All posts in “bugs”

Stink bugs and other True Bugs

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Stink bugs and other True Bugs…

How many True Bugs can you guess? How about Assassin Bugs & Wheel Bug, Aphids, Bed Bugs, Boxelder Bugs, Leafhopper, Milkweed Bug, Squash Bug and of course Stink Bugs.

All true bugs have similar mouthparts, which is what characterizes the true bugs. True bugs suck. That’s right, the true bugs have specialized mouth parts used to suck juices.

The brown marmorated stink bug, or simply the stink bug, is an insect in the family Pentatomidae, and it is native to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. They have invaded the East Coast and have made their way across the U.S. They get their name because release an unpleasant odor when you crush them or when they are protecting their homes. Stink bugs do not hurt humans, but they can cause a lot of damage to crops and plants.

Tips to prevent them from getting into your home from National Pest Management Association (NPMA):

  • Seal cracks around your house.
  • Replace damaged screen on doors and windows.
  • If you see a stink bug indoors vacuum them up and throw away the bag immediately.
  • If you see a stink bug in your garden, lightly spray the area with approved insecticides. Keep weeds around the garden in control and clean up the garden at the end of the growing season.
  • Hand pick stink bugs in early morning when they are slow moving.

Stink bugs were not even reported in the United States until the late 1990’s!

How about those scary things at Halloween?

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How about those scary things at Halloween?

 

 

OK I thought this was cool but I’m a bug guy, have you seen  any scary things at Halloween by way of bugs etc. The picture below was from the Phoenix Zoo. Comment below…

How does that insecticide really kill those bugs?

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How does that insecticide really kill those bugs?

 

Have you ever thought once you sprayed that bug – How does it die? I’m guessing probably not, it’s not that you don’t care but generally speaking you just want the damn bug dead! Over my 25 years I have learned a great deal about how the bugs die and why. One of the products I absolutely love is called Avert, this is a dry bait used for cockroaches and one of the reasons I love this product is this. Most products cause the cockroach to die on it’s back – Avert makes them stop fast while walking. So immediately you know your product is killing them. I had a chance to read a great article “Insecticide Mode of Action” by Drs. Michael E Scharf and Daniel R. Suiter in Pest Control Technology magazine October 2011.

You may not want to know all about this subject but maybe I can hi-light and simplify it a little (I said maybe).

  • Targets the nervous system = neurotoxin.
  • Insecticides that do not target the nervous system.

What you don’t know – could KILL you!

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What you don’t know – could KILL you!

 

I love home seals, you can get information in a manner that is easy to read and categorized to whatever genre you want or need. For example this home seal tries to relate the stories that might influence you daily about bugs, obviously you don’t come to this home seal to learn about food or restaurants. I glean the stories from the internet that I think could affect us in our day to days lives. Examples – http://naturalunseenhazards.wordpress.com/ this home seal is for people like wildlife professionals, hunters, camper and hikers; I also enjoy reading this home seal http://www.successful-home seal.com/ it gives me assistance in writing and topics; I also try to stop by http://www.pestcemetery.com each week because my friend Jerry Schappert writes about pest control. So why all the who ha, because within the last month several stories scared me to death almost?

Hantavirus outbreak at Yosemite National Park

Second case of bubonic plague in the West has been confirmed — in a girl in Colorado

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 2012 has been the worst year for the West Nile virus since 2003.

Your Pest Control company is the front line to keeping those bugs that could harm you at bay – maybe we should have a “Pest Control Technician Day” or “Hug your Technician Day”.

Bugs a plenty, they were everywhere… I love it!

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Bugs a plenty, they were everywhere… I love it!

 

We stopped for breakfast the other morning in Cordes Lakes on I-17 just north of Phoenix at the 50’s Backseat Diner and on FaceBook and spotted these bugs just hanging outside on a fence. Of course the consummate bug hunter that I am, we had to take pictures and hoo and haaaa about them.

More importantly, the food is great and worth the stop. I had the “Three Deuces” ( Biscuits and gravy, sausage and 2 eggs sunny side up. Fantastic!

           

Bang! Up goes the house… Bug bombs are not toys!

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Bang! Up goes the house… Bug bombs are not toys!

 

So if a 1/2 ounce of bug stuff kills bugs then 1 ounce has to be better, right? That’s what many people believe and guess what – they would be wrong and sometimes it can cost you BIG! A woman in Ludlow, ME found out the hard way “Pest Control Bombs Blamed for House Fire“. Check out some older stories from the ProBest Blog on what happens when you use a product incorrectly “Boom, goes another house!” and “The Top Least Effective Ways to Kill Bed Bugs“.

Always read and understand Labels, MSDS and product directions. The time to know is before you use them.

Harvester Ants…

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Harvester Ants…

    

Harvester Ants –  OK I’ve never been stung by this ant but they say this is the ant to avoid. People compare the sting of the Red Imported Fire Ant and still rank the Harvester as the nastiest little stinger of the pair. This ant is quite noticeable due to the large area of vegetation that is cleared away. They gather seeds and will eat other insects. There was a nest of this ant up north that whenever I visited I would bring sunflower seeds and one year the nest was gone. Probably moved on or got destroyed.

Cool insects!

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Cool insects!

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWkfAyfBDHE]

They grow them big in New Mexico!

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They grow them big in New Mexico!

 

    

As the name suggests, these spiders are hunters. They are big and hairy which generally creeps out most people. The female will lay an egg sac, which she will bite open and allow the spiderlings to crawl on her back. They will stay there for a little over a week and then gradually move on to do there own hunting. They typically hunt at night and may enter homes while searching for food.

Check out an article on “Taking Care of Business” by owner of ProBest Pest Management from FMC Pestwire http://www.fmcpestwire.com/

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