As stink bugs continue to spread throughout the country, customers will likely have questions about this occasional invader. Here’s what you can tell them.
Stink bugs smell, well, bad. And one species, the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), has become increasingly common in recent years. But why do stink bugs stink? How do they make that smell? And are they dangerous?
“Stink bugs are a family of insects (Pentatomidae), consisting of thousands of species around the world and more than 200 species in the United States and Canada,” says Matt Bertone, an entomologist at North Carolina State University.
“The species you are most likely to find in your house is probably the brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB,” Bertone says. “This species is native to Asia, but has been found in the U.S. since the late 1990s. It’s a widespread nuisance in homes, and now appears to be an agricultural pest of many crops as well.”
Here’s a brief Q&A you may want to consider sharing with your customers who call about these occasional invaders.
Q: Why do stink bugs stink?
A: “BMSBs, and most stink bugs, don’t bite or sting to defend themselves,” Bertone says. “Instead, they produce foul odors as both adults and juveniles to discourage predators. Very few predators want to eat something that smells awful. And BMSBs put off a sharp, acrid odor.”
A: No. Although the fluids they produce can sometimes cause skin irritation for some people, stink bugs aren’t toxic, and they don’t bite or sting people. Mostly they’re just stinky.
Q: Do stink bugs stink all the time?
A: No. Stink bugs can control when they release the chemicals that produce their namesake stink.
Q: How do stink bugs produce their stink?
A: “Stink bugs — including BMSBs — have special glands in their thorax that are filled with a chemical cocktail that produces a mix of odors,” Bertone says. “When threatened, a stink bug can release the chemicals onto a rough part of its exoskeleton called the ‘evapatorium.’ The shape and texture of the evapatorium helps the chemical evaporate more easily, quickly spreading the foul scent into the air — and hopefully discouraging predators.”
Q: Do other bugs produce stinky smells?
A: Yes. Lots of true bugs, including everything from giant water bugs and water striders to assassin bugs and leaf-footed bugs, produce stinky scents. But stink bugs, as their name suggests, are especially stinky (though some people think leaf-footed bugs are a close second).
Some bugs, like the boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata), look similar to stink bugs — but don’t stink at all (they lose the relevant scent-producing glands when they become adults).
Q: How do I get stink bugs out of my house?
A: “As adults, stink bugs spend the winter in secluded places,” Bertone says. “In nature this is usually under bark or in other hidden places. But human homes are a great surrogate.”
In the fall, homeowners may find an abundance of these bugs entering their home to look for hibernation spots (they also will likely see them again in the spring when they leave). If only a few are present, they can be disposed of by hand or using a small container to trap them. With large invasions the bugs can be vacuumed up and disposed of (though this may stink up the vacuum). Of course, pest management professionals would recommend homeowners reach out to their local pest control firm for control and exclusion services.
“The best way to prevent re-infestation is to make sure your home is well-sealed to prevent the bugs from getting in in the first place,” Bertone says. Source: North Carolina State University
Customer Intelligence
Features - Ant Control
When it comes to carpenter ant control, it’s critical PMPs interview the customer. Here are nine questions to make sure you get answered before your treatment.
Editor’s Note: This article was reprinted with permission from Techletter.
On a carpenter ant call, one of the main things you need to determine is whether the ants are nesting inside or outside. If you can interview the customer, you can gain a lot of useful information that will point you in the right direction. Here’s a list of nine questions you should ask the customer and why they’re important:
Finding and treating for carpenter ants can be tricky so engaging customers in the hunt will save you time.
Was your home treated for carpenter ants before? An earlier treatment may have failed, or a nest might have been missed.
When did you first notice the ants? If indoor activity has been going on for some time, the chances are greater that the ants are nesting inside.
How many ants do you see? Large numbers of ants foraging inside make an indoor nest more likely.
Do you see the ants indoors year-round? Ants are not active outside during winter months in cooler climates. If ants are found indoors in the winter, it likely means an indoor nest. In cool climate, if carpenter ants are seen only during warm months, it’s more likely that they are foraging in from outside.
Where do you see the ants most often? If ants are regularly in a room that does not have food, there’s probably a nest nearby. If the activity is in a bathroom or near another moisture source, the nest is probably very close. If carpenter ants are mainly seen around an outside kitchen door, they’re probably coming in from outside looking for food.
Have you had any wet wood, broken pipes or a leaky roof in the last year or two? If so, where? A structure that has had water-damaged wood or moisture problems is much more likely to be infested by carpenter ants than a building that is dry. Even after the moisture problem is resolved, carpenter ants can continue to nest in the softened wood.
Have you seen any ants with wings inside? If carpenter ant alates (swarmers) are seen inside, a nest is almost certainly within the structure. It would be rare for swarmers from an outside nest to end up inside. An indoor nest that produces swarmers has probably been there for at least three years.
Have you heard any strange noises inside the walls? Carpenter ants in their nest make a rustling sound sort of like crinkling cellophane. If you hear this with your ear next to a wall, you’ve found the nest.
Have you noticed any little piles that look like sawdust? If so, where? Carpenter ants keep their nest galleries clean by pushing excavated wood, dead insects and other debris out through a tiny slit. These “dump piles” are usually located just below the nest site. If no dump piles are found, it doesn’t necessarily mean the nest is not inside. The piles could be inside a wall void and not visible.
The authors are well-known industry consultants and owners of Pinto & Associates, publishers of Techletter.
It’s A Sure Thing
Crown Leadership Awards, Sponsored By Syngenta - Crown Leadership Awards
PMPs trust the powerful MetaActive effect in Advion insecticides. Now, two additions to the brand family are giving PMPs even more to cheer about, including effective control of large- colony ants.
For years, pest management professionals (PMPs) have counted on Advion® brand insecticides to control ants and cockroaches.
“I think they’re excellent products,” says Billy Blasingame, owner of Blasingame Pest Management in Locust Grove, Georgia, who relies exclusively on Advion gel baits to eliminate these pests. “We tried them when they came out and we’ve been using them ever since because they’ve not let us down, ever,” he says.
Now, two additions to the brand family are giving PMPs even more control options. Advion WDG insecticide is a non-repellent spray ideal for commercial food-handling establishments, and Advion Insect granular bait features a bait matrix proven to be highly attractive to target pests.
“We’ve got a range of products that operate under the same chemistry and under the same quality standards of the original Advion Cockroach gel bait,” explains Eric Paysen, technical services manager for Professional Pest Management (PPM) at Syngenta, North America. “PMPs can trust the Advion brand name.”
The Advantage of the MetaActive™ Effect
Advion insecticides are powered by a proprietary MetaActive effect in which the active ingredient indoxacarb becomes lethal to the target insect only after being activated by enzymes located inside the target insect’s digestive system.
These unique metabolic enzymes exist only in insects, so the insecticide poses minimal risk to non-target organisms that accidentally consume or are exposed to it.
“Insects are one of the only groups of animals that have the enzymes that break down indoxacarb into those toxic metabolites,” explains Chris Keefer, technical services manager for PPM at Syngenta, North America.
Once bio-activated, indoxacarb attacks the insect’s nervous system, but not immediately. “They have enough time to get back to their cracks and crevices,” says Nicky Gallagher, technical services manager for PPM at Syngenta, North America. As such, ants and cockroaches pass along the MetaActive effect through social grooming, feeding and by consuming their dead and dying nestmates.
“The active ingredient indoxacarb has a great transfer effect,” says Tom Potter, general manager of ABC Termite & Pest Control, a Lincoln, Nebraska-based company founded by PMP Nick Helzer in 1991. His team began using Advion WDG in the spring season as a preventive control for odorous house ants (OHA) and carpenter ants.
“It’s been proven to work. We’re having good success with it,” says Potter. In addition, the PestPartnersSM 365 Program from Syngenta (see page 11) makes it affordable and “the label is easy to get along with,” he says.
PMPs have more flexibility applying Advion insecticides because they’re not pyrethroids or neonicotinoids and the various formulations provide options. “They’re an excellent fit for sites that might be under more regulatory pressure,” points out Gallagher.
Advion insecticides are ideal for use at sensitive accounts like zoos, daycares, schools and hospitals. They do not leave a residue or odor, and customers like this, adds Potter.
And because of the unique mode of action, Advion insecticides are excellent choices when rotating products, which is key to reducing bait aversion and resistance.
Advion WDG insecticide is a non-repellent spray ideal for use in commercial food-handling establishments and residential accounts, anywhere Advion gel baits can go.
Granular Bait Surprise
The most recent addition to the brand family is Advion Insect granular bait, which can be applied outdoors and to interior cracks, crevices and voids, and in areas such as attics and crawlspaces.
Advion Insect granular bait controls pests like cockroaches, crickets, silverfish and ants, including large-colony ants like Argentine ants, tawny crazy ants and OHA that typically feed on liquid honeydew. Conventional wisdom says these ants are most attracted to liquid or gel baits, but recent field trials proved otherwise.
“I didn’t expect granular bait to work so well against OHA,” says Dr. Grzegorz Buczkowski, entomology professor at Purdue University, who studied the effect of Advion Insect granular bait on OHA last July. OHA are tough to control because they have hundreds of queens, many nests and thousands of workers. “They’re the number one callback ant among PMPs,” he says.
Using Advion Insect granular bait, Buczkowski achieved complete mortality of OHA at the five sites he tested. The test sites remained ant-free for 14 weeks, when the study ended.
“I was really, really surprised by how fast and how effective this bait was,” says Buczkowski. In subsequent field trials, he got complete mortality of OHA in one to two days.
“Advion Insect granular bait is the first and, so far, the only granular bait that gives good control of OHA. I don’t think there’s any other granular bait on the market that can match what Advion Insect granular bait can do. It’s super attractive. Ants love it,” he says.
Buczkowski believes the bait is attractive to all sweet- and protein-feeding ants, as he also effectively controlled carpenter ants in the field and Pharaoh ants in the lab with Advion Insect granular bait.
The bait is best used as part of a multi-layered, integrated pest management approach for large- colony ants. Gallagher suggests applying it to structure perimeters and yard hot spots, such as landscaping beds and along fence lines, to prevent colonies on neighboring properties from moving in. “Putting a granular bait out on top of the other formulations that you have could dramatically reduce your callbacks,” she says.
Keefer agrees. “The more active ingredients and the more formulations you get into your protocol for these ants, the more successful you’re going to be,” he says.
Trusted Support
Potter says the support he receives from Syngenta is invaluable. “They have a lot of resources and they do really well on answering the questions and concerns that we have,” he says.
Syngenta is also committed to developing new Advion formulations and new products for the pest management industry. It spends $1.5 billion annually on research and development to ensure its products deliver on their promise.
“A PMP can confidently go out and apply the Advion family of products and know they’re going to be successful,” says Keefer.
Learn more about the products and preferred use patterns for specific pests on the new Advion brand webpage from Syngenta at SyngentaPMP.com/Advion
All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.
I hope this letter finds you, your family and your business well. To say this year has been challenging for everyone, including the pest control industry, would be an understatement. However, in the face of enormous adversity, we have been so inspired to see your commitment to pest management in action. Your communities depend on you to defend their properties from destructive pests, and you’ve gone above and beyond in answering the call with hard work, loyalty and dedication.
This perseverance is just one of many reasons why Syngenta has been proud to sponsor the Crown Leadership Awards with PCT magazine for the past 32 years. These individuals set the standard for showing true leadership in their actions, sparking innovation in the continued fight against pests.
We are thrilled to congratulate this year’s Crown Leadership Award winners: Kevin Smith, Rollins Inc.; Faye Golden, Cook’s Pest Control; Darren Van Steenwyk, Clark Pest Control; Marsha Reeves, Oldham Chemicals Co.; Tommy Reeves, Oldham Chemicals Co.; Grzegorz Buczkowski, Purdue University; and Jim Steed, Neighborly Pest Control. These winners have worked tirelessly to leave lasting, meaningful impacts on their customers, colleagues and the industry as a whole.
At Syngenta, we’re working to support you with valuable resources to help grow your business. This year, we introduced Advion® Insect granular bait, a highly attractive solution for perimeter pests like ants and cockroaches. We recently expanded our SecureChoiceSM brand to now offer learning modules and specialized training opportunities, in addition to our existing assurance programs to control public health pests. All the while, we’ve continued offering the industry’s longest-running savings program, PestPartnersSM 365, to help make planning and purchasing products easier. Even in a virtual landscape, our team is always available to answer your questions and deliver the solutions you need.
Congratulations again to the Class of 2020 Crown Leadership Awards recipients! Thanks for your important contributions in ensuring we can all live uninterrupted by the nuisance and threat of pests.
As solar farms pop up across the country, and more homeowners install them as a source of energy, the need for pest control around solar panels continues to increase. Are you ready to take advantage of this growing opportunity?
A s solar panels increase in popularity across the nation, a number of PMPs are taking advantage of the opportunity to provide pest control services to these structures and surrounding land. George Williams, A.C.E., technical sales specialist at Veseris, assists companies with solar panel pest control projects and says there is a great opportunity for PMPs to offer their services to the solar industry and to residential accounts with solar panels.
One company that he has worked with is New England-based Pest End Exterminators, with whom he helped develop exclusion practices for deer mice (Peromyscus), white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and house mice (Mus musculus).
“A lot of these farms were built literally right on top of where the mice lived,” Williams told PCT. “So, their habitat was there before the solar farm, and then you put a solar farm right on top of it and guess what? You’ve got deer mice.”
PEST ISSUES. At solar farms, the most common pest issues involve mice, stinging insects and birds. According to Williams, mice access junction boxes and equipment panels and chew on wires, which to mice look like blades of grass in the wild. This can cause fires or outages. Pest End Exterminators provides exclusion services, such as installing hardware cloth, cement, spray foam and traps to kill the rodents before they enter the electrical equipment, said Adam Carace, CEO of Pest End.
In addition to mice and other rodents, birds often view solar farms as the perfect nesting place, leading to an additional fire risk. To prevent birds from nesting on the panels, Pest End uses a disc-shaped bird deterrent product called SpectrumV Holographic Bird Gel that they place on and around the solar panels that affects birds’ sight, sense and smell. Since birds see UV light in a different light spectrum than humans, the discs emit what appears to birds as heat rays.
Additionally, stinging insects are a problem at solar farms because they can attack individuals who provide service or maintenance to the solar panels, which leads to the risk of stings, or in severe cases, anaphylactic shock for those who are allergic. To treat for wasps, Pest End uses aerosols and dusts, and removes nests when necessary.
Bill Horgan, owner of Debug Pest Control, Chepachet, R.I., which also performs solar farm pest control work, offers exclusion services to fill any gaps or voids that stinging insects could enter.
Pests and wildlife are naturally attracted to the solar panels because of their warmth, Williams, Carace and Horgan explained.
“Pests naturally are looking for food, water, shelter just like humans are,” Williams said. “So, they’re building these structures, again in rural areas, and they attract a lot of warmth and then there are plenty of voids, so the pests exploit the voids.”
THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE. In addition to work with solar farms, PMPs also can perform solar panel pest control at residential properties. Such accounts oftentimes bring unique pest problems. When working with residential properties, wildlife pests — specifically squirrels — are the most common problem that Pest End finds, Carace said. The animals will work their way under the panels and use them as an entry point into the home.
In certain cases, such as squirrels chewing holes in the roof under the panels, the company will install one-way doors on the opening, allowing squirrels or other wildlife to exit the house but not re-enter. Once the animals are out of the house, they repair the hole with hardware cloth, mesh, wood or other materials. After the hole is fixed and the solar panel company re-installs the panels, Pest End installs netted guards around the panels to prevent any future pests from gaining access.
Different than Pest End, Sam Tutton, co-owner of California-based Ecoskan Pest Solutions, which specializes in providing solar panel pest control services to residential properties, said 95 percent of the company’s work deals with pigeons. The birds will nest and roost along and underneath the panels and leave behind a variety of debris.
When unqualified individuals improperly install exclusion materials, Ecoskan Pest Solutions is faced with removing pounds of fecal matter, nesting and dead birds from underneath panels.
The bulk of Ecoskan’s solar panel pest control work consists of cleaning below, on top of and around solar panels, and then installing a mesh barrier around the panels so that birds can no longer nest and roost there. The organic exclusion technique fits in perfectly to Ecoskan’s mission, Tutton said.
“Why we opened our company originally was to focus on botanical, non- synthetic-type solutions for customers: exclusion, mechanical alterations,” Tutton said. “We just saw that as an opportunity and something we wanted to pursue. So, the bird work fits in perfectly with what we do.”
IPM also is essential for pest control at solar farms, Veseris’ Williams said. “In a remote rural area you really don’t want to use a rodenticide due to the risk of secondary poisoning with non-target organisms,” Williams said.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION. Tutton, Carace and Horgan all said most of their work is reactive and in their experience, not many customers think about addressing exclusion before an issue arises. Horgan said lots of time and energy would be saved if pest management companies were included in the construction process. At that time, they could provide tips on where to prevent/fill voids and how to avoid building such pest-attractive structures.
“Pest control is like out of sight, out of mind,” Horgan said. “I think, like any other customer we work for, if we could kind of get out in front of things it would be in everybody’s interest.”
Williams agreed. “My advice is that these solar companies should really be working more closely with pest control as soon as these places are built, and then paying a pest control company to go and do a walk-through,” he said. He also said that those building large solar farms are often “penny wise, pound foolish” when it comes to pest control. He said, compared to the large sum spent on solar farm construction, proactive pest control is a good return on investment and will save money in the long run.
The majority of Horgan’s solar panel pest control work at Debug Pest Control comes in the form of routine inspections. One of the major differences with pest control at commercial solar accounts is that they lack staff who could potentially notice pest issues before they turn into bigger problems. They’re simply not present on a daily basis, Horgan said, like staff at a food-processing account, for example. Therefore, inspections become essential.
Ecoskan Pest Solutions installs a mesh barrier around panels for pest exclusion.
Tutton said that less than 10 percent of his firm’s work is proactive services that people want done before a problem occurs. However, as more problems arise, he sees some other service providers, such as window and solar panel washers, getting involved. That being said, since such workers are not licensed to perform pest control, they often do not decontaminate all the bird debris and, as a result, have created a hazardous waste issue, Tutton said.
Tutton said he called the California Structural Pest Control Board about the issue and says there is an opportunity for such providers to get more involved in solar panel pest control work.
“I think it’s going to be a real opportunity for structural pest control providers to get into it,” Tutton said. “I think in some states, government agencies will start stepping in and intervening and quit having people that are unlicensed address the issue.”
Ecoskan began specializing in solar panel pest control two years ago and, from the first to second year, saw a 220 percent increase in revenues. As of June, they have had an additional 100 percent growth in revenues this year, Tutton said.
As pest control companies find continued growth and success in solar panel pest control, there is room for more companies to take advantage of the opportunity, experts say. “Being out in communities all over Southern California every single day, there is absolutely no way we can handle all the work,” Tutton said. “And we rarely, rarely see other people performing these services.”
