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The Pest Monitor

Volume 7, No. 4

November 1999

Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas,
And a prosperous year in 2000

Quiz Answered

"I wish you were here yesterday because I saw this insect and I was worried about it but I was afraid to pick it up. It was about one inch long, maybe a little less, and was brown to brownish black in color. It had what looked like short wings on its back and a pair of pincher or forceps sticking out its back end."

The insect in question is an earwig. Two common earwigs in the State are the (1) ringed-legged earwig, Euborellia annulipes, and the (2) striped earwig, Labidura riparia. Ringed-legged earwigs are about three quarters of an inch long, dark brown to jet black in color, with yellow-brown legs that have one or two dark brown cross bands. Striped earwigs are about one inch long, lighter in color than the ringed-legged earwig. It has pale stripes on the pronotum and front wings. It may also emit an objectionable odor when disturbed or crushed.

These insects are largely nocturnal in habit and hide in protected sites during the day. At night they feed mainly on dead and decaying vegetable matter, and a few are predators.

Controls can vary. If only one or two earwigs are seen over one to two months, simple removal by the homeowner is all that is necessary. In some situations however, large numbers may build up around structures and, if this is the case, the nuisance problem will be greatly magnified. This situation may occur in new subdivisions.

Insecticide sprays containing chlorpyrifos, cyfluthrin, bendiocarb, diazinon, acephate, etc. can give effective control of this insect. Be sure to check the label of the product of choice.

Pertaining to the first option, one might say I can not make any money telling someone to simply remove the insect. My response to that statement is, "Are you selling knowledge, expertise, etc. or are you selling chemicals?" Or put another way, "Are you defined by the size of your chemical warehouse?" Considering the current trend in pesticide regulations, one should consider all options.

Research Report, Termite Control
Dr. Brad Kard, USDA Forest Service

Fipronil. Initially, this product was included in a test in the same manner as other products - non-treated control plots were included adjacent to fipronil test plots. However, it was noted that termites foraging in the non-treated plots seem to be affected by the fipronil treatments. As a result, additional field tests with newer formulations were installed. In these tests, fipronil at various concentrations plus controls were placed in different areas to avoid any interaction between concentrations.

It would appear that foraging termites may be picking up non-lethal doses of the product and moving it back to the colony or at least to other nest mates. Over time the concentration reaches a toxic dose, thereby exerting downward pressure on the termite numbers. Research into this phenomena is continuing.

Imidacloprid. Differing concentrations of this product are also placed into separate test plots to reduce overlapping effects. "Overall, imidacloprid has been effective under concrete slabs in three of the four main USDA Forest Service field sites, but termites penetrated imidacloprid-treated soil in southern Mississippi. In some penetrated 0.025 to 0.25% plots, termites damaged wood but were not always present. In 1997, of the five label-rate plots penetrated by termites (two 0.05%, three 0.10%), one 0.05% plot had active termites on the inspection date. The wooden blocks damaged in the two 0.05% plots sustained moderate-to-heavy damage. The damaged blocks in the three 0.10% plots sustained trace to heavy damage during 1997, but no termites were found on the inspection date. Over the three years from 1995 through 1997, 0.05 and 0.10% concrete slab treatments had a total of seven out of 20 plots penetrated but active termites were only found twice (0.05%). In four instances (three 0.05%, one 0.10%) the same plots were penetrated during subsequent years, but termites were not active in these plots. Damage ranged from trace-to-heavy at both rates."

Stainless Steel Mesh. Thousands of homes have been protected with this technology in Australia over the last several years. Termi-Mesh Australia is currently using T-316 which is the highest grade of noncorrosive stainless steel commercially available. Stainless steel tests were initiated at four locations in the United States in 1993. The test sites are Florida, Mississippi, Arizona and South Carolina. Three test methods are being used: (1) stainless steel mesh sleeve (2) concrete block and (3) concrete slab. After five to six years of testing, all tests remains 100% successful in deterring subterranean termites. In the continental United States, three pre-construction treatments have been installed - two in St. Johns County, Florida and one in Franklin, North Carolina. New additions are planned for Orlando, Florida. It is of interest to note that a successful post-construction treatment has been applied to a serious Formosan subterranean termite infestation in Hawaii. This occurred in 1992.

 

Insecticide Vapor Barrier Combinations. This technology utilizes a vapor barrier material that has been impregnated with an insecticide. Vapor barrier/insecticide combinations currently under test are (1) Kordon Blanker, AgrEvo; (2) Termifilm (Cecil Co., France) and Impasse (Zeneca Professional Products, USA). These test were installed in 1997 and 1999 and data is not yet available.

New Registration and or Products

More on Fipronil. As you can see in the above data, this product has completed the five year test at the Mississippi, Arizona, and Florida sites, with the South Carolina data due to be taken in October of 1999. In the concrete slab test, five concentrations were evaluated - 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, and 1.0 percent. Four concentrations were evaluated in the ground board test. These were 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 percent. The product gave 100 percent control over the five year period at all concentrations tested, in both tests. This product has received its Federal registration and the State registration is pending.

I have evaluated six homes treated with the product over the last 1.5 years - three in North Mississippi and three in the Jackson area. To date, termites have not reappeared in these structures. The product does not have an odor, and it mixes well with water. It will probably be marketed under the trade name Termidore.

