PESTICIDE APPLICATION TRAINING Category 8 Public Health Pest Control Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service Directions For Using This Manual D his is a self-teaching manual. At the end of each majo' section is a list of study questions to check your understanding of the subject matter. By each question in parenthesis is the page number on which the answer to that question can be found. This will help you in checking your answers. These study questions are representative of the type which are on the certification examination. By reading this manual and answering the study questions, you should be able to gain sufficient knowledge to pass the Kansas Commercial Pesticide Applicators Certification and Recertification examination. Table of Contents How Insects Affect Humans 2 Cockroaches 4 Sucking Lice 9 Bedbugs 11 Mosquitoes 13 Flies 20 Fleas 25 Ants 27 Stinging Insects 29 Mites 31 Spiders 34 Ticks 39 Skunks 45 Bats 48 Rodents 50 Birds 56 1 How Insects Affect Hum ans nsects occur in the air, on Transmission of Human and under soil, and in Diseases fresh or brackish water. They eat the leaves and Although insect bites or stings roots of plants and bore occasionally cause severe illness or into vegetation. Some are fatal to humans and animals, their insects live on other ani­ disease-laden saliva or contaminated mals, as parasites or bodies are responsible for many ill­ predators. Despite their nesses or deaths over the world. small size, the combined Mechanical or passive transmis­ bulk of insects may equal that of all sion of disease occurs, for example, other land animals. when the housefly merely transports More than 750 ,000 species of true organisms such as dysentery bacteria insects have already been described. on its feet, body hairs and other sur­ Mites, ticks and other close relatives faces, from filth to humans. Other of insects also total in the hundreds of examples include cockroaches and thousands. vinegar gnats that visit sewers and For centuries people have fought liquid excrement and then move to insects as pests, carriers of disease, human habitations. and destroyers of food. This combat Biological transmission of disease will continue, for humans have never occurs when an insect, mite or tick is eradicated a single species. Today, essential for the completion of the life a number of the most important cycle of the disease or parasite. Cer­ species are showing increasingly tain Anopheles mosquitoes, for exam­ significant resistance to insecticides ple, are essential carriers and spread­ so that other methods of control, ers of the malaria parasite. This para­ either alone or in combination with site undergoes a portion of its life insecticides, are necessary. cycle in the Anopheles carrier and Insects have a long history through another portion in the human host. many geological periods. They Disease is also transmitted through appeared in the world long before the host-vector relationship. Such humans; yet insect fossils from coal, transmission is often further compli­ amber and limestone deposits differ cated by more than just the direct car­ little from their present-day descen­ rier of the disease from one host to dants of 250 million years. As another. Some other hosts called humans appeared on earth and reservoirs are not affected by the dis­ changed, their parasites and pests ease but are able to perpetuate the evolved with them. disease organism by providing safe Insects are often thought of as harborage for the disease organism. human's most formidable competi­ Some birds, for example, are reser­ tors. Not only do they damage crops, voirs of mosquito-borne encephalitis but such insects as flies, fleas, lice and (sometimes called "sleeping sick­ mosquitoes attack humans and ness"). The birds are apparently domesticated animals directly as unharmed by the encephalitis virus, pests. Othe:r;s attack indirectly by but when the mosquito sucks blood transmitting dangerous diseases to from the bird and then bites man or people and animals. horses, the virus may produce serious or fatal results. Insects generally cannot transmit diseases unless they have already bit­ ten a diseased host. For example, an Anopheles mosquito cannot transmit malaria unless it has first bitten a per­ son with the malaria parasite. (In 2 How Insects addition, there is often an "incubation reclusa, is common in Kansas and period," a period between when the may inflict a serious bite, often result­ Affect Humans disease is picked up by the insect and ing in so much dead tissue that skin­ the time when it is able to transmit grafting is needed. Even the stings of the disease.) Some ticks and mites, bees and wasps may be serious, or however, are able to transmit disease­ even fatal to persons highly allergic causing organisms, such as the rick­ to their venoms. ettsiae causing Rocky Mountain spot­ Some insects, such as the puss ted fever, directly to their offspring caterpillar, io moth, and saddle