All posts in “mosquitoes”

Why do they allow import of old used tires?

 

How often do you think a new bug makes it to our shores? Have you ever thought how did that bug make it into the USA? Sometimes we make it easy for the bug to travel, like when you move from one state on the east coast to the west and you bring boxes which were in storage. We brought Mongoose to Hawaii for the rats and that didn’t work, nobody thought about the rat being nocturnal and the Mongoose is out during the day. Asian Tiger Mosquitoes (carries viruses like Dengue & West Nile) were accidentally introduced in tires brought in from China in 1985, the Black rat probably hitched a ride on early European ships, Asian Longhorned Beetle native to Asia and the Cotton Whitefly came from India.

Photo provided by PPMA

Photo provided by PPMA

Thanks to all our Border Agents tasked with checking and rechecking all those shipments.

Most insects are a benefit to man, what are the bad ones or good ones?

 

I think if we had to say bad, the number 1 bad guy would be the mosquito and #2 would probably be the flea. But what about the good ones, such as honeybees except when they attack and ants. Some may fit into both categories such as honeybees – great honey and they pollinate but may also sting and hurt. I guess I can think of the good and bad as somewhat of a trade off, we need pollination and yet people die from bee stings each year. Termites are essential in the forest, composting trees and wood into vital nutrients within the soil.

Top 5 bad in my opinion

  1. Mosquitoes
  2. Scorpions
  3. Fleas
  4. Flies
  5. Rodents

Top 5 good in my opinion

  1. Honeybees
  2. Ants
  3. Butterflies or Moths
  4. Ladybugs
  5. ____________      Can you name a few more?

44_Bumble Bee

Don’t believe everything you read!

 

I know this is correct , cause  just week I read a report published by Abraham Lincoln on why he didn’t trust the internet. I think all of us play a hand in what is and isn’t truthful on the internet and I get called weekly where someone says I read the internet and blah, blah blah. I had a customer a year or so ago, tell me emphatically that Bed Bugs can jump out of a dumpsters. The only way that Bed Bug is getting out of that dumpster is if someone jumps in there and removes something. By the way that dumpster was in the direct sunlight and in the middle of the summer it would probably die within hours from our heat.

One more thing that just gets me, is when we jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. Remember that honeybee thing a year ago, was it cell towers or was it pesticides, or was it global warming? Well no one knew for sure but everyone with their own agendas were posting the blame everywhere. If the bee issue is caused by something, then we need to investigate quickly and stop the problem. I believe the E.U. stopped the use of neonicotinoids before all the data was in, but anyway I ran across an excellent article from Alan Caruba  “Another Environmental Lie Exposed: Bees are thriving.”

What do pesticides do? They protect us against trillions of insect and rodent pests that spread diseases while some represent millions in property damage—termites—every year.

So here is what I suggest, lets get the facts before we run off to damage an industry that contributes to Public Health and the betterment of our lives. Remember that mosquitoes continue to kill over a million people each year and rodents contaminate and damage grains and food.

BBBAnniversarycolor

 

Are bed bugs continuing to be a big problem?

 

 

Bed Bugs are continuing their rise to a real pest in the U.S. and according to Orkin it doesn’t look like they are slowing down. Orkin has been keeping track of bed bugs calls within their company and provide data to keep officials and the public informed. “Chicago tops bed bug cities list for second year in a row“.

Phoenix is up seven from 35 to 28, so here are a few tips from me to keep you informed as well.

  1. Just be aware of the issue, don’t panic. Many people are bitten by various bugs like mites, mosquitoes and think they have bed bugs. If you are being bitten isolate the area (by that I mean the area in the home) see what you can see. Check beds for fecal spotting (when bed bugs bite they eject old blood feces etc), if you see something moving catch it and keep it handy for an expert.
  2. If you travel take precautions, I hand my clothes from the shower rod and put my luggage on the bathroom vanity and that is where it stays. Check the bed and close furniture and if you see something inform management and move to another room.
  3. Remember bed bugs just don’t hang out on beds.
  4. When returning home, unpack in garage or outside and check luggage. Wash everything and high heat, wrap luggage in black garbage bag and if you’re AZ put it in sun especially during summer 113 – 120 degrees in ideal to bake them.
  5. Keep an eye out if you have guests or frequent visitors, they can travel in backpacks.
  6. I’ll repeat “Don’t Panic!” call a Pest Management Professional, as I think this is not a “Do It Yourself” (DIY) program.

