Month: August 2024

Have you ever watched a bat fly in the evening sky? It can be a mesmerizing sight. Even better, when you have bats on your property, you can rest assured that you have one of nature’s best pest solutions working for you. Bats eat thousands of insects, including pesky mosquitoes, every night, and they contribute to a thriving ecosystem.

These often misunderstood creatures belong to the family Chiroptera. Translated from Greek, the word means “hand-wing.” This is a nod to these flying mammals’ wing structure, which consists of a membrane that stretches over the bats’ arms and fingers.  

Although they play a pivotal role in maintaining outdoor spaces and pollinating plants, bats can turn into a serious problem when they end up in the attic. Explore the different signs of a bat infestation and what you should do if you suspect you have a colony anywhere in your home.  

Introduction to Bats in the Home 

Bats move indoors for many of the same reasons that other nuisance wildlife move inside — food, warmth, and safety. Manmade structures, which include homes, garages, and outbuildings, among other structures, provide shelter for bats to roost. They also provide a safe spot away from predators for bats to raise their pups.

Understanding the Importance of Bats 

What would the world be like without bats? For one thing, humanity would lose a critical source of natural pest control, seed dispersal, and pollination. These often-feared animals save the agricultural industry $1 billion in annual pesticide costs and crop damage in the U.S., according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. They save another estimated $3 billion with the sheer volume of insects they eat that could otherwise harm crops. Bats also play a pivotal role in dispersing seeds and pollinating various plants, including agave, peaches, and bananas.  

Why Bats May Choose Your Home 

Opportunity and accidental ventures are often the reasons bats end up inside homes. These tiny animals can fit through small openings. When it’s time to find shelter, they will inevitably exploit available spots that give them easy indoor-outdoor access. They may also simply fly in through open doors and windows and accidentally end up where they don’t belong.  

Identifying Signs of Bat Presence 

Bats are nocturnal and typically most active at dusk and for a few hours after dusk. After feeding, they often return to their roosts to sleep. Under the cover of darkness, they may be challenging to spot, but once you know about the signs of a bat infestation, you may be better equipped to identify (and potentially fix) the situation.  

Noises: What Sounds Do Bats Make? 

In the 1940s, Donald R. Griffin discovered that bats make ultrasonic sounds to aid with navigation and locating their prey. However, those aren’t the only noises they make. Some of the sounds you might hear include clicking, buzzing, and purring.

Droppings: Recognizing Bat Guano 

Bat droppings will often build up in piles beneath the roosting area and their entry/exit points. They look a lot like mouse droppings and are small and dark-colored. However, bat droppings are segmented6 and crumble when rolled between pieces of tissue or paper towels.

Visual Signs: Spotting Bats and Their Entry Points 

If you see bats flying around outside between sunset and sunrise, it’s not a sure sign that bats are inside your home. However, it does increase the potential for invasion. Check for scratches on walls and stains near entry points like the roof, walls, and siding.

Common Bat Habitats Within Human Dwellings 

Bats can enter openings as small as a half inch in size. Once inside, they often seek dark, quiet spots. Where they end up inside your home may also depend on how they entered, but some of the most common areas include attics, walls, and crawl spaces. 

Attics as Prime Bat Habitats 

Attics are typically warm and quiet, with minimal human traffic. Dark and confined, these areas are similar to bats’ natural roosting spots, such as caves, which adds to their allure.

Bats in Walls and Crawl Spaces 

Another popular roosting area for bats is in structural voids. These spaces lie between the exterior of the building and the interior spaces. They allow bats to remain cozy and unnoticed until someone spots a sign of bat activity.

Other Uncommon but Possible Nesting Areas 

Roof voids, behind shutters, inside soffits, and in window dormers are just a few other spots that bats could nest. Other possible sites include inside ridge and gable vents, siding, and chimneys. 

Preventative Measures to Secure Your Home 

As with other pests, taking a proactive approach is the best way to achieve peace of mind. Additionally, it can save you time and money down the road while keeping your home and everyone in it safe from bats and other wildlife. Wondering how to keep bats out of the attic? Check out some preventative strategies you can implement today.  

Sealing Entry Points 

Bats can fly right through doors and windows. They can also squeeze through openings from the exterior to the interior, including gaps, cracks, and holes around pipes and utility lines. They can also enter through vents and chimneys. Sealing these areas up and closing holes and gaps with caulk can help prevent bats and other pests from coming into your home. Since bats are federally protected, we strongly discourage anyone from trying to seal bats out themselves. Without training and licensing, homeowners could kill these beneficial animals as well as put themselves at risk of encountering live bats or their guano. 

Another option is installing a rodent and wildlife exclusion system. Cat-Guard is a three-part system that features rigid barriers that can be used alone or together to provide safe, humane, long-term pest prevention. Catseye Pest Control doesn’t harm the animals and we seal the structure and safely/humanely evict them during the times of year that will not interfere with their birthing or hybernating patterns 

Environmental Modifications to Discourage Bats 

Making your home less attractive as a potential nesting site can aid in both prevention and control. Installing flashing and screening over chimneys, vents, and openings can help prevent bats from entering. Other modifications to consider include the following: 

• Swap out the light bulbs you use outdoors for warm-toned LED bulbs and yellow “bug lights” to reduce the attraction for insects.
• Trim shrubs and tree limbs away from the exterior of your home to prevent easy access. 
• Remove possible food sources, including compost and improperly stored garbage, both of which can attract insects. 
• Reduce exterior clutter. 
• Maintain a well-lit exterior to repel these darkness-loving animals.

Ongoing Monitoring and Maintenance 

Monitoring the situation and regularly performing necessary repairs to prevent easy access for bats can help provide ongoing control. Routine inspections can also alert you to potential intrusions before bats have a chance to set up their nests.  

Professional Help and Its Importance 

Bat removal isn’t a DIY project. You can try opening doors and windows to allow them to fly out, but how will you know they didn’t leave their young behind? Bats are protected by many federal and state regulations that govern how and when you can evict these ecologically important mammals.  

Benefits of Hiring a Bat Removal Specialist 

Bats pose a safety risk for humans and pets. Contact with their droppings could expose you to histoplasmosis, a serious respiratory disease. Additionally, a bite or scratch could potentially transmit rabies, which underscores the importance of professional bat control.  

Allowing experts to take the lead removes the risk to you and your family. Additionally, bat removal specialists have the training and equipment to safely and effectively perform bat removal, disinfection, cleanup, and exclusion.  

Finally, professionals understand federal, state, and local regulations. Working with bat removal specialists ensures you achieve peace of mind, restore your home, and comply with all legal ordinances.  

What to Expect During Professional Bat Removal 

Professionals will begin by inspecting the property and identifying where bats are roosting, how and where they are entering the premises, and the type of bats inhabiting your home. Using that information, licensed and certified technicians will create a plan. Each customized treatment plan outlines strategies to remove the bats and prevent them from returning while complying with all regulations and protections.  

Timing matters, as well. From May through June and from August on, technicians can seal the area bats inhabit and install an excluder. This funnel-shaped device lets bats exit but prevents them from returning. Once all bats have been evicted, technicians remove the device and seal the entry point.  

However, in June and July, when bats have babies and raise their young, technicians won’t be able to perform any exclusion or removal.  

Ensuring Complete Removal and Cleaning 

When you rely on reputable professionals, you can rest assured that all bats will be evicted safely. Likewise, wildlife cleanup services will clean and disinfect all affected areas, leaving them pristine and safe for you and other inhabitants to explore.  

Contact Catseye Pest Control for Professional, Humane Bat Control 

Dealing with bats in the attic, crawl space, walls, or any other area of your home can pose a real challenge. Not only can it be a nuisance, but bats could also pose a health threat. Additionally, they are protected species, requiring careful removal and handling. Catseye has decades of expertise and knows how to handle bat removal using legal, safe, and humane methods. Technicians can walk you through preventative measures and aid in exclusion to keep your home bat-free for good.  

Contact Catseye today to learn more or to schedule a free inspection.  

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With effective hotel pest control, you can give pests the boot and hang up the “No Vacancy” sign for rodents, cockroaches, bed bugs, and other creepy crawlies.  

If guests see pests or you experience a full-scale infestation, it can have a detrimental impact on the business. Additionally, because many pests carry various diseases and can contaminate surfaces, they pose a real health risk for guests and employees that goes beyond the “gross” factor.  

As industry leaders in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, Catseye Pest Control has successfully battled pests in hotels for decades. Let’s explore the unique challenges that hotels face, the potentially devastating effects of an infestation, and the important role of managing pests in hospitality businesses.  

Introduction to Pest Control in Hospitality 

In the hospitality industry, businesses like hotels and restaurants have what is called a duty of care. This duty refers to the establishment’s responsibility to provide guests with sanitary, safe accommodations. This goes beyond providing clean linens and promptly repairing any plumbing or structural issues. It’s a duty that extends to maintaining a pest-free environment.

The Importance of Pest Management in Hotels 

The stakes are too high for anything but the best proactive approach to hotel pest control. Managing pests in a hospitality setting is much more feasible when the focus is on prevention. Starting with keeping pests out in the first place helps in various ways, including: 

• Protecting the health and safety of guests and employees 
• Preserving structural elements 
• Reducing the likelihood of monetary losses (fines, penalties, lawsuits) 
• Safeguarding the brand name and reputation 

Common Challenges in Hotel Pest Control 

A hotel setting comes with a high volume of people coming and going. Guests enter and exit at all times of day, not just at check-in and check-out. That translates to many doors opening and closing, potentially allowing pests to slip right in with them.  

Additionally, many pests — including bed bugs — can hitch a ride on luggage, clothing, people, and pets. That means guests and employees could easily inadvertently bring critters into the building with them. When you consider the square footage of the hotel and the number of individual rooms and shared spaces, it’s easy to see the unique challenges these businesses face. 

Common Pests in Hotel Environments 

Like most manmade structures, hotels must diligently work to avoid ending up with any number of pests. Thanks to frequent room turnover and easy access to food and shelter, these properties are particularly vulnerable to bed bugs, rodents, and cockroaches. Let’s explore each of these pests in more detail.  

Bed Bugs: Detection and Prevention 

Hotels are consistently among the top three locations pest professionals treat for bed bugs. Data from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) shows that bites are the most common sign of a bed bug infestation. Some people experience an immediate reaction, while others may take up to three days to see welts or other evidence of bites. Using protective encasements for mattresses and boxsprings can help prevent infestations. Additionally, it’s essential for hotel staff to routinely inspect rooms to look for signs of bed bugs. This includes: 

• Presence of live and dead bugs 
• Reddish-brown or red spots on bedding, mattresses, baseboards, and walls 
• Evidence of molted skin 
• Presence of sticky white eggs or eggshells 

Mice and Rats: Signs and Control Strategies 

Mice and rats can be a real nuisance. These critters can squeeze through tiny openings, making it easy for them to travel from room-to-room, wreaking havoc as they go. Not only do they leave messy (and potentially disease-riddled) droppings behind, but rodents also gnaw on just about anything. They will eat through improperly stored food, chew on woodwork, and gnaw on wires. Regularly watching for signs of activity is imperative, including: 

• Droppings and urine stains 
• Smudges or dark marks on baseboards 
• Squeaking or skittering noises, particularly at night when rodents are more active 
• Gnaw marks on packages, walls, structural elements, and wires 

Cockroaches: Health Risks and Elimination 

Cockroaches are among the most dreaded pests because of their association with unsanitary conditions and their ability to spread dangerous pathogens. Cockroaches can carry the germs that cause E. coli, salmonella, and listeria, and they often trigger or worsen allergies and asthma symptoms in vulnerable guests.  

Cockroaches are often attracted to decaying food and organic matter, making proper food storage and garbage disposal critical practices. Regularly inspecting dark, moist areas is essential for detecting these insects as early as possible, making control easier. Seeing live and dead bugs or droppings that look like coffee grounds are the most common signs of these pests. 

Elimination is possible by taking proactive steps, such as: 

• Strict sanitation procedures 
• Storing food in pest-proof containers and taking garbage out regularly 
• Working with local pest control companies for professional rodent control 

Other Common Pests in Hotels (Ants, Flies) 

Flies are attracted by delicious aromas, and they can hitch a ride on people and luggage or fly right in through the front, back, and side doors. Other common invaders include ants, spiders, fleas, and termites. As with other pests, hiring experts to perform regular inspections and keep an eye out for signs of pest activity is the key to identifying an infestation early. In doing so, hotels can also get ahead of the problem before it has a chance to become widespread.

Risks Posed by Pests in Hotels 

Bed bugs alone can cost hotels more than $20,000 per incident, when you factor in replacement costs, treatment costs, repairs, and liabilities. A reactive approach to bed bugs, rodents, cockroaches, and other common pests can take a huge financial toll on the business. The cost of pest removal and control is only one small consideration. Other factors include the risk to guest health and safety, potential damage to the brand’s reputation, and possible fines or costs of litigation.

Impact on Guest Health and Safety 

Aside from the “ick” factor, pests also introduce physical risks to the health and safety of guests and employees. For example, rodents carry various diseases, including salmonella, tularemia, hantavirus, leptospirosis, and the plague — all serious infections that could lead to severe illness. Similarly, cockroaches contaminate food and surfaces, potentially spreading illnesses like staphylococcus, streptococcus, dysentery, and typhoid fever. 

Additionally, pests like ticks and mites could piggyback their way into the hotel, hitching a ride on rodents and nuisance wildlife. Rodents, termites, and other invaders may cause structural damage or gnaw on electrical wires, as well, which could pose a fire or safety risk.  

Damage to Reputation and Reviews 

Word of mouth can be a powerful marketing tool. According to research from Nielsen, 88 percent of people worldwide trust recommendations from family, friends, and acquaintances more than other forms of advertising. That is fantastic news when everything goes well, and guests have a great experience. However, it also increases the potential fallout when guests have a poor experience.  

The iconic Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City faced this scenario back in 2010 after a guest was bitten by bed bugs. Not only was the hotel hit with a lawsuit for the guest’s medical expenses and distress, but the prestigious hotel’s reputation was also negatively impacted. The incident proved that even the most luxurious hotels can suffer the ripple effects of pest problems.

Legal and Financial Repercussions 

Like all businesses in the hospitality industry, hotels have a legal obligation to provide guests with a clean, hygienic, and safe environment. Managing pests and pest prevention in hotels is a requirement for the establishment to fulfill its duty of care to its patrons. A single infestation could leave hotels vulnerable to liabilities and damage inflicted by affected guests. Additionally, failing to comply with state and local regulations and ordinances could result in penalties, fines, and potential closure.

Implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program 

Think of integrated pest management (IPM) as the hotel’s first line of defense. This multi-faceted strategic approach focuses primarily on prevention first and treatment only as needed. It’s a popular, modern approach to pest control because of its efficacy while minimizing the need for chemicals. For these reasons, it’s also better for people and the environment.

The principles of IPM in hotels include focusing on pest prevention, implementing inspection and monitoring, and managing pest control appropriately. 

Step 1: Prevention — Building Maintenance and Sanitation 

Keeping up with routine maintenance, including promptly fixing leaks and sealing cracks and crevices, is only one piece of the preventative puzzle. Implementing strict sanitation protocols is essential. This includes the following: 

• Eliminate clutter and maintain organization throughout the premises. 
• Regularly remove trash from indoors. 
• Keep landscaping manicured and trimmed away from the building’s exterior.  
• Maintain high cleaning standards in rooms, shared spaces, dining areas, and food storage areas 

Step 2: Monitoring — Regular Inspections and Reporting 

Housekeeping, maintenance staff, and other employees must be well trained in the signs of a possible infestation. Routine inspections can spot pests early, which can help prevent them from becoming widespread throughout the entire hotel. Additionally, performing regular inspections empowers the hotel staff to note possible problem areas and fix them before pests have a chance to invade and take over.  

Step 3: Response — Effective and Timely Pest Treatment 

Acting on the adverse events noted during an inspection is imperative. That could mean anything from promptly sealing areas where pests enter the building and installing Rodent and Wildlife Exclusion Systems to calling professionals for treatment.  

Step 4: Documentation — Record Keeping and Compliance 

Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of all actions is an excellent tool to help you measure success. This should include any chemical or non-chemical control methods, treatment applications, and inspection dates. It may also include recommendations for future prevention and other strategies that could help with hospitality industry pest management protocols.  

Staff Training and Guest Communication 

Hotel staff are often the eyes and ears of the operation. Training all employees to look for signs of pests can help improve their responsiveness to problem situations. It also empowers them to take an active role in preventing pest activity and aids them in responding to guests’ questions more readily.  

Educating Staff on Pest Prevention Techniques 

Your staff must know about the hotel’s approach to IPM, the signs they should look for, and when and how they can report issues. Other ways to involve employees include teaching them about prevention, how to inspect hotspots like storage rooms, and the importance of reporting and documentation. 

Protocols for Handling Guest Reports of Pests

Having a guest encounter pests is the last thing any hotel wants, but it can happen. How the report is handled can make all the difference in how guests feel when they leave. They need to feel as though their concerns are being taken seriously and the hotel is taking swift action. Employees should have straightforward instructions on how to respond, with the initial goal of calming and reassuring guests treated as a top priority.  

Communicating Proactively with Guests About Prevention Efforts 

It’s essential to establish the protocols that work best for the brand and the business. Additionally, it’s critical to communicate proactively with guests so they know everything the hotel is doing to keep the premises free of pests.  

Professional Partnerships in Pest Control 

The hotel business is ultra-competitive, and it only becomes more so as new venues open for business and the industry evolves.19 Partnering with a reputable pest control company is essential to supporting the business in its efforts and ensuring prompt responses when treatment is needed.  

Choosing the Right Pest Control Service 

Look for a local company that specializes in IPM and provides the ultimate experience in customer service. Catseye has decades of experience and a drive to offer an incredible customer experience to all of its clients. Other elements to consider include: 

• Company’s level of expertise 
• Licensed and trained technicians 
• Reporting systems that make ongoing monitoring easier  
• Stellar reputation and commitment to utilizing innovative treatment solutions 

Benefits of Ongoing Professional Support 

No matter how closely hotel staff monitors the property, having an expert conduct regular inspections can help businesses stay abreast of potential issues. With so much at stake, including financial repercussions and the brand’s reputation, additional professional support can make all the difference.  

Learn more about Catseye’s hotel pest control services or contact us today to schedule a free inspection. 

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Some of you may recall a memorable desert scene from George Lucas’s Return of the Jedi were a terrifying multi-toothed creature called a Sarlacc inhabited a pit on Tatooine and dined on hapless Jedi Knights. Each year miniature versions of Sarlaccian pits appear in the dusty desert beneath the overhang of my tractor shed. These craters, ranging in diameter from the size of dimes to larger than quarters, mark the killing field of antlions, the larval stage of nerve-winged insects (Neuroptera) known as Myrmeleontidae. One of my curious pastimes is to watch ants, beetles, and other small ground dwelling arthropods stumble into the craters and tumble down the slope. At the base of this cone of death lies the ferocious predatory antlion.

The antlion larva, affectionately known as a doodlebug, constructs its funnel-shaped trap by backing into sandy soil and carefully flicking soil particles with its mouthparts until a symmetrical pit forms. Small ground-dwelling arthropods like ants fall into the pit and tumble to the bottom. At the base of the pit just beneath the sand, the antlion awaits its prey. Sensing that someone has dropped in for dinner, the antlion flicks sand particles upward until the victim tumbles to the bottom of the pit where the ill-fated quarry meets a lethal embrace with powerful jaws of the antlion. The victim is often dragged entirely beneath the sand as the antlion enjoys its feast. Jaws of the antlion bear a groove used to channel blood from the living victim to the belly of the beast. After consuming the liquid portion of the prey, the antlion tosses the carcass from the pit with a snap of its head. Occasionally a large or lucky potential victim will evade the first strike and attempt a desperate scramble for freedom up the slope. To foil the escape, the antlion again flicks sand from the base of the cone towards its prey. The displacement of sand creates a Lilliputian avalanche carrying the prey down slope into the grasp of the antlion.

In the dry soil beneath the overhang of a shed, small pits in the soil mark the kill zone of antlions. Watch as an antlion larva disappears beneath the earth. Once buried it constructs a conical pit to trap its prey. Among the carcasses of a beetle and a daddy-long-legs, a hapless ant attempts a desperate scramble out of the antlion’s pit, all to no avail. Soon the ant will be pulled underground and drained of its blood. The ant’s carcass will be added to those of other victims near this pit of despair. The beautiful adult stage of an antlion is often mistaken for a dragonfly or other winged insect.

Adult antlions are rarely seen, but are often mistaken for a damselfly or dragonfly. Feeding habits of these beautiful creatures are largely unknown other than that they consume soft-bodied insects and pollen. They are often attracted to outdoor lights at night. These delicate insects lay eggs in sandy soil where eggs hatch into subterranean monsters. Upon completing development, antlions spin silken cocoons in the soil where the transformations from larva to pupa to adult takes place. So, while hiking in the desert, if you come across a deep conical pit, stay well back from the edge lest you tumble in. You never really know what waits at the bottom.

Acknowledgements

References for this Bug of the Week include “Effects of slope and particle size on ant locomotion: Implications for choice of substrate by antlions” by Jason Botz, Catherine Louden, Bradley Barger, Jeffrey Olafsen, and Don Steeples, and “Immature Insects” by Frederick Stehr. The inspiration for this Bug of the Week came from Ken Paynter who shared the wonderful image of Glenurus with us.

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In 1966 during the construction of the planned city of Columbia, MD, a 27-acre reservoir named Lake Kittamaqundi was created from several unnamed tributaries of the Little Patuxent River. In the intervening decades, along the banks of Kittamaqundi patches of marshmallow, Althaea officinalis, put down roots and now show off their dazzling floral displays, five large petals dressed in shades of white, lavender, pink, and purple. From June into early autumn, marshmallows and other members of the hibiscus clan are visited by Ptilothrix bombiformis, an apid bee that specializes on members of the mallow clan. An encounter with this charming bee began on a sunny morning while walking along a trail that circumnavigates the lake. My eagle-eyed companion noticed several small bees darting in and out of turreted pencil-sized holes in the hard clay soil on the bank of the lake. These cute bees, Ptilothrix bombiformis, are unique in that they are one of only two species in the genus Ptilothrix found in the US.  Ptilothrix bombiformis occurs mostly in the eastern half of the US and its sister species occurs in Arizona and New Mexico.

A Ptilothrix bee begins to build her nest by wetting hard mud and digging with jaws and legs. Off she goes to get more water for softening the soil. She regurgitates water to moisten the soil and work it into a turret for her nest. Beneath the earth, water is mixed with soil and mud pellets are removed to enlarge the gallery. Then off she goes to visit mallow blossoms for nectar and pollen. She returns to her nest with provisions to sustain her brood as they grow and develop underground.

These industrious bees construct nests in soil. To excavate galleries in hard-packed earth, females land on the surface of the lake, imbibe water, fly back to the nest site, and regurgitate the water to moisten and loosen the soil. During nest construction the area around each gallery is littered with an array of small mud pellets deposited by the bee as she removes soil to construct the subterranean nursery for her young. Watching these clever bees roll mud balls with their hind legs out of the gallery is highly entertaining. In a nearby patch of marshmallows, mothers gather nectar and pollen to provision their nest with pollen cakes for their young. After providing sufficient food for their brood, the female bee seals the gallery with a plug of mud to prevent parasites and predators from entering the nursery and devouring her youngsters. Ptilothrix bombiformis has taken advantage of human-made features such as the aforementioned shores of Lake Kittamaqundi and roadways passing through marshlands as favorable habitats to construct their nests. Ornamental members of the mallow clan, including Rose-of-Sharon found in residential landscapes are used as sources of nectar and pollen. These behaviors provide opportunities to meet these bees. With some luck and a little nature-focused attention, you may catch a glimpse of these mellow mallow bees in the blossom of a hibiscus or busily tending their pellet-strewn nest sites along the banks of a lake or trails through a marsh.

Acknowledgements

Once again, we thank Sam Droege for generously taking time to identify Ptilothrix bombiformis and share his wisdom about these beauties. Information about the bees featured this week came from Joseph S. Wilson and Olivia Messinger Carril’s amazing book “The Bees in Your Backyard”, and “The Biology of Ptilothrix bombiformis (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae)” by Richard W. Rust. Many thanks to Professor Shrewsbury for spotting the nest site of Ptilothrix bombiformis and providing video for this episode.

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Two weeks ago, while moving some decomposing logs, I encountered almost mature larvae of bess beetles. Now this may not seem exciting to you, but I have not witnessed these alive in the wild for more than three decades. So, to share this rather unusual event, we will revisit a popular episode from the days of covid in 2020 with the addition of a new video and one new image. Hope you enjoy the episode.

While clearing some logs in Washington County, MD, I encountered a family of bess beetles. One adult and several almost mature larvae were recycling a decomposing tree of heaven branch. Look at the size of the larval galleries in the wood. Don’t worry, after recording the happy family, the branch was returned and the beetles resumed their ecosystem service of repurposing dead wood. 

This week we meet one of Mother Nature’s champion recyclers, bess beetles, whose mission it is to repurpose tough wood fibers into cute beetle larvae. During the past week or two while wandering wooded trails, I have enjoyed several encounters with magnificent bess beetles as they scurried about the forest floor. Coincidentally, several images of bess beetles have arrived in my mailbox from other folks curious to learn about these lumbering beauties. Bess beetles are also known as the horned Passalus and as patent leather beetles by virtue of their shiny black color (young adults have deep red/brown coloration that darkens to black) and notable horns. These powerful beetles are important participants in the great circle of life. No, they do not occupy an exalted place at the top of the food chain like Mufasa, the Lion King. They sit near the bottom of the heap along with fungi and bacteria, where they help decompose fibrous wood. Adult bess beetles use strong jaws to gnaw and ingest wood. After being processed in the beetle’s digestive system and deposited back in the wood, the microbe-packed droppings, a.k.a. frass, are consumed by bess beetle larvae. The microbes contained in the leavings of the adult beetles are particularly important for young larvae that require parental microorganisms to help them digest wood. Tough plant tissues such as lignin and cellulose are indigestible to us, but the gut microbiome of the bess beetle and resident microbes found in decaying wood enable bess beetles to capture nutrients as they recycle tough plant polymers.

Bess beetles are among the champion recyclers of the insect world. A remarkable microbiome in their gut enables bess beetles to breakdown tough polymers found in wood and extract nutrients locked up inside. Now is a great time to observe bess beetles as they scramble across the forest floor or recycle wood beneath the bark of fallen trees.

Upon plucking a bess beetle from the forest trail, I was intrigued to hear it squeak. Bess beetles are able to produce sound by rubbing their wings across a rasp-like structure on the upper surface of their back just beneath the hard wing covers. This form of sound production is called stridulation. Many beetles, such as the big Bornean beetles we met on February 19, 2024 in “Picking up good vibrations”, stridulate. The larvae of bess beetles are somewhat unique in that they also stridulate by rubbing together two sections of their legs. Several authors suggest squeaking sounds enable both larvae and adults to communicate with others in the decomposing wood. One account indicates that larvae follow the calls of adults in the colony. Perhaps this is a way for parents to assist their babies in discovering food or maybe it conveys a message akin to “eat your vegetables.” Other scientists believe the calls may frighten would-be predators. To learn the true nature of the call of the bess beetle, I made a recording of the sound. By playing the sound backward at very slow speed, the beetles could clearly be heard trilling the Gershwin classic “summer time and the livin’ is easy.” I guess summer must have arrived.

Acknowledgements

Bug of the Week thanks Ashley May for inspiring this episode and providing the nice image of a bess beetle that apparently joined her picnic. Dr. Shrewsbury helped wrangle bess beetles in the wild. Information for this Bug of the Week came from two fascinating papers “Gut anatomical properties and microbial functional assembly promote lignocellulose deconstruction and colony subsistence of a wood-feeding beetle” by Javier A. Ceja-Navarro, Ulas Karaoz, Markus Bill, Zhao Hao, Richard A. White, Abelardo Arellano, Leila Ramanculova, Timothy R. Filley, Timothy D. Berry, Mark E. Conrad, Meredith Blackwell, Carrie D. Nicora, Young-Mo Kim, Patrick N. Reardon, Mary S. