MAY/JUNE 2016 THE PEST BULLETIN It’s Wasp Season! uring the months ahead wasps and you disturb them or even come close to However, a new paper wasp, the European Dtheir kin will be multiplying and their nests. paper wasp, is just as aggressive as becoming much more serious problems. yellowjackets and hornets. As the area wasp experts, we want you to Many wasps and bees don't live in know that there are many kinds of colonies. None of these are likely to sting wasps—some are more aggressive and unless you put your hand right on one. much more likely to attack than others Spider wasps are solitary wasps that when you get close to their nests. nest in the ground. They have an intensely Yellowjackets and hornets build Paper or umbrella wasps, often painful sting. Mud daubers build mud the largest nests. These are often mistaken for yellowjackets, build nests in tubes under eaves and on walls. underground in abandoned animal the shape of an inverted umbrella, with Carpenter bees are large bumble bee- burrows, and above ground in protected each cell exposed and facing down (as in like insects that tunnel into wood. Only spots like tree cavities and under the the drawing above). The nest is attached female carpenter bees can sting. eaves of your home. Each nest has a at a single point under eaves, in attics, or Give us a call for service on any type single entrance. These are the most on branches. These wasps will attack if of wasp or bee problem. dangerous kinds of wasps—large numbers disturbed, but are generally not as will very quickly defend their nest if aggressive as yellowjackets and hornets. Pest Prevention Tip of the Month What if I See Carpenter Ants? eople sometimes bring pests indoors arpenter ants are leaking gutters, or a Pwithout knowing it. Once indoors, Coften slow to cause poorly ventilated attic or pests can multiply and spread. It is a visible damage, so it's crawlspace. Tree stumps, good idea to double check to make sure common for a homeowner dead tree limbs, and pests are not hiding in things you bring to see them wandering firewood also can into your home. Check things like potted about for years and not encourage problems with plants, firewood, boxes and bags of food (including pet food), used furniture and see the hidden damage carpenter ants, as well as appliances, and luggage. they are causing. DO NOT trees and shrubs that WAIT until you notice touch a home or "crowd carpenter ant damage to it", keeping the walls control these pests. If you more moist. see ants crawling about, you should have Call us if you see suspicious-looking them controlled BEFORE they spread or ants crawling inside or outside your home. •• Free Home! start causing major problems. That way We're experts at controlling these difficult •• Free Food and Water! you may be able to completely avoid their pests. We start by inspecting your home • No Pest Control Services! damage and prevent costly repair bills. to find where they are coming from. • Carpenter ants become most active If their nests are all outside your home, between midnight and 4am, so if you see we need to take steps to ensure the ants these pests during the daytime, you are stay out. seeing only a small fraction of what is If the ants are already nesting inside, happening at night. Be especially on the they need to be stopped before they have lookout for these pests if you have leaks time to do more damage, and multiply and They were all lookng for homes or other moisture problems, blocked or create more colonies. without our pest control services. Thank you for your business and referrals! More information for our valued customers. Termites Car Burns Because Reinfesting of Bed Bugs Long Island, New York, man who saw bed ermites were eliminated by Abugs in his car was told by a friend that tbaiting in the 32 acre Louis rubbing alcohol kills the bugs, so he proceeded to Armstrong Park in New Orleans in dump the flammable liquid all over the car's 2002-2003. A study followed the interior. Then he decided to sit in the car, relax, site over the years, to see how and light a cigarette! The resulting flames engulfed the car plus long it took for the area to become two cars parked nearby. The man suffered second degree burns re-infested with termites. as he escaped out of the car, and a helicopter rushed him to the Using 808 bait stations, by July 2005 termite hospital. activity was found in up to 11 stations. The park The car was so badly burned that detectives could not read the was flooded by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, VIN number or the license plates. but termites remained active and slowly peaked to Friends, alcohol in any form does not do a good job of controlling 109 bait stations showing signs of termite activity insects. Not only is it a danger because it is highly flammable, but in by September 2008. a recent published test it only killed about half the bugs. Our In April 2009, the researchers used treatments are much safer and much more effective, and ultimately a genotyping and found 15 colonies in the park—8 lot less costly. colonies around the edges, that probably originated from colonies outside the park, and 7 inside the park, that probably came from termite swarmers starting new colonies. Both Formosan Where you and Eastern subterranean termites were found. The researchers concluded that termites can are Stung reinvade and completely re-populate an area where they have been controlled in only 4 ½ Matters years. This assumes termites are abundant in the general area. The study shows the importance of esearcher Michael Smith ongoing monitoring and control measures. rallowed himself to be stung at 25 different places of his body by Bed honey bees, and discovered that where you are stung determines Mattresses how painful the sting is. The three least painful locations were the skull, middle toe tip, and upper arm, all scoring a 2.3 pain rating on a 1-10 Can Spread scale. Some of the most painful places to be stung were the penis and Bed Bugs upper lip, scoring 7.3 and 8.7, respectively. The nostril was the most painful place to be stung, scoring 9 out of 10. ost people would This is a dedicated researcher! Sounds like very painful research. mnever pick up a Best not to get stung at all. discarded mattress they saw on a sidewalk. These mattresses are not only not clean, but increasingly they are also infested with bedbugs. But what about "renovated", "reconditioned", Hairs Keep this Ant Cool or "refurbished" mattresses? There are state laws n the Sahara Desert, the Saharan silver ant is that require companies that process these Iunusual in that it crawls out in the hottest part of mattresses to sanitize them, but it has been found the day, when most other animals are avoiding the sun. that bed bugs are not adequately controlled by New research shows that it is the hairs (shaped like some of these companies. Think twice about triangular prisms) on the ant's back that deflect the buying these mattresses, and look for the white tag hottest sun, keeping the ants cool. The hairs also give that is placed on new mattresses, not the yellow or the ants their silvery look. red tag on second hand mattresses. How did the researchers discover it was the hairs If you know anyone who is discarding a that kept the ants cool? By actually shaving the hairs mattress infested with bed bugs, be sure to tell off the tiny ants using a sharp scalpel blade. (Wow-- them to slit it open, bag it, label it "Bed Bugs", and that's an unusual skill!) They found shaved ants heated dispose of it properly, so that hopefully no one will up in the sun, unlike the unshaved ants. re-use it. Written specially for our valued customers by Dr. Wayne S. Moore. © Copyright Moore Consulting, 2016. All rights reserved..