Ant Season Is Here!

First a word of caution.

Many pest control professionals consider Carpenter ants the most difficult pest there is to deal with in the industry. With all the training and experience they have, there are some homes that take considerable time and a number of treatments to completely eradicate these destructive insects. Many homeowners will call in a professional after they have failed to solve the problem themselves. This situation is usually more difficult to deal with because the homeowner randomly sprayed pesticides killing the obvious evidence and scattering the satellite nests. Of course this increases the cost. If you are not prepared to spend hours in your attic and crawl space wearing a respirator, rubber gloves, coveralls and a hat, then you may be wise to call a professional to do the job properly.

The process:


Find all of the Satellite nests in the home. (Read about nests on the identification and life cycle page)
Try to locate the "mother" nests and the queens.
Eliminate conditions that made the home a suitable habitat for the ants.
Treat the satellite nests with a suitable pest control method or product.

Don't:

Don't spray pesticides on ants outside the nests. Use a vacuum cleaner inside your home.
Don't use "ant drops, ant poisons, ant traps". Save your money for something worthwhile.
Don't squash foraging ants. Follow them.
Don't rip apart walls or ceilings to find the nests.

How to:

Finding carpenter ant nests requires a lot of time an patience. With years of experience, a professional will know where these nests are likely to be and will look for evidence of frass, the junk thrown out of nests. This is often caught up in spider webs in attics, crawl spaces, basements under decks and around the exterior perimeter under the soffits and below the siding. Sometimes sawdust excavated by the ants from the structure will be noticeable, but not always.

Following ants outside the nest is the best indication of it's location, but ants will often follow channels hidden from the hot sun, rain and your vision. Less than 10 % of the population will ever leave the nests so at times there are very few to follow. Knowing whether the ant you are following is heading for food, or has already eaten and is heading back to the nest is an indicator that some very experienced professionals are capable of seeing.

Listen for them. If your hearing is good and the home is very quiet you may be able to hear the rustling and chewing noise they make. A medical stethoscope is useful but the sound of a refrigerator or even a clock can confuse the inexperienced ear.

How to find the main nests (and the queens):

In some locations it would be impossible to find all the main nests among the trees, logs, stumps, buried wood and roots. Even if these nests are found, removing them can be a monumental task. All satellite nests remain in contact with the main nest. Workers can be seen carrying mature larvae from the overcrowded queen's home to new or established satellites of the colony. If you find the main nest, try to remove it physically. If you put toxic products into it, they may leach into the ground water and contaminate water supplies or fish habitat some distance away.

If you can not remove the nest, try to eliminate any favorable conditions that encourage them to move toward the home. Tree branches, fences, garden hoses, structural wood touching the soil, landscape ties and utility wires all provide an easy route to follow. A very fine dusting of diatomaceous earth around the perimeter base of the home will discourage all insects from crossing it to gain entry. This is short term and should be repeated frequently in the spring, summer and fall.


Pesticides, Poisons and Secret Formulas.

Toxic Sprays: Most pesticides available to the public will kill any insect that they come in contact with while still wet. Once dry, the residual effect is minimal and has very little effect on insects.

Ant Dusts: Diatomaceous earth is sold in a variety of containers with convincing trade names. The basic product can also be purchased in much less expensive plain plastic bags at most garden stores.

Toxic chlorpyrifos is now off the market and illegal to use in Canada and U.S.A.

Boric Acid dust: It is very difficult to inject into a nesting cavity without proper equipment. Do not put it in exposed areas.

Ant Poisons sold over the counter at most hardware stores have little if any effect on carpenter ants

Ant Traps are actually not traps. The little tin cans with holes in the side contain borax. They have no effect on carpenter ants.

Secret Formulas: If you find one that works, patent it immediately. Scientists around the world have been searching for years for ingredients that will attract and kill or repel carpenter ants. Some things that homeowners have tried include cinnamon, cayenne pepper, moth balls, boric acid and icing sugar.

None of them have been proven effective.







Disclaimer: This web page was compiled by a pest management professional, not an entomologist.

As a result, some of the terms used may not be accurate according to scientific terms of reference.
Our objective is to provide basic and interesting information for the average homeowner.

Bed Bug Extermination Guide

Bed bugs - what are they?
Bed bugs have an oval broad, flat body and a short, broad head. Shaped similar to an apple seed, unfed adults are around 6 to 10 mm long and brown and wingless. After feeding, they swell slightly in size and darken to a blood-red colour. The nymphs are shaped like the adults, but are yellow-white in colour.

Itchy welts on skin and/or black or brown spots on mattresses sheets, bed frames or walls often indicate that there is a bed bug infestation.

Bed bugs are also known by several names: wall louse, house bug, mahogany flat, red coat, crimson ramblers as well as others.

