Issue 108 Fall 2013 Routing:

A Newsletter for the Insect Control & Pest Management Industry, est. 1981

Smart Packaging: NEW IPM CONCEPT

By Jim Bagwell, President of ProvisionGard Technology

Product Overview A new technology in pest management is an insect resistant packaging that is US EPA approved and FDA compliant for all types of food, feed, and seed packaging. ProvisionGard was designed to protect commodity for over one year from stored product insects and can be implemented easily at current packaging suppliers for pennies per bag. Designed for paper/woven bags and super sacks, it requires no labeling and safely reduces insect populations in and around your stored products. The following study demonstrates Stored product insects like this confused flour beetle feed on milled food fragments efficacy using common stored that contain the insect growth regulator methoprene. This will stop the larva from grain beetles: developing into a mature reproductive adult. Because the beetle is sterile, the pest population will decline. Methoprene is the active ingredient in new ProvisionGard.

Studies are being conducted by the insect growth regulator (IGR) experimental dish, and there were the USDA-ARS and ProvisionGard methoprene (0.1 % active ingredi- 6 replicates for the inside and Technologies to evaluate residual ent) incorporated into the lami- continued on page 6 efficacy of packaging material with nate exterior of bag packaging. Mission Statement Treated bags and also Materials and Methods companion untreated bags Experimental units for beetles Our aim is to strive for were tested by the USDA consisted of either the inside or quality service, provide the ARS in Manhattan, KS. Methoprene residual tests outside of untreated or treated absolute best products available on bags were conducted bags placed in the bottom of a worldwide, to be a respected to measure efficacy. Test 62 cm2 Petri dish (10 mm high), world-class organization, insect species are 4-week- old larvae of the red flour and sealed by caulking around and maintain profitability with beetle (RFB) and the same the edges. Ten larvae of either innovation, alternatives, age larvae of the confused beetle species were placed in an and education. flour beetle (CFB).

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By Alain VanRyckeghem, BCE Bad Bugs... Technical Director Case Study: Ant Bees/Flat Wasps

Recently, reports of biting/stinging PHOTO CREDIT: JOSEF DVORÁK; insects have occurred in food plants. HTTP://WWW.BIOLIB.CZ One concern obviously would be bedbugs, but in these cases there were no bedbugs to be found in the plant or lockers. The stings would occur on the neck, cuffs and hands of employees while actively working. This is not typical of bedbug biting. Some of the welts were quarter sized. Cephalonomia gallicola: a Bethylid This Ant Bee sting on a man’s arm is wasp called ‘Flat Wasps’ in Germany the size of a quarter. After collecting samples from and ‘Ant Bees’ in Japan. clothing with a lint roller and further This wasp is a parasite of the larval about 10 days after emergence and inspection of the material recovered, stages of cigarette beetles, drugstore mating. Females will not lay eggs there were several tiny insects caught beetles and some spider beetles. Other below 60 °F (15.5°C) or above 104°F on the tapes. At first they appeared relatives in the Bethylidae family (40°C). This wasp will continue to like ants; in fact they resemble are also parasites of Anobiid beetle survive indoors year round if larvae pharaoh ants which were light yellow larvae like the furniture beetles, of the cigarette beetle (Lasioderma) and about 1-2 mm long with elbowed Anobium punctatum. Those wasps, and drugstore beetle (Stegobium) antennae. The giveaway that these Sclerodermus domesticus, also can are readily available. Spilled product were not ants was the lack of a node deliver stings and severe reactions. of only 2 mm thick on ledges can between the thorax and abdomen. The support larval development in insect was identified asCephalonomia These wasps have been recorded in cigarette beetle. Small pockets of gallicola, which belongs to the the eastern US, Europe, and Asia, spillage or accumulations in cracks aculeate wasp family Bethylidae. and are likely cosmopolitan. Adults and crevices also provide suitable emerge from parasitized larvae from This tiny 1-2 mm wasp has a wingless habitat. For more information, February through October with the female and a male that can have contact [email protected] majority appearing from July through wings or not. Identification to species September. Spring emergence requires can be confirmed by the overall light Spillage of food found on the edge 60 days from egg to adult while of an overhead conveyer belt shows yellow color, flattened head, squared summer only requires 20-30 days. feeding by cigarette beetles. This type off posterior corners of the thorax, and of condition can support the parasitic Adult females can overwinter for a terminal 6 segments of the antennae wasp Cephalonomia gallicola. period of 60-180 days, but males die darker than the basal six. The male Careful inspection of wasps can fly, while the female does the facility determined not. Both will sting. This most often that open spills of food were supporting the occurs when the insect is caught up development of cigarette against the skin and clothing. The beetle larvae and the females can crawl readily like ants parasitic wasps. A detailed inspection of the facility and so may move onto clothing or found just handfuls of fall off surfaces onto people while food material spilled on handling product. The key element overhead conveyers. Once the spillages were removed, to understanding and managing this followed by a light fogging insect was to determine the origin of of pyrethrin, this stinging the wasps. issue was solved.

