RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

An elderly Texas couple were killed by bees this week after they apparently tried to remove the insects from a fireplace in a house on a remote ranch, the Valley Morning Star reported Wednesday.

William Steele, 90, died Monday in the house on a ranch outside Hebbronville, Texas, about 100 miles west of Corpus Christi. His wife, Myrtle Steele, 92, died Tuesday after she was flown to a Corpus Christi hospital, the couple's daughter-in-law, Judy Steele, told the newspaper.

Judy Steele told the paper that the bees swarmed when her father-in-law sprayed a hive the insects had built in the small home's fireplace.

Her husband, Richard Steele, was with his parents when the attack occurred, Judy Steele, told the Morning Star. He was also stung but was able to drive several miles to the nearest phone to call emergency services, she said. There is no cell phone service in the remote area, she said.

Jim Hogg County sheriff's deputies responded and told the paper they were able to get Myrtle Steele out of the house.

“We were getting stung in the process, but we were able to place a blanket over her and take her to an awaiting ambulance – we did what we could,” the paper quoted Deputy Reyes Espinoza as saying. William Steele died inside, Espinoza said.

Judy Steele said her mother-in-law was stung more than 300 times.

Espinoza told the paper the species of bees involved in the attack had not been identified and the hive had yet to be removed from the house.

source: www.cnn.com

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

So you bought an electronic pest repeller for $9.99 and plug it into an outlet and it repels all insects from your entire house. That’s how it works right? I mean if it were that good there would be no pest control industry! These gimmick devices have been soundly disproven by science again and again. The problem is that people do not believe science and facts so millions of these stupid things are still being sold every year!

Well, here is some visual proof that proves yet again that these things are a gimmick. This ultrasonic unit was plugged into an outlet in an apartment in Boston. As you can see it did absolutely nothing to repel or control the German Cockroaches. In fact they seemed to love the extra warmth it provided as evident by the copious amounts of fecal matter. Perhaps I should go into the snake oil sales business?

Jon Hinthorne
Service Specialist
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

U.S. Marshals Seize Products of Rodent-Infested Fremont Food Company

The U.S. Marshals Service, acting on the order of a federal court, seized food products Tuesday made by a Fremont food company infested with rodents, federal prosecutors said.

The product seizure at the San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company warehouse occurred after prosecutors filed a complaint in a San Francisco court, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said.

From July 3-16, federal and state officials inspected the warehouse at 47444 Kato Road and discovered a widespread pest infestation, including live and dead rodents and insects on and around food; rodent nesting materials in food; urine-stained packages of food; and rodent excrement pellets on and in food, prosecutors said.

The company has been closed since July 11.

The U.S. Marshals Service will destroy the seized food products if no one tries to claim them after 30 days, authorities said.

The joint investigation is being conducted by the Food and Drug Administration and the California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Beer Goggles Affect Insects, Too

It was a case of beer, sex and mistaken identity.

A University of Toronto professor's research about the copulation patterns of male Australian jewel beetles with "stubby" beer bottles won him an Ig Nobel Prize, a parody of the prestigious award given to researchers whose findings will first make people laugh and then think.

The 2011 winners were presented the award at Harvard University on Thursday by actual Nobel Prize winners.

Darryl Gwynne of the U of T's Mississauga campus' ecology and evolutionary biology department was heralded for his 1983 paper "Beetles on the Bottle: Male Buprestids Mistake Stubbies for Females."

"I'm honoured, I think," Gwynne said in a statement.

"The awards make people think, and they're a bit of a laugh. Really, we've been sitting here by the phone for the past 20-plus years waiting for the call. Why did it take them so long?" he asks.

Gwynne and Australian colleague David Rentz were conducting field work in Western Australia 23 years ago when they noticed something unusual along the side of the road.

"We were walking along a dirt road with the usual scattering of beer cans and bottles when we saw about six bottles with beetles on top or crawling up the side. It was clear the beetles were trying to mate with the bottles," he said.

The bottles — known as "stubbies" in Australia — resembled a "super female" jewel beetle that are big and orangey brown in colour, with a slightly dimpled surface near the bottom that reflects light in much the same way as female wings do.

Ignoring the actual female beetles, the males began mounting the beer bottles and attempted to mate with them to a perilous death — they fried under the hot sun and some were eaten by hungry ants.

Despite the humorous circumstances, Gwynne said the research had a serious message.

In this case, female beetles were ignored by the males which could impact the natural world.

"Improperly disposed of beer bottles not only present a physical and 'visual' hazard in the environment, but also could potentially cause great interference with the mating system of a beetle species," the paper said.

Gwynne also points out that the research supports the theory of sexual selection: that males, in their eagerness to mate, are the ones that make mating mistakes.

Gwynne conducted his research as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Western Australia in Nedlands. He joined U of T Mississauga in 1987.

The research was published in the journal of the Entomological Society of Australia and the U.K.-based journal, Antenna.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

I am an mature photographer so whenever I see the opportunity to take a cool picture I am ready. Being in pest control means I can get some cool and interesting pictures. I know most people are freaked out by insects but I have to admit, they are pretty cool, especially up close! It is easy to see why science fiction people often steal looks from insects.

I happened to see this grasshopper on a bush and was able to get him onto my hand where I snapped the up close shot. Looks like he is posing for me! From an artistic standpoint the fade to out of focus in the background made for an awesome picture!

