What Works

Successful Approaches to Pest Problems

November 1, 2007

Preventing Conflicts with Geese

The non-migratory subspecies of the Canada goose is becoming an increasing problem in cities and suburbs in the Midwest and eastern , particularly around ornamental ponds and other impoundments. The worst goose problems occur when the birds are breeding. Both males and females will attack people who come too close to their nests or their young. Here’s how to manipulate the birds’ behavior to prevent nesting and its attendant problems in localized areas.

Unfortunately, this won't solve the overall problem in your community. Your particular gaggle of geese will simply go somewhere else. Areawide goose populations won’t be reduced until the carrying capacity of the environment is decreased. This means fewer ponds, fewer highly attractive grassy areas, or increases in predators and other mortality factors. We know that predation works. Today’s non-migratory pest geese had been hunted almost to extinction by the 1960’s. It took an organized effort by wildlife managers to bring them back.

Get rid of your geese by taking advantage of the 4 phases in their breeding cycle:

1) Selecting This Year’s Nest Site…November through March

2) Committing to this Year’s Nest Site… March through May

3) Defending the Nest, Eggs and Nestlings…May through July

4) Scouting for Next Year’s Nest Site…July through November

Notice that the commitment and defense phases coincide with the peak in goose/human conflicts. These are the times when the geese are most dedicated to ‘their’ real estate.

The other two phases, scouting and selection are when the geese are least willing to fight over real estate, and this is when they can be convinced that nesting on your particular property is not a good idea.

Geese will abandon a particular area as a nest site if they are chased or disturbed regularly before they have made their final selection for the coming breeding season. Walkers, joggers, even bicyclists can harass them. People can walk and exercise their dogs in the area and just let their dogs be dogs. The more haphazard these activities are, the better. Just so several disturbances are delivered at different times each day.

Winter is the time to start planning your goose chases. Begin your trial runs as soon as you can in January or early February at the latest. The idea is to have an operational system in place by March that you can keep up until June, by which time the geese will have decided to nest somewhere else. Then you can put your program on cruise control until the nest selection process begins next winter. NOTE: Do not attempt to chase geese in midsummer. Geese molt during this period and are 'grounded' until their new flight feathers come in.

March 6, 2008

Contraception and Bird Control: Why it can work in some situations, but not in others.

My comments on the proposed use of oral contraceptives for pigeon control in Hollywood were first posted at blog.wired.com on August 3, 2007 and have since been picked up on killthepigeorns.com and other sites. I’ve reprinted them below:

”Functionally, this approach is the same as shaking eggs, oiling eggs or doing any anything else to keep them from hatching. You shut down reproduction in the immediate area, but the number of birds in this area is not likely to decrease below carrying capacity because new birds will move in from adjacent habitats. That's what theory predicts; we'll see what happens in practice.

One nice 'thought experiment' for amateur ecologists who are interested in the Hollywood program would be to consider what DDT and other organochlorines would have done to eagles, pelicans etc. If these compounds had been delivered as baits in a defined area instead of being broadcast across virtually the birds' whole range. Birds in the baited area would have laid soft shelled eggs, their eggs would not have hatched, and as the adults died off, their places would have been taken by immigrants from outside the baited area. These birds would then mate and lay soft shelled eggs, and the cycle would repeat itself. The number of new young would drop to zero in the baited area, but the number of adult birds would remain stable in the baited area...and there would be no measurable decrease in the total number of birds in their overall range. Eagles etc. would not have become endangered.

Stopping reproduction causes populations to crash in closed systems; examples include roaches and pantry pests in buildings where new immigrants are kept from coming in. But I don't know of a case in which this approach has worked in an open system like pigeons in a city. Maybe Hollywood will be the exception, but if I had to bet....”

Now, to clarify: I am NOT saying that contraception can’t work. I’m just saying that contraception, or any other lethal approach is very unlikely to work when immigration from nearby uncontrolled populations is a factor as it is in a typical town or city.

On the other hand, contraception has an excellent chance to work if the problem bird population is localized and immigration is not a factor. Examples include monk parakeets and other exotics that have established local populations but have not yet escaped to the countryside. Contraceptive baits could be delivered to monk parakeets and other large psitticines via selective feeders that require a minimum weight on the perch or performing a ‘trick’ to access the bait. This could be a humane, non-lethal way to eliminate these exotics before they adapt and invade agricultural areas outside of urban centers.

March 21, 2008

Wildlife Motion Detector/Cameras1 Have a Place in Urban Pest Management

Most and roof rat colonies in the built environment nest on one person’s property but utilize food sources that belong to somebody else. Unless both owners eliminate food and harborage in addition to supporting rat killing, they will just dial the problem back from an “outbreak to a “rat farm”; the “farmer” being the party who harvests the rats with baits, traps, or tracking powder.

How to get all of the property owners to go beyond rat farming and resolve problems on an area wide basis? Focus your attention block-by-block on community clubs, property owner groups, business associations, and other stakeholders. CDC demonstrated the value of this block-by-block approach long ago in their War on Rats 2. It relies on “carrots” — the health and economic benefits of few or no rats, and “sticks”— the threat of code enforcement by health and housing authorities.

Wildlife motion detector/cameras can help pest management companies stop being “rat farmers” by showing customers and other nearby stakeholders why an area wide attack is required if they really want to solve their problem. The photos can also show health authorities why and how exposed garbage, harborage and other conditions beyond the pest manager’s control are perpetuating a rat problem in a particular area.

