DADE CITY — Health officials have confirmed a case of Eastern equine encephalitis in a local horse, prompting reminders to east Pasco residents to protect themselves against mosquito-borne diseases.

The disease was found in a Dade City horse that had been euthanized, said Deanna Krautner, spokeswoman for the Pasco County Health Department.

"Although cases of (Eastern equine encephalitis) are rare in humans, if a person gets sick with the disease it is often serious and can even be fatal," said county health officer Dr. David Johnson.

Read the whole story at St. Peteresburg Times

The White House should've called us!

From our friends at Pepedogs

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Termidor termiticide/insecticide has a new label with updated use directions for general pest control.

“Termidor is a more inclusive pest control product than ever before,” said Dr. Bob Davis, market development specialist for BASF. “The new label directions provide pest management professionals with more specific guidance on using Termidor SC termiticide/insecticide and Termidor WG termiticide/insecticide for general pest control.”

The new Termidor label separates “outside surfaces” from “foundation perimeter,” with a listing of structures that includes residential, institutional, commercial and industrial buildings and utility enclosures.

“The improvement to the label directions adds clarity to treatment of structures beyond the one-foot up and one-foot out from the foundation treatments,” Davis said.

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Great Story on Bedbugs in Apartment complexes in the New York Times from March 22nd, 2010.

The Daytona Beach News Journal wrote a very entertaining piece about bugs coming back to Florida homes once Spring hits.  We included a little of the story below, check out the full write-up here.

By AARON LONDON, TAKING UP SPACE
  March 31, 2010 12:05 AM

Now Atlantic hurricane season doesn't start for a couple more months, and it will be a while before we get into that afternoon thunderstorm weather pattern, but Mother Nature's bounty is becoming increasingly evident with every passing day. That's right, the bugs are back.
Buzzing, flying, biting and certainly annoying, Florida's insect population is reemerging from its winter slumber to make its presence known once again.

It's estimated that there are 12,500 different species of insects roaming about the Sunshine State, and I think each and every one of them has taken up residence in my backyard.

Not a day passes that I don't see evidence of more and more insect activity in my tiny corner or our little corner of paradise.

For those who bemoan the decline of commercial development, I have several contractors from the ant world building elaborate insect condos all around my property.
These elaborate -- and sometimes mind-boggling -- efforts seem to pop up literally overnight and there doesn't appear to be any "No Vacancy" sign anywhere.

 James Gilbert   Created:  3/15/2010

Washington, D.C. (WUSA) -- We've heard about airline delays causes by a number of factors; mechanical issues, weather problems, traffic gridlock at the airport. But earlier this month, one DC resident and regular flier faced a type of airline delay she has never encountered before.
Miami to Reagan National Airport, an American Airlines flight Alissa Kempler says she will never forget. She says "At the end of the day I think it ended up being an hour and a half delay."

The flight crew was dealing with a group of unwelcome passengers, an unusual delay: Delayed by roaches.

A stewardess told Kempler "There are roaches on the plane." She found out "there are actually 50 roaches and they found a colony on a curtain between first class and the pilots." Kempler says, "We spent the next two and a half hours or at least I did, curled up in my seat thinking 'how many cockroaches are going to be in my bag when I get out?'"

Read entire story at WLTX.com

Reported by: Roxanne Stein
Email: rstein@wptv.com
Last Update: 2/26 10:13 am

Read entire Story at WPTV

BACKGROUND: Although bedbugs were virtually eradicated in the United States by the 1960s, increased international travel and restrictions on pesticides have caused a resurgence in places ranging from nursing homes to dormitories to movie theaters. In fact, travelers who carry the insects in their luggage and clothing are the most common recipients of bites. The National Pest Management Association has reported a 71-percent increase in bedbug infestation in the U.S. since 2001.
 
Bedbugs leave a bite similar in appearance to that from a mosquito, which takes 10 to 14 days to surface. Once the itching starts, the bite normally lasts for about a month. While bothersome, a recent U.S. study found bedbugs rarely, if ever, transmit disease. Systemic reactions have been reported but are rare.
 
According to researchers, the name "bedbug" can actually be misleading. "They don't stay in the bed," Phil Koehler, Ph.D., an entomologist and bedbug expert at the University of Florida in Gainesville, told Ivanhoe. "They can be found just about everywhere in the room, and they can be found in sofas. They can be found even in wall sockets, and even inside wall voids ... Probably, about 30 percent are going to be found in other areas of the room you wouldn't even think of."