Ultrasonic Devices for Bed Bugs are Useless Junk

According to a new study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, Ultrasonic Devices for Bed Bugs simply do not work.  The popular DIY Ultrasonic Bed Bug Repellants do not work as advertised according to researchers who tested them out.  Amazon sells many of these products and after a cursory glance through the reviews, people who purchased these items agree with the researchers.  Save yourself the time and money and hire a professional. 

This post was written by the University of Florida

Bee Swarm

Photo: M. K. O'Malley, University of Florida

Bee proof your home and yard:

Remove potential nesting site

Inspect exterior walls and eaves

Seal openings greater than 1/8-inch or install screens (1/8-inch hardware cloth) over vents, rain spouts, water meter/utility boxes, tree cavities, etc.

During peak swarming season (spring through fall) inspect once or twice a week for any bee activity. If you see a swarm of bees that is focusing on one place for 48 hours or more, it is likely they have selected it as their new nest. Call a pest control company to have it removed before they become defensive.

Educate your family to follow general precautions and have a bee safety plan:

Listen for buzzing and look for bees entering or leaving an area, indicating a nest or swarm

Carefully enter areas where bees might be nesting (garages, sheds, old cars, etc.)

Examine area prior to using noisy power equipment (lawn mowers, blowers, chain saws, etc.)

Examine areas before tying or penning pets and livestock

Never disturb a swarm or colony of bees -- contact a pest control company or your Cooperative Extension Agent for assistance

If bees start flying around you, run away. Do not swat at the bees, this will encourage them to sting. Also do not freeze in place, this will also encourage stinging

If bees attack, don’t try to escape by jumping into water – the bees will wait for you to come up for air. Instead, run away and find shelter in a house or car. If there is no shelter, run through bushes or high weeds.

A honey bee will leave its stinger in your skin if it stings you. Get the stinger out by raking your fingernail across it. Don't pinch or pull the stinger out. Put ice on a sting to reduce the swelling.

For detailed information and pictures, please visit https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in741

Please enjoy this video featuring our friend Dr. Faith Oi of the University of Florida.

This great story comes via the USDA:

Deterring Ticks with Citrus and Millipedes

By Sandra Avant
March 8, 2013

Why do birds, monkeys and other animals rub themselves with citrus and creatures like millipedes? One likely reason is because certain plants and arthropods contain natural repellents.

Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) at the National Zoological Park in Front Royal, Va., examined citrus compounds and millipedes for effectiveness against ticks. John Carroll, an entomologist with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, Md., and SCBI researcher Paul Weldon tested the responses of ticks to more than 20 different compounds in citrus extracts. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA.

Ticks were allowed to climb on vertical paper strips containing lemon rind exudates and other citrus chemicals. Repellency evaluation was based on whether ticks crawled into treated areas, continued to move, turned around, crawled back down or fell. Experiments also involved putting ticks inside treated filter-paper packets. After one hour, the ticks were removed, placed on their backs and timed to see if and when they could right themselves and climb out of a low enclosure and onto a fingertip.

Carroll, who works in BARC's Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, found that some ticks were unable to crawl out of enclosures or even right themselves. Of 24 ticks exposed to one citrus chemical, only one righted itself. Of the chemicals tested, one killed or disabled ticks exposed to it for an hour. Several other chemicals kept ticks from climbing onto a fingertip.

To get to the bottom of why some animals anoint themselves with crushed millipedes, scientists used similar techniques to test ticks' responses to three benzoquinone chemicals found in millipedes. One benzoquinone chemical killed ticks, one repelled them and all three benzoquinones hampered efforts of ticks to right themselves and climb. Higher concentrations of these chemicals were able to impair ticks' ability to climb for several months.

Read more about this research in the March 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Salk Lake City food producers, Chapul, have a new food bar on the market.  The call it "The original Cricket Bar". 

'Chapul Bars are delicious, all-natural bars with protein from crickets-one of the planet's most amazing, energy-efficient creatures. No soy. No dairy. Just our innovative flour made entirely from crickets...inspired by native techniques used for centuries in the American Southwest and Mexico.' - from the Chapul website

Keep Nuisance Wildlife in the Wild

NPMA Staff

Monday, November 19, 2012

The National Pest Management Association offers advice for keeping critters out in nature

As temperatures fall, nuisance wildlife are more likely to find shelter indoors for the cold months ahead. TheNational Pest Management Association (NPMA) warns that some wildlife, such as raccoons, squirrels, foxes, bats and skunks, can pose serious risks when they infest a home.

