Friday, May 25, 2012

Termites-- Possible lifespan: Fun Fact Friday!

Termites are fun right?  Okay no, they are certainly not. But here is a fact that I ran across that I found very interesting.  Reproductive Female Termites may live up to 45-50 years! 50 YEARS!  Knowing this, it is no wonder that termite colonies can grow to include over a million individuals.  As a pest control professional I am constantly searching for information about the pests we encounter.  In that searching I came across some interesting information about one of the most dreaded wood destroying structural pests.

Not only do reproductive females live up to 50 years in favorable conditions, I also read that reproductive males can live up to 45 years.  Although the average lifespan for termites is 2-3 years, termites often live well beyond this predicted lifespan.  Termites are divided into three social castes.  Workers, which are responsible for building and maintaining the nest and feeding and grooming the other two castes; Soldiers which are responsible for defending the nest; and reproductive, which are responsible for procreation.

An interesting fact about the soldier caste of termites is that while their large head and jaw serve them well in defending the nest it makes it impossible for them to feed themselves.  Soldier and reproductive termites must rely on the workers to be fed.

Besides being known for destruction (here in the US), in some countries in Africa gigantic termite mounds (up to 9 meters tall) are actually tourist attractions.  And from the pictures, they are quite impressive!  Termites are very beneficial in the break down of decaying plant matter, as it is their food source.  However, when it comes to wood structures, like houses, business buildings, wooden play structures, etc.  Termites are a very detrimental pest as they eat through the wood in a structure they cause structural damage that (give ample time to eat) can be quite costly to repair.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

What is Carpenter Ant Flushing? And Other Common Questions.

So, my wife brought to my attention that when I say "There may be some flushing," regarding ant treatments people who do not work in the pest control industry might not understand what I'm talking about.  Flushing refers to a part of the process with some ant products where ants come out of their nest and die.  It isn't a reference to ants using your bathroom or taking up playing poker with cards in your house.  Depending on the product used, flushing can occur with a variety of ants, moisture ants, odorous house ants, sugar ants, carpenter ants, etc.  Flushing sometimes gives the appearance that the problem is temporarily worse.  Flushing is a normal part of the process and a good sign that the treatment is working.

The next obvious question is-- If the ants are dying because of the pest control products and they are outside of the nest where my pet parrot, puppy, kitten etc can get to them and eat them, will my pet get sick?  With the products we use the answer is no.  This is because we use pet safe products.  The products we, at Peak Pest Management, use for Ant treatments are specifically targeted for ants.

What does specifically targeted mean?  Specifically targeted means that the products either are a natural poison to ants because of their biological make up, or the products are developed using the biology of the ant specifically to avoid poisoning animals and people.  Pest control has come a long way over the years- environmentally friendly pest control companies, like Peak Pest Management, are always learning and developing.  Continued learning is a crucial part of maintaining the highest quality pest control service.

At Peak Pest Management there is a desire to know the most current pest control issues.  We also make the effort to educate ourselves in the most current and most effective and safest products available.  On top of that we read research done by experts within the industry.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Fun Fact Friday: Deadly Spider or Completely Harmless

"Daddy-longlegs are the most deadly spider in the world, but their fangs are too short to inject venom into humans."
Have you ever heard that phrase? TOTAL MYTH on multiple levels.  Daddy-longlegs are not even spiders, there is a daddy-longleg spider, also called a cellar spider, but the arthropod called daddy-longlegs is not actually a spider. They are from the Order Opiliones.  They do have eight legs, but differ from spiders on many levels, including NOT HAVING ANY FANGS.  That's right, they have NO fangs whatsoever. Meaning? No venom.  They largely live under fallen trees or rocks and scavenge for food and are not even commonly seen by most people.  Further separating them from spiders, they do not build webs or produce silk.  There are other details about difference, but this blog could get REALLY BORING REALLY FAST if I keep going on and on so I'll move on.  Now that that is out of the way, lets chat about daddy-longleg (or cellar) spiders.
There is NO scientific proof whatsoever to support the statement that Daddy-Longleg spiders have extremely poisonous venom.  No scientific research has been done.  For whatever reason, no one has volunteered to be injected with the spider venom.  Also noteworthy, no one has volunteered to do the injecting (something about medical code of ethics etc.).  Furthermore, there has been no research even on mice and daddy-longleg spider venom.  So considering the complete lack of proof about the level of toxicity in the venom, the statement is false because it is not supported by scientific research.
Another fact worth visiting as far as daddy-longleg spiders go is that they have the same fang structure as the brown recluse spider (which is clearly able to bite humans) so it is not even proven that they are not capable of biting humans-- the opposite is actually more supported scientifically speaking.  There may be a difference in muscle structure and strength between the brown recluse and the daddy-longleg spider causing one bite to penetrate and the other not, but again, nothing scientifically proven.  NOTHING BASED IN FACT.  Below is a quote in an article by the University of California Riverside Entomology Department.  And below that is a link to a much more in depth and informational article about the daddy-longleg myth.

"For true daddy-long-legs, the opilionids, the myth is certainly false, and for the daddy-long-legs spiders it is certainly not based on known facts." 
University of California Riverside 


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Carpenter Ant Invasion! Vancouver Washington

It is "Ant Season" in the pest control industry.  It is what it is-- in pest control, specifically in the northwest there are seasons where ant problems are more prevalent.  Spring and summer have ants, bees, wasps, spiders, beetles, etc.  Of course it is not some sort of fixed law of bugs.  Generally speaking though, it's open season for ants in the pest control industry and I have been seeing a rising number of carpenter ants in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR.  Walking around my neighborhood, I have seen inseminate queen carpenter ants looking for a suitable place to build a colony.  An inseminate queen, is a LARGE female ant that has shed her wings.    Considering that my neighborhood is one with many houses close together and not a whole lot in terms of natural carpenter ant habitat, I foresee a growing carpenter ant problem right in my own backyard (so to speak).

