RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

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 

Mouse-Borne Virus Kills Camper

A Bay Area man has died after contracting the rare hantavirus - a viral infection carried by mice and passed to humans by the rodents' feces or urine - that he was probably exposed to while staying in Yosemite's popular Curry Village tent cabins, public health officials said Thursday.

The 37-year-old man, whose name and hometown were not released, died in late July, about six weeks after his stay in Yosemite National Park. Another visitor to the park, a woman in her 40s who lives in Southern California, also became sick with hantavirus but is expected to survive, according to the state Public Health Department.

The woman and the Bay Area man were in Yosemite at the same time in mid-June and staying in cabins about 100 feet from each other, but did not know each other, Yosemite officials said.

Lab tests taken after the two fell ill confirmed that the virus was present in fecal matter from mice trapped near Curry Village, a collection of tents and cabins in the eastern end of Yosemite Valley.

"The mice shed the virus in urine, in feces, and when the urine or feces, or nests, are disturbed, the virus can become airborne and infect people," said Vicki Kramer, chief of the state health agency's vector-borne disease section.

Both victims suffered from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. It can take up to two weeks for symptoms to appear after exposure to hantavirus.

Most people suffer flu-like symptoms first, including fever, headache and muscle pains, often in the thighs, back and hips. After two to seven days, many patients have severe difficulty breathing and can die.

There is no cure or virus-specific treatment for hantavirus. Patients typically are hospitalized and get help breathing while their body tries to fight off the virus.

'Bad options'

"It's supportive treatment only. We have pretty unacceptably bad options for treating hantavirus," said Dr. D. Scott Smith, chief of infectious disease and geographic medicine at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Redwood City.

"By the time someone comes in with a bad cough and a fever, sometimes it's too late."

There have been about 60 cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome reported in California since the virus was identified in the United States in 1993. About a third of those patients died. So far this year, there have been four cases of hantavirus reported in California.

The virus is most commonly seen in the eastern Sierra and is rare in lower-elevation parts of the state. These two most recent cases are the first ever to be reported from Yosemite Valley, although the national park has had two cases in past years, both in visitors to the higher-elevation Tuolumne Meadows, said park spokesman Scott Gediman.

In California, the virus is spread primarily via deer mice, which have solid-colored backs and white bellies and generally live at higher elevations. Yosemite officials regularly monitor the activity of deer mice in the park, and crews that clean tent cabins are instructed to inspect rooms for mouse droppings, Gediman said.

No infestations

After the recent hantavirus cases were connected to the park, officials with the state Public Health Department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited Yosemite and found no evidence of mouse infestations or unclean lodgings, Gediman said.

He and public health officials advised visitors to Yosemite and elsewhere in the Sierra to take precautions against contracting hantavirus.

People should avoid leaving food in the open, which can draw mice, and they should avoid contact with mouse feces or nests.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Rare Rat Infestation Spotted

The Canadian province of Alberta, which has long treasured its status as one of the world's few regions free of rats, said on Thursday it is working to rid itself of an infestation of the vermin discovered in a landfill.

Sixty Norway rats have been killed so far in a garbage dump outside Medicine Hat, a city of 61,000 in Alberta's southeastern corner, and officials are taking steps to eradicate the rest of the colony.

"We've got them isolated in a specific area within the dump and we have the dump also contained," said Vaughn Christensen, the provincial official who runs the province's rat control program. "And then ... for a number of miles surrounding the dump we have an active baiting program."

Alberta has billed itself as being rat free for more than seven decades after moving in 1950 to wipe out the rodents which eat agricultural crops and spread disease. The province maintains a 29-kilometer (18-mile) buffer zone along its eastern border with Saskatchewan where bait traps are monitored in order to watch for any rat populations headed west.

The Medicine Hat colony was spotted after rats began turning up in traps in the spring and through public reports.

While some infestations are occasionally spotted and dealt with, Christensen said it is rare to find a colony the size of the one in Medicine Hat's landfill.

"It's hard to put a number to the size," he said. "But if we recover 60 rats above ground then it's logical to assume, because they (live) primarily underground, there's more there. ... But I think we're talking hundreds, not thousands, and not the hundreds of thousands you might find in other parts of the world."