 

The war on bugs, whose winning?

 

Entomologists study ways to kill urban pests”  Why is this important, I’ll point out some remarks made in this story. Please read the story lots of great information.

  1. “There is definitely an economic impact to bed bug infestation,” Romero said.
  2. Psychological effects are often underestimated. Romero said having bed bugs can cause sleeplessness and anxiety.
  3. There is concern over chemicals in insecticides that could be harmful to humans, but Romero said they must be used properly and according to procedures.

Here are some factors that I see and read daily.

  1. Hanta Virus (weekly reports)
  2. Bubonic Plague
  3. WNV (West Nile Virus) from mosquitoes also Malaria or Dengue Fever from around the world
  4. Africanized Bees
  5. Ticks (Lyme Disease)
  6. Assassin bugs (Chagas Disease)

So as we continue the fight against those bugs/insects/pests that can kill us if not kept in check, new manufacturing continues to create new molecules to destroy those killers. What can you do?

  • Check your home monthly.
  • Keep trees and shrubs trimmed and away from your house.
  • Repair screens and keep doors closed.
  • When traveling – keep an eye out for various bugs like Bed Bugs.
  • If you encounter a pest, do some investigation and have it checked – don’t panic.

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What’s Bugging You?

 

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The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recently did a Infographic on “What’s Bugging you?”

Comments.

Spider skeleton & other facts

skeleton

skeleton

The skeleton of a spider is located on the outside of the body.

The sense of smell of an ant is just about as good as a dog’s is.

It would take about 1,200,000 mosquitoes to fully drain the average human body of blood. Not something I would like to test, just saying.

One single bite by a Bullet ant (4+) is so painful that is compared to bullet; hence its name is bullet ant. It can make your time very bad, causing trembling, burning, perspiration, throbbing and sometimes paralysis that last about 24 hours. It lives in rain-forests from Nicaragua to Amazon basin. There is a guy who lets insects bite or sting for a pain index – Justin O. Schmidt 0-4 with 4 being you might want to be dead.

A baby cockroach can run side by side with its parents.

Insect bodies have three parts, the thorax, abdomen and head.

Beetles are the most bio-diverse group of creatures known, with more than 380,000 species described to date, making up 40 percent of all insect species on the books. That’s a lot of beetles to catalog.

Only male crickets chirp.

Most insects hatch from eggs. (Don’t collect praying Mantis egg cases in winter and store them in your bedroom over the winter) they will hatch.

What do you want to know by ProBest Pest Management!

DrBugKVBdidyouknow1

Antarctica is the only continent without any reptiles or snakes.

A pound of grasshoppers is three times as nutritious as a pound of beef.

Anteaters prefer termites to ants.

A bat is the only mammal that flies.

Out of every 1,000 Mosquitoes, one female carries a disease that could be fatal to humans.

 

Modified Mosquitoes – WOW science advances!

Modified Mosquitoes – WOW science advances!

 

Florida asks FDA approval to eliminate Dengue Fever with genetically modified mosquitoes. I’m constantly amazed at the speed of technology and the advances made my humans in regards to our betterment as a species.

Mosquito’s have killed more humans than anything else and probably have killed more animals and pets as well. So I think it is extremely important to wage the battle against this little pest. “The trial planned by mosquito officials and the British company Oxitec would release non biting males that have been genetically modified to pass along a birth defect which will kill the offspring.”

lifecyclemosquitopeabodyyaleedu    Thanks to peabody.yale.edu for the use of their photo

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