back, through the egg. have "urticating hairs" rather like Myiasis is the infestation of those of stinging nettles. Cantharidin, humans or animals by living larvae present in the blood of certain beetles (maggots) of flies. Maggots mostly such as the blister beetles, causes infest dead tissue. An example of the painful blistering of the skin when other type is the "true screwworm," the insect is crushed. Mosquitoes, which attacks the living tissue of live­ fleas, chiggers and other pestiferous stock, and rarely humans. The mag­ creatures have done much to affect gots of some flies, including the rat­ peace of mind. tailed maggots of flower flies, may be accidentally swallowed, causing Entomophobia intestinal upsets. Entomophobia means excessive fear of insects. Many household pests Poison, Irritation do little or no actual harm but arouse and Allergy intense feelings of revulsion in sus­ Many insects and some spiders, ceptible people. Persons with feelings scorpions, and centipedes, have of repugnance and imaginary "bites" developed poisoning mechanisms and other feelings must be handled for self-defense or for paralyzing with care by the sanitarian. their prey. Stings and bites may be Reasoning and proof of pest prob­ intensely irritating to humans but lems seldom satisfy persons affected seldom cause death in Kansas. by entomophobia. These people are Probably the most dangerous are sincere in their belief and should be the bites of the black widow spider, handled with respect. Medical atten­ Latrodectus mactans, and the sting of tion is often necessary. Some definite a small scorpion, Centruoides sculp­ control efforts should be taken to turatus found in the Southwest. The eliminate any role that insects and brown recluse spider, Loxosceles related arthropods may play. 3 Cockroaches Table 1. Life-History of Four Common Cockroaches in Kansas bO :;; 2 Cockroaches are some of the oldest ID 0.. 0.. g ~ ,:g insects, as indicated by fossil remains !'g 0.. ::;>,"' ~ .S u" Ci ~ ~~ " ~-"' dating to 200 million years ago. This 0 0 "' :;; • E ·:;:~ § ~ E ..0 ]~ i ",.,.,~~~ ability to survive the many changing E E :;; ~ "'~" ~ ~ 0.. ...J c0 "',., - - c c "' "' 0 environments through time illustrates c.,, Ci - "' ·~ ~§ ~..9! bOU ~~ "" .:; 8 ;s ~ the capability of these insects to adapt ~ .g ~~ 0.."' bO ~~ > 0 !'::" " ~ to wide ranges of habitats and living ..;: e <Ci. ...J"' ~~ ~g.. g conditions. German 37 7 60- 140 35,300 Although cockroaches have not 250 American 15 58 320- 440 810 been incriminated as direct carriers of 1070 diseases, they do contaminate food Brownbanded 16 10 140- 110 680 and kitchen utensils with excrement 380 and salivary secretions and leave an Oriental 14 14 210- 100 200 unpleasant odor. Cockroaches some­ 990 times produce allergic reactions in roaches at times infest even the most humans. The allergy is due to roach sanitary and well organized homes parts (proteins), not the odor. and buildings. Cockroaches can enter buildings in Biology and Behavior infested boxes, grocery bags, bever­ Cockroaches develop by gradual age cartons, furniture and dried pet metamorphosis through three life foods. They also can enter around stages: egg, nymph and adult. Adult loose-fitting doors and windows, females produce small, bean-like where electrical lines or water and capsules or oothecae which contain steam pipes pass through walls, in the eggs. These capsules usually are seasoned firewood, and through dropped or glued to some surface by sewer lines. the female soon after they are formed. Most roaches are nocturnal and (The female German cockroach carries appear during daylight only when the capsule protruding from her body disturbed or where there is a large until the eggs are ready to hatch.) population. They prefer warm, dark, Nymphs which hatch from the humid shelters and often are found eggs and emerge from the oothecae around the kitchen sink or drain­ resemble adult roaches, except that board; in cracks around, under or they are smaller and do not have inside cupboards and cabinets; where fully developed wings. Their flat­ pipes or electrical wiring pass along tened bodies and long, spiny legs or through a wall; behind window or enable them to run rapidly and to door frames, loose baseboards or squeeze into crevices and other molding strips; on undersides of hiding places. tables and chairs; in upholstered fur­ Nymphs molt several times, niture; in bathrooms; in radio and TV and finally mature males and females cabinets; and in motor compartments appear. As indicated in Table 1, the of refrigerators, washing machines time required to complete the life and other appliances. cycle varies from about 2 months to Cockroaches feed on a variety of nearly 3 years, depending on the plant and animal products, including species and environmental conditions. meat and grease, starchy foods, Most cockroaches are tropical or sweets, baked goods and other sub-tropical and generally live out­ unprotected kitchen goods.