!

Before we took any steps toward ant extermination, however, we first had to attend to the small, painful red bumps that had appeared on our own and on our children’s arms and legs. Bumps left by fire ant stings will eventually go away on their own, but in the meantime they often turn into uncomfortable white pustules, and the urge to scratch can be almost uncontrollable. Unfortunately, scratching can lead to infection, so we had to find another way to alleviate the itching. Our doctor recommended either antihistamines or a topical steroid cream, such as hydrocortisone,  to reduce the discomfort, and we found that hydrocortisone helped considerably.

Thankfully, no one went into anaphylactic shock. Apparently some people do experience allergic reactions to fire ant stings, and can suffer from severe chest pains, severe perspiration, breathlessness, extreme swelling, stomach upset, and slurred speech. The doctor warned me that if I felt any of these symptoms, or saw them in my family members, I should call for emergency help immediately, since such reactions can be fatal if left untreated.

This Means War, Fire Ants!

Once we had attended to the stings, we next had to consider how to reclaim our backyard. When we next carefully ventured out the backdoor – clothed in long pants, long sleeves, and closed shoes – we found several anthills on our property. We decided to attack the mounds directly, and attempt the drench method, which involves applying a mixture of insecticides and water to the mounds. We waited for a cool, sunny morning, when ants are typically gathered just under the opening of the first mound, and poured our mixture over the opening. We then soaked the area within a 1 foot radius of the mound, using about 1 gallon of water. We repeated the process for the other mounds.

Over the next few days we remained hopeful. Had we seen the last of our stinging friends? Unfortunately, we had not. While the drenching method did appear to reduce the number of fire ants in our backyard, we must have missed a few mounds because the ants did not disappear entirely. Time for a new strategy!

The Final Battle

We decided that our next line of attack would be to use broadcast baits next. On a late Sunday afternoon, when the ants seemed to be most active in the yard, we descended upon them, well armed with our ant-killing poisons. Using handheld seed spreaders, we distributed bait containing slow-acting toxicants over the yard, carefully following all of the manufacturer’s instructions .

It worked! Our backyard is now fire-ant free, and we’re able to enjoy our lawn again. Hurrah for the demise of the fire ants!

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Spring has finally arrived, and it’s time to start gardening! Unfortunately however, spring also signals the return of many pest species, including spider mites. These tiny creatures may not reach lengths much longer than 1/25 of an inch, but they can certainly do a lot of damage to your beautiful plants.

Spider Mite Damage

Spider mites feed on a wide variety of plants, including strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, and corn, and can devastate a garden. How can something so small wreak such havoc? Part of the answer to this question lies in the speed with which spider mites reproduce. Spider mite eggs may hatch within as little as three days, and within five days of hatching, spider mites are sexually mature. When you consider that a single female spider mite can lay as many as twenty eggs per day, and may live between two and four weeks, it’s easy to see why spider mite populations expand quickly.

How do you know if your garden is infested with spider mites? Look for brown or yellow spots on plant leaves, and very fine silk webbing on plants. If you see a plant that you suspect is infested, hold a piece of white paper beneath the leaves of the plant, and tap the leaf with your hand. Look for small, dark, moving specks that appear on your paper. If you see these specks, you have found your spider mites!

Eliminating Spider Mites from Your Garden

Once you have found the source of the problem, the next step is of course to remove the spider mites. Unfortunately, because these pests have such swift reproduction rates, they are able to adapt quickly to pesticides. However, there are steps that you can take to reduce spider mite populations in your garden. Consider taking the following actions:

• Create a moist environment. Spider mites prefer hot, dry conditions, so spray your plants repeatedly throughout the day. If you have outdoor plants, consider placing peat moss between plants to retain moisture.
• Attract spider mite predators.  Predator mites, lady bugs, syrphid flies, and lacewings all feed on spider mites.
• Move indoor plants out of late afternoon sunlight. Since spider mites prefer hot weather, moving your plants to cooler, shaded areas may discourage spider mites from taking up residence in your flower pots.
• Spray plants with an alcohol and water mixture. Rubbing alcohol is poisonous to spider mites, so spraying your plants with a 1 to 3 ratio of water to alcohol is often effective. Spider mites prefer to live on the undersides of plant leaves, so focus your spraying action on those areas.
• Use miticides. Effective chemical miticides do exist, though they generally require multiple applications, especially during hot, dry weather.

Of course, if you have a serious spider mite infestation, you may wish to call in licensed professionals to care for the problem.

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These small, spider-like creatures feed on blood, and will attach themselves to both human and animal skin. While finding a tick fastened onto your arm or buried in your dog’s fur may be disgusting in itself, there are additional reasons to avoid these animals. Ticks are known disease-carriers, and tick bites have been know to cause Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Q fever, Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Tularemia.

Protect Yourself from Ticks

How can you protect yourself and your pets from ticks? Note the following suggestions for staying tick-free:

• Avoid common tick habitats. Ticks thrive in warm, moist environments, and are frequently found in woods, grasses, leaf litter, and shrubs. If you’re engaging in an outdoor activity such as hiking that takes you into a wooded area, avoid contact with tree branches and other shrubbery that may contain ticks.
• Wear protective clothing. Flip-flops, tank tops, and shorts may be comfortable in warm weather, but they may not be practical if you’re in a tick-infested area. If you’re entering a region that is likely to contain ticks, consider wearing long-sleeved shirts, full-length pants, and socks in order to prevent them from coming into contact with your skin.
• Use an appropriate repellent. Repellents that contain permethrin and DEET can be effective in preventing tick bites. Be sure to treat not only your skin, but also your clothing and any camping gear. As always, carefully follow manufacturer instructions when using repellent.
• Conduct regular tick searches. Ticks love to nestle under arms, behind knees, inside belly buttons, around ears, and in hair, so be sure to check these spots regularly on both yourself and your children. Be alert to the presence of ticks on your pets as well.
• Discourage ticks from establishing themselves in your yard. Regularly clear away leaf-litter and brush from your yard, and place wood-chip barriers between woods and lawns.
• Call in the experts.  If the tick problem in your area is severe, you may consider calling in a licensed pest control company to apply a chemical control agent to lower the tick population on your property.

How to Handle a Tick Bite

What should you do if, despite your best efforts, you find a tick attached to yourself or one of your loved ones? Use tweezers to remove the tick as soon as possible. Pull the tick out using steady, firm pressure, and remember that sudden or jerking movements may cause part of the tick’s head to separate from its body, and that the mouth part of the head may then remain in the skin. If that happens, use the tweezers to remove the remaining part of the tick if possible. Remember to thoroughly clean the area afterwards.

Not all tick bites result in tick-borne illnesses, but if  you experience rash, fever, or other discomfort following a tick bite, be sure to consult your physician. Don’t let ticks ruin your spring! Enjoy the outdoors while taking appropriate precautions against ticks.

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It is that time of year again. The air is getting cooler, and fleas want more than ever to cuddle up to our beloved furry friends for a  sip of warm blood. Sometimes they even decide  to add us to their menu, causing us irritation and revulsion. What to do? Of course, we could call in our pest control team, and often that is what it will take to get rid of these horrid little blood-suckers, but there are some natural solutions to try first.

The Good Earth

My personal favorite and the  favorite of many who have a house full of warm-blooded pets is Diatomaceous earth (DE).  It also works to kill all insects and parasites. This powder can be bought at garden supply, hardware and feed stores. This powder is made from the microskeletons of diatoms, or algae, from fresh or salt water. Sprinkle this powder on dogs, young or old, cats and kittens. Also, pour it on your carpets and the fleas will die from dehydration.

The DE works by rubbing on the hard exoskeletons of fleas. These minute particles of silicon (sand) clog the flea’s respiratory system and joints. With each tiny flea breath, the silicon wears at the exoskeleton, finally killing the flea by suffocation or dehydration from water loss due to the compromised outer shell of the flea. In no time at all, the little blood-sucker is pushing up daisy’s.

Precautions Even For Nontoxic Remedies

There are some precautions to heed. Wear a mask when applying it to your pets and carpets and when you vacuum it, as well. Also, try to keep your pets from breathing it. It is nontoxic but still not good for lungs. Also, make sure you purchase natural DE, not the type used in swimming pools. Flour grade DE is the best. The swimming pool variety will cause scarring of the lungs. When you apply it to carpets, use a broom to brush it in and do not vacuum for about four days or even a week. Keep reapplying during the infestation. You will see an improvement in a couple of days.

Some suggest mixing together 1 1/2 pounds of diatomaceous earth, 1 1/2 pounds of natural borax and 1 cup of salt to use on the floors and carpets. This mixture will get at all those pests hiding in cracks and crevices, and the salt helps to dehydrate them even faster. Again, be sure to purchase the DE and Borax at a garden store, not at the pool supply departments. You will have to reapply because this method kills the adult fleas only, so you need to kill the newly hatched eggs immediately before they have time to reproduce. Considering these facts should sound down the warning that persistence is called for to eradicate fleas: Just one female flea will produce 20,000 eggs in only three months?’ It can take anywhere from three to six weeks for flea eggs to hatch?

New Control On The Horizon?

Insect Growth Regulators are viewed by some as a better alternative to broad-spectrum insecticides. They are often preferred because they are more selective, less harmful to the environment and more compatible with natural pest control methods. Insects are less likely to develop resistance to IGR’s. There are different types of IGR that disrupt different stages of insect development. Whether these will be economically feasible for further testing and use, remains to be seen.

Worth A Pound of Cure

Preventing a whole-house infestation is the best pet owners can ask for. If you see fleas on your dog, you can add some neem oil to shampoo and thoroughly lather him up. Leave the mixture on your dog for about 15 minutes. Any lather will drown fleas but the neem oil adds a little extra punch and mixed with eucalyptus oil, repels fleas. You can also make an insect repellent out of cedar, tea tree, lavender and citronella oils. Put some of this mixture on his collar, bandana, or dilute it with water and use it to spray on your pet.

Fleas can’t stand the smell of eucalyptus, so dilute the oil and spray it on your dog. Adding the oil to the final rinse of your dog’s bedding, putting eucalyptus leaves under furniture and rugs and adding some to your dog’s shampoo will discourage fleas. For you cat lovers, sorry, your finicky felines can’t tolerate eucalyptus or citrus.

Others recommend making a shampoo using the following essential oils: pine cedar, bergamot, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, citronella, juniper or geranium. Learning a lesson from the clever fox who rids itself of fleas by carrying a stick in its mouth as in jumps into the water, it completely submerges itself, the fleas escape by seeking higher, dryer ground so they climb the stick. The fox drops the stick into the water and gets out pest free. Lesson learned the fleas climb higher up the dog as you shampoo so start by making a very sudsy barrier around your dog’s neck to block the fleas. Also lather the face and ears with soap, don’t just rinse with water. Some suggest leaving the lather on 15 minutes, or more, to ensure all the fleas die. Some say adding white vinegar to your dog’s shampoo will prevent fleas as well.

Flea Trap

If you are not sure how bad your flea problem is, you can make your own flea trap to see how many fleas you catch. Put a light next to a shallow dish of warm sudsy water, next to your pets bed. The flea jumps toward the light and lands in the water and is trapped in the suds. This method will only work to get rid of very light flea populations but can be combined with other controls.

Supplement

Some long- range solutions are supplements to add to your dog’s diet. Garlic added to each meal, and sulphur added once a week are said to prevent fleas on your pet. Black Walnut Hulls come in a capsule form and will repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. It may take 4 to 6 weeks for these to work so don’t give up keep supplementing.

Let’s not forget fleas are not a trivial problem. The flea consumes 15 times its weight in blood, which can cause anemia in severely infested pets. Some dogs are very allergic to flea bites and may develop hot spots and/or infections.

Housecleaning

Another suggestion is making a floor washing mixture by combining the juice of 4 lemons and the rinds in 1/2 gallon of water and wash the fleas away. They hate the smell of lemons. You can also wash down the walls of the dog house with a salt water solution. Doing this every coupe of weeks may keep the fleas from coming in on your dog.

Avon Calling

The University of Florida did a study using Avon’s Skin-So-Soft, sponging dogs down with it. By so doing, they saw a 40% drop in the amount of fleas on the dog. You can try it by mixing 1-1/2 ounces of bath oil to 1 gallon of water.

Temporary relief can be given your dog by spraying on a mixture of 2 parts apple cider vinegar to 1 part water with a spray bottle. After being sprayed, the fleas  ‘abandon ship’ and run for better smelling quarters, so only use this spray outdoors. If you drench your dog with this solution and comb it through its fur, it should discourage fleas for 3 to 4 days.

Yard Work

You can plant tansy, an herb, outdoors where your dog most often lays down. This will repel fleas. Cedar will also repel them but needs to be replenished often as it looses effectiveness quickly. The best way to get rid of fleas outdoors is to use nematodes. These microscopic parasites kill flea larvae yet are harmless to pets, plants and people. Feed stores usually sell them and will tell you how to use them. Ants and spiders eat flea larvae so whenever possible leave them alone to help control fleas.

One more set of recommendations for flea control starting outdoors. Seal up vents so flea infested rodents don’t contribute to the pest problem. Keep lawns and and weeds trimmed so not to have flea larva’s ideal living conditions near the house, get rid of piles of sand and gravel and keep pets fenced to keep pets away from infested animals.

Another Recipe

Some swear by using 1 cup of aloe vera juice with 1 drop of any essential oil to kill fleas. Others suggest adding cayenne pepper to the juice to kill them. Ground rosemary leaves can be used to repel fleas or use 2 cups of fresh rosemary boiled in water 30 minutes to make a flea dip. Strain the liquid and add it to a bucket with 1 gallon warm water. Soak your dog with this mix and it has the added benefit of being anti-inflammatory, so it stimulates regrowth of fur lost from all that scratching and flea bites.

Not Just For Captain Picard!

Some of our more elite pet owners have put a new twist on tea time by opening up a few bags of Earl Grey and scattering the leaves on their carpet. They vacuum in a few days and claim the fleas are gone. Always toss leaves with your pinky held out with an aristocratic flair, for best results.

Lots of ideas to choose from. Hopefully, by implementing at least some of these options, you and your pets will enjoy a flea-free-fall.

Related articles

• Household Fleas (moneyexpert.com)

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

The ground floor, where customers can shop for gardening implements and books on horticulture, is fairly unremarkable. Upstairs, however, the ambiance gets undeniably weird. The second floor of the store rather resembles a natural history museum gone mad, with stuffed zebras and donkeys positioned around dining room tables, looking as if they were poised for afternoon tea, stuffed lions perched on bureaus next to stuffed polar bears, and stuffed elephants lounging in corners. Unlike the exhibits in a natural history museum, however, these creatures are all for sale!

Bugs with Herculean Strength

The section that really caught my eye though, as I wandered through this bizarre landscape, was the entomology section. Thousands of butterflies, beetles, and other insects were carefully organized and  pinned in display cases, and many of the bugs were enormous. One in particular was so large and unusual that it piqued my curiosity, and I decided to do a little research.

The insect in question turned out to be a Hercules beetle, one of the world’s largest beetles, and one of the most well-known of the rhinoceros beetles. As adults these giants have been known to reach up to nearly 7 inches in length, and as larvae they may weigh nearly a quarter of a pound! While the size of these bugs is somewhat awe-inspiring, it is their strength that is truly impressive. With an ability to support 850 times their own body weight, these insects are arguably the strongest creatures on earth!

Peaceable Giants

Photo courtesy of Ons at ja.wikipedia

Fortunately, these beetles don’t bite or sting, and they aren’t poisonous or aggressive toward humans. Their dangerous-looking horns are primarily used for digging, although males will use their horns to fight during mating season, and they feed peacefully on tree sap, fruits, and decaying plants. Nevertheless, I don’t think that I would want to see one in my kitchen!

Where might you see Hercules beetles? You might spot them in Central and South America, occasionally in Mexico and the Caribbean islands, and of course, in Deyrolle. Personally, while I found the stuffed Hercules beetles in Deyrolle fascinating, I opted not to purchase one as a souvenir. I also managed to resist the temptation to bring home a stuffed giraffe, since I was fairly certain that it would exceed my baggage allowance on the flight home.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Armadillos and leprosy

Armadillos are one of the few non-human species susceptible to leprosy. Their average body temperature is only a few degrees lower than that of humans, and this relatively low temperature causes them to be unusually vulnerable to the disease, so much so that in some areas as many as one-fifth of the local armadillos carry leprosy. As a result, scientists have been using armadillos in leprosy research for years.

Until recently however, there was little concern that armadillos could transmit leprosy to humans. A recent study conducted by federal researchers, however, demonstrates that armadillos may be responsible for up to one-third of  the 150 to 250 human leprosy cases each year in the United States. While your chances of becoming infected with leprosy through an armadillo are small, you may still want to take common sense precautions.

Take sensible precautions

So how can you avoid catching leprosy from an armadillo? Avoid handling or touching the animals, do not eat armadillo meat, and stay away from souvenirs made from armadillos.

Fortunately, science has come a long way in leprosy research in the past few centuries, and even individuals who contract the disease can be treated and eventually cured through antibiotics. Nevertheless, you may want to steer clear of the armadillo!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

While early reports stated it was spider webs that caused the cover, it has now been found that the culprit was drag lines used by Wolf spiders.

Silk Drag Lines

Lately, there has been intense flooding in this area of Australia, washing out the habitat of many of these Wolf spiders. The spiders fled to find dry land. It has also been increasingly difficult for them to find prey, thus there has been more rushing around involved just to find a meal. When the Wolf spiders move they often leave behind these drag lines of silk, and this has resulted in the blanket of silk covering Wagga Wagga.

Tiny Tigers

Why are they rushing around to find food? Why don’t they sit in their webs like other spiders? Well, Wolf spiders do not make webs. They hunt at night, pouncing on their prey like little tigers.

Up Up and Away

It has also been suggested that some of this drag lines covering Wagga Wagga may have been used in ballooning. Many spiders use ballooning to travel from one area to another. They release silk, catch a breeze and hold on, flying around Mary Poppins style.

Andy Reynolds, a scientist at Rothamsted Research, says these ballooning lines “can contort and twist with turbulence, affecting its aerodynamic properties and carrying its rider unpredictable distances.”

When they land, the spiders release the lines, and this has been suggested to have contributed to the blanket of silk.

Good Spider

Wolf spiders are not dangerous to humans and commonly eat mosquitoes and other pests, so they are actually beneficial to us. Weather reports have said the floods will be receding soon, and all inhabitants of Wagga Wagga, both human and arachnid will be able to go about their lives as before.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Nose Plugs Recommended

I remember reading a book when I was a kid about small robots that climbed into people’s noses and monitored their thoughts, sending the information back to the government. What was incredible to me was not that the robots could read thoughts but the fact that they were so darn small.

“There’s no way a robot could be so small that I wouldn’t notice it crawling up my nose!”

Even so, for a long time after that I slept with my face buried in my pillow, blocking my nose, just to be safe.

For Real?

Now it seems they have created robots practically small enough to do just that.

Well, they can’t read thoughts, but they could in theory fly up your nose.

According to researchers at the Microbotics Lab at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, their robot bee project can within the next 2 ½ years produce microscopic flying, air vehicles.

Meet Mobee

Currently, Mobee, as they’ve dubbed him, short for Monolithic Bee, looks more like a miniature brace of scaffolding with wings than a bumble bee, but the project is moving quickly. The difficult part was developing a way to build the Mobees efficiently. Peter Whitney, a graduate student who helped to develop the manufacturing process, stated, “When you want to make a fully integrated device that’s on the scale of 1 or 2 cm, it’s not economical to scale up the computer-chip, integrated-circuit manufacturing technology; it’s just too expensive. On the other hand, trying to scale down traditional manufacturing, you’re sort of in a Swiss-watch situation where you can make tiny components, but then you have to assemble them all together, and that’s a tedious process; so we sort of live in between those two worlds.”

The Process

Possible uses that have been suggested for these mini-bees are military surveillance, crop pollination or scientific use tracking environmental changes.

Want to make a Robo-Bee of your own?  Watch this!

However, there are many species that are dangerous to you and your property. Here are a few of the more common beetles to keep an eye out for.

• Asian long-horned beetle 

The Asian long-horned beetle is becoming more and more common in the Northeastern US. They feast on hardwoods such as maple, oak and willow trees. These little pests spread quickly and if you should happen to spot them in your area, the government has requested you contact the nearest US Forestry Service station so they can be eradicated.

• Japanese beetle 

These destructive little devils used to torture my poor grandmother’s rose bushes every summer back in Maine. Their network of influence covers much of the eastern seaboard of the US. Originally, as their name suggests, from Japan, they made there way here sometime before 1912, possibly as larvae nestled in with iris bulbs. In Japan they are not destructive as they have natural predators. In the United States, however, there is very little to stop them. Traps and powders designed to kill or capture them can be found in your local gardeners or farmers store.

• Southern Pine Bark beetles

Southern Pine Bark beetles cause massive damage each year to pine trees in the Southeastern US. There are three types of Southern Pine Bark beetle: Southern Pine beetle, LPS Engraver beetle, and the Black Turpentine beetle. This nasty gang, related to the weevil, attack mostly weak pines, thus, the most effective strategy for prevention is to maintain the trees on your property as healthy trees are less susceptible to attack.

• Elm Leaf beetle 

As their name suggests, these beetles commonly attack elm trees. Originally from Europe they were at some point accidentally introduced to the United States. They are a major pest in western states such as Colorado, and while they rarely kill the trees they attack, they can weaken them, leaving them open to attack from other pests. Most sprays prove ineffective and the most common method of attack against them is banding the infected tree with insecticide, that way the larvae are killed off as they descend in the winter to hibernate.

•  Emerald Ash Borer beetle 

This beautiful but deadly beetle attacks, again, as their name suggests, ash trees. They can be found over much of the mid-Western and Eastern US. The Emerald Ash Borer burrows in through the bark leaving a D shaped hole, and proceeds to place its’ larvae in the wood. During their feeding, the larvae damage the phloem and xylem of the tree, two very important aspects responsible for the transportation of nutrients and the absorption of water and nutrients. Very little has been found to stop them, but scientists are working on introducing natural predatory wasps into the effected areas in hopes of controlling the Emerald Ash Borer population.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Image via Wikipedia

By: Erik Braunitzer, and courtesy of Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company, agents for Hamptons Homes.

Infestations of bedbugs are becoming prevalent in homes across the United States and Canada. Once they are in the home, the pests are hard to get rid of. The best thing a home owner can due to reduce the risk of the pests is to keep them from getting a foothold in the household in the first place.

Bed Bugs – Recognize the Signs

For many people, the first realization that bed bugs have made their way into the home is the bites that they and their family suffer. If you suspect that the bed bug may be the culprit, inspect the home for the bug itself or other signs that the household pest is in residence.

The bugs hide where they cannot easily be seen, but a careful inspection can usually detect other signs. Reddish or dark brown spots of fecal matter are left behind as the bed bugs come out of hiding. If there is any indication of staining on the furniture or bedding, it’s important that you investigate further to find out where the bugs are hiding.

Bedbugs are tiny, usually no longer than a quarter of an inch. This is what makes them unnoticeable when they are brought into your home. The oval shaped body is flat and they are a reddish brown, and they are difficult to spot as they can hide in the lining of luggage and crevices of furniture.

 How Bedbugs get into the Home

Bedbugs are notorious hitchhikers. They can get on your clothing and you may have inadvertently brought them into the home. Visitors may carry them in, unnoticed, with their luggage. Used furniture is also one of the main means of transportation of bedbugs being brought into the home.

A traveler should always check out the room for bedbugs as they can get into the luggage and clothing.  A large number of homes that become infested have an occupant who has recently spent a night or more in a motel. A careful inspection should be done immediately upon the return to the home. Wash all clothing before putting it away to reduce the risk of the entire wardrobe being infested.

Even riding a subway can be risky when it comes to giving the bedbug a ride into the home. They can jump on your clothing or find their way into the bag that you carry. A used furniture store can harbor them, and even if you don’t buy, you risk the chance of a bed bug landing upon your person and coming home with you.

Preventing Bed Bugs

No matter how careful you are, there is always the chance that you could expose your home from an infestation of bed bugs. Reduce your risks by taking preventative measures.

• Don’t bring used furniture into the home.
• Inspect your luggage and clothing when you travel.
• If you have the slightest concern that you may have been in an area that could harbor the nasty pest, immediately remove and wash your clothing upon your return to the home and inspect any items that you carried with you.

Related articles

• Good Night….Don’t let the Bed Bugs Bite! (environmentalhealthtoday.wordpress.com)

I have a friend who moved to Australia recently.

We’ve been e-mailing each other to keep in touch, and during his last message, he told me about these crazy bugs, really ridiculous little things, called Bulldog Ants, that he found in his backyard.

Pit-bulls or Bull-dogs?

Their scientific name is Myrmecia, a broad term describing many different types of ants similar to the ones my friend found near his house. There are close to 90 families of these Myrmecia, and almost every single one lives in Australia. They are one of the most poisonous species of ants in the world, a single bite enough to send a sensitive person into anaphylactic shock. These nasty little guys are known for their aggressive behavior and large, vice grip jaws, which my friend is well aware of.

Watch Where You Step

He decided to set up his BBQ pit in the backyard, and went out to lug a few bricks around to make a base. His mistake was he wore flip-flops. He lifted a pile of bricks and hefted it over to the corner of the yard where he wanted his pit, the armful of bricks blocking his view of where he was walking. He stepped forward boldly, not expecting anything dangerous to be right below his feet. Almost to the corner, his foot sunk into the ground a bit and soon his foot was engulfed in flaming pain, and began to swell almost immediately. Dropping the load of bricks he was carrying on his foot didn’t help the situation either.

In Hot Pursuit

My buddy shook the ants from his foot and hobbled as quickly as he could to safety, but they kept following him! These ants can track prey from over three feet away, and, in his disabled state, he was unable to get enough distance between himself and the ants for them to lose track of him.

Eventually he got to his house and shut the door, squashing the few that made it in with him. The swelling had started to spread. He quickly enlisted his neighbor to drive him to the hospital and thus was able to receive treatment, reducing the swelling and stopping the oncoming anaphylactic shock.

Lived to Have BBQ

Fortunately my friend survived his ordeal, but many people have died from encounters with Bulldog Ants. By keeping an eye on the area around your house or apartment, you can avoid stumbling across and aggravating these little terrors.

If this family of ant or another has overrun your house or property a pest control expert can be called to eradicate them from the premises, keeping you and your family safe and comfortable.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Photo by Noel Tawatao, courtesy of www.AntWeb.org

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I dislike ants. I think my personal revulsion stems from the time when I was about ten years old that I found a few dozen of them that had invaded our maple syrup bottle. Somehow nothing puts you off your breakfast quite like ants with your pancakes.

Exploding Ants

Nevertheless, it’s hard not to be impressed by the capabilities of certain Southeast Asian varieties of carpenter ants.  While most carpenter ants content themselves with hollowing out tunnels in moist, rotting wood, nine species carpenter ants native to Southeast Asia, including Camponotus saundersi, can actually make themselves explode!

These ants have unusually large mandibular glands that extend throughout the length of their bodies, and these glands store a toxic, glue-like substance. When these ants are attacked, they grab on to their enemies, and squeeze their own bodies. As a result, they explode, raining deadly venom upon both themselves and their attackers, and gluing the two together. These ants require very little pressure in order to explode; scientists have even set them off by merely touching them lightly.

What Makes an Ant Explode?

These varieties of carpenter ants explode, not only to kill their attackers, but also to protect foraging territory, even when that territory is hundreds of meters from their nests. Fortunately, while the chemicals that the ants release are often fatal to other insects, they have little effect upon humans, who are too large in comparison to be harmed.

While I still want to keep ants out of my house, I have to say that I’m fascinated that some of them have such remarkable defense mechanisms!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Insects, arachnids, and rodents can be incredibly resourceful. Even after you think you have eliminated the very last one of these creatures from your home, yet one more appears. Fortunately, while the stray ant or spider may enter your home no matter what precautions you take, there is much you can do discourage these pests from making their way indoors, and much you can do to make your home inhospitable if they do enter.

1. Thoroughly seal cracks. Mice can squeeze through openings as small as 1/4 inch wide, and of course insects can sneak in through even smaller openings. Therefore, the first step to keeping pests out of your home is to carefully seal up any openings through which they might enter. Seal around doors, power and cable lines, and vents. Additionally, be sure to seal foundation and exterior wall cracks. If your home has gaps between floorboards and doors, consider installing snug-fitting thresholds.
2. Install window screens. Since pests can creep in through even tiny foundation cracks, an open window is almost an invitation for them to enter. Be sure to fit all windows in your home with screens, and replace any torn screens.
3. Keep your yard tidy. Many pests live in leaf litter, debris, and woodpiles. Mosquitoes, fleas, and other insects are also attracted to standing water. Therefore, it’s important to keep your yard free of debris, and to eliminate any stagnant puddles that collect in your lawn or driveway. Often, after insects have established themselves in a lawn or garden, they will hitch a free ride into a nearby house by attaching themselves to pets, firewood, or clothing.
4. Keep food in sealed containers. Open food containers attract cockroaches, weevils, ants, and other undesirables. Therefore, keeping food in carefully sealed containers will do much to make your home inhospitable to such creatures. Avoid leaving crumbs on counter tops and tables, and clean spills and dirty dishes as soon as possible.
5. Trim trees and bushes that are close to your home. Branches and shrubs that touch roofs, windows, and doors often form walkways for rodents and bugs, allowing them to walk right into your home.
6. Install mesh coverings on attic vent openings. Attic crawl spaces are some of the favorite habitats of mice, raccoons, and squirrels. Not only can these creatures cause damage to your home, they can also bring fleas, mites, and other pests with them. Therefore, prevent such creatures from entering through attic vents by installing fine mesh screens.
7. Eliminate sources of unnecessary moisture. Leaky pipes, damp basements, and standing water can all attract pests. Many insects, including varieties of cockroaches and termites, require moist environments in order to thrive. Fixing leaky pipes, using dehumidifiers, and setting up proper drainage systems can go a long way toward discouraging pests from making your home into their home.
8. Take out the garbage often. Cockroaches in particular love to feast on decaying food, and bags of garbage are especially attractive to them and to other insects. Since many bugs have remarkably strong senses of smell, they will often pick out the aroma of garbage long before you do. Make sure that all trash cans have tightly-closing lids, and be sure to clean all trash cans regularly.
9. Keep your home clean. Insects will nest in both indoor and outdoor debris. Therefore, be sure to keep not only your yard, but also your home clean. Pick up newspapers, boxes, laundry, and other clutter. Remember that some pests are attracted to animal waste, so clean out cat litter boxes regularly, and wash pet beds frequently. Vacuum often.
10. Attract pest predators. If you are troubled by a specific pest, try to attract that pest’s predators to your property. For instance, both bats and birds feed on insects, so building bat or bird nests on your property may help you reduce the number of insects in your area. Bats will even eat scorpions!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

How to detect a termite invasion

• A swarm of insects around your home or lawn.
• Any wood in your home that sounds hollow when tapped.
• Mud tubes on exterior walls, on beams or in basements.
• Bubbled paint, this can be caused by termite droppings.
• Wings that have been shed by swarming termites around your home.

Ways to prevent a termite invasion

• Keep wood piles away from the foundation of the house.
• Keep stumps and debris clear from your property.
• Repair any damage to decks or fences, leaving no rotted wood exposed.
• Keep any wood of your home away from soil.
• Remove water sources.
• Repair leaking faucets, hoses or AC units.
• Remove excess mulch from around the foundation of your home.
• Make sure there is no standing water on your roof.

Once termites have decided to make your home their home, it is often very difficult to eradicate them. The most effective way is to hire a pest control professional.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

It’s happening again. You just bought new flea collars for both the cat and the dog, and both pets had flea baths yesterday. Nevertheless, Fido is scratching again, and Mr. Whiskers keeps twitching his ears in the way that cats do when they have an itch. The fleas are back!

These pesky insects don’t stop by bothering your pets, either; they are not biased and will bite people and animals alike, since they eat fresh blood, dandruff, grain particles, and skin flakes, all of which they can get from humans. Cat fleas – which can be found on both dogs and cats – are among the most common types of fleas in the United States, and in extreme cases have also been known to transmit plague and typhus. They can cause tape worm if eaten. So, you definitely don’t want to give fleas free reign in your home.

Why Is It So Difficult to Get Rid of Fleas?

Unfortunately, fleas are easier to spot than to remove, partly because of the speed with which they reproduce. A female flea can begin to reproduce within 48 hours of ingesting her first meal of fresh blood, and from then on can lay as many as 50 eggs per day! Thus, if left unchecked, flea populations can quickly grow to unwieldy sizes. Feeling itchy yet?

Often, even flea bombs are ineffective because flea larvae live in areas such as pet beds, lower levels of carpets, and spaces beneath furniture where flea bombs do not reach. Flea larvae are also protected by their cocoons, and may not be killed even if they are within the range of flea bombs. Most disturbingly, flea larvae can live in their cocoons for as long a a year, simply waiting for nearby vibrations to alert them to the presence of a nearby food source, at which point they will emerge.

Make the Itching Stop!

So how can you rid your home of these creatures? Make sure that you attack them on the following multiple fronts:

• Treat the pets. Flea collars, flea baths, flea powders, medications, and topical treatments, such as the popular Frontline (R) brand, can help to kill the fleas that are actually living on your pets.
• Treat the home. Since fleas can nest in bedding, furniture, and other areas throughout the home, just removing the fleas that live on your animals is not usually sufficient. Consider using one of the many sprays, powders and dusts currently on the market. Additionally, your vacuum may be one of your most powerful weapons against fleas. Since flea larvae often emerge from their cocoons when they feel nearby vibrations, vacuuming will often draw them out. When you have finished vacuuming, put the vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag, so that the fleas won’t simply crawl out.
• Treat the yard. Use insecticides on your yard, and mow your lawn frequently. Otherwise, your pets may simply bring new fleas indoors.

Be patient, and recognize that it may take up to three weeks before treatments begin to be effective. Remember too that you may need to apply each treatment multiple times. Of course, if you find that your home has an unusually large infestation of fleas, you may want to consider calling in licensed professionals to care for the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

You may have thought you killed that nasty cockroach that you found yesterday. After all, you smashed it at just the right angle to decapitate it. How long could a headless cockroach possibly live? Unfortunately, that cockroach might not only be alive right now, but it might also be alive next week.

You Can’t Smother a Cockroach

Why doesn’t beheading kill a cockroach instantly? Partly because cockroaches don’t use their brains for the same functions that we do. In humans, breathing takes place through the nose and mouth, and is controlled by the brain. In cockroaches, breathing takes place through small holes in each segment of their bodies, and is not controlled by the brain. Thus, a headless cockroach can still breathe.  Cockroaches also have extremely low blood pressure by human standards, so they aren’t likely to bleed to death.

You Can’t Starve a Cockroach, and You Can’t Make It Sit Still

Of course, what cockroaches can’t do in that situation is eat. However, these hardy pests can last up to a month without food, so a lack of sustenance won’t stop them for quite some time. Unless they contract a virus or are invaded by mold, they’ll just sit around.

Alternatively, they may stroll around. Insects have nerve tissue clusters distributed throughout their body segments. These nerve tissue clusters are responsible for reflexive actions, which means that the body of a headless cockroach can still have simple reactions, and can walk.

Most disturbingly of all, it’s not just the body that can survive under these conditions. The head can survive for several hours as well. If you feed it, a cockroach head may survive for even longer periods of time.

You Have to Kill the Whole Cockroach

So, the next time you try to kill a cockroach, make sure that you do it thoroughly! Squash it entirely, or use an appropriate pesticide. They are nasty little buggers!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

How?

These ants hollow out stems of the Hirtella physophora plant to create galleries. They burrow holes and lie in wait below. When another insect comes along to rest on the stem, they leap out and grab its limbs and antennae, pinning it down while worker ants swarm over the victim, stinging it to death. When the insect is dead they chop it up into small pieces and carry it back to the main nest.

What?

By pulling the natural hairs, hairs that deter herbivores, off the stem they create a pleasant resting area for large insects, a pleasant resting area that is until they are drawn and quartered.

The traps are not normally as strong as they need to be, however, and must be reinforced with a special fungus. The fungus found to be used is not born by the ants and it has been speculated that they farm it.

Why?

Using this method the tree ants are able to capture larger prey than they would normally be able to.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Bat Scares

Bats aren’t exactly cute and cuddly. Maybe it’s their tendency to live in spooky-looking caves, their ability to sleep upside-down, or the rumors that they carry rabies, but whatever the reason, bats have gained a reputation as creepy creatures. I admit that my own personal experiences with bats have been somewhat less than positive. When I was eleven, a bat got into my bedroom, and I found it resting on a window sill. I was so unnerved that I ran out of the room screaming. When my grandmother went to in check on the cause of the disturbance, she too ran out screaming a few seconds later! The poor startled bat flew around the room for a few minutes, and fortunately made its way outside before we attempted anything drastic.

Big Eaters

Nevertheless, it turns out that bats do have positive characteristics. They help to maintain healthy ecosystems by dispersing seeds and pollinating countless plants. They also feed on other pests, such as mosquitoes and crop destroying insects. As a result, many farmers put bat houses on their property, to encourage bats to take up residence in the area and reduce the local pest populations. In fact, in the Bracken Cave area of central Texas, Mexican free-tailed bats consume up to 200 tons of insects each night in the summer!

Bats Got A Bum Wrap

What about those rumors that bats are rabid, though? In actuality, only one-half of one percent of bats carry rabies. Most people’s chances of dying from bee stings or lightening strikes are higher than their chances of dying from bat rabies. The very few who do contract the disease from bats often do so because they have handled infected bats directly. In fact, only about one percent of rabies cases are attributable to bats; the remaining ninety-nine percent of cases are attributable to rabid dogs.

White-Nose Syndrone

Unfortunately, however, bat populations are dwindling. Millions of hibernating bats have been struck by White-Nose Syndrome, a syndrome caused by a white fungus that grows on the faces and wings of infected bats. The presence of the fungus often wakes bats from hibernation, causing them to use valuable stores of fat needed to get them through cold winter months. As a result, bats that emerge from hibernation often starve to death within a short time, and current estimates suggest that nearly half of the U.S. bat population is currently infected. During this Year of the Bat, scientists are hard at work searching for ways to curb White-Nose disease, and hopefully increase bat populations.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Aphid Farming

I awoke to darkness. It was comforting. I had lived in these little caves my whole life. These cool sand walls are home. As soon as I woke I was off, rushing to get to work, not even stopping to eat or bathe. I’ll let you in on a secret, I rarely ever bathe.

By the time I reached the bushes where I work many of my comrades had already started the day’s milking. I went to the nearest aphid and started tickling his belly.

Yep, I’m an ant. I’m an ant, and my profession is aphid farmer.

Why?

The aphids eat saps and juices from certain plants. What they excrete is sweet liquid called honeydew. We ants love it. We carry enormous amounts of honeydew back to our nest every day.

How Does It Work?

By tickling their stomachs with our antennae, we stimulate them and cause them to excrete their honeydew. Many of them get so used to this they cannot excrete by themselves anymore and need us to milk them.

Occasionally, to prevent them from flying away or wandering, we pull off their wings. Usually we just use semiochemicals to prevent wing growth. Semiochemicals also can keep them from walking too much, so we can easily keep track of them. We go to great lengths to keep our precious “cattle” from running away.

How Do the  Aphids Benefit?

When a predator attacks them, we defend our aphids valiantly.

When they have used up all the juice in their host plant, we often carry them to another, juicier plant.

In the winter, my colony even stores their eggs in our nest to keep them warm and safe, carrying them to the surface to begin feeding once they hatch in the spring.

This all may seem like a lot of work but to settle down to a nice bit of honeydew at the end of a long day makes it all worthwhile.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

You may not think of the annoying black fly hovering around your head as a the perfect tool for tracking down murderers, but it turns out that investigators around the world are using insects for just that purpose. Just how can bugs help law-enforcement agencies to catch killers?

Detective Fly

It turns out that the mere presence of insects at a crime scene can be helpful to detectives.  Bodies attract a variety of pests, and different insects arrive at different points in the decay process. Many of these, particularly blue flies, will lay their eggs in and around crime scenes. Entomologists can then collect and examine newly hatched bugs to determine their ages, and can use the information to give an approximate time of death.

Larvae Don’t Lie

In fact, insects have even been used to identify a crime site after the body has been moved! Not long ago, entomologists working in the British Museum of Natural History in London were asked to assist in an investigation in which the corpse was missing. Upon examining the suspected crime scene, entomologists discovered large  numbers of empty puparia scattered nearby. Tests of the puparia demonstrated that the larvae had eaten substances containing cocaine, and further tests allowed scientists to match DNA from the cocoons to that of a known drug user. As a result of the findings, the murderer was caught and convicted.

Insect Appreciation

So, while those buzzing and biting bugs may simply annoy you most of the time, remember that they have some good uses too. Even insects can sometimes help to make the world a safer place!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

“Well, I have to use the bathroom.” My little brother announced and headed across the parking lot to the outhouses.

We turned back to the map, poking here and there, trying to make a decision that would make everyone happy. I saw my little brother kneel down out of the corner of my eye. Seconds later we heard an ear splitting scream, and he fell over onto his side. We all rushed over to him just in time to see a large wasp clamber into a hole in the parking lot, dragging an equally large spider behind it.

“What happened?!” My mother cradled him in her arms, looking for a mark on him that would explain the strong reaction.

“It stung me!” He shouted.

“The wasp?” I asked.

“Yes, the wasp! What else?”

I pulled out my phone and connected to the internet. I had managed to get enough of a glimpse of the wasp to type in a pretty good description. The first result of the search was a bug site that proclaimed “The Top Dangerous Bugs”.

“Guys, listen to this, I know what the bug was. I think he’s going to be fine.” Everyone turned to me.

“Well, what is it?” My dad demanded.

“It’s a tarantula hawk wasp. It has one of the strongest stings of any insect. The sting only lasts for 3 minutes, though, and it doesn’t kill but only hurts. You’ll be fine little bro.” I patted him on the head and walked back to the car to get my backpack, continuing to read.

The tarantula hawk wasp is one of the largest wasps in the world, and certainly one of the most painful. What we saw, the wasp dragging the spider into the hole is part of the egg laying process. The female attacks a large spider, paralyzing it and dragging it to a hole. It then lays its eggs in the spider and then leaves it in the hole. When the eggs hatch they live inside the spider, feeding on the non-vital organs so the spider stays alive and fresh. Once the wasp is full grown it rips through the stomach of the spider and emerges from the hole, and begins its search for a mate to start the process again.

Tarantula hawk wasps can be found practically all around the globe in India, Australia and the Americas. In the Americas, they have been sighted as far north as Utah, USA and as far south as Argentina. Commonly they feed on milkweed flowers, mesquite trees and western soap berry trees. Unless they are provoked they do not commonly pose a threat to humans. My little brother must have really aggravated it to manage to be stung.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Spring and summer are typically the times of year that most people begin to think about keeping pests out of their homes, but it turns out that many pests invade homes in the winter, too! In fact, the National Pests Management Association (NPMA) recently estimated that as many as 21 million rodents seek shelter inside homes during the year’s coldest months.

Some pests enter the home while trying to escape from freezing outside temperatures, but often homeowners themselves are unwittingly responsible for bringing these pests indoors. So how can you make sure that bugs and furry creatures are not on your list of invited guests this January? Note the following household items that can attract creepy critters into your home.

• Christmas trees and firewood. Cockroaches, beetles, and spiders often attach themselves to wood, and can enter the home when you bring in your newly chopped Christmas tree or firewood. The solution? Store your firewood in a closed container above the ground, and limit the amount of wood that you bring into the house. Make sure that you dispose of your Christmas tree before it begins to attract insects.
• Potted plants. When temperatures begin to dip, most people want to bring their delicate potted plants indoors. However, these plants often have mites, aphids, gnats, and other insects living in them. Before you bring the plants indoors, therefore, be sure to spray them with appropriate insecticides, and soak the dirt to kill any insects living in the soil.
• Paper goods taken from the attic. As winter approaches, many people make trips to their attics to retrieve  bulky clothing and holiday decorations stored away during warmer months. However, silverfish often nest in attics, and feed on paper goods, so household items may not be the only things you bring down. To eliminate silverfish, reduce the amount of paper and moisture in your home, and consider using pesticides such as pyrethroids.
• Processed foods. If your cereals, grains, or other processed foods spent long periods of time in the warehouse before they arrived at your home, they may be infested with insects such as Indian meal-moths and saw-toothed grain beetles. Additionally, if these foods are stored in containers that are not tightly sealed, they may attract rodents. Check your foods regularly for signs of infestation, and store them in tightly closed glass and metal containers. Finally, seal small cracks and other openings in the home through which rodents can enter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Cockroaches that provide power for recording devices? Controlled insects that function as super-spies? They may sound like bugs from a science fiction movie, but in fact, they’re not as futuristic as you might think. Experimenters from Case Western Reserve University are currently developing technology that transforms bugs’ internal chemistry into electricity.

Eat Up We Need To Recharge

How do these cyberbugs work? The process uses the insects’ own feeding actions to create electricity. First, bugs are implanted with biofuel cells to transform the energy into usable power. The cells use one enzyme to break down sugars that the  bugs produce when they eat into two other types of sugar called monosaccharides. A second enzyme then oxidizes the monosaccharides, releasing electrons. Current then begins to flow, creating electricity. So far, experimenters have measured the bugs’ output at 100 microwatts per square centimeter at 0.2 volts.

Ambulatory Surgery

The implants are placed far from the bugs’ internal organs, so the bugs are not seriously damaged by the operation. In fact, bugs implanted with the device often get up and walk away immediately afterward. Going forward, scientists hope to be able to further miniaturize the device so that flying insects will be able to fly normally after implantation. Additional potential developments include sensors that run on very little energy, and may be powered by the bugs’ electricity, and rechargeable batteries for the biofuel cells.

Coughing Cockroach

So what can you do with an electricity-producing bug? One of the many possible applications is the use of bugs to monitor poisonous gas concentrations. A sensor-equipped bug could periodically measure the amount of poisonous gas in a room, and broadcast the results at regular intervals. Who knew that cockroaches might one day be helpful? Even these creepy insects might eventually be put to good use!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

‘There shouldn’t be a noise out there at this time of the night,’ I thought.

I cautiously crept to the door with a rolling pin in hand, prepared for anything. As I reached for the door knob, my heart raced furiously. I pulled the door open quickly and thrust my head out into the night. The site was almost too horrible for words! Bees! Dozens of bees! Dozens of bees crowded around my porch light, buzzing and bumping themselves lethargically against the glass with glazed little eyes and demented expressions trying to reach the warmth.

I ran back inside, locking the door behind me and fired up my laptop to research this new terror.

I found an article that explained it all concisely, laying my fears of a zombee apocalypse to rest.

It turns out there is a certain fly parasite that lays eggs in normal honey bees. The eggs hatch and wreak havoc on the bee’s internal systems feasting on all non-vital organs while taking over motor function. The parasite larvae cause the bee to fly to the nearest light source. Once the bee has died, the larvae finish off the insides and then crawl out into the world, usually from a space between the bee’s head and midsection.

This can give some explanation as to why bee hives have been disappearing lately, but scientists are having trouble discovering where the invasion occurs. They suspect it happens while the bees are out foraging, but more research is needed to confirm this.

Once assured I would not be overrun in my sleep and my brains devoured, I turned the porch light off and went to bed.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

World’s Longest Insect

I think stick bugs fascinate just about anyone who encounters the little ‘copycats’. This year my friends and me saw more than usual. I have found the more you know about something, the more you appreciate it. In that vein I would like to educate us all about some little known stick bug facts.

1. Stick insects can ‘give up’ a leg and regenerate their limbs to escape attacks by predators.
Using a special muscle to break it off at a weak joint, they lose a leg but gain their life. Young stick insects will regenerate the missing limb the next time they molt. An adult stick insect can even force itself to molt again to get a replacement leg.

2. Stick insects can reproduce parthenogenetically, meaning no need for males.
Females who have never had a mate produce eggs that become more females. When a male does mate with a female, there’s a 50/50 chance their offspring will be male.  There are species of stick insects where no males have ever been seen.

3. Stick insects look and act like sticks.
Stick insects blend in as they perch on twigs and branches. Some even have lichen-like markings to make their disguise more complete. These clever stick insects imitate twigs swaying in the wind by rocking back and forth as they move.

4. Stick insect eggs look like seeds scattered on the forest floor.
They typically drop eggs randomly on the forest floor, leaving their young to fend for themselves.  Her eggs resemble seeds, so they are less likely to get eaten. Some stick insects hide their eggs, sticking them to leaves or bark, or putting them in the soil.

5. Nymphs usually eat their molted skin.
Once a nymph has molted, it’s vulnerable to predators. The castoff skin nearby is a dead giveaway to enemies, so the nymph will quickly eat the exoskeleton to get rid of the evidence. The stick insect nymph also gets protein from eating its molted skin.

6. Stick insects aren’t defenseless.
Sometimes they will regurgitate a nasty substance so they taste awful to a hungry predator. Others bleed, oozing a foul-smelling hemolymph from joints in their body. Some of the large, tropical stick insects may use their leg spines for defense. Stick insects may even direct a chemical spray to ward off enemies.

7. Stick insect eggs may attract ants, which they then use as babysitters.
Stick insect eggs that resemble hard seeds have a special, fatty capsule called a capitulum at one end. Ants eat the capitulum, and carry the stick insect eggs back to their nests. They toss the eggs onto their garbage dump where they continue to incubate safe from predators. The nymphs hatch and leave.

8. Not all stick insects are brown.
Some stick insects are like a chameleon, depending on the background where they’re at rest, they change color. Stick insects may have bright colors on their wings,  when a predator approaches, the stick insect will flash the wings, then hide them again, leaving the predator confused and unable to relocate its target.

9. Fido is not the only one who can play dead.
A threatened stick insect will abruptly drop from wherever it’s perched, fall to the ground, and stay very still. This behavior is called thanatosis.  A bird or mouse either can’t find them or prefers them alive, so they move on.

10. Stick insects hold a record.
In 2008, a newly discovered stick insect species from Borneo broke the record for longest insect. The Chan’s megastick, Phobaeticus cnhai, measures an amazing 22 inches with legs extended, with a body length of 14 inches.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Whether it would count as a proper engagement ring or not, the diamond weevil’s sparkling scales have been proven to share similarities with real diamonds. The wings of the diamond weevil are covered in shallow indents that hold reflective scales. Past studies have done little to reveal how these scales can shine in such dazzling hues of green, yellow and orange. For years, it has remained a mystery.

Diamonds of a Different Sort

During a recent study of the “diamonds” it was revealed that they are, in fact, chitin in a diamond like crystal structure, optimized to reflect green, yellow and orange light. While true diamonds are made of carbon, other materials can share the same crystal structure. These “fool’s diamonds” are called diamond cubic.

Armor with Bling

What is the purpose of these diamond cubic scales? Even though they are exceptionally small, each scale is around 100 microns long, close to the width of a human hair, they are able to withstand tremendous amounts of pressure and thus serve as armor to the diamond weevil. It is also suspected that by flashing their bling they may be able to attract mates to themselves.

All Bling and No Bam

Diamond weevils are commonly found in south eastern parts of Australia. They can cause significant damage to the plants they eat but are not poisonous and pose little threat to humans.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Destructo Deer of Discrete Decoration Demolition, Inc

Maybe you had a bad year. Maybe the holidays just aren’t all merry and full of cheer. Maybe you can’t afford ‘blackout’ shades, so the glaring lights of your neighbor’s Christmas display won’t keep you awake. What to do?

The Plot vs The Consequences

You thought of complaining about all the singing Santas and the flashing red light on Rudolph’s nose, but who likes to be labeled a Scrooge. You have considered setting your alarm to get up in the middle of the night to sabotage the merry little elves and their tooting little train filled with cheery toys for all good little boys and girls, but what if you get caught? No matter how miserable you are surrounded by all this merry-making on the outside, think of the misery of being a ‘captive’ audience to Santa’s  ‘HO HO HO”S’, while delivering you presents in a cell surrounded by men smelling of merry-making from a bottle.

What a Great Idea (think New Englander to get this pun)

Have no fear, Demolition Deer is here to save the day. This discrete destroyer of all that delights the eyes of the incurably giddy is for hire for a very reasonable fee. A few buckets of creep feed, a handful of corn, throw in a banana peel or two, and you have made a deal with Destructo Deer. Decorations are his specialty. Don’t worry if he’s caught, he’ll never reveal who he is working for. Besides he can always resort to that ‘patented’ deer-in the-headlights’ look to feign total innocence that even The Godfather would fall for.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Destructo Deer of Discrete Decoration Demolition, Inc

Maybe you had a bad year. Maybe the holidays just aren’t all merry and full of cheer. Maybe you can’t afford ‘blackout’ shades, so the glaring lights of your neighbor’s Christmas display won’t keep you awake. What to do?

The Plot vs The Consequences

You thought of complaining about all the singing Santas and the flashing red light on Rudolph’s nose, but who likes to be labeled a Scrooge. You have considered setting your alarm to get up in the middle of the night to sabotage the merry little elves and their tooting little train filled with cheery toys for all good little boys and girls, but what if you get caught? No matter how miserable you are surrounded by all this merry-making on the outside, think of the misery of being a ‘captive’ audience to Santa’s  ‘HO HO HO”S’, while delivering you presents in a cell surrounded by men smelling of merry-making from a bottle.

What a Great Idea (think New Englandah to get this pun)

Have no fear, Demolition Deer is here to save the day. This discrete destroyer of all that delights the eyes of the incurably giddy is for hire for a very reasonable fee. A few buckets of creep feed, a handful of corn, throw in a banana peel or two, and you have made a deal with Destructo Deer. Decorations are his specialty. Don’t worry if he’s caught, he’ll never reveal who he is working for. Besides he can always resort to that ‘patented’ deer-in the-headlights’ look to feign total innocence that even The Godfather would fall for.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

White-footed ants derive their name from their yellowish-white lower legs, which stand out in contrast to the rest of their black or brownish black bodies. They are small ants, averaging between 1/10 and 1/8 of an inch in length, and have no stinger.

These ants prefer sweet foods, particularly honeydew and nectar, and will often protect insects, such as aphids, mealybugs, and scales, which produce honeydew. However, they will feed off proteins and dead insects as well, and can often be seen foraging in bathrooms and kitchens. When a food source has been located, white-footed ants will leave a chemical trail behind to direct nest mates to the food.

White-footed ants make their nests at or above ground level, and are frequently found in trees, bushes, loose mulch, debris, leaf litter, wall voids, rain gutters, and attics. They seek out nesting sites that are near food sources, are moist and cool, and are in areas not easily accessible by predators.

Population growth of white-footed ants is often explosive; nearly half of their colonies are composed of fertile females, referred to as intercastes, each of which is capable of being inseminated by a wingless male. Colonies are generally not limited to single nests, and it is often difficult to discern where one colony ends and another begins.

While white-footed ants are thought to have originated in Japan, they have since become quite common in Florida, where they are now regarded as major pests.

Damage Signs

White-footed ants do not bite or sting, but are considered pests due to their ability to spread throughout areas in large numbers. Homeowners looking for signs of white-footed ant infestation should be on the alert for ants following chemical feeding trails, which generally lead them to emerge from small openings in walls, such as those for electrical cables. White-footed ants will often follow the same trails for months at a time.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent white-footed ant invasions should trim any bushes, trees, and shrubs close enough to the home to allow bugs to bridge the distance between the two. White-footed ants are also susceptible to a variety of baits currently on the market. However, because of the large size of their colonies, they are often difficult to wipe out, so homeowners with sizable invasions may choose to call in licensed professionals to care for the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Pyramid ants, named for the pyramid-shaped projection that extends from their thoraxes, reach lengths of merely 1/12 to 1/6 of an inch. They range in color from pale orange to dark brown, and have slender bodies and twelve-segmented antennae. Their diet consists largely of sweet items, such as the honeydew from insects such as mealybugs and aphids, although they are also predators of other undesirable insects such as fire ants.

Photo by April Nobile, courtesy of www.AntWeb.org

Pyramid ant nests are easily recognizable by their entrances, which are centered within small craters or mounds in the sand. These craters are typically 2 to 4 inches in diameter, and are located in sandy, sunny, open spaces, usually near the nests of other types of ants. Common places to find pyramid ants are pastures, lawns, sand dunes, roadsides, fields, near patios, and in scrub. They rarely enter homes.

While pyramid ants often nest near the more troublesome fire ants, the two species forage at different temperatures; pyramid ants are more likely to be found when surface soil temperatures are 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater, while fire ants forage when temperatures are below this level. Additionally, while fire ants forage within the soil, pyramid ants forage on the surface of the soil.

Pyramid ants can be found between Maryland to Florida, and as far west as Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.

Damage Signs

While the mere presence of ants in the home can be bothersome, this particular species of ant only rarely enters homes, and when located outdoors can have beneficial effects, since it preys upon more disturbing species of ants such as fire ants. Homeowners looking for signs of pyramid ant infestation in their yards and homes should be alert to the presence of pyramid ant craters. They are unlikely to find pyramid ants in large groups, but may observe individual ants moving along their foraging trails.

Control

When pyramid ants enter a building, they usually enter through small cracks and crevices while searching for food. Therefore, homeowners looking to prevent pyramid ants from entering their homes should seal up small openings such as spaces beneath doors and windows. Additionally, pyramid ant mounds near the house should be removed. Pyramid ants are also susceptible to insecticides, which may be sprayed directly into the ant nests. Individuals with severe pyramid ant infestations may wish to call in licensed professionals to care for the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Aren’t They Festive?

If you celebrate Christmas, and plan on bringing home a fresh cut Christmas tree you might be in for a nasty surprise.  It might have ticks.

WHAT? That’s right.  The Division of Plant Industry at the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services put out a notice about Cinara Aphids infesting Christmas trees.  They say that it’s a very large genus of aphids that live on conifers.

They’re Vegetarians

They are pretty nasty looking, resembling the ticks you find on your dog.  They even swell up like an bloated tick after they’ve fed.  Thankfully, they only feed on pine trees, not you or your pets.  They don’t carry any diseases that can be transmitted to us either… They’re just UGLY!  The DOA doesn’t recommend spraying your tree with insecticides since the bugs aren’t dangerous, and insecticides can be.

“Cinara spp. can be recognized by their large (adults >1mm in length) hairy bodies. Like all insects, Cinara spp. have six legs (and two antennae) as opposed to eight legs on ticks. Their siphunculi are pore-like and located on flattened truncated cones, completely unlike the “tail-pipes” found on many other species of aphids. The mouthparts of Cinara spp. are long, extending ventrally to the abdomen of the aphids. The ultimate segment is long and lance-like.”

They Like To Party

These little bugs can live for several generations on a cut Christmas tree.  They breed QUICKLY and it is possible that there could be hundreds of them on one tree.  But, as soon as the tree starts to dry out they will leave it in search of another host.  Since they only like conifers they won’t be interested in most house plants… but I don’t think I want them wandering around my house!

Sap Sucking Reindeer

I guess you could use a small paint brush and decorate them, maybe a little glitter… or maybe stick tiny Santa hats on their heads…

They could make some funny looking reindeer. But I think I’ll just look VERY closely at the tree I’m buying.  I don’t want to invite these things into MY house! YUCK!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Surinam roaches, or bi-colored roaches, reach lengths of 1/2 inch to 1 inch, and have dark brown or black heads and bodies, while their wings are brown. The shield covering their thorax has a narrow ribbon of yellow along the front edge. While they do have wings, these roaches rarely fly, and are frequently mistaken for beetles due to the way that they move.

Like most roaches, Surinam roaches are omnivores. However, they particularly prefer to feed on plants. Because they flourish in wet weather and require highly moist environments, they rarely enter homes except during rains, and are most frequently found under boards, in barrels, in mulch, in leaf piles, in firewood piles, on or beneath benches, and in crevices in walls. While they do not often leave the outdoors on their own, they do burrow in plants, and humans often unwittingly bring them into homes, malls, and restaurants.

Surinam roaches are unusual in that they can reproduce by parthenogenesis; females to do not require males in order to produce young. Female Surinam roaches deposit eggs in groups of 15, and each group is contained within a case which is glued to the inside of the nest. Eggs then hatch without fertilization from a male.

Surinam roaches can be found in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and other areas with humid, tropical climates. However, no male Surinam roaches exist in the United States; all Surinam roaches in the United States are female.

Damage Signs

Surinam roaches cause the greatest damage to plants, and can cause significant harm in greenhouses, flowerbeds, and yards. Additionally, their mere presence in a greenhouse or flowerbed may be bothersome. Homeowners who discover these roaches in their plants may therefore wish to remove the insects.

Control

Methods for controlling Surinam roaches should begin outdoors, since these insects rarely venture indoors. Homeowners looking to discourage the roaches from damaging plants in their yards should remove dead leaves from flowerbeds, move woodpiles away from the house, and stack all firewood on a rack. Grass and weeds should be kept well trimmed.

Granular baits generally prove effective against Surinam roaches, although multiple applications may be required. Homeowners with severe infestations may wish to call in licensed professionals to care for the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Malacosoma americanum

Tent caterpillars arrive in the spring as the new leaves start to bud. Their favorite trees to build their tents in are the wild cherry, crabapple, plum and peach trees. The caterpillars leave the tent and search the tree for leaves to eat, after feeding they return to the tent to digest their food.

Life Stages

The caterpillar must be warm to digest their food. This makes it necessary to always build their tents where they will get the early morning sun. They grow quickly, and it only takes them 7 or 8 weeks to start spinning their cocoons, and only 2 weeks later the adult moth emerges. As quickly as they mature, their life course comes to an end  after laying her eggs, usually only 24 hours after emerging from the cocoon the female dies, the males live about 7 days. They are seldom seen in the moth stage.

Cause for Concern?

Tent caterpillar numbers vary wildly and when they are in large numbers people often become alarmed. Basically they are just an eyesore and not really a cause for concern. They have defoliated some trees almost completely, but the tree will almost always recover and grow new leaves.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Malacosoma americanum

Tent caterpillars arrive in the spring as the new leaves start to bud. Their favorite trees to build their tents in are the wild cherry, crabapple, plum and peach trees. The caterpillars leave the tent and search the tree for leaves to eat, after feeding they return to the tent to digest their food.

Life Stages

The caterpillar must be warm to digest their food. This makes it necessary to always build their tents where they will get the early morning sun. They grow quickly, and it only takes them 7 or 8 weeks to start spinning their cocoons, and only 2 weeks later the adult moth emerges. As quickly as they mature, their life course comes to an end  after laying her eggs, usually only 24 hours after emerging from the cocoon the female dies, the males live about 7 days. They are seldom seen in the moth stage.

Cause for Concern?

Tent caterpillar numbers vary wildly and when they are in large numbers people often become alarmed. Basically they are just an eyesore and not really a cause for concern. They have defoliated some trees almost completely, but the tree will almost always recover and grow new leaves.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Here in Ocala, we woke up to a frost twice this week! The winter months have arrived, and with them have come colder temperatures and frosts that can damage both gardens and lawns! So, what can you do to ensure that next spring your yard will be green and lush? Here are a few helpful hints.

Prevention

• Water your lawn regularly. While proper watering is vital throughout the year, it is especially important in the weeks before cold season begins. Watering less frequently but more thoroughly trains the roots to reach down to the remaining water in the soil before the next watering.  Shortly before a frost, water especially thoroughly. This warms the soil, and provides the needed amount of water so that the grass can self-regulate the water it takes up.  Never water or run equipment on a lawn that is frozen or covered with frost.
• Provide your lawn with plenty of  nutrients. Nutrients play a key role in keeping lawns healthy throughout the year. Winterize your lawn by providing it with a higher than normal amount of pot ash to aid in root health and growth, so that grasses become more hearty and able to withstand the cold. Failure to  do so can result in heavy damage under frost or freeze.

Recovery

If your lawn has already been damaged by a frost, it can still revive! It only needs water, time, and nutrients.

• Maintain a good watering program. Watering your lawn can not only prevent it from experiencing frost damage, it can also aid in the recovery process. Most lawns require 3/4 inches of water per application, so you will want to set the timer on your irrigation system accordingly. To do so, set up a catch basin, such as a large cup, in the lawn. Keep track of the time that it takes for the cup to fill up with 3/4 inch of water. Now set the timer on your sprinkler for that same amount of time. Keep in mind that different zones of your lawn may require different times.
• Give your lawn time to recover. Remember that it will not recover immediately. Unless severe damage including dead roots and turf has occurred, your lawn should show signs of revival within the first 2-4 weeks following the return of moderate temperatures.
• Apply nutrients.  After a damaging frost the turf is highly stressed and needs fertilizer, just as your body needs vitamins after a flu. Always use low nitrogen or none at all in the lawn during the cold parts of the year, as nitrogen will only encourage top growth, which will in turn “burn” and turn brown in the next cold snap.  Wait use to fertilizer containing nitrogen until the weather becomes warmer.

Repair in cases of severe damage

What if the damage goes beyond what you would normally expect from chilly weather? Even then, there are steps that you can take to repair your lawn.

• Consider re-sodding. If severe damage has occurred with dead areas present you may need to re-sod in the effected areas.  St. Augustine, which is by no means capable of withstanding the cold with ease, can be plugged or sod.  Again, for best results, spring weather conditions are best.  Bahia, on the other hand, is a much heartier turf , and can generally be left alone as it often recovers by itself.  If it does not recover, however, consider over-seeding some or all of the lawn. If you decide to over-seed, wait until May or even June when the average night time temperatures are at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above, as higher temperatures encourage germination. With varieties such as Zoysia, Centipede, severe winter injury is seldom as bad as it is with St. Augustine and fewer problems should occur.
• Completely cover the ground after repairs are completed. Covering the ground decreases the chances of later problems with weeds. Because this is true, you may prefer to sod, rather than plug, when effecting repairs.

While frosts and freezing temperatures may cause temporary damage, that damage doesn’t have to be lasting. With a little work, your lawn can be green again!

Here at All Safe, we offer our a free lawn analysis and service up to 6,000 s.f. for $55 per service with an annual agreement.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Related articles

• Winter lawn care leads to healthy spring grass (knoxnews.com)
• The Best Way To Have The Leading Lawn In The Neighborhood (mydecorarticles.com)

Worker Termites

This Fall has been amazingly warm and it almost seemed like the cold weather was taking a year off, until this weekend. The husband and I decided that it was time to relocate some of the firewood that we have stacked at the back of our property closer to the house.  We want to be able to get to it more easily if/when we get a big storm.

Dissolving Firewood

We got out our old rusty wheelbarrow and started in on the woodpile.  We chose a spot at the back of the house right near the back door.  Out of sight, but easy to get to.

The top of the big pile was nice and dry, perfect for burning. We had taken several loads up the the house within the first half hour.  But, as we got closer to the bottom of the stack we noticed that it was pretty wet.  We had forgotten to get some wooden pallets last spring, so the wood was sitting right on the ground. Not good!

I was the lucky one who picked up that big rotten pine log and had it practically dissolve in my hands. Inside there was a bunch of pretty little tunnels and not so pretty little bugs. Let me tell you, it was gross. The log was full of termites!

Who Knew?

I always thought that termites lived in wood.  I was surprised to find out that they don’t!  Termites build nests in the ground and come “upstairs” to feed on whatever lumber they can find.  Bringing a termite infested log into your home will not cause termites to permanently move into your house.  The queen termite lives in the ground safe inside the termite’s underground nest.  A queen is needed to form a colony and the logs only contain lonely bachelors.

One way that termites COULD infest your house via your firewood is if you stack your wood, in contact with the ground, against the outside wall of your house.  The workers would travel out of their burrow, through the logs and start chewing on your siding.

Now What Do We Do?

Spraying your firewood with any insecticide is not a good idea.  First of all, the spray won’t penetrate the wood enough to kill many bugs.  Secondly, when you burn something that’s been treated with any chemical it will vaporize that chemical and give you a lungful!

Luckily, In the winter termites are pretty lazy.  Insects living in your firewood, outside in the cold, normally take several days to warm up before they become active.  So it’s a good rule to leave your firewood outside and only bring in enough to last you a day or two.

Needless to say, once I found out how termites would like to annex our siding, my husband and I finally got those pallets and moved that wood again.  Farther away from the house!  You almost had us you little buggers.  Now we might have to shovel a little more snow than we were hoping, but at least our house won’t dissolve like a rotten old pine log!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Pharaoh ants may be tiny, but these pesky insects are capable of creating great havoc. They reach lengths of a mere 1/16 of an inch, and are recognizable by their light yellow or reddish brown color and dark abdomens, as well as by their twelve-segmented antennae, narrow waists with two nodes, small eyes, and single stinger.

Photo by April Nobile courtesy of www.AntWeb.org

The diminutive size of these ants allows them easily to infest a wide variety of places, including kitchens, bathrooms, hospital operating rooms, bakeries, office buildings, and in one instance even a recombinant DNA laboratory. They prefer to nest in warm, dark areas such as near hot water pipes and heating vents. Pharaoh ant nests are very small, and can therefore be tucked away into holes between walls, between sheets of paper, in laundry, behind baseboards, in trash, and in light fixtures.

One reason that pharaoh ant infestations are so difficult to remove is that the ants practice what is known as “budding.” Occasionally a group consisting of queens, workers, pupae, eggs, and larvae will break off from the main group, and form its own alternative colony. These colonies are not hostile to one another, and may often be seen from the outside as merely one giant colony. Thus, when under siege, pharaoh ants can break up many smaller and therefore more difficult to eradicate groups until the danger has passed.

Pharaoh ants feed off honey, shortening, jams, peanut butter, corn syrup, soft drinks, dead insects, toothpaste, shoe polish, and other fatty, oily, and sweet items. They can be found searching for food in toilets, sinks, drains, bedpans, and other unsanitary areas. They communicate using pheromones, and workers who have discovered a food source will leave a chemical trail behind to lead other ants to the source.

While pharaoh ants prefer warmer climates, they can adapt to colder ones by seeking shelter indoors. They are now common throughout the world.

Damage Signs

Pharaoh ants are annoying to many by their mere presence and ability to get into many types of food, but they pose more serious problems as well. Not only can they gnaw through and ruin materials such as silk, rayon, and rubber, but more alarmingly, they can also make their way into hospitals, where they can spread infections such as salmonella, strep, and staph by accessing raw wounds and intravenous drips. Homeowners who suspect that their houses have been invaded by these ants should look for worker ants on their feeding trails, often located on wires or heating pipes extending between floors.

Control

Methods of extermination include bates, such as those made of boric acid and ground liver. However, proper placement of baits is essential; they must be near ant trails and food sources, as otherwise they will have little effect. Additionally, non-repellent rather than repellent baits must be used, as repellent baits may actually make the problem worse. Treatments must be extremely thorough, covering the entire building rather than just single rooms or apartments, and must encompass walls, ceilings, floors, spaces beneath floors, and electrical outlets. Multiple treatments may be necessary. Sprays and dusts are not effective against pharaoh ants, as they will just cause the ants to scatter. Homeowners who have severe infestations may prefer to call in licensed professionals to handle the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Momma Python

When I was a child, I was an odd little girl.  I liked to wade into the local swamps and catch frogs and snakes.  To my mother’s dismay, I often brought them home.  She was afraid to look into my closet.  When I got older I outgrew my muddy ways and actually developed a fear of snakes!  To overcome this I bought myself a pet corn snake. That one snake grew into a reptile breeding business. At one point I had over a hundred reptiles in my house.  I was even on the board of the New England Herpetological Society.  Ok, maybe I am still an odd girl.

The Serpent Wears Prada

Keeping all these animals definitely got me over my fear. When I moved out of the city (yes, I had that zoo in a city apartment) I was prepared for the invaders I found in my worn down old country rental.  While I was cleaning the house I found a four foot snake skin inside of the suspended ceiling of my bathroom.  Me, being me, said “Cool! That looks like a black snake!”. I then threw it out and continued cleaning.  I slept like a baby that night.  A few weeks later I found another snake skin stuck to the heel of one of my shoes.  In my bedroom closet.  I guess that poor snake couldn’t find anything else to help him shed his skin.  I think I saw him that summer sunning himself on my driveway.  He was about eight feet long.

Thank Goodness for Winter

Luckily for me I live in the Northeast.  We do have a few poisonous snakes up here, but they are very shy and like their privacy.  We also have cold winters.  Snakes are not active in the winter.  Those rattlers huddle up in their hibernaculums and sleep the season away.  I think these two things helped me survive my crocodile hunter wannabe childhood.

The Story of Mr. Cool

There are a lot of people who also like to keep reptiles.  But, some of them aren’t very responsible about it.  The go to the mall and see a “cool” little ten inch long Burmese python in a cage.  They want it, so they buy it.  Won’t their friends think that they’re cool?

A few months go by and that cute little guy has outgrown the ten gallon tank they bought with it. Mr. Cool finds out that it’s a female. Females can get up to 18 FEET LONG and can weigh over 200 pounds!  She’s outgrowing everything!  She’s not eating one mouse a week… She’s up to 4 RATS a week, and she still looks hungry!  He’s considering letting her graduate to rabbits, or even piglets!  Every time she’s fed she gets bigger, but if he doesn’t feed her she gets mad!

Finally Mr. Cool decides that he can’t handle this animal.  He can’t give her away, nobody wants this giant carnivore, they’d rather get a little cute one at the mall.  The zoos aren’t interested, they already have 5 of them.  What to do? Luckily Mr. Cool lives near the Everglades.  That’s like the jungle right?  She’s be happy there.  So, late one night he drives his “classic” car out to the swamp and lets his pet go.  She’ll be ok.

Oh yeah, she’ll be GREAT.  The Everglades are a perfect environment for tropical snakes and other reptiles.  Burmese pythons are at the top of the food chain.  They LOVE it there.  If she follows in the footsteps of the many other “lost” pythons, Mr. Cool’s little snake will get bigger, compete with the local wildlife and produce a lot of young.

Invasion

It’s a big problem down there.  Pythons are breeding like crazy and eating everything.  I’ve even seen pictures of them eating alligators!  Hunters have been hired by the parks service to try to cut down the population, but it’s barely made a dent.

Pythons, unlike our local rattlesnakes, are not afraid of humans.  Why would they be?  They’re the same size as us!  They can climb trees, but the big heavy ones like to travel on the ground.  They are not venomous, but they will grab you with their teeth, then constrict you, or anything else it thinks looks tasty.

When in Doubt…

If you live in Florida, or any other tropical area, there are a few things you can do to minimize the risk. Get rid of hiding places, like trash piles and tall grass.  If you have resident rodents get rid of them and the things that attract them.  Check your house and garage for openings that a snake could squeeze through.  They might try to get into your house if it’s a chilly night, or if you have a pet that he’s interested in.  If you have a wall around your property meant to keep other animals out be sure that there aren’t any holes in it large enough for a snake to squeeze through.  They can also use vines or trees to climb over solid walls.

If you see a large leopard print snake in your yard don’t mess with him.  They aren’t venomous, but a larger snake can send you to the hospital for stitches (at the very minimum).  If you see a snake that you know isn’t venomous and isn’t that big, you can use a broom to herd him into a big trashcan so he can be relocated.

The best advice? When in doubt call animal control.  It’s just not worth it. And if you ever meet Mr. Cool give him a stern talking to!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Pesky Overnight Guests

Luckily I’ve never seen any in my house, but I’ve read the news stories.  Bed bugs seem to be the new craze with the insect hypochondriacs.  Personally, I’ve never seen a bed bug.  I mean, I’ve found bugs in my bedroom before.  The errant june bug has bounced off my forehead on his way to my bedside lamp.  I’ve had the occasional cricket chirping in my bedroom behind the biggest heaviest piece of furniture I own.  Mosquitoes have squeezed through my window screen and buzzed in my ear in the middle of the night.  Bugs, well… they bug me!  I am not a fan. Although, I do admit that I let spiders live in my house.  I figure that they will eat the mosquitoes, so I let them alone.

But, bedbugs freak me out.  A lot of people think that you have to travel to exotic places and stay in cheap motels to bring these nasty things home.  Or maybe pick up a free couch on the side of the road that is secretly infested with the little buggers.  Ok, both of those things CAN happen… but did you know that bedbugs can travel on peoples clothing?  Maybe your friend has bedbugs in his house but he doesn’t want anyone to know (who would blame him).  Those little pests can hitchhike on your friends pant leg and move in with you! (Now I’m fantasizing about a fumigator in my entryway).

Sneaky Little Buggers

Not everyone is allergic to bedbug bites.  So, if you’re the only one in your family who has those lovely decorative bites don’t be too sure that your room Is the only one infested.  They might be in the other bedrooms to, the only difference is that the person sleeping there might not react to the bites.

The first thing I’d want to do is get the heck out of Dodge.  But, from what I’ve read, you should stay put!  Don’t sleep on the couch!  Moving around or staying at a friends house will most likely just make the problem worse.  Don’t change your routine, don’t move furniture, don’t throw anything away.  This will just spread the bugs around and make them harder to get rid of.

Call The Pros

If you see a bedbug catch it with a piece of clear tape and stick it to a piece of paper.  Save this to show your landlord or the exterminator.  Yes, the best way to get rid of them is to call an exterminator.  You can buy a few bug bombs, but if you want to save your furniture and be certain that they’re really gone, call an exterminator.  It usually takes a few treatments to get rid of all the bugs.  They aren’t just in your bed.  They like to hide in any soft material and even in your walls and electrical sockets!  Most professional bug assassins have a guarantee on their services.  And when it comes to bedbugs, I’d want that guarantee!!

Sleep Tight!

I’m not sure if this research that I’ve done is going to make me feel less itchy tonight… I think I’m going to flip my mattress and check all it’s little nooks and crannies before I go to bed.  Have a good night and don’t let the bed bugs bite! *shudder*

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Crazy ants, named for their erratic ways of moving, are approximately 1/10 of an inch in length, and are dark brown or black in color, with an occasional bluish hue. Their twelve-segmented bodies are covered with white bristly hairs, and their antennae and legs are unusually long compared to those of other ants.

Crazy ants are omnivores, and feed on fruits, honeydew, other insects, both living and dead, tobacco seeds, plant fluids, and household foods such as vegetables, meats, grease, and sugary items. During the summer months, however, they seek out a high-protein diet, and will avoid sweets.

As extremely hardy insects, crazy ants will nest in both dry and moist climates. They are commonly found in trash, in crevices in trees and plants, in rotting wood, and beneath debris, and in such diverse places as homes, farms, beaches, and even ships at sea. Their nests are often located long distances from the areas where they search for food, making nests particularly difficult to find.

The reproductive process of crazy ants is slightly unusual, as daughters of the queen are the genetic clone of the queen, and sons of the queen are the genetic clone of the queen’s mate. Additionally, unlike many species, crazy ants are capable of reproducing with near relatives, such as siblings, without any negative effects.

While crazy ants are supposed to have originated in either Asia or Africa, they have since spread throughout the world, and are now found in most areas of the United States.

Damage Signs

Crazy ants are considered pests due to their tendency to invade a wide variety of habitats. They also assist in the proliferation of other pests such as mealy bugs, aphids, and scale insects, and can transport pathogenic microbes. Therefore, homeowners who find that their houses have been invaded by crazy ants should take steps to remove the insects. Unfortunately, because the ants tend to forage in areas that are not located near their nests, the nests are often difficult to locate. The easiest method of finding crazy ant homes is to follow workers carrying food back to their nests.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent crazy ant invasion should keep their homes clean, with food carefully put away in sealed containers, and should seal spaces that the ants could use as entrances by using weatherstripping and caulking. Crazy ants are susceptible to many baits, dusts, and sprays currently on the market, although individuals with severe infestations may wish to call in licensed professionals to care for the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Here’s another rodent to protect your home from now that colder weather is here. So please be sure to read this re-blog so you know what defensive steps to take.

Roof rats, alternately known as black rats, ship rats, house rats, or old English rats, are nocturnal rodents that are approximately 13 to 18 inches in length, including their tails, and weigh between 1/4 and 3/4 of a pound. They have long, scaly tails, large ears and eyes, and range from black to light brown in color. Their abdomens are usually lighter in color than the rest of their bodies. Roof rats are poor swimmers, but they make up for their lack of swimming ability with their remarkable agility and adeptness in climbing. When chased by predators, they will flee upwards if possible.

As omnivores, roof rats will eat grains, meats, fruits, vegetables, and invertebrates, and even paper. They prefer to nest above ground, and can commonly be found outdoors in hollow trees, woodpiles, plants, and garbage. They can be found indoors in attics and hollow walls, and on rafters, pipes, wires, and crossbeams. They can enter houses through openings as small as an inch in diameter.

Roof rats prefer warm habitats, and can be found in most countries with mild weather.

Damage Signs

Roof rats are known carriers of disease, and can transmit bubonic plague, typhus, trichinosis, and other pathogens. Once inside homes, they can also eat and spoil human food, create holes in walls, and gnaw through pipes and wires. They have even been known to start fires when chewing through wires. Signs of roof rat infestation include sounds of chewing and scuffling in walls, oily marks from rat footprints, cylindrical droppings approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch in long, and round one inch wide holes in fruit.

Control

Homeowners seeking to prevent roof rat infestation should mend torn screens in windows, seal small openings or holes, especially in attics, through which the rats could enter, keep tree limbs trimmed so that they are a minimum of four feet from the house, firmly seal garbage cans, and clean up lawn debris. Homeowners who find roof rats in their homes may consider trapping or poison baits to remove the rats. Homeowners who find a large number of rats in their homes may also wish to call in professional pest removal companies.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

They Run In Packs

After doing a little research, I found out that it is likely that there are more than one down there.  It might be an underground apartment complex!  Well, however many there are, they are damaging my property and they need to go!

Groundhogs are cute chubby rodents who love to dig and chew.  They are herbivorous and they hibernate in the winter.  They build complex systems of tunnels to live, breed and sleep in.  They even dig little groundhog latrines and then block them off when they’re full.  They are kind of like the beavers tailless country cousin.  They can swim, but they prefer a nice grassy field.  They don’t even drink water!  They get all the moisture they need from eating their veggies.

Poisonous Broccoli?

I’ve heard of people setting off stink bombs in woodchuck dens, or shoving big rocks into the openings… But I’ve also heard that this doesn’t work very well.  If I decided to move a boulder into their doorway it’s very likely that they’ll just dig around it.  If I set off a stink bomb there is a chance that they might move out… which will leave a nice house for any homeless skunks, possums, foxes or rats, who have been known to move into abandoned groundhog burrows.  I don’t think rats would mind the stink… but I’d mind the rats!  I also found out that you “can’t poison groundhogs”.  I couldn’t find a reason why… maybe, despite what kids think, it’s hard to make broccoli poisonous.

The only proven method for getting rid of your friendly neighborhood woodchuck is a trap.  You can either use a humane trap or a “body grip trap” which is lethal, like a giant mousetrap.  I would prefer the humane cage trap, but I’m afraid of having to move it after I catch one.  I’d need some pretty thick gloves to move it when it has an angry saber-toothed guinea pig inside who is trying to bite my hands off.

Safe In The Ground… For Now…

According to what I’ve read, my new neighbors are probably hibernating.  I think I’ll call the pros and find out if there is anything that I can do now, or if I have to wait until they resurrect themselves in the spring.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

I decided to re-post this blog due to its timeliness.  It’s Fall again and this is the time of year that outdoor critters decide indoors is more comfortable. Who can blame them. Besides, we heat this huge house that has plenty of extra room to house many a mouse. I try to be a generous person, but I never could get used to sharing my home with an outdoor beastie. As the saying goes: ‘know your enemy’, and if you consider freeloading mice to be your enemy, read on.

Mice are small, furry rodents that are approximately 5/2 to 7/2 inches in length and weigh on average about 1/2 ounce.  They have large ears, small eyes, and long tails, and can be white, gray, black, or brown. Their diet consists of fruit, vegetables, and grains. While they have poor vision, they compensate for this deficiency with remarkably keen senses of smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

Mice are adept climbers, and can scale almost anything with a rough surface. They can also make vertical leaps as high as 13 inches, and squeeze through openings as small as 1/4 inch wide. They are nocturnal creatures who prefer to stay close to their nests; in general, mice will not stray more than 10 to 30 feet from their habitations. Mice will build nests in almost any available shelter, and if no shelter is available, they will dig burrows in the ground. They are more likely to be found indoors in winter months, when cold weather drives them to seek warmth.

Mice can be found in all parts of the United States.

Damage Signs

Mice can damage crops, gnaw through wiring, and spread disease, contaminate food, and ruin household items with their feces and urine. They also breed frequently, creating as many as 5-10 litters per year. Therefore, homeowners who find that their homes are infested with mice should take action to remove the creatures. As nocturnal rodents, mice are rarely seen by homeowners. Signs of infestation generally include mouse droppings and the sounds of mice squeaking or running.

Control

Homeowners wishing to prevent mice from entering their homes should seal up small cracks through which mice might enter, securely close food containers, and pay careful attention to sanitation. Once mice are in a home, they can be removed through measures such as trapping and poisoning. Homeowners with serious infestation issues may wish to call a profession pest control company to care for the problem.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Now, many years later (no, I’m not telling how many) I have a healthy respect for our stinger wielding friends.  I love honey, I burn the occasional beeswax candle, and someday I’d like to have my own hives.  Of course, I plan to make my husband collect the honey… I’m not THAT brave!

Hornets, Yellow Jackets and Wasps, Oh My!

Over the summer we had several yellow jacket, hornet and various wasp nests crop up under the overhangs of our house.  I would wait until it was dark then spray the heck out of them with hornet spray. Then I would run away and look back nervously, looking for the expected angry flock.  I’m sure my neighbors thought I had lost my mind.

Nasty House-guests

Just this morning I heard on the news about a Miami Florida man who was found dead in his home, surrounded by 60,000 swarming bees.  From what the news said, he had been working on a room in his house and came across a hive of honey bees in the wall.  The bees, angered by his hammering, attacked him and he fell off the chair he was standing on.  Paramedics couldn’t get to him due to the bees, and he died from their stings.

The house that this man was working on was an old house, so it probably had a lot of inviting nooks and crannies for the bees to move into.  But from what I read, it takes a LOT of work to get rid of a hive of honeybees that have moved into your house.

They Like Your Style and Want To Move In

Despite a rampant urban legend, there are no federal laws protecting feral honeybee colonies.  Honeybees have suffered a lot in the last ten or twenty years due to introduced parasites.  This has reduced their wild population so drastically that farmers have noticed that a lot of crops aren’t being sufficiently pollinated.  So, maybe there SHOULD be a law protecting them, but there isn’t.  Sometimes you can find a local beekeeper who is interested in harvesting the bees for his own use.  If you can’t find someone like that, call the exterminator.

Moving Bees Out — Harder Than Getting Rid Of Your Unemployed College Buddy

Honeybee nests can involve an entire wall in your house, maybe more.  I’ve heard stories of people having to hire electricians and carpenters to rebuild the walls that had to be destroyed in the bee removal process.

If you already have bees living in your house, you might think “Why don’t I just plug up the hole?”.  Don’t!  Those bees are tiny, and they’re persistent.  They will find another way out of the hive, and it might be INSIDE your house!

No Room At The Inn!

I guess the best course of action, like with many things, is prevention.  When a bees nest becomes overcrowded they “swarm” and send out scouts to find a new place to live.  This is the reason that beekeepers will split their hives once in a while, it prevents these swarms.  So, check your house.  If there is a gap or hole in your outside wall that is larger than 5/16ths of an inch, the bees might like it and move in.

Alright!  Time to walk around outside the house with my can of triple expanding foam and block off any little holes in my siding!  I do NOT want to wake up one morning to the low hum of vibrating, honey scented wallpaper!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Norway rats, alternatively known as brown rats, sewer rats, barn rats, house rats, wharf rats, and Hanover rats, are common rodents averaging around 10 inches in length, not including their tails, and weighing from 9 ounces to 1 pound. They have coarse brown, grey, or reddish-grey fur. Nocturnal by nature, these rats have poor vision even in daylight, although they make up for this deficiency through their highly acute senses of smell, hearing and touch. They rely largely on their sense of smell when foraging for food.

As omnivores, Norway rats will eat a wide variety of foods, although they are particularly partial to macaroni and cheese, scrambled eggs, and corn kernels, and are least likely to eat peaches, celery, and beets. They subsist largely on cereals, fish, fruits, nuts, and meats, and get much of their food from human garbage.

Norway rats are often found in cities and near human habitations, where food waste is easily accessible. Their nests, usually created from shredded bits of paper or cloth, can be found in and around stores, homes, sewers, barns, ponds, garbage dumps, docks, woodpiles and basements. They dig burrows, often digging under human-built structures so that the building functions as their roof. They also frequently dig burrows near water, and are adept swimmers.

Today, Norway rats have spread throughout most of the world, and the only places which they do not inhabit are the Arctic, Antarctica, certain areas of New Zealand, and handful of remote islands.

Damage Signs

Like many rodent species, Norway rats are associated with the spread of certain diseases, including Weil’s disease, Q fever, ratbite fever, viral hemorrhagic fever, toxoplasmosis, and trichinosis. Additionally, they can contaminate food, damage crops, and cause structural damage to buildings through their burrowing and gnawing activities. Thus, homeowners who find that their homes are infested with Norway rats should take steps to remove the creatures.

Common signs of Norway rat infestation include soft, capsule-shaped droppings 1/4 inch in diameter and 3/4 inch long, burrows, rat footprints and tail prints, urine stains, and gnaw marks on doors and ledges, and in walls. Additional signs include scratching and squeaking noises, and accumulations of insulation and wood chips as a result of gnawing activity.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent Norway rat invasion should pay careful attention to sanitation in the home; food should not be left out, but should be stored carefully in metal containers with tight-fitting covers, and clutter in and around the home should be removed. Cracks and other openings larger than 1/4 inch should be sealed or covered with screens in order to prevent rat entry.

Norway rats are susceptible to both traps and poison baits. Homeowners with severe infestations may choose to call in licensed professionals to care for the problem.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

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We had some excitement around here last week.  My husband came home from walking the dog and said “Call the cops! There’s a rabid fox in the yard!”.  I, being nosy, ran outside to see.  There it was, stumbling around, missing hair and acting strangely.  I grabbed the phone and watched my husband crashing into the woods to follow the fox.

While I was on hold, I anxiously watched the branches moving and listened to the snapping and cracking sounds that my husband was making. “Don’t get close to it!” I yelled.  I don’t think he heard me, he was in hunter mode.

I thought foxes were night owls … Guess not!

He was soon out of sight and I was left holding the phone. What if the fox attacked him? What kinds of diseases do foxes carry? Are they contagious? Did it have rabies? Aren’t foxes supposed to hide during the day?

It turns out that foxes carry several diseases that are contagious to people and pets.  They can carry parasites, along with distemper, mange and rabies.  Contrary to what I thought, it isn’t uncommon to see a healthy fox out during the day (phew!). While foxes are dangerous to small dogs and cats, they are very unlikely to attack a human.  I also found out that foxes are not currently considered a “rabies vector species” (or in English, a common carrier).  Also, a nursing mother fox can look like she has mange. On the upside (other than being cute) a foxe’s urine keeps raccoons out of your yard. Foxes are much less likely to raid your garbage than a more adventurous raccoon.

Public Enemy #1

Eventually the police answered the phone and transferred me to the Wildlife Control Office.  They sent two officers out to our house.  By this time, my husband the tracker, had cornered the fox in our neighbors garage.  When the officers arrived they attempted to contact our neighbors, shut the garage door and had to wait for assistance (and a catch pole).

Even though I knew that they wanted us to go home, I’m was curious and decided to watch this little drama play out.  What did they think was wrong with him? Have there been a lot of reports of sick foxes in the area? What was going to happen to the fox now?

From what they said, this fox had been sighted several times in the last month.  People were calling and reporting a sick, possibly rabid, fox in their yard.  By the time the police arrived the fox was gone. They had been trying to catch him for weeks!  They didn’t think he was rabid, it was more likely that he had a severe case of mange.

“Also known as canine scabies, sarcoptic mange is a highly contagious infestation of Sarcoptes scabiei, a burrowing mite. The canine sarcoptic mite can also infest humans (scabies), cats, pigs, horses, sheep and various other species.”  Eventually the fox loses its hair, and in the winter will freeze to death.  Outbreaks of mange are generally attributed to overpopulation.  Mange is less likely to occur in areas that regularly trap.

I asked the police what they planned to do with the fox. (I could tell they were annoyed with me, but I wanted to know!).  They planned on catching the fox with the catch pole and then destroying him on site.  As we finished talking their backup arrived.  Five officers entered the garage from the side door and they caught the fox as predicted.

As soon as I saw that the fox was caught, I turned and walked away.  Behind me I heard the sound of the officers carrying out the final part of their plan.  I admit, I did gasp like a girl. I thought back to my childhood.  My favorite book was Reddy Fox. I absolutely loved the Fox and The Hound.  Then I snapped back to the present.  This fox was suffering.  He would probably freeze to death this winter. He was most likely carrying a disease that could infect my family.  It has to be done.

Do foxes prefer kibble or canned?

There aren’t many things that you can do to keep foxes out of your yard.  If you have poultry, you build a good solid fence. They do sell sprays and other deterrents that will make your yard unpleasant for foxes.  You can trap them, but it’s not easy (they are known for being smart after all).  A large dog in your yard will make them think twice.  A small dog might just make them a nice snack.

Personally, I don’t mind foxes. I kind of like them.  I am more concerned about the diseases that they carry.  So, I think I’ll go with another suggestion that I found. Feed them.  Mange is found in areas where foxes are over populated, which means that there is a lot of competition for food.  Lack of food makes the foxes weak, which gives mange the perfect host.  So, I’ve decided to put out some dog food for the foxes.  Hopefully their raccoon repelling urine does its job!

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Centipedes are long animals composed of many body segments, each of which usually has its own set of legs. The animals generally range in length from 1 to 6 inches, although some unusual species, such as the Amazonian giant centipede, can be as long as 1 foot. Centipedes have circular, flattened heads, antennae, and long, outstretched jaws. They also have extremely poor vision, and are unable to distinguish much more than the difference between light and dark. In fact, some species of centipedes lack eyes entirely. Most centipedes are brown or red, although the house centipede, a species that lives mostly indoors, is generally grayish-yellow, and has three stripes down its back.

While the name “centipede” may suggest that the animals possess 100 legs, in actual fact centipedes can have anywhere from 20 to 300 legs. The legs closest to their mouths end in sharp claws which contain venom that allows centipedes to paralyze, and then kill, their prey.

Centipedes are nocturnal, and spend their nights feeding on earthworms, insects, and other small prey. Because their exoskeletons lack a waxy covering, centipedes lose water rapidly, and therefore need to live moist areas. Nevertheless, they can be found in some parts of deserts, as well as in savannas, prairies, and forests. They frequently live under rocks and dead wood, in the soil, and in logs.

Damage Signs

While the mere presence of centipedes in or around the home can be bothersome to people, centipedes are also considered pests due to the effects of their bite. While centipede bites are not generally fatal, they are quite painful and can result in fever, chills, swelling, and weakness. Individuals with bee sting allergies also frequently have negative reactions to centipede bites. Fortunately, centipedes rarely enter homes in large numbers.

Control

Homeowners wishing to prevent centipedes from entering their dwellings should seal up small cracks through which centipedes can enter the home. Additionally, removing typical centipede habitats such as stones, boards, and compost piles from yards can discourage centipedes from entering the area. Centipedes are also susceptible to many insecticides currently on the market.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

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Plotting Against Me

Last night my dog had a run-in with a skunk… again.  Earlier this year I noticed a bunch of little holes in my lawn.  It turns out that we have grubs.  I wasn’t sure this was the case at first, but after I peeled back the sod and saw those little buggers wiggling around in there, I had my proof.  Skunks seem to think that grubs are as tasty as the cashew nuts they resemble.  They root them up like industrious little clam diggers.

I have a pretty impressive supply of de-skunking sprays, shampoos and doggie perfumes in my kitchen cabinet, but I am so sick of having to use them!  How can I get rid of these little stinkers?

Skunks are attracted to:

• Grubs/Insects.  Ok, time to treat the lawn.
• Garbage. My garbage is in tightly sealed metal cans, so I don’t think that’s a problem.
• Pet Food. My pets eat indoors and the only pest that can get near it is my husband’s cat.
• Bird Feeder Spills. That thing has been empty for a month.  I guess my slacking is finally paying off!
• Fallen/Rotting Fruit.  Uh oh, I think our apple tree has dropped a bunch of fruit.  I better pick that up!
• Compost Heaps.  Argh! I love my compost heap!

A Spicy Wet Skunk Behind a Wall

I’ve found a few websites that offer skunk repelling options.  You can turn your back yard into Las Vegas (skunks hate bright lights).  You can get motion activated sprinklers (skunks hate to get wet). Or you can treat tasty places (like your trash can) with pepper spray.  None of these options are very appealing to me.   I like to conserve energy (mostly because of my power bill), I don’t have a sprinkler system, and I don’t want to run around after every rainstorm spritzing my trash cans with eau d’cayenne.

Earlier this year one of my friends shot a skunk that had been laying waste to his garbage can every week.  His father-in-law advised him “When you shoot him be sure to hit him in the head then he won’t be able to spray”.  Yeah, that didn’t work.  My friend is a great shot and followed his father-in-law’s instructions… the skunk didn’t spray… but 10 minutes later it smelled like he had!

One useful tidbit I found is that skunks are clumsy ground dwellers who are terrible climbers and not that bright.  They won’t climb over a barrier, and although they are excellent diggers, they won’t bother digging under a fence if they can’t see the other side.  I’ve finally found a use for that pile of old cinder-blocks in the yard!

Let The Trap Hit You On The Way Out…

Since skunks don’t like to dig into the unknown.  If you can find his house and block it effectively,  he’ll move on to your neighbor’s yard, and quit spraying your goofy nosy dog.  If you happen to have an unusually persistent skunk, you might have to resort to trapping him.

I’ve used humane traps in the past to catch the odd stray cat, angry groundhog or garbage rooting opossum.  The traps I’ve used were all open mesh.  It wasn’t much fun getting that feral cat out of there, I don’t want to think about extracting a scared spraying skunk!

Somebody along the way must have shared my stink-phobia and invented a the “box skunk trap”.  The website I found sells them for $85.  That seems like a lot of money…  but then I think about that collection of dog de-stinking supplies in my cabinet.  Where’s my credit card?

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Australian Roach

Australian roaches are large, reddish brown or dark brown cockroaches, with hairy bodies measuring approximately 1 and 1/4 inches in length. They are frequently mistaken for American cockroaches, but can be distinguished their slightly smaller size, and by a yellow area on their thoraxes and yellow stripes near their wings. Like most species of cockroaches, Australian cockroaches are scavengers, and feed on decaying organic matter, although they are more likely to eat plants than are most other species.

As adept fliers, these roaches are capable of moving quickly. They can scuttle across floors speedily, and are likely to disappear into cracks in walls at the approach of humans. They may be found in homes, as well as in garages, leaf litter, trees, flower, woodpiles, garbage cans, and greenhouses. Warm, moist conditions are preferable to these insects, although they are often able to survive in colder climates by living indoors.

Australian Roach

While their name may suggest otherwise, Australian roaches are actually supposed to have originated in Asia. They have since spread throughout many areas of the world, including Australia, and the southern United States.

Damage Signs

Australian roaches are considered pests, and will eat and destroy clothing, chew on book covers, and eat greenhouse plants. They also contaminate food, and spread pathogens. Therefore, homeowners who discover Australian roaches in their homes should take steps to remove the creatures. Common signs of infestation include the above mentioned damage to plants, clothing, and books, and the presence of the insects themselves.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent Australian roach infestation should remove mulch and woodpiles from their lawns to discourage roach nesting. In order to prevent roaches from entering the house, homeowners should also use screens to cover vents and other openings, and seal cracks and holes in walls.

Australian roaches are susceptible to many chemical treatments currently on the market. Homeowners with serious infestations may choose to call licensed professionals to handle the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

I love to sit out on my porch at this time of year.  The air is so cool and “crispy”.  The days aren’t lasting as long as they were a month ago, but it’s so nice out!  I like to sit and watch the various animals busy with their pre-winter preparations.

Bob the Bull-Rat

We have a LOT of gray squirrels around our house and they have been really busy.  They are so intent on their harvest that a few of them have almost run into me on their way back to their storehouses.  I’ve even named one.  His name is Bob.  Why?  He doesn’t have a tail!  It’s the weirdest thing.  He looks like a cross between a miniature bulldog and a sewer rat… cute, right?  Maybe he had a close call with a hawk.  Maybe he had an accident on his little tiny squirrel ATV.  I guess I’ll never know.  He’s so cute, I want to feed him peanuts.

Now You’ve Done It!

So earlier today I was out there, sitting on my porch, and I saw Bob hop by with a giant chestnut in his mouth.  “Awww… Hi Bob!”.  He gave me an annoyed look and continued hopping across the yard with his prize.  Hop, hop, hop… Where the heck is he going?  He bumped his little tailless rump over to and right up my neighbors ornamental cherry tree.  He shimmied up the porch post, grabbed on to the telephone wire (at least I think that’s what it is) and disappeared into the eave!  His storehouse is my neighbors attic!  This is not good.

Squirrels can do a lot of damage to your house, they chew wires, eat though walls and rip up your insulation.   They nest, breed and poop all over the place and they live for about 15 years!  It’s like having a two pound furry teenager with giant teeth.

There’s No Place Like… Your Attic

Did you know that squirrels are territorial?  By this I don’t mean that they protect their territory or patrol like a tiny pack of wolves. But once they decide that a place is their home, they don’t leave.  Ever.  Using a humane trap and relocating them rarely works.  Squirrels have been known to return from being moved to over 10 miles from “their” home.  The only way to really get rid of them seems to be extermination.

I Wish You Were a Rabbit

Now I have a moral dilemma.  Do I tell my neighbors about their uninvited houseguest?  Do I tell them that the only way to get rid of him is by calling an exterminator?  Do I tell them that his name is Bob?

Oh Bob, why couldn’t you have really been a rabbit like your stumpy little bottom suggests? I just need to come to grips with the fact that just because he has a cute little bum doesn’t mean that he’s still not just a wire chewing, insulation soiling menace.  Yeah, I have to tell my neighbors about him.  But I don’t think I’ll mention that I’ve named him.  I live next door to these people.  They don’t need more proof that I’m insane.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Adult Sod Webworm by Svdmolen

Sod webworms begin life in oval, white eggs that change to bright orange or red as they age. The eggs are tiny, reaching only 1/10 to 1/5 of an inch in diameter. After the larvae hatch, they range in color from green to gray to brown to beige, with black or brown heads, and are between 1/3 and 1 inch long. Once they enter the pupae stage, they remain in their small cocoons for between 10 and 14 days, eventually emerging as adult moths that are tan, brown, dull white, or gray, with variously colored patterns. They are easily recognized by two snout-like projections emerging from the tops of their heads.

Adult sod webworms do not eat, and therefore live for only a few days.  Instead, these creatures cause the greatest damage during their larval stage, during which time their diet consists mostly of grasses, although they are also known to feed off wheat, corn, timothy-grass, rye, and oats. They live in tunnels lined with silky webbing in thatch and soil, and are commonly found on steep hills, banks, and other areas that often get little water.

Sod webworms are native to the United States, and are common throughout the country.

Damage Signs

While adult sod webworms may annoy some by their mere presence around picnic areas and barbecues, it is the larvae that actually cause damage. The larvae’s feeding habits can create small, round brown patches in lawn grasses and turf. If the infestation is severe, a number of these small patches may be joined together, creating larger and uglier patches. Damage is generally most severe in early spring and late fall, and during droughts.

Sod webworms are nocturnal, so homeowners are unlikely to spot the creatures, but should instead look for signs of lawn damage, as well as for the small, green fecal pellets that the larvae leave behind. Homeowners can also test for sod webworm invasion by sprinkling a mixture of two tablespoons of dish detergent and two gallons of water over the suspected areas. This solution irritates the webworms, causing them to surface from their tunnels. If between 10 and 15 worms emerge over an area of 9 square feet, action should be taken to remove the worms.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent sod webworm damage may consider using resistant varieties of turf grass, including perennial ryegrasses, fine fescues, and tall fescues. They should also keep lawns well watered, and avoid mowing grass too short.

Predators of sod webworms include birds, ground beetles, rove beetles, wasps, and robber flies. Attracting sod webworm predators into an area often helps to keep the worms under control. Additionally, they are also susceptible to insect parasitic nematodes and pesticides.

Once damage has occurred, lawns can usually be restored if treated with fertilizer and water.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

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Sneaky Little Buggers!

This morning I was given a nasty reminder that I need to make sure to clean the kitchen before I go to bed.  While I was making our morning pot of coffee I noticed that there were little dark grains of “rice” in the pot that I used to make macaroni and cheese last night.  Oh no, we have mice!

Electronic Warfare

Mice seem to move in every fall.  We have a cat, but he’s pretty useless.  We also have a baby, so poisons and floor level “snap traps” aren’t really something that I’d want to use.  In my pre-coffee rodent panic I did order a fancy high tech mousetrap online… but what else can I do to make this invader move next door? (Sorry neighbors, but this is WAR!)

Cat Soon To Be Replaced With Better Mouser

After I finished washing the dishes, and disinfecting anything within an 8 foot radius of the poop pot, I sat down with a nice cup of coffee and started researching.  I found out that cats are NOT the most effective mouse-hunting pet. Dogs are! My cat gave me a doubtful look when I shared this tidbit with him.  It turns out that terriers are better mousers than cats!  Unlike cats, who play with their food, dogs don’t mess around.  They see a mouse and BAM, it’s over.  The only downside is that they don’t eat the mouse like cats usually do.  They are more likely to leave their victim at the scene of the crime.  Our cat has caught 2 mice in his life.  One was dispatched with the help of our pet terrier (proof?).  The second was left as a dismembered gift on our doorstep.

Do You Hear That?

An alternative (or addition) to traps and poisons are ultrasonic devices that emit a high pitched noise.  The noise keeps mice from moving into your house in the first place.  I was worried that something like this would disturb the authorized four-leggers in our house.  But, according to what I read, the noise doesn’t bother dogs, cats, birds or fish.  They do say that if you have a pet hamster you should move him to a room that doesn’t have one of these contraptions.  From what they say, the noise doesn’t travel through walls.  Because of this, you need a unit for each room.  If you do have a pet hamster I would consider keeping his food in a metal container so you can be sure that he’s the only rodent that you’re feeding!

Bah Humbug!

I found out something else.  Mice hate Christmas.  Ok, they hate peppermint oil.  It won’t make a mouse move out, but it will keep mice from moving in!  If you put cotton balls soaked in undiluted peppermint oil around your house, in those little nooks and crannies, it’ll ruin your diet and it will make mice visit your neighbors instead of you.  If you do that when you already have mice, they will just “create” a new exit away from the peppermint and turn your house into swiss cheese.  Not good.

Have you seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?  Do you remember when Willy and his Grandpa drank that delicious soda pop, were carbonated, and floated all over the place?  The same thing happens to mice!  Well, they really like the soda, but they don’t float.  They die.  That would be a terrible movie, but it sounds like a nice, safe alternative to rat poison!

Chocolate Loving Mouse’s Nightmare

The one thing I DO like about rat poison is that the mice run outside the house to die.  No stinky dead mice in the wall. (Believe me, it’s disgusting).  I found out that you can make your own non toxic mouse evicting killer.  Mice LOVE chocolate (who doesn’t?) but it makes them very thirsty.  Plaster of paris (or gypsum) is a tasteless powdery cement-like substance (sort of like those popular antacid tablets).  Mix dry plaster and the chocolate together and leave the little tasty bon-bons near your resident mouse’s favorite hangout.  He will have a little chocolatey snack and get REALLY thirsty.  As he’s running outside to get a drink the gypsum will use the water that it stole from his stomach and harden into cement. Bye bye mouse!

Sunshine Vitamin Has Them Playing Taps

My plan, for now, is to wait until my trap arrives in the mail and to keep my kitchen spotless.  I have a jar of peanut butter ready and waiting to be mouse-bait.  I think I’ll crush up some of my vitamin D tablets and mix it into the peanut butter.  Vitamin D is poisonous to mice so it will take care of any bait-stealers who think they’re smarter than I am!

Do you have any ideas I could try to get rid of this little pest?  Do you have any good mouse stories?  Leave me a comment, share your tips… and cross your fingers for me!  I’m signing off.  I have to go scrub the kitchen again…

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 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Characteristics, Habits, and Geography

Fire ants, also known as ginger ants, are a species of stinging ant approximately 1/16 to 1/4 of an inch in length. They can be distinguished from ordinary black ants by their reddish-brown heads and darker abdomens. As omnivores, fire ants will eat almost any food available, including insects, plants, seeds, mice, turtles, and snakes. Fire ants bite their prey to get a firm grip, and then, using a stinger in their abdomen, inject a powerful venom known as Solenopsin into their prey to kill it. The name “fire ant” derives from the fact that when humans receive this sting they often feel as though they have been burned with fire.

Fire ants are remarkably strong, and can lift up to five times their own body weight. Their eyes, which consist of many different lenses, allow them to see the world almost as if they were viewing their surroundings through a kaleidoscope. As a result, fire ants spot are more easily able to discern movement than they are individual shapes. This means that fire ants do not rely on vision for communication, but instead rely heavily on scent. Fire ants emit pheromones, which other fire ants detect using their antennae. These pheromones can communicate impending danger, indicate the presence of  other fire ants nearby, or urge worker ants to continue working.

Fire ants are typically found near river banks, ponds, moist lawns, or highways. They build their nests under stones, logs, bricks, and similar objects. If no shelter is available, fire ants will construct anthills. These anthills can reach up to 16 inches in height, and the tunnels below them can extend as far as five feet into the ground. Fire ants are generally found in the Southern United States.

Damage Signs

Most varieties of fire ants will not bother humans, but a particular species found in the United States, Australia, the Philippines, China, and Taiwan, known as the red imported fire ant, is an intrusive pest. These fire ants can invade school yards, lawns, homes, and parks. They generally invade in large numbers, so the surest sign of a fire ant infestation is to see the ants themselves.

People stung or bitten by fire ants soon discover that the stings develop into red, swollen, itchy welts. If scratched, these welts can easily become infected. Some individuals are also allergic to the stings, and if stung can go into anaphylactic shock unless treated immediately.

Control

There are a number of baits currently on the market that can be effective in removing fire ants. Homeowners with fire ant infestations can spread poisoned bait around the infested areas. Worker ants looking for food then bring the bait back to their nests, poisoning the rest of the colony. For infestations that are particularly severe, homeowners may wish to call in a licensed pest removal company.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

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Cover of Bambi (2-Disc Special Platinum Edition)

Bambi, one of my favorite movies, primed me to romanticize deer. Feeding deer out of my hand in my own yard, has been a dream come true. The drought has brought new challenges, though, as the deer are depending more and more on hand-outs as the foraging becomes futile. The rising cost of livestock feed also makes the huge, hungry herds a strain on the pocket book. When as many as 24 deer arrive at meal time, you can not help but long for a humane method of population control.

Yum Roses

Hungry deer cause another problem, landscaping. They will eat just about anything you purchase and lovingly plant. If your sapling manages to escape being eaten, the male deer will use it to rub the velvet off his antlers causing the bark to rub off also, possibly leading to the death of the tree. Consider another reason deer are now increasingly considered a pest. Though I am not a fan of venison, that is not true of mountain lions, wolves, coyotes etc., who wander into residential areas attracted by deer.

A Dangerous Combination

Automobile versus the deer leaves no one the winner. This problem is exacerbated by mating season (rut) as amorous buck’s testosterone levels rise, the chasing after potential mates leads them across busy roadways. The only winner, if there is a collision, is the buzzard. One and a half million deer-auto crashes kill 150+ people yearly and cost us $1 billion in property damage.

A Welcomed Solution

For all these reasons and more, news of a new birth control vaccine for white-tailed deer brings cheers from many. It is just becoming commercially available in some U.S. states. It is called GonaCon, and may reduce or stop some unwanted behaviors in household pets and farm animals that have not been neutered. It does this by blocking the usual response to testosterone and estrogen surges. It could also be of help with prairie dog, wild horse and feral dog populations.

The superiority of this vaccine, when compared to previous birth control vaccines, is that GonaCon even eliminates the breeding behavior, so the upsurge of autumn deer-auto collisions would stop.

How It Works

The new vaccine causes the body to make antibodies against the hormone that turns on the increased production of the sex hormones. Without that hormone, the body makes little or no estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Both male and female become infertile and the one vaccination in studies with captive deer lasted up to 5 years without a booster. Squirrels, rats, feral swine and wild horses were also used in the study with success.

How do you go about vaccinating the deer in your neighborhood? You don’t. The vaccine is regulated by the EPA and has to be registered in your state, and so far Maryland and New Jersey are the only states that have approved it. When it comes to administering the vaccine it can only be done by a USDA or state game and fish department staff member. One by one they capture, tranquilize and inject deer.

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 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Carpenter bees are large black and yellow bees approximately 1/2 to 1 inch in length. They closely resemble bumblebees, but whereas bumblebees generally have some yellow markings on their abdomens, carpenter bees have shiny black abdomens. Male carpenter bees have white markings on their faces, while females do not. Additionally, while male carpenter bees are generally more aggressive than females, only the females possess stingers.

The name “carpenter bee” derives from this species’ method of boring holes in wood in order to create nests. Carpenter bees drill into the wood and create tunnels inside by scraping their jaws against the wood and vibrating their bodies. The entrance holes to their nests are almost completely circular, and are approximately 1/2 inch in diameter, while the galleries inside the wood range from 6 inches to 1 foot in length. Carpenter bees prefer to make their nests in redwood, cedar, cypress, and pine woods. While they most commonly nest in trees, they can also be found in eaves, window trim, siding, patios, telephone poles, and deck furniture.

Contrary to popular belief, carpenter bees do not eat wood. Instead, they feed on the nectar from flowers. Favored varieties of flowers include honeysuckle, blue bonnets, mints, and passion flowers.  Carpenter bees can be found throughout the world.

Damage Signs

While initial damage from carpenter bee drilling is usually slight, the bees will reuse nests year after year, and will continue to drill throughout the years, so they can eventually cause substantial structural damage. Common signs of carpenter bee infestations include round holes drilled in wood, and small piles of sawdust beneath these holes. Homeowners may also see yellow stains in the surrounding wood from bee fecal matter.

Control

Carpenter bees prefer to nest in untreated wood, so painting exposed wood surfaces will sometimes, although not always, discourage bees from nesting in the area. Once an infestation is in progress, treating the nest entrance holes with insecticides or dust is usually effective. Homeowners with particularly large infestations may choose to call in a licensed exterminator.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

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Mating Mimicry

The poor, beautiful, wild orchid of southern Europe’s dilemma, it needs the bee to deliver its pollen to fellow orchids. “What’s the problem?” you may ask.  Bees love to oblige because of flowers’ delectable nectar. This wild orchid has no tasty nectar, so the solution comes in its unique design. It looks and smells so much like a female bee the male bee tries to mate with it. Each specie of this orchid has its own twist to this trickery by having its own disguise and smell.

Fool Me Once, Shame on You…

It does not take the Bee too long to realize he’s been had, just long enough for the orchid to stick a packet of pollen on his body. Off he flies only to be fooled again by the sight and smell of another orchid and in he goes for another unsuccessful mating for him, but very successful pollination for the orchid. This poor Bee falls for this guise over and over until he finally realizes these orchids are not to be trusted. The orchid has gotten what it needs, and the Bee hopefully has learned to be more discerning in his choice of mates, often a difficult lesson for all.

Moral of This Deception

Busy lives can be fun and exciting, the problem when we don’t take time to stop and smell the flowers can be we fail to recognize the real from the silk and may end up nurturing the wrong dreams. Slow down and make sure you are working to fill your own goals and not those of some imposter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Big headed ants vary in color from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, and range in length between 1/16 and 1/8 of an inch. Their bodies are covered in long, sparse hairs, and the second segment of their waist noticeably bulges. As their name suggests, many big headed ants have very large heads. Worker big headed ants are divided into two categories, major and minor, and the major workers have heads that are exceptionally large when compared with their bodies. Minor workers, in contrast, have small heads.

Source: www.AntWeb.org Photo by: April Nobile

As omnivores, big headed ants eat a variety of foods, including both living and dead insects, other invertebrates, and common household items such as meat, sweets, grease, and pet foods. They are particularly partial to honeydew excreted by insects such as aphids and whiteflies.

Big headed ants build their colonies under rocks, logs, flowerpots, bricks, and debris. Once established in an area, they will then build foraging tunnels similar to, although more fragile than, those created by subterranean termites. Colonies often have multiple fertile queens, each of which can lay up to 290 eggs per month, and can therefore quickly spread out and grow to become supercolonies.

Although native to southern Africa, big headed ants have now spread to nearly all mild and tropical parts of the world.

Damage Signs

Big headed ants are on the “100 Worst Invasive Alien Species” list because they threaten the biodiversity of their surroundings by harboring insects that decrease plant productivity and by harvesting seeds. They may also chew on electrical, irrigation, and telephone wires. Most homeowners find their mere presence annoying, especially because they often exist in such large numbers.

Homeowners looking for signs of big headed ant invasion should examine their homes for loose piles of sandy soil left behind by the ants, and for the presence of the ants themselves, specifically in bathrooms and kitchens, around doors and windows, and on walkways and driveways.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent or reduce big headed ant invasions should clear their yards of piles of wood, rocks, and other debris, in order to discourage the ants from nesting. Additionally, they should trim tree branches that come in contact with exterior house walls.

A number of products currently on the market are effective against big headed ants, although it is imperative that lawns and soils around the house be thoroughly treated if the pesticides are to work correctly. Homeowners with large infestations of big headed ants may wish to call in exterminators to deal with the problem.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Image via Wikipedia

There is a different pest problem sweeping across the USA. Strange to think of these being pests when we used to admire them as we gazed into the sky delighted to see the prefect ‘V’ formation of the beautiful, honking Canada Geese. Now they are taking over lakes and the beaches, golf courses, parks and airports. What to do? How can we discourage them from crowding and (pardon the pun) befouling our outdoor activities?

Harness That Energy

Many say the perfect solution to this growing concern is the Border Collie. Any who have known a Border Collie will immediately see the brilliance of this idea. One look into his eager eyes tells you you better have something for him to do, or he will take it upon himself to come up with something. If you value your yard, cat, fence, landscaping and especially your kids, you will find him constructive use for his endless supply of energy. Voila! Chase away nuisance Geese.

Experience Necessary

The Border Collie has been bred for centuries to herd sheep. Shepherds utilized the dog’s hunting instincts and control them with voice commands and a variety of signals given with the use of a whistle. All this training insures the safety of the sheep, making it a humane method to get rid of the Geese. With the proper training, the dogs can be told to run straight at the birds, told to turn to the right or left, and to stop abruptly. This makes them perfect for annoying, but not hurting, the pesky geese.

The Border Collie has had incredible endurance bred into them. They herd sheep all day and have done so for centuries. As with any problem persistence is often needed to get it under control. That is one more adjective that describes the Border Collie well, persistent. So while, they may begin their training on sheep, they can quickly adapt their skills to be used on birds.

It’s All In ‘The Look’

Picture those eager eyes sharply focused on the sky, looking for the objective of their training, geese to chase. And chase they will until every last bird has left the area. They do this without harming or even touching the birds. The determined, confident, steely eyed pro does not need to resort to physical manipulation,  he has all the power he needs just because of  his commanding presence.

There Are No Substitutes

People have tried fake coyotes, plastic alligators and swans, gas blowers, loud noises, flashing lights, regular untrained dogs, the geese soon get used to these would-be deterrents, but they never get over the Border Collie’s patrol tactics. It’s that fierce doggy fear-factor that they have down pat. Threaten so convincingly you never have to use violence. Crouch down menacingly, stare the birds straight in the eye, never back down, and those geese will be up in V-formation seeking a safe refuge without Border Collie Patrol. This has worked hundreds of years to control sheep, so the method has been proven.

Either You Got It or You Don’t

If you are thinking ‘My dog could chase geese every bit, as well as, some trained Border Collie.’, you would be wrong. Your dog either does not have that predator instinct, or has one, so strong, he would be out for blood. Then there is the ‘bark factor’ my dog (Colby) definitely knows he is a predator,  just ask that skunk he cornered last night (and yes I know the recipe to get rid of skunk smell, I Googled it last night.) Sorry I digressed, but with my dog it would be a toss up as to which is more annoying, stepping on stinky goose poop or listening to the never ending, excited squeals from my also, very ‘eager’ canine. The Border Collie works silently to frighten the geese, by imitating the methods of the geese natural predators, Coyotes, Foxes and Wolves. I am pretty sure the geese would be ‘ laughing on the inside’ at my dog’s imitation of a wolf. They would know he would soon tire out, and they could return. Not the cool, collected Border Collie, he can be a tireless threat.

The U.S. Humane Society, Geese Peace, and The Coalition Against The Destruction of Canada Geese all back the use of trained Border Collies to humanely control problem geese populations. So Colby, I guess we’ll have to leave it to the professionals to control the Canada Geese, and we can work on ignoring skunks.

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Ghost ants are diminutive insects, reaching only 1/16 of an inch. Their name derives from their translucent or milky white abdomens and legs; only their heads and thoraxes are dark brown. They have also been know to temporarily take on the colors of the foods that they eat. Although they are often mistaken for pharaoh ants, ghost ants can be identified by the single node in their abdomens. Pharaoh ants, in contrast, have two nodes. When crushed, ghost ants emit a rotten coconut-like odor.

Ghost ants are adaptable, and will nest both indoors and outdoors. They require a great deal of moisture, and outdoor colonies are found most often in plant stems, tufts of damp, dead grass, flowerpots, and spaces beneath debris and loose bark. Indoors, they often settle in greenhouses and in spaces between books, between walls, and between cabinets. They are quite mobile, and will often settle in a particular spot for only a few days or weeks. Colonies frequently break up into smaller sub-colonies, so that homeowners who find and destroy a single nest may find that they have not wiped out an entire colony. Individual ants travel between sub-colonies, finding their way by using scent trails created between the nests.

The diet of ghost ants consists of sugars, cakes, syrups, and other sweets, as well as of living and dead insects. These ants specifically prefer to eat honeydew  and honeydew producing insects.

Ghost ants can be found worldwide, and are so widespread that it is impossible to determine their place of origin.

Damage Signs

Ghost ants are considered pests due to their frequent presence in homes, and the fact that they feed on household foods. Homeowners who suspect that their houses have been invaded by ghost ants should look for the insects in bathrooms and kitchens, specifically on counters, floors, and sinks. They should also be alert to the smell of rotten coconuts, as this also signals the presence of the ants.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent ghost ant invasion should focus on keeping their houses clean. All food should be kept in sealed containers, and crumbs should be scrupulously cleaned up. Plants that attract aphids and other honeydew producing insects should be removed. Any conditions, such as leaking pipes, that cause moisture in the home should also be fixed.

Ghost ants are susceptible to a number of insecticides currently on the market, although homeowners with extreme ghost ant problems may consider calling in licensed professionals to deal with the issue.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

It is that time of year again. The air is getting cooler, and fleas want more than ever to cuddle up to our beloved furry friends for a  sip of warm blood. Sometimes they even decide  to add us to their menu, causing us irritation and revulsion. What to do? Of course, we could call in our pest control team, and often that is what it will take to get rid of these horrid little blood-suckers, but there are some natural solutions to try first.

The Good Earth

My personal favorite and the  favorite of many who have a house full of warm-blooded pets is Diatomaceous earth (DE).  It also works to kill all insects and parasites. This powder can be bought at garden supply, hardware and feed stores. This powder is made from the microskeletons of diatoms, or algae, from fresh or salt water. Sprinkle this powder on dogs, young or old, cats and kittens. Also, pour it on your carpets and the fleas will die from dehydration.

The DE works by rubbing on the hard exoskeletons of fleas. These minute particles of silicon (sand) clog the flea’s respiratory system and joints. With each tiny flea breath, the silicon wears at the exoskeleton, finally killing the flea by suffocation or dehydration from water loss due to the compromised outer shell of the flea. In no time at all, the little blood-sucker is pushing up daisy’s.

Precautions Even For Nontoxic Remedies

There are some precautions to heed. Wear a mask when applying it to your pets and carpets and when you vacuum it, as well. Also, try to keep your pets from breathing it. It is nontoxic but still not good for lungs. Also, make sure you purchase natural DE, not the type used in swimming pools. Flour grade DE is the best. The swimming pool variety will cause scarring of the lungs. When you apply it to carpets, use a broom to brush it in and do not vacuum for about four days or even a week. Keep reapplying during the infestation. You will see an improvement in a couple of days.

Some suggest mixing together 1 1/2 pounds of diatomaceous earth, 1 1/2 pounds of natural borax and 1 cup of salt to use on the floors and carpets. This mixture will get at all those pests hiding in cracks and crevices, and the salt helps to dehydrate them even faster. Again, be sure to purchase the DE and Borax at a garden store, not at the pool supply departments. You will have to reapply because this method kills the adult fleas only, so you need to kill the newly hatched eggs immediately before they have time to reproduce. Considering these facts should sound down the warning that persistence is called for to eradicate fleas: Just one female flea will produce 20,000 eggs in only three months?’ It can take anywhere from three to six weeks for flea eggs to hatch?

New Control On The Horizon?

Insect Growth Regulators are viewed by some as a better alternative to broad-spectrum insecticides. They are often preferred because they are more selective, less harmful to the environment and more compatible with natural pest control methods. Insects are less likely to develop resistance to IGR’s. There are different types of IGR that disrupt different stages of insect development. Whether these will be economically feasible for further testing and use, remains to be seen.

Worth A Pound of Cure

Preventing a whole-house infestation is the best pet owners can ask for. If you see fleas on your dog, you can add some neem oil to shampoo and thoroughly lather him up. Leave the mixture on your dog for about 15 minutes. Any lather will drown fleas but the neem oil adds a little extra punch and mixed with eucalyptus oil, repels fleas. You can also make an insect repellent out of cedar, tea tree, lavender and citronella oils. Put some of this mixture on his collar, bandana, or dilute it with water and use it to spray on your pet.

Fleas can’t stand the smell of eucalyptus, so dilute the oil and spray it on your dog. Adding the oil to the final rinse of your dog’s bedding, putting eucalyptus leaves under furniture and rugs and adding some to your dog’s shampoo will discourage fleas. For you cat lovers, sorry, your finicky felines can’t tolerate eucalyptus or citrus.

Others recommend making a shampoo using the following essential oils: pine cedar, bergamot, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, citronella, juniper or geranium. Learning a lesson from the clever fox who rids itself of fleas by carrying a stick in its mouth as in jumps into the water, it completely submerges itself, the fleas escape by seeking higher, dryer ground so they climb the stick. The fox drops the stick into the water and gets out pest free. Lesson learned the fleas climb higher up the dog as you shampoo so start by making a very sudsy barrier around your dog’s neck to block the fleas. Also lather the face and ears with soap, don’t just rinse with water. Some suggest leaving the lather on 15 minutes, or more, to ensure all the fleas die. Some say adding white vinegar to your dog’s shampoo will prevent fleas as well.

Flea Trap

If you are not sure how bad your flea problem is, you can make your own flea trap to see how many fleas you catch. Put a light next to a shallow dish of warm sudsy water, next to your pets bed. The flea jumps toward the light and lands in the water and is trapped in the suds. This method will only work to get rid of very light flea populations but can be combined with other controls.

Supplement

Some long- range solutions are supplements to add to your dog’s diet. Garlic added to each meal, and sulphur added once a week are said to prevent fleas on your pet. Black Walnut Hulls come in a capsule form and will repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. It may take 4 to 6 weeks for these to work so don’t give up keep supplementing.

Let’s not forget fleas are not a trivial problem. The flea consumes 15 times its weight in blood, which can cause anemia in severely infested pets. Some dogs are very allergic to flea bites and may develop hot spots and/or infections.

Housecleaning

Another suggestion is making a floor washing mixture by combining the juice of 4 lemons and the rinds in 1/2 gallon of water and wash the fleas away. They hate the smell of lemons. You can also wash down the walls of the dog house with a salt water solution. Doing this every coupe of weeks may keep the fleas from coming in on your dog.

Avon Calling

The University of Florida did a study using Avon’s Skin-So-Soft, sponging dogs down with it. By so doing, they saw a 40% drop in the amount of fleas on the dog. You can try it by mixing 1-1/2 ounces of bath oil to 1 gallon of water.

Temporary relief can be given your dog by spraying on a mixture of 2 parts apple cider vinegar to 1 part water with a spray bottle. After being sprayed, the fleas  ‘abandon ship’ and run for better smelling quarters, so only use this spray outdoors. If you drench your dog with this solution and comb it through its fur, it should discourage fleas for 3 to 4 days.

Yard Work

You can plant tansy, an herb, outdoors where your dog most often lays down. This will repel fleas. Cedar will also repel them but needs to be replenished often as it looses effectiveness quickly. The best way to get rid of fleas outdoors is to use nematodes. These microscopic parasites kill flea larvae yet are harmless to pets, plants and people. Feed stores usually sell them and will tell you how to use them. Ants and spiders eat flea larvae so whenever possible leave them alone to help control fleas.

One more set of recommendations for flea control starting outdoors. Seal up vents so flea infested rodents don’t contribute to the pest problem. Keep lawns and and weeds trimmed so not to have flea larva’s ideal living conditions near the house, get rid of piles of sand and gravel and keep pets fenced to keep pets away from infested animals.

Another Recipe

Some swear by using 1 cup of aloe vera juice with 1 drop of any essential oil to kill fleas. Others suggest adding cayenne pepper to the juice to kill them. Ground rosemary leaves can be used to repel fleas or use 2 cups of fresh rosemary boiled in water 30 minutes to make a flea dip. Strain the liquid and add it to a bucket with 1 gallon warm water. Soak your dog with this mix and it has the added benefit of being anti-inflammatory, so it stimulates regrowth of fur lost from all that scratching and flea bites.

Not Just For Captain Picard!

Some of our more elite pet owners have put a new twist on tea time by opening up a few bags of Earl Grey and scattering the leaves on their carpet. They vacuum in a few days and claim the fleas are gone. Always toss leaves with your pinky held out with an aristocratic flair, for best results.

Lots of ideas to choose from. Hopefully, by implementing at least some of these options, you and your pets will enjoy a flea-free-fall.

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 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

This case of mistaken identity occurred over 6 years ago, but I thought it was interesting and that it also contained valuable lessons to be learned by all. See if you agree.

Bananas seem innocent enough but its what makes the long trip from Brazil with the bananas, that can ruin your day. The Brazilian Wandering Spider is one of the world’s deadliest spiders, and a British chef was almost killed by one. To make matters worse the spider was later inadvertently freed.

How it All Began

As mentioned earlier, this spider, deadlier than a Black Widow, famed for its speed and aggression, found itself on a ship leaving Brazil and headed for the far less tropic England. It ended up in the kitchen of chef Matthew Stevens’ pub in Bridgwater, Somerset. The spider, despite his name, Brazilian Wandering Spider, did not enjoy the cruise and arrived in a nasty mood. Upon arriving at the quaint English pub, it bit the chef twice on the hand, apparently not adhering to the old adage of  ‘not biting the hand that feeds you’. Maybe it was the English cuisine that often brings criticism from tourists.

How Much Can You Take?

There the spider laid, looking very dead, when our wounded chef decided to use his cellphone to take a picture of his assailant. Unaware that when the spider had fallen into the freezer, was just stunned by the cold and wasn’t really dead after all. Michael then decides to pour boiling water on the stricken spider, thinking this would make certain its demise. He then put the frozen, boiled spider in a jar. Still not satisfied, he put the spider in the microwave and cooked it. All these efforts taken to ‘insure’ the death of this spider should be noted and remembered at the conclusion of this article.

Both Chef and Spider Hospitalized

Finally, Chef Stevens is brought to the hospital, dizzy and shaking and having a very swollen hand. The spider accompanied him to the hospital (it was the least he could do) and by now it was doing fine, suffering no notable ill-effects from being frozen, boiled and microwaved. The spider’s only complaint was the restriction of his ‘wandering’ by the glass jar prison he found himself in.

The mobile phone photograph of the spider was sent to Bristol Zoo where experts identified the spider. Doctors treated Mr Stevens with oxygen and a saline drip and sent him home the next day.

Poor Little Spider?

If you worked in a hospital and saw a jar with a spider in it struggling to get out, what would you do? Would you assume someone was just being mean to the poor little spider and it would be oh, so much happier out in the hospital garden? How many people bring spiders to a hospital in a jar, just on a whim? Few hospitals have a ‘Bring your pet to work day’. At any rate this self-professed ‘Good Samaritan’ set the spider, charged with attempted murder, free thinking, ‘what a lovely garden for the poor upset spider’. Here’s the first lesson, ask before releasing deadly spiders into hospital gardens.

What Were They Thinking?

As inconceivable it is to me that someone who worked in a hospital might not reason there may be a good reason for incarcerating a spider, the statement made by Hospital Officials about the danger posed by releasing of the spider is even more unfathomable. They said the freed spider was unlikely to put anyone at risk because ” it would have died very soon after being released” because of the cold. Second lesson, if your opponent has been put in a freezer until it lies motionless, boiled with hot water and then microwaved and still is alive and well, don’t count on the damp, cold winter of England to eliminate it as a threat once and for all. Is it just me or does that only make sense?

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Moles are small, burrowing mammals of the family Talpidae. Typical moles are approximately 6 inches in length, and have round bodies covered in velvety brown, gray, or black fur. They possess tiny eyes almost completely obscured by fur, and are nearly blind, able to discern little more than the difference between light and darkness. Despite the fact that they do not have visible ears, moles make up for their deficiency in vision with remarkably sensitive senses of hearing and touch. They are also excellent swimmers, and can move backwards and forwards with almost equal ease.

Moles use their strong hind legs and broad front feet to dig tunnels in lawns, meadows, and gardens. These tunnels can can be quite long, as a single mole can dig as much as 60 feet in a single day. Moles live and hunt in the tunnels they dig. Their diet consists largely of earthworms, although they will also eat mice, nuts, and a variety of invertebrates.   Moles use a toxin in their saliva to immobilize earthworms, which they then store in tunnels for later consumption. They have excellent appetites, and can eat up to half of their body weight in a single day.

Moles can be found throughout North America, Asia, and Europe.

Damage Signs

Mole tunnels can kill lawns, harm drainage systems, and undermine the roots of plants. Alternatively, however, moles’ tunneling activities serve to aerate and cultivate land. Typical signs of mole presence include small, conical mounds, or molehills, in lawns and gardens.

Control

Moles are susceptible to trapping, smoke bombs, and poisons such as calcium carbide. It is also possible to flush moles out of their tunnels by flooding the tunnels. Homeowners may choose to attempt to remove moles on their own, or may choose to call in licensed pet removal specialists.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Image by CBP Photography via Flickr

The Khapra beetle has been nominated as one of the top 100 worse invasive species in the world. In 1953, it was discovered in California, this lead to an eradication program that cost the government $15 million and lasted 13 years. The beetle can live without food for extended periods of time and survive on low moisture containing foods. It crawls into small cracks and stays there and is very resistant to insecticides. All the aforementioned characteristics of this beetle make it difficult to get rid of. The best control is to keep it from being introduced to pest-free environments. At this time, there are no infestations in the U.S.

Origin and Environmental Needs

The Khapra beetle originates in Burma to west Africa. It is difficult to be sure what countries have the beetle, because if they admit to having them the country may have trade restrictions imposed upon it. Commerce has spread this beetle to countries with like climatic conditions. It is estimated that 67% of the US would have the correct conditions for the Khapra beetle.

The Khapra beetle develops best in environments of 35 degrees Celsius. If the temperature drops or their larvae become overcrowded, they go into diapause. They can survive to minus 8 degrees Celsius in this condition of diapause, where the larvae molt but are otherwise inactive, and stay viable many years this way. They can survive low humidity as low as 2%, but high relative humidity is not well tolerated by them. Their adaptability is further aided by the large variety of stored, dry foods the larvae will eat. They also reproduce so rapidly that large numbers of them can be found on the surface of stored grain bins.

Eradication Methods

The Khapra beetle, in both the adult and larvae stage, are identified best microscopically. The USDA-APHIS inspect warehouses and cargo ships containing shipments from beetle-infested areas. Just before dusk, when the larvae are most active, they check cracks, crevices, behind paneled walls, etc. High concentrations of fumigants, kept high for the whole process, is necessary to penetrate all the beetles hiding places. Surface sprays have to be used, as well. Keeping the area clean and inspection of incoming cargo is needed to avoid infestations.

Newsworthy

All this information helps us to see why the Khapra beetle has been in the news so much lately. When an inspection of some rice from India at an Indianapolis Federal Express center, turned up the feared pest, officials jumped into action. U.S. Customs and Border agents found the beetle in a bag of barley seeds from India. If the Khapra beetle is eaten, it will cause diarrhea and vomiting.  These agents call this beetle “one of the world’s most tenacious and destructive stored-produce pests because of its ability to damage grain.”

“If a Khapra Beetle is hiding in a huge container full of grain coming from an infested overseas warehouse or within a small personal parcel, we’ll find it,” said Carl Ambroson, Acting CBP Director of Field Operations in Chicago. “Every day our CBP agriculture specialists sweep container floors, probe shipments and examine samples using every microscopic tool available. We guard against agro terrorism and bioterrorism while safeguarding agricultural resources from destructive pests and diseases.”

US grain Safe – So Far

These beetles have been intercepted 100 times this year. In 2005 and 2006 only 3 to 6 interceptions were made, and an average of 15 per year from 2007 to 2009. Unlike any other species, grain shipments do not require even a live beetle for the whole thing to be rejected. Fortunately, despite all the interceptions, the Khapra beetle has not made it into US grain supplies.

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The word “armadillo” means “little armored one” in Spanish, and true to its name, the armadillo is well protected by an armored shell that covers its back, sides, head, and tail, as well as the upper parts of its legs. The rest of its body in contrast, is coated with leathery skin and rough hair. Its legs end in sharp, five-clawed toes that are used to dig for food, and to dig burrows in which it lives. Despite its relatively large eyes, the armadillo actually has poor eyesight.

There are approximately twenty different species of armadillos, but the only the Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypusnovemcinctus) makes its home in the United States. It does not fare well in cold weather, and is especially common in Texas, although it can be found as far north as Nebraska, and as far east as South Carolina.

Typically 20-42 inches in length, and weighing 12-22 pounds, the Nine-Banded Armadillo possesses deceptively short legs which allow it to jump as high as 3-4 feet straight up in the air when startled, and to move very quickly. Due to the density of its armor, an armadillo will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach and intestines with air, in which case it can float across small bodies of water. If it does sink, the armadillo can remain under water for as long as six minutes.

The armadillo is nocturnal, and begins to hunt at dusk. It feeds mainly off insects, such as ants and termites, and grubs, and occasionally dines on amphibians and small reptiles. It prefers to make its home in damp earth near streams and creeks.

Damage Signs

The Nine-Banded Armadillo can harm gardens and lawns while digging for food, and can weaken the root systems of plants and trees when it burrows. It can also cause damage by digging under driveways, foundations, and other structures. Typical signs of armadillo infestation are holes of 1 to 3 inches in depth and 3 to 5 inches across in lawns.

Control

Homeowners wishing to take preventative measures against armadillo invasion may be wise to fence in their yards. Such fences should be placed at a 40 degree angle to the ground to prevent armadillos from climbing over them.

Armadillos are drawn to soil that possesses insects and grubs, so homeowners may find that insecticides, which remove this source of food for armadillos, are an effective deterrent. Homeowners can also trap, and then remove armadillos. Finally, homeowners with more serious infestations may wish to call a professional pest removal company to take care of the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Have you ever resorted to unscrupulous means to get your way? Well, more than likely, a man from the Shenzhen Luosha Engineering Development Company, outdid anything you may have tried.

A VERY Convincing Argument

Think for a moment, what if you wanted to tear down an apartment complex, but the residents wouldn’t sign a compensation agreement? How would you convince them, they would be better off living elsewhere ? I think the apartment dwellers in Shenzen, China found the real estate developer’s message very convincing. Granted, they have not proven who delivered this ‘stinging’ message, but you have to ask yourself, who else would go to all the trouble?

Chinese Proverb: Always Wear Steel Toed Slippers

A sleepy resident turns off the lights hoping for a peaceful nights rest. He wakes up to a horrifying feeling that something is crawling on him. He turns on the light to discover it was a scorpion traipsing across his skin. What happens next is what I always expect to happen when I have found a sole bug in my bed. He looks down to find hundreds of scorpions marching across his floor. I can not even imagine what I would do at this point. Putting on flimsy, little slippers to attack this horrible army, probably would not be my first thought. Steel toed boots would be better, but I hardly ever have them beside my bed at night. Maybe it is time for me to start.

Mysterious Man with Bucket

Our brave resident must have kept his wits about him at least long enough to find out that his neighbors had awoken to the same nightmare. The investigating began, and a witness was found that said he saw the above mentioned man walking from his development office with a bucket. It is really too bad he didn’t have to drive the bucket of scorpions to the apartment building. Just needing to slam on the brakes once could have been the perfect justice. Witnesses also said they saw the man dump the bucket in apartment windows just before the nightmare began. I don’t know much, if anything, about Chinese culture, but I think I would have said  你在幹什麼？ or ‘whacha doing?’.

I Precisely Ordered 110 Pounds of Scorpions…

The report states that 110 pounds of scorpions had been dumped into the apartments. I have a problem with this information. I’m pretty sure I would not have been dutifully picking up these frightening intruders, just so I could put them on a scale to weigh them, so the report would be accurate. My inclination is to squish them so thoroughly that you would have to scrape them off the floor losing most of their internal fluids in the process. There again, I see the need for more knowledge of the culture. Not only that, nothing was said to indicate that anyone moved out. Think of how many pounds of scorpions could be hiding?

Next question left unanswered:  Where do you get 110 pounds of scorpions?

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• Landlord Suspected Of Releasing Thousands Of Scorpions To Get Tenants Out (realthinktank.com)

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Characteristics, Habits, and Geography

American cockroaches are among the largest of the common roaches, averaging between one and one and a half inches in length. They are reddish-brown in color, with yellow fringes on the area of the body behind the head. While American cockroaches have wings and are capable of flying, they rarely do so, as they can also run very quickly. They thrive in moist, warm areas such as basements, sewers, and crawl spaces. The preferred diet of American cockroaches consists of decaying organic matter and fermented foods.

These cockroaches dislike cold temperatures, so while they do not generally infest houses in large numbers, cold weather may at times force them to seek shelter inside. Typically, they enter  buildings through small openings such as sewer connections, open spaces beneath doors, or air ducts. Alternatively, roaches may stow away in grocery bags, suitcases, or other items brought into the home.  They typically hide in dark crevices during the day, and emerge at night to hunt for food.

American roaches are found in most U.S. cities, although they are slightly more common in tropical areas, as they find the warm temperatures there particularly preferable.

Damage Signs

The best way to spot an infestation is to find the roaches themselves. Home owners concerned by the possibility of an infestation should examine dark, moist areas such as basements, steam pipes, and crawl spaces at night, using a flashlight. Alternatively, they may be able to flush out the roaches during the day by poking crevices and cracks with a thin tool or a wire. Household chemical sprays that that can be applied to the infested areas and that can flush out roaches are also available on the market.

If left unchecked, roaches can contaminate food, causing food poisoning, dysentery, or diarrhea. They can also cause damage to clothes, wallpaper, and books, as well as create an unpleasant smell in the home or building which they infest. They have also been linked to the onset of childhood asthma.

Control

The best method of preventing a roach infestation is to pay careful attention to sanitation. Seal opened boxes of food, be regular in cleaning dirty dishes, and wipe up crumbs from countertops , as all of these can all attract roaches. Keep garbage in roach-proof containers.

If an infestation is already in progress, insecticides may be successfully applied to areas of roach activity. Alternatively, baits, such as gels or pastes may be used. If the infestation is severe, contact a professional pest control company to remove the roaches.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

“

Right from the start, I have to admit this article may be slightly prejudiced in favor of Mightier Mouse, just because I think it is very cute. Well, maybe it is not just that, although it helps, it is also because this new hybrid seems to have outsmarted man. The origins of this superior mouse seems to involve a romance of mice with international appeal. Disney best snatch up the movie rights immediately. Instead of City Mouse meeting Country Mouse, it seem German Mouse met up with Algerian Mouse, and it was love at first sight. That often happens when one travels to an intriguing foreign country.

Just Romance or Planned Superior Race

What ‘G’ mouse and ‘A’ mouse probably did not realize, is that their little romantic liaison had international implications, because their union started a race of  resistant rodents to a common ingredient (warfarin) in rat poison. They had produced a hybrid family, on their own, out in nature, that was  able to produce offspring with beneficial attributes. This is no ordinary hybrid because it can reproduce. That’s not all, the union of these two romantics, of different species, just happened to make for the right novel combination of genomes that makes their young, for at least now, superior to either of their parent’s species. Superior, unless of course, their mom and dad knew what they were doing. Far-fetched, you say, that’s because you have not read what happens when human cells have been injected into animals. I digress, that is a whole other post to come, with that seed planted in your brain, lets get back to Mightier Mouse.

Image via Wikipedia

Mouse After My Own Heart

Seduction is a creative process. I, again, have to admire the intelligence of this traveling Algerian Mouse. If you wanted to ‘wow’ a perspective mate, what better place to do it than in a Bakery! How do we know that’s what this clever tourist did? It was a phone call from a German Baker, to his local pest control company, pleading with help with the infestation of mice in his bakery’s basement, that started the investigation. The company responded by treating the basement with bromadiolone, a very strong version of warfarin, the Mighty Mice just scoffed at the unsuccessful attempt to kill them. Much like when Westley, in The Princess Bride, drank the poison tainted drink and had no ill-effects, because as Westley said:  ‘They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.’  Big difference being- Westley is make-believe, Mightier Mouse is for real.

Country Mouse and City Mouse

Some of the bakery mice were sent to a lab for genetic analysis. The researchers found that this German’s mice’s DNA had a large portion of it identical to a desert Algerian mouse. This Algerian mouse had already had its genes adapt, or mutate, so they were immune to iocane-I mean warfarin… sorry. The researchers think the Algerian mice mutated because of a vitamin K-deficient diet. Warfarin affects blood clotting as does vitamin K, so the same gene that makes them resistant to warfarin also controls vitamin K in the body.

Scientist say that it is the widespread, and sometimes unprofessional, use of poison that have contributed to the spread of resistant rodents. The novelty of this reported hybridization is that it turned up a beneficial change, where as mutations are usually detrimental to the organism.

Pride Before The Crash

Mightier Mouse, may indeed, be in for a crash. The mutation that makes them superior, mighty, toxin resistant Super Mice, causes humans to suffer from arterial calcification and osteoporosis. Will Mightier Mouse pay for his, possibly momentary, notoriety by succumbing to these crippling health woes? Time will tell, but for now they can revel in their obvious genetic superiority. I picture Westley Hybrid Mouse, challenging Vizzini European House Mouse:

Mouse in black (Westley Hybrid Mouse in disguise):Really! In that case, I challenge you to a battle of wits.
Vizzini (European House Mouse): For the princess? To the death? I accept!
Mouse in black: Good, then pour the wine. [Vizzini pours the wine] Inhale this
but do not touch.
Vizzini: [taking a vial from the mouse in black] I smell nothing.
Mouse in black: What you do not smell is Iocane powder(Warfarin). It is odorless,
tasteless, and dissolves instantly in liquid and is among the more
deadly poisons known to man or mouse.
Vizzini: [shrugs with laughter] Hmmm.
Mouse in black: [turning his back, and adding the poison to one of the goblets]
Alright, where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends
when you decide and we both drink – and find out who is right, and who is dead.

Biology professor at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, Loren Rieseberg supports these new findings. He says the study  “furnishes exceptionally strong evidence” of hybridization among the mice. He concurs  “that human-mediated changes in selection pressures and dispersal patterns may frequently create conditions where introgression (hybridization) is adaptive.”

“The human factor in this study is quite clear,”  Michael H. Kohn, Department of Organismic Biology, Ecology, and Evolution (OBEE), University of California at Los Angeles concluded. “One of the gravest concerns to conservation of biodiversity is the inadvertent spread of invasive species across the globe. In this study, this test came in the form of our desire to extirpate so-called pest species with poisons, which we use to get rid of microbes, bugs, weeds and even some mammals.”

My conclusion is that, Mightier Mouse best live it up, sign the movie rights, and capitalize on his genetic success while he can. Any day now he just might be playing in a theater near you-either on the screen or scurrying under the seats!

Related articles

• Freaky Mutant Mouse Steals Genes to Resist Poison (livescience.com)

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Like most weevils, grain weevils begin their lives inside foodstuffs. Females drill miniscule holes in grain kernels, and then deposit one egg into each kernel, after which they seal the grain using a gelatinous substance they secrete. After they hatch, young weevils eat and live in their kernels, emerging only after they have reached adulthood. As a result, the legless, white larvae are rarely seen. Grain weevils are commonly found in rye, barley, wheat, oats, rice, and corn, and less commonly in macaroni and cereals. They are fairly prolific, and a single female may lay as many as 200-300 eggs in her short lifetime of only 3-6 months.

Grain weevils are present throughout the world, and are commonly considered pests.

Damage Signs

Foods that have been contaminated will not only contain the weevils themselves, but also may be covered in white, dusty excreta from the weevils. Additional signs of weevil presence include exit holes in grains, as well as holes that the weevils have chewed in boxes and bags containing foods. Grain weevils are hearty eaters, and if not checked will destroy foods and harm crops.

Control

Grain weevils are capable of chewing through both cardboard and plastic bags, so homeowners looking to prevent weevil infestations should carefully seal up their foods in glass, metal, or thick plastic containers, or consider storing food in the refrigerator. Newly purchased groceries should be inspected for signs of weevil presence. Freezing grains for a week may can also kill any weevil eggs already infesting foods. Cleaning storage areas regularly can also discourage weevil invasion.

Homeowners who discover grain weevils in their houses should immediately dispose of all infested foods, completely vacuum shelves and cupboards, and then wipe down the shelves and cupboards with white vinegar. Vacuum bags should be stored as far as possible from the house. Homeowners should be aware that this process may have to be repeated more than once.

Grain weevils are also susceptible to a number of pesticides currently on the market. Homeowners who are experiencing severe or repeated infestations may wish to call in licensed professionals to exterminate the insects.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

 

In this blog, we usually discuss insects and mammals we consider to be pests. Granted, having rats in your basement could be as horrifying as having bats in your belfry, but the thought of culturing their little brain cells could make you rethink their usefulness. Then consider lab rats and pet rats and land mine detector rats etc, now maybe you can begin to appreciate the rat and classify it as something more than just a common ( and somewhat disgusting–why can’t they at least grow fur on their tails) pest. How about callings rats ‘purposeful pests’?

Kevin Warwick’s ‘Brainchild’

The image above is actually a picture of a simple wheeled robot being controlled by cultured rat brain cells (please watch the video). This is the ‘brainchild’ (pardon the pun) of Kevin Warwick, a researcher of cybernetics at the University of Reading. He and his team culture the rats brain cells and then utilizes them as the guidance control circuit for robots. When you watch the video you have to keep reminding yourself that it is electrical impulses,  from the robot,  that goes into the batch of neurons,  from the rat’s brain,  that invoke responses,  from the cells,  that turn into commands that direct the robot. In other words, this ain’t no ordinary remote controlled device from Radio Shack. What else makes it extraordinary is these rat brain cells can make new connections,  meaning they are actually learning!

Simple But Learning

The rat brain cells do not make for a robot that can perform complex surgery or anything like that. So far, it helps the machine to avoid bumping into walls. If you are anything like me, even that skill can be appreciated. The coolest part of what this cell control circuit does is that it improves in its wall avoidance skills by learning. Now that is amazing.

Complex Cyborgs

Mr Warwick is sure that these cyborgs are going to become steadily more and more complex,  and he is not talking about the distant future. He says it will be soon. Currently the cultures of neurons contain about 100,000 cells, but only a small number of them are involved in guiding the robot at any given time. Researchers are developing new ways to grow these cultures larger,  make them more responsive, and live longer. Their goal is to develop a cultured system approximately the size of the most simple mammal brain. When they get to that point, the neurons will be able to make the robot perform more complicated tasks.

Nothing Artificial,  All Natural Intelligence

Computer scientists have long been pursuing artificial intelligence. It could be that Kevin Warwick’s use of actual biological brain cells may be the quicker way to reach this end. Warwick and his team are not the only ones working on this type of project, and all those other researchers are also working hard to see how far they can push these systems to perceive and learn. If they are employing actual, biological brain cells, can this really be called artificial intelligence?

Why Not Build a Better Mouse Trap?

In this blog, I have attempted to reclassify rats from undesirable pests, to remarkable suppliers of intelligence. Anyone who has tried to outwit one of these crafty rodents will agree they do have impressive working brain cells. Maybe all I have accomplished is bringing to mind the question:  ‘ With all this incredible knowledge that these researchers possess, why can’t we develop a better mouse trap?’

 

Related articles

• Robot Taught to Think for Itself (wired.com)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QPiF4-iu6g

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

As with most other members in the termite family, species of Neotermes build networks of galleries that meander through the wood in which they are hidden. Winged termites (also known as “Flying Ants”) leave mature colonies via multiple dispersal flights over “swarming” seasons that can last for several months. Depending on the species, flight may occur in the late spring or summer, or in the late fall or early winter. Flights occur at dusk or at night. Dampwood termites are relatively strong fliers and, like most nocturnal flying insects, are attracted to lights. Porch lights, indoor lights, and video monitors often lure the insects inside, especially when doors and unscreened windows are opened.

Damage

As with most other members in the termite family Kalotermitidae, species of Neotermes build networks of galleries that meander through the wood in which they are hidden. Because of their moisture requirements, structural infestations of dampwood termites are associated with sources of free water. These include wood-to-soil contact, wood exposed to roof leaks, or wooden siding or ornamentation exposed to rainfall or sprinkler irrigation. Neotermes infestations can extend into sound dry wood several meters away from the moisture source.

Control

Eliminating conditions of moisture can help control structural infestations of Neotermes. As with the preventative management of subterranean termites and wood decay, wood-to-ground and wood-to-water contact should be eliminated to prevent colonization by dampwood termites. When untreated wood cannot be removed from a moisture source, chemical treatment may be necessary.

Related articles

• Termite Swarm Season Provides Homeowners with Chance to Catch Damaging Pests in the Act (prweb.com)

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Reports of  people being attacked by foxes are on the rise. These attacks are almost always carried out by rabid foxes. This then means the victim will need to undergo a series of shots to keep the virus from reaching the brain. If it did infect the brain, it would cause  madness that causes extreme thirst and at the same time cause hydrophobia, or fear of water. Then it leads to paralysis and almost certain death. Probably the result of urban sprawl, it is an issue that calls for education. Then you have your nature lovers who delight in befriending wild fox by offering them food and eventually feeding them by hand. On the other side of the coin, there are people paying over $5000 to buy a baby fox (kit) to keep as a pet. They have become popular despite the foxy facts that they smell bad, love to steal and effectively hide your stuff so you will never find it again, and they are the best escape artists ever, so they require large outside enclosures that are ‘total’ enclosures-top, and bottom as well the sides. An interesting fact about fox agility is they can climb across the top of their cage hanging upside down, while crossing the chain link cage.

Fox Facts

They are strikingly beautiful, smart and clever. Despite being more than willing to eat your pet cat, rabbit, or chicken, they do evoke feelings of awe from most. Consider how the fox get rid of their fleas by swimming with their whole body submerged with only their nose above water and a stick held in their mouth. The fleas escape the water by climbing the stick which the fox then drops into the water. The fox climbs out of the water flea free. No need for Frontline or other expensive ‘fleacide’. These guys are clever. We should be impressed.

Not pack animals, the fox lives within a small family group. When their young mature, the vixen (mother) decides which offspring get to stay with the family and which need to leave and start their own family. They communicate using a variety of calls (watch the video for recordings of their sounds). This Spring, my daughter and I went out with a flashlight to try to find the source of this cry we heard coming from the woods. The sound was rather otherworldly, pathetic, wounded and eerie. We never discovered the source and felt a little strange outside in our pj’s, coat and boots. This was not an isolated occurrence, it happened over and over. It always conjured up upsetting imaginings of a poor, suffering animal all alone in its hour of need. Alisa( my daughter) even recorded the sound on her cell phone to ask others if they had any idea what was making the sound. The included video solved the mystery. I recommend listening to it, because if you ever hear this sound in your neighborhood, you will want to know what it is.

Fierce Foxes

Raleigh, NC was the scene of two recent fox attacks. One victim;  a 90 year old woman walking her dog, the other a 48 year old woman who was bitten. In one case, the fox was captured and tested positive for rabies. The police and Animal Control advised the local residents to:

• Keep pets current on their rabies vaccinations.
• Use a trash can with a tight-fitting lid to dispose of garbage.
• Do not feed your pet outside.
• Do not leave pets outdoors alone.
• Report animal bites and any animals acting unusually right away.
• Call your veterinarian if your pet comes in contact with wildlife.

Pet Door Pest

In Vauxhall, England, many residents have complained about foxes being out in their gardens. But when a man got bitten in the face as he slept, it made the news. One enterprising fox used the family’s cat door to enter the house, it then ran upstairs to the man’s bedroom and attacked. A family also reported they felt unsafe in their own yard and could not leave their door open anymore.

Though, some of the residents are very upset and want the authorities to do something, not all feel disposing of the increasingly confident animals is humane, considering animal rights more important than human. The fox needs to be classified as a ‘pest’ to be controlled. In Lambeth, England the council says decreasing fox populations is “expensive, difficult to carry out and rarely successful”. For now, all residents can do is contact the council’s Animal Welfare Officer for advice.

He said: “The most humane and long-term solution to discourage your garden is to remove or prevent access to what attracts them to the area, and that includes only putting out rubbish on the day of collection, not leaving out food, cleaning away fallen fruit trees, and clearing overgrown areas of the garden where foxes can shelter. There are also a number of repellents people can use.”