“It’s not unusual to encounter unwanted pests such as mice or spiders during the colder months, but most homeowners are shocked to find a wildlife intrusion inside the home,” said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the NPMA.“Unfortunately, these animals can pose health threats to humans, so it’s important to take precautionary measures to keep them outdoors where they belong.”

In addition to property damage and hard to handle infestations, some wild animals carry rabies, which is potentially fatal if left untreated. In fact, wild animals accounted for 92 percent of reported cases of rabies in 2010, the latest data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with raccoons topping the list.

And don’t let their looks fool you. “Most of these critters are seen as cute and cuddly creatures. However, homeowners should never attempt to remove them on their own. They can bite or attack if they feel threatened, so removal is best left to trained professionals,” advises Henriksen.

Here are some tips from the NPMA for homeowners to keep wildlife in the wild:

·         Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows

·         Screen vents and openings to chimneys

·         Keep food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly

·         Keep tree limbs cut back 6 to 8 feet from the roofline and store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house

·         If you encounter a wild animal on your property, do not attempt to remove it on your own. Rather, contact a local wildlife or pest professional.

For more information about nuisance wildlife or to find a local pest professional call Falcon at 1-800- 532-5266

The NPMA, a non-profit organization with more than 7,000 members, was established in 1933 to support the pest management industry's commitment to the protection of public health, food and property.

Pest Alert created 9-February-2012

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry

Adam H. Putnam, Commissioner of Agriculture

INTRODUCTION: In late 2011, the downy mildew disease of garden impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) caused by Plasmopara obducens made its first appearance in Florida in the Palm Beach County area. The pathogen, known for many years in other parts of the US and the world, has become an exceptionally damaging pest in Europe and the northeast US in recent seasons. The disease has the potential for widespread and rapid destruction of this very popular bedding and pot plant. This pest alert is to inform both the horticulture industry and their customers about this disease and what can be done about it.

BIOLOGY: This “water-mold” Oomycete pathogen is specific to the genus Impatiens with a special affinity for I. walleriana. Cool, moist conditions favor this disease; the onset of warmer weather may bring relief. Sporangia produced on infected tissues are easily dispersed by wind and water-splash. Younger tissue is more susceptible than older. Infected tissues will eventually contain a very resistant spore type that will probably infest the area for at least the next growing season and perhaps longer unless all infected material is physically removed. Summer survival of these resistant oospores under Florida conditions is unknown. It is logical to conclude that the disease arrived in Florida on infected plant material, perhaps small plugs or on privately transported house plants, but proof of such an event is elusive. Long-term persistence of the pathogen on other species of Impatiens that tolerate the disease better than I. walleriana is possible.

SYMPTOMS: Like any typical downy mildew, P. obducens can be very subtle in its early stages of pathogenesis, making it all the more likely to be transported into new areas on apparently healthy plants. The incubation period from infection to symptom expression can take 5-14 days (Warfield 2011). Early symptoms are faint chlorosis or stippling of leaves that eventually become completely chlorotic. As the disease progresses, infected leaves fall off, leaving bare stems. The undersides of yellow and even green leaves may appear downy white to light gray with masses of sporangia and sporangiophores. Eventually, the infection leads to complete collapse of the plant. By the time the more obvious stages of the disease are noticed, considerable spread undoubtedly has already occurred.

CULTURAL MANAGEMENT: Start with clean plants. Consider infected plants beyond rescue. If you do encounter infection, carefully and promptly remove all infected material and associated debris by placing everything in a bag and sealing it on the spot for disposal in the trash (Wells, 2011). Do not compost infected material, as it will contain abundant long-lived spores (oospores) that will inevitably cause problems on the next impatiens crop. If you have already experienced impatiens downy mildew in the landscape, seriously consider rotating to another crop (Anonymous, 2011). Carefully clean up greenhouse outbreaks and sanitize the affected area before placing another Impatiens crop in that location. This downy mildew is not known to be seed-transmitted, so seed propagated plants are a safer option than asexually propagated plants. Avoid rooted cuttings for now.

FUNGICIDAL MANAGEMENT: Consider fungicides as mainly protective. They perform best when applied before infection, and can be applied as a spray or a drench. University of Florida - IFAS has issued a nicely illustrated Fact Sheet on this disease that includes fungicide recommendations (Sangorski and Schall, 2012). Ball Horticultural Company and Cornell University’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Education Center have been investigating fungicide options for this disease, and have found the following products to be effective (Zurko, 2011):