The bed bug eggs are white, about 1 mm long (1/25 inch), and are almost impossible to see on most surfaces. The female bed bug lays at least 200 eggs in her lifetime, at a rate of about two or four per day. The eggs have a sticky coating and are deposited in cracks and crevices, behind woodwork and similar hidden locations. They usually hatch in six to 17 days.

Newly hatched nymphs feed as soon as food is available. A bed bug goes through five moults before it reaches full maturity. Adults usually live for around 10 months, but can live for a year or more in a home where the environment is good for reproduction, with temperatures ranging between 21°C and 28°C, making it ideal for breeding year round.

Bed bugs can live from several weeks up to roughly a year and a half without feeding. Older bed bugs can go even longer without feeding.

What can they do?
Bed bugs can cause allergic reactions and itchy welts. Allergic sensitivity can increase if exposure is prolonged. They do not however pose a major health risk and are not known carriers of blood-borne diseases. Bed bug bites may not be noticed immediately because bed bugs typically feed at night when people are asleep.

Bed bugs are wingless and cannot fly or jump, but are able to hide in extremely small locations because of their flattened bodies - under wallpaper, behind picture frames, in electrical outlets, inside box springs, in mattress pads and in night tables. Long considered eradicated in most metropolitan areas, bed bugs are making a comeback. People now travel more than ever before, and bed bugs are hitching rides on clothing and luggage. They can now be found everywhere there is a high turnover of people, from homeless shelters to five-star hotels. They can also be accidentally transported around the house on objects. Bed bugs do not indicate a lack of cleanliness.

How can I manage them?
Because bed bugs are hard to get rid of, a pest control operator is a simple solution. Alternatively, you may decide to control them yourself. Usually more than one chemical treatment is required, and must be done in addition to physical control.

Be thorough in addressing bed bug infestations, because bed bugs travel easily, you may have to treat nearby rooms. Remove or reduce any clutter that might transport bed bugs.

Bed treatment
Infested mattresses should be steam-cleaned. Take care to use steam that is hot enough, and avoid excess moisture which could lead to mould. Inspect your bed thoroughly by examining the seams, tufts and crevices of the mattress as well as the box spring, bed frame and headboard. You may have to remove the cloth underside of the box spring to determine if there are bugs inside. Mattress pads and sheets should be washed in hot water and dried on the high setting. Infested areas should be vacuumed carefully with a brush attachment. Afterwards, dispose of the vacuum bag immediately and inspect the brush attachment for bed bugs. Bed bugs cannot easily climb metal or polished surfaces and cannot fly or jump. Treat the legs of beds to keep them away. Coat the legs with double-sided carpet tape or petroleum jelly, you can also place the legs of the bed inside glass jars or metal cans.

You may have to discard your bed. Holes or worn spots in the fabric may allow bed bugs to lay eggs in areas not easily reached, and there are restrictions on how insecticides can be used on beds.

Treatment of other items
Carefully examine all night tables, baseboards, dressers, headboards (especially padded ones), electrical outlets, any items stored near or under the bed, any nearby carpeting or rugs, picture frames, switch plates, inside clocks, phones, televisions and smoke detectors - in short, anything and everything that is in the room where the infestation has been noted. Upholstered chairs and sofas can also harbour bed bugs and should be treated with careful vacuuming and laundering of all possible parts (cushions, slipcovers, skirts, etc.).

Smaller items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be treated by heating (temperatures greater than 50°C) or freezing. Some items can be wrapped in plastic wrap and placed outdoors on a hot sunny day or in sub-zero temperatures in the winter. However, the freezing temperatures must be maintained for a prolonged period of time (e.g., four days of cold exposure at 0°C) to ensure that the bed bugs are killed.

Prevention
To prevent future bed bug infestations, mattresses must be completely enclosed. They can be wrapped in zippered bed encasements available from allergy supply companies, with duct tape over the zipper. Mattresses can also be wrapped and sealed in plastic film. Be cautious about taking in second-hand furniture, bedding, mattresses or beds. Inspect and clean them before bringing them home. When you travel, inspect the mattress and headboard in the hotel room, do not bring your pillow from home, and do not put your suitcase on the bed.

Products
Domestic class products available to homeowners will generally contain the active ingredients pyrethrin or diatomaceous earth.

Several commercial class products are available to professional pest control operators. These may include low-odour sprays, dusts or aerosols; your pest control operator will select the best product for your particular situation.

Note: Bed bug infestations can be extremely difficult to treat, and repeat applications may be required. Always follow the pesticide label directions to minimize exposure and maximize efficacy of the product. Between applications of pesticide products, keep monitoring the situation to physically control ongoing and prevent future infestations.

Responsible Pesticide Use
Before Purchasing a Pesticide
•Identify the pest correctly.
•Use physical control methods and alternatives to pesticides.
•Read the label directions and safety precautions before buying the product. The label must include the name of the pest to be controlled and the treatment location (e.g., indoor, outdoor, garden uses, pet treatment).
•Purchase only the quantity of product needed for the treatment.
•Consider hiring a licensed pest control operator.

