Month: July 2024

The restaurant industry is breaking records in 2024. According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurant sales are set to exceed $1 trillion for the first time ever in 2024. Even so, research shows that consumers are approaching spending cautiously, reserving their time for establishments that offer excellent experiences.  

To serve up what customers are craving, it’s essential to maintain a clean, pest-free environment. As decades-long industry leaders throughout the region, Catseye Pest Control has provided exceptional restaurant pest management services and support to help restaurants achieve just that.  

Introduction to Pest Control in Restaurants 

Keeping pests off the menu is absolutely critical. Restaurants offer an inviting environment that, if management isn’t careful, is like a giant “Open” sign for flies, rodents, cockroaches, and other pests. Restaurant kitchens, storage and prep areas, and other parts of the property offer up the three primary elements pests seek out: shelter, food, and water. Additionally, the constant influx of foot traffic, with doors frequently opening and closing, also increases the risk of a critter slipping in. 

Pests pose a significant danger because they can contaminate foods and surfaces, hasten food spoilage, and even gnaw on wiring. Keeping pests out of restaurants is crucial to protect customers, employees, brand image, and the bottom line.  

Common Challenges in Keeping Kitchens Pest Free 

In the bustle of a busy commercial kitchen, any number of issues can fan the flames of pest activity. Some primary challenges restaurant owners face include the following:  

• Strict sanitation and storage methods to mitigate risks 
• Need for comprehensive employee training to ensure everyone is aware of what to watch out for and what to do to prevent pest activity 
• Multiple potential entry points  
• High volume of foot traffic, both in the “front of house” and behind-the-scenes 
• Possible spread of pest activity from adjoining properties  

Common Pests in Restaurant Kitchens 

Various pests can infest kitchens; however, some of more common than others. Some of the most prevalent restaurant pests include insects, like flies and cockroaches, and rodents. Let’s look at each in more detail.  

Rodents 

Rodents are among the most common troublemakers in restaurants and commercial kitchens. Rats and mice seek out warmth and safe shelters, along with food and water — all of which are in plentiful supply in these settings. Rats, including Norway and roof rats, can slip through cracks as small as a quarter, while mice can squeeze into openings as tiny as a dime. Rodents are active at night, cause significant damage, and can carry dozens of diseases that put everyone’s health in jeopardy. 

Flies 

Flies are particularly problematic in summer, although they can happen anytime. House flies, drain flies, and fruit flies are common restaurant invaders who love the hot, humid conditions of a commercial kitchen. These pests can spread bacteria and other pathogens, including E. coli, salmonella, typhoid fever, and cholera. They lay eggs in moisture-rich spots, including spoiling produce, dumpsters and garbage bins, and standing water. 

Cockroaches 

The dreaded cockroach has been around since prehistoric times and is one of the most common pests in restaurants. These insects can enter the premises through plumbing lines, supply deliveries, and vent openings, lured by the scent of food. Cockroaches often hide in cabinets, drains, furniture, sinks, pipelines, and beneath appliances. The primary danger comes from the various diseases that cockroaches carry, and their ability to contaminate food and surfaces with disease-causing pathogens. Cockroaches can spread illnesses like plague, salmonella, cholera, and typhoid fever. 

Other Restaurant Pests 

Stored panty goods, like flour and grains, can be susceptible to various pests, including flour beetles, bean weevils, and Indianmeal moths. Additionally, any number of insects, including mosquitoes, and nuisance wildlife, such as birds, bats, and raccoons, could also pose a risk to healthy restaurant operations.  

Importance of a Pest-Free Environment 

Pest control can make or break a restaurant’s reputation. According to the data from a recent survey, restaurants could lose 76 percent or more of their customers if they see pests in the restaurant. Additionally, another 56 percent of patrons will alert others to the experience via social media or blog posts and negative reviews. This information illustrates both the immediate and ripple effects infestations can have. It also underscores just how serious maintaining a pest-free environment can be for maintaining a positive reputation.  

While reputation is critical, it’s only one factor to consider. 

Health and Safety Compliance 

Health and safety oversight comes from several agencies, including those on a federal and state level. Restaurant owners are required to protect public health. This includes maintaining a pest-free environment because restaurant pests are a health hazard. They can contaminate food, hasten spoilage, and wreak havoc with structure damage. 

Pest control in the restaurant kitchen and the rest of the property is essential to reduce the risk of exposing patrons to foodborne illnesses. It’s also vital to keep employees healthy and safe. 

Financial Implications of Pest Infestations 

Pest infestations can cost restaurants in several ways. Lost revenue because of infestations costs U.S. businesses billions of dollars annually. The negative impact on the eatery’s reputation can have lasting repercussions. Additionally, infestations can lead to shutdowns and fines from the health department and regulatory authorities. 

Implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program 

Taking a proactive approach to preventing pest infestations and providing effective restaurant pest control is mission-critical for restaurants and commercial kitchens. That’s precisely what an integrated pest management (IPM) approach offers. This strategy focuses primarily on prevention and using pesticides only when and if they’re needed. 

Principles of IPM in Restaurants 

IPM is a multifaceted strategy that incorporates multiple principles to achieve pest control in restaurant kitchens and the rest of the property. However, no two restaurants have identical risks and needs and IPM must be tailored to each commercial property’s requirements and goals. 

Step 1: Assessment – Identifying Pest Hotspots 

IPM requires starting with a thorough inspection — inside and out — of the restaurant, including the kitchen, food storage, dining areas, and outdoor spaces. This allows technicians to identify any pests present, which provides the details necessary for targeted elimination protocols. It also can help pinpoint areas pests are or could enter the establishment, build nests, and hide. 

Step 2: Prevention – Proactive Measures 

After the initial assessment, you’ll have all the information you need to tackle commercial kitchen pest control head on. For instance, Restaurant A might have multiple openings where pests get in, and a dumpster located too close to the building. Restaurant B might require a heavier focus on educating staff and building occupants on IPM and maintaining stricter sanitation in food prep, dining, and storage areas. An IPM approach provides active measures to take to help prevent pests and keep them out of the building. 

Step 3: Control – Choosing Appropriate Methods 

Control includes pesticide application when needed. However, non-chemical control methods are often the first line of defense, including trapping and removal, heat or cold treatments, and installing barriers once all pests are removed. The idea is to employ the lowest risk options first to achieve effective control that also considers safety and environmental health. 

Step 4: Monitoring – Ensuring Continued Effectiveness 

Routine monitoring is a vital step in the process. It ensures that the control methods utilized are doing their job. Monitoring also provides early warnings in case of resurgence or new pest activity. The earlier you can catch a potential infestation, the easier you can get control of the situation.  

Professional Pest Control Solutions 

Restaurant pest management is critical to maintain a healthy environment and thriving business. Professionals have the extensive expertise needed to customize IPM programs for effective commercial kitchen pest control. Relying on the pros takes the pressure off the rest of the staff, leaving them more time to focus on their individual tasks.  

When to Call in the Experts 

Don’t wait until you see a cockroach skittering across the floor or a mouse scampering through the pantry. Partnering with the right pest control company from the beginning can help keep restaurant operations running smoothly. Also, the experts will take an active role in helping to prevent problems before they have a chance to start. 

Selecting a Pest Control Provider 

Choosing the right provider is everything. Just like choosing a great supplier and vendor can make a difference, so can the pest control company restaurants partner with. Look for a provider that specializes in an IPM approach for restaurants and other commercial properties. Consider their years of service and reputation in the community, and getting feedback from other customers, when possible, to become familiar with their level of service.  

Catseye is an industry leader in providing innovative, customized solutions and has decades of experience in the field. Additionally, offering each customer an exceptional experience with clear communication and customized pest control and prevention plans is at the core of the company’s mission.  

Keeping pests out of restaurants is too important to trust just anyone. Contact Catseye today to learn more or to schedule a free inspection to get started.  

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In midsummer, meadows abound in wildlife. While visiting a patch of dogbane, I stumbled across two leaf-eaters gobbling leaves of dogbane. One was a real beauty and the other, well, more of a messy beast. The beauty is perhaps the most gorgeous of all insects in the meadow, the dogbane leaf beetle, Chrysochus auratus. The scientific name Chrysochus auratus comes from the Greek and refers to “goldsmith” and “gold.” One look at the fantastic metallic hues of blue, green, gold, and red on the surface of the beetle tells it all. This beetle has no accepted common name, but it is often referred to as the dogbane leaf beetle due to its habit of feeding almost exclusively on plants in the genus Apocynum, herbaceous plants we refer to as dogbane. Dogbane grows along roadsides and trails near the forest edge. It is a perennial with clusters of small white flowers. If you damage a leaf or stem, it oozes a white sticky sap. There in full view, with luck you will find the dogbane leaf beetle. It is a wonder that an insect so conspicuous can survive in a world where birds, toads, and mice dine on insects with gusto.

Ah, but there is a secret to the dogbane beetle. The dogbane plant, like its relative the milkweed we met in a previous episode with its nemesis the milkweed longhorned beetle, is full of highly poisonous compounds known as cardenolides. These compounds are toxic to a variety of animals, including humans. Cardenolides are also known as cardiac glycosides and they can have profound and lethal effects on the heart if ingested. It is likely that these compounds evolved to keep leaf-munching animals from eating dogbane. The clever Chrysochus has the ability to eat the leaves of dogbane unscathed. Instead, it ingests cardiac glycosides, stores them in glands, and then secretes them when threatened by its own predators. It is believed that these toxic compounds confer protection from hungry predators that would otherwise devour Chrysochus. The conspicuous color and tendency for the beetle to feed and rest in full sight of its enemies are probably the beetle’s way of advertising its nasty chemical defense. The biological message is this: “That’s right, I’m bad, don’t even think of eating me.”

When the goop is just too much to handle, a backward stroll helps the dogbane beetle to rid its mouthparts of sticky latex.  

In the ongoing struggle between dogbane and Chrysochus, it looks like the beetle has the upper hand, right? Well, not exactly. Dogbane has yet another trick to foil its herbivores. In addition to nocuous glycosides in their tissues, the sap of dogbane is a sticky, white liquid similar in consistency to latex paint. Insects attempting to eat dogbane soon find their jaws gummed-up with a rapidly hardening gob of goop. The dogbane beetle has a crafty trick to rid itself of this sticky mess. After nibbling for a while, the dogbane beetle does a moon walk while dragging its mouthparts on the leaf to wipe-off the sticky dogbane latex. Once free of the latex, it moves to a new spot to resume its feast.

In addition to a beautiful beetle, dogbane is attacked by another herbivorous insect which some might consider more on the ugly side. Dogbane webworm is the larval stage of what is known as the panic moth. Young caterpillars of this species are green in color, which help them avoid hungry eyes of predators by blending in with leaves of dogbane. As they grow and their webs enlarge, they assume an orange color with contrasting black spots making them quite conspicuous. In a series of clever studies, Dr. Jacqualine Grant demonstrated that the aposematic orange coloration of dogbane webworms likely served as a warning to predators. Simulated predatory attacks resulted in caterpillars regurgitating gut contents laden with nasty compounds capable of repelling predators. Once again, an herbivorous insect turned the tables on chemically defended dogbane and used dogbane’s noxious chemicals for its own defense.

In addition to beautiful dogbane leaf beetles, patches of dogbane are frequented by tent-making dogbane webworms. As they grow, they become more orange in color to warn predators of their nasty defense, gained from ingesting dogbane’s noxious chemicals. Feeding by these caterpillars puts a beatdown on dogbane plants.

Now is a great time to explore the meadow to enjoy these marvelous beetles and creepy caterpillars and witness the ‘tit for tat’ relationship they have with their chemically defended host.

Acknowledgements

Information for this week’s episode came from “The Love of Insects” by Thomas Eisner, “Deactivation of plant defense: correspondence between insect behavior and secretory canal architecture” by Dave Doussard and Bob Denno, and “Ontogenetic colour change and the evolution of aposematism: a case study in panic moth caterpillars” by Jacqualine B. Grant. We thank Deak and Sheri for sharing their dogbane patch and Master Naturalist students at Nature Forward that provided the inspiration for this episode.

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Before you can understand termite behaviors related to light, it may help to gain a basic understanding of light attraction in pests, in general. Scientists have long wondered why light attracts so many types of insects, particularly artificial light at night.  

To gain a better understanding of the phenomenon, researchers at the Imperial College London used infrared cameras and motion-capture technology to study moths, dragonflies, and six other insects, such as honeybees and fruit flies. Using the data they captured, they found that insects don’t fly directly toward the light. Instead, they circle the light and try to position themselves with their backs to it. This allows them to maintain their flight patterns in relation to the horizon. 

So, how does the phenomenon of light attraction in pests relate to termite behavior? Let’s explore whether termites are attracted to light and look at other termite facts you should know to help keep your property safe from these destructive pests.  

Introduction to Termite Behavior 

Termites are relentless in their quest for food. These tiny pests, which cause an average of $5 billion in damage every year, chew their way through wood virtually around the clock. Most termites are blind and rely on a mixture of scents, pheromones, and vibration to communicate, mark food trails, and recognize their nest mates. 

They are social insects that raise their families in colonies that contain kings, queens, workers, and other caste members. During their alate stage, termites can fly. They have two sets of wings and are often called “swarmers.” During this part of their lives, they are more visible to humans because they fly in the open as they search for their mates and start new colonies. 

Common Misconceptions About Termites 

Contrary to what some people may think, not all termites are the same. More than 2,000 termite species exist worldwide, many with differing characteristics and behaviors. In this region, the most common species is the subterranean termite, which prefers to remain close to or below ground level. These termites create “mud tubes” to travel from their nests to their food source without ever having to directly contact the light.  

Myth vs. Fact 

Now that you understand a bit more about termite behaviors, in general, let’s take a closer look at whether these pests are indeed attracted to light. In truth, the role light plays in termites’ lives is a bit of a gray area, as some common misconceptions prove.  

Let’s explore three of the top misconceptions to uncover the actual facts about termites related to their behavior surrounding light exposure.  

1. Sunlight Kills Termites 

This is mostly true because subterranean termites, which are the most common throughout this region, can be killed by sunlight. Essentially, non-winged termites dry out and die upon exposure to a combination of extreme heat and dry conditions. Sunlight and ultraviolet light can kill termites within minutes of exposure because it quickly evaporates the moisture they need to survive.  

However, winged termites use the light to their advantage. They not only survive in the light, but actually thrive as they use light to find their mates and start their own colonies. 

Research also shows that three species of termites (Reticulitermes tibialis Banks, R. flavipes, and R. virginicus) experience autophototoxicity after UV exposure. These termites contain an alkaloid that makes them very sensitive to the effects of light exposure. 

2. All Termites Avoid Light 

Winged termites, often referred to as swarming termites or “swarmers,” have eyes, and they use the light to help them find their mates. As a result, if you have an infestation, you might find discarded wings near windows or see these pests near porch lights and other light sources. In some areas, when there’s a colony of termites nearby, swarms of termites head out in search of mates and new homes. Because they often use light to guide them, keeping outdoor lights off during these times can help prevent them from choosing your property.  

3. Termites Need Light to Mate 

Is light necessary for termites to mate? It turns out, the answer is probably they do not. In 2022, Nobuaki Mizumoto of Auburn University and Thomas Bourguignon of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology conducted a joint study. Intended to assess the role of light in termite mating patterns, the duo’s research revealed that it doesn’t completely disrupt mating patterns.  

Based on experiments performed in both total darkness and with light, the termites were more active in the light but still able to locate their mate in the dark. In the end, the results suggest that light can affect termites’ movement patterns but not their ability to mate. Another study, published in 2021, suggests that termites use vibration patterns to communicate and possibly aid reproduction by helping them find their mates.  

Using Light to Manage Termite Populations 

Using light to eliminate termites sounds promising, but it isn’t very practical. Termites typically move quickly to escape light sources, making it challenging to really use light to your advantage for elimination. However, the way you use light around your property can make a difference in the odds that you attract swarming termites as they mate. 

Practical Tips for Termite Prevention and Control 

One of the best ways to prevent termites in and around your property is to create a home that is unattractive to them. Although research into their photosensitivity is relatively low, most termites clearly avoid light. Swarmers, on the other hand, are drawn to the light, and if they deem your home worthy of starting their colony — look out. You could end up with substantial damage before you know it.  

Environmental Modifications 

You can make some relatively simple changes to help protect your home. For example, you might use a lighting design that minimizes the use of outdoor lights. For instance, install sensor-activated lights that go on when they detect activity and automatically shut off after a set period. You might also add lights to recessed areas, away from doors and windows to avoid attracting alates or making it easy for them to enter your home. 

Monitoring and Early Detection 

Routine inspections can make a tremendous difference in the fight against termites. Consider inspecting your home monthly to look for signs of termites, which include the following:  

• Mud tunnels near foundations 
• Small holes in wood with sawdust-like material below it 
• A bubbled look to wood surfaces 
• Signs of swarming insects, such as live insects or discarded wings on windowsills and door frames 

When to Call a Professional 

At the first sign of termite activity, call a professional. Termites can be active for a long time before ever providing any indication that they are present. They thrive in moist, warm areas and wreak havoc on structures of all types. Worst of all, termite damage is rarely covered by homeowners’ insurance policies, leaving you with a potentially big repair bill.  

The good news is that partnering with a professional can help prevent termites and minimize the potential damage to your home. Catseye Pest Control has helped homeowners and businesses throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire prevent and eliminate termite infestations since 1987. Our highly trained and licensed technicians are standing by to help.  

Contact Catseye Pest Control today for a free inspection or to get started immediately.  

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Three weeks ago, we visited fireflies that are enjoying a spectacular year here in the DMV and in other states in our region. One reason for this renaissance may be due to the benign winter and mild moist spring that may have boosted survival and development of soil-dwelling larval fireflies. Ah, but it appears that in addition to beneficial fireflies, there are other denizens of the soil which also enjoyed conditions favorable for their survival: plant-eating scarab beetles known as chafers.   

Each year, I strive to raise a crop of interesting sunflowers to attract pollinators and birds to photograph and enjoy. However, over the past few weeks, leaves of my sunflowers disappeared in bits and pieces down the gullets of small scarab beetles known as Oriental beetles and Asiatic garden beetles. We met other members of this destructive branch of the scarab clan in previous episodes on Japanese beetles and green June beetles. Oriental beetles are yet another exotic invasive pest introduced to the US sometime before 1920. Originally detected in Connecticut, Oriental beetle now ranges from Maine to the Carolinas and west to the Heartlands. Like Oriental beetles, Asiatic garden beetles are invaders from Asia first detected on the east coast in New Jersey. Their discovery in the Garden State in 1921 followed the earlier discovery of Japanese beetles in 1916. Asiatic garden beetles now range from Canada to Florida and west to the Mississippi. As adults, these scalawags are known to eat more than 100 species of ornamental plants, but they can also be important pests of vegetables, including corn.

The misery these beetles levy on our ornamental plants comes as they munch leaves and flowers of our trees and shrubs. Over the past week or so, great chunks of leaves and flowers vanished seemingly overnight from my sunflowers and butterfly bushes. Repetitive and thorough daytime plant inspections failed to reveal the perpetrators of this assault. However, a midnight’s visit to my butterfly bush revealed hordes of Asiatic garden beetles and Oriental beetles busily stripping away the foliage. Grubs of these little rascals, commonly known as white grubs, have been rooting about in my flower beds and lawn since their mothers deposited eggs in the soil early last summer. During the past year, conditions for survival of white grubs were spectacular. This heralded the possibility that the scarab clan would likely be problematic this year and unfortunately for our plants, the prediction seems to be coming true. By munching roots of grasses, annual, and perennial plants, white grubs can be important pests. Oriental beetle grub counts can approach as many as 60 per square foot of turf in heavy infestations. Here in Maryland by late spring larvae of chafers have completed development, pupated, and adults make their grand appearance in the first half of June. They will be present for the majority of the summer, devouring leaves and punishing blossoms in my landscape beds.

Leaves of my sunflowers have been disappearing over the past few weeks. Daytime inspections revealed nothing but a nocturnal recon nailed the perps, Oriental beetles like the patterned one on the left and brown Asiatic garden beetles like the one on the right. Watch as an Asiatic garden beetle devours a sunflower leaf. The handiwork of these rascals leaves me wondering if my poor sunflowers will bloom at all.

Managing Oriental beetles and other scarabs usually focuses on destruction of grubs in the turf and several products are available. One group of insecticides widely used for controlling white grubs including Japanese beetles and Oriental beetles are the neonicotinoids. These compounds have received much recent attention due to their impacts on pollinators, particularly bees. A fascinating study by Dan Potter and his colleagues at the University of Kentucky revealed that turf treated with the neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin was not the best place for bumble bees to forage. White clover in plots treated with clothianidin expressed the insecticide in their blossoms, which in turn intoxicated the bees. However, once the clover blossoms had been removed by mowing, the exposure to bees was mitigated. A second white grub-killing insecticide evaluated in the study, chlorantraniliprole, presented no detectable adverse effect for the bumble bees.

In addition to synthetic insecticides, many folks recommend the use of nematodes to control white grubs in turf. Nematodes enter the grub and release a lethal bacterium. There are many different species and strains of nematodes. Dave Shetlar of the Ohio State University suggests that products containing strains of Steinernema carpocapsae are a bit less effective against beetle grubs than species in the clan named Heterorhabditis. You must wait until late July or August when grubs are in the soil, if you go the nematode route. Several species of parasitic wasps attack white grubs with paralyzing stings and deposit their eggs on the grub. Upon hatching, these parasitic wasp larvae consume their hapless victim. Flowering plants such as goldenrods and bee-balms are magnets for adult wasps, which require nectar and pollen sources. I always have these in my flower beds to attract these highly beneficial wasps, part of Mother Nature’s hit squad that help mitigate pests like white grubs. For me, plucking the beetles from the plants and either crushing their small bodies or giving them a swim in a cup of soapy water provides some retribution for their miscreant behaviors. There may be some good news on the horizon regarding these noisome grubs. Droughty conditions in June and July when female beetles deposit eggs in the soil generally disfavor survival of eggs and young larvae. While summer droughts may not benefit lawns and ornamental plants, they are a pariah to pesky chafers. 

One more thing about Asiatic garden beetle. They are notorious for being attracted to light. I don’t know about you, but part of my regular nighttime routine involves reading a good book at bedtime. During the past few weeks, these moments of mindfulness have been interrupted by a steady pelting of rather large scarab beetles attracted to the light from my bedroom window. So, if you hear something go bump in the night at your bedroom window and if your sunflower’s leaves are disappearing mysteriously, grab a flashlight and have a look for these midnight marauders.

Acknowledgements

Excellent references such as “Assessing Insecticide Hazard to Bumble Bees Foraging on Flowering Weeds in Treated Lawns” by Jonathan L. Larson, Carl T. Redmond, and Daniel A. Potter, “Destructive Turfgrass Insects” by Daniel Potter, and the publication found at the following link were used in preparing this episode:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0066375

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Ants are among the most common household pests in New England, but not all ants are the same. Like their name implies, odorous house ants aren’t just a nuisance — they literally stink.  

Let’s explore what makes these insects a unique problem, including the danger they pose, their common behaviors, and how to get rid of odorous ants for good.  

What Are Odorous House Ants? 

Although they are often mistaken for pavement ants, odorous house ants are smaller, usually growing from 1/16 to 1/8 inch in size. Their bodies are uniform in color, typically in shades of brown or black. They have an uneven thorax and antenna with 12 segments.  

Perhaps their most notable identifier is the source of their name. If you crush them or they feel threatened, these ants emit a scent that is similar to rotten coconuts. However, that’s not the worst part about having an infestation of these ants.  

Why They Are a Problem 

Odorous house ants are small but can pose a big problem. Beyond their funky smell, these pests can also contaminate food in your pantry, silverware in drawers, and dishes on your counter. Additionally, this ant species is known for building large, extensive colonies, which makes them challenging to eliminate on your own.  

Common Behaviors and Habitats of Odorous House Ants 

Odorous ants are drawn to sweet, greasy foods. Outdoors, they are attracted to plant nectar and “honeydew,” or the excrement from aphids. Indoors, they are likely to be found closer to food sources. Understanding the habits and habitats of these common household pests can help you prevent and control them more successfully.   

Typical Habitats 

Odorous ants love nesting in warm, moist areas. You can often find them indoors in areas near leaky pipes, faucets, heaters, and damp wood. What draws them inside is the allure of food, including sweets and meats. Outdoors, they feed on insects and other materials and can be found in mulched landscaping beds, under wood piles, and beneath piles of clutter. They are known for building vast networks of interconnected nests.  

Foraging Patterns 

These ants are renowned for establishing trails to follow when foraging and sticking to them. Outside, they often stick to the edges of window and door frames, siding, and decking. Indoors, active workers quickly march in single file in kitchens and pantries.  

Nesting Behavior 

Odorous ants usually build large colonies, often with multiple queens and thousands of workers. They may build their nests near sources of moisture, voids, and termite-damaged wood, often coming indoors during warmer months, the fall, and rainy seasons. 

DIY Solutions for Controlling Odorous House Ants 

Getting rid of odorous ants on your own can be challenging, particularly given these pests’ inclination for building large nests. However, several DIY solutions may be worth a try.  

Identifying Entry Points 

Because of their small size, these tiny pests can slip in through miniscule openings. By tracking their movements and watching them travel along their established trails, you may be able to identify the areas where they enter the building. If so, you should be able to track their activity to find where these tiny black ants are getting in your house. By sealing up entry points and eliminating outdoor nests, you can effectively regain control of your home and property.  

Using Natural Repellents 

Although DIY remedies are rarely completely effective, when used in combination with identifying how and where these ants are entering, they can be helpful. Eliminate ants’ pheromone trails with a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar or try other natural repellents, such as: 

• Water, tea tree oil, and a few drops of dish soap  
• Chalk to disrupt odorous ants’ scent trails 
• Cinnamon or cinnamon oil and water in areas ants frequent 

Creating Homemade Ant Baits 

Although you might be tempted to buy baits that are designed for sugar-loving ants, you can also try making your own. A few examples include: 

• A mix of equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar sprinkled on windowsills, kitchen counters, and flooring 
• Borax mixed with syrup or jelly and placed in high-traffic areas 
• A mix of corn syrup and borax on wax paper 
• Neem oil and cayenne pepper 

Keeping a Clean Home 

Sanitation can help prevent many pests, including odorous ants. For example, eliminate clutter and trim all vegetation far enough away from the exterior of the building to eliminate ants’ easy access to your home. Inside, regularly vacuum and mop floors, wipe down kitchen counters, wash dishes, and keep all foods stored in airtight containers. 

Preventing Future Infestations 

When it comes to odorous ants — and most other pests, for that matter — prevention is the best line of defense. Check out the following tips to help minimize your risk of future invasions from these smelly nuisances. 

Sealing Entry Points 

Odorous ants are tiny. Sealing gaps, cracks, and crevices in your foundation, around utility lines and pipes, and other openings can keep them outside.  

Reducing Food Sources 

Regularly cleaning your home and maintaining a tidy yard can eliminate the sweet, starchy, and greasy food these pests crave. This will keep them moving in search of a food source, which they will be forced to find elsewhere.  

Regular Inspections 

The sooner you recognize the problem, the better you will be equipped to prevent it from becoming widespread. These ants are known for building large, widespread colonies that can be very challenging to eliminate. 

Professional Solutions for Controlling Odorous House Ants 

Like cockroaches and rodents, these pests often crawl across undesirable surfaces, like dumpsters and sewers. When they enter your home, they could be tracking all kinds of pathogens along with them. Professionals can get to the root of the problem for complete elimination. While it can be difficult to eradicate an entire colony on your own, professionals have the education and equipment necessary for the job.  

Contact Catseye Pest Control  

Don’t wait until an ant infestation grows larger. Lean on the professional expertise of Catseye’s highly trained technicians. We can properly identify the ants and how they are getting inside and create a customized treatment plan to ensure successful, lasting control.  

Schedule a free inspection today to get started. 

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Earwigs almost always surprise me. Whether it’s when I inspect my flowers at night, look behind a tree face on my American elm, or open a hatch on my kayak, there they are, a kind of creepy scrum of wiggly, pincher-tailed insects. Earwigs belong to an order of insects called Dermaptera, derived from the Greek meaning “skin wing”. This derivation refers to the hind wings of the earwig that are not often seen, as they are folded beneath and hidden by the forewings. The common name of earwig is thought to refer to the shape of the hindwing which, when unfolded, resembles a human ear, according to Wikipedia.  An old urban legend has it that earwigs crawl into human ears to lay eggs. While this legend has been largely debunked, there are actually two documented accounts of earwigs entering people’s ears, much to the consternation of the human and presumably the earwig.

During a recent question and answer interlude following a presentation, one clever listener wanted to know a bit more about earwigs and what roles they played. Well, I can’t speak about all earwigs, but with our common non-native earwig, Forficula auricularia, I do have some relevant experience. Several years ago, I had a wonderful bed full of marigolds with glorious blossoms. Little by little I noticed ever increasing levels of defoliation on the leaves of many plants. I carefully inspected the plants each day to see who the culprit might be. This mysterious mandibulate leaf-muncher remained a mystery until one midnight I crept out to the garden and discovered legions of European earwigs feasting on my marigolds. Undoubtedly, earwigs are herbivores. Several years later while studying misery levied on azaleas by azalea lace bug, one of my students discovered European earwigs snacking on azalea lace bug nymphs. So, clearly European earwigs are omnivores leading a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde existence as beneficial predators of plant pests and pests in their own right when they eat our ornamental plants and vegetables. These strange insects do have some admirable traits shared even with ourselves. Mother earwigs tend their eggs in an egg nest, cleaning them and moving them about to keep them free of pathogens and in proper ranges of temperature and humidity. Following egg hatch, nymphs are guarded and fed by their mother. 

Earwigs almost always surprise me. Whether it’s a nighttime raid on my flowers, when I peek behind a tree face on my American elm, or when I open a hatch on my kayak, there they are, a kind of creepy scrum of wiggly, pincher-tailed insects.

As alluded to above, earwigs are most active at night and seek dark moist places to hide during daylight hours. Perhaps their most notable and unique attributes are the intimidating pinchers, aka cerci, found at the tips of the earwig’s abdomen. These formidable appendages are used in defense, mating, and prey capture. However, pinches delivered by the cerci tend to be more surprising than painful. In addition to scary pinchers, abdominal glands produce irritating benzoquinones that can be sprayed on attackers while held fast by its pinchers. So, hail the earwig for their beneficial activities as predators, but reserve a modicum of blame for their sneaky nocturnal attacks on plants.

Acknowledgements

Bug of the Week thanks an avid listener to a presentation on climate change who inquired about earwigs and provided the inspiration for this episode. The short communication “Earwig in the ear” by J. R. Fisher, the fact-filled Featured Creature bulletin “Common name: European earwig scientific name: Forficula auricularia Linnaeus (Insecta: Dermaptera: Forficulidae)” by John Capinera, and the wonderful “Secret weapons” by Thomas Eisner, Maria Eisner, and Melody Siegler were used as references for this episode.

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Two weeks ago we met the sneaky raspberry pyrausta, a pretty moth whose very hungry caterpillars love to pillage bee balm and other members of the monarda clan. To preserve the nectar rich blossoms of monardas for pollinators, we discussed ways to mitigate injury caused by ravaging caterpillars like removing them by hand or using interventions with OMRI listed insecticides. Well, in my garden last week, good old Mother Nature interceded with another solution to these blossom busters in the form of biological control provided by a nifty wasp known as four-toothed mason wasp.

Recently we saw leaves and buds of bee balm ravaged by caterpillars of the raspberry pyrausta. But this week, Mother Nature sent a member of her caterpillar hit-squad. Watch as the four-toothed mason wasp searches the foliage for a caterpillar. Score! The tiny caterpillar will be stung, paralyzed, and sealed in a brood cell to provide fresh meat for the wasp’s developing youngster.

We met this caterpillar-hunter as a busy pollinator last winter and learned about its dual ecosystem services of pollination and biological control. As adults, mason wasps are often seen visiting flowers, where they provide the important ecosystem service of pollination as they seek nectar to power their hunt for prey and pollen as a protein source to be transformed into eggs.

Mountain mint looks like a super food for mason wasps as they carbo-load in preparation to search for caterpillars. Watch as a female sips nectar from several blossoms before the hunt. Natural holes made in wood by other insects and human-made holes drilled in logs for mason bees make great nurseries for mason wasps. A little tickle with a wisp of wood brings a female out of her nursery. A quick look around reveals nothing amiss and back she goes into the gallery to resume her work. To my surprise, a weep-hole made in the vinyl frame of my living room window makes a great nursery for a mason wasp. After provisioning galleries with paralyzed caterpillars to feed their young, mothers gather balls of mud which will be used to seal the nursery chambers. Using jaws and patience, a female makes a beautiful mudball. With the mudball complete and cradled beneath her legs, she flies back to her nursery. It takes several loads of mud to seal the gallery completely. Here a mother puts the final touches on her handiwork. A solid coat of mud plaster helps prevent enemies from attacking and killing her developing brood.

After finding a suitable gallery, which could be the drain hole in a window frame or an unused gallery of a mason bee or carpenter bee, the female mason wasp deposits an egg within the gallery. She then exits the gallery to hunt small caterpillars, many of which are garden pests. Upon encountering a caterpillar, the female mason wasp uses a potent venom to paralyze the prey. Sometimes as many as 19 caterpillars are captured, paralyzed, and used to provision the cell where an egg awaits. Ah, but these caterpillars are not truly dead. Like Westley, the Dread Pirate Roberts of Princess Bride fame, these caterpillars are only mostly dead. Paralyzed but still living, they provide fresh meat to be consumed after the spawn of the female wasp hatches from an egg deposited in small cell within the gallery. Upon hatching, the wasp larva drops onto the hapless caterpillar to feast.

When a sufficient number of prey have been captured, the female seals the gallery with a plug of mud or sand particles, hence the name mason wasp. In a remarkable display of gender control, the female wasp is able to lay either a male or a female egg. Due to the shorter developmental time of the male offspring, male eggs are usually placed near the opening of the gallery and female eggs are placed deeper within. If you see these magnificent black and white wasps entering drain holes on your window frames, fear not, your home is not under attack. You have provided a nesting site for these black and white beauties. In return, they will pollinate your plants and help eliminate pests like the caterpillars on monardas and other garden plants.

Acknowledgements

The wonderful references “Trap nesting wasps and bees: Life histories, nests, and associates” by Karl Krombein and “The cocooning habit of the wasp, Monobia quadridens” by Phil Rau were consulted to prepare this episode. 

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