RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Termite Guts Could Lead to Bio-fuel Production

Different enzymes found in the digestive systems of termites could overcome current obstacles associated with creating fuel from wood biomass

Purdue University researchers have discovered that enzymes found in a termite's digestive system could aid in biofuel production from woody biomass.

Mike Scharf, study leader and O. Wayne Rollins/Orkin Chair in Molecular Physiology and Urban Entomology, and a team of Purdue University researchers, have found that different enzymes found in the guts of termites could overcome current obstacles associated with creating fuel from wood biomass.

Scharf and his team decided to investigate termites since they eat wood, and the wood is obviously digested within these insects. The team measured the sugar output from enzymes that are created by the termites as well as output from symbionts, which are tiny protozoa that reside within termites that help digest wood. For a long time, scientists thought symbionts were the only ones responsible for digestion until the Purdue team further investigated enzymes created by the termite host.

Termite digestive systems were separated and tested based on sections that contained and did not contain symbionts on sawdust "to measure the sugars created." The team found the different enzymes, and worked to create synthetic versions with Chesapeake Perl, which is a company that produces proteins. The genes, which created the enzymes, were placed into a virus and given to caterpillars to eat, and increased amount of the enzymes were produced.

The researchers found that the synthetic versions were capable of releasing sugar from the biomass, and also discovered that the three synthetic enzymes work on different areas of the biomass. Two of the enzymes release two different sugars -- glucose and pentose -- while the third enzyme breaks down lignin, which is a compound that makes up plant walls and is one of the toughest barriers that prevents the access to sugars in biomass.

"For the most part, people have overlooked the host termite as a source of enzymes that could be used in the production of biofuels," said Scharf. "For a long time it was thought that the symbionts were solely responsible for digestion. Certainly the symbionts do a lot, but what we've shown is that the host produces enzymes that work in synergy with the enzymes produced by those symbionts. When you combine the functions of the host enzymes with the symbionts, it's like one plus one equals four."

Accessing the sugar from plants is vital for the production of biofuels since these sugars are fermented to make ethanol. This new enzyme cocktail will allow these sugars to be created from wood, hence represents a step closer to alternative fuel production.

The next step is to find symbiont enzymes that can be mixed with termite enzymes to produce larger amounts of sugar from wood.

This study was published in PLoS One.

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

A picture is worth a thousand words so here are 2,000 words! As you can see when it comes to urban bird control, there is no job that EHS can not handle! The problem with pest birds is that people think they can solve the problem on their own by putting out a plastic owl, bird gel, or bird spikes. It always fails and then they call for professional help.

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What people do not realize is that bird droppings may have as much as 25 diseases associated with them! Pest birds can put your business at risk (damage, liability, public image, etc.), EHS will protect your investment with professional bird control.

Pat Hagan
Commercial Business Development Manager

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

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I wanted to show you a “birds eye view” of what a professional netting job looks like when it is done by EHS. You can’t even tell this was netted off to exclude pigeons, sparrows, and starlings. This parking garage for a government office was infested with pest birds.

They spent thousands of thousands of dollars on products that failed to solve the problem. They spent MUCH MUCH more on the labor to power wash and clean all the droppings! This of course was a big safety issue for employees.

They called EHS and despite them doubting this would ever be solved we proved to them that it could be done expertly! Just more proof that when you have pest birds you need to call the leader in urban bird control, EHS!

Justin McDavid
Wildlife Control Supervisor

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Bat Terrorizes Passengers on Airplane

A bat got loose on an Atlanta-bound flight, forcing horrified passengers to duck for cover.

The flying mammal appeared about 15 minutes after Delta flight 5121, operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, took off from Madison, Wis., on Friday, and cruised around the cabin above passengers' heads.

“The captain called the control tower to say the plane was returning to the airport to remove a winged animal,” said Brent McHenry, spokesperson for the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison.

A passenger near the rear of the plane shooed the bat into the restroom and shut the door, to the cheers of fellow riders, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. But McHenry said that by the time the plane landed and all passengers got off, it seemed to have vanished. As airport maintenance staff searched the plane, however, a bat flew out and into the terminal, he said. From there, workers coaxed it out to freedom.

“Our terminal has high ceilings, and it’s not unusual to have a bird flying around inside,” said McHenry. “But the bat created a bit of entertainment for our early morning passengers as maintenance crew members with a large net ushered it outside.”

After a delay of a few hours, passengers were able to re-board continue on to Atlanta.

Jarek Beem, spokesperson for Atlantic Southeast Airlines, said the airline was “confident in the maintenance search and that the animal was no longer on the aircraft at the time of the next departure.”