A Brave Samaritan

In Homer City, Indiana County, a cycling woman saw a fox lying on the bike trail, and she thought it was injured. She got off her bike to check it out, and the fox growled, chased her and bit her arm and held on. She pried it off, held it by the throat, until a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer arrived, 30 minutes later and shot the fox.

About 400 South Carolina residents undergo rabies preventative treatments every year. An example of this is the man in Cherokee County who had a fox bite him on his foot while he sat on his porch. The fox jumped out of the bushes, and he kicked it into the yard, and the fox kept charging him until he was able to kill it. The animal was confirmed to have rabies. People should avoid wild animals acting as tame and tame animals acting as wild. In 2010, there were 106 confirmed cases of rabies in animals here.  There have been 56 confirmed cases in animals, in the state, so far in 2011.

In conclusion, it seems to me that rabid foxes are definitely petrifying; pet foxes are cool but too much work and probably not as happy as their wild cousins; and wild, healthy foxes are industrious, clever and fascinating, as well as very vocal. So how can you classify all foxes as pests? I don’t think you can. People need to take precautions and realize we need to have respect for our wild neighbors.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Mole crickets have elongated, beady eyes, fore and hind wings, and antennae, and their brown, tan, or whitish bodies are between 1 and 2 inches in length. These insects are capable burrowers, and use their shovel-shaped forelegs to dig extensive tunnels in the earth. They are also adept swimmers and fliers, and males may travel distances of up to five miles during mating season.

As omnivores, mole crickets will consume a wide variety of foods, including beets, strawberries, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, kale, tobacco, sugar cane, tomatoes, turnips, potatoes, spinach, larvae, worms, roots, grasses, carrots, and other vegetables. They spend most of their time in their long and technically impressive tunnel systems, commonly dug in golf courses, fields, and lawns. These tunnels are horn-shaped, and make excellent use of acoustics, amplifying the chirps of the mole crickets in much the same way that a megaphone might. These chirps are most likely to be heard at night, since mole crickets are nocturnal.

Mole crickets can be found on all continents except Antarctica.

Damage Signs

Mole crickets are commonly considered pests due to the damage they incur on crops, plants, and lawns. Above ground, they feed upon seedlings and foliage, often severing younger plants and pulling them into tunnels to be consumed. Under the ground, they eat roots and tubers. Lawns invaded by mole crickets have clearly visible brown, spongy patches throughout. Homeowners looking for signs of mole cricket invasions should look for these spots, as well as for damaged plants, and for the insects themselves. Adult mole crickets may at times seen on driveways, sidewalks, and porches, and near pools.

Additionally, homeowners who find suspected patches of mole cricket activity may douse the areas with soapy water, and watch for the insects to emerge from their tunnels. The emergence of between two and four mole crickets generally indicates a need for corrective action.

Control

Young mole crickets are susceptible to a number of pesticides currently on the market, including Talstar and Asephate. Adult mole crickets are more hardy, however, so homeowners should focus on removing young nymphs before they have time to mature. As always, homeowners should exercise caution when using pesticides, and many may prefer to call in licensed professionals to handle the problem.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Go to The Ant

For centuries the Tibetan Chinese royalty has used this ant in a tonic to increase their immunity and to relieve arthritis. So Dr John Wilkinson, senior lecturer in Pharmacognosy at Middlesex University, decided to study these ants. He said: “These ants contain a lot of zinc and zinc has been identified for some time as an immune stimulant and an antioxidant. This species of ant seems to act in a similar way on the immune system as ginseng and Vitamin E. This is a very exciting time in medicine. Insects have different compounds in them to plants. Now it is up to researchers to identify the novel compounds in insects and how they benefit health. Insects are potentially a vast new area of medicinal research.”

Bug Drugs Are In

So it is safe to say ‘bug drugs’ will see more use in modern medicine.

In earlier articles we discussed the eating of insects in cultures of Africa, Asia and Australia. According to Dr Wilkinson ant drinks are currently being consumed in California as a hallucinogen and were used in Britain in the Middle Ages as a tonic for general ailments.

It is mainly the elderly Chinese that drink this ant.  They make it into a wine or Chinese beer and also may be eaten with meals.

Move Over Pepsi and Coke

The United Kingdom has brought this drink home.  One UK drink company recently decided the potential benefits of this drink were worth commercializing.

The InterContinental Brands (ICB) company in North Yorkshire, England has manufactured a soft drink, appropriately called, Ant. This drink acts as a stimulant and is selling as an alternative to coffee, tea and energy drinks. I personally like their root beer.

Collette Fellows Smith, an ICB spokesperson said: “The vast history of the efficacy of the Chinese ant as a tonic is well documented in China. People here are beginning to understand its benefits.”

Ant, the drink, is a tonic dose, not a drug and went to market in the UK in 2001.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Ophiocordyceps vs Cyclops

The ant’s enemy’s name sounds, like something out of Greek or Roman mythology, Ophiocordyceps. That makes me think of Cyclops, who became deputy leader of the X-Men. Scott (Cyclop’s real name) suffered a head injury, thus forever preventing him from controlling his mutant power by himself. While living in an orphanage, he was secretly controlled by his  enemy, the evil geneticist Mister Sinister. This is probably where the similarity between the Thai rain forest villain and the Marvel Universe Super Hero ends. So on to the real monster inhabiting our own universe.

Synchronized Staggering to The Zombie Graveyard

A mind-controlling fungus may not sound as impressive, but this super power villain is for real. This parasitic fungus gains control of its victim (the ant) by filling its head with fungal cells. This sinister Mr Ophiocordyceps forces his subject to stagger over the forest’s low leaves until it comes to the perfect spot to suit him. The fungus has control, so it causes the ant to clamp its jaws to the main vein on the underside of a leaf. This is to become the site for the ant zombie graveyard.

Researchers watched 16 zombie ants bite their last leaf and amazingly they all did so about noontime. “Synchronized arrival of zombie ants at the graveyards is a remarkable phenomenon. It adds a layer of complexity on what is already an impressive feat,” wrote David Hughes, a Pennsylvania State University researcher.  “However, although ants bite at noon, they don’t in fact die until sunset. Likely, this strategy ensures (the fungus) has a long cool night ahead of it during which time it can literally burst out of the ant’s head to begin the growth of the spore-releasing stalk.”

The mind-controlled ants behave in a manner totally out of step from normal. Researchers conclude that their behavior is such for the sole purpose of the fungus to get itself to the perfect spot to release its spores.   As a result, the dead ants wound up on leaves on the north-northwestern side of plants about 9.8 inches above the ground. The ants normally live in the canopies of trees, but they sometimes come down to the ground, where they are invaded by the fungus. Well ants travel on trails. The infected ants appear to be inebriated as they stumble, fall and sometimes convulse before they bite the dust or more accurately, the leaf.

A Look at Mind-Control from The Inside Out

Dissecting 42 infected ants, Hughes and his co-researchers, found that while holding on to the leaf, the ant’s head was filled with fungal cells. The ant’s jaw muscles were atrophied. “In the context of biting, it allows the mandibles, we feel, to work in one direction and one direction only,”states Hughes. “Normally, they open and close, but in this case, they can only close.” This keeps the ant from losing its grip while it is dying. Hughes also thinks the fungus sucks all of the calcium out of the muscles, causing a condition similar to rigor mortise.

Fungi has also been seen to control arthropods, including crickets, bees, wasps and perhaps even spiders. “We are quite confident we could see this and similar phenomenon across a broad range of organisms, because it is such a neat evolutionary trick if you are fungus to use the muscles of an animal to transport you to another environment,” wrote Hughes.  Fungi, otherwise rely on the wind or other less predictable means to disperse their spores.

It would appear that the helpless ant could use a super hero about now. It certainly would be a great job for Spiderman, before he too finds himself victim of Mr Sinister Ophiocordyceps.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Indian meal moths, alternatively known as North American high fliers, or pantry moths, are small moths reaching only about 3/8 of an inch in length, with an average wingspan of approximately 5/8 of an inch. Their wings are distinctively colored, with forewings that are reddish-brown or bronze on the outer two-thirds, and whitish gray on the inner third, with a dark stripe dividing the two areas. Their hindwings are gray.

These moths begin life in small, whitish, oval-shaped eggs, and quickly develop into whitish, greenish, or pinkish larvae with dark brown heads. Larvae may reach lengths of up to 2/3 of an inch. They seek out and grow in food, and typically infest grains, cereals, dried herbs, pasta, rice, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, coffee, flour, cookies, and pet food. Indian meal moth larvae are capable of making their way into plastic and cardboard containers, and even occasionally into sealed Tupperware. Once inside food containers, larvae create silken webbing as they crawl, and infested foods will often appear webbed together. After they reach adulthood, the moths no longer eat. They mate, and then live on for slightly less than a week.

Indian meal moths are nocturnal, and, like most moths, are attracted to light. Therefore, they can often be seen fluttering about near lights, with their characteristic zig-zag pattern of flight. Because the lights the moths hover around are often not located near their nests, it is often difficult for homeowners to locate the sources of Indian meal moth infestations.

Indian meal moths can be found throughout the world, and are particularly common in Florida, U.S.A.

Damage Signs

The most common sign of Indian meal moth infestation is the sight of adult moths fluttering around indoor lights. Additionally, while Indian meal moth eggs are very tiny, and may not be immediately spotted in foods, the webbing created by larvae is often visible in infested foods. Larvae generally destroy more food through webbing, droppings, and their general presence than they eat. While the moths are not disease carriers, and eating infested foods is not dangerous, it is undoubtedly unpleasant. Homeowners who suspect that they have an Indian meal moth infestation should therefore examine their cupboards and food containers for signs of larvae webbing, larvae, and moths.

Control

Homeowners who discover Indian meal moth infestations in their homes should take steps to find and discard all foods containing the pests, and then vacuum and clean the appropriate cupboards. The next step is to try to locate the source of the infestation. This may be challenging, as both adult moths and larvae may be spotted in the house far from their central nesting locations. All food should be placed in securely sealed containers, or, better yet, in the refrigerator. Once the source of the infestation has been spotted and removed, the presence of the pests should be significantly reduced.

While pesticides rarely have significant impact upon Indian meal moth populations, pheromone traps are often effective in controlling the moth populations.  Homeowners with large numbers of Indian meal moths in their homes may wish to call in licensed professionals to care for the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Risky Experimenting

His account of an experiment, he and the crew conducted with this bug, begins this way:  “When placed on a table, though surrounded by people, if a finger was presented, the bold insect would immediately protrude its sucker, make a charge, and if allowed, draw blood…This one feast, for which the benchuca was indebted to one of the officers, kept it fat during four whole months:  but, after the first fortnight, it was quite ready to have another suck.”

What Darwin did not know was, this was an assassin bug, so named because it can transmit an often fatal illness, called Chagas disease. It lives near its hosts and often sucks blood from small rodents and bats. Most are found in North and South America. In Latin America, many unwittingly introduce this bug to their home by covering their roofs with palm fronds. The assassin bug’s eggs are on the fronds, when they hatch, the bug falls into the house.

Bug Blood-letting

Going through five nymph stages on their way to adulthood, they drink nine times their weight in blood at each feeding. The more blood an adult female consumes, the more eggs she lays, from one to six hundred in her six month lifespan.

This bug’s bite usually does not hurt. It may feed up to half an hour per bite. A severely infested home may have many hundreds of bugs. In such a home, as many as twenty bugs may be feeding on one person at the same time. That unfortunate individual would lose one to three milliliters of blood each night. White and black streaks running down the walls, in such homes, are actually the bug’s waste products, and signal that this house is badly infested.

A Kiss of Death

This bug is also known as the kissing bug because it prefers to dine near the mouth of it’s victim. It was Carlos Chagas, in 1908, while studying malaria, who decided to see if there were any disease causing protozoan in the assassin bug. He found a parasite that the bug ingests while eating, and it multiples in its gut, and is excreted in its feces. It is not the bite that passes on this parasite, but the feces that gets rubbed into the wound by scratching at the bite, that does. What saves those who live in North America from getting Chagas disease as often as South Americans? It is the fact that the species of assassin bug in North America takes longer to defecate after a meal, and thus is no longer near the wound when it deposits its waste.

A person bitten near the eyes will have a lot of swelling. Bites elsewhere result in small wounds, fever and swollen glands. An individual can die in the early stages of the disease, but most go on to a symptom free stage, followed by extensive damage to the heart, intestines and other major organs, and this damage can cause death. If treated early the parasites can be killed, but there is no treatment for the later stages of illness. There are approximately 300,000 people living with Chagas in North America and 8 to 11 million in Latin America.

Charles Darwin had a number of reported health problems, leading some historians to conclude he may have died from Chagas disease. Others say he had many symptoms before going to Argentina, so they argue against this theory. Authorities would not let his body to be exhumed to test for Darwin’s actual cause of death.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Rice Weevil by Olaf Leillinger

Rice weevils are small insects, reaching only 1/10 to 1/8 of an inch in length, and approximately 1/3 of this length is composed of a long, thin snout.  They are typically reddish brown or black, and have four orange or yellowish spots arranged in a cross on their backs. As they are adept fliers, once they have entered a dwelling they are able to disperse easily. They are particularly attracted to lights.

Rice weevils are not picky eaters, and can be found living in and eating eating not only rice, but also wheat, corn, oats, rye, birdseed, beans, barley, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, cereals, fruits, and even clothing. Larvae, legless, white, and round, develop and hatch within seed kernels or similar substances such as macaroni, and then eat their way out. Larvae reach maturity within approximately one month, and once grown, females may lay as many as four eggs per day over a period of three to six months.  As a result, weevil populations tend to grow rapidly.

Rice weevils are thought to have originated in India, although they have since spread throughout the world, and are now particularly a problem in the southern United States.

Damage Signs

While rice weevils are not dangerous to humans, they are viewed as pests due to their presence in household foods and their ability to harm grain crops. Due to the speed with which they propagate, rice weevils increase their populations quickly. Therefore, individuals who spot rice weevils in their homes should take speedy action to remove the insects. The most common sign of infestation is the presence of the insects themselves in stored foods.

Control

Homeowners who find rice weevils in their homes should inspect all other stored foods for signs of infestation, and immediately discard all food suspected of containing weevils. Additional weevils may escape the inspection, so it is wise to vacuum infected cabinets, and place all food stuffs in securely sealed containers. Additional treatment with sprays or traps may also be necessary, and homeowners with severe infestations may wish to call in licensed professionals to handle the matter.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

This Australian Native is over 6 inches long and has a frightening amount of sharp spikes all over its body, which is a stylish neon green but it can also be shades of brown. The spines are an impressive half inch in length and stand erect for the greatest impact. There are thousands of different types of stick insects.

Masquerading Masters

They are masters of disguise;  most species look like sticks, but others can look like leaves and some even appear like other insects. These insects have very wide and very flat bodies that from a distance makes them look like a leaf.

The head of the Jungle nymph stick (Heteropteryx dilatata)  has twelve spines in rows of three, and two of the rows are on the very top of the head. The antennae are not incredibly long, and the thorax is lumpy and also has depressions and rows of spines. Their wings are pink, though the female does not have real wings, just buds. The veins of the wings add to the illusion that they are leaves. They have sturdy, spike covered legs. Jungle nymph sticks eat bramble, roses, berries, oak and hawthorn trees.

The Nymph’s Keep Growing

Males mature into adults in about twelve months while female nymph sticks will wait until they are about 16 or 18 months old before they are ready to mate. When they do mate they lay their 1/4 inch, brownish green eggs on trees. These eggs may take up to a year to hatch, and sometimes as long as 15 months before they emerge as a nymph, or the second stage of their lives. Then it may take up to a year to reach the insect stage, shedding their skeleton five or six times. Once adulthood is reached, they no longer molt or grow. They have done a lot of growing before reaching maturity, because the jungle nymph stick is one of the heaviest insects in the world.

Playing Possum Pets and Tea

The male jungle nymph is the only insect that will play possum when it feels threatened. It will actually fall over and drop to the ground, feigning death. They can also defend themselves by pinching their enemy, by snapping the two long sections of their rear legs together to deliver a powerful, barbed pinch.

Many consider the jungle nymph stick as a good pet. It does need to be kept in a warm, humid environment. In Malaysia they are often kept by people who feed them guava leaves and use the droppings to make tea.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Smoky brown cockroaches are approximately 5/4 of an inch long, and are dark mahogany brown in color. They are closely related to American cockroaches, but can be easily distinguished by their dark, shiny thoraxes, which differ from the light rimmed thoraxes of American cockroaches. They are adept fliers, and have long wings that extend down to the tips of their bodies.

The preferred diet of smoky brown cockroaches consists of plant matter, although they will eat the same foods that other cockroaches do. Therefore, they are common garden and nursery pests. These roaches are most commonly found in warm, moist, dark areas, such as in mulch and ground cover, crawl spaces, sheds, sub-floors, gutters, roof eaves, sewers, and attics, and near fireplaces and drains.

Smoky brown cockroaches are common in southern states such as Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, as well as in southern California, and countries with tropical climates, such as Japan.

Damage Signs

Like other varieties of cockroaches, smoky brown cockroaches feed upon and often inhabit areas filled with trash and decaying food. As a result, these roaches can transmit diseases, and should be eradicated from the home immediately. Homeowners checking for signs of roach invasion should be on the alert for the presence of the bugs in sheds, crawlspaces, mulch, and other areas that attract roaches, and should look for damage to plants in greenhouses and gardens.

Control

Homeowners looking to prevent invasion by smoky brown cockroaches should ensure that attics and crawlspaces are well ventilated, seal up exterior cracks through which roaches may enter, and place screens on all windows and foundation and attic vents. Additionally, they should store firewood as far away from the home as possible, and remove any piles of debris or wood from the yard.

Smoky brown cockroaches are susceptible to insecticides, and power dusting, especially in attics and crawlspaces, is often very effective in removing the insects from the home. However, because these roaches are particularly active, more than one application is generally required. Homeowners looking to remove large numbers of smoky brown roaches from their homes may wish to call in a licensed exterminator.

 Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

We have been hearing reports of flooding in one place after another. The heartache of lost lives, homes, and livelihoods, have added more sorrow to the already distressing news. Sindh, Pakistan saw floods in 2010 that at their height, covered  a fifth of the country and left 20 million people seeking refuge. It seems that there was an upside to this disaster.

Eerie Phenomenon

The elders in Pakistan’s Sindh province say they had never seen anything like it. Entire trees fully draped with spider webs, as if some heavenly artist were protecting them from splashes of paint from their artistic endeavors. In an attempt to escape rising waters, spiders headed for the trees and then totally covered them with their silken gauze. It is beautiful to behold, but esthetics were not the only benefit.

The hungry spiders are definitely a blessing. They have significantly cut down on the number of mosquitoes. This is so welcomed because Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases were breeding and reproducing in the stagnant waters after the floods receded. Thanks to the great number of web encased trees in Sindh, they have reported fewer cases of malaria.

Virginians Suffer “Tiger Bites”

Sindh residents may be getting some much needed relief from their mosquitoes, but that’s not the case in Virginia. The people are complaining to the local officials, but  in response they are targeting the wrong mosquito. They focus on nearby ponds, puddles, water filled ditches, swamps or marshes, to attack this problem. The trouble is they are fighting the wrong enemy. The Asian tiger mosquito is the villain in this case, and he is not that hard to find, as long as you do not look the same places  the state officials were looking. The hideout and breeding grounds, of this species, are much closer to home.

Identify The Enemy

To conquer your enemy you need to collect information about them so you know where and how to attack. The Asian mosquito is a container breeder. They breed in plastic cups, buckets, trash can lids or trash cans, ceramic or plastic plant trays, ornamental plastic lined ponds, old tires, boats, bird baths, wading pools, rain barrels, plastic toys, glass bottles or jars, clogged roof gutters, corrugated black plastic downspout extension pipes, tree holes etc. They will NOT breed in any water with a dirt bottom. So that leaves out everywhere the state officials were killing mosquitoes.

Shady neighborhoods are their favorite. The water does not evaporate as fast in the shade. A gallon of water in the shade can last for months even without rain, and that is plenty of time for the Asian mosquito larvae to grow into a biting adult. The larvae can mature in as little as a tablespoon of water.

Timid Opportunists

Asian tiger mosquitoes are not lovers of the nightlife or bright sunlight. They have finished their day after dusk. They just stay in a bush until some warm blooded, potential victim happens by. This bug is cautious, so they bite the ankles, and behind the knees, but they are persistent until get their meal.

Asian tiger mosquitoes are a potential health risk. West Nile virus, La Crosse encephalitis and Eastern equine encephalitis are some of the diseases they spread in Virginia. If dengue or chikungunia get imported to the states, they could be spread by these mosquitoes.

New Mode of Attack Needed

A mosquito sitting in a bush will not be killed by truck mounted foggers. That only works for mosquitoes when they are flying. These guys are not too fond of flying. To attack this enemy you may need to call in the professionals, who will spray with a powerful, back mounted fogger, that will penetrate deep into the bushes and kill the insects.

A better, greener way to approach the problem, educate your neighbors. Get people involved in finding containers with water and dumping them and treating them. This could at first be combined with the bushes being sprayed, until the population is under control. This will work if all the neighbors get involved.

APA: Asian Tiger Mosquitoes Cause the Most Mosquito Bites in Virginia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.vdh.state.va.us/news/Alerts/MosquitoAwarenessWeek/index.htm

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Subterranean termites are generally 1/4 to 3/8 inches in length, and depending on their form, can be either black or yellowish-brown with wings, or creamy white or white without wings. They live in nests or colonies, which, as their name suggests, are in the soil. The cuisine of these insects consists largely of wood and other materials that contain cellulose, including paper, cotton, and plant products. It is worth noting that they are particularly drawn to the fungi found in decaying wood.

These termites are most likely to emerge from the soil and become visible in areas containing heat, light, and moisture. While subterranean termites do not generally fly long distances, they can easily be blown by the wind into a building, after which they will begin to build a nest.

Subterranean termites are found in the entirety of the contiguous United States. However a subset of the subterranean termite, called the Formosan termite, is specific the Galveston, Texas City, and Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange county areas of Texas.

Damage Signs

The most obvious sign of termite infestation is the presence of swarming termites themselves. They tend to gather on windowsills or near light. Homeowners who discover discarded termite wings, which are often found near windowsills or cobwebs, should also be alert to a possible infestation. While the presence of swarming termites outdoors is not in itself necessarily cause for alarm, it can indicate the possibility of an attack at some point in the future.

Additionally, wood damage caused by termites is a sure sign of infestation. If the wood in question is moist, decaying, and particularly if it comes into contact with the soil, it may have been damaged by termites.

Control

Chemicals sprayed in the soil can fend off potential subterranean termite attacks for years. Additional control options include foam and baiting systems. As each of the options requires specialized equipment and chemicals, it is recommended that homeowners contact a professional pesticide company to handle the termite removal.

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Sparrow Wasps

These hornets are about 5 centimeters long and,  seeing them in the sky, you might mistake them for a bird. That is why the Japanese call them sparrow wasps. Imagine walking down the street on a hot day and seeing these monsters buzzing around trash cans looking for fish to feed their young. A trip to a city in Japan,  in the summer, could make this a reality. Being willing to travel to cities, in search of food, has increased the amount of hornet contact with humans and thus the increase of fatalities from stings to 40 per year.

Hornet Horror

Unfortunately this hornet is not only on human’s most dreaded list, but also on the list of the poor honeybee. A single hornet will spy out a bee hive and kill a few bees and then bring them back to their hive to feed their young. After a few more terrifying attacks,  it smears the bee’s hive with pheromones and is this way marks the colony for attack.

About 30 of these terrorist hornets attack the bee hive. They rip off the bees’ heads and throw their bodies on the ground. Disseminating the entire bee population, they move in the hive, and in about 10 days,  they have robbed all the honey and bee larvae to feed their young.

Bee Defense

What’s a bee colony to do to defend its national interests? Masato Ono and some of his colleagues at Tamagawa University found the bees had developed their own brand of ‘Homeland Security’. When a worker bee sees the initial hornet arrive, he lures it into the hive. Then about 500 bees surround the intruder, flapping their wings to generate a temperature of 116 degrees, which is hot enough to kill the hornet. A masterful security approach, though not without risk to the bees. If it reaches a few degrees warmer they will be killed as well. Some do die but their bodies are quickly moved to keep up ‘ project hornet bake’. It takes about 20 minutes to kill the hornet this way. It is the only known example of killing an insect intruder by body heat alone. Now how did they come up with that defense method? Bees certainly are instinctively wise.

Larvae Milk

The next bit of research done on these hornets certainly seems to open up the possibility for commercial use of these horrible hornets. Japanese researchers marveled at the incredible strength of the Asian Giant Hornet. This lead them to test their stomach juices as a possible performance enhancer for athletes. They found that the hornets fly amazing distances in search of food but they are unable to eat much solid food themselves because their digestive tracts are so small. They bring the dead insects for their young to eat. After the larvae eat the hornet taps on its head and the larvae  in return give the hornet a few drops of clear liquid to lap up. This is what the adults use for fuel. The scientists then harvested (not a job for amateurs) this clear liquid from over 80 nests. They gave this liquid to mice and graduate students (hopefully in that order) and found both groups showed reduced fatigue and greater ability to turn fat into energy. ‘ Yak-killer Amazing Fat Burning Energy Drink ‘-I would try it. Apparently I’m not alone.

Naoko Takahashi could be the ultimate spokesperson for this unique drink. She won an Olympic gold medal in Sydney in 2000 and attributes her success to ‘Yak-killer juice’. Being totally natural,  it didn’t violate any performance enhancing rules. So, yes, the commercial entity jumped on this to make a drink called hornet juice ( not very imaginative) to sell to athletes. Apparently no matter how bad unemployment is worldwide they couldn’t get enough larvae tapping, juice harvesters to apply for the milking of killer hornet babies job. So unfortunately, here in Central Florida you have to settle for a drink of a mix of amino acids that are supposed to mimic the ‘real thing’. I dare you to offer that to a hungry hornet just back from a long hunting trip.

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Formosan termites, sometimes referred to as “super-termites” due their remarkable destructive capabilities and the large size of their colonies, are thought to have come to the United States from Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, and from Southern China. Like most termites, Formosan termites operate on a caste system consisting of king, queen, workers, soldiers, and reproductives, otherwise known as alates. Worker termites provide food for the colony, while soldiers defend the colony, and reproductives breed the colony. Queens, responsible along with kings for starting the colonies, can live as long as 15 years, and can lay as many as 2,000 eggs per day. Given this high rate of reproduction, it is therefore not surprising that a single colony can include several million termites.

Members of the various castes differ in appearance. Soldiers have armored heads, large mandibles, and are whitish in color. Formosan termite colonies have higher than average ratios of soldiers to other caste termites, so the presence of a large number of soldiers can signal that an infestation is due to Formosan termites in particular.  The other most frequently seen caste members, reproductives, are approximately 1/2 inch long, are yellowish-brown in color, and have four translucent, milky wings. They are often found near light fixtures, windows, and spiders’ webs. Both workers and soldiers may live between 3 and 5 years.

The preferred diet of Formosan termites is similar to the diet of other termite varieties. These termites will eat almost all products containing cellulose, including wood, cardboard and paper. They have also been known to eat through lead and copper sheeting, plaster, asphalt, foam insulation boards, and even some plastics. They prefer warm climates, and are commonly found in southern United States. They are unable to hatch eggs at temperatures greater than 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Damage Signs

Formosan termites are capable of causing enormous damage to structures. Because their colonies can reach such large sizes, a single colony can consume as much as 13 ounces of wood per day, and can cover an area within a 400 foot radius of the nest. These termites can harm boats, buildings, and trees. Homeowners checking for signs of invasion should tap wood and listen for hollow spots, as Formosan termites will often eat through wooden structures, leaving only a very thin surface layer of wood. Such wood may also appear peeled or blistered. Nests can sometimes be spotted between walls or beneath sinks.

Control

Homeowners living in areas in which Formosan termites are known to live should take precautions against infestation, including building with pressure-treated wood, sealing cracks and other small holes through which termites can enter, using soil treatments, fixing leaky pipes and air conditioners, and removing other sources of moisture.

Once established in an area, a colony of Formosan termites has never yet been completely destroyed. Baiting techniques, however, may sometimes prove effective in controlling a population. Homeowners with Formosan termite infestations should contact licensed exterminators to handle the matter.

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Sometimes we need some startling numbers and unpleasant pictures to get our attention.  Termites are a problem we know exists but we usually deny that they could be causing damage under our very own roof. This quiz along with the video that gives you the answers is our wake-up call to all homeowners. We can handle the infestation and protect your house but you need to be aware that a periodic inspection could save you money and your investment. It also can give you peace of mind.

Termite Quiz

1.  How much is termite damage costing this country each minute?

A. $755

B. $3000

C. $10,000

2.  How much is termite damage costing this country each hour?

A. $600,000

B. $600

C. $12,000

3.  How much is termite damage costing this country each day?

A. $2500

B. $350,000

C. $14 Million

4.  How much is termite damage costing this country each year?

A. $250,000

B. $15,000

C. $5 Billion

5.  How many times a day do termites eat?

A. Three

B. Zero

C. They never stop eating

6.  Call to get a forecast for when termites are likely to attack your home.

A. True

B. False

7.  How many homes sustain termite damage each year?

A. 600,000

B. 10,000

C. 1 Million

8.  How many termites could fit on a quarter?

A. Not quite one

B. Many

9.  Which states are at a very heavy risk of termite infestation ?

A. California

B. Florida

C. Louisiana

D. Alabama

E. Mississippi

F. Georgia

G. Eastern Texas

H. South Carolina

I. All the above

Watch this video to see how well you did:

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

Carpenter ants are found in nearly all areas of the United States, and are typically 1/4 to 1 inch in length, and black. Their diet consists of proteins and sugary substances such as meats, syrup, honey, and jelly. They are also particularly drawn to honeydew, a sweet, sticky substance secreted by aphids and other insects. They forage for food at night, and are especially active during the spring and summer seasons.

Carpenter ants create nests by hollowing out moist, rotting wood, and creating galleries within. Outdoors, they often nest in rotting trees, tree roots, tree stumps, and logs lying on the ground. Indoors, they can be found any area containing moist, rotting wood, such as around sinks, bathtubs, and dishwashers, behind bathroom tiles, under roofing, and in attic beams. They are most likely to be found indoors in the spring.

Parent carpenter ant colonies occasionally establish multiple nests, both indoors and outdoors. The workers in these satellite nests then transfer back and forth between this nest and the parent colony. For this reason, eliminating a single nest will often not be sufficient to end an infestation.

Damage Signs

Carpenter ants cause damage by digging galleries and tunnels in damp, decaying wood. Unlike tunnels created by termites, these tunnels are smooth and clean, and contain no mud. Homeowners may detect an infestation by spotting the ants themselves, or by noting the presence of small piles of sawdust, or frass, which the ants leave behind.

The extent of the damage caused by carpenter ants varies depending on the length and size of the infestation, although the harm is not likely to be as serious as it would be for a termite infestation of a similar size.

Control

To prevent infestations, homeowners should eliminate any damp conditions that may attract these ants, as well as replace any moist, decaying wood. Firewood should be kept at a distance from buildings, and, if brought inside should be kept in dry areas off the floor.

If an infestation is already in progress, the ants’ nests need to be spotted and destroyed immediately. Homeowners can often find the nests by following worker ants back to their nests. Alternatively, they may be able to spot nests by tapping suspected areas, and then listening for the dry, rustling sound that ant colonies make when disturbed. Once the nests have been discovered, it is usually necessary to call in a professional pest removal service to eliminate the infestation.

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

A Mosquito - Magnified

Female mosquitoes are  carriers of deadly diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever, resulting each year in several million deaths and hundreds of millions of cases of illness.

Mosquitoes use the exhaled carbon dioxide of human hosts to locate and then bite and subsequently spread disease.  Scientists have long tried to disrupt the carbon dioxide detection mechanism of mosquitoes as a way to help control the spread of diseases they transmit.

Lifesaving Research

Three Classes of  Odor Molecules

Vital Need For Less Expensive Repellents

How To Fool a Mosquito

‘Blind’ Mosquitoes Miss Target

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com

The common mole is an insectivore, not a rodent. The mole’s primary food is the earthworm.  The rest of the mole’s diet can be millipedes in mulch, ants, pillbugs and other insects found around home foundations, rocks and landscaping timbers. In some areas of the east and Midwest moles can feed heavily on periodic cicada (17 and 13 year locust) for the better part of the cicada’s life span. Mole populations will decrease significantly after cicada have emerged and may not be a problem for 9 to 10 years after that event.

All moles can be damaging but the Eastern mole is by far the most widespread of the six. It is better described as the common or grey mole. It is the strongest of the group and is most often associated with tunnels and or mole mounds by homeowners. The Eastern can be found from the Atlantic to the foothills of the Rockies and from Southern Canada to the panhandle of Florida. Moles are covered by a soft grey coat which often has patches of orange or white. Moles are about the size of chipmunks and can weigh anywhere from three to six ounces and grow to about six to eight inches in length.

Moles have one litter each year with two to six young, litter size depending on the health of the female. Gestation lasts about five to six weeks, litters arriving anywhere from mid April through May. Moles nurse their babies for several weeks. Young moles then expand off the mother’s tunnel system or move above ground to create or find new tunnels for their own use in late April through mid June. There is a final dispersal that can last through late fall and early winter. Since moles don’t hibernate final dispersal can result in severe lawn damage until the lawn surface freezes in winter. Newborn females will mate the following spring and the cycle continues.

Special Characteristics

• Because of specialized bone and muscle design, moles can exert a lateral digging force equivalent to 32 times its body weight. As a comparison, a 150 lb. man would be able to exert a 4800 lb. lateral force.  For moles to dig one meter of tunnel requires between 400 and 4,000 times as much energy as does walking for the same distance on the surface.
• A 5 ounce mole will consume 45 to 50 lbs. of worms and insects per year.
• A mole’s surface tunneling or probes can be dug at about 18 feet per hour. A moles speed through existing tunnels is about 80 ft. per minute.
• Moles contain twice as much blood and twice as much red hemoglobin as other mammals of similar size, allowing the mole to breath easily in its underground environment of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide.

Home owners have tried remedies such as lye, Drano, pickle juice, broken glass, red pepper, razor blades, bleach, moth balls, rose branches, human hair balls, vibrators, ultrasonic contraptions, castor bean derivatives, gasoline and explosives. These and other home remedies have little if any value in controlling moles.

Moles generally are timid animals, easily alerted or frightened by unfamiliar noises. Methodical or constant noises don’t seem to bother them.  Moles are usually active when and where the surroundings are quietest. They may sit motionless in a tunnel for more than twenty minutes when they have been disturbed or frightened.

Lillian Stokes in Animal Tracking and Behavior 1986 states “Moles are believed to remain solitary as adults and avoid contact with other moles. However, there are at least two exceptions. One occurs in the spring, when the males start to move around and leave their range in search of females. They may move about for several weeks, even after all the females in an area have mated. The other exception is that occasionally some tunnels are used by several moles; these tunnels are, in a sense, like highways. This communal use suggests that the social system of moles is more complex than we think.”

Terry Yates & Richard Pederson said  “Moles are probably the least understood major component of the North American mammalian fauna.”

Reasons Moles Are Now a Nuisance

Construction, drainage changes and possibly chemical runoff have caused loss of the mole’s natural habitat – the woodlands.  Most landscaping depends on chemical means of maintaining lawns and beds. These soils are kept rich with chemical nutrients as well as heavy applications of organic materials such as mulch and top soils. Watering or irrigation is common as well as the use of man-made borders, edgings such as timbers and stones are all great environments for worms and insects. This type of landscaping provides a perfect food source (insects) for moles.  Twice as many mole ‘pups’ survive when born in a residential area compared to out in  the wild so they colonize more rapidly in homeowner’s yards.

Experts Say ‘TRAP!’

Eighty years have passed and knowledgeable advice on moles remains the same. When moles are a problem, TRAP! Permanent or deeper tunnels will be the most productive since these tunnels may be used several times daily by the moles. To identify main runways in a yard or area, look for constantly reopened tunnels which follow more or less a straight course for some distance or that appear to connect two mounds or two feeding areas. Main runways will follow fence rows, walkways, foundations, or other man made borders. Rambling tunnels in the lawn are probes of a sort and are quickly constructed by moles at about 15 to 18 feet per hour. They may or may not be reused.

You can trap moles anytime of the year, but early fall and early spring are the most effective times. Populations are normally lower, and damage is most visible then.  Early fall trapping eliminates moles before they move deeper for the winter and begin to reopen old tunnels and dig making new mounds. Trapping in early spring, before new litters are born, prevents a lot of trouble later. Moles may seem to vanish during extended cold or dry periods, but they’ve just gone deeper. And because they’re using fewer tunnels during these adverse conditions, trapping can be very effective, though difficult.

Pesticide manufacturers have in the past targeted white grub as the moles chief source of food,and suggest chemicals control the grubs and as a result will control the moles. Where 80 to 90% of the moles daily diet is met by the earthworm this will not eliminate the mole problem.

Mole Tunnels

Moles are woodland animals in nature, but can quickly colonize and spread through adjacent residential properties. Since they need a well-established tunnel network to survive, the longer they’re allowed to tunnel, the more habituated they become and difficult to control. Moles will jump home range and readily recolonize other existing or deserted tunnels. Moles may leave an area if disturbed but will usually return. Even without disturbance mole activity may last only a week or two in a particular area.

Most experts describe two tunnel types. Surface- (probe or gathering) or deep (permanent or producing. Some of the producers will eventually work around the root balls of the trees and allow access to the biomass throughout the year, as many insects or larvae live off of the root moisture and sap.  A complete tunnel system will always connect a combination of all of the tunnel types as well as one or two areas that can be  described as wet and dry. The wet will hold water and is used during dry periods. The high feeding areas will drain quickly and provide access to food during the wet periods of spring and fall rains.

Studies suggest that the average home-range for a female Eastern Mole is three quarter to one acre. The male moles average was two and a half to four acres in its woodland habitat. The home-ranges may be smaller in residential areas because of a larger supply of bugs. This means more moles to the acre in and around neighborhoods.  The energy required to construct a permanent tunnel system is great. To protect this investment moles scent mark most of the home-range daily as they travel through the system in search of food. It warns other moles that the system is occupied and may advertise a female’s scent when she is ready to mate.

Moles don’t hibernate because they cannot store food or fat. The moles follow worms deep into the ground as both try to avoid freezing. Most of the mole’s deeper tunnels remain comfortable throughout the winter. Winter damage to lawns by moles usually occurs during unseasonably warm periods or beneath the insulation of heavy snow.

Winter damage to existing or old tunnels can be severe. Most surface tunnels, especially main or bolt runs, are continually deepened until the tunnels lie an inch or so into the clay beneath the top soil. During winter rains, the water cannot drain properly through the clay and any freezing will heave the tunnels up as the water expands during freezing. When rains are followed quickly by a freeze, thick ice crystals heave the soil and lay back the sod around the perimeters of the mole mounds.

Deeper mole tunnels can be used by mice or chipmunks once the moles have been removed. This is common when the moles tunnels are around the foundation or in the mulched areas around houses. Ground hornets or yellow jackets often nest in old mole tunnels.

After considering the life and habits of moles is it any wonder that so many residential homeowners are having to battle them for their perfect lawn?

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Hornets are social wasps, and range in length from 1/2 to 5/2 inches in length. They are often mistaken for yellowjackets, which are in the same wasp subfamily, as some species of hornets have yellow and black stripes similar to those of yellowjackets. However, hornets may also be white and black, brown, or reddish brown, and are typically larger than yellowjackets. Additionally, while hornets feed on leaves, tree sap, and living insects, yellowjackets primarily feed on sugars and carbohydrates, and are therefore often drawn to picnicking sites. As a result, yellowjackets are the more likely of the two to come into direct contact with people.

Each nest is started in the spring by a queen hornet, who uses paper-like, masticated tree bark to create a series of cells, or combs. She then lays her eggs, and once new hornets hatch, they begin adding to the nest, which comes to resemble a teardrop-shaped ball with a single entry point. Nests hang from tree branches, under eaves, and in other sheltered areas. They reach peak population in late summer, at which time a single nest may be home to as many as 700 hornets. In mid-autumn, hornets begin the mating process. Once it is complete, the males die. Some females remain alive for another few weeks, but only the queens, or fertilized females, survive the winter to begin new nests.

There are approximately 20 hornet varieties. The insects can be found throughout North America,

Damage Signs

The most significant threat that hornets pose to humans is their ability to sting. Individuals allergic to hornet stings can experience severe, and possibly fatal reactions if not treated immediately. It is worth noting that not all individuals allergic to hornet stings are allergic to bee stings. While a single sting is unlikely to be deadly to individuals without allergies, the danger comes from the potential for receiving multiple stings. Unlike honey bees, hornets can sting more than once without dying. Additionally, if threatened, hornets can signal the entire nest to attack. In such large doses, the venom in the stings can be deadly, so it is unwise to disturb hornets’ nests. The insects use pheromones to trigger the attack, and some perfumes, which can be mistaken for the pheromones, can send out false alarms to the hornets and cause them to become aggressive.

Homeowners looking to spot hornet invasions should look for nests under tree branches and eaves, and in attics. They should also be alert for the presence of the hornets themselves.

Control

Removing a hornets’ nest is a dangerous process best undertaken by a licensed professional. Homeowners should never attempt to remove the nests without using a wasp suit, and should call in an exterminator rather than try to get rid of the nest on their own.

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Social Insects

Ants live in organized communities, called colonies. These colonies may contain hundreds to millions of ants. Each ant has a specific job to do. They all depend on each other to accomplish their tasks or they will not be able to survive.

In every colony, there are three types of ants:  queens, workers, and males. The queens are immense compared to the other ants. Their first function is to lay eggs for the colony. A single colony of red ants may have as many as 5000 queens. These queens can live 20 to 25 years and produce tens of thousands of eggs. They have wings only until they mate.

The males hatch in the spring, they mate in the summer, and then they die. That is their only purpose and thus are the shortest lived in the colony. In contrast, the worker ants are all females and preform multiple tasks. These workers build, repair and protect the nest. They also take care of the queens and the brood–the eggs, larvae and pupae. This requires that they gather the food and feed all the members of the colony.

Anthill Climate Control

Ants spend the winter in their nest or anthill. Some species make their nests out of leaves some build nests inside plants some tunnel underground and some have no permanent nests. Anthills built in the shade have to be bigger because the more surface area it has the more of the sun’s heat can be absorbed. The warmth and the humidity have to be carefully controlled so that the brood will develop properly.

It is not only the sun that heats the nest. The ants also provide heat. When the snow melts away from the anthill, some ants leave the nest to go out and soak up the sun’s heat. If it is warm enough, all the ants will come out to sun bathe, even the queens. Before spring, only the workers come out and bask in the sun. They sun themselves until their bodies hit the temperature of 86 degrees F. to 104 degrees F. Then the ants return to the nest and their hot bodies warm up the nest. They also block the entrances with their bodies to protect the nest from the cold outside air.

Mating Flight and Search for Nesting Site

When summer comes, and the day is warm, all the young queens and all the males leave the nest for their mating flight. This is the only occasion that they fly. A queen may mate with one or several males. After they mate, the queens have a lifetime of sperm stored in their bodies. When the flight is over, the males die and the queens search for a nest. Some queens go back to their home nests, others choose to live in another nest and others go and look for a stump to use to create their own community. They no longer need their wings. They either drop off or are  bitten off by the workers. This is one way to know if the queen has mated;  if they have wings they have not mated.

When a red ant queen starts its own colony she does so by boring a hole into a tree stump and then covers it with twigs, dry leaves and pine needles. Then she lays her eggs. Now, she must stay in the nest and care for the eggs so she cannot go out to get food. She absorbs nutrients from the wing muscles she no longer needs and by eating some of her eggs.

The Beginning of a New Colony

Workers are the first eggs to hatch. Immediately, they go out to gather food to feed the queen. They also take care of her by licking her. Now all the queen has to do is lay eggs. Once the workers care for the queen they begin enlarging the nest by digging tunnels and chambers in the dirt. This is where they care for the eggs and larvae until they get older. The larvae and pupae live above the ground on or around the stump in chambers made from plant debris and twigs. These anthills are so well made, with the entrances so skillfully placed, that the lowest chambers continually get fresh air.

The queens usually live in the lowermost chambers of the tree stump. This is where they lay their eggs, about ten a day. The sperm they have stored penetrate the egg as it is being laid. With 5000 queens laying eggs, there are thousands of eggs in the nest. As the eggs are laid they are carried off to special chambers, called nurseries, by the worker ants. These nurseries must be kept at a temperature of 77 degrees F. for the eggs to grow properly. Nurses are worker ants that care for the brood. They take the eggs to different chambers as the temperature fluctuates. They also lick the eggs to keep them clean and moist. The gooey saliva  causes the eggs to clump together, and this makes the eggs easier to carry. The next stage- larvae, need to be kept at 82 degrees F. and in very high humidity. The nurses feed them a special liquid meat paste they receive from the food-gathering ants. The third stage or pupae are taken to dryer and warmer chambers (86 degrees F.). After two to three weeks, the young ants begin gnawing at their cocoon. When the nurses see this they help by widening the hole so the tiny ant can emerge. If the nest is threatened, these faithful nurses will carry these fragile babies to safety. The complexity of the tasks of these worker ants indicates what a wonder these colonies are.

Protectors and Hunters

The Red ant has a poison gland in the enlarged part of their abdomen, called the gaster. To protect their nest or to kill insects for food, they raise up and pick up their abdomens and disperse their poison- formic acid. This toxin was used as an insecticide and an antibiotic. Now that synthetic formic acid is available it can be used as a food preservative and a disinfectant. Poison from one or two ants would not hurt a person but if thousands of ants sprayed the poison at a person that would be enough to asphyxiate them.

Food gatherer ants chew the food and collect the fluid in their crops. If they get hungry, some of this liquid goes into their intestines, to nourish them. If another worker ant needs to eat she taps or strokes the food gatherer ant on the head. They put their mouths together, and the liquid in the food gatherer’s crop is passed to the hungry ant. An ant with a full crop can feed 8 to 10 ants, who in turn share with others. In this way, food from one full crop can feed more than 80 other ants.

Industrious and Clean

The building materials carried by the worker ant may weigh 10 to 20 times the body weight of the ant. They rarely give up. If they cannot move something alone, they resort to teamwork and unitedly they preform the task. They are also remarkably clean. They make sure nothing rots or mildews in the nest. If an ant dies they quickly bring it to a distant cemetery. The hunter ants cover up to 170 feet from the nest in search of food. They can capture thousands of insects each day and bring them into the anthill.

If the nest is disturbed, the workers begin repairs immediately. Each ant has a specific job. Some carry the pupae away, guards protect the openings, and others bring new materials to make the repairs. Some stand motionlessly, their job is to secure the entrances with their bodies to keep the heat and humidity from escaping the nest.

After all this hard work winter comes, and the workers get some needed rest. First, they plug up their entrances to keep the shelter protected from the cold. They all go 20 to 80 inches deep into the anthill. They stay together, motionless, in these lower chambers and tunnels. Spring comes, the sun awakens them, and the hard work begins anew.

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Sawtoothed grain beetles are approximately 1/10 of an inch long, have slender, flattened bodies, and are generally brown or reddish-brown in color. Their name derives from six saw-like teeth that extend outward from their thoraxes, giving them a distinctive appearance. While incapable of flight, they nonetheless remain very active. 

Sawtoothed grain beetles eat many of the same foods that humans eat, much to the chagrin of many homeowners, and can commonly be found consuming cereals, dried fruits, chocolate, pasta, nuts, sugars, popcorn, raisins, pet food, and other packaged groceries. Females lay their white, shiny eggs in foodstuffs, so that when they hatch the larvae are immediately able to begin feeding and growing. While the average lifespan of a sawtoothed grain beetle is between six and ten months, some have been known to live for as long as three years. Sawtoothed grain beetles are common throughout the world, although they are most often found in cosmopolitan areas.

Damage Signs

Sawtoothed grain beetles are known as pests worldwide, due to their ability to ruin foodstuffs. They are generally discovered floating in people’s breakfast cereals, or crawling through other eatables. In order to get to food, they will chew through cardboard, plastic, cellophane, and tinfoil. Because they are so flat, they are also able to penetrate food containers by entering through very small cracks. Therefore, homeowners looking for signs of infestation should examine all food containers in their pantries and kitchens.

Control

Insecticides are not particularly effective against sawtoothed beetles, and applying such chemicals in areas used for storing food is not safe. Homeowners who discover sawtoothed grain beetles in their homes should instead remove the insects by vacuuming them up. All infested foods should also be disposed of immediately, and should be placed in heavily wrapped trashbags. Foods not infested by the beetles should be stored in sealed glass, metal, or thick plastic containers. Finally, homeowners should carefully clean up all crumbs, as sawtoothed beetles are quick to spot even the tiniest amount of food.

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Tarantula Hawk Wasp Capturing a Tarantula

Their body measures up to two inches. These wasps are tough. They have to be to survive their encounters with tarantulas. The insects are metallic blue-black with wings that are blue-black, orangish or mahogany in color. These wasps have aposematic coloring, which means, it warns its predators. This coloring warns potential predators: ‘this is a meal that would be painful, so why risk it?’. Their claws are hooked so can be used against their prey. These wasps are not terribly aggressive, and rarely sting humans, just do not harass them.  Their exceptionally potent venom makes these one of the most agonizing insect stings in the world. Though the sting causes excruciating pain, it is not lethal. Most predators find this wasp’s venomous stinger, which is 1/3 of an inch long, reason enough to leave them alone. The roadrunner is one of its few real enemies.

Where Tarantula Hawk Wasps Live

Tarantula hawk wasps can be found, from rainforest regions to deserts, from India to Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia and America. About 250 species of these wasps live in South America alone! These insects are active during the daytime of the summer months, looking for their prey on the ground. Tarantula hawk wasps feed on nectar and pollen. They have been known to ‘fly under the influence’ after consuming fermented fruit. These wasps are one of the largest species of pollinators. The larval stages of the insect feed on tarantulas.  This is why the female wasp captures tarantulas.

Search for the Perfect Nursery

After mating the female wasp hunts for a tarantula to become an edible nursery for her young. She tracks down tarantulas or their burrows, using her sense of smell. Once she finds her victim’s shelter she tricks the tarantula into coming out of the burrow, by moving the tarantula’s silk webbing cast at the burrows entrance. The tarantula then believes the web has captured a meal, so it comes out of the burrow to feed. Once the female wasp gets the tarantula out of the burrow, she uses her 1/3-inch stinger to stab her prey. The poison from the stinger, injected into the tarantula causes it to become paralyzed. She then drags her captive all the way to her burrow and lays her egg onto the paralyzed tarantula and then leaves.

Impressive Wrestling Move

If the female wasp encounters a tarantula along her way, she will wrestle it to the ground. She does this by grabbing hold of the tarantula by the leg and flipping it over on the back and then stings it. Eat your heart out Hulk Hogan! It takes only a few seconds for the poison to paralyze the tarantula for life, if you can call it life. In an attack, the wasp uses her antennae to probe the spider, which may raise its front legs and bare its fangs but the tarantula does not always fight back. She will drag it back into her own lair, which becomes a burial vault, lay a single egg on the spider’s abdomen, then plug the chamber. If the wasp succeeds in stinging a male tarantula, she will dig a burrow, drag the paralyzed spider inside, lay her single egg, and seal the chamber. The wasp may drink the body fluids oozing from the spider’s wounds or mouth to replenish nutrients and water she depleted during the attack.

Gruesome Formula and Tragic Slow Death

What makes this so gruesome is the female does not kill the tarantula, instead just paralyzes it. I see where this would provide the very freshest meals possible for their beloved young, but you would like to think maternal instincts included empathy. Not so in Tarantula Hawk Wasp’s moms. Yes, their young lack this attractive quality, as well. Once the egg hatches, the tiny grub, which at first was connected to the spider by the tip of its tail, bends over, attaches its head and begins to suck. It continues sucking until it matures to its final moult. It then rips open the spider’s abdomen, plunges its head and part of the thorax inside, and “feeds ravenously,” as one entomologist described it. Hopefully, at this point, the tarantula is finally dead. Yes, it was a slow, agonizing death that awaited this tarantula/nursery.

Students Hail The Tarantula Hawk Wasp

In 1989, New Mexico chose the Tarantula hawk wasps to be the official state insect.  Students of Edgewood, New Mexico elementary school, elected this wasp from three candidates. I’m sure these children, as well as many others, find the Tarantula hawk wasps to be incredibly fascinating creatures, even if not the best of role models.

Boys Will Be Boys

Male tarantula wasps also lead a life of intrigue. They perform  behavior called “hill-topping”. This is where they perch on taller vegetation or any higher vantage point. They are strongly territorial at these sites. This is for a legitimate reason:  the good view of the surroundings and most importantly, of newly emerged virgin females, which may be ready to mate.  Fascinating, and yet, somehow this behavior does not seem limited to this species.

Sourced from: mypestprevention.com