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- The trap jaw ant (Odontomachus haematodus), originally from South America, was first recorded in Alabama 50 years ago. Although this ant is known to be aggressive and invasive, it was thought that the species hadn t spread much. However, new surveys show that trap jaw ants have been on the move in recent years and have now spread across the Gulf Coast states. Trap jaw ants have wide jaws that snap shut (hence the name trap jaw ) with such incredible force and speed that it can stun their prey. Their bite is among the fastest known movements in the animal kingdom, with a speed of up to 143 mph. When threatened, trap-jaw ants fire their jaws at the ground, which pushes the ant upward with such force that it hurls them up like popcorn out of a frying pan. These ants also have a stinger that is capable of inflicting a painful sting. They are likely to become an increasingly common pest in the future.
- Ever since Michael Crichton published Jurassic Park in 1990, followed by the classic Spielberg film three years later, there has been a popular urban legend that blood-engorged mosquito fossils are common and that a real Jurassic Park is possible someday. In fact, fossilized mosquitoes are fairly rare, and even rarer are fossils of mosquitoes or other blood-sucking insects where there is evidence of blood in their stomachs from their latest victim—to date what has been discovered is only a couple mosquito fossils (one was discovered recently), a few sandflies, and an assassin bug. Unfortunately being able to extract DNA from blood that is now fossilized is a complete fantasy. So there never will be a Jurassic Park, except at the movies.
- Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a phenomenon where large numbers of honey bees gradually leave their hives, never to return again, has been confounding scientists all over the world since the disorder was first identified and named in 2006. Scientists have thought that the problem could be caused by parasitic mites, various bee diseases, certain kinds of pesticides, pollution, and many other causes, but research has eliminated each of these as being the sole cause of the disorder. Lately research has been focusing on the possibility of a combination of factors as being the cause. It s in the midst of all this confusion that a new study was just released in the Journal of Apicultural Research that points to an entirely unexpected culprit—solar storms, or sunspots. Sunspots cause fluctuations in earth’s magnetic fields, and as it turns out, bees use magnetic fields to navigate by. It is difficult for us humans to understand how important magnetic fields are to bees. It
- A team of scientists captured 133 rats at various places in New York City s subways, and used DNA sequencing to catalog the pathogens they were carrying. They found an alarming number of disease causing bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, but what was most alarming was the viruses they found—18 viruses that are entirely unknown to science. The authors note that the new viruses have not been reported yet in humans, but it is possible that human infection with some of these viruses is already occurring. Because most viruses cause only mild symptoms, or symptoms very similar to other illnesses, many illnesses are misdiagnosed. A few of the viruses stand out, including a new species similar to the hepatitis C virus, and Seoul hantavirus, a dangerous disease that causes excessive bleeding, and had never been found in New York before. The study raises the question of how many more unknown viruses are lurking in rat populations around the country.
- In the fall and winter mice and rats invade homes in record numbers, looking for food and a more comfortable place to spend the cooler months. The question many people ask us is, How do mice and rats get in? The short answer is, Very easily! Mice and rats have an amazing ability to squeeze through small holes. A young mouse can easily squeeze through a hole even smaller than a dime: a young rat can squeeze through a hole smaller than a quarter. Amazing! And if the opening is too small, they will often make it bigger by gnawing around the edges. Openings around service conduits like electricity and phone lines, and water pipes, provide easy access indoors and between apartments. Dryer vents and gaps around window-installed air conditioner units are other common entry points. Rodents can also crawl up through drain pipes not properly capped, as well as under exterior doors that don t seal well. Rats reach roof areas easily by tight-rope walking along utility li
- For a variety of reasons, many homes will experience increased pest problems during the holidays and the months ahead. Regular pest control is important during this time of the year because of the numerous pests that people encounter. Here are just a few of them. Fall and winter invaders are pests that actively look for a warmer and drier place to spend the winter. A wide variety of insects invade in the fall and winter, plus rats, mice and other animals. Holiday feast pests include ants, cockroaches, rats, mice, and other pests that feast on food leftovers from your holiday meals. Before the night is over, pick up food crumbs, cover and store leftovers, and empty indoor food waste cans. Clean the dishes, or simply leave them in the sink with soapy water. Pests in holiday food gifts. It is surprising that food gift packs (dried fruits, crackers, etc.) are sometimes infested, or become infested, with beetles, moths, and other pests. Check these items, and don t p
- Pests that live in firewood can be inadvertently brought indoors. Guard against this by inspecting the firewood first, and only bring in what you will burn within a day or two.
- FALL INVADERS ARE COMING! In the fall a wide variety of pests begin invading homes because of environmental cues such as shorter and cooler days, plus less food available outside. They start by seeking shelter in cracks and crevices, then gradually follow these openings deeper inside until they often pop out right into our living and storage areas. Although a few of these pests may become immediately noticeable; many lie quiet until awakened by a warmer period from fall to early spring. Responding partly to interior lights (which they mistake for a bright spring day), the pests continue crawling deeper inside. Some of the newer pests that do this include stink bugs, Asian lady beetles, and western conifer seed bugs that are all spreading to new areas. Others that continue to be serious fall invaders include cluster flies and face flies, boxelder bugs, elm leaf beetles, root weevils and clover mites. Some pests invade year-round, but much more so in the fall. These include rats, mice,
- October is the season for BATS! Somewhere along in time, bats became associated with spooky things like Halloween. While many people are scared of bats, and they can be dangerous (you don t want them living in your home), they also can be highly beneficial. Bats feed on insects, and on fruits and nectar in tropical areas. There are blood-feeding ( vampire ) bats that feed mainly on cattle at night, but none occur in this country. In the Western Hemisphere vampire bats are found only from Mexico down to Argentina. Insect-eating bats, the most common bats in this country, consume up to ½ their weight in insects during a single night. Some cave colonies of the Mexican free-tailed bat contain up to 20 million bats and are estimated to consume 100,000 pounds of insects a night! Despite the many beneficial aspects of bats, they can be a serious problem when they choose our homes to live in. Accumulations of their droppings and urine eventually cause odor and staining problems, and attract
- PEST PREVENTION TIP OF THE MONTH Don t inadvertently bring pests indoors! Check furniture, food, grocery bags, boxes, luggage, and other items you carry in. Also check all potted plants you bring indoors for ant colonies nesting in the soil, pests like sowbugs and earwigs underneath the pots, and pests on leaves and stems.
- NIT-PICKING NOTES Head lice lay their eggs, called nits, directly on strands of hair, using a glue that is extremely strong. In fact, the glue is so strong that it is commonly said that the lice cement their eggs in place. Removing the eggs, or even the empty eggshells, from hair is difficult. There are a number of nit-removal products you can buy that loosen the glue. A study published this year in the Journal of Medical Entomology compared these nit-removal products with ordinary hair conditioners. Surprisingly, hair conditioners are just as effective in removing louse eggs as special nit-removal products. You still usually need to use a product to kill the lice themselves, but since these products are not that effective in killing eggs, daily use of shampoo and hair conditioner, then combing with a fine-toothed comb, plays an important part in eliminating these pests.
- NEW MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUS Chikungunya is a mosquito-transmitted virus that has the potential to become a nasty disease in the U.S. It is already near us—it has been spreading recently in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Since 2006 there have been an average of 28 annual reported cases of the disease in the U.S., but all the cases were travelers who caught the disease outside the country and returned home infected—until recently. In July in Florida, we had the first record of a person being sick from Chikungunya who had not traveled outside the country. No one knows how quickly the disease may spread here. Chikungunya is rarely fatal, but it typically results in fever, joint pain and muscle aches. The symptoms typically go away after a week, but in some cases the joint pain is severe and can go on much longer. There is no vaccine and no specific treatment for the infection. This disease is another important reason to reduce your exposure to mosquitoes. This can be done t
- INSECT CAUSES JET CRASH When a Boeing 757 crashed in the ocean less than five minutes after takeoff in 1996, it tragically killed all 189 people on board Birgenair Flight 301. The black box revealed that the instrument panel had told the very experienced captain they were going too fast, so he slowed down too much and crashed. In reality the air speed gauge was completely malfunctioning because a small insect had plugged it. The sensor measures wind speed using a small, one-half inch hole in the exterior of the plane, and that hole had been plugged while the plane had been sitting at the airport for three weeks. It was first thought that one of the common mud dauber wasps plugged the hole with mud, but later it was proved that another wasp, called a keyhole wasp, was more likely the culprit. This wasp looks for pre-existing tunnels or holes to nest in, and seals the hole with a neat mud plug. The plug made by keyhole wasps is somewhat hidden inside the hole, so it was easily missed w
- HOMEOWNERS SET HOUSES ABLAZE In two separate incidents recently, homeowners trying to kill a spider that crawled indoors inadvertently set their homes on fire. In the first incident, a man used a can of spray paint and a lighter to try to kill a spider in his laundry room, but it ended up causing a fire that spread throughout the home, causing $60,000 in damage to the structure and house contents. In a separate incident, a woman ignited some towels to try to kill a spider, but it ended up lighting the duplex on fire. The woman was charged with aggravated arson. In both cases, for all the damage, there was no record of whether the blaze actually killed the spider they were trying to control. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but friends, our treatments are much safer, and more effective!
- FIRE ANTS BUILD RAFTS Red fire ants have an amazing ability to survive floods. As waters rise, the ants stream from their nests, start gripping onto ants beside them, and form living ant rafts that float and carry them to safety. This is an extraordinary engineering feat, considering each ant is denser than water and would normally sink. New research this year, using a CT scan, has given us a closer look at how they do this. Each ant connects to another ant between 8 and 20 times—all six legs connect to another ant, and each ant is contacted many times by neighbor ants. Besides connecting to neighbor ants, each ant actually pushes other ants away, which introduces air pockets between their bodies. By doing this, the mass of heavy ants easily floats downstream or to the nearest solid ground.
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