Source – nbcnews.com

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Squirrels Do 17% of the Damage to Fiber Optic Network

Fred Lawler, senior vice president of global field services at Level 3, said that "squirrel chews" account for a whopping 17 percent of the company's damage repairs this year, across 57,000 miles of intercity and 27,000 miles of metropolitan fiber.

Lawler noted, "Of all the animals in the whole world, almost all of our animal damage comes from this furry little nut eater. Squirrel chews account for a whopping 17% of our damages so far this year! But let me add that it is down from 28% just last year and it continues to decrease since we added cable guards to our plant. Honestly, I don’t understand what the big attraction is or why they feel compelled to gnaw through cables. Our guys in the field have given this some thought and jokingly suspect the cable manufacturers of using peanut oil in the sheathing. If you have any new ideas on how we can combat these wayward rodents, I’d love to hear from you. We are always looking for ways to improve."

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Health Violations Cited in Palm Beach County School Inspections

Palm Beach County public and private schools are frequently cited by health inspectors for a variety of violations, which run from rodent droppings in classrooms and broken drinking fountains and toilets, to locked bathrooms used as storage closets, according to reports.

Since 2009, schools have racked up 128 violations for vermin problems and 479 citations for faulty fountains, among other repeated offenses, records show.

But despite these unsanitary conditions, schools rarely are fined or receive unsatisfactory ratings, because the violations usually are not considered dangerous for students and teachers. And most importantly, education typically continues despite the nuisances.

A review of inspection reports show what some students face during the school day:

Rat waste in two rooms in a classroom building at Royal Palm Beach High School: "School buildings must be rat proofed," an inspector wrote in the school's satisfactory June report. "Note: Staff suspects a rodent nest above ceiling tiles." Pest control is a never-ending concern, he added, with cases flaring up at about one out of every 10 campuses, records show.

"When you start seeing rodents and roaches and vermin, there are sources of water and food at the school," Mets said. "You have to find the access points and seal them up."

A public outcry last year about an abundance of rodents and roaches at three aging elementary schools in the Glades helped to persuade the Palm Beach County School Board to approve three major school renovation projects. In 2007, the district spent more than $150,000 on rat-proofing building repairs at Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School. The campus became susceptible to vermin because of hurricane damage in 2004 and a later air conditioner replacement that exposed holes in ceilings.

School rodent problems rarely get so bad they disrupt classes, but in December eight kindergarten classes at Tamarac Elementary in Broward County were relocated to other rooms. To attack the infestation, the school trimmed nearby trees and set traps.

One of the worst local problems in recent years occurred at St. Juliana Catholic School in West Palm Beach. In 2007, a barrage of rats and mice forced the school to close for three days while a pest-control company exterminated the property. It was reopened after the Health Department conducted an inspection with school officials.

Routine inspections usually take one to two hours and cover eight major categories, including school sanitation, bathrooms, trash and vermin control. Even something as minor as a broken paper towel holder is checked off.

"Anything that might cause harm, a broken window, that's something they would deal with right away," said Wilson, the county inspector. "We take everything seriously."

Source = Associated Press

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite Your Condo Association

Here's another expense community associations need to add to their budgets: bedbug inspections. Long believed to be almost extinct, these pesky little night-biters have returned with a vengeance and are headed for a mattress near you.

Bedbug infestations in recent years have increased dramatically in all 50 states, according to the National Pest Management Association, which tracks the critters. In a 2010 survey, 95 percent of responding pest-control professionals reported treating bedbugs during the previous year. In 2000, the number was 25 percent.

 Missy Henricksen, the pest management association's spokeswoman and vice president of public affairs, cited possible causes of the invasion: People are traveling more often and also to far-flung locations, and some are bringing the pests home. Also, many bedbug strains have grown resistant to the pesticides available to treat them.

The most common species of bedbugs, scientifically known as Cimex lectularius, are small, brown, nocturnal parasites about the size of an apple seed. Mostly, they thrive on human blood. They hide out until they are hungry but can go a year without food. You might not suspect their presence unless you wake up with reddish welts on your skin.

Bedbugs are especially problematic in condominium buildings, said Sara Kantarovich, technical director and entomologist for Smithereen Pest Management Services, in Niles.

She explained: Bedbugs lurk everywhere, but they are especially attracted to environments inhabited by large groups of people, their primary food source. Those environments include apartments, condominiums, hotels, hospitals and assisted-living centers. Bedbugs easily travel from unit to unit through electrical outlets, under baseboards, across hallways, in luggage and on clothing.

"In an apartment building, one owner has the authority to enforce bedbug services or inspections," she said. "In a condo building, there's no one authority who can enforce those kinds of procedures."

Many condo boards and managers won't even discuss the subject, she said.

"They want to keep things quiet," she said. "They fear that if word gets out, the value of their property will decrease."

Condo dwellers will be relieved to learn that bedbugs are not indicative of poor housekeeping, unlike the presence of German cockroaches and other scavengers, she said.

"People are stigmatized, but this is not a sanitation issue," she said. "You can be the cleanest person on earth or live in a $10million condo. Bedbugs do not see lines of socioeconomic class."

A cluttered home doesn't invite bedbugs, but it does provide more hiding places that make treatment more difficult, she said.

Another reassurance is that bedbugs don't transmit disease. However, they do cause health problems such as varying degrees of skin irritation, stress, anxiety and insomnia, said Henricksen.

Getting rid of the pests is difficult but not impossible. Treatment methods depend on how widespread the infestation is. Among the options are high heat, freezing temperatures, high-powered vacuuming, steam and pesticides, often used in combination. Heavy infestations require more treatments than light ones. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to treat a small infestation to thousands of dollars for a large, stubborn one.

It's not a job for amateurs, said Henricksen.

"A lot of things can kill bedbugs," she said. "You can pour things on them. You can step on them and squish them. But unless you get in to the walls where they are hiding and reproducing, you're not treating the problem."

"They are one of our most challenging pests," Kantarovich said. "It's not like you can put (poison) down, walk away and they are dead. I would take roaches and ants and rats any day of the week over bedbugs."

The professionals said the best control is frequent inspections of common areas and residential units. If an infestation is found in one unit, the entire building doesn't have to undergo treatment, but surrounding units should be inspected.

"Condo buildings that are the most successful with their elimination strategies often have a strong board who is willing to mandate regular inspections," Kantarovich said. "The sooner they start, the more successful they will be."

Source = Chicago Tribune

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Rats! New Bedford Woman Threatens to Sue Landlord

Jacqueline Tome hates rats but loves her apartment. Therein lies the problem.

Tome says she has locked horns with her landlord, Steve Menard, over what she calls a rat infestation for about a year. The 81 Cottage St. resident has filed a complaint with the city's Health Department, has begun to put her rent into an escrow account and vows she and her landlord "will be going to court over this one."

Menard counters he has done everything asked of him. He says "we're happy to clean it up ... but we can only do what's possible." "We're taking advice from the Board of Health and contractors. I don't know what else we're supposed to do," he said. "We're doing everything the professionals are recommending." Menard said he has had no other complaints from tenants in Tome's apartment building and is unsure what Tome "is looking for." Tome's apartment is one of six in the building.

He suggested the rats may be drawn to Tome's cat food. "She yells and screams and swears at me," Menard said of Tome. "I've told her to submit everything in writing."

The city's Health Department has a file documenting her complaints and the numerous inspections that followed. "I literally have no more strength, no more energy," said Tome, a 46-year-old who works for Comcast. "I'm burnt out." So why not move out of the place she has called home for the last nine years? "My apartment is beautiful. I have off-street parking and it's safe," she said.

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

It looks like a disturbing trend is continuing with rats appearing on subway trains. They keep this up and they are going to need metro cards!

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

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In today’s tough economic and housing climate there are residential houses that are vacant for extended periods of time. Months long is not uncommon and in some cases it may be a year or more. It is worse when it is a foreclosure when the occupants leave with no notice and leave many possessions behind. In some cases they leave behind food items, grass seed, bird food, pet food, etc. A total buffet for pests!

The problem with houses like this is that pests often find the house and can get out of hand in a short period of time. Mice are a perfect pest for these situations. They are prolific breeders so in 3 months the number of mice in a home can quadruple! The environment is perfect for them, the house is vacant, quiet, dark, and there is always food and nesting material left behind.

The attached picture shows you exactly this scenario. Mice got so out of control in this vacant house that they created heavy runways (travel routes) into voids. The picture shows a gnaw hole created into a floor void from the basement level. You can see the “greasy” rub marks that are created when mice frequent the same paths. These rub marks are from the lanolin (oil) on their fur. In this case the buyers home inspector pointed out that there was a high level of mouse activity and they should contact a professional. EHS performed an initial treatment and excluded the mice out at the foundation level. We then did a 30 day follow up and have a 6 month follow up on the books. The treatment program with 1 year warranty was enough to satisfy the bank plus buyer and the home was sold. See, professional pest control is good for the economy!

Alex Johnson
Service Specialist
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA