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Blame it on El Nino! The warm, wet winter means many insect pests will be especially abundant this summer. Warmer weather means more insects and their eggs were able to survive the winter, and wetter weather means greater-than-normal numbers of everything from mosquitoes to fleas, ants to rodents. Wetter years always bring on more mosquitoes because there are more ponds and other places where water collects--like tree holes--where the mosquitoes can breed. Studies show outbreaks of diseases like malaria and dengue increase in years of abundant rainfall and more mosquitoes. Other insects that breed in water, like biting black flies and gnats, or in muck, like many other flies, also will be more abundant. More lush plant growth causes outbreaks of pests that depend on plants for food. You will recall that the 1993 outbreak of Hantavirus was a result of El Nino. In that case, the pinon trees produced a bumper crop of nuts, which caused an explosion of the deer mouse population, which led to the Hantavirus epidemic. Expect a heavier crop of wild nuts, berries, acorns, roots, and other foods to result in more mouse and rat problems this year. Fleas and ticks, likewise, are more abundant in wet years, partly because they have more wild animals to feed on. These are just a few of the many pest problems we at Stanley Pest Control will be especially alert to this year, as we all watch El Nino "bring out the bugs." |
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People often use desperate means to rid themselves of pests. Three of these methods, recorded in a book printed in 1865, recommend the following remedies to drive out cockroaches: "Close in an envelope several of these insects, and drop it in a street unseen, and the remaining Roaches will all go to the finder of the parcel." Another remedy suggests writing a letter to the roaches, telling them to "...go now and trouble my neighbors." This remedy goes on to say that to be successful, it is important that the letter be written legibly, with the correct punctuation. Still another old remedy was to place on roach in an envelope with some money and give it to anyone who would take it. Supposedly all the roaches would then go to the house of the person who accepted the envelope. Unfortunately, many people probably tried these methods, and were no better off for the effort! |
Pests--Increasing Due to El Nino!
Ridiculous Cockroach RemediesPest Trivia!
Challenge
Your Friends with These!
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1. A physician is most likely to find what insect in a child's ear? 2. How many major illnesses are insects known to transmit? 3. What pest did the town of Leesburg, Virginia, finally get rid of, after almost a decade of trying? 4. True or false? Male praying mantids lose their heads when they mate. |
Answers to Pest Trivia!
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1. Cockroaches. In one study of 134 foreign objects found in children's ears, 27 were insects, and 21 (78%) of these were cockroaches. Maybe mom should have told us to wash our ears as well as behind them! 2. At least 15 major ones, including bubonic plague, encephalitis, food poisoning or dysentery, malaria, yellow fever and dengue. 3. Leesburg had a problem with hundreds of huge vultures roosting in the neighborhood trees. A special program of firing flares and firecrackers finally convinced them to leave. The enormous scavengers migrated to a wooded area three miles west of town. 4. It was believed for years that female praying mantids decapitate their male partners just before mating. But recently scientists found that to be untrue. Apparently in the original studies, the females had gone without adequate food and had ravenous appetites. (Female mantids can eat of up 15 full-grown crickets a day!) It's only if a female is hungry that she will cut off her mate's head and eat him. |
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Pest Prevention Tip of the Month Many outdoor pests breed in tall grass and thick ground covers, and then find their way indoors. Keep grass trimmed and ground covers cut low. It's a good idea to keep a graveled, vegetation-free barrier of at least a couple feet, and preferably five feet, all the way around your foundation. |
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SPIDER ALERT! This year we'll see a bumper crop of spiders. You might even see some kinds you've never seen before! That's because whenever insects become abundant, and they will this year, the spiders that feed on them also multiply. Fortunately, most spiders are not dangerous. In fact, most can't even pierce our skin with their mouthparts. Even the most tender-skinned person among us has skin that is just too tough for spiders. In addition, the venom of most spiders isn't strong enough to harm huge giants like us, and spiders generally try to avoid us. However, there are a few exceptions. Of the 3,000 spiders in the U.S., about 50 of them are able to bite us. Of these, black widow and brown recluse spiders are the most well known, and have the most powerful venom. Even these spiders cause no or few deaths each year in the entire country. The other spiders all have milder bites. Actually, researchers have found that about 80% of reported "spider" bites are the bites or stings of pests like fleas, mosquitoes, flies, midges, mites, ticks and similar pests. Remember to never pick up a spider with an unprotected hand. Keep an area uncluttered to help reduce spider numbers. Properly light entryways so that you don't attract insects and spiders. Because spiders reinfest an area, regular treatments are needed to keep them under control and prevent them from building their unsightly webs. |
Pet Food Hazards
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Many people are unaware of the hazards of children eating pet food. A number of years ago an 11-month old girl died suddenly after she ate dry cat food. Upon analysis, the cat food was found to contain penicillin at a level of 600 times higher than the federal limit for human food. The girl's mother said that the girl had eaten the cat food on at least 11 occasions. Penicillin and other antibiotics are often fed to animals that are used in pet foods, making it unfit for human consumption. Babies and very young children are especially at risk. Please take steps to prevent toddlers and children of all ages from eating pet food. Keep the food away from them and take time to teach them that your pets eat different foods than we do. |
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Revenge Against Mosquitoes
Maybe someday scientists will figure out how to use this information to control these insufferable little pests! |
Stretch
receptors in a mosquitoe's abdomen signal the tiny "brain"
when the abdomen is full of blood and it's time to stop sucking.
So what happens when someone surgically prevents this signal
from reaching the brain? The mosquito continues to suck up more
blood--until it explodes.