'Bugs News

We frequently get questions about the various borate products on the market to control insects around the home. These products are used to control ants , cockroaches and structural pests like carpenter ants , powderpost beetles and dry-rot fungi . General characteristics Borates offer a low toxicity alternative to conventional insecticides, but are slow acting and may take several weeks to be completely effective. Borates are also generally long lasting , if kept dry. And, borates are generally not used outdoors because of they are soluble in water . Borate is primarily an insect stomach poison and fungicide. Stomach poisons must be eaten by the pest to be effective. Borate Products Timbor and Bora Care (and a few others) are products for structural pest control (termites, carpenter ants and wood-boring beetles). Timbor is a powder of 98% disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, a sodium salt of boric acid, and Bora Care is a 40% solution of the same compound plus ethylene glycol . ...

Fleas can be a problem for every dog and cat owner. Adult fleas feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. While they also bite people, we are not their preferred host. Flea bites cause swelling and itching on both us and our pets. Immature, or larval , fleas look like small white worms. They don't bite but instead feed on hair, shed skin, and dried blood in the animal's bedding. See this page for photos of adult and larval fleas. Below is an inexpensive flea control program that works very well; it can be time consuming but all the steps are important. If you skip any of the steps fleas may be a recurring problem. For methods that are easier but more expensive see flea control at 'Bugs. Inexpensive flea control (1) Vacuum rugs, drapes and furniture thoroughly . Pay particular attention to areas where pets sleep. Discard the dust bag outside because it contains fleas, flea larvae and eggs that may re-infest the house. Vacuuming is an important first step! (2) Treat ru...

Insects that infest our stored foods Now that the cold weather has arrived we can turn our attention indoors and think about getting rid of those pesky "weevils" and moths that are occasionally found in the kitchen and pantry. Did you know that insects consume 10-50% of all stored grain worldwide? Most of the loss occurs in commercial storage but a significant amount also happens after consumers take food home and store it improperly. So perhaps we needn't worry so much about producing more food on the farm but should concern ourselves instead with protecting the food we already have in storage! Here's some basic information about the most common pantry or stored product pests and what you can do about them at home. Keep in mind the following points: (1) Dry pet food is the most commonly overlooked source of infestations. (2) Do not store items longer than about 2 months unless steps are taken to protect it against infestation (see below). (3) Do not store items...

Spider mites can cause extensive leaf damage Spider mites are tiny (1/32") plant-feeding mites (see drawing) that are important pests in both home gardens and commercial agriculture. Even a minor spider mite infestation can do significant damage to plant productivity. Injury is the result of damage to the plant's protective outer layers, the epidermis and cuticle , that occurs as the mites feed. Research has shown that injury to these layers causes excessive and uncontrolled water loss and eventually injured plants dry out and die (see photo of injured leaf below). Experiments Take a look at the photo of the two leaves. The photo was taken during an experiment to determine the effects of spider mite feeding on peppermint leaves. The leaf on the right was infested with spider mites, the leaf on the left was kept spider mite-free with a barrier of sticky material (not visible in this photo). After about 15 days the mites were removed and a variety of measurements were made ...

What is house dust? Obviously the answer depends on where you live and the season of the year. In general, however, house dust is composed of ash, cloth fibers, hair, plant pollen, human and animal skin, soil particles, and fungal spores. In many households, human skin flakes make up much of this flying debris. On average, an adult sheds about 1/2oz of skin every day! What are house dust mites? House dust mites are tiny, nearly microscopic mites that feed on the organic parts of house dust. The mites live in fabric and bedding and for many people go completely unnoticed. For some people however dust mites can cause moderate to severe allergy . The allergy is caused by bits of the mites themselves that become airborne, and mite feces. What goes into dust mites as a flake of skin and hair comes out the other end as an allergen that can stuff up your nose, launch a severe allergic reaction or even trigger asthma . House dust mites are not the only source of allergen in our indoor env...

What are lice nits? As every parent of a school-age child probably already knows head lice are tiny "bugs" that infest the scalp and cause a lot of itching and irritation. They can affect all kids, everywhere, and can be very contagious . They are, however, really (really!) less of a medical concern than many people believe, but that argument is for another blog article. This post is about the eggs , or nits, that lice lay and what exactly the nits look like. Nit is another name for egg . Both head lice and pubic lice (a related species that infests areas of the body where course hair grows like the groin and chest) attach their nits to the hair of their hosts (see drawing above and photo below). The nits are actually glued to the hair shaft close to scalp because they need the warmth and moisture that comes off the scalp in order to develop properly. Nits are attached so tightly that normal washing, combing, or brushing won't remove them. Nits hatch quickly (7-9 ...

What causes scabies and mange? Both conditions are caused by a tiny mite (drawing) that burrows into the skin causing irritation and intense itching. Many mites (tiny, eight-legged animals more closely related to spiders than to insects) cause skin irritations and allergic reactions. These include house dust mites , grocers itch mites , chiggers or red mites , and several different fowl mites . Only one mite, however, actually burrows into the skin. These are scabies , or the human itch, mites . In cats and dogs we use the term mange to describe two different mite infestations. One of the mange mites is the same one that causes scabies in humans. What does scabies look like? Scabies mites are very small (female: 1/60"). They burrow into and feed under the skin. They spend their entire life cycle on the host, but can survive off-host for up to 10 days, if conditions are moist. For this reason the mites can be transmitted by infested clothing, towels, bedding, and so forth....