The first picture is at the tire stop and the termites decided to just continue right on to the wall. The 3rd picture is my favorite, it appears someone decided to paint right over the tube. Maybe they were trying to hide it from the dreaded Termite Inspector (Me), by the way that doesn’t work.
I’m not talking about uninvited people showing up at Christmas time and/or those over staying their welcome. Let’s talk about bringing in Christmas trees and the creatures we may be bringing in as well.
To date, the largest known prehistoric insect is the dragonfly Meganeura monyi. It existed over 280 million years ago. Fossil remains were found in Commentry, France. When measured, the wingspan was a whopping 2 ft. 3.5 inches.
The loudest insects are male cicadas, which can be heard about a quarter of a mile away.
The insects with the biggest nests are termites.
There were three plagues mentioned in the book of Exodus in the Bible which were caused by insects – lice, flies, and locusts.
It takes 48 hours for a cockroach to digest its food.
Seven pest management professionals are D.C.-bound after being chosen to win a free trip to NPMA’s Legislative Day 2014, courtesy of FMC Corporation.
PHILADELPHIA – Seven pest management professionals are D.C.-bound after being chosen to win a free trip to NPMA’s Legislative Day 2014, courtesy of FMC Corporation. Entries were collected online and during PestWorld 2013 in Phoenix, with the winners drawn randomly at PestWorld by NPMA Executive Vice President Bob Rosenberg. The winners will receive airfare, registration and a two-night hotel stay. They are:
• Rodney Allman, Envirosafe, Belmont, NC
• Keith Birkemeyer, ProBest Pest Management, Gilbert, AZ
• Dan Bradbury, Viking Pest Control, Bound Brook, NJ
• Roger Graham, Arrow Exterminators, Broken Arrow, OK
• Doug Lardner, Doug the Bug Termite & Pest Control, Clearwater, FL
• Tim Leatherman, Perfect Pest Control, Union, KY
• Lawrence Plecha, Biotec of NM Inc., Albuquerque, NM
“There is no better way to support our industry than to attend Legislative Day,” said Bethwyn Todd, FMC. “We congratulate the winners and look forward to joining them in D.C., as we work together to address the issues impacting pest management professionals.”
NPMA’s Legislative Day provides an annual opportunity for pest management professionals to speak to federal lawmakers on the issues affecting the industry. According to NPMA, many lawmakers presiding over committees that directly affect pest management are new to Congress so next year’s event will provide a great opportunity to forge new relationships and influence future legislation. In 2013, more than 400 pest management professionals attended. Legislative Day 2014 will be held March 9-11, 2014 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. Find information at http://www.npmapestworld.org.
http://www.pctonline.com/FMC-Awards-Seven-Trips-Legislative-Day.aspx
I don’t generally win but I was amazed and thankful, this should be a very interesting and rewarding trip. Thank you FMC and Pest Control Technology, oh and congrats to the others.
There are always issues with occasional invaders within building but lets just focus on the Top 2 – Flies and Cockroaches
Flies – the first and foremost most important is the inspection, after you decide on which species it then can treated. Each pest we deal with has unique and often times complex life cycles which must be addressed. House flies are common in building but are usually an issue with door being left open, while Fruit flies are a result of ripening fruits or decaying organic matter. So lets look at a few:
House flies – is there animal waste or garbage outside which could bring this pest to your door? If this is a home its easy to reduce house flies by just removing or cleaning up animal waste. If this is a restaurant, just how close is the garbage or dumpster? Is the lid closed, this in itself could reduce flies and scavenging birds and animals.
Fruit flies – Drains are the biggest culprit, they need to be clean and screens should be in place. Just pouring bleach into a drain will never work, the scum collects on the sidewalls and just pouring bleach will only maybe touch the surface of the scum. Phorid flies prefer areas like cracks and crevices and are similar to Fruit flies in liking decaying organic matter. The product of choice should be a scum eater, like a bio agent. I love those products because they eat grease which often builds up in somewhat hidden areas. Don’t forget areas like mops or kitchen equipment.
Bottle or Flesh flies, if you encounter these it is often associated with dead rodents or decaying matter.
Cockroaches – both German and American can create some issues within restaurants. American or lots of people call them Sewer Roaches, usually associated with drains and grease traps. So keeping the place clean is essential. German Roaches are probably those ones that cause the most sleepness nights to owners, they can be brought in via boxes or materials and can quickly set up shop. Cleaniness is important but these roaches are experts at muliplying and taking advantage of every single opportunity. If you see one there are probably hundreds, just take my advice and call a Pro right away. You need the right tools and the knowledge and you need to get a handle on this ASAP.
Don’t forget it is about the inspection, followed up by detection and then treatment and prevention. (BASF flies Smartsolutions guide)
Photo by PPMA
Bugs in general don’t have any idea whether it is wood or foam, they probably just think it might be a good place to call home. I’ve seen termites use foam as an avenue into a structure and I’ve seen carpenter ants tear up the foam used as insulation. So it didn’t really surprise me when I noticed the damage from carpenter bees. It is extremely difficult to stop them from doing damage to foam, with wood you can paint it and frequently that deters them but not so with these bees and foam.
All I can say is that block walls retain their heat well into the evening hours in Arizona and scorpions don’t like cold.
We make it easy for scorpion to live, we almost set up little housing units for them to live in. Then we wonder why we have scorpions, right? So try going out some evening on a scorion hunt, you may learn some interesting things about your property. Maybe you don’t really want to know, but I do think its important to have some idea of the populations of these dreaded pests.
The more you can hunt for and destroy the better off you are!
Seek and destroy! Sleep better.
Most of us enjoy the occasional wildlife that we encounter but without some form or measure of keeping them at bay, we might have a bad encounter. You see the shows on TV where someone decides to take a picture of some creature and the creature feels threatened and attacks. It is never by the way that lone little bird, it is the Grizzly Bear that people want the picture of. Bears can run fast so unless you have a friend with you, that bear will catch your but and eat you. That therein lies the problem – they are animals and wild creatures.
I had a friend whose family raised a raccoon and this raccoon was still wild and got into trouble frequently. I’m reminded of this as we encounter wildlife in our day to day work. It is impossible to know for sure but these animals don’t know the difference between your home and a tree. It also becomes a problem when we feed them, then they become accustomed to handouts. One of my favorite little spots to visit is Monetzuma’s Castle and they used to have squirrels until one day when a squirrel bit the hand that was feeding it.The squirrel just sees the food and if isn’t given the food in a manner that it is used to it lashes out and bites.
This also applies to letting a wild animal live in your home or shed, birds and other wildlife carry parasites and once the animal is gone where are the bugs going to go? Wild animals also carry fleas and ticks and the same applies, they will seek out a new food source and that could be you. So don’t allow animals to live in your attic, if you hear something it is time to investigate.
I’ll would bet that most people would say termites but not so, it turns out to be the desert locust. This locust you may recall is the one from the Bible and can eat its own weight in food a day. It is estimated that a large swarm could eat 20,000 tons of grain and vegetation per day. (“The Handy Biology Answer Book”)
In the U.S. I’m still betting on the termite, estmates suggest over 5 billon in damage each year. Termites are in search of food and when they find it they will eat and eat. 24/7/365 that is their schedule and they won’t waiver unless the building is under water.
What can you do to discourage termites from finding your home as a food source:
PPMA King/Queen Sub-termites
Global – Everything we do starts with Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
We will treat inside only if there are bug issues within the home and very limited in the scope. (Stored Pantry Pests)
***** Now some would argue that this isn’t a true GREEN service, but we have scorpions and it is almost impossible to kill them all. So the question is, what if I have never seen a scorpion. Can I get a Green service?
Yes there are many items on the list of Green, just remember that they won’t generally last as long as the other products. Now this isn’t to put blame anywhere but some products we use are micro-encapsulated and hold up better with the sunlight and HEAT in Arizona. So here is the BIGGEST question, does it cost more? Yes and no, yes if you want me to handle any callbacks and no if you don’t. The chemical won’t go the 30, 60 or 90 days that most people want it to last.
Oh by the way, some of these so called Green products – contain pesticides like permethrin. So, really check out what you want and if you have questions send me an email at [email protected] and maybe I can help you decide on what is right for you and your family. What is the number #! thing you can do = home sealing.
