fungus
Fungus – Not always something you see in Arizona, fungus growing on the side of a foundation slab of a house. If weather conditions exist then it is possible for fungi to grow and it only matters on location and the amount of water present.
So keep an eye on your property and if these conditions are present it is time to evaluate and access the how and the why?
With all the talk about Ebola this last month DW author (Helena Schwar)website wrote a very interesting article “Top 10 most dangerous viruses in the world“.
#3 Hantavirus – rodents
#5 Lassa virus – rodents
#7 Crimea-Congo fever – ticks
#8 Machupo virus – may be transmitted by rodents
#9 Kyasanur Fiorest virus – ticks
#10 – Dengue fever – mosquitoes
So do you see a pattern here, I do and its related to my job – Public Health Professional. We are very fortunate here in the U.S., we don’t have as many issues with these pests as some countries do. So stop and think about what we could do to protect ourselves even further against these deadly viruses.
Desert subterranean termites
4383 fatal work injuries in 2012 actually down from 2011 which had 4693- topping the list and transportation incidents led the way.
Bees are number one on the list U.S. Labor Department reports. “Bee stings are behind most insect -related deaths for workers.”
Work related
So a word or two of caution to all of you who trim trees, work in fields or right-of-ways – always know your surroundings. Be diligent and check out what is around or near you, check out the rocks or culverts just as if it were electric lines etc.
Bee Safe!
Here in Arizona one of the best methods for keeping out scorpions is a home seal. Use caulking and fill in any holes that are open.
“Ohio State scientists say tiny Antarctic insect has smallest genome of insects so far.” I have a friend that owns a pest control company in Alaska and does his fair share of pest control – by plane of course. That is to say that they often have to travel by plane just to reach the facility or what have you to service.
I have seen midges especially in the summer just attacking anything that has warm blood. But these little midges spends 2 years in its larval stage frozen in the ice and amazingly can turn off 25% of its genes when it hibernates. WOW, is about all I can say.
Every once in awhile somebody hits me with this statement, I can answer it with just a few short words:
Scorpions
and those other occasional pest like mosquitoes, flies and roaches….
The statistics are there if you want them. But as I have mentioned often, bugs have killed way more of us than anything else. As I have said numerous times you don’t always have to use pesticides. There are those that would say you never ever should use pesticides. There are times and a place for the use and sometimes it is just cost effective to do it plain and simple. IPM or Integrated Pest Management is the best way – it just makes you think about it in a way that makes complete sense. Use what you have by ways of home-sealing, door sweeps etc and if you must, then use some pesticide. (Always read and follow Labels, SDS and labeling use directions).
Recently the ticks have become unbelievable – sometimes just 100’s in a home. Just a few weeks ago Flagstaff had some issues at a camp – “Tick-borne disease temporally closes Flagstaff’s Camp Colton“. Maybe they should consider Tick Boxes TCS
I know there are those that think some type of oil will kill everything, they just don’t last and seldom work as a true pesticide does. But again I realize that not everyone will agree but do you have some opinions or facts I’m not aware of?
Only 22% of people responding to a survey, purchase products to protect themselves from annoying and biting insects, according to National Pest Management Association (NPMA). If you spend a lot of time in the great outdoors I would suggest purchasing insect repellents to use as an aid in dealing with some real biters. There are some nasty bugs out there, let’s be safe.
One point I found useful about this article was this quote:
“When buying insect repellent always select one containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535,” said Dr. Jorge Parada, medical advisor for the NPMA. “Vector-borne diseases are a growing concern in the U.S., so it is essential that we understand how to protect ourselves and recognize the signs and symptoms of these diseases.”
Photo by PPMA
“Kissing Bug” aka Triatoma, Assassin Bug, Cone-nose, Wheel Bug, or Ambush bug and sometimes called the Masked Bedbug Hunter “Arkansans spot the dangerous “kissing bug“. This bug is considered a predatory insect, it generally goes after other bugs and suck their fluids right out of their bodies. It gets that Kissing Bug name from the way they attack humans at night if they get into your home – they go to the area of our bodies that allow easier penetrations, like our mouth.
There are a variety of species (7000) and most look cool with their coloration but watch out for their piercing sucking rostrum. They live in the Southern States and Mexico. They transmit Chagas Disease with that painful bite wound where people accidentally scratch and introduce the organism into their bodies .
Best way to keep them out of your home:
Cicada Killer – Wasp or Hornet? Wasp it is.
Large digger wasp (inch to inch and a half) and solitary in nature. Females look for cicadas and then dig a hole and lay one egg on that poor little cicada. That little larva eats the cicada and then pupates and finally in the Spring digs it’s way out and looks for a mate.
So probably just accidentally flew into a door which was open and then became trapped. I’ve heard that they seldom sting, the one in my office looked mad and if it was able to get out I think it would have gone after me. OK probably not but if able to release it would go on its way to find some more cicadas, helping with pest control.