Jon Hinthorne
Service Specialist
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

You NEVER know what you are going to find in this crazy industry! I got called out for a Yellow Jacket nest under a deck at a customers home. The Yellow Jackets were really active. I saw a ground nest but then right next to it I see a baby’s car seat. Sure enough another Yellow Jacket nest was built right into the seat! They are amazing insects and they will construct their nests in anything!

Jon Hinthorne
Service Specialist
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Even more proof that insects are REALLY COOL! The attached images are of a Spittlebug (family Cercopidae). It is pretty obvious how they get their name! So if you see a plant that looks like somebody hocked a loogie on it then it is probably this insect.

They suck plant juices for food, and as nymphs they defend themselves by secreting a mucus type liquid from glands near their anus. They then blow bubbles in the liquid to whip it into a froth and then hide in their spit froth. They do this for two reasons, 1) It keeps them from drying out AND 2) It is a defense mechanism because it makes it harder for predators to find them.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Mosquitoes Fester with Momentum

It’s mosquito season again, and the little blood-suckers are back with a vengeance.

A rainy, wet spring mixed with warm summer temperatures provided perfect breeding conditions for the insects, and the pest experts at EHS say they are bracing for a busy year as the mosquito population booms.

“It’s already one of the worst seasons we’ve seen in awhile,” stated EHS customer service.

Rivers swelled past its banks with spring snow melts, surrounding areas became saturated, creating larger viable areas for mosquitoes to breed.

More areas are wet, and that opened up breeding sites just about everywhere causing EHS to find mosquitoes in areas we haven’t seen before.

Usually the mosquito population peaks in the beginning weeks of June in MA + RI.

EHS strongly urges residents to use insect repellents with DEET whenever they are outdoors. Additionally, residents should cover skin when outside, eliminate standing water in their yards and limit the outdoors at dusk and dawn, which are peak hours for mosquito activity.

For people who choose to lounge outside in the summer, EHS recommends warding off the insects with repellents that can be applied to grass and foliage.

EHS has created a “Take Back My Yard” program for mosquito control and the results have been amazing! We offer both a low impact treatment and a certified organic option. Bottom line is that we give people back the quality of life that mosquitoes take away.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

HELP!!!! MY ENTIRE GARAGE FLOOR IS CRAWLING WITH INSECTS!!!!

click image to enlarge

That was the frantic phone call we got into our office. I get there to do the inspection and the customer was right, there were a TRILLION insects all over the garage floor! What were they? Upon examining them they were grain beetles. Why in the garage? Now come the probing questions to the homeowner……Do you have bird seed stored here? NO. Dog food? NO. Grass seed? NO. Any type of food or seed? NO

Time to play Columbo and investigate the “crime scene”. Sure enough I see some beetles raining down from a shelf in the back of the garage. I move some items away and there it is, a 10LB box of dog biscuits! The husband confesses that he bought them at a big box store over a year prior because they had a deal on them. There were two boxes and they were so big and bulky that he stored one box in the garage and forgot about it. So I used my HEPA vacuum and physically removed all the beetles then treated the area and most importantly threw away the epically infested box of dog biscuits. Just look at all some of the beetles in the Ziploc bag and the damage they did to the bones.

Mike “Spike” McGoldrick
Service Supervisor
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

One of the things people think about the coldest part of winter is, "at least it will kill the bugs." However, that is not true for all species.

Each species has its own life cycle characteristics, so the stage an insect overwinters in and how tolerant it is to temperature tells the true story.

Below are some examples of the area's more common insects and how they overwinter in Fairfield County.

Let's begin with the honey bee. The queen and sterile female workers overwinter in the hive. In spring, the eggs are laid, and the workers will feed the larvae and tend to the pupa. In late spring or summer, the fertile males and females appear, and the queen will leave the hive with a swarm of workers to start a new colony.

Bumblebees have hibernating queens that arrive in spring to establish underground colonies. Again, the workers -- all sterile females -- forage and tend to the larvae and pupae. Late in the season, males and young queens emerge, leave the nest and mate. Males, workers and the old queens die, with new queens overwintering to repeat the cycle.

The common house fly female lays her eggs in clusters on garbage or manure. Eggs hatch within a day, and the larvae mature in five days, pupate and emerge as adults in another five days. House flies produce many generations per year. That is why you will see adult flies in a sunny windowsill on warm winter days.

Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, lay their eggs on the ground during warmer weather. The larvae become active, preying on snails and other small animals. The larvae then hibernate and enter the pupa stage. Adults will emerge the next summer. Fireflies produce only one generation per year.

An aphid's life cycle is variable. Eggs survive winter and hatch into wingless females that give birth to more wingless females, but no males. They then progress to a winged generation that moves to another host plant where more wingless females migrate back to the initial host plant. Finally, males are produced, mating occurs and eggs are laid.

Lastly is the dreaded mosquito. Their eggs are laid singly or in small clusters on water or damp ground prone to flooding. Wiggly larvae feed on tiny aquatic plants and animals, then molt into active pupae. The adult mosquito emerges at the water's surface from floating pupae. Mosquitoes have one or more generations per year.

This winter, it seems unlikely Fairfield County will experience extreme cold or even the annual spring thaw. Keep an eye on those insects as they emerge.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA