All posts in “drugs”

Marijuana & rodents eating evidence

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Marijuana, what a story?

This story comes to you from India, where the police had a little issue with some stealing. The rats or so they say, absconded with the seized drugs. “Rodents ’empty’ cannibis stored in Bargi Police Station“, I guess not even the Judge was amused as he let the alleged suspects go free. You go to all that trouble to track down the smugglers and the rats eat the evidence.

marijuana

marijuana

The picture above is from rats bringing cactus into a bait station, I didn’t have any pictures of marijuana – sorry. Rats and mice are able to enter buildings by any hole between a dime and quarter size, they will also eat almost anything. So as I always say, home seal and prevention = IPM Integrated Pest Management. Prevent them from getting in and no worries.

What can you do to prevent rodents?

Check your yard and home monthly for bugs and rodents. Keep food out of their reach, pick up fruit that has fallen to the ground. Keep your yard clean, trim bushes from next to your home. Don’t keep stuff in your yard, rats will next in anything that might be stored. If you store firewood keep it high, dry and away from the house. Keep water from collecting in the yard or any containers, they need water just like we do. If you have a shed, keep things rat-proof stored and on shelves and of course check things often.

If you see rat bait stations in your neighborhood, check things out. If there is one rat there are probably more. If your going to clean sheds wear a mask and follow the recommendations from the CDC.  Don’t just sweep up dust without checking for droppings. If you notice something strange, investigate it or call in a Pest Management Professional such as ProBest Pest Management 602-249-7378.

You’ve heard about dogs used to sniff drugs etc but what about honeybees?

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So far I’ve heard about dogs for drugs, termites and bed bugs, pigs for truffles, rats for bombs and now honeybees are being trained to sniff out bombs. I think this is a great idea, and its happening in a place where it is needed. Croatian scientists training bees to detect explosives and landmines, they are training the honeybees to focus on TNT.

Apparently honeybees are able to smell flowers from about 2.7 miles and are equal or better than dogs. Now just for the record I would hate to see dogs used in this mission, I guess it is necessary just like Police dogs but terrible when one gets hurt. By the way I support the intentional injuring or killing of a police dog to that of killing a Police Officer and should be a felony.

Blaze  This is Blaze, K9 partner of  a Orange County, FL Sheriff Deputy Nicholas Blazina. Nick was one of the Scouts of Troop 234 Longwood, Fl where I was an Assistant Scoutmaster. Great job Nick & Blaze and thank you for your service to Protect and Serve.

Termite Tubes and more termite tubes….

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Termite Tubes and more termite tubes….

 

          

Bigger and bigger, the termites are munching away at this home. Our termites in Arizona are not as aggressive as the Eastern US termites so typically we don’t have extensive damage to homes.

Cereal – Have you ever noticed bugs?

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Cereal – Have you ever noticed bugs?

Cereal bugs – Well it does happen from time to time. So what are the bugs and how did they get there? Stored Product Pest can sometimes be found in a variety of goods, from dog food, pasta, dried flower arrangements to flour. Most of the time this contamination occurs outside of the factory where it was produced. Have you ever been shopping and noticed little moths flying about? I notice them quite often in the dry dog food aisle at your local Pet Stores.

Here is a report I believe from France but it points out  how problems can arise to the point of contamination or adultration.   

4,900 kg of cereals destroyed due to presence of insects

US timelines

Lewis Caleb Beck in the Patent Office around 1848 to carry out chemical analyses of agricultural products

1904-1906 Upton Sinclair (did you know he lived in Buckeye, AZ with his 3rd wife) publishes “The Jungle” about the meatpacking industry which sparked the passage of the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906.

1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act

Pesticide Control Law 1910

FDA – 1930

Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law – 1938

FIFRA – Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act passed in – 1947

FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), 1/4/2011

 

Cereal

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