These new motion activated cameras were developed for, and are marketed to, deer hunters. They cost less than $400 each (much less if you are willing to accept CMOS technology) and are available from hunting supply stores, hunting catalogs and over the internet. The two most popular brands are CamTrakker3 and TrailMac4.

Based on field experiments with birds2 , cameras for rodents should probably be installed as close to ground level as possible and positioned no more than about 2 meters from the probable target if working with mice, and about 5 meters from the target if working with rats.

In addition to helping to promote area wide rat control, motion activated cameras may also be useful in dealing with problems caused by squirrels, raccoons, birds and other vertebrate pests in the built environment. Theft and vandalism are obvious risks with this approach if the cameras cannot be installed inside a secured area. Trail Sense Engineering sells a theft prevention kit, or you can devise your own. The more adventurous might want to try hiding/camouflaging the units to help them blend in with trash and garbage.

1. This post is based in part on conversations with Dr. Claudia Riegel of the New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board, and Terry Kane of GMT Inc. Terry is developing the new Xcluder™ line of rodent proofing materials for GMT and Claudia runs the rodent and urban IPM research programs in the City of New Orleans.

2. Summarized by Mortenson and Rotramel, 1976. http://www.digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=vpc7.html

3. CamTrakker details and contact info at www.camtrakker.com

4. TrailMac details and contact info at

5. Prof. David Luneau’s pileated woodpecker studies sponsored by The Nature Conservancy. http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press1881.html

March 23, 2008

"Dandelion Stomp": Non-Chemical Control for Lawns and Playgrounds

Dandelions are one of the worst weeds of turf, but they have one critical weakness. They can’t handle trampling. The complete stem of a dandelion plant is crammed into a cylinder a few millimeters long right where the flower stalks emerge from the center of the leaf whorl. Trampling this stem crushes it and exposes the plant to infection by plant pathogens. The result is a dead dandelion with no time-consuming digging, no pulling, and no herbicide application.

Here’s how I trample dandelions. You may prefer to develop your own technique.

There’s no need to make a big dent in the turf or soil. Just place the back half of your shoe or boot heel on the center of the plant, put your weight down as if you were about to step off with your other foot, and then twist your heel back and forth 2 or three times. With practice, you’ll be able to complete the whole maneuver in about 1 second.

Dandelions can be controlled by trampling at any time of the year, but they seem to be most vulnerable when the first flower buds appear in the early spring. Or you can wait and use the first open flowers to spot your targets. Trampling breaks the flower stems and prevents seed set. Larger, older plants are more resistant to trampling and may need to be trampled 2 or 3 times at weekly intervals before they succumb. Smaller plants are easier to kill but they are harder to spot. You may not see them until they begin to bloom.

For proof that trampling works, wait till dandelion season arrives in your locale and check out the pattern of blooms and/or puff balls on dandelion infested soccer fields, parks or other play areas. You’ll probably notice the “dandelion free zone” in the front of the goal cage and down the center of the soccer field— and plenty of dandelions in the far corners of the goal cage and outside the lines of the playing area.

March 30, 2008

A Planning Guide for Pesticide Emergencies

Most states and local jurisdictions require anyone who stores and uses restricted use pesticides to have an emergency response plan. This guide is intended as an aid in developing a new plan or evaluating a plan that is already in place.

How to Plan: Consult your insurer, attorney and the manufacturers of the products you use. Follow their recommendations before developing procedures of your own. Then put their ideas and yours in a document that lists step-by-step actions for your employees to follow when your company is notified of a possible pesticide related emergency.

Build an Emergency Response Book: Your company should have a ring binder by the telephone that contains tabs for your emergency response plan, your recording forms, and the following items arranged by product. If you have two formulations for the same product; like place packs and blocks for a rodenticide, put a tab in for packs and a tab in for blocks. The following documents and information should be filed behind each product tab:

A single page summary of the manufacturer’s recommended response to problems, including where to call for help, what kind of help to expect and how fast to expect it. Don’t hesitate to ask your sales representative for this information before you order or reorder.
A copy of the current product label.
A copy of the current material safety data sheet (MSDS)
Additional safety, cleanup or medical/veterinary treatment information.

Record, record, record: Your Emergency Response Book should contain printed forms to record, in ink, all calls or other contacts involving pesticide related emergencies. These forms should have places for:

Name, address, phone fax and email of the caller and/or person with the problem.
Time when the first call or other contact occurred and the time that the caller believes the problem occurred.
Description of the problem and what happened as the caller understands it.
Product(s) that the caller thinks may be involved.
Signature of the person who took the call and recorded the information.

Stay Calm, Don’t Speculate: A concerned but professional attitude on the part of the person who takes the call will make it easier for the caller to remember facts that may be critical to understanding and correcting the problem.

Explain the Next Step: Always tell the caller what to expect next; who will contact them and when. Never speculate about the possible origins of the problem or its outcome. Just get the facts down on paper as the caller describes them and then get on to the next step of your plan as quickly as possible.

Who to Call and When: Your insurer and attorney will advise you when you should plan to call poison control centers, physicians, your insurer and the manufacturer of the product(s) that may be involved. They will probably want you to call the manufacturer as soon as possible. They will probably also want you to provide third party information such as the product label and MSDS to physicians/veterinarians as soon as possible.

It is usually a good idea to call the manufacturer even if you only suspect a problem and think it will probably ‘just go away’. If no assistance is required, the manufacturer will tell you so. Remember, you buy service and support from the manufacturer when you buy their product.

Test your Help Numbers: Help numbers change. Call your help number for every product your use every 6 months. Change the numbers in your Emergency Response Book as needed. And let the manufacturer know that they should have told you about the change.

Train your Staff: Select at least two people for special training in handling emergency calls. Ideally, one of these specialists will be on call at all times. Run ‘drills’ with your staff at least twice a year. Call in with a dummy problem. Listen for a competent, caring attitude and an ability to follow procedures quicly without hesitation or deviation from your plan. Then retrain/reassign staff and/or modify your plan as needed.

Learn from Near Misses: Every close call is an opportunity to improve your Emergency Plan and your staff’s performance. After each crisis is over, review what happened and make adjustments. The time may come when your company’s survival depends on its ability to handle a pesticide emergency.

Keep Old Labels on File: Litigation can arise years after your last service was done. If this happens, your defense may depend on the application rate, application method or other information that was in effect at the time of treatment. Protect your company by keeping a file of all labels for all pesticides you use or have used in chronological order. If you already back up your critical files at a second location, you may wish to scan your label file and keep a backup copy there as well.

Keep Your Service Simple: Optimize the number of products that your company uses. You may need to use several products for the same pest in order to minimize resistance or in order to service a particular type of account. If you are really using two or more products to do the same job, cut them back to one. Determine the safest and best way for your service people to perform each important task in their jobs. Then train everyone to do these jobs in the same way. Don’t change this service routine without a good reason.

April 15, 2008
Bed Bugs: Going Beyond the Basics ©

(revised 4/18/08)

This is a conceptual guide for pest control contractors, property managers, tenants, homeowners and anyone else who confronts a bed bug problem in a structure. It includes notes on the potential causes of the bed bug problems, how to watch out for bed bugs, how to test for resistance and compensate for resistance when treating for them, step-by-step suggestions on how to address new and recurring bed bug infestations, and notes on the importance of sampling, accurate identification and other technical considerations in bed bug related litigation. To identify your bed bugs, click on “Pest Identification” for an illustrated key to the subfamilies, genera and economic species of bed bugs of the world.

Theoretical Background

Discussions of the resurgence in bed bug problems have focused on two interrelated topics: 1) why bed bugs have come back, and 2) how to deal with them.

The dominant narrative, mainly promulgated by non-experts and the media, holds that bed bugs came back because DDT was no longer available to control them. The facts argue otherwise. First, the bed bug resurgence didn’t begin until decades after DDT was banned. Second, resistance to DDT in bed bugs was developing and use of DDT for bed bug control was declining years before indoor uses of DDT were finally banned. Third, the decrease in bed bugs coincided with the switch to fumigant organophosphate insecticides that would kill DDT-resistant bed bugs: malathion, diazinon, dichlorvos, and eventually chlorpyrifos and propetamphos. Fourth, the resurgence in bed bugs began immediately after indoor residential uses of these organophosphate compounds were virtually eliminated. So if the bed bug resurgence is due to the loss of a single insecticide, that insecticide is more likely to have been chlorpyrifos than DDT.

But regardless of why the bugs are back, the critical issue is what to do about them. Classic IPM based on removal of critical resources doesn’t work. Bed bug harborages can’t be eliminated because bugs can hide in the folds of bed linens and other cracks and crevices that are impossible to seal. Their water can’t be taken away because it is included with their food. Their food can’t be taken away because this would require humans to abandon infested environments. The only real option is to exclude them and if this fails, kill them.

The three biggest problems in bed bug control are access, resistance, and interference. Access issues keep you from getting where you need to get in order to inspect and treat for bed bugs. Resistance keeps the materials you use from killing the bugs. Interference means that somebody is doing something (like spraying or setting off “bombs”) to retard your success or prevent your program from working. I’ll discuss each of these problems in the sections below.

Surveillance and Proactive Approaches

Effective surveillance, or watching out for bed bugs, depends on access to the locations and items to be inspected. Bed bugs come into buildings on things that are already infested. Human bugs come in with furniture, luggage, used clothing and other items. Bat bugs generally come in on bats and bird bugs generally come in on birds. But both bat and bird bugs can also come in on furniture etc. if these items come from an attic or other place where bats were roosting or pigeons had been nesting. Vans that have hauled used mattresses that were infested can transfer bugs to new mattresses and furniture that are delivered later. Taxis that have carried infested luggage can transfer bugs to the luggage of subsequent passengers. Since bed bugs can’t fly and won’t crawl from one building to another, they always have to be carried into a building from somewhere else. Knowing what kind of bug has invaded your building tells you where to look for the source of the infestation: it could be bats, pigeons, an antique chair or picture, a college student’s back pack, or even a new mattress that came in the ‘wrong’ van.

Passive monitors like sticky traps are very ineffective tools for bed bug surveillance. Bed bug sniffing dogs can be helpful in detecting new infestations, but unless they will not react to dead bed bugs, they may signal that an infestation is active when, in fact, it has just been eliminated.

Overall, the most cost-effective bed bug detection device is a trained human observer. Housekeepers, maintenance engineers, painters, carpet layers etc. should be shown where to look for, and how to recognize and report live and dead bed bugs, cast skins, eggs and fecal blood spots. These ‘spotters’ need to be rewarded and praised for there performance when they identify and report an infestation in the performance of their regular work. When evidence of bed bug infestation in an area has been confirmed, there is usually little to be gained from inspecting for additional bugs that may be hiding nearby. This job can be done more efficiently by an experienced applicator as part of the treatment phase of the program.

The options for proactive bed bug treatments are limited. Conventional fumigation, freezing and heating are generally too expensive and/or too logistically complex. Localized applications of chlorpyrifos, which has both fumigant and residual contact activity, are no longer allowed, but small scale fumigation of closets, vehicles, rooms etc. with dichlorvos should be possible again after the new vapona strips from Amvac corporation become available this summer. Unlike chlorpyrifos and other organosphosphates with residual activity, dichlorvos is gone within hours after the strips are removed.

Bed Bug Treatments and Bed Bug Resistance

Specific recommendations on how to inspect and treat for bed bugs are available on line and in the pest management trade press. Once bed bugs have been detected in an area, plumbing escutcheons, wall plates and other items should be removed in order to gain access for treatment, not merely to look for bugs. Suggestions on how to test for resistance are included at the end of this article.

Possible ways to kill bed bugs: steam, dry heat, dry ice, insecticides or fumigant biocides have also been discussed on line and in the trade press. Following is one example of an insecticide-based regime that considers the biology of the bugs and the possibility that they may already be resistant to DDT and other materials with a similar mode of action. Control regimes for bed bug problems that involve bats or birds as well as humans may differ from those that only involve humans. Before using any material or combination of materials to control bed bugs, always confirm that the product or combination of products is registered and approved for your proposed use (including applications around bats or birds) in your state.

As in other insects, insecticide resistance in bed bugs may occur in three forms:

1) behavioral resistance, as for example, when the surviving bugs are able to sense and avoid treated surfaces before they pick up a lethal dose,

2) physiological resistance, as when the surviving bugs have high levels of blood proteins that inactivate the insecticide before it can reach its target, and

3) biochemical resistance, as when the nerves or other targets of the surviving bugs have binding sites that the insecticide will no longer fit.

Physiological resistance to DDT and natural pyrethrins was known in bed bugs as long ago as the 1960’s. Results with other insects, including Triatomine bugs, suggest that we should also expect biochemical and behavioral resistance to pyrethroids in bed bugs. This is a serious challenge because pyrethroids are the dominant insecticides in sprays, dusts and aerosols in today’s indoor environments. Fortunately, there are ways to get around each of these forms of pyrethroid resistance. Avoidance behavior in Triatomine bugs, roaches and other insects has so far been associated with pyrethroids that contain a cyano (CN) group. Therefore, the risk of behavioral resistance can be minimized by using bifenthrin, permethrin and other compounds that lack a cyano group, or by using imidacloprid or some other non-pyrethroid. Physiological resistance can be minimized by tank mixing bifenthrin or other primary killing insecticide with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) or some other mixed function oxidase inhibiting synergist. Biochemical resistance can be minimized by tank mixing or co-applying the pyrethroid or other primary killing agent with an insecticide such as s-hydroprene or propoxur that attacks a different biochemical target. S-hydroprene has the additional advantage of being able to migrate into cracks and crevices several feet away from the original place of application. A convenient tank mix utilizing the strategy described above is bifenthrin + PBO/natural pyrethrins + s-hydroprene. The natural pyrethrins provide flushing action that increases the chance that bugs will move around and pick up a bigger dose of the more toxic pyrethroid, bifenthrin and the synergist, PBO. This improves the killing ability of the total tank mix, especially against the first stage nymphs that don't move around much on their own. The PBO synergist is a hedge against behavioral and biochemical resistance, and the s-hydroprene is a hedge against biochemical resistance. Since s-hydroprene is not labeled for application to mattresses, some applicators may prefer to tank mix only the bifenthrin and PBO/natural pyrethrins, treat mattresses and other surfaces according to label directions, and then apply the s-hydroprene separately as an aerosol or water emulsion to non-mattress substrates. Because of the differences between product labels, it may be a good idea to have a predetermined treatment plan for bed bugs associated with human hosts, a plan for bed bugs associated with pet hosts, and a plan for bed bugs associated with wildlife hosts (birds and bats).

The tendency of bed bugs to exist for many generations in locally isolated populations and the rapidity with which these populations become reproductively isolated from each other, allows them to acquire all types of resistance much more rapidly than mosquitoes and other biting insects. Thus it is reasonable to expect that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of different resistant strains of structure-infesting bed bugs have been evolving all over the world for the last 60 years. Now the increase in travel is moving these local populations of bugs around and mixing strains with resistant genes from with strains that evolved their resistance in New York or Sao Paulo and so on. This scrambling means that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for researchers to understand the pattern of pesticide resistance in bed bugs for many years to come. Therefore one should assume that resistance is likely to be a factor in every bed bug problem and incorporate reasonable defenses against resistance into every bed bug control regime.

World wide movements of bed bugs also complicate bed bug identification. Keys that once separated the bed bugs of (fill in the state, region or country) are no longer dependable. This is why I have written an illustrated key to bed bugs on a world wide basis and published it in the “Pest Identification” section of this web site. Accurate bed bug identification is an important aid to understanding the likely origin of any bed bug problem and may suggest ways to prevent a recurrence. Accurate identification can also determine whether a repeated occurrence of bed bugs in the same place is due to a new infestation or a failure to eliminate the original infestation. Whether or not a series of two or more bed bug problems have been caused by the same or different infestations can be critically important in bed bug related litigation. This topic is examined in more detail under Bed Bug Litigation.

Bed Bug Problems and Interference

Homeowners, tenants and property managers seldom deliberately interfere with an effort to kill bed bugs. But they can inadvertently interfere with control efforts by using insecticide sprays and ‘bombs’ that can cause bed bugs to scatter or hide. This can spread the infestation and extend the time needed to eliminate the problem. Interference can be minimized by explaining the need to refrain from ‘helping out’ with control and the importance of concentrating on surveillance, watching out for bed bug evidence and reporting it as soon as it is found.

A Step-by-Step Approach to Bed Bug Management

This guide does not provide specific instructions as to what must be done to deal with bed bugs in any particular situation. Rather, it provides general suggestions for handling a wide variety of bed bug problems in an effort to prevent critical aspects from being overlooked in what is always an understandably hurried effort to solve the problem solved as soon as possible.

The information is presented as a decision tree or expert system and is intended for pest management contractors or others who will be responsible for solving the bed bug problem. Reading this guide may also help property managers, tenants and other stakeholders better appreciate the complexity of their bed bug problems and the difficulties of bed bug control.

1. Bed bugs are discovered in a current account…2

Bed bugs are discovered in a potential new account…3

2. This is a first time occurrence…4

This is a recurrence; bed bugs have been reported before in this account… 15

3. This is a first time occurrence…12

This is a recurrence; bed bugs have been reported before from this account…19

4. Bed bugs were discovered by your company’s surveillance system…5

Bed bugs were discovered by your customer, by an employee/tenant or another 3^rd party…8

5. Make a detailed inspection of the location(s) where the bed bugs were found, similar areas nearby, and all furniture, carts, vacuums and other items that may have moved into or out of the infested areas in the recent past and:

a) Adjust your surveillance system if you find evidence of bed bug infestation in areas that your current system reported as being ‘clear’.

b) Collect samples of bugs, cast skins, eggs and egg shells. Use these to determine the probable identity of the bugs and their host(s) and retain them in a secure location for future reference…6

6. Review the situation with your customer. Confirm that you will be the only pest management company that will be servicing the account while bed bugs are an issue, and that the customer will use their best efforts to:

a) Make all relevant areas/sites available for inspection and treatment as needed.

b) Direct all employees/tenants not to use insecticides (aerosols, ‘bombs’, sprays or dusts) without your prior written approval.

c) Inform you of the locations and dates of all previous complaints and problems with bed bugs in their structure, including threatened or pending litigation, any insecticide applications by employees/tenants for any purpose, not only bed bugs, and including all available records of insecticide applications by other pest management contractors…7

If the customer will not provide this assistance, decline the opportunity to provide bed bug related services at their building.

7. When the bugs are associated with bats or birds, locate these hosts in or on the building, exclude them, clean up and dispose of their nests, droppings and other host associated debris. Then perform Corrective Treatment of Bed Bugs Associated with Wildlife Hosts, and continue bed bug surveillance in/around areas previously occupied by these wildlife hosts.

When the bugs are associated with pets, suggest inspection and treatment of the pets themselves for bugs and eggs if necessary. Suggest washing or disposal and replacement of bedding, cages, toys and other pet-related items. Then perform Corrective Treatment of Bed Bugs Associated with Pet Hosts and continue bed bug surveillance in/around areas previously occupied by pets, including vehicles in which they travel.

When the bugs are associated with humans, suggest washing or disposal of infested bedding, perform Corrective Treatment for Bed Bugs Associated with Human Hosts and continue bed bug surveillance in/around areas occupied by humans, including their own vehicles and vehicles in which they carpool.

8. Review your pest management surveillance system. Consider ways to incorporate the person who discovered the bed bug infestation into your new system; look for and make other adjustments that will help your surveillance system detect bed bugs before they are spotted by people who are ‘outside the system”…9

9. Review the situation with your customer. Acknowledge that your surveillance system failed to detect the problem and request the customer’s cooperation in implementing your revised surveillance system. Confirm that you will be the only pest management company that will be servicing the account while bed bugs are an issue, and that the customer will use their best efforts to:

a) Make all relevant areas/sites available for inspection and treatment as needed.

b) Direct all employees/tenants not to use insecticides (aerosols, ‘bombs’, sprays or dusts) without your prior written approval.

If the customer will not provide this assistance, decline the opportunity to provide bed bug related services at their building.

10. Make a detailed inspection of the location(s) where the bed bugs were found, similar areas nearby, and all furniture, carts, vacuums and other items that may have moved into or out of the infested areas in the recent past and:

a) Adjust your surveillance system if you find evidence of bed bug infestation in areas that your current system reported as being ‘clear’.

b) Collect samples of bugs, cast skins, eggs and egg shells, and use these to determine the probable identity of the bugs and their host(s); retain these in a secure location for future reference……11

11. When the bugs are associated with bats or birds, locate these hosts in or on the building, exclude them, clean up and dispose of their nests, droppings and other host associated debris. Then perform Corrective Treatment of Bed Bugs Associated with Wildlife Hosts, and continue bed bug surveillance in/around areas previously occupied by these wildlife hosts.

12. Explain the difficulties involved with solving bed bug problems to the potential customer over the phone. Confirm that you will be the only pest management company that will be servicing the account while bed bugs are an issue, and that the potential customer will use their best efforts to:

a) Make all relevant areas/sites available for inspection and treatment as needed.

b) Direct all employees/tenants not to use insecticides (aerosols, ‘bombs’, sprays or dusts) without your prior written approval.

If the potential customer does not agree to provide this assistance, decline the opportunity to provide bed bug related services at their building.

13. Make a detailed inspection of the location(s) where the bed bugs were found, similar areas nearby, and all furniture, carts, vacuums and other items that may have moved into or out of the infested areas in the recent past and:

a) Install a bed bug surveillance system that is tailored to match the structure and operations in the building.

b) Collect samples of bugs, cast skins, eggs and egg shells, and use these to determine the probable identity of the bugs and their host(s) and retain them in a secure location for future reference…14

14. When the bugs are associated with bats or birds, locate these hosts in or on the building, exclude them, clean up and dispose of their nests, droppings and other host associated debris. Then perform Corrective Treatment of Bed Bugs Associated with Wildlife Hosts, and continue bed bug surveillance in/around areas previously occupied by these wildlife hosts.

15. Review the situation with your customer. Explain that bed bug problems are very difficult to anticipate and that you will review your bed bug surveillance program and look for ways to improve it. Ask your customer to confirm that you will be the only pest management company servicing his building while bed bugs are an issue, and that he will use his best efforts to:

a) Make all relevant areas/sites available for inspection and treatment as needed.

b) Direct all employees/tenants not to use insecticides (aerosols, ‘bombs’, sprays or dusts) without your prior written approval.

If the customer will not provide this assistance, decline the opportunity to continue to provide bed bug related services at their building.

16. Review your bed bug surveillance system. Consider ways to incorporate the person who discovered the bed bug infestation into the new system and make other adjustments to help prevent discovery of future bed bug problems by people who are “outside the system.” Implement the new surveillance system…17

17. Make a detailed inspection of the location(s) where the bed bugs were found, similar areas nearby, and all furniture, carts, vacuums and other items that may have moved into or out of the infested areas in the recent past and:.

a) Collect samples of bugs, cast skins, eggs and egg shells, and use these to determine the probable identity of the bugs and their host(s).

b) Retain these specimens in a secure location for future reference. Compare the new identifications based on your most recently collected specimens with the information obtained from specimens collected earlier from the same account…18

18. If: a) The identifications match, and

b) The bugs were collected from the same locations as the previous infestation,

Then: Carefully review your treatment records to assure that the previous treatment(s) met specifications.

If: The previous treatment(s) appear not to have met specifications.

Then: Repeat the treatment(s) making certain that they meet specifications.

If: The previous treatment(s) appear to have met specifications.

Then: Investigate the possibility of behavioral or physiological resistance to the materials being used, perhaps including experimental demonstration of resistance, and switch to materials with a different mode of action.

If: a) The identifications match, but

b) The bugs were collected from locations that were far removed from the locations where previous bugs were collected,

Then: Carefully review your surveillance system to assure that this is not merely a preexisting infestation that was untreated because it was overlooked.

If: The morphological identifications match, but your surveillance system appears to be in order.

Then: Consider morphological, cytogenetic, or genetic investigations to examine the possibility that a second strain of the same species was introduced after the first treatment, and treat this recently discovered infestation in the usual manner.

If: The new and old morphological identifications do not match and your surveillance system appears to be in order.

Then: Consider the likelihood that an additional species was introduced after the first treatment and treat this recently discovered infestation in the usual manner.

19. Explain the difficulties involved with solving bed bug problems to the potential customer over the phone. Confirm that you will be the only pest management company that will be servicing the account while bed bugs are an issue, and that the potential customer will use their best efforts to:

a) Make all relevant areas/sites available for inspection and treatment as needed.

b) Direct all employees/tenants not to use insecticides (aerosols, ‘bombs’, sprays or dusts) without your prior written approval.

If the potential customer does not agree to provide this assistance, decline the opportunity to provide bed bug related services at their building.

20. Make a detailed inspection of the location(s) where the bed bugs were found, similar areas nearby, and all furniture, carts, vacuums and other items that may have moved into or out of the infested areas in the recent past and:

a) Install a bed bug surveillance system that is tailored to match the structure and operations in the building.

21. When the bugs are associated with bats or birds, locate these hosts in or on the building, exclude them, clean up and dispose of their nests, droppings and other host associated debris. Then perform Corrective Treatment of Bed Bugs Associated with Wildlife Hosts, and continue bed bug surveillance in/around areas previously occupied by these wildlife hosts.

How to Test For Resistance

The highest label use of a sprayable insecticide is usually expected to kill at least 90% of the pest population it is used against. In scientific terms, the label rate is expected to meet or exceed the LD90 (lethal dose to kill 90 per cent) of that material against the target pest. This LD90 is often employed as the ‘discriminating dose’ (DD) in resistance studies and, therefore, it is not unreasonable to select the highest label use rate as a rough and ready approximation to the DD under practical use conditions.

You can use two different “tumbler tests” to assess the potential for resistance to your sprayable insecticide (or tank mix) against bed bugs in any account. For either test, begin by collecting a sample of 50 or more bugs before treating the account and then hold them in a plastic bag or other suitable container away from extreme heat or cold.

To test for physiological and/or biochemical resistance, pour a small quantity of your spray solution into a series of 5 clear plastic tumblers, swirl it around so that the bottoms has been covered, pour it out and place the tumblers face down on a paper towel to dry. Then add approximately 10 bugs to each tumbler and hold the tumblers at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Count the number of active and dead/immobile bugs after 1 hr, 8 hrs, 24 hrs, or whatever interval you think is most appropriate. Active bugs indicate that the population may be resistant to your pesticide. If active bugs are found on your next inspection of the account, you should consider contacting the insecticide manufacturer for advice, and if necessary, switch to an insecticide of a different chemical class.

To test for behavioral resistance, cut a series of 5 pieces of corrugated cardboard of a size that will cover about 20% of the area of the bottom of the tumblers. Fill one tumbler half full with your spray solution, dip the cardboard pieces into it and lay them on paper towels to dry for at least 24 hours. Then carefully position one piece on the bottom of a clean tumbler and add approximately 10 bugs to each tumbler. Count the number of bugs inside and outside the cardboard after 24 hours. Few or no bugs inside the cardboard indicate that the population may be behaviorally resistant to your pesticide. If active bugs are found on your next inspection of the account, you should consider contacting the insecticide manufacturer for advice, and if necessary, switch to an insecticide of a different chemical class.

Bed Bug Litigation

The following comments are offered for the reader’s consideration. They are not intended as either technical or legal advice.

When failure to control bed bugs is alleged, it may be useful to determine whether or not the initial and subsequent infestations belong to the same population. If the populations are different, this is evidence that the first control effort was successful. It may be useful for a competent entomologist to identify samples of the bugs using a key such as the one in the “Pest Identification” section of this site. If this key indicates that the samples are different, and the comparison has been made correctly, the two samples are different to a scientific certainty. The converse, however, may not be true. Because of the complexity of bed bug genetics, bed bug populations that belong to the same species and appear indistinguishable to a non-taxonomist, but which come from different places, can turn out to be very different from one another when examined more closely. This is because differences in the structure and behavior of bed bug chromosomes frequently occur between populations of the same species that originate in different areas. Among the differences that I have observed between different populations of the same bed bug species from different locales are: 1) the number, size and shape of setae and spines on various parts of the body, 2) the number, size and shape of chromosomes at metaphase, and 3) the shape and surface sculpture of the eggs and egg shells. Many of these observations were made in Dr. Robert Usinger’s bed bug laboratory at UC Berkeley. Specimens of bugs and eggs suitable for investigation of meristic differences can be collected and preserved in Ueshima’s modification of Carnoy’s solution (3 parts 95% isopropyl alcohol to 1 part glacial acetic acid).

In light of the above, one may occasionally wish to consider collecting and retaining samples of bed bugs in isopropyl Carnoy’s solution. A total of several hundred large (presumably adult) bugs collected from different locations during the initial inspection and treatment can be used to establish the morphological, and if necessary cytologic identity of the initial population. A few dry specimens can also be collected and retained for genetic study if required. This process can then be repeated with later infestations from the same account and analyzed to determine whether or not the two problems were caused by the same or different populations.

When failure to control bed bugs is alleged, it may also be useful to determine whether or not the surviving bugs are resistant to the materials that have been applied for their control. In this regard, it may be useful to apply only materials that list ‘bed bugs’ on their labels. It may also be useful to ask the manufacturer whether or not their product is effective against resistant bed bugs and what measures, if any, the manufacturer suggests be used to prevent, identify, and cope with resistance to their product. When litigation is involved, it may be useful to take and retain swab samples from representative surfaces before treatment and after treatment. Comparing the results of chemical analyses from these samples can reveal evidence of interference by unreported residues from previous pesticide applications and/or interference from unreported applications that took place between the two sets of samples.

April 28, 2008
Barriers Produced by Soil Termiticides: Label Directions and Real World Results*

(revised 4/29/08)

Introduction

Belief in the efficacy of ‘soil termite barriers’ produced by "applying termiticides according to label directions” leads many property owners to conclude that an application made according to label directions will automatically protect their structure from termites. Consequently, if termites find their way into the structure a few months to a few years after treatment, it follows that the treatment must not have been made in accordance with the label. The applicator had to have been a cheat, an incompetent, or both. In fact, the situation is more complicated and the cause of the problem may have been beyond the applicator's control.

Termiticide Label Directions

The expectation that application according to label directions will generate a perfect soil barrier has been perpetuated, if not created, by the language on the termiticide labels. The Chlordane C-100 and Dursban TC labels from 1984 state that these products “must be adequately dispersed in the soil to provide a barrier between the wood in the structure and the termite colonies in the soil.” The Termidor SC label from 2004 says that it “should be applied in a manner to provide a continuous treated zone to prevent termites from attacking the wood to be protected.” And the Premise 75 label from 2006 states, “Drill holes should be spaced in a manner that will allow for application of a continuous chemical treated zone.” “Apply at a rate of 1 gallon of solution to accurately and uniformly cover 10 square feet.” (Italics added in all cases.)

Absent from these and other labels that carry the same or substantially similar italicized language is an enabling disclosure showing how to accomplish these goals if more must be done than simply following the directions on the label. Furthermore, the labels say nothing with respect to how one should go about determining that the termiticide has been ‘adequately dispersed”, how “a continuous chemical treated zone” can be recognized, or how to know whether or not the termiticide has been applied “accurately and uniformly”. When it comes to the “how” as opposed to the “what” of termiticide application, these label use directions can be summarized by the Nike sportswear company’s tag line of a few years back; “Just Do It”.

Real World Results with Preconstruction Termiticide Applications

The Australian Wool Testing Authority1 found 5-fold to 15-fold variability among soil samples in a study of preconstruction horizontal barrier applications at 5 different sites under carefully controlled conditions. They concluded that “it is clear that there is extreme variability in pesticide application within a site and between sites” and “any sampling and testing method which attempted to assess whether the application of chemical was uniform on a building site, would involve testing a large number of samples within a site and be a very costly exercise. In particular, if the results were to be used in a legal action against an applicator, confidence limits of the test, i.e., the sampling rate, would have to be high.”

Real World Results with Postconstruction Termiticide Applications:

Wright and Leidy2 recovered termiticide residues of a termiticide applied at the same rate ranging from less than 1 ppm to more than 1,600 ppm 4 years after application. The range 8 years after application was 1 ppm to 439 ppm. These researchers also found that soil residues may actually increase over time. They reported increases in average values from 256 ppm in year 4 to 281 ppm in year 8, and from 58 ppm in year 4 to 112 ppm in year 8 along the inside walls of crawlspaces, and an increase in average values from 16 ppm in year 4 to 73 ppm in year 8 along the outside walls of crawlspaces.

Conclusions

Carefully controlled preconstruction and postconstruction applications of soil termiticides according to label directions do not produce either a ‘complete soil barrier’ or a ‘continuous treated zone’. On the contrary, applications made according to label directions can result in areas where not enough termiticide is present to provide effective control.

Carefully controlled preconstruction and post construction applications produce areas with much more termiticide than is needed to provide effective control.

Recommendations

One should not conclude that a preconstruction or postconstruction termiticide application was not performed according to label directions merely because too little termiticide is available to keep termites from entering the structure at one or more points following the application.

One should not employ soil sampling as a technique for determining whether a termiticide application was, or was not, made in accordance with label directions.

In order to avoid creating areas with much more termiticide than is needed to protect a structure, one should not retreat whole structures when only localized areas have been penetrated by termites.

References:

1Douglas, S.A.S. Deputy Managing Director, Australian Wool Testing Authority. 1987. Letter to R.J. Blackmore, Secretary, Council of Australian Pest Control Associations. October 10.

2 Wright, C. and R. Leidy. 1993. Monitoring Termiticide Levels”. Pest Control Technology August, pp 58-59, 62-63.

*Go to my Blog for April 29, 2008 for a broader discussion of the reasons for success and failure in soil termiticide treatments. The point of this post is not that you can't make a complete soil barrier around a structure by using a liquid termiticide. The point is that the use directions on a termiticide label can create a false expectation that merely following the label assures a complete barrier. People with experience in termite control know that this is not the case. But property owners generally do not understand it. This is one reason that so many homeowners fail to appreciate the value of an annual termite inspection after their property has been treated. The research cited here clearly demonstrates that a complete barrier is not 'automatic'; experienced applicators who follow use directions to the letter can still have spots in their treatments where too little termiticide is present to keep termites from passing through and damaging the structure.

May 8, 2008
Preventing Coyote Attacks in the Built Environment

Coyotes expand their foraging territories from feral through peridomestic to urban ecosystems along a gradient in three ecological factors:

1. Decreasing threats.

2. More; and more accessible food.

3. More; and more readily available water.

Humans reduce the threat level by eliminating all larger natural predators and not frightening or inflicting pain on coyotes that approach them.

Humans supply fresh water in their ponds and pools, leaking taps and sprinklers, drainage in saucers under flower pots, and even drainage from air conditioners associated with buildings and parked vehicles.

Humans provide feral food for coyotes by encouraging populations of house mice, rats, roof rats, meadow mice, gophers, ground squirrels, tree squirrels and feral cats. Carrion is made available as road kills, dead birds from window impacts. Additional foods include exposed garbage, including open trash cans in parks and along public ways, pet foods, squash and other garden vegetables. And then there are people who feed coyotes directly.

In the absence of any credible threat, coyotes are simply learning to move up the food chain from feral foods to foods provided by humans, to small pets, and in principle, if not yet in practice— to small children.

As with any pest problem, my preferred approach is ecological pest elimination, not killing. Reducing available food and water would reduce the number of coyotes foraging in the built environment, but it wouldn’t change their behavior toward humans. So these factors should be given secondary consideration. I suggest that the primary focus be put on increasing the level of threat at all times of day.

To increase the level of threat people should consider waving their arms, yelling, and even throwing stones or other objects at any coyote that approaches them or does not move away when it is approached by a human. It may be a good practice to carry mace or some other deterrent spray and use it on any coyote that comes within range.

This ‘educational program’ will benefit the coyotes benefit as well as ourselves. A cautious coyote won’t come close enough to attack a child. And a cautious coyote won’t become the target of a trap or other lethal measure.

Finally, here are some official recommendations regarding conflicts with coyotes from the California Department of Fish and Game:

-Never feed or attempt to tame coyotes. The result may be deadly conflicts with pets or livestock, or serious injuries to small children.

-Do not leave small children or pets outside unattended.

-Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.

-Trim ground-level shrubbery to reduce hiding places.

-Be aware that coyotes are more active in the spring, when feeding and protecting their young.

-If followed by a coyote, make loud noises. If this fails, throw rocks in the animal's direction.

-If a coyote attacks a person, immediately contact the nearest Department of Fish and Game (if in California ) or law enforcement office.

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