 

Bifenazate. Uniroyal has been granted a new registration for bifenazate. This product can be used for mite control in greenhouse, shadehouse, nursery, landscape and interior-scape grown ornamentals. The product will be marketed under the name Floramite. This may be of interest to anyone doing plant work in malls.

 

Permethrin. AgrEvo has a new water soluble formulation of permethrin that can be used in mosquito abatement control programs. This product can be mixed with water and applied in ultra-low volume machines. Consult label for mixing instructions. The product is marketed under the name Aqua-Reslin.

Generic Pesticides

When a product loses its patent, other companies can legally move into the marketplace with a compound that some refer to as a "Me too Product" or a "Generic Product." Generic materials contain the same active ingredient, and there may or may not be a change in carriers or emulsifiers. This concept may happen to any product. In general, the generic materials are usually cheaper, and this may or may not be an advantage. Consider the following:

The parent company generally has a well developed field force that includes salespersons and technical support people. If there is a problem, the purchaser has the company name behind the product. Problems may include spills, contamination, odors, or other factors.

This may or may not be the case with generic producers. There may be a salesperson who will call on you; however, it is doubtful that there will be any technical support behind the product. If you are considering one of these products, visit with the salesperson about this situation - know up front what you are getting with the cheaper price. Or, put it another way, what you are not getting.

Equipment Storage

As we enter the winter season, that is if there is winter, don=t forget to winterize any equipment that you will not be using. This could include termite rigs and/or larger capacity sprayers that are used for perimeter sprays:

SPRAYERS AND PUMPS

Sprayers and pumps should be flushed with clean water for several minutes. Dispose of the rinsate in an acceptable manner.

Drain the pump and strainer compartment completely by removing drain plugs.

Replace the drain plugs and add a 50 percent antifreeze solution to the pump and strainer compartments. Use caution with antifreeze solutions, as it is toxic.

Lubricate control cables such as throttle, choke, clutch or brake cables.

FOUR CYCLE GASOLINE ENGINES

Clean and service the air cleaner per instructions in the operators manual.

Clean dirt and debris from the engine.

Drain the crankcase oil. Replace with new oil of the proper viscosity.

Drain the gas tank. Varnish build-up with today=s gasolines can occur rapidly.

Run the engine to burn the remaining gas in the carburetor.

Cover the exhaust pipe or muffler to prevent moisture, insects and rodents from entering. Don=t forget to remove it next spring.

Storage of Pesticides

Ninety -nine percent of the time our storage buildings are in good shape but occasionally things will happen. Something did happen at Barto Packaging South, Inc. facility in West Helena, Arkansas on May 8, 1997. An accident at this facility killed three firefighters, injured 17 other firefighters, caused the evacuation of hundreds of people, and closed traffic on major roads and the Mississippi River for 12 hours. The fire took two weeks to extinguish. The Joint Chemical Accident Investigation Team determined that the most likely cause of the explosion was the decomposition of a bulk sack of the insecticide azinphos-methyl 50W while in contact with a hot compressor discharge pipe. In this case, it was determined that the facility's failure to recognize the hazards of a hot surface in a hazardous chemical storage area was partly to blame for this accident.

Take some time to check out your storage facility as we enter the winter period. Look for faulty wiring that may spark; check heater location in reference to your chemicals; is there adequate ventilation; do you use space heaters to provide additional heat; if so where are they located; are the connections in a good shape of repair; are you overloading a circuit, etc.

What Saves Lives

As pesticide issues wax and wane, some things get lost because, in my opinion, certain issues do not fit the agenda of the national press. Most would agree that the way to save lives is to increase the quality of medical treatment and to a lesser extent, curb fatal injuries. Trying to save lives by regulating pesticides or other toxins, on the other hand, generally uses up far more resources and saves fewer lives than medical testing. Possibility, shifting resources from toxin regulations to medical testing would save far more lives than are saved by the regulations that are in place to monitor or regulate toxins. A study compared 587 toxic risk-reducing methods, programs and rules and found that to extend one life one year cost $2,800,000.

Conversely, the median cost per life extended one year for medical treatments was $19,000 and $48,000 for fatal injury reductions. The director of Harvard University's Center for Risk Analysis notes that "the median toxin control program costs 58 times more per year of life saved than the median injury prevention program, and 146 times more than the median medical program. We go after minuscule risks, such as pesticide residues in food, and simultaneously we are tolerant and neglectful of major problems in our daily life." Risk Analysis, Vol. 15, No. 3 (1995), p. 369-390 via the Heritage Foundation, and Univ. of Fla., Chemically Speaking.

Quiz

A client complains to your technician about the periodical occurrence of an insect in their den. They finally get a sample and with a little magnification it looks like the insect to the left. Identify this insect and describe what should be done for control?

Job Announcement

The Bureau of Plant Industry has a position available in Greenville, MS. A BS in one of the biological sciences is required.

 

 

James H. Jarratt, Entomologist
Mississippi State University
Department of Entomology
Box 9775
Mississippi State, MS 39762
662-325-2085
jjarratt@entomology.msstate.edu


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