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Pest Control

Mike Patton

2012-04-19 10:53:21

Q: How do I protect my home from termites?

A: The best approach to protect your home from termite infestation is to avoid conditions that aid termites in gaining access. There are several simple things you can do to help avoid termites. First, do not allow the wood from your home to come in contact with the soil. The minute wood sets on earth, it starts attracting moisture and the combination of wood, soil and moisture attracts fungi that begin to decay the wood. Second, fix water leaks and control moisture in and around your home. The termites that live in Kansas require moisture and will thrive in damp soil and wood. Avoid all wood-to-soil contact. Don’t stack firewood directly on the ground, especially next to the foundation of your home. Keep it elevated on racks. Also, don’t allow the siding of your house or trim to become covered by dirt. This allows unseen access by termites to your home and creates a condition that is conducive to termite infestation. Walk around the outside perimeter of your home and look for places where the wood or siding comes into contact with the soil and make a break of about six inches or more, if possible. If you have roof or plumbing leaks, have them repaired. Often termites show up around fireplaces because the juncture where the sloping roof meets the fireplace doesn’t drain rain water properly. Moisture is retained in the walls and termites are attracted to the damp wood. Also, make sure that crawl spaces are properly ventilated. Damp crawls spaces aid termite infestation. If building a home, look at getting a pretreatment while the home is being built. It’s one of the most cost effective ways of preventing termites, if the treatment is done properly. Make certain the provider uses a good, modern termiticide and uses it at the required label rates. Many, if not most, pretreatments in Kansas are done very cheaply, which means that the pest control company is using “cheap” rather than “good” product. Often, the chemicals are applied at rates much lower than required by state and federal law. Although, such treatments are regulated by the State of Kansas, due to manpower shortages, regulators have little time to monitor and enforce pretreatment requirements. If you’re getting the “builder’s special” on a termite pretreatment, the chances are you’re will not be much, if any, protection. If you discover that you have termites feeding on you home, your best response is to contact a professional pest control expert. Termites are extremely difficult to get rid of on a long term basis. They’re easy to run off for a short time, but once you’ve turned your back on them, they’ll find a way to get back into your home. Use a professional that has proper licensing, credentials and a good rating with consumer watchdog agencies like the Better Business Bureau. Check with neighbors and friends to see if they have used someone that has done a good job for them. You may want to get a couple of bids. Cheap often isn’t good. The easiest way to do a low-cost job is to use second rate materials at less than label rates. Ask lots questions when you get an estimate and use reputable companies.

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Pest Control

Mike Patton

2012-03-22 15:31:20

Q: How do I know if I have termites feeding on my home?

A: Termites are cryptic creatures. Their nests are concealed in the soil and their bridges to our homes are covered in mud. Because of their hidden nature, they are difficult to spot. Often, they invade homes through obscure places, mysteriously appearing in walls and windows or found sneaking up foundations in mud tubes. Seldom do we see termites in the open except during the swarm season when the winged termites (reproductives) leave the nest in large numbers to seek mates and start new colonies. Termites are widely distributed throughout the southern plains. The US Forestry Department estimates that this region is heavily infested with subterranean termites with seven to eight colonies per acre. That means most quarter acre lots have 2 termite colonies active on the property. Chances are that they are in your yard, but the most important question is, “Are they feeding on my home?” Termites are most commonly discovered during the spring when humans go outside to work on their houses in flower beds and yards. The most common sign is a shelter tube running from the ground up a foundation wall and entering a home where the siding meets the foundation, or inside the garage where the sheetrock or wood framing meets the concrete. If you scrape the tube open, little creamy-white insects will emerge indicating the termites are actively feeding on the structure. Sometimes, the only thing we see is mud packed in corners or joints where the termites have closed off a crack to seal in their movement and feeding. They bridge open areas in shelter tubes made of soil glued together with their secretions. Termites need to maintain a very humid condition inside their colonies to survive. In normal ambient conditions, they will dry up and die if left exposed. Therefore, they maintain a closed system to block out dry air and sunlight. About the only time you will see them out in the open is during swarm season in April or May, usually when the weather warms to the 80’s and we’ve just had a shower. These conditions create an environment which favors the winged, “teenage” reproductive survivability when leaving the nest. They seek a mate and crawl under a log or rock to start a new colony. When humans see a large number of flying insects exploding out of a crack or swarm castle (elevated mud tube) they’re usually alarmed. If the termites are inside a home they move toward windows or light sources seeking the outdoors. If the termites swarm outside, they are carried by the wind, fluttering along in the air. They are not good fliers. When they hit the ground, they pull off their wings and look for a mate, often wandering around the edges of walls and foundations. Since ants also swarm during the warm months, they are often confused with termites, especially if they are in the winged stage. There are subtle physical differences between winged ants and termites. If you find winged insects in or around your home you should collect a specimen and have it identified. The County Extension Office has expert information available, or you can call a pest control professional for positive ID. The third sign of termites in the home is damaged wood. If you find soft, hollow areas with galleries and mud, the chances are that termites have been there. Sometimes termites are present, sometimes they have moved on to other areas. Often, water-damaged wood will also be soft and somewhat hollow, but it will not contain galleries or mud. If you have questions, have the area evaluated by a pest control specialist. The three signs of subterranean termites are: • Mud tubes extending from the ground to the wood elements of home. Tubes are usually the size of a soda straw. • Flying winged termites swarming during the warm days of spring, usually after a rain shower • Hollow, damaged wood with or without grubby off-white insects Termite damage occurs slowly, It usually takes 3-5 years before significant damage occurs. However, because of their cryptic nature, termite activity can often be overlooked for long periods of time. They can be moving up a mud tube behind storage in the garage or even coming through a crack in the mortar joints of an exterior brick wall and not be noticed for years. If the home is more than five years, it should be checked by a termite inspector every year or two. Individual termites are easy to kill. Termite colonies are difficult to stop. Termites are persistent and will spend years finding ways back into your home.

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Pest Control

Mike Patton

2012-02-27 11:59:18

Q: What is the latest on termites and control of them?

A: Good question…termites have been around for millions of years. If you Google “termites,” you will see how they are a light-colored social insect that forms large colonies. Many species live in warm or tropical regions, feed on wood, and are highly destructive to trees and wooden structures. While many think of them as pests and useless, they are actually doing what God intended them to do when He made them. In his infinite wisdom, God created these little, grubby-white insects with good reason. They were given the task of recycling decaying wood. They are the little sanitation workers of the soil. They were endowed with special bacteria in their gut that allows them to digest cellulose and turn rotting wood into nutritious soil. However, when humans began to build wooden structures, the wars between termites and humans started. Although few of us mind termites doing what they are supposed to be doing in nature, we will go to great lengths to put a stop to these wood worms and their destructive work when it comes to our homes and buildings. They want to turn them into dirt. We of course can’t allow that to happen. The only problem is…these little creatures are difficult to control. They’re also difficult to find. In search of their food (wood and cellulose) they can squeeze through cracks 1/32 of an inch. They’re an integral part of nature and they’ll go 24 hours a day in their dark caverns. The problem is that they often mistake the “good wood for the bad.” They have plenty of time on their hands to complete their work. The ages are on their side. Scientists have found fossilized remains of termites dating back more than 100 million years. Termites are cryptic, hidden in the earth, or in walls or behind veneered surfaces. They find ways in and around our best efforts. What are humans to do? The best thought is to establish a perimeter and hold the line. Many solutions have been developed throughout the ages for termite control. Mankind has developed many potions, both fair and foul. We want protection from these home destroyers, knowing that termites cause more monetary damage to wooden structures than fires, earthquakes and storms combined. Recent studies have found that over 90% want protection from termite invasion. According to Dr. Michael Potter of the University of Kentucky, 93% of home and building owners were also concerned about the use of termite control chemicals. Fortunately, there has been a breakthrough from a company that has developed a new bait that is green and most effective. This technology has won the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. Although something else may come along in the future that is more effective, this product offers unsurpassed termite protection today. Over the next few months, I will be writing about this new paradigm shift in termite protection that can offer all of us great termite protection without the risk of placing hundreds of gallons of termite chemicals around homes and buildings.

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Pest Control

Mike Patton

2010-11-01 13:31:00

Question: If I don’t treat the spiders around my home now, will they come back next year?

Answer: Spiders will always be back in large numbers during the late summer and fall months, particularly, in areas with a lot of trees and lush landscaping or homes around lakes. When the first hard freeze arrives, most spiders hibernate, while others die. Spiders like garden orb weavers and black widows, only live one season. They leave behind an egg sac which survives the winter. When spring arrives, spiderlings emerge and grow to the adult stage in late summer, showing up in large numbers in early fall. Other spiders, like brown recluse and tarantulas, hibernate during the winter. They spend the winter in the cold weather under tree bark, rocks, cellars, basements and attics. These spiders survive by preparing a winter nest of silken webbing in an area insulated from the cold. In several species, young hatch out during the winter and remain in a communal web through the winter. The brown recluse seems to disappear in early November only to reappear in late winter or early spring. If they are living in your home, they tend to go to the attic or basement and overwinter around the floor joists and rafters. The female brown recluse spiders breed and hatch a brood of young. Because the breeding female is in a fairly predictable spot, winter is a great time to attack brown recluse infestations by treating the areas where the females nest in the winter. If you hunt the females down in the winter you can increase your chances of eliminating brown recluse problems. Controlling spider problems in and around the house requires regular attention. It’s a process, not an event. If a homeowner works on the problem regularly or has a routine pest service program that targets spiders, the numbers of can be greatly reduced. Most homeowners do not have the discipline to attend to a habitual treatment so a professional service if often a good response to a spider problem. A thorough service for spiders involves several important elements, the most important one being a complete exterior service. This type of treatment targets the spiders living primarily on the outside of the home. Additionally, it can provide a treatment zone to help prevent spiders from entering the home from outside. Practically all Kansas spiders come in from the out-of-doors and should be discouraged from entering the home from by either mechanical or pesticidal means. The preferred method of spider prevention is excluding the spiders through mechanical means. Caulk and other sealants need to be used to block the areas where they enter the home. Openings where utilities enter the house should be caulked shut. Openings around window and doors are other points that should be examined and sealed. Not only will these methods help keep spiders out of the home, but they also help with the energy efficiency of a structure. The winter is a great time to work on brown recluse problems by treating attics and sealing up the exterior. Most people forget about them when they hibernate of less noticeable areas of the home. They’re out of sight and out of mind. However, a person concerned about brown recluse infestations should continue to work in the problem even in the winter.

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Pest Control

Mike Patton

2010-10-01 09:57:00

Question: I’m seeing spiders everywhere around my home. Should I be worried about them?

Answer: As the lyrics of the old childhood song went, “Inside, outside, all around the house…” it seems that spiders are appearing everywhere. Some of the spiders you see should cause you concern because they can deliver a poisonous bite. Spiders seldom bite humans, although all of us know someone who has been bitten by a brown recluse. Spiders bite because they become trapped next to the skin. A brown recluse fang is 1/100 the size of a bee stinger and cannot penetrate most fabrics. Usually we roll over on them while resting or put on a piece of clothing or shoes and they become trapped next to our skin. Most common spiders are harmless to humans and pets. The two poisonous spiders in Kansas are the brown recluse and the black widow. Black widows tend to stay outside and are usually visible, while brown recluses like to move inside our homes and structures and live in the our storage, walls, attics, basements. They show up about everywhere inside homes and can be found in great numbers in garages, sheds and out-buildings. Spiders are such prolific breeders that some experts estimate an acre of land can support several million spiders. From late summer through early fall, spider populations build up like a crescendo in a piece of music, spilling over into all areas of structures. Home owners get the garden variety spiders hanging around the outside of their homes. They are most noticeable on decks and porches where they make large, symmetrical webs across structural elements like posts and rails. The common brown garden spiders build webs every night in hopes of catching flying insects. During the day they abandon the webs and hide behind gutters or in corners spending the day in their hideout. These arachnids are harmless to humans, but they often cause a fright when you walk into a web and get a face full of sticky strands and wonder where the spider went. These kinds of events can send chills running up your spine as you search your body frantically looking for the source of tangly web. Occasionally black widow spiders web around the outside of homes, usually in protected areas. They generally remain in their webs day and night. Black widows have a slick black exterior, with a bulbous body and long thin legs. They have the easily identifiable orange/red hourglass mark on the underside of their abdomen. These spiders can deliver a serious, poisonous bite. They posses a neurotoxin that travels up the nervous system causing symptoms far from the site of the bite, often, a dull, numbing pain and cramps in one or several large muscle masses. In severe cases, the poison may cause breathing difficulties, heart irregularities and possible death. Thirty years ago, black widows were rarely seen in Wichita. If found, they were usually located south of MacArthur Street. Recently, these spiders are more prevalent often found in wood piles, around doors and windows, in garages and around electrical boxes. People should take a look in outdoor structures before entering or placing their hands in openings such as cinder blocks and hutches and abandoned dog houses. Spiders living inside a home are seldom a good thing. In my experience inspecting homes for spiders, I have found brown recluses to be the most common spider infesting homes. These “fiddle back” spiders can bite unsuspecting victims with a cytotoxin which kills flesh. This kind of tissue death is called necrosis. The poison‘s effect is to cause a localized sore at the site of the bite where the skin dies and the underlying flesh dies. Some people can react systemically to the bite. Small children and the elderly are at the highest risk of having anaphylactic shock. Brown recluse spiders are often found running the floors, climbing walls or running around in the bottoms of bathtubs, sinks or showers. They have a brown coloration that can run from a light tan to a charcoal grey. The most distinguishable characteristic is the lack of noticeable hair and their long, thin legs. They are not the kind of spider that makes a web and waits for prey to get caught. Rather, they are hunter, predators that come out after dark and roam the floors and walls looking for prey. If you examine one closely, they have a dark brown violin marking on the front side of the cephalothorax (head and thorax). As the name brown recluse would imply, these spiders are generally found secluded spaces such as garages, utility rooms, basements and attics. They have a mysterious quality as they seem to appear out of nowhere, creeping around baseboards, darting under furniture and disappearing as quietly as they appeared. Few creatures in nature create as much fear and fascination as spiders. Humans only dislike snakes more. As summer fades into fall, spider populations will increase and sightings will be more numerous as they appear inside, outside, all around the house. Just be on the alert for the poisonous ones. If you find you have poisonous spiders, I recommend you seek professional help. Ridding homes of spiders is a process, not an event, and most people don’t have the knowledge and discipline to manage the problem. Managing spider infestations require special knowledge and expertise that most homeowners do not possess.

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Pest Control

Bill Hawks

2002-11-01 14:20:00

:  Are all Brown Recluse bites poisonous?  Is there a cure or effective treatment for a bite from a Brown Recluse Spider?  Are they impossible to control?

QUESTIONS:  Are all Brown Recluse bites poisonous?  Is there a cure or effective treatment for a bite from a Brown Recluse Spider?  Are they impossible to control?ANSWERS:  Yes, but there are several variables. Most important is the founding principle of toxicology: "The dose makes the poison." As a general rule, keep this in mind: 1) the amount of venom injected varies; 2) the chemical activity of the venom varies depending on recent environmental stresses and when the spider has last fed; 3) the sensitivity/reactivity of the victim can vary dramatically from person to person; 4) the area of the human body where the victim is bitten and the characteristics of the effected tissue matters a great deal; 5) the general metabolic health, immune vigor and age of the victim are also very important.Treatment depends on the severity of reaction to the bite. Opinions can vary widely as to how to medically care for these events. How the victim's body reacts is a big part of this consideration. Personally speaking, if I or a family member was bitten, I would seek immediate physician-administered treatment with Intravenous Vitamin C (IVC) and possibly, in an emergent situation, or with a bite to delicate human tissue, I would also seek immediate physician-administered intravenous therapy with Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2), perhaps in alternating intervals with the IVC. There are so many variables with these bites, and as so many bites occur in and around homes in our region, I recommend you speak to the physician of your choice, in advance, about what should be done and what options you prefer, in the event you or a loved one is bitten and reacts badly. It's wise to investigate your options.  Insofar as control, the new pesticides are very much improved. Some are highly specific to and effective against spiders; have remarkably low toxicity to humans (often much less toxic to humans than some common household cleaners), and, are odorless and biodegradable. What is impossible to provide, however, is spider web or spider bite control. When a spider wanders into clothing or bedding, etc., this is somewhere where you can't put a pesticide. We can kill spiders by the bucket-full, but we can't prevent a dying spider from wandering into your shoe or other situation where you could be bitten. Same is true with storage areas and stored items creating optimal habitat and protected shelter. Population management is a very effective tool at reducing the risk from Brown Recluse Spiders, but not as efficient as you being careful. If we could somehow gather up all the spiders that lived on square mile of urbanized land and weighed them on a scale, their combined weight could add-up to more than a ton. That's a lot of spiders. And that's just the spiders; think of all the insects over the same area for them to feed on. That's why, as a part of any spider control program, it's best to also target the insects they hunt for food, as well as modifying habitat and related measures. The balanced approach is best. Spider control is a process, not a single event. It takes time and a managed, balanced approach to yield results.