Using a Pesticide
•Carefully read all label instructions and precautions before using pesticides.
•Do not drink, eat or smoke while applying pesticides.
•Persons and pets should vacate the area during treatment. Cover or remove aquaria.
•If kitchen area is to be treated, cover or remove food, dishes and utensils.

After Using a Pesticide
•Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling any pesticide product.
•Do not permit persons or pets to contact treated surfaces until residue has dried completely.
•Provide adequate ventilation of treated areas after use.
•Wipe clean all surfaces that come in direct contact with food, such as counters, tables and stovetops, including indoor and outdoor surfaces.
•Always store pesticides out of reach of children and pets and away from food and beverages.

Accidental Poisoning
•Call a poison control centre immediately and seek medical attention.
•Take the pesticide container or label with you to the emergency facility or physician.
•Follow first aid statements on the label.
•In case of accidental poisoning of pets seek veterinary attention immediately.
•Report pesticide incidents to manufacturers (phone number on label). They are required to send them to Health Canada.

Disposing of Pesticides
•Do not reuse empty pesticide containers. Wrap and dispose of in household garbage.
•Follow the product label instructions or contact provincial authorities for disposal of pesticides.
Note:
•These are general recommendations.
•Consult the label for specific instructions.

Stored Product Pests

Stored product pests infest a wide range of foods including flour, whole grains and seeds, crackers, processed cereals, peas, beans, nuts, dried fruit and spices. Among the common stored product pests are:

Pea Weevil

Larder Beetle

Confused Flour Beetle

Mediterranean Flour Moth

Indian Meal Moth

Drugstore Beetle

Granary Weevil

Saw-toothed Grain Beetle

Yellow Mealworm


Rice Weevil




Correct identification of stored product pests is important in order to know where to apply treatments. Some insects, such as Granary Weevils, spend their entire life cycle in the food, therefore control steps can often be limited to disposing of the infested products.

Others, such as the Mediterranean Flour Moth, leave the food when it is time to pupate. They spin cocoons in the corners of cupboards and cracks, therefore control measures must be planned to take this into account.

Monitoring

Visual Inspections

Storage areas should be inspected carefully for signs of infestations, inside and outside of the packaging or containers. During the inspection, potential problem areas should also be noted. This includes containers of old or stale products, spilled food and hard to clean areas that could provide refuge for insects.

Pheromone Traps

Insect sex pheromones and aggregation pheromones are available for a variety of stored product pests. The pheromones are in lures that can be used in different designs of traps. For stored product moths, the lures are usually placed in delta traps like the one pictured here.

Other trap designs are used for stored product beetles. It should be noted that none of these traps are a means of control but rather just monitoring devices.

Always avoid touching the pheromone lure when setting out the trap because traces of the pheromone can be spread around the area, making the trap ineffective.

Pheromone traps should be placed away from doors and windows to avoid attracting insects from outside and may be hung from the ceiling or placed on a shelf.

Action Decisions

Prevention

For households, once an infestation is cleaned up (see Control below) further infestations can be prevented by:

- freeze grains, flour, dried fruit and other dry foods from bulk food stores in the household freezer for a week before transferring to the cupboard

- store food in insect proof containers of glass or strong plastic with tight fitting lids

- clean kitchen counters and vacuum the insides of cupboards to remove spills and debris

Sanitation

Maintaining clean conditions is the best control. All spills should be cleaned up immediately.

Reduce Humidity

Grains should be stored in a cool dry area. Except for the Mediterranean Flour Moth which can tolerate very dry conditions, most stored product pests are not likely to be a problem in dry conditions, where relative humidity is below 6%.

Barriers

Insect screens should be installed on exhaust fans, windows and other openings to keep flying insects out.

Control

Sanitation measures (discussed above), along with regular visual inspections usually provide sufficient control of stored product pests. In many instances no pesticides will be needed to achieve good control.

Physical Removal

Destroy infested materials. For some species, such as Granary Weevils removing the infested material provides sufficient control as they do not live outside the material.

Heating or Freezing Treatments

Where feasible, extremes of heat or cold can be used to kill insects in infested food. To eliminate an infestation, food should be kept in a freezer long enough to be frozen at the center of the container for at least 4 days.

Heating to 150 degrees Fahrenheit in an oven for 20 minutes also kills insects.

Preferred Pesticides

Sorptive Dusts

Diatomaceous Earth can be applied to cracks and crevices of storage areas where pupae and other stages of some stored product pests hide.

Pyrethrins

Pyrethrins can be applied to equipment motors to kill hiding pests or by ULV machine to storage areas.

Other Pesticides

Other pesticides should not be required for most stored product pests. If required in the case of severe or persistent infestations, pesticides must be chosen with careful attention to label directions. Few pesticide products mention stored product pests on their labels. By law only pesticides labeled for use in the appropriate areas (e.g. food prep and storage ares) and for this group of insects (e.g. stored product pests) can be used.