Carpenter Ants are a problem for property owners because they are in the business of destroying the wood of homes and businesses.  Carpenter Ants carve out galleries in which to build their colonies and tunnel systems to food/water sources. 

People often mistake carpenter ants for termites and termites for carpenter ants, although there are many differences, the one similarity is that both destroy wood structures.  With a structurally damaging pest, it is best to treat earlier because the longer they have-- the more damage they cause.

Carpenter Ants play an important role in the "wild" in the breakdown process of dead and decaying trees.  As you can imagine, the "dead" trees in your home are the same to these ants as the ones in the forest.

In the last week, I have squashed searching queens in my backyard, on my front porch, in the entryway of my own house, and on the sidewalk on the way to my neighbors house (your welcome!).  So when I say there is a carpenter ant invasion-- I am not speaking generally as a pest control professional, but personally-- as a home owner as well.  



  

Friday, May 11, 2012

Zombies are real... Fun fact Friday!

Zombies are real and undead today! Of course they are ants and there is a scientific explanation. A fungus takes over the ant's brain! It is actually pretty interesting. I read about it on yahoo news and checked out this website article about it on livescience.com.

http://www.livescience.com/5631-zombie-ants-controlled-fungus.html

Keeping it short because I am blogging on the go (from the iPhone) but I didn't want to give up fun fact Friday in the second week! Check out the article on Zombie ants. Whether you are in Portland or Vancouver, enjoy this gorgeous weather in the northwest! For all of your pest control needs, Peak Pest Management is happy to help!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Ant Exterminator's Theme Song? The Ants go Marching....

The Ants go marching one by one hurrah! Hurrah!
The Ants go marching one by one, the little one stops to suck his thumb
The Ants go marching down, around, and through the town.....
(origin unknown/writer unknown)

Okay so this is the song that is running through my head!  Why?  Well maybe it's because I have kids who sing silly songs...  And maybe it's because I've seen a LOT of ants around Portland and Vancouver lately!  Probably a combination of those two things!  I caught an inseminated carpenter ant marching towards my house to find a place set up her colony.  The only galleries allowed in my house are set up by children with art they've done... Not carved out by carpenter ants destroying my home-- that ant tried messing with the wrong guy!  After all, I am a pest control professional-- naturally I exterminated the potential problem with one crushing blow (no product necessary for this job-- my shoe was the natural choice).

Carpenter ants can cause some pretty serious problems if they do become established in a wooden structure such as a home, garage, shed, fence, business building, etc.  The cost of getting rid of a colony early is far less than letting the infestation grow to the point of causing structural damage.  Because Carpenter Ants carve out galleries (smooth tunnel systems) in wood, they cause structural damage when the wood supporting a structure is compromised by extensive carving.

Carpenter ants are different than termites, people are often surprised to find out that they do not eat wood, they carve it out and leave a sawdust at the ends of their tunnels (this sawdust is not always in places where people will notice-- so just because their is no sawdust it is not safe to assume ants in the house are not carpenter ants).  Termites actually eat wood and have mud tubes and dirtier and less smooth tunnel systems.  There are other differences between carpenter ants and termites, but that is another blog for another day...  Today I'm just focusing in on ants!

There are many types of ants that can infest a home and they range in size from about 1/16th of an inch to 5/8ths of an inch.  There are sugar ants, odorous house ants, carpenter ants, moisture ants, ghost ants (they're real and alive).  Many types of ants are a nuisance but cause no structural damage, but there are ants that do cause damage so it is always a good idea to have a Pest Control Professional, come out and do an inspection.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Yellowjacket-- Fun Fact Friday

It's Friday!  And I've decided we need to start some sort of celebratory Friday tradition.  So today I have for you, a fun fact about yellowjackets!  Who knew there was anything fun about yellowjackets right?  I mean other than maybe a yellow RAIN jacket-- then maybe I'd have a fun fact about jumping in mud puddles with the kids.  I am sure my family could give all sorts of fun facts about fashionable yellow jackets, but I'm talking about the wasp (some people call it a bee, but it's a wasp and no, this is not your fun fact).  Here is your Friday Fun Fact:

• You can lessen your attractiveness to yellowjackets if you forego the use of hairspray, perfume, or aftershave and don’t wear bright-colored clothing, especially bright yellow, light blue, red, or orange. Good choices are white or light tan fabrics which are unattractive to them.

Here is a link to more fun facts:  http://farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2009/09/yellowjacket-fun-facts.html

This fun fact was discovered on Farmer Fred Rant written by Fred Hoffman, lifetime master gardener and garden radio host in California. 

In some online and experience based fact checking, the perfumes and scents are a bigger deal than color, although it seems if you wear black and are near their nest you may be perceived as a threat because of natural predators.  Some experts say that yellowjackets do not see the color red and even suggest using a red lens on flashlight when looking for an entrance to a yellowjacket nest.    

Here is another one just for fun because it reminded me of watching Tom and Jerry cartoons.

• If chased by these angry insects, run away in a zig-zag pattern, and seek shelter in a building or automobile. Do not jump in water...they WILL wait for you to surface.

Because yellowjackets tend to fly in straight lines, this seems to be sound advice, as far as the zig-zag run, however, I was not able to determine if yellow jackets will actually wait for you at the surface of the water.