Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Tsetse Flies

While a bug bite here in the States will seldom do more then leave you irritated and scratching at it, bug bites abroad can be serious business. Dengue fever, malaria, or sleeping sickness—which are potentially life threatening illnesses—are just a few of the horrifying possibilities, and all of them are transmitted by insect bites.

Your first line of defense is to avoid areas where the bugs are prevalent. If that fails, keep covered and wear plenty of bug spray. A compound of 50% DEET is preferred. Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants instead of shorts, boots instead of sandals or open-toed shoes, and tuck your pants into your socks to protect your ankles, a favorite spot for mosquitoes.

In areas prone to ticks, like grasslands and treed areas, keep your hair covered as well and inspect for ticks regularly. If you are sleeping in the open or in an unventilated area, you need to use a mosquito net around your sleeping area to protect yourself through the night.

Tsetse flies are attracted to airborne dirt, so if you’re riding in an open car, it’s preferable to sit up front to avoid them. You’ll want to wear light-colored clothing and avoid yellow, the color reminds many arthropods of the food they eat and might attract them to you. Finally, there are medications that can protect you from some of these illnesses, so check with your physician well in advance of traveling.

Bedbugs

Bedbugs are a problem at hotels and hostels around the world. In order to avoid bringing the six-legged hitchhikers home with you, do a visual inspection of your room upon entering. Look at the bedding, pull back the sheets and check the mattress for critters, and check floors. They are keen on carpeted and soft areas, like your luggage, so DO NOT set your suitcases down on beds or floors. Instead, upon entering your room, it’s best to put them up high on a shelf or in a tiled bathroom where bedbugs are unlikely to be until you are sure that the room is clear of pests.

If you do run across bedbugs, you’ll need to deep clean every piece of fabric before you bring it back into your home to avoid an infestation.

Outdoor Adventure Safety

When experiencing the great outdoors through activities like hiking, mountain climbing, and horseback riding, make certain to follow the above outlined tips for keeping safe from biting insects. However, you’ll also want to take further precautions if you know you will be outdoors in pest-stricken areas.

Many areas of the world are home to particularly dangerous ants, wasps, hornets, spiders, and other nasty, nest-y pests that you’ll want to make certain not to disturb. If hiking at night, you’ll want to stay aware of your surroundings and utilize a durable, long-lasting light source (I like the flashlights from 5.11 Tactical to make sure you can see where you are stepping. Stay on well-traveled trails where they are less likely to nest.

During the day, keep your vision keen on the trails. Sunglasses are recommended for blocking out the sun’s glare and allowing you to clearly see any potential pests in your surroundings. Before setting up a tent, make certain to thoroughly inspect potential campsites for anthills and nests. Also, many of these critters build nests under the cover of vegetation so steer clear of dense growths.

Finally, if you’ll be hiking through areas of stagnant water, you’ll want to keep yourself protected from leeches and other pests by wearing hiking boots that fully cover your ankles.

Water-Born Illnesses

If you are traveling to an area that has poor sanitation, you need to beware of the dreaded Traveler’s Diarrhea, which is caused by exposure to unclean drinking water. Your best defense is to not drink the water, not ever, if you are unsure whether it’s sanitary. Simply stick to bottled water, sodas, drinks that have been boiled—like tea, coffee, wine, or beer.

It’s easy for contaminated drinking water to sneak past an unwary traveler, so remain vigilant. Something as inconsequential seeming as brushing one’s teeth or drinking a soda that has water droplets on it from melted ice can be enough to make you sick. Also, when in doubt, leave it alone. If you don’t see something opened in front of you, refuse to drink it. Make certain that you carry your own liquids with you so that you always have access to safe, clean water.

Adria Saracino is a blogger, marketer, and hiking enthusiast. She often writes for  5.11 Tactical, which sells everything from polarized sunglasses to hiking gear. When not exploring the great outdoors, you can find her writing about style at her personal fashion blog, The Emerald Closet.

Avoid Foreign Pests While Traveling is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

A U.N. Conference held in 2008 in Thailand was the scene of an insect eating research Summit. As far as I can tell none of the superpower presidents or any high ranking diplomats were in attendance, but 36 scientists from 15 countries were and they had some interesting things to say about eating bugs like grasshoppers, crickets, grubs and ants. What may seem like an odd food source to us in our homeland, may actually be a delicacy in another part of the world. In fact, Dutch, Australian and American scientists noted that increasingly more restaurants in their respective countries are popping up with insects on the menu. The research is aimed at showing that eating bugs is not just for emergencies or famine, it might very well be the breakfast of champions at your favorite bistro!

So what countries have what bugs on the menu? In the US, the cochineal, an insect native to South America, is used in red dye for things like red lipstick and red candy. In Japan, hachi-no-ko (boiled wasp larvae) is a popular delicacy you can find all over Japan; like chicken nuggets at every fast food restaurant, on almost every corner in America. In Thailand, fried crickets are a common sight in bars (just like pretzels or peanuts in the US), and in Brazil, queen ants like the icas ant are wildly popular because of it’s mint like flavor.

I remember being a kid perusing the buffet line at a restaurant, or the offerings on a menu, trying to decide what to eat, or, what not to eat, based on what it looked like or what I was told the food was. It was a veritable mine field of chance-by-choice. Ewwww, peas. Fast forward a few years, okay decades, and I eat most of the stuff I wouldn’t dream of touching as a child. That raises an interesting question. What if all this bug eating was the same thing? How will we know what we like if we don’t try it first? I’ve had chocolate covered grasshopper and no, it didn’t taste like chicken. It tasted like chocolate and peanuts. Not bad. That being said, if you have an ant infestation, or cluster flies buzzing about, don’t run to the cupboard for the chocolate sauce, call a professional.

Would You Like Flies With That? is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

Unseasonably warm winters mean insects that go dormant for the winter stay active. It means insects will breed earlier than usual, supported by accelerated life cycles; also due to warmer temperatures. Ticks, for example, are likely to start the phone ringing sooner than anyone would want due to their resiliency and a biology that supports activity in months most of us relax our tick prevention efforts. (Remember, treat your pets and your home year round for year round protection.) While we cannot control what mother nature does as she drops two-feet of snow in October, or  as you walk the dog in shorts January 14th (it was 68 degrees), you can protect your home and family from pests year round and be prepared for the unexpected twists and turns the weather is going to throw at you.

Mild winters also mean more rodent activity. Rodents that moved into structures in the fall for warmth, while happy with their new surroundings, could mean that rodent populations increase instead of decreasing as they should in colder months. More importantly, populations can quickly surge in the spring bringing ticks, fleas and other parasites that rodents carry along for the ride. Not a good scenario for pets or humans alike.

So if you’re noticing the odd fly or ants sporadically throughout the winter, or if the mouse activity you suspected suddenly ceases to make itself known, brace yourself. Spring’s true measure of pest activity now begins with winter’s puzzling display of climatic oddities.

How Mild Winters Affect Pests is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

You confidently declare, “I am the master of my domain.” And then it happens. What you thought was one ant is now hundreds if not thousands. The mouse you caught must’ve been part of larger party as mouse droppings continue to show up; sometimes in new areas. It’s decision time. “Do I go toe to toe with the unknown? Is there more I can do, or am I in over my head?”

Let’s break this down by option and see what the differences and some of the similarities are.

Do It Yourself Pest Control

• Will require a significant investment of your time, effort and expense to resolve your pest issue. Specialized treatments like for termites, carpenter ants, moderate to severe rodent infestations and wasps carry inherent risks and challenges not easily accomplished by a novice.
• You’re using chemicals. Reading the label is a good start, but you must also take into consideration where you’re applying, how much and whether or not appropriate safeguards have been put in place to protect yourself, your family and your pets. Remember, safety first.
• Know your target pest, a bit of it’s biology and how best to treat for control. If you miss this crucial step, your pest problem could worsen. The internet, while overloaded with information, is still your best bet for sourcing helpful information.
• Consider your tolerance for pests. If it’s high, you’re likely a good DIY candidate (depending on the pest). If it’s low and you live in a pest prone area, you may need reinforcements.

Professional Pest Control

• Will require an investment of your time and expense. You are however hiring a professional trained and hopefully licensed and insured as a pesticide applicator, and most importantly trained in the safe use of chemicals.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a method of first identifying the pest, gathering information about the infestation and then using mechanical means, environmental means and lastly, using chemicals that are highly effective but minimally invasive. These integrated methods all combine to reduce the use of chemicals and still provide a high degree of control.
• Trained in chemical usage (should hold a State approved applicators license) insect biology and control methods. You wouldn’t hire an electrician to do your landscaping, right?
• A professional can look at your home or business and help devise a plan for keeping your environment pest free. There is reactive pest control, ie., something happens and you call for help, and there is proactive pest control: regular pest inspections and treatments, like a Year Round Protection Plan, to keep mother nature from invading your interior spaces.

According to the National Pest Control Association, Americans spend over $3 billion dollars a year on professional pest control services alone. Over $400 million on do-it-yourself applications and equipment and an additional $520 million to keep our cats and dogs free of fleas and ticks. There is no denying that no one (I didn’t take a survey so this is an assumption, not barring the odd YouTube video that likely contradicts said assumption) wants to share their home or workspace with pests.

So the question remains, do-it-yourself, or call the folks at Ehrlich? I would love to hear your thoughts.

DIY vs. Hiring a Professional is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

But the downside of owning an animal that considers rolling in the grass an acceptable method of scratching his back is that they can bring many pests into your home. Below we break down the most common pet pests and what you can do to prevent them.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas lack wings but are superb leapers, making it easy for them to find a host. It is not the bite that causes the itch but the flea’s saliva, to which most cats and dogs are allergic. And if it makes the leap from your pet to you, you’ll likely find you are allergic, too. This causes excessive scratching that can break the skin and result in severe rashes.

Ticks are similarly attracted to warm bodies, crawling from leaves and grass onto your cat or dog. If your pet has long shaggy hair, these pests can be particularly difficult to detect. As ticks feed on the blood of their host, they can insert nasty diseases as they go, including Lyme disease, canine ehrlichiosis, canine anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These are serious diseases that when passed to humans can start as a cough, fatigue or fever and progress into major problems, such as heart and central nervous system damage.

Both of these pests can be easily prevented and expunged with regular bathing. For fleas, if you know the population is at its peak or see your pet scratching excessively, it is a good idea to pick through your pet’s hair with a fine toothcomb, removing any pests that you spot while wearing gloves. Fleas are further preventable with daily medication. This can be purchased from your vet and is usually covered under your dog insurance plan.

For ticks, if you live in a tick-prone area, make sure to keep your lawn freshly cut, as ticks thrive in overgrown grass. Frequently do tick checks on your pet by running your hands over his/her body while wearing gloves and separating the hair to check the skin surface beneath. If you feel or see something odd, immediately remove the tick with a tweezer while wearing gloves. Make sure to dispose of it properly, either by putting it back outside or sealing it in an air-tight container and throwing it in a lidded trashcan (or better yet, directly in your trash can outside).

Heartworms

The most common kind of pet pest is the heartworm, which employs the mosquito as its chauffeur. Once your pet is infected, the heartworm can take several months before becoming active. Newborn heartworms float around an animal’s bloodstream, settling in adulthood in the blood vessels between the heart and lungs, where they can grow up to fourteen inches long. Dogs can carry up to thirty heartworms at one time and are easily infected while cats can die from just one worm.

Fortunately, heartworms are 100% preventable with daily medication. If your pet has already become infected, your vet will give you an insecticide medication to help kill them. However, these medications are likely to kill sickly or elderly dogs, so it is crucial to prevent the infection in the first place.

Gastrointestinal Worms

The heartworm’s gastrointestinal counterparts, the hookworm, the roundworm and the whip worm, are also formidable foe, wreaking all kinds of digestive havoc. Treating them carries the same kind or risks as the treatment for heartworm. You can prevent infection by keeping your pet’s habitat clean, and by having their fecal matter examined at regular intervals when they are puppies or kittens. Some of these worms can also be prevented with the same medication used to treat heartworm.

Giardia

If your pet enjoys slurping up rainwater, he or she is also at risk of picking up Giardia, a protozoa parasite. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. It is often accompanied by weight loss, dehydration, and fatigue. Giardia is preventable with a vaccine, so if you go on outdoor adventures with your pet consider a vaccination beforehand.

If any of these pests are left untreated, it can be difficult for your pet to maintain the nutrition he or she needs. If infestations for these pets are common (are a lot of your neighbors’ pets infected?) in your area, consider hiring an exterminator to assess the problem and explore the options for permanent removal. A best defense is a good offense, so make sure to take preventable measures to ensure your pets and family stay safe.

Adria Saracino is a blogger, marketer, and freelancer. She often writes for Embrace pet insurance or through her personal fashion blog, The Emerald Closet.

Pests: How They Are Harmful to Your Pets is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

So perhaps it is time to promote the positive about pigeons and to even illustrate how heroic (yes, heroic!) these birds have been in the past.

The theme of pigeons as a vital and reliable messenger service, prior to our modern age of emails, texts and instant messaging, is a recurring one throughout history.

Pigeon as war heros –feral pigeons were used extensively during the World Wars to carry important messages across enemy lines, helping to save thousands of lives. They were even carried on ships so that in the case of an attack the pigeon could be released to carry information about the exact location of the sinking ship, to try to rescue survivors in time.

Bravery award for pigeons – the French awarded a pigeon named Cher Ami (Dear Friend) the Croix de Guerre for heroic services in WWI.  G.I. Joe, a famous pigeon in the United States Army Pigeon Service, was awarded the Dickin Medal for helping to save the lives of the inhabitants of an Italian village and the British troops occupying it, which was about to be bombarded by the Allied Forces.

Pigeons in the news – did you know that the history of Thomson Reuters, the world’s largest international multimedia news agency, can be traced back to the use of a combination of technology and a fleet of carrier pigeons that numbered above 200 by 1851, carrying vital stock market information across Europe.

Racing pigeons – the hobby of pigeon racing brings a great deal of fun to many people’s lives and its popularity led to the establishment of the American Racing Pigeon Union. Homing pigeons were first introduced to the United States from Europe in the 1800s and they are often raced across very long distances from 100miles to 600miles. A racing pigeon once sold for a record breaking $132,517.00

Prized pigeon droppings – although no longer valued in our modern society, once upon a time pigeon poo was a valuable commodity and regarded as a fantastic fertilizer of crops. In England it was even used for making gunpowder.

So, the next time we start to complain about pigeons and reach for the phone to arrange for pigeon control, let’s bear in mind all the good pigeons have done for us humans and continue to do so today – perhaps it may help to clam down some of our stress levels when dealing with a problem. No guarantees though!

Pigeons Get Too Much Bad Press is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

After some not so exhaustive research I learned that Integrated Pest Management is not a modern practice derived from modern thinking. Charles Valentine Riley, who was born in Chelsea, London, England on September 19, 1843 used his love of the natural world to catalogue an insect collection of 115,000 mounted insects. Educated in Germany and France, Charles Valentine Riley was fascinated with insects from an early age. By age 17 he landed in the United States in Illinois and turned his passion into an incredible body of work in his all too short life.

Charles was a keen observer of crop damage caused by insects and at age 17 was sending his findings of insect crop damage to the Prairie Farmer, an agricultural journal in the Midwest. By the age of 21 Charles was working as an entomologist, artist and reporter for the entomological department of an agricultural journal. His passion led to numerous appointments including State Entomologist of Missouri in the spring of 1868. He published nine annual reports (in collaboration with Asa Fitch, T.W. Harris and B.D. Walsh) that are widely regarded by authorities as the foundation of modern entomology.

Riley was not prone to sitting back and watching the grass grow. His body of work includes getting Congress to pass a bill that created the United States Entomological Commission in March 1877, and was also appointed the chairman of the Grasshopper Commision due to his work  during the grasshopper invasion of many western states between 1873 and 1877. After a fallout with the Commissioner of Agriculture, Charles left his position and pursued his passion from his home. After President James Garfield was inaugurated in 1881, Charles Valentine Riley was reappointed and remained the chief of the Federal Entomological Service until June 1894. Riley also authored over 2,400 publications and two journals; the American Entomologist (1868-80) and Insect Life (1889-94)

One of Charles’ crowning achievements was his role in helping reduce the decimation of citrus crops in California in 1888. Charles collected parasites and predators of the cottony cushion scale and found a natural enemy of the scale in Australia. Charles introduced a beetle, Vedalia cardinalis, now known as Rodolia cardinalis to the California citrus industry and significantly reduced populations of the cottony cushion scale, without the use of chemicals. His efforts set the tone and direction for the study of biological control of plant damaging insects.

There are four components that make IPM (Integrated Pest Management) the right solution for many commercial customers and homeowners alike. The Ehrlich IPM philosophy follows these core areas:

1. Action thresholds are established in order to determine what pests and or environmental conditions exist.
2. Highly trained technicians identify and monitor pests and engage client participation to ensure the success of the program.
3. Prevention is upheld through practising good sanitation, exclusion and the use of mechanical trapping devices to intercept pests before they become a problem.
4. Control is the goal and to that end Ehrlich utilizes mechanical, physical and lastly, chemical means of achieving this goal.

Sadly, Charles died at the very young age of  52, leaving a wife and six children. Charles contributed his scientific findings to what is now The Smithsonian Institute and left a legacy that pioneered  biological control of crop damaging insects. Integrated Pest Management has now evolved beyond being a mere industry catch phrase and is now one of the standards by which many programs are juged by. I think I will go finish my apple now.

Integrated Pest Management and Apples is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

Seagulls are always present in any seaside town I find myself in and guaranteed I will hear their unique cries from afar long before I actually see them.

Surprisingly (for me at least) I recently came across some interesting seagull related information, which I thought would be worth sharing with you all.

• Gulls or Seagulls – most people tend to incorrectly call all gulls as seagulls. This is incorrect. Quite a few species of gulls actually inhabit inland and they very rarely fly far out to sea either.

• Not all gulls are pests – just like not all birds are pests. I imagine homes and businesses in coastal towns would consider gulls as a real pest but the vast majority of species inhabit the wild without clashing with people. Spare a thought for the residents of a New Jersey townhouse development having to cope with a recent influx of thousands of seagulls – the development looks like a scene out of The Birds. They could certainly do with some urgent seagull control solutions! Only a small number of gulls species are recognised as being pest birds — Greater black–backed gull, the Lesser black–backed gull and the Herring gull.

• Seagulls can drink both fresh and salt water. Apparently most animals could not survive drinking just sea water / saltwater but seagulls have a special pair of glands right above their eyes which help to flush out the salt from their system. This ability makes it possible for them to spend days out at sea without the need to return to land for fresh water.

• Bonaparte’s Gull – the name of this particular species caught my attention. Who would name a gull after Napoleon? but actually this gull is named after his nephew, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who apparently was an influential ornithologist in the 1800s. More strangely though, this is only one of a very few species of gull that prefer to nest in trees.

• State bird of Utah – the California gull, Larus californicus, is the state bird of Utah. Seagulls are remembered in Utah for helping the Mormon settlers deal with a plague of crickets. A monument in Salt Lake City commemorates the event, known as the ‘Miracle of the Gulls’.

• Seagull guitars – ever heard of these? Well, you will have if you are a guitar enthusiast. Seagull is a Canadian company that produces hand crafted acoustic guitars. I haven’t yet found out the reason for the seagull name though. There’s got to be some sort of connection to the birds though, right?!

Gulls or Seagulls – Some Quite Interesting Facts is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

Luckily for homo sapiens, having fun Friday or Saturday night may one day mean not having to pay the price the day after. But what about the dreaded hangover and other effects of overindulging? More good news from the scientific community with regards to alcohol consumption.

The January 4th Journal of Neuroscience reports that researchers dosed rats with an ancient herbal remedy called dihydromyricetin, or DHM, from an extract of the seed of the Asian tree, Hovenia dulcis. Records touting the herbal remedy as an effective means of reversing or eliminating alcohols effects date back to the year 659.

Getting rid of rats in your home or business, while still one of the topics you will commonly find here, you would be hard pressed to find a more intriguing news story than one about rats drinking beer.  A lot of beer. It really just begs the question, “how much beer can a rat drink?” By the way, I’m not embarrassed to admit these rats could easily drink me under the table. The rats in this study performed by the University of California Los Angeles, drank the human equivalent of 15 to 20 beers in under two hours. Yeah. And they weren’t even playing a drinking game with friends. I’m curious if they will be testing with wine anytime soon…

During the study the rats were separated into two groups. Those getting lots of beer and no DHM dosage, and those getting lots of beer that was dosed with DHM. The rats who enjoyed several “cold ones” without DHM passed out and could not get their bearings for an hour and were unable to flip-over off their backs.

The rats that had alcohol dosed with DHM fared better, but still showed signs of inebriation. Dosed rats recovered more quickly (although they still struggled to flip off their backs), regained their composure in 15 minutes and also showed no signs of alcohol addiction after several weeks of imbibing. The DHM dosage also notably eased rat hangover symptoms including seizures and anxiety. A researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City found that rats drinking the untreated beer gradually consumed more beer. However, and this is the studies clear cut winner, the rats drinking beer dosed with the herbal remedy showed reduced consumption further supporting the researchers theory that DHM might also prevent alcohol addiction.

Beer Drinking Rats Support Science is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog

This is certainly an interesting development in the world of contraband scent detection as the need for highly effective security measures is an ever growing and ever changing necessity of modern life. The system works using cassettes to capture and filter odors to the mice, and uses 4 to 8 “biosensors” (mice) kept in a mechanical enclosure. The odors are delivered via a mechanized system that streams air through the chamber holding the bomb and contraband sniffing mice. When mice detect a contraband odor, something the mice are trained to respond to, the mice run away from the compartment with the odor (a fear response) and into a compartment that is equipped with special signals that transmit the mice fear response (data) that is then captured in a computer and then analyzed and reported as good odors or bad odors (contraband) and alerting the operator.

The system was tested in a mall with 1,000 volunteers, many of which were outfitted with clothing items that carried the scent of explosives. The results speak for themselves as the test produced only one false positive. Those are good numbers by any measure! Rodent control has a new meaning with the advent of this cutting edge technology and if it is widely accepted, that’s even better.

Because most of us respond to mice in pretty much the same way, a loud gasp or shriek, the mice are not visible to the public. This is a very important job usually performed by bomb sniffing dogs and or expensive detection systems, so mice in a mechanical box, producing similar or better results than dogs or detection machines should garner a lot of attention and hopefully save a lot of lives.

Incidentally, the mice used for this work are bred and maintained in a sterile environment and cared for quite well. Bedding, food and water are all replaced on regular schedules, and the mice are retrained when and if necessary. The mice also work four hour shifts (not a bad deal if they get paid for eight hours) and are swapped out with a fresh workforce. While we normally dispense advice on how to get rid of mice in your home or getting rid of mice in your business, it’s nice to see that some mice have a higher calling than that of common pests.

Mice Declare War on Drugs and Terror is a post from: deBugged - The Rentokil Blog