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Location = Warwick, RI

A man hospitalized in Bend is likely suffering from the plague, marking the fifth case in Oregon since 1995.

The unidentified man, who is in his 50s, fell ill several days after being bitten while trying to get a mouse away from a stray cat. The man is now being treated at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend, where he was listed in critical condition on Tuesday.

"This can be a serious illness," said Emilio DeBess,  Oregon's public health veterinarian. "But it is treatable with antibiotics, and it's also preventable."

The Black Death raged through Europe during the Middle Ages, killing about a third of the population. Today, the disease is rare, but the bacteria have never disappeared.

The man, who lives in rural Crook County, was bitten Saturday, June 2. He developed a fever a few days later. By Friday, June 8, he was so sick that he checked himself into St. Charles Medical Center-Redmond. He was later transferred to the larger facility in Bend.

Karen Yeargain,  communicable disease coordinator with Crook County Health Department, said lab tests are being done to confirm whether the man has the plague, but she said he is suffering from classic symptoms.

There's one bacterium that causes the disease -- Yersinia pestis -- but it can develop into three types of illnesses depending on how an individual's body reacts. Initially, the man had swollen lymph nodes -- a sign of bubonic plague -- but now he's showing signs of septicemic  plague, when the bacteria multiply in the bloodstream. Symptoms include abdominal pain, bleeding mouth, nose or rectum and dying tissue. The third type is pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs.

DeBess said it's not clear whether the man was bitten by the mouse or by the cat. The feline died, and its body has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing. The cat was abandoned in the man's neighborhood about six years ago and stuck around. Yeargain said the man and his family had a lot of contact with it. He was bitten on the hand.

"Taking a mouse out of a cat's mouth is probably not a good idea," DeBess said.

Plague bacteria are carried by fleas, which typically infest rodents. People can become infected through flea bites or through contact with an infected animal. Some animals, including dogs, that have been exposed to the bacteria carry antibodies but do not get the plague and are not infectious.

DeBess said Oregon has a record of plague cases dating to 1934, with about a case a year and some periods when no cases appear. The prevalence of the disease depends in part on the weather and food supplies. When rodents flourish, so do fleas. That increases the likelihood of infection.

A total of four people in Oregon died from the plague since 1934, DeBess said.

The four people sickened in the past 17 years – one in 1995, two in 2010 and one in 2011 – have recovered.

The man is being treated with antibiotics. Other members of his family have been given a preventative dose, Yeargain said. The disease can be spread among people through bodily fluids.

A plague vaccine exists but is no longer sold in the U.S.

Everyone in Oregon who has fallen ill with the plague since 1934 has lived in a rural setting. But people in urban areas can become infected, too, health officials said.

DeBess said people should be cautious around strays and should not handle wild animals. For example, Northern California has suffered waves of squirrel deaths caused by the plague.

Health officials advise pet owners to protect their cats and dogs against fleas by giving them topical treatments or using a flea collar. The treatments are not 100 percent effective, but they do diminish the chances of pets becoming infected.

FTC Takes Action Against Companies Marketing Allegedly Unproven Natural Bed Bug Treatments

Cedar, Cinnamon, Lemon Grass, Peppermint, and Clove Oil? There's No Proof They Will Eradicate Bed Bugs, Agency Says

The Federal Trade Commission filed deceptive advertising charges against two marketers of remedies for bed bug infestations, who allegedly failed to back up overhyped claims that they could prevent and eliminate infestations using natural ingredients, such as cinnamon and cedar oil. One marketer also allegedly made misleading claims that its products were effective against head lice.

In one of the two cases, RMB Group, LLC and its principals have agreed to settle the charges relating to their “Rest Easy” bed bug products. In the case Product tagline: Rest Easy – kills and repels bed bugsagainst Cedarcide Industries, Inc. and others, challenging their marketing of “Best Yet!” bed bug and head lice treatments, the defendants have not settled, and the FTC is beginning litigation against them.

Bed bugs have been a growing public health pest in recent years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Consumers plagued with bed bugs experience considerable stress, discomfort, and expense in attempting to rid themselves of these pests, and many are unaware of the complex measures needed to prevent and control them, according to the EPA.

Consumers concerned about bed bugs also should see the FTC publication, “Good Night, Sleep Tight, and Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite . . . Your Wallet,” which urges caution about advertisements that offer quick solutions, and provides advice to consumers for treating bed bug infestations.

Also, as children head back to school this fall, the FTC urges parents to carefully research products that claim to treat head lice infestations.

In both cases, the FTC charged the marketing companies – as well as the individuals behind them – with deceptive advertising for claiming that their products can stop and prevent bed bug infestations. The Cedarcide defendants also are charged with making deceptive claims that their product can stop and prevent head lice infestations, and that the federal government endorses and is affiliated with their product.

The Cedarcide Industries, Inc. defendants market BEST Yet!, a line of cedar-oil-based liquid products they claim will treat and prevent bed bug and head lice infestations. The defendants sell the product to consumers nationwide. They also sell it to hotels and other commercial establishments for treating bed bugs, and to school districts for treating head lice. Consumers can buy the product online, by phone, at the Cedarcide website , and at Amazon.com. The cost of the products ranges from $29.95 for the quart-sized spray bottle to $3,394.95 for a hotel-motel bed bug eradication kit.

One radio advertisement for the product stated:Product label: “green, environmentally friendly Rest Easy – kills and repels bed bugs. For organic use. Rest assured, bed bugs no more!” showing a woman asleep in bed.

“In light of the recent bed bug media frenzy that has all of us nervous, you need to
know that bed bug prevention and eradication relief are available. So let’s not all freak out. All you need is Best Yet from CedarCide.com. . . . Best Yet was developed at the request of the USDA for our military, as a solution for killing sand fleas. But guess what, it’s equally deadly to bed bugs, larvae and eggs.”

The FTC complaint charges that the Cedarcide defendants make:

• unsupported claims that Best Yet!is effective at stopping and preventing bed bug infestations and that it is more effective than synthetic pesticides at doing so;
• false claims that scientific studies prove Best Yet!is effective at stopping and preventing bed bug infestations, and that it is more effective than synthetic pesticides at doing so;
• a false claim that the Environmental Protection Agency has warned consumers to avoid all synthetic pesticides for treating bed bug infestations;
• unsupported claims that Best Yet!is effective in stopping and preventing head lice infestations, killing head lice eggs, dissolving the glue that binds head lice eggs (known as nits) to hair, and killing head lice and their eggs in a single treatment; and
• false claims that scientific studies prove Best Yet! is effective in stopping and preventing head lice infestations.
• false claims that Best Yet!was invented for the U.S. Army at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and that the USDA has acknowledged the product as the number one choice of bio-based pesticides.

The Cedarcide complaint names Dave Glassel and several companies he controls: Springtech 77376, LLC; Cedarcide Industries, Inc.; Chemical Free Solutions, LLC; and Cedar Oil Technologies Corp.

RMB Group, LLC marketed Rest Easy, a liquid solution containing cinnamon, lemongrass, peppermint, and clove oils. The company sold it to retail chains Bed Bath & Beyond, Walgreens, and Big Lots, which in turn sold it to consumers primarily for use when staying in hotel rooms. The product was sold in a 16-ounce spray bottle, which cost $6.99 to $9.99, and a 2-ounce twin pack, which retailed for $5.99 to $7.77. It also was sold in a gallon jug for approximately $50.

A video ad appearing on a company-sponsored website stated:

“Did you Know ... Bed bugs can survive up to 10 months without feeding. They can lay between 5 and 12 eggs per day ... per bug! Why take a chance on being their next meal when you travel? Or having your business shut down because somebody unwittingly brought them in? Rest Easy ... is a real GREEN All-Natural, Non-Pesticide, designed as a preventative for just these potential problems. Rest Easy And rest assured, bed bugs no more!”

The FTC complaint charges that the RMB Group defendants make unsupported claims that Rest Easy kills and repels bed bugs, and that a consumer can create a barrier against them by spraying the product around a bed.

Under the settlement, the defendants are barred from:

• representing that Rest Easy or any other pesticide kills or repels bed bugs or creates a barrier against them, and
• making any claims about the performance of such a product,
• uless the representations are true and backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

The settlement imposes a $264,976 judgment against the Stuart, Florida-based RMB Group, LLC, and its owners, Howard and Bruce Brenner. The judgment is suspended because of the defendants’ inability to pay.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint against the RMB Group LLC defendants and approving the proposed consent decree was 4-1, with Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch voting no. The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint against the Cedarcide defendants was 5-0. The FTC filed both complaints and the proposed settlement order for the RMB defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on September 5, 2012. The proposed settlement order is subject to court approval.

NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The stipulated order is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by the defendant that the law has been violated. Stipulated orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Location: Providence, RI

What does a small boutique restaurant shop do about mice when they are spotless clean yet they are attached to other stores? This is what often happens in a mall because pests don’t know property lines! Your neighbors pest issue can easily become yours! That is the case here. The two restaurants in the strip mall have mice but EHS does not service them. The mice branched out to the store we do service. The only thing we could do was completely exclude (using stainless steel mesh screening) every possible opening so the mice would not be able to get in. Totally organic pest control! Complete structural exclusion for mice! The results were immediate as the store was not longer seeing any mice activity. Another unique pest solution by EHS!

Before	After

Bed Bugs Attack Jurors

A Manitoulin Island man will remain in jail after being found guilty Friday of aggravated assault in an attack that left a brother and sister with multiple stab wounds.

The eight male and four female jurors, who were polled, were unanimous in their decision.

In doing so, they cleared Darrell Bebonang of attempting to murder the siblings.

Assistant Crown attorney Karen Lische said she would like an assessment done on Bebonang so she can consider an application to declare him a dangerous offender.

Court was told Bebonang's defence team of Terry Waltenbury and John Saftic will need to check into whether they can continue as his counsel if the Crown proceeds with a dangerous offender application.

As a result, the matter was put over to July 6.

"There are steps we must take to seek appeal to be included in that process," Waltenbury told Superior Court Justice Dan Cornell.

According to Public Safety Canada, the dangerous offender designation is intended to protect the public from the most dangerous violent and sexual predators in the country. The designation can carry an indefinite prison sentence.

The jury began its deliberations Thursday afternoon. The jurors were sequestered in a city hotel overnight Thursday after failing to reach a verdict, but two of them had to be treated at hospital Friday morning for bedbug bites.

As a result, jury deliberations did not resume until after the lunch break Friday.

Bebonang, 34, of M'Chigeeng First Nation, was facing two counts of attempted murder in the stabbing of Michael Debassige and his sister Sheila Laford in a Louis Street apartment in Greater Sudbury about 1:30 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009.

Bebonang was arrested in Toronto about two weeks after the incident and returned to Greater Sudbury. He is in custody.

Bebonang was convicted of aggravated assault for the attack on Debassige.

Bebonang inflicted 12 stab wounds on Debassige and four on Laford, while receiving no injuries himself in the scuffle.

Debassige testified he was going to leave the friend's apartment when Bebonang stabbed him in the chest and continued to stab him repeatedly as they struggled.

Laford testified she went to the aid of her unarmed brother ad was stabbed once in the chest. At the hospital, doctors found Laford had been stabbed four times. She spent three days recovering from her injuries, which included a collapsed lung.

In his defence, Bebonang testified it was Debassige who attacked him. He said during a scuffle in which his hoody and sweaters were pulled over his head, a knife fell to the floor. Bebonang said he grabbed it, opened it and slashed repeatedly at Debassige and an unknown attacker, who turned out to be Laford, in an attempt to defend himself.

Bebonang, who has served time in penitentiary, was serving an 18-month house arrest sentence when the incident occurred.

In addition to being sentenced on the aggravated assault conviction, which could evolve into a dangerous offender application by the Crown, Bebonang also has some minor charges before the courts to resolve.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

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 

Mice can get into openings as little as ¼” which is the diameter of a dime. In some cases they (like most of us) have put on a few pounds which can make fitting into things a bit snug. In this case a plump mouse tried to get through a void and got stuck and died. In all seriousness the picture shows how sneaky and dangerous mice are in your home!

They chew on electrical areas and they can easily cause a fire. Mice are nothing to take for granted and try to treat yourself! Trust EHS to protect your home and property!

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA