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In this issue…
1. Plague-carrying
Fleas
2. Box
Elder Bugs
3. Spider
Mites
4. Carpenter
Bees
5. Quick
Facts
It's camping and hiking season again! Over the next few months, our newsletter will go in depth into some of the pest-borne diseases you need to be aware of while traveling into various regions of New Mexico. As always, check out our website for more information on these and other pests.
If you'll be traveling to the northern areas of New Mexico, please be aware that each year we still have incidences of plague in those areas. The plague has caused more fear and terror than perhaps any other infectious disease in the history of humankind. It has laid claim to nearly 200 million lives. An average of 10-15 cases per year have been reported during the last few decades. In the United States, most cases in humans occur in two regions: 1) northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado, and 2) California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada.
In the southwestern United States, rock squirrel fleas are the most common source of infection in people. Many types of rodents, including ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, wood rats and wild mice suffer plague outbreaks and can be sources of human infection. Actions to limit the risk of acquiring the plague should be considered and include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Limit contact with rodents.
· Treat domesticated animals for fleas.
· Consider use of insect repellants, insecticides, and/or rodenticides, especially if in an endemic area.
Box elder bugs are common pests over much of the United States. They are bright red or black with narrow reddish lines on the back. Box elder bugs feed principally by sucking juices from the box elder tree, but are sometimes found on other plants. They do very little damage to the trees they attack, but at certain times of the year they can become a nuisance.
When box elder bugs build up to large populations and invade a home they are usually pests only by their presence, although their piercing-sucking mouthparts can sometimes puncture skin, causing slight irritation.
Adult box elder bugs will enter structures in the fall, seeking winter shelter. They seek shelter in protected places such as houses and other buildings through cracks or crevices in walls, doors, under windows and around foundations, particularly on south and west exposures. Box elder bugs can come out even during the dead of winter when it is cold outside and the sun is shining. They will finally emerge in the spring to seek out host trees on which to feed and lay eggs.
Once box elder bugs have become established in the home, there aren't a lot of treatment options. There are not a lot of recommended chemical measures at this point. The easiest way to remove box elder bugs indoors is with a vacuum cleaner. However, PREVENTION is the best of all choices. This is done during the early fall.
Sealing box elder bugs out by caulking cracks and around utility service openings, fixing broken window screens and door jams, plugging cracks in the foundation or roof as well as similar exclusion-type activities will help prevent them from entering in the first place. This must be done before they begin to enter the cracks or you'll just be sealing them in.
For treatment outside, it's best to consult a professional who will have the equipment necessary to take complete control of the situation.
Spider mites are common pests in the urban landscape and can inflict serious damage to trees, shrubs and flowers. Both evergreen and deciduous plants may be attacked. Spider mites are not insects but are more closely related to ticks and spiders. Their common name is derived from their ability to produce silk, which most species spin on host plants. Mites are tiny-about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. They can also be very prolific, which is why infestations often go unnoticed until plants exhibit significant damage.
Under optimum conditions, spider mites can complete their development from egg to adult in less than one week, so there may be many overlapping generations in a single season. Therefore, populations can increase rapidly and cause extensive plant damage in a very short time. Spider mites have needle-like mouthparts and feed by piercing the leaves of host plants and sucking out the fluids from individual plant cells. This causes the leaves to have a stippled or flecked appearance, with pale dots where the cellular contents have been removed. Prolonged, heavy infestations cause yellowing or bronzing of the foliage and premature leaf drop similar to drought stress. Severely infested plants may be stunted or even killed. Most of the mites feed from the undersides of leaves, although the damage is most evident from the upper surface. Most spider mites have a habit of covering leaves, shoots, and flowers with very fine silken webbing, produced from a pair of glands near the mouth. The silk strands aid in dispersal by allowing the mites to spin down from infested to non-infested leaves, and to be blown by wind currents. When abundant, the silk also may shield the mites from pesticide sprays.
As with box elder bugs, prevention is the best treatment. This should be scheduled for late winter or early spring to discourage infestation but whether before or after infestation, professional treatment is the best method for overall coverage.
Carpenter bees are large (1 inch) yellow and black bees, which become active in early spring. They resemble bumblebees but do not live in colonies, have fewer hairs and no pollen sacs on the hind legs. Although it is rare to be stung by one, their sheer size is scary and people generally stay clear of them.
Their nest is much more of a concern. These nests, if left untreated, will result in extensive structural damage and will result in costly repairs within a few years. The female will go in and out of the nest so patience will show where the entrance is. Killing individual bees with a liquid insecticide will not destroy the bee's young. THE NEST MUST BE TREATED!!
Carpenter bees get their name from their ability to drill through wood and nest in it. Their drilling will create a near perfect hole approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. This hole is usually located on the underside of any wood surface including siding, soffits, overhangs, decks, fence posts, fascia boards and window frames. Although the hole appears to be only an inch or two deep, it doesn't end there. The female will turn 90 degrees and bore a channel from 6 inches to as long as 4 feet. This channel serves as a main corridor from which she will drill small chambers a few inches deep. These chambers become egg holders. She will deposit an egg, bring in some food, and then seal it off to ensure the egg's development.
The nest must be treated before the young develop and leave the nest since they will return to their birthplace to nest their own eggs and drill new holes in the wood.
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