Pest Control St. Louis

Preventing Diseases in Fruit Trees

If you maintain any pitted fruit trees such as plums, peaches, or cherries, I'm sure you know that those sorts of trees are much subject to diseases than any other type. While the fruits are delicious, it may be rather hard to live with all of the maladies that can plague the life of everyone who has ever grown one of those sorts of fruit trees.

The principle ailment that you will hear around the most is known as “Brown Rot”. This is a fungus that attaches to most of the leftover fruits after the picking season is now over. Not just does it look disgusting on the leftover fruits, but it is in addition can come back on the newer fruits, rendering them inedible (unless you love eating fungus). To avoid this malady, you should prune your trees often to encourage good air circulation. Buildups of moisture are the chief grounds for the brown rot. Also when you are done picking for the season, you should remove all of the leftover fruits in the tree or on the floor.

A cytospora canker is a disgusting dark, soft area on tree branches. Gum protrudes through the bark, along with a huge callus. The pathogen which causes these cankers usually enters the tree through older wounds. If you prune all of the sprouts that occur in late summer, cankers will have a harder time making themselves known within your tree. When you prune, always allow the wounds to heal naturally as opposed to use the wound dressings that you can buy at gardening stores. I've learned that these usually do hardly any to help any situation, and only help make the tree look unnatural.

Those planting plum trees might handle something called Black Knot. The signs of black not are rough tumors or growths that can be seen on the tree's branches. If you see some of these, you ought to immediately chop off the branch it has attached to. If you use branches for mulch usually, don't for this one. This complaint can easily re-enter the tree if it is within a particular distance.

Almost everyone who has ever maintained a cherry tree has dealt with the “Cherry Leaf Spot”. It usually shows itself when there are old dead leaves accumulated on the ground. Preventing this ailment is fairly simple. All you need to do is be fairly diligent in raking up all of the leaves that fall from your tree. If you have already seen signs of the ailment, you should destroy all of your raked leaves. If not, then you can try them as mulch.

When your fruits ripen and become ready for picking, you ought to always be completely finished with picking within 2 weeks. It is better to daily go outside and pick all of the new ripe fruits, along with any that have fallen off of the tree or are starting to rot on the tree. So this way, you will prevent bees and wasps from becoming too dependent on your tree for nourishment.

Growers of fruit trees are incessantly faced with diseases and pests to worry about. Nevertheless, if you take the right safeguards then you can avoid the majority of them. You should likewise look for any diseases that have been affecting your area, and attempt to take steps to prevent those as well.

Argentine Ant

Latin Name: Iridomyrmex humilis

Traits: It is a tiny, dark-colored ant about 3 mm (1/8 inch) long that invades homes hunting for food and water..

Color: dark-colored

Other: It is also light to dark brown in color, and it has six legs, as with other insects. The Argentine ants' antennae have twelve segments. The thorax joins the stomach by a thin pedicel, a thin stalk.

Where can they be found? Outdoors in soil, under wood, slabs, debris, mulch, or in branches and cavities of trees and shrubs

Shallow, 1- to 2-inch deep mounds in open, often disturbed habitats, either moist or dry

The most common ant in southern California is the Argentine ant (Iridomyrmex humilis). This ant can also be located in the low eastern US area. As reported by Wild (2004), this species was originally described in the genus Linepithema by Mayr in 1866; therefore, the proper binomial ought to be Linepithema humile. It is a tiny, dark-colored ant about 3 mm (1/8 inch) long that invades homes searching for food and water. They are specially fond of sweets, but will feed on practically any food. They love hard boiled eggs and carry small yellow clumps of yolk back to their nest in endless ant columns.

These ants can be really well adapted to urbanized areas of the US with mild climates and well-watered gardens. They pose an important threat to native wildlife by upsetting delicate food webs. They are specially formidable attributable to their aggressive behavior and the huge size of their colonies which can literally "team up" with other colonies.

If you live in southern California, you in all probability have seen endless single file columns of uninvited six-legged guests walking through your home. They follow a pre-marked pheromone "scent" trail initially laid down by scouts who were looking for goodies in your pantry. Although they choose to outdoor life-style, they primarily enter houses for food and water. They are like sweets, tuna, syrups (even cough syrup), juices, eggs, dead spiders and rodents, puke, feces and almost any other living tissue they can find. They are fundamentally scavengers and they play a valuable role in the natural ecosystem–but preferably in Argentina. In hot, dry weather they often times search your house for water, including restroom faucets and drains. I once followed an ant safari into my restroom where they were neatly stacking their precious cargo of tiny eggs inside my toilet tank. They also relish the "honeydew" secretion of aphids, and protect their aphid friends from natural predators. In the fall months as the nights get very cold, they once more seek the warmth and shelter of your cozy home.

The first Argentine ants set foot on U.S. soils in the late 1890's, as coffee ships from Brazil unloaded their freight in New Orleans. Being prolific breeders and constantly active, they moved across the southern half of the US. A single colony may contain 10,000 female workers, and there may well be many colonies around your home; the complete number of ants could reach a million. Although they cannot sting, they can bite; nonetheless, they are simply about 3 mm long and there tiny mandibles are too small to hurt humans. But, internationally of insects, these ants are truly a living terror. They're very aggressive and readily overtake other ant species, even ants that are much larger and with powerful stings. Argentine ants are relentless and just outnumber their adversaries until the enemy colony is destroyed. They even attack paper wasp nests under the eaves of a house, forcing the massive wasps to flee their nests in terror. Even nests of large carpenter bees are no match for these relentless ants. A "killer bee" nest probably could not withstand an invasion of Argentine ants. They also will attack bird nests, driving off the mom bird and killing the helpless young. One possible redeeming quality about these little warriors is that they might attack dry- timber (aerial) termite colonies in your home. I have seen this Lilliputian massacre in a termite infested table in the Palomar College greenhouse.

Most ant colonies are very highly territorial, and will fight different colonies of the same species. Since Argentine ants in the United States originated from the original colonizers in Louisiana, they are all closely related with the same DNA. They apparently will accept ants from different colonies as members of their gigantic family. In fact, Argentine ants from different colonies will actually "team up" and attack together in vast swarms. They simply outnumber and overpower their enemy.

Argentine ants have become a difficult threat to the coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum) in southern California. The primary food source for these endangered lizards are native harvester ants, particularly the California harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus). I spent many years observing this fascinating red ant while maturing in San Gabriel Valley, and I can personally testify that it provides a traumatic sting. As of 2006, this large red ant is seldom seen in urbanized areas of coastal southern California.

California harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus), primary diet of coast horned lizard.

Urbanization has certainly been a factor in the demise of California harvester ants, but an even greater factor leading to the liquidation of native ants and coast horned lizards is the aggressive Argentine ant. Evidently the horned lizard is not like Argentine ants, and is in fact attacked by them in enormous swarms. Colonies of Argentine ants need a damp area to survive, and have not invaded a few of the dry habitats where native harvester ants and desert horned lizards (P. platyrhinos) still live. Of course, they can readily colonize urbanized desert areas inhabited by people. Well-watered gardens with stepping stones and concrete slabs provide the idea living requirements for these ants. In their native Argentina they live under rocks.

Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum).

Argentine ants are a terrible nuisance in gardens and orchards because they tend and protect scale insects and aphids. They even carry aphids to the tender buds of your prized roses. In return, the ants consume a sweet secretion from the aphids called "honeydew." In addition, swarms of these ants will invade orchard trees, destroying the fruit crop. This is particularly serious in figs (Ficus carica) where the symbiotic pollinator wasps are destroyed.

Metallic green fig beetles (Cotinus texana) gorging themselves inside a fleshy, ripe syconium of the Calimyrna fig (Ficus carica). Although masses of minute, aggressive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are also foraging in the syconium (white arrow), the beetles are protected by their tough, impervious exoskeleton. These attractive beetles spend their juvenile larval stage in the earth, often beneath manure piles, compost and haystacks.

According to entomologist David Faulkner, if you've a 10 x10 foot (3 x 3 m ) patio slab, you may have a million or more individuals and possibly 20 or 30 queens. They get along fine because they're all associated with the original colonizers in Lousiana, perhaps from the original gravid (pregnant) female who arrived there. Workers live a month or more as adults, but queens live up to 10 years or greater. With other ants, when the queen dies, the one-queen colony dies because no more ants are being produced. With multi-queen Argentine ants, another queen simply moves in and takes over the role of the deceased queen. In fact, a queen from San Diego would probably be accepted in a colony elsewhere in California.

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile): A wingless queen and several workers. Although these ants are merely 3 mm long, they are very aggressive and quickly annihilate other ant species, even larger ants with powerful jaws and stings. They overpower other species by their sheer numbers. Argentine ants in the U.S. are descendants of original colonizers that entered Louisiana in the late 1890's, as coffee ships from Brazil unloaded their cargo in New Orleans. U.S. populations are so intimately linked that different colonies with multiple queens can literally merge together into supercolonies. Image taken with Nikon D-90 and 60mm Micro Nikkor AF-S F/2.8G ED Macro Lens using a Phoenix Ring Flash; hand-held at 640 ISO, F-32, 1/125th sec.

In their native homeland of Argentina, different colonies of Argentine ants are not so friendly to one another because their DNA has developed much greater variation. Neighboring colonies may fight each other, despite the fact that they are simply 200 yards (200 m) apart. Also there are quite a few native predators in Argentina, including fungal leeches and bacteria. The narrow genetic variability that has kept all the California populations on friendly terms may eventually backfire owing to abnormal inbreeding. Perhaps some day these ants might not have the genetic variability to adapt to a changing environment.

How To Control Invasions of Argentine Ants"

Empty your trash often and ensure your property has no crums and food particles that may attract ants. Make sure that food containers are tightly closed, without residual traces of the food on the sides of containers. These ants can even get into screw-top jars without seals. They follow the spiral threads until they're inside!

Try not to use toxic aerosol insecticides inside your house–unless you don't care about your lungs or your bone marrow.

Try spraying a deodorant detergent (Pine Sol

Preventing Diseases in Fruit Trees

If you maintain any pitted fruit trees like plums, peaches, or cherries, I'm sure you know that those sorts of trees are much vulnerable to diseases than any other type. While the fruits are delicious, it may be rather difficult to live with all of the maladies that can plague the life of everyone who has ever grown one of those types of fruit trees.

The principle disease that you will hear about the most is referred to as “Brown Rot”. This is a fungus that attaches to most of the leftover fruits after the picking season has finished. Not only does it look disgusting on the leftover fruits, but it also can come back on the newer fruits, rendering them inedible (unless you love eating fungus). To prevent this malady, you should prune your trees often to inspire good air circulation. Buildups of moisture are the principle cause of the brown rot. Also when you are performed picking for the season, you ought to eliminate all of the leftover fruits in the tree or on the ground.

A cytospora canker is a disgusting dark, soft area on tree branches. Gum protrudes through the bark, along with a large callus. The pathogen which causes these cankers usually enters the tree through older wounds. If you prune all of the sprouts that occur in late summer, cankers will have a harder time making themselves known within your tree. When you prune, always allow the wounds to mend naturally instead of use the wound dressings that you can purchase at gardening stores. I've discovered that these usually do hardly any to help any situation, and only serve to make the tree look unnatural.

Those planting plum trees might manage something called Black Knot. The symptoms of black not are rough tumors or growths that can be observed on the tree's branches. If you see any of these, you ought to immediately chop off the branch it has attached to. If you use branches for mulch usually, don't for this one. This complaint can readily re-enter the tree if it is within a particular distance.

Virtually everyone who has ever maintained a cherry tree has answered the “Cherry Leaf Spot”. It usually shows itself when there are old dead leaves accumulated on the ground. Preventing this complaint is fairly easy. All you have to do is be fairly diligent in raking up all of the leaves that fall from your tree. If you've already seen signs of the disease, you ought to destroy all of your raked leaves. If not, then you can make use of them as mulch.

When your fruits ripen and become ready for picking, you should always be completely finished with picking within 2 weeks. It is better to daily go outside and pick all of the new ripe fruits, along with any that have fallen off of the tree or are beginning to rot on the tree. So this way, you will prevent bees and wasps from becoming too contingent upon your tree for nourishment.

Growers of fruit trees are incessantly faced with diseases and pests to worry about. Yet, if you take the right safeguards then you can avoid the majority of them. You should also search for any diseases that have been affecting your region, and try to take steps to prevent those as well.

Acrobat Ant

Latin Name: Crematogaster ashmeadi

Characteristics: Medium sized, mostly shiny ant with heart shaped abdomen that is sometimes bent up over the thorax when ant is disturbed.

Color: Color variable from light reddish brown to brown or black.

Other: Slow to moderately fast moving ant. May forage in tight foraging trails much in-line with white-footed ant trails, but only acrobat ant bends the abdomen up over the thorax. Acrobat ants also slow down than white-footed ants when disturbed.

Habitat: Acrobat Ants are found in the Southeastern US (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia), but can be located in parts of Missouri

Like all ants, the acrobat ants may produce winged, reproductive individuals (males and ladies) called swarmers. These sexually developed adults emerge from a founded colony, normally in the fall, to disperse and begin new colonies. The swarmers are harmless, but they might be the start of an infestation. Special therapy of swarmers beyond vacuum-cleaning or sweeping them up is not required.

Outside the home, you will normally find Acrobat ants in a mixture of dead and decaying timber. Firewood seems to be one of their preferred homes. In all cases, the wood they occupy will be dead. The acrobat ant never inhabits a healthy or live piece of wood, that is why they like some of the woodworkings around your property. They have a nasty characteristic of creating cavities in wood, in particular when that timber is moist. They will even nest in foam insulating material board if weather conditions are right. One way to recognize their intrusion into your wood is to look for sawdust or other frass materials around suspected nest areas.

Several types of small to medium-sized ants are occasional pests in and around the home. One of these is named the acrobat ant as a consequence of the way the worker ants carry their abdomens above the remainder of the body as if they were performing a balancing act. Acrobat ants are slightly longer than 1/8th inch. They vary in color from yellowish brown to dark brown, and the heart-shaped abdomen is commonly darker than the rest of the body. Magnification is needed to see a pair of spines on the back edge of the middle section of the body that helps identify this ant from other species. The habit of the workers to carry their abdomens uphill when they're disturbed is probably the best way to recognize this species.

Acrobat ants may nest both outdoors and indoors. Outdoor nests are most often in dead and decaying wood such as logs, stumps, dead trees limbs, firewood and hollow tree cavities. They might nest in damp soil beneath leaf litter or rocks. The small worker ants readily enter buildings through fractures around windows and doors and various openings. Trails of workers may be viewed moving between the nest and a food source. Acrobat ants feed on a variety of foods, including other insects and sweets.

When acrobat ants nest indoors they are ordinarily inside timber or cavities kept moist with water from leaks. They may also nest in foam insulating board or sheathing. As they excavate the large galleries used as nest sites, sawdust may well be deposited near the nest area.

How to Get Rid of Acrobat Ants?

As reported by a Pest Control company in St. Louis, acrobat ants entering from outdoors can be managed by sealing the external crevices through which they enter, using a residual insecticide barrier along the foundation, or by treating the ant nest if the location can be established through careful inspection and observation.

Ant colonies living within the walls should be treated by eliminating any moisture problems (if present) and by injecting household insecticide spray or dust into infested wall voids. An exterminator may take care of this or for small problems, you can do it yourself. It may well be essential to drill small holes to accomplish this therapy.

Insecticides containing pyrethroids are around for homeowners for outdoor use. Always follow labeled directs.

See your local retailer to locate a ready-to-use insecticide labeled for ants. Read and follow the directions on the label.

Damage from Termites

Owing to their timber- dietary habits, many termite species can do great harm to unprotected buildings and other wooden structures. Their addiction of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are severely damaged and exhibit surface changes. Once termites have entered a building, they don't limit themselves to timber; they also damage paper, cloth, carpets, and several cellulosic materials. Particles removed from soft plastics, plaster, rubber, and sealants like silicone rubber and acrylics are oftentimes employed in construction.

Humans have moved many timber-eating species between continents, but have also caused drastic population decline in others through habitat loss and pesticide application.

Precautions:

According to a internet site created for pest control in St. Charles, MO http://2niceguys.com, it is recommended to ALWAYS contact a specialist when you feel that there might be termites present at your home. They also suggest that you keep mulch faraway from your home and wooden deck.

Here are some other safeguards that might be helpful

* Avoid contact of vulnerable timber with ground by utilizing termite-resistant concrete, steel, or masonry foundation with correct barriers. Yet, termites are in a position to bridge these with shelter tubes, and it has been known for termites to chew through piping produced with soft plastics and even some metals, such as lead, to exploit moisture. In general, new buildings should be constructed with embedded physical termite barriers so that there are no easy means for termites to gain concealed entry. While barriers of poisoned soil, so called termite pre- remedy, have been generally use since the 1970s, it is best that these be use just for existing buildings without effective physical barriers.

* The intent of termite barriers (whether physical, poisoned soil, or a few of the new poisoned plastics) is to stop the termites from gaining unseen admission to structures. In most instances, termites attempting to enter a barriered building will be driven into the less favourable approach of building shelter tubes up the exterior walls, and thus, they are often visible both to the building occupants and an array of predators.

* Wood remedy.

* Use of timber that is naturally impervious to termites like Syncarpia glomulifera (Turpentine Tree), Callitris glaucophylla (White Cypress), or one of the Sequoias. Note that there is no tree species whose every individual tree yields only timbers that are immune to termite damage, so that even with well known termite-resistant timber types, there will from time-to-time be pieces that are attacked. No types of tree produces timber that is totally immune to damage from every types of termite, some individual pieces of timber may be attacked.

When termites have already penetrated a building, the first action is normally to ruling the colony with insecticides before removing the termites' means of access and fixing the issues that encouraged them in the first place. Baits (feeder stations) with small quantities of disruptive insect hormones or other very slow acting toxins have become the preferred least-toxic management tool in most western countries. This has replaced the dusting of toxins direct into termite tunnels that had been widely done since the early 1930s (originating in Australia). The primary dust toxicants have been the inorganic metallic poison arsenic trioxide, insect growth regulators (hormones) such as triflumuron and, more recently fipronil, a phenyl-pyrazole. Blowing dusts into termite workings is an extremely skilled process. All these slow-acting poisons may be distributed by the workers for hours or weeks before any symptoms occur and are efficient enough to destroying the entire colony. Modern variations include chlorfluazuron, diflubenzuron, hexaflumuron, and novaflumuron as bait toxicants and fipronil and imidacloprid as soil poisons. Soil poisons are the least-preferred method of control as this requires much larger doses of toxin and results in uncontrollable release to the environment.

Acrobat Ant

Latin Name: Crematogaster ashmeadi

Traits: Medium sized, mostly shiny ant with heart shaped abdomen that is oftentimes bent up over the thorax when ant is disturbed.

Color: Color variable from light reddish brown to brown or black.

Other: Slow to moderately fast moving ant. May forage in tight foraging trails close to white-footed ant trails, but only acrobat ant bends the abdomen up over the thorax. Acrobat ants also slow down than white-footed ants when disturbed.

Habitat: Acrobat Ants are located in the Southeastern United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia), but can be seen in parts of Missouri

Like all ants, the acrobat ants may produce winged, reproductive individuals (males and women) called swarmers. These sexually developed adults emerge from an established colony, ordinarily in the fall, to disperse and begin new colonies. The swarmers are harmless, but they may be the start of an infestation. Special remedy of swarmers beyond vacuum-cleaning or sweeping them up is not required.

Outside the home, you will usually find Acrobat ants in a mixture of dead and decaying timber. Firewood appears to be one of their preferred homes. In all cases, the timber they occupy will be dead. The acrobat ant never inhabits a wholesome or live piece of timber, that is why they like some of the woodworkings around your house. They have a nasty habit of creating cavities in wood, especially if that timber is moist. They will even nest in foam heat retaining material board if weather is right. One way to recognize their intrusion into your timber is to search for sawdust or other frass materials around suspected nest areas.

Several species of small to medium-sized ants are occasional pests around the home. One of these is named the acrobat ant because of how the worker ants carry their abdomens above the remainder of the body as if they were performing a balancing act. Acrobat ants are slightly longer than 1/8th inch. They vary in color from yellowish brown to dark brown, and the heart-shaped abdomen is commonly darker than the rest of the body. Magnification is required to see a couple of spines on the back edge of the middle section of the body that helps identify this ant from other species. The trait of the workers to carry their abdomens uphill when they are disturbed is more than likely the best method to recognize this species.

Acrobat ants may nest both outside and indoors. Outdoor nests are most often in dead and decaying wood like logs, stumps, dead trees limbs, firewood and hollow tree cavities. They might nest in damp soil beneath leaf litter or rocks. The small worker ants readily enter buildings through cracks around windows and doors and different openings. Trails of workers may be seen moving between the nest and a food source. Acrobat ants feed upon an assortment of foods, including other insects and sweets.

When acrobat ants nest indoors they are commonly inside wood or cavities kept moist with water from leaks. They can also nest in foam insulating board or sheathing. As they excavate the large galleries used as nest sites, sawdust may be deposited near the nest area.

How to Get Rid of Acrobat Ants?

According to a Pest Control company in St. Louis, acrobat ants entering from outdoors can be managed by sealing the exterior fractures through which they enter, using a residual insecticide barrier along the foundation, or by treating the ant nest if the location can be determined through careful inspection and observation.

Ant colonies living within the walls ought to be treated by eliminating any moisture problems (if present) and by injecting household insecticide spray or dust into infested wall voids. An exterminator may take care of this or for small problems, you can do it yourself. It can be necessary to drill small holes to achieve this remedy.

Insecticides containing pyrethroids are available to homeowners for outdoor use. Always follow labeled directs.

Visit your local retail merchant to discover a ready-to-use insecticide labeled for ants. Read and follow the directions on the label.

Preventing Diseases in Fruit Trees

If you maintain any pitted fruit trees such as plums, peaches, or cherries, I'm sure you recognize that those sorts of trees are much susceptible to diseases than any other type. While the fruits are delicious, it can be rather difficult to live with all of the maladies that can plague the life of everybody who has ever grown one of those sorts of fruit trees.

The chief ailment that you will hear around the most is known as “Brown Rot”. This is a fungus that attaches to most of the leftover fruits after the picking season has ended. Not only does it look disgusting on the leftover fruits, but it is in addition can return on the newer fruits, rendering them inedible (unless you enjoy eating fungus). To avoid this malady, you ought to prune your trees often to inspire good air circulation. Buildups of moisture are the principle reason for the brown rot. Also when you are carried out picking for the season, you should eliminate all of the leftover fruits in the tree or on the floor.

A cytospora canker is a disgusting dark, soft area on tree branches. Gum protrudes through the bark, together with a huge callus. The pathogen which causes these cankers usually enters the tree through older wounds. If you prune all of the sprouts that occur in late summer, cankers will have a harder time making themselves known within your tree. When you prune, always permit the wounds to heal naturally in preference to use the wound dressings that you can buy at gardening stores. I've found that these usually do very little to help any situation, and only serve to make the tree look unnatural.

Those planting plum trees might cope with something called Black Knot. The signs of black not are rough tumors or growths that can be seen on the tree's branches. If you see any of these, you ought to immediately chop off the branch it has attached to. If you use branches for mulch usually, don't for this one. This disease can readily re-enter the tree if it is within a certain distance.

Virtually everyone who has ever maintained a cherry tree has addressed the “Cherry Leaf Spot”. It usually shows itself when there are old dead leaves accumulated on the ground. Preventing this complaint is fairly easy. All you need to do is be fairly diligent in raking up all of the leaves that fall from your tree. If you have already seen signs of the disease, you should destroy all of your raked leaves. If not, then you should be able to make use of them as mulch.

When your fruits ripen and become ready for picking, you ought to always be completely finished with picking within 2 weeks. It is better to daily go outside and pick all of the new ripe fruits, together with any that have fallen off of the tree or are beginning to rot on the tree. This way, you will prevent bees and wasps from becoming too dependent on your tree for nourishment.

Growers of fruit trees are incessantly faced with diseases and pests to worry about. Although, if you take the correct precautions then you are able to avoid most of them. You should likewise search for any diseases that have been affecting your local area, and try to take steps to prevent those as well.

Carpenter ants are a nuisance by their presence when found in parts of the home like the kitchen, bathroom, drawing room and different quarters. When 20 or more large winged and/or wingless ants are discovered indoors, in the day near one location, it is workable that the colony is more successful in the house and the nest can have been extended into sound wood, often times causing structural damage. They do not eat timber, but often remove quantities of it to expand their nest size. Nonetheless, but only if 1 or 2 large wingless ants are erratically crawling, they may simply be foraging for food with the nest located outside. Outdoors, they are often seen running over plants and tree trunks or living in moist, partly rotten wood stumps. Nonetheless, carpenter ant inquiries rank first over all other household/structural pests in Ohio.

Identification

Carpenter ants are among the largest ants located in homes and reside in colonies containing three castes consisting of winged and wingless queens, winged males and different sized workers. Winged males are much smaller than winged queens. Wingless queens measure 5/8 inch, winged queens 3/4 inch to the tips of their folded brownish wings, small minor workers 1/4 inch and large major workers 1/2 inch. Workers have some brown on them while queens are black. Workers have large heads and a small thorax while adult swarmers have a smaller head and large thorax. Carpenter ants have a smoothly rounded arched (convex) shape to the peak of the thorax when studied from the side and a pedicel between the thorax and abdomen consisting of just one segment or node. They have constricted waists, elbowed antennas and the reproductive's forewings are larger than the hindwings, transparent or brownish and not easily taking away. Adults are commonly black with some species red, brown or yellow occurring on areas of the body and legs. Eggs are about 1/8-inch long, cream colored and oval. Larvae are legless and grub-like, later pupating in tough silken, tan-colored cocoons erroneously remarked as "ant eggs."

Life Cycle and Habits

Queen Worker

Winged both sexes carpenter ants (swarmers) emerge from mature colonies usually from March to July. After mating, males die and fresh fertilized ladies (mated for keeps), establish a new colony in a small cavity in timber, under bark, etc. and each lays 15 to 20 eggs in 15 days. The egg stage takes about 24 days, larval stage 21 days and pupal stage 21 days or about 66 days from egg to adult at 70 to 90 degrees F. Cool weather may extend this period up to 10 months. The colony does not produce swarmers until about three years later. A mature colony, after three to six years, has 2,000 to 4,000 individuals. During the first breed, larvae are fed entirely by a fluid secreted from the queen's mouth where she does not take food, but uses stored fat reserves and wing muscles for her nourishment. The few workers emerging from the first hatch assume duties of the colony, collecting food, excavating galleries to enlarge the nest and tending the eggs, larvae and pupae of the second generation. Workers regurgitate food for nourishment of the developing larvae and queen. She has few duties except to lay eggs.

In later generations, workers of several sizes are produced (polymorphism) into major and minor workers, that are all sterile females. Males formed are winged swarmers. Larger "major" workers guard the nest, battle intruders, explore and forage for food while smaller "minor" workers expand the nest and care for the young. workers, when disturbed, bring off the larvae and pupa, which has to be fed and tended or they die. In a mature colony, there is commonly one queen with 200 to 400 winged individuals produced as swarmers. Workers have strong jaws and readily bite (sharp pinch) when contacted.

Nests are usually established in soft, moist (not wet), decayed timber or occasionally in an existing timber cavity or void area in a structure that is perfectly dry. Workers cut galleries in the timber, expanding the nest size for the enlarging colony. Galleries are irregular, usually excavated with the timber grain ( occasionally across the cereal) into softer portions of the timber. The walls of the nest are smooth and clean (sandpapered appearance) with shredded sawdust-like timber fragments, like chewed up toothpicks (frass), carried from the nest and deposited outside. These piles of wood fragments, often found beneath special openings (windows) or nest openings, might comprise portions of insects, empty seed coats, etc.

Carpenter ants do not eat wood but excavate wood galleries to rear their young ants and carry aphids to plants, placing them on leaves for the production of honey dew. The food weight loss program is of great variety (omnivorous) of both plant and animal origin like plant juices, fresh fruits, insects (living or dead), meats, syrup, honey, jelly, sugar, grease, fat, honey dew (aphid excrement), etc. They feed readily on termites and usually never exist with them in the home. Workers are known to forage for food in as much as 100 yards from their nest.

Control Measures

The most important and often most hard part of carpenter ant control is locating the nest or nests. Once the nest location is found, control is very easy and simple. Sometimes more than one colony is present in the structure or on its grounds, so a thorough inspection is very important. Steps to a prosperous inspection include an interview with family members, inspection indoors, inspection outdoors and sound detection.

Interview

Often both young and old of the residence know where ants are seen, where vast quantities are most prevalent, movement patterns, moisture in the structure, moisture problems of the past, if swarmers were seen, location of sawdust-like material in piles, populations outdoors, etc.

Inspection Indoors

Nests can be located in either moist or dry wood. Nevertheless, carpenter ants prefer to nest in moist timber with a moisture content considerable over 15 percent, often caused by rain, leaks, condensation, etc. Structural timber is about 12 to 15 percent moisture. A moisture meter can find wet places to pinpoint possible nest locations. Inspect behind washroom tiles, around tubs, showers, sinks, dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerator drip pans, etc. Check wood tormented by moisture from contact with the soil like steps, porch supports, siding, seepage from plugged drain gutters, chimney flashing, wooden shingle roofs, hollow porch posts, columns, leaking window and door frames, window boxes, crawl spaces, pipes, poor pitch of porch roofs, flat deck porch roofs, under porches, attics, etc. Now and again, nests are located in dry environments, such as hollow veneer doors, curtain rods, small void areas between the door casing and ceiling, false beams, or under insulation in attics. Look for damaged timbers, swarmers in spider webs, wood piles indoors, piles of wood debris removed from the colony (pencil sharpener shaving-like), "windows" or small opening to a nest, etc. Gently tap floor joists, etc. with a hammer. A nest cavity gives a hollow ring. A knife blade will penetrate the wood if infested.

Baiting

Some may use tiny piles of sugar at 2 to 3 feet intervals around the kitchen, washroom, etc. in attempt to determine where the nest is located. Others use drops of honey or corn syrup placed on the rear of masking tape. Make observations late at night, following ants back to their nest entrance.

Flushing Agent

A household aerosol spray, containing pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide, applied directly into crevices, crevices or holes, will excite the ants (repellent action) causing them to come running out revealing the presence of their nest in some situations.

Inspection Outdoors

Look for ants traveling from a tree or stump to the structure. They might travel over tree branches or vines touching the roof, electrical and telephone wires, fences with the house, piles of firewood, logs, or railroad ties nearby or hollow living trees with entrance knot holes, etc. Workers are most active in the evening (midnight), traveling from their nest to a food source following trails but no particular trail leading instantly to the nest. They do establish chemical (pheromone) trails.

Sound Detection

An engaged colony may produce a distinct, dry rustling sound ( occasionally loud), close to the crinkling of cellophane. It might be heard in a wall when standing in a room. A listening device, such as a stethoscope, may be of use when weather conditions are quiet and outside noises are at a nominal amount. Even a cat may hear noises in a home caused by ant mandibles (jaws) not from chewing wood or eating food, but as their form of communication, in particular when the colony is disturbed.

Prevention

Homeowners should trim all trees and bushes so branches do not touch or come in contact with the house. Correct moisture problems such as leaking roofs, leaking chimney flashing, or plumbing, poorly ventilated attics or crawl spaces and blocked gutters. Replace rotted or water-damaged wood and eradicate wood to soil contact. Remove dead stumps within 50 feet of the home, if practical, and repair trees with damage at broken limbs, and holes in the trunk. Seal crevices and crevices in the foundation, especially where utility pipes and wiring occur externally. Be sure to outlet firewood off the earth away from the house and bring in barely enough firewood (first examining it) to be employed quickly . Consider non-organic mulches near the house in heavily infested ant areas. High moisture conditions must be eliminated to help control carpenter ants, prevent future attacks and stop " wood decay" fungus infection.

This publication incorporates pesticide recommendations that are subject to change at any time. These suggestions are supplied only as a guide. It is always the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. Attributable to never stand still labels and product registration, a few of the suggestions given in this writing may no longer be legal by the time you read them. If any details in these suggestions disagrees with the label, the recommendation must be dismissed. No endorsement is meant for products mentioned, nor is criticism meant for products not mentioned. The author, The Ohio State University and Ohio State University Extension assume no liability resulting from the use of these recommendations.

Grey Squirrels are about 18 ins long nose to tail. During the wintertime months the grey squirrel may be identified by its salt and pepper body, tan specks in its tail and its white belly. Its body color changes to a yellowish brown during summer months. The grey squirrel has small ears and a huge busy tail. Those found in Ontario and Quebec have a more dominate black color in their fur while those in the United States have grey as the more dominate color. Albino squirrels have been discovered occasionally, but are uncommon. Grey squirrels use their tail for balance when climbing trees, as a blanket during wintertime months, and in addition as a correspondence tool by flicking it back and forth to alert danger and to give its position to other squirrels. The grey squirrel gets it name from the Greek words skia, meaning shadow, and oura, meaning tail, because when it sits upright the tail curves up behind them and shades them from the sunlight.

The Grey Squirrel and Red Squirrel are considered tree squirrels; ground squirrels include Arctic Ground Squirrel, Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel and several others in the land squirrel group, Order of Rodents (Rodentia.)

Although the grey squirrel spends most of its life climbing and descending trees, it gathers the majority of its food from the earth during the evening hours. Located in woods and urban areas, the grey squirrel slides sideways around tree trunks to exclude of sight of its predators and also remains perfectly still every now and then to make itself more challenging to see. Briskest at dawn and dusk, the grey squirrel gathers various kinds of food during each season. During the early spring it gathers maple tree buds, in the summer it collects berries, wild fruits, seeds, nuts and apples and during the fall it eats nuts, acorns, hickory nuts, butternuts, walnuts, beechnuts and pine seeds. They also eat insects, caterpillars and bird eggs. The Grey squirrel finds its food by employing its sense of smell.

Adult grey squirrels breed twice a year usually January to February and June to July. Females sit at the top of trees and make a "duck-like" call to have the males attention. Male adults then gather below the female who ensues a chase from tree to tree. Once she stops running, she mates with the male leading the pack. After mating, the male has no role in helping with the young. Female grey squirrels have one to six babies per litter. At birth the babies are called "pinkies" because they are born blind and without fur. They gain their hair at around three weeks old and are then called kits, kittens or pups. Once a kit is twelve weeks old, it leaves the nest. The nest of the grey squirrel is manufactured in the cavities of trees occasionally in used woodpecker holes. If there are no cavities available, the grey squirrel will build its nest between tree branches. The outside the nest is produced from twigs and leaves, while the inside is produced from moss, grasses and bark. During the wintertime months, the adult male and female grey squirrel share a winter den, nevertheless in the summertime they each find their own separate den. The males study is usually larger than the females.

The enemies of the grey squirrel are weasels, red foxes, bobcats, wolves, raccoons, snakes, hawks and owls. The grey squirrel carries ticks, lice, fleas, tape and round worms and scabies that gets rid of their fur leaving them susceptible to colds and infections.

The grey squirrel can become a nuisance if located in attics. They also dig up bulbs in gardens, drive birds clear of feeders and cause injury to crops. They destruct woods by stripping the bark from tree trunks and branches leaving the trees susceptible to disease and going hungry for nutrients.

Introduced in Great Britain and parts of Europe in the early 1800s, the grey squirrel has been pushing the red squirrel out of its habitat by competing for resources. Grey squirrels are larger and stronger, can put on more fat to survive the cold winters and thus hoards more food. They also are more adaptable to their environment and have been identified as a way to carry the Parapox Virus which red squirrels are not immune to. As a result of these aspects, the red squirrel is now listed on the endangered species list in Europe.

How to eliminate moles

Moles are ideal for leaving a lawn in complete shambles with all the tunnels and tunnels (AKA run-ways), as their known in the pest control industry.

Another huge concern with a mole problem stems from causing problems to gardens. Moles feast on grubs, that is a big issue in the Midwest. Metro St. Louis exterminator expert from 2niceguys.com offers some important suggestions regarding these pesky little animals. And that is to limit a mole's ability to feed in your yard or garden. If you get rid of the critter's food source, then the critter will find it's way to someone else's yard. You can get grub control, which is a chemical that can be applied and is available at many DIY stores.

Moles love beetle larvae, earth-worms and its favorite treat is the tasty grubs found beneath the soil. Moles typically don't damage to the vegetation thanks to their weak jaws.

James from 2niceguys pest control in St. Louis says, “Detecting which mole tunnels are briskest is your first step to get rid of moles.”

Of all the mole species, there are two ways to detect if mole tunnels are active. The first means for finding the “shallow digging moles” is to locate a straight run-way and stomp on it using your foot. If the mole is still active in that area, you will recognize that the run-way will be fixed in about 24 hours.

Another way is to put a few sticks around the areas where you see a large number of of large molehills. As soon as you have found a spot where the earth gives way, you've discovered an engaged tunnel.

Once you have found an energetic tunnel you can do away with the mole with a pit-trap. The pit-trap technique comprises of simply digging your distance to the mole tunnel, being mindful not to cause too much damage. Then, excavate enough earth to fit either a large jar or coffee can into the tunnel in such a manner that the can is level with the bottom of the tunnel. Cover the tunnel with whatever will best keep light out, and check the trap once or two times a day. If you catch the mole, you can release it somewhere far away and live happily knowing you didn't hurt the little critter.

So you have an active mole tunnel in your sights, but catch and release isn't the way you want to do away with moles. Well, luckily for you there are several very effective mole killing traps in the marketplace today. You have a choice between whether you would like to cut the mole in two, choke the mole to death, or impale the mole. Victor