[Technically Speaking] It's Football Season and Here They Come Again

I realize another year has passed when football season is upon us. It is also a reminder that pest activity is peaking and the fall invasions are about to begin. So the time to act is now.

A proactive pest management plan for your customers is the best way to prevent complaints. Our stock answer that these invaders are just looking for a place to spend the winter is unacceptable to most customers because they don’t want them spending any time in their properties. This article focuses on several groups of pests that are peaking this time of year.

BEES AND WASPS. Bee and wasp activity is at its peak in August and September, and like most insects that overwinter as adults, they seek out carbohydrates to fatten up for the winter rather than proteins that are consumed in the spring for egg production. The two groups differ in that bee colonies overwinter whereas only inseminated wasp queens overwinter.

As the days shorten, temperatures cool and these insects sense the need to increase their foraging activity — their days are numbered. Carbohydrates are readily accessible at outdoor recycling containers, poolside trash receptacles, Dumpsters, and trees and bushes that have an infestation of aphids, white flies, lacebugs or other plant feeders that produce honeydew.

The key to dealing with these insects is to find something that is more attractive than their existing food sources. Traps using fruit juices may reduce the problem but be careful that you are not attracting more insects into the area. Treat waste receptacles with a residual insecticide mixed with some sugar syrup (1 to 2 percent is adequate). Clean your sprayer thoroughly after using this type of mixture. Treating for plant feeding insects this late in the season is of no value. The simplest and most innocuous solution to bees and wasps feeding on honeydew is to thoroughly spray the trees and bushes with water and wash the honeydew off the plants.

Next year, start early with an intensive program to treat wasp nests as they develop around the structure and in protected areas of the structure, such as in soffits, outdoor lights, behind shutters and in attics. The more nests eliminated throughout the season, the fewer queens there are to overwinter.

CRICKETS. By the time you read this article, stridulating (the characteristic cricket chirping produced by male crickets when they rub their forewings together) may have begun. Once "stridulaters" are inside, be prepared for some unhappy and tired customers because the male crickets periodically chirp day and night until they locate a female. For errant crickets that have entered a structure, one of the best tools is a glueboard. Baits may work but because these males are more interested in sex, they are less likely to respond to baits.

Baiting around structures is one of the most effective ways of managing potential cricket infestations. I have had great success with baits containing hydramethylnon, propoxur and boric acid. The key to baiting crickets is to do it early in the season when they are small and molting — this is the time when most feeding occurs. With the recent use of non-repellent products around the perimeter of structures, it will be interesting to see the effect they have on cricket populations.

Next year, start a baiting program early in the season. Have the property owner remove items from the outdoor environment that offer cover and harborage for crickets. While crickets are good jumpers, they usually crawl into structures under and around doors and windows. Sell added-value services such as caulking, door sweeps and door seals — work that often can be performed in the winter.

CLUSTER FLIES. In winter, if there is a panic call from a customer about large flies in the building and there is no decaying body, the most likely culprits are cluster flies. Once this pest has moved in for the winter, there is little that can be done. The adult flies overwinter in protected areas; in the spring the adults emerge from hibernation and lay eggs on the soil; the eggs hatch and larvae crawl through the soil and successful larvae eventually find earthworms that they parasitize; once larval development is complete they pupate in the soil; and emerge as adults in the fall. Their biology is unique and the typical recommendation — get rid of the breeding site — is neither practical nor ecologically sound. Besides, you can’t prevent them from flying in from other breeding sites.

It is common for the same structures to be re-infested yearly. A study in the Northeast found that the flies are more attracted to light colored structures that are in a prominent location. The flies begin to congregate on structures in the fall as cooler temperatures prevail. The west and south sides of the building are the preferred "clustering" sites for these flies because unless shaded, they are the warmest areas. As cooler evening temperatures set in, the flies move toward warm air exiting the structure around doors, windows and other openings in the building.

Although property managers and homeowners expect it, I have never had any luck using aerosol or residual insecticides to control these flies once they are "in." No doubt you can kill the flies with these products — the problem is locating them to make the treatment. Because these flies are attracted to light, leaving the lights on in an attic is one strategy to burn up their energy reserves and kill them. It is also a good opportunity to sell insect light traps and in an attic. (I prefer glueboard ILTs vs. electrocuting ILTs.) Initially glueboard ILTs should be inspected every two weeks because a heavy infestation can fill them in a short time.

Next year, make residual pesticide applications (preferably with a microencapsulated pyrethroid formulation) to the west and south walls of cluster fly buildings in late summer and early fall. Caulking, sealing and screening are added value services that can reduce the entry of these flies. When infrared cameras are more affordable, this may be an opportunity to sell an energy audit and cluster fly prevention program because if you can visualize where heat is escaping a structure, you can identify the areas where cluster flies and other overwintering pests are entering.

There are many other overwintering pests, such as clover mites, boxelder bugs, elm leaf beetles and leaf-footed plant bugs that enter structures as winter approaches. Keep in mind that in the annual battle with these pests the best defense is a good offense — stop them before they get inside.

The author is president of Innovative Pest Management, Brookeville, Md. He can be reached at 301/ 570-3900 or via e-mail at rkramer@giemedia.com.