Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees are large, robust insects that look much like bumble bees. They have a bare, shiny black abdomen with some yellow markings. Male carpenter bees, identified by a bright yellow spot in the middle of the head, are aggressive but harmless because they lack stingers. Females can sting if provoked.

Carpenter bees bore holes into wood to create a tunnel in which they raise their young. Adult bees emerge from their overwintering sites in old nest tunnels and mate in the spring. The female prepares a nest by excavating a new site, or more frequently by cleaning out and expanding an existing tunnel. After the nest is ready, the female places a mass of pollen mixed with nectar in the blind end of the tunnel, lays an egg on it, and builds a partition of chewed wood pulp to form a brood cell. Six to eight brood cells are constructed in each tunnel. The bee larvae develop on the pollen and emerge as adults 30 to 40 days later. There is one generation per year.

Treatment for carpenter bees should be performed at the first sign of them, usually in February. Suspend SC is a concentrated, general insecticide that can be sprayed in and around the holes. The residual of Suspend SC will not only kill adult bees but also the larvae as they emerge. If you have any questions about this product, please contact us.

Chinch Bugs

Southern chinch bugs prefer open, sunny areas of grass, possibly where temperatures are hotter or the thatch may be thicker. They live in the thatch and suck fluids from the crowns, stems and stolons with their needle-like mouthparts. Infested grass turns yellow, then a burnt-reddish color, and dies. Chinch bugs tend to feed in groups, so dead patches of grass appear and seem to get larger as the insects spread through the grass. Severe damage tends to occur from April through October in the

Chinch bugs are usually only a problem if you have St. Augustine grass in your yard. Like most other insects, Chinch Bugs can grow to become a major problem in the summer months. If your lawn does become infested with these bugs, it is recommended that you water your lawn every day so that your grass retains its green coloring and to use various treatments, such Talstar PL, to kill the bugs in your lawn and to prevent their reproduction and growth throughout your lawn. Chinch Bug infestation can easily be controlled and eliminated so there is no need to seek professional help. Just apply Talstar PL to your yard.  Follow directions on proper use and application.

Cicada Killer wasps

The cicada killer wasp, also known as the giant cicada killer, is one of the largest solitary, ground-burrowing wasps in the United States. It is found east of the Rocky Mountains and south into Mexico. Although it rarely stings, its large size and menacing behavior makes it a special concern, especially to individuals with young children or with a sensitivity to stings.

The cicada is a very large, robust wasp about 1 1/8 to 1 5/8 inches long. It has a black body marked with yellow across the thorax and on the first three abdominal segments, similar to the yellow jacket.

The cicada killer is commonly found in residental areas, city parks, forest edges, golf courses and oil tank farms. They burrow in grass covered or bare hills, banks and berms, as well as raised sidewalks, driveways and patio slabs, They can be found in loose clay to sandy soils, and in loose soils in planters, window boxes and flower beds. In late summer these wasps are commonly seen skimming lawn areas and flying around shrubs and trees looking for cicadas. The wasps, by paralizing cicadas with their sting, use them as food for thier offspring; the adults feed on flower nectar. Once the cicada is paralized, the wasp drags the cicada up a tree or post to gain height so it can fly back to its burrow. The wasp may have to do this several times with each cicada. These wasps dig holes in lawns, kicking out a large, horseshoe shaped pile of dirt around the nest entrance. The burrow is about  1/2 inch in diameter and may be 6 to 10 inches deep and 12 to 18 inches long. At the end of the burrow are three or four cells. One or two cicadas are placed in each cell; one egg is laid on a cicada in each cell. Several wasps will frequently make individual burrows in one location. These wasps are strong fliers and will travel a considerable distance in search of food. The female wasps rarely sting unless they are disturbed by unwary or frightened persons or by lawn equipment in their nest area.

Treating the lawn and ornamental garden on a regular basis with Delta Guard Granules is the best way to prevent burrowing. Suspend SC can be used as a drench treatment for existing nests, however, stinging insects are very dangerous and a professional should be retained for the task. If you have any questions about these products, please contact us.

Mole Crickets

Mole crickets are subterranean insects, meaning that they spend most of their lives in the soil. This makes them a little more difficult to manage than some other turfgrass insects because their activity is hidden from us and serious damage to the turfgrass is often the first sign of an infestation. Equally important is the fact that the thatch and soil act somewhat as a means of protection for the mole cricket from any control we might apply.

Mole crickets damage turfgrass in several ways. Nymphs and adults feed on grass roots and blades at night after rain or irrigation, during warm weather. Their tunneling near the soil surface dislodges plants or causes them to dry out. Small mounds of soil are also pushed up by late summer. More than 20 feet of tunneling per night can occur. Tunneling and root-feeding reduce turfgrass density and create patches of bare soil.

There are four important steps to mole cricket control.

1. Map the areas of infestation. You can often do this in the spring, based upon activity of the adults. The adults usually lay eggs back in the same area where you observed their activity in the spring.
2. A couple of weeks after significant egg hatch occurs, apply Talstar PL to your yard to control the small nymphs. Applying the product too early may result in the residual activity declining prior to end of egg hatch. Applying the product too late may result in poor control because the earliest hatching crickets have gotten too large. Follow directions on proper use and application.
3. Perform follow-up monitoring of control and spot treat any areas with Talstar PL where you determine the individual control to be less than acceptable.

By following these guidelines and correct timing of your application, you can make great strides in managing this troublesome pest. Like any soil pest, mole crickets are difficult to control and you should never expect 100-percent control.
 

Mud Daubers

Mud daubers, a type of wasp, are a source of common complaints from homeowners. They are solitary wasps as opposed to the social wasps (paper wasps and yellow jackets). The insect is usually a blue-black color with dark wings. They can make a variety of nest shapes or designs depending on the species. These mud nests are conspicous to the homeowner when found around doors, windows, eaves and on barns or sheds. The nests are placed in areas protected from the weather.

The wasp makes several individual mud structures. These are grouped together, attached in some cases, but each contain one egg. The egg hatches and the larvae feeds on spiders which have been paralyzed by the wasps sting and placed inside the cell.

Control is quite easy, knock down the nest. Wasps may fly around eaves to find spiders. Apply Suspend SC to the eaves. Not only will in kill the wasp if it comes in contact with the treated area, but it will also kill the spiders, further reducing the number of foraging wasps. If you have any questions about this product, please contact us.

Pantry Pests

Having "bugs" in your breakfast cereal may be disgusting, but it isn't unusual, many insects like to eat the same food we do. Stored foods that are commonly infested include but not limited to flour, cereals, cracked grains, baking mixes and processed foods, crackers, dried fruits, nuts, popcorn, macaroni, cured meats, powdered milk and spices. Insects that feed on these products may also infest other grain-based items such as pet foods and birdseed. Also, dried flower arrangements may also be attacked.

Insect pests most often encountered in stored food products are:

• Indian meal moths
• dermestid beetles
• sawtoothed grain beetles
• cigarette and drugstore beetles
• flour beetles
• granary, rice and maize weevils
• bean weevils
• spider beetles

Several stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult) of these insects may be present at the same time in infested products. Because we keep our houses warm, these insects may continually reproduce and many stored product infestations can be found nearly any time of the year.

The first indication of an infestation is often presence of small brown beetles, moths or worms in cupboards or on counters. A closer inspection, insects may also be found in opened packages or containers of food and in the cracks and crevices about the kitchen area. Unopened packages may also become infested because some of these insects can readily chew into cardboard and other type of packaging. Insects can be brought into the home along with infested food products, and can multiply and spread to other stored foods.

If an infestation is suspected, identify the pest and try to locate the source or sources. Occasionally, the source can be very hard to find. It may be in an unopened package from the store. Consider the possibility food may have been spilled next to or behind hard-to-move appliances or under counters. Mice will sometimes collect food and hoard them in walls, under cupboards or dishwashers where the infestations are nearly impossible to find.

Ticks

Ticks, of course, are not insects. They are easily distinguished by the shape of their bodies- no distinct head and sac-like appearance of the body. Adults and nymphs have eight legs, while larvae (sometimes refered to as "seed ticks") have six legs.

Control measures should be taken both indoors and outdoors. For indoor and perimeter, Suspend SC should be used, Talstar PL or Talstar liguid are excellent products for outdoors. Special attention should be paid to the areas frequented by dogs. If you have any questions about these products, please contact us.