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Meetings have become a place to Driving Distractions bring a cell phone and pretend you Dave’s are really paying attention to the Soapbox speaker while you’re wandering off with your “mini computer phone” and …for what it’s worth doing personal business or searching a topic more interesting like where your next vacation will be. by David Mueller I especially enjoy boarding a plane or being in a confined area when As many of you know from past ‘Ernie the Executive’ comes on board newsletters, I am not a big fan of cell and continues to talk “business” loud phones. I still dislike cell phones. enough for all on the plane to hear. I want to hold up a sign that says Top three reasons I dislike cell phones: “RUDE.” 1. They are dangerous Cell phones at stop lights is another 2. They get lost with all my example of our lives being affected. important information How many times have you been DANSDETAIL.COM stopped at a traffic light behind comes out with the new model that 3. Batteries die when you really someone who is talking or texting on everyone has to have, and they change need to use it the phone and the light turned green the charging cords and you need to buy 10 seconds ago? How many times have you been three more; one for the office, one for traveling and checked the battery The new iPhones are amazing home and one for your car. That’s BS. life on your cell phone and it is in the when you think about what they How about standing in line at the “red” zone and you still need to return have the capacity to do, like suck the phone company store to get anything several calls and check your fantasy money out of your pockets much like changed or fixed on your cell phone. I football picks? the TV cable companies have done really enjoy this quality time. “Excuse to our home TV watching. What is Our lives have really changed with cell me, how long was that contract for?” phones. What I thought would be a the cost of your cable and cell phone simple replacement for the telephone combined these days? A heroin Phones have changed our lives. Some with a cord, now controls my life and addiction might be less. good and some bad. Car accidents and fatalities associated with cell phone use just about everyone who is reading “Another Pleasant Valley Sunday, is something we hear about often. We this. The scary thing is that these here in status symbol land.” Fashion used to ask if the driver was wearing cell phones will stop working in an and add-ons for our phones have a seat belt, now we look to see how emergency. Is there even a plan B if become the one up thing to do. By smashed the front of the car is and your cell phone and everyone else’s placing your new series 7 million if there were any skid marks before around you doesn’t work? iPhone on the table in a meeting with impact. Phones can be damaging and your designer plastic cover that you Recently there was an emergency deadly when used improperly. school evacuation in our city of can get online for $1.99 but you paid Westfield, Indiana. The kids pulled $99.99 will surely attract stares from The moral of the story is that out their cell phones to call home. The the group. A cracked screen will be technology is driving our lives. parents tried to call their kids and the ‘wart on the frog’ that causes you Technology can offer more information everyone’s phones were useless. I was to leave your faster. This recently at a Purdue Football game phone in your information can when I tried to send a picture of the pocket until you be used to make game to my kids. So many people were can take out a decisions …. faster. texting and calling that the cellular loan to replace But there is a cost phone system didn’t work. In a real the screen or of new technology. disaster, it would be good to bring a phone. How At the beginning blanket and some matches to start a about when the we really didn’t phone company fire to send smoke signals. continued on page 4 V I S I T U S A T : www.insectslimited.com Fumigants & Pheromones Page 4

Choosing the Best Outdoor Lights to Reduce Insects

By Pat Kelley, ACE Vice President Flies (365) Moths (405) 100 280 315 400 700 wavelength (nm) Optimal Insect Attraction Range Like a moth to a flame, serious insect pest problems can begin Best Options with attraction to our outdoor 1. LED Lights – In general these are much less attractive to pests than lighting options. Most outdoor other options. lights are going to have some 2. High Pressure Sodium Lights – Great for parking lots but should be insect attraction qualities, but shielded from above. the higher intensity (brighter) 3. Metal Halide Lights – The UV output is similar to the sun, lights are more attractive than negating some of its attraction to insects. Warning – Extremely high low intensity lights. The direction temperatures that require Teflon lenses! that a light shines can also have a big impact. An un-shielded bulb Lights to Avoid in a parking lot light will attract 1. Ultra Violet (UV) Light – Black (UV) lights are highly attractive to thousands of more insects than insects and are best kept in insect light traps or in teenager’s bedrooms. a shielded light that shines only 2. Fluorescent Lights – Produce lots of UV light that attract pests. Use downward. only indoors. From a pest standpoint, we know 3. Mercury Vapor Lights – These lights are so attractive to insects that that the majority of light attracted they can be used to pull insects away from a building if they are placed insects prefer light in the spectrum 30 feet or more away! between 300 – 420 nm. House flies 4. Incandescent Lights – Common light bulbs are good for indoor use only. seem to prefer a wavelength of ~ 365 nm while moths and beetles responded best to a slightly higher Dave’s Soapbox find every advantage we can to use wavelength. The range of highest continued from page 3 it even if it is dangerous. We don’t attraction encompasses a definite need more rules to tell us what to range on the light spectrum scale understand the future capabilities do with our lives, but we need more (see illustration). It is important of instant communication devices. self-imposed control to make a new to ask light manufacturers for the We thought it would help us be technology wavelength specifications for their more efficient and help us make safe first and lighting options prior to purchase. more money. We thought it would improve our If the lights that you currently be the extended umbilical cord lifestyle second. have produce a wavelength that for mothers and children offering is in the area of insect attraction, better parenting. We expected it to Ring, Ring: perhaps you should explore help our families to be safer when “I will call you other options. In the case of we travel. We thought it would be later when I get off this call while outdoor lights, it pays to do your the communication tool that was texting my wife when I expect to drive homework! convenient and affordable. home, calling my kids, while checking my fantasy picks for the week.” When we have a new technology, we especially need to have rules to govern it. We are good at following rules but when there are no rules, we Dave Mueller V I S I T U S A T : www.insectslimited.com Page 5 Fumigants & Pheromones

For Fumigation Training and Continuing Education Credits, go to: www.insectslimited.com

Registration PAID U.S. Postage U.S. c #9555 Permit

Initial Fumigation Training, IN Indianapolis, Examination, Licensing ...... $165 Presorted Standard Tuesday, December 10, 2013 ($185 after November 10) c Fumigation Continued Education Day 1 ...... $250 Wednesday, December 11, 2013 ($350 after November 10) c Hands-on Fumigation Workshop Day 2 ...... $350 Thursday, December 12, 2013 ($450 after November 10) Pete Swords, c Build Your Own Fumigant Scrubber ...... $3,500 Initial Fumigation Training, pheromone chemist for Friday, December 13, 2013 Insects limited, has Examination, Licensing improved the F.A.S.T. Total $______Tuesday, December 10, 2013 fumigant scrubbers used to destroy Please copy and complete one form for each registrant and fax to 1-317-867-5757. fumigants and improve Fumigation Continued Education bystander safety. Here containers loaded Name Day 1 with walnut logs are Wednesday, December 11, 2013 being fumigated before Company they are exported. Any remaining fumigant is Address being destroyed with the scrubber on the right. A workshop will Hands-on Fumigation Workshop be held by Pete Swords on December 13 to demonstrate how to City State Day 2 use and maintain and build a fumigant scrubber. Thursday, December 12, 2013 Country Code Phone Fax Build Your Own Email Fumigant Scrubber Friday, December 13, 2013 [ ] Check Make checks payable to Insects Limited, Inc. [ ] Visa [ ] MasterCard [ ] American Express

Card No. Expiration / / SPONSORED BY “We see, but do we observe?” Name on Card Signature — Sherlock Holmes “All pest management visits need to be seen as Confirmation: A letter will be sent to each person confirming registration. Your confirmation letter will outline the details a transfer of knowledge.” for the workshop. Bring your confirmation letter to the registration desk upon arrival. International fumigators are welcome and — Kim Kemp, Next Generation, Nestle Purina invitation letters to secure registration can be provided. Location: All classes will be held in the classroom of Insects Limited, Inc, 16950 Westfield Park Road, Westfield, Indiana, USA. “One must change one’s tactics every ten years Transportation will be arranged to other fumigation field locations on Day 2 of the Fumigation Workshop. 16950 Westfield Park Road if we are going to maintain our superiority.” 1-800-992-1991 Westfield, Indiana 46074-9374 USA —Napoleon Bonaparte

Westfield Accommodations: The Comfort Suites is located 2 miles from the workshops. A special rate of $71/ night is available Park Road Westfield 16950 for participants. Make your own reservations at 1.317.575.0000 and mention this Insects Limited workshop. www.InsectsLimited.com 1-800-992-1991 “People should be familiar with strategy, Westfield, Indiana 46074-9374 USA Westfield, www.InsectsLimited.com those who do not understand this will perish” — Sun Tzu’s the Art of War

Dave Mueller

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Fumigation Emergencies

By Jeff Waggoner, Fumigant inventory is needed to offer a fast fumigation FSS General Manager service response. Fumigants are manufactured in China, India, Canada, or Northern California. Product recalls get Heavy cylinders of fumigant more complicated that are highly restricted by DOT when product is can be a logistic challenge. pulled from the Otherwise it could be like a Like a crew of firefighters going to a fire, fumigators are ready to go to emergency shutdown fumigations shelves of regional, national, or firefighter running to a fire international retail operations. One with trained crews, equipment, and experience. It without water. FSS has a is not uncommon that it may cost over $1,000,000 recall from an emergency fumigation licensed box truck to move per day to close plant operations and send everyone home for days due to a pest related outbreak. was estimated at $250,000,000. fumigant to locations in The recalled product needed to be hours and return empty cylinders fumigations. Our expectations are consolidated in a large warehouse promptly. FSS is licensed to perform where it too needed to be fumigated. high for our fumigators. We place work in states throughout the emphasis on safety and effectiveness. The follow up to an emergency Midwest and maintains an inventory fumigation can take several years to Our fumigators must be diverse in of fumigants to react quickly when their capabilities to be able to balance completely understand the issues, make the need arises. corrections and gain confidence that the safety of people, products, and the pest issue will not happen again. Equipment for monitoring human facilities when reacting with urgency. safety and fumigation efficacy is Contact your regional FSS manager. From 2010 – 2013 Fumigation important to have available for The Fumigation Service & Supply Service & Supply performed emergency fumigation. You need regional managers can be contacted 24 emergency fumigations. An backup equipment to ensure you by calling 1.800.992.1991. emergency fumigation is when a are able to maintain levels within phone call comes to our attention the facility should a unit fail. Also to with an immediate fumigation ensure employees and bystanders are service requested, and often working in a safe environment. production is threatened and loss of sales imminent. Often these FSS has the capability to perform unplanned shutdowns stem from emergency fumigations. We can a federal inspection, another third offer our fumigation crews or consult party audit, or a pest related directly with your certified fumigation complaint(s). applicators to perform successful

Smart Packaging continued from page 1 vae in the time trials. No adult RFB emerged from the larvae that were outside of the bags for both the exposed on the treated packaging. treated bags and the untreated There was some emergence of normal control bags. The criterion for as- adult CFB from larvae exposed on the sessment was the emergence of inside and outside of the bags. This morphologically normal adults of is consistent with previous tests with all species. Methoprene can cause methoprene that indicate that the physical deformities in insects (like CFB is less affected by methoprene twisted wings and missing segments). compared to the RFB. Treated on left, untreated packaging on right Results The outside and the in- For more information about this product research laboratory to help side of the treated bags showed ac- new IPM packaging tool, go to you evaluate the effectiveness of new tivity of the Red flour beetle larvae www.pvgard.com and watch a video. pest management technologies. and the Confused flour beetle lar- Insects Limited has a stored

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Can Phosphine-Resistant Lesser Grain Borers and Red Flour Beetles Still Thrive in the Absence of Phosphine Use? By Dr. G. P. Opit and N. S. Bajracharya; Oklahoma State University

In 2012, strong phosphine resistance resistance confers a fitness benefit, and of insects were allowed to lay eggs on was reported in Oklahoma populations populations of resistant insects will their respective diets for 2 weeks after of lesser grain borer (LGB) and probably not decline over time. Stated which these parents were removed. We red flour beetle (RFB). Phosphine differently, where resistance confers a then determined the time it took for resistance management is a strategy fitness benefit, resistant insects thrive half of all eggs laid to emerge as adults that can be implemented to ensure both in the presence and absence of starting from the time the first adult that there are high percentages of phosphine use. offspring emerged. Our results for LGB susceptible (non-resistant) insects showed that emergence was faster in the in the U.S., so that phosphine can We have conducted experiments to susceptible population than in all the be used effectively to kill high compare population growth rates and three resistant populations, i.e. eggs of percentages of insect pests and prevent developmental rates (egg to adult susceptible insects took a shorter time widespread resistance. In cases where development time) of Oklahoma to develop to adults than those of the resistance occurs, this strategy could populations of LGB and RFB with resistant insects (Figure 1B). Stated involve suspended use of phosphine for strong phosphine resistance with differently, emergence of offspring was a period of time to mitigate resistance phosphine-susceptible populations of completed faster in the susceptible or applying it as infrequently as these species. Our goal was to determine LGB population than in the resistant possible in order to delay resistance whether there was a disadvantage (a populations. In RFB, emergence was development in cases where there is no fitness cost) or an advantage (a fitness faster in the resistant insects compared resistance or resistance is weak (low). benefit) to having phosphine resistance to the susceptible insects (Figure 1B). However, these two approaches will genes in the absence of phosphine use. only work if resistant insects (insects Altogether, six populations were used The information we have presented for with resistance genes) are negatively (one susceptible and three resistant resistant LGB and RFB populations affected by having these genes in the populations of LGB and one population from Oklahoma indicates that phosphine absence of phosphine use. Examples each of susceptible and resistant RFB). resistance exerts a fitness cost in LGB of negative effects of having resistance For the cumulative population growth but confers a fitness benefit in RFB. This genes are female insects laying fewer study, our results for LGB showed that suggests that withholding phosphine use eggs and eggs laid taking much longer the cumulative population growth for for long periods of time could mitigate to develop to adults compared to those the susceptible population was higher phosphine resistance in the LGB of the susceptible insects. If this is than those of resistant populations after populations whereas doing the same the case, populations of resistant 110 days (Figure 1A). For RFB, the may not mitigate phosphine resistance insects will grow significantly much cumulative population growth for the in RFB populations. This information more slowly compared to those of resistant population was much higher is important for the development of susceptible insects. Under these than that for the susceptible population phosphine resistance management circumstances phosphine resistance (Figure 1A). In the developmental rates strategies in the U.S. affects insects in a costly way, i.e. study, we wanted to determine whether Dr. George P. Opit (b); george.opit@ resistance exerts a fitness cost and differences existed in how long it took okstate.edu and Nisha Shakya populations of resistant insects will eggs of resistant and susceptible LGB Bajracharya (f); nisha.shakya10@ most likely decline over time in the and RFB to develop to adults. Groups okstate.edu. absence of phosphine use. However, in some cases, having resistance genes makes insects to reproduce faster than those without these genes in the absence of the insecticide. In such circumstances phosphine resistance affects insects in a beneficial way, i.e. Fig. 1. Cumulative population after 110 days (A) and time for half of all eggs laid to emerge as adults starting from the time the first adult offspring emerged (B) for phosphine-resistant and –susceptible LGB and RFB.

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Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc. Presorted Standard 16950 Westfield Park Road U.S. Postage Westfield, IN 46074-9374 USA Fumigants & Pheromones is published by (1) 317-896-9300 PAID Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc. and Insects email: [email protected] Indianapolis, IN Limited, Inc. We hope that the information websites: www.insectslimited.com Permit #9555 that you receive from this newsletter will help websites: www.fumigationzone.com you in your business, and you, in turn, will support our business efforts. If you have an associate who would be interested in receiving this newsletter, please contact the address below. We would welcome any comments or suggestions for topics. Address correspondence to: Peggy Rutkowski, Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc., 16950 Westfield Park Rd., Westfield, IN 46074 USA.

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11 TH INTERNATIONAL Fumigants & Pheromones Conference JUNE 2 – 4, 2014 KRAKOW, POLAND

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