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The Pest Monitor

Volume 7, No. 3

September 1999

There is no workman, whatsoever he be,

That may both work well and hastily. Chaucer

 Quiz Answered

Situation: One is applying six fluid ounces per 1000 sq ft from a formulation which contains four pounds per gallon. Question: How much active ingredient on a weight basis is the applicator applying per 1000 sq ft? The weight may be expressed in ounces or pounds. One gallon of the product contains four pounds or 64 ounces (dry weight). There is 128 fl oz in a gallon, so four pounds divided by 128 fl oz gives the weight of product per ounce. 4 ˜ 128 = 0.03125 pounds. The application rate is six ounces so 6 x 0.03125 = 0.1875. The 1000 sq ft of treated surface is receiving 0.1875 pounds of active ingredient; 0.1875 pounds is equivalent to 3 ounces.

 Fall Pests

A number of pests will move into buildings or the area around buildings during the fall months. Insects which fit this category in our area are crickets, rodents, and lady beetles. A few crickets may be found in and around houses each year and, in these situations, a perimeter spray generally takes care of the problem. Last fall crickets were especially bad in the Delta area, and there may be some carryover from last year in this area. In these situations, perimeter sprays are not going to give the control that is expected.

Lady beetles will move into houses during October, and it appears that this happens sometime during the last 10 or 12 days of the month. If a perimeter spray is applied before the insects move into the house, it may have some effect; however, I do not have any data to support this premise. This spray should be applied to the facia boards and to outside window and door facings. I would suggest either a wettable powder or an encapsulated product.

Rodents, especially mice, during late summer or early fall will move into homes seeking shelter as well as a food source. This is probably triggered by cool temperatures and shortening day lengths. Review your polices about dealing with mice and or rats.

 New Products in Development

Chlorfenapyr. This is an American Cyanamid material, and I am aware that it is being evaluated for termite and ant control. It has been in the USDA, U.S. Forest service tests for two or three years and has been in several ant evaluation trials around the southeast. Early results look promising.

 

Fipronil. Rhone-Poulenc is evaluating this product for termite and ant control (outside use). The active ingredient is already in the Max-Force line of products for cockroach and ant control (inside use). The product has reached, or is about to reach, the end of the five year evaluation period which is needed for registration in the USDA, U.S. Forest Service trials. Results with this product are very good.

New Registration

Hydramethylnon. The formulation Amdor Pro7 has modified its label to include management of fire ants for outdoor usages in areas such as airports, roadsides, cemeteries, school grounds, poultry and animal holding grounds, and on pastures and rangelands. It may also be used indoors as crack and crevice treatment. This is a 0.73% material.

 

Imidachloprid. A few of you spray pecan trees in the spring for phylloxera, and Provado 1.6 flowable is cleared for this use. It can be used at 3.5 to 7.0 fluid ounces per acre. Chemical selection is important; however, timing of the application is as important. Also, if one accepts more trees than one can spray, poor control will probably be the consequences.

Loss of Crop Protection Companies

Several pharmaceutical companies are thinking of selling off their crop protection divisions because of low profits. The low profits are due to poor results from agricultural markets and bad publicity about issues such as genetic modification of crops and the perception that pesticides always have negative impacts on human health and the environment.

Indirect evidence indicates that the companies are considering all options. AstraZenca Pic. (products such as Demon, Archer, Demand, Talon-G, etc.) will consider anything and everthing about the disposition of its agrochemicals arm, which could be worth $7 - $12 billion. A recent shakeup at the top of Swiss group Novartis Ag=s argibusiness aroused media speculation that they, too, might be considering its options. A profit warning from American Home Products Corp. (Cyanamid) following a slump in crop protection sales earlier this year led to a call for it to split its argibusinesses and health care sides. Dupont is also undergoing restructuring due to the depressed world agribusiness. This includes cutting some 800 jobs, or about 15% of its employees, making insecticides and herbicides.

What does this mean to someone in the household and structural business? It depends on who buys these divisions and how much they may want to put into research and development. Let=s face it, most pest control materials, with a few exceptions, find their way to the PCO after crop development. If companies who buy these divisions are only interested in selling the developed products and are not interested in development, then the pest control industry could come up short in five to ten years. Also, companies of this type are not as interested in providing support services, causing the pest control industry to suffer. There will not be technical representatives to answer complaints, or people to serve on boards or serve as speakers, etc. Bottom line, actions as mentioned above, could present some long term problems for the pest control industry; however, at this time it is only speculation. Reuters: July 1, 1999 and Chemically Speaking, Univ. of Fla. July 99.

Chemical Use - Differing Opinions - Concept the Same

It is interesting how people view the use of chemicals and it is often from their own bias. For example, a dentist in Connecticut (and an organic hobby orchardist) questioned the safety practices of what he referred to as corporate farms , especially in the use of pesticides. A large apple grower in Michigan answered this dentist with the following (this all took place on an INTERNET chat room):

 

Subject: Organic Apple.

Dear Doc, I am having trouble understanding your reasoning concerning pesticides on food products. You are a professional who has been educated and licensed in the field of dentistry. Within your practice, you handle all kinds of chemicals such as tooth coatings, anesthetics, glues, various materials used for fillings, and cleaners, all applied directly within a patient's mouth. We are not talking parts per million here. Of course you say that these things are perfectly safe because they have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Certainly a government agency would not allow something unsafe to be used in this manner. You also use sharp metal instruments in different patients' mouths throughout the day, which all have the ability to transmit disease such as hepatitis or AIDS, but of course you follow American Medical Association guidelines that ensure me as a patient that there is no danger. And the Center for Disease Control says it is safe. And of course, you are a professional, and, well, "trust me."

 

And, yet, when another government agency, such as the EPA, assures you that the pesticide residues found on food are safe, you do not believe them because, well, just because. Or when the U.S. Surgeon General assures you that the pesticide residues in food are safe, you do not believe him because, because why? Even though very strict testing and research guidelines have been undertaken, you still seem to know better than they.

An overdose of anesthetic will stop all bodily functions and kill the patient, but now really, is dosage all that important? I mean, the proper amount of insulin in the body will regulate blood sugar, but too little or too much will kill you. But is dosage all that important?

At what point in your education did you stop thinking rationally? You say "trust me." Why should we? You use chemicals, don't you? If a lot of that chemical will harm me, then certainly a little will do the same thing (at least that is what you imply.) Maybe I should be looking for an old-timer who doesn't use as many chemicals in my mouth. He must be safer. And of course those corporate dental offices that have a dozen hygienists can't be getting everything sterile, and they can't be getting everything applied right, and what about the proper dosages? Oops, there's that dosage thing again.

I suggest that before you begin impugning and degrading the apple industry, you should realize that you and I are exactly the same. I apparently tend to show more respect for you than you for me. You see, it isn't the corporate farms that I'm scared of, it's the hobbyists. I wouldn't think of going to an apple grower who practices dentistry on the weekends to get a tooth filled. Should I buy apples from a dentist who grows apples on the weekend? Should I trust the dentist? Should I be looking for an organic dentist? With your reasoning, they must be safer for me. I mean, are bacterial infections all that serious a thing? Capital Press; June 4, 99; Agri. and Environ. News, Aug. 99; Chemically Speaking, Univ. of Fla., Sept. 99.

This dialog had its beginning in the use of pesticide on food; however, it could have easily been related to a pesticide used for cockroach control.

Bits and Pieces

Smokybrown Cockroaches. Habitat conditions which might lead to the occurrence of these insects around a house:

  • Pet food left in containers over night (outside)
  • Water for pets left at doors or on the patio, garage, etc.
  • An accumulation of pet feces in the yard
  • Clogged gutters and down spouts
  • Improper ventilation in attics
  • Shrubs too close to the house which prevent good air movement around the house
  • Vines growing up walls
  • Overhanging tree limbs, especially if they touch the roof
  • An abundance of trees fairly close to the house which have numerous knot holes, and cavities

Modification of these factors will help in the control of the smokybrown cockroach.

Argentine Ant Facts. This ant seems to be very active around the state so I thought a few facts might be helpful:

  • Argentine ants belong to the group of ants with one node on the petiole
  • Argentine ants nest in the soil. This may be in exposed areas or under some object on the ground
  • Landscape timbers around a structure provide ideal nesting sites. This is enhanced if the timbers are crossties with cracks and checks
  • Don=t overlook nests under sidewalks or such items as splash plates under down spouts
  • Argentine ants, based on my experience, like a liquid food source. I was using a 1:1 honey/water solution
  • Argentine ants will tend certain species of aphids from which they collect honey dew
  • Shrubs should not be allowed to grow right against the house. Leave 8 to 10 inches of air space around the house
  • Tree limbs should not be touching roofs
  • When applying a perimeter spray, thoroughly wet mulched beds

Quiz

A number of insects will occasionally occur around a structure. In most cases, they will not cause problems, other than one of nuisance. If the service person can answer questions about this or that insect, I think it will help sell your business. See if you can identify the following insect from the following description: "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."

 

James H. Jarratt
Entomologist
Mississippi State University


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