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There are several species of yellowjackets across North America. Most have a distinctive pattern on their abdomen that tells them apart from the others. While most yellowjackets are yellow and black, some are white and black. Yellowjackets belong to a subfamily that contains Vespula and Dolichovespula species. Vespula species tend to nest in the ground or in above-ground voids and Dolichovespula species tend to build aerial nests. Although the baldfaced hornet was given the name “hornet” because of its large size, it is a Dolichovespula species of yellowjacket.
Yellowjacket nests contain multiple comb layers enclosed by a paper envelope with one entry and exit hole. Colonies are usually annual and die in the fall, with only newly mated queens overwintering in sheltered locations. Large perennial nests may occur where winters are mild. Yellowjackets become dangerous pests when they nest in, on or near man-made structures because they become aggressively defensive
Q. I am dealing with a German roach issue in an apartment complex broken into buildings. The maintenance people seem to think it’s okay to leave whole panels out under kitchen and bathroom sinks for access to the plumbing. One building has at least 12 units with roaches. I’ve tried everything from baiting, dusting, baiting and dusting, to recently hitting all of the penetrations with a knockdown product, an IGR and again baiting and dusting. What do you recommend?
-- Kenton, IN
A. I think you may be throwing too much product at the problem and not thinking of the nature of German cockroaches. They like to live in pockets close to moisture and heat and then they spread out from these areas as the population increases. The key to managing them is to find all of these pockets and to treat them directly. Applying non-repellent products is best because the cockroaches will stay put and you can return to monitor the areas and trackThe yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) originated in Africa, where it evolved from an ancestor that still exists there today. Its ancestor prefers to lay eggs in natural tree holes and to feed on non-human animals. At some point, the yellow fever mosquito became domesticated, breeding in artificial containers close to humans and preferring human hosts. This domestication allowed their introduction into the New World via European ships leaving West Africa with slaves and containers of drinking water also holding immature yellow fever mosquitoes.
Yellow fever existed in Africa before the Europeans arrived and followed them into the New World in the 1600s. Epidemics killed thousands of people through the early 1900s until it was discovered that the yellow fever mosquito was the disease vector. Afterwards, mosquito eradication campaigns and a vaccine developed in the 1930s virtually eliminated yellow fever from the United States. However, this mosquito is also the most efficient
Q. I’ve had a problem with a couple of bed bug jobs. I will have my customers prep their home and then schedule treatments at two-week intervals. Afterwards, the homeowner will go a month with no bites or sightings. Then, out of the blue, they will call about finding a dying bed bug. I think it was there the whole time and just taking time to die. Do you know how or why this happens?
— Mike, OH
A. One reason could be that a bed bug harborage was overlooked during treatment. Even if you’ve done your best, that’s just the nature of bed bugs. It’s not unusual to have a challenging job where it takes multiple visits to find that last bed bug hold out. Another possibility is that bed bugs continue to be introduced into the home. Unfortunately, customers may not have any insight as to how they got bed bugs in the first place. It may be a recurring visitor to their home or, if this is an apartment, a neighboring infestation. The longer a customer
Looking for a smarter way to collect — and correct — product requests across your team? Today’s Better Business Tip will help you save time and reduce errors every time you restock your inventory.
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We’re continually adding to our library of Better Business Tips videos with more ways to streamline your business. Stay tuned for more videos coming soon.House flies are the most common flies associated with humans and their animals. Originally from central Asia, they now occur in inhabited areas worldwide. Since house flies breed in feces and garbage, they can transmit diseases from these mediums onto food and food preparation surfaces. Studies have shown that community-wide fly management reduces cases of infectious diarrhea, which can be caused by various pathogens. House flies may carry these pathogens on their bodies or in their bodies and deposit them in their feces or regurgitated gut contents.
House flies rarely breed inside buildings unless garbage dumpsters or compactors are housed indoors or extremely unsanitary conditions are present elsewhere. House flies are an increased problem in animal farming areas due to large amounts of manure. In more urban areas, house flies are attracted to odors from outdoor garbage dumpsters. To reduce attraction to buildings, dumpster lids should stay tightly closed and dumpsters should
Subterranean termites form colonies and forage for wood in soil, which provides moisture and protection from extreme temperatures. As a result, subterranean termites are more widespread than drywood termites, which are more vulnerable to extreme cold. Also unlike drywood termites, subterranean termites don’t live in the wood they’re eating. Since their colony size is not limited by wood, one subterranean termite colony can cause more structural damage than one drywood termite colony. Although subterranean termites occur in every state except Alaska, structural infestations are more common in warmer climates. Subterranean termites are limited by frozen topsoil in areas where winters are extremely cold, reducing the overall number of structural infestations in these areas.
Twenty-four species of carpenter ants are structural or nuisance pests in North America, although each species may be found in different regions. All carpenter ants can be recognized by the evenly rounded thorax when viewed from the side. Color is variable amongst the species, from black, red and black, to even yellowish-brown. The black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) is the most common species in the East; the western black carpenter ant (Camponotus modoc) is most common species in the West.
Carpenter ants are the largest pest ants that will be found infesting structures. Workers may measure up to one half an inch and queens
Although named the German cockroach, the most widespread cockroach pest in the world probably originated in Southeast Asia and expanded to urban areas through human travel and commerce. The first specimens to be identified may have been from Germany and assumed to be German. However, the fact that cold is a major limiting factor to their survival points to their not being native to Europe.
German cockroaches are domestic pests that rely on humans for food, harborage and transportation. They are rarely found outdoors and not in wild populations away from structures. Although they have fully developed wings, they do not fly since they are specialized for living with and being transported by humans. They also have certain reproductive traits that allow infestations to grow rapidly. While most cockroach species drop their egg capsules, German cockroach females carry theirs until the eggs are ready to hatch, which helps prevent dehydration and parasitism. Each German cockroach