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This module is intended to serve as a source of basic information needed to implement an integrated pest management program for mosquitoes. Any pest management plan or activity must be formulated within the framework of the management zones where it will be implemented. Full consideration must be given to threatened and endangered species, natural and cultural resources, human health and safety, and the legal mandates of the individual parks. Recommendations in this module must be evaluated and applied in relation to these broader considerations.While mosquitoes remain a major killer in other parts of the world, in the United States, mosquitoes are not the scourge they once were. But they're still irritating, they still bite us, and there are some species in the United States that spread disease. Mosquitoes also serve a vital ecological function. The larvae, pupae, and adults are important as food for fish, birds, bats, frogs, and insects- -an essential consideration when the subject of mosquito control arises in a national park.The one thing that all mosquitoes require to complete their life cycle is water. If people could manage all standing water, we could manage mosquitoes. While we can fill in a puddle, we don't want to fill in a salt marsh. We can empty a bucket, but it's not so easy to empty a tire dump. More>> Rodents 1. Inspection Eagle Pest Eliminators will be sure to talk with customers to find out where he or she is seeing evidence of rodent droppings, rub marks, chewed clothing or missing insulation etc., from rodents inside the home. After communicating with the resident, we start our inspection on the outside of home. Key area to inspect: trees touching roof line area. Rats are great climbers and will try entering attic under roof tile shingles (if possible). Note: most roofs are sealed fairly well. However, an old roof that is starting to decay and or rotting, allows the rodent to chew a hole large enough to enter. Important: check under siding at the bottom of wall, some of the older homes have large gaps wide enough for rodent entry. This may require foaming under the siding with steel wool. Also important to check the outside ground area for rodent burrow holes. Important: rodents can and do burrow under ground to gain access into crawlspace area of the home. Important: bait all visible rodent burrows. Check existing crawlspace and attic vents for proper screening. Check exposed piping and conduit extending out from siding including dryer vents with broken vent covers and broken or missing air vents to crawl space. Look for dark colored rub marks (oil from rodent fur) on areas listed. More>> Lady Beetles Lady beetles, ladybugs, or ladybird beetles are among the most visible and best known beneficial predatory insects. Over 450 species are found in North America. Some are native and some have been introduced from other countries.Most lady beetles in North America are beneficial as both adults and larvae, feeding primarily on aphids. They also feed on mites, small insects, and insect eggs. The two exceptions are the introduced Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, and the squash beetle, Epilachna borealis. The adults and larvae of both species feed on plants. More>>
Silverfish & Firebrats Silverfish and firebrats eat a wide variety of foods, including glue, wallpaper paste, bookbindings, paper, photographs, starch in clothing, cotton, linen, rayon fabrics, wheat flour, cereals, dried meats, leather and even dead insects. Silverfish often live in damp, cool places such as basements and laundry rooms. Sometimes, they are found in a bathtub, sink or washbasin, unable to climb out. Firebrats live in hot, humid places such as attics in summer and near furnaces, fireplaces and heat pipes in winter. More>>
Springtails Springtails, those tiny, leaping insects of the damp basement, can be found year-round, if conditions for their existence are present. Springtails feed on algae, fungi, and decaying vegetable matter and are abundant only in damp, moist or very humid locations. Indoors, this might include kitchens, bathrooms, moist basements, soil of potted plants, and around window frames. Outdoors, springtails are one of the most valuable ~recyclers~ in the soil ecosystem. They break down organic matter so the nutrients can be reused by growing plants. More>>
Carpet Beetles PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS * Carpet beetles are varied in color, generally being black or brownish and often speckled.
Odorous House Ant This is a single node ant that may easily be confused with the Argentine Ant, but when viewed from above the single node of the Odorous house ant is not visible, as it is tucked up against the abdomen. It also is a shinier black color. The name is derived from the strong odor given off when the ants are crushed, said to resemble rotting coconuts. Workers are all the same size and forage in long, distinct trails. Colonies may have up to 10,000 workers in them, and nesting sites may be almost anywhere. Outdoors they make shallow soil nests under any material on the ground, within hollow trees, or in any other cavity available. Indoors they nest in wall voids, under insulation in crawl spaces, or within cavities in the wood. Sweet materials like honeydew or other sugar sources are their preferred foods. More>>
Summer's Worst Pests You can always tell when it's summer at my house. Not because of the homegrown flower arrangements in vases, or the gourmet dinners whipped up on the grill. Summer arrives at my home with no such magazine-cover prettiness. You can tell it's summer at my house when you see the columns of tiny ants marching across my kitchen counters. When temperatures rise, pests perk up. "Insects are temperature-dependent. When weather gets cold, their metabolism slows and when the weather warms, their metabolism increases in activity so we see more activity in the warm months," says Greg Bauman, Technical Director of the Professional Pest Management Association. More>>
Western subterranean termites Western subterranean termites regularly infest homes in British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, California, western Nevada and western Mexico.
Moisture Ants Description & Life History:
CARPENTER ANT Do You Have Carpenter Ants? The presence of a few foraging ants in the home, or 1 or 2 winged queens during swarming times does not mean you have an infestation. These foragers may merely be scout ants seeking food or nesting sites or queens that have flown in an open door.
PHARAOH ANT This ant is a serious nuisance in hospitals, rest homes, apartment dwellings, hotels, grocery stores, food establishments, etc. They feed on jellies, honey, shortening, peanut butter, corn syrup, fruit juices, soft drinks, greases, dead insects, and even shoe polish. They have been found in surgical wounds, I.V. glucose solutions, and sealed packs of sterile dressing in hospitals. These ants are capable of mechanically transmitting diseases, Staphylecoccus and Psuedomonas infections in hospitals. Workers are very small about 1/16 inch long, light yellow to reddish-brown colored with the hind portion of the abdomen somewhat darker. The petiole has two nodes and the thorax is spineless. The antennae has 12 segments with the antennal club composed of three segments. More>> Baldfaced Hornets Baldfaced hornets are large, black insects about 7/8 of an inch long with white to cream-colored markings on the front of the head and at the end of the abdomen. Like all wasps, bees and ants, hornets have a complete life cycle of four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The larva is a legless grub reared within cells in the nest. Hornets are beneficial predators that feed on other insects, particularly filth flies and blow flies. more>> Yellow Jackets and Paper Wasps The term yellow jacket refers to a number of different species of wasps in the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula (family Vespidae). Included in this group of ground-nesting species are the western yellow jacket, Vespula pensylvanica, which is the most commonly encountered species and is sometimes called the "meat bee," and seven other species of Vespula. Vespula vulgaris is common in rotted tree stumps at higher elevations and V. germanica (the German yellow jacket) is becoming more common in many urban areas of California, where it frequently nests in houses. These wasps tend to be medium sized and black with jagged bands of bright yellow (or white in the case of the aerial-nesting Dolichovespula [=Vespula] maculata) on the abdomen, and have a very short, narrow waist (the area where the thorax attaches to the abdomen). More>>
Bed Bug 
Bed bugs are in the insect family Cimicidae and include three species that attack people. Of these, the most important is Cimex lectularius, which may also bite bats, birds, and rodents. Cimex lectularius is a cosmopolitan species, most frequently found in the northern temperate climates of IDENTIFICATION AND LIFE CYCLE
Adult bed bugs are oval, wingless, about 1/5 inch long, and rusty red or mahogany in color. Their bodies are flattened, they have well-developed antennae, their compound eyes are small, and the area behind the head (the prothorax) expands forward on either side of the head. The immatures appear identical to the adults except for their smaller size, thinner cuticle, and a lighter, yellowish white color. Bed bugs are readily distinguished from another more common bloodsucking species, conenose bugs (see Pest Notes: Conenose Bugs, listed in References), by their smaller size, more rounded shape, and lack of wings as adults. Female bed bugs lay from 200 to 500 eggs (in batches of 10 to 50) on rough surfaces such as wood or paper. Eggs are covered with a glue and hatch in about 10 days. After hatching, the egg shells frequently remain on the substrate. There are five progressively larger nymphal stages, each requiring a single blood meal before molting to the next stage. The entire life cycle from egg to adult requires anywhere from 5 weeks to 4 months, depending on temperature. When temperatures are in the range of 70° to 82°F, development occurs most rapidly. Nymphs and adults generally feed at night and hide in crevices during the day. Common hiding places include seams in mattresses and box springs, cracks in bed frames, under loose wallpaper, behind picture frames, and inside furniture and upholstery. Bed bugs can go without feeding for 80 to 140 days; older stages can survive longer without feeding than younger ones. Adults have survived without food for as long as 550 days. A bed bug can take six times its weight in blood, and feeding can take 3 to 10 minutes. Adults live about 10 months and there can be up to Occasionally bed bugs may be picked up in theaters, on buses and trains, or brought into homes on clothing, bedding, luggage, or firewood. Bed bugs that live on other mammals and birds found near the home (chickens, mice, rats, and rabbits) may under certain circumstances feed on humans if their primary hosts are removed. DAMAGE
Bed bugs are not usually considered to be disease carriers. They do suck blood from their host with piercing mouthparts that contain two stylets: one stylet has a groove that carries saliva into the wound, while the other has a groove through which body fluids from the host are imbibed. Saliva that is injected during the feeding can produce large swellings on the skin that itch and may become irritated and infected when scratched. In addition, bed bugs have stink glands that leave odors; they also leave fecal spots on bed sheets and around their hiding places. MANAGEMENT
Infestations of bed bugs can be detected by looking for their fecal spots, egg cases, and exuviae (shed skins) under wallpaper, behind picture frames, and inside cracks and crevices near beds. Carefully inspect the bed frame, undersides of windows, door casings, and loose moldings. Indirect measures can go a long way in controlling bed bugs: keep bats and birds away from houses; clean furnishings, launder bedding and mattress pads, and steam-clean mattresses; and prevent bed bugs from getting into homes by removing debris from around the house, repairing cracks in walls, and caulking windows and doors. Simple physical control methods include standing the legs of beds in soapy water, coating the legs with petroleum jelly or double-sided sticky tape. Bed bugs cannot climb polished glass or metal easily and they don't fly, so that the legs of beds can also be placed inside glass jars or metal cans. Heating to 97° to 99°F will kill most bed bugs, as will temperatures below 48°F. Chemical control includes the use of a residual insecticide (usually pyrethroids) in cracks and crevices. Sprays containing natural pyrethrins can also be used. Sorptive dusts such as fumed silica (also called diatomaceous earth) are useful in closed, hard-to-reach places. These treatments are best done by a professional pesticide applicator. Please call EAGLE PEST ELIMINATORS INC. @ (425) 398-7365 or e-mail us at: eaglepest@verizon.net or visit us on the web at www.eaglepesteliminators.com to schedule your free inspection! Eagle WE GUARANTEE TO BEAT ANY QUOTE!
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Call Eagle Pest Eliminators Inc. at: (425) 398-7365
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