Researchers have devised a synthetic antidote to a Loxosceles (Brown Recluse species) bite. It promises fewer side effects than existing treatments and reduces the suffering of the animals required to produce it. Synthetic spider venom makes a kinder, safer antidote by Andy Coghlan gives new insight into current research.

I’m constantly amazed at the research being done and the advances in science and applaud the work done by researchers across the world.

A team led by Carlos Chávez-Olórtegui of the Federal University of Mias Gerais in Brazil has developed an alternative. On a side note this is great news as the Brazilian Wandering Spider is from Brazil and is considered one of the deadliest spiders in the world. Arizona Brown or Brown Recluse Spider blog article by ProBest Pest Management.

(Photo Courtesy of Univar?)

Lots of us own pets, from cats to snakes and because of this we can also from time to time get uninvited pests including ticks and other vermin. In Arizona we don’t get fleas very often but we do encounter ticks on a regular basis. So what can you do to stop those infestations from happening to your home.

1. Don’t leave food out for feral cats, this may bring in other unwanted pests.
2. If you see holes in the yard check for Pocket gophers, they can damage plants and bring in pests.
3. Even birds like pigeons can bring in pests, don’t allow them them to live on your roof.
4. Bats can make your attic a home, seal and block all access into your attic. Bat Bugs can take up residence within your attic and if you get rid of the bats, the Bat Bugs may come into your home space.
5. Check your pets frequently for signs of fleas or ticks. You can use over the counter medicines but if you do please mention this to your Pest Management Professional – some of those products may contain a similar products and cause an overdose to the pet.
6. Keep grass or vegetation trimmed around the home.
7. Don’t become a hoarder, keep debris away from the home and discourage rodent activity.
8. Never place firewood next to your home, don’t invite rodents or pests near the home. If you use firewood only bring in what you plan on using right away.
9. If you have rodents, it may lead to snakes. Snakes have to eat so don’t encourage them to come to your house.
10. Don’t allow water to stand, mosquitoes can bite and transit diseases and parasites to your pets.

Subterranean termites – in Arizona and most other places in the U.S. they build mud tunnels.

Crickets are notorious at getting into the stucco or crack and crevices and living within that space. They fecal material just falls out of those spaces and we have been getting a lot of calls thinking that they have termites.

Close up view, notice the insect leg.

Just to throw you off, the picture below is Drywood Termites – notice the grooves.

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Keeps out rodents, snakes and small pests including scorpions and spiders. Resistant to oil, gas, antifreeze, and other commonly used chemical substances Saves money by reducing energy loss. Reduces rust and moisture damage to tools and machinery Endures temperatures extremes - won’t crack, move or shatter. Comes with two – year residential warranty. Made in the U.S.A. Meets California Fire Marshal and CPAI- requirements for flame resistance.

Call ProBest Pest Management for installation guidelines and costs 480-831-9328 or 623-414-0176

Well by now most have seen the reality shows on TV “Strange Addication“or “Obsessed“and this story is no different. A guy in Rhode Island is addicted to eating bugs “Man addicated to the taste of bugs reveals he has eaten over 5000 insect species.”

I must admit that I probably would eat some bugs but just haven’t had the opportunity to try a lot of them yet.

So have you eaten any bugs yet, grasshoppers, crickets  tell me about your experience?

Video from Youtube:

As always if you encounter these pesky little bugs, call ProBest right away – don’t use bug bombs and don’t spread Diatomaceous Earth like its snowing within the home.

So I think a few might remember all the hoopla about charities and how much they really donate to the actual charity and how much they spend to get the money. I found this website http://www.humanewatch.org/  and they ran a recent article Pest Management, HSUS-Style (A.K.A. Don’t Hurt the Widdle Roachy-Woachy)

I grew up in Ohio and hunting is an acceptable form of recreation and I also attended the Ohio Safe Hunting programs. One of the things I learned early in my hunting life was this – a gallon container only holds so much, much like an acre of land can only support so many animals. So lets say that that one acre can support 5 rabbits, 2 deer, 4 muskrats – well you get the idea. So what happens when the deer overpopulate the land, maybe they get some disease and die a horrible death or die because there isn’t enough food. That is what conservation is about, you allow hunters to cull the deer. Better to be shot than die from starving to death. Hunters and Trappers often supply the money for needed projects via their hunting and trapping fees for conservation.

Every once in awhile a population boom of some kind happens, mice in Australia to crickets in Arizona. However you feel about it, pesticides, pest control, fishing, trapping and hunting are essential components of our life here on Earth. Remember what happened in 1350-1358 in Europe with the Black Plague and occasionally happens in areas of the U.S.

I’m a Public Health Professional aka hunter, trapper and a Pest Management Professional.

This happened in Tampa, Florida but I really had the thought that these guys were pretty much scum. Men target elderly women in robbery scam

Two men, posing as landscapers, walked into her St. Pete backyard and said they saw spiders, but that’s the scam, there are no spiders, and they started spraying what they say is acid-based bug spray. It’s really water.

I know allot of people in Florida and I can definitely recommend some great folks like Beucher & Son Pest Control 727-388-6759 they are in Tampa and are top notch and in Deltona, Fl Jack’s Pest Control 386-337-1094 or in Ocala, Fl 352-237-0122 “The Bug Doctor”. Just a few I trust and know personally, I just recommended a former Scout of mine to Jack and David said ” I met Jack today, very personable as u mentioned. He spoke highly of you. Thanks for the recommendation.”

ProBest Pest Management BBB rated A+ and Crimshield Certified

You may recall that Carpenter Ants are my nemesis and thankfully we don’t have very many of these ants in Arizona. But this story talks about their complex social structure.

“A particular genus of carpenter ants (Camponotus fellah) exist in a complex social structure, where their first jobs see them caring for the queen and her offspring, and as the ants age many of them wind up working at more and more of a distance from the big cheese, according to an academic paper released this week.” By Jack Clark in San Francisco.

Carpenter Ants don’t really eat the wood but spend countless hours excavating throughout the wood and that might be your home. So if you have them call a Pest Management Professional right away.

Washington: Biologists at UC San Diego demonstrated last May that algae can be engineered to produce a vaccine that blocks malaria transmission. The result – the mice developed Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies to both the malarial parasite protein and to a toxin produced by the cholera bacteria.

The study is published online in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology website at http://aem.asm.org.

Key facts

• Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
• In 2010, malaria caused an estimated 660 000 deaths (with an uncertainty range of 490 000 to 836 000), mostly among African children.
• Malaria is preventable and curable.
• Increased malaria prevention and control measures are dramatically reducing the malaria burden in many places.
• Non-immune travellers from malaria-free areas are very vulnerable to the disease when they get infected.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes, called “malaria vectors”, which bite mainly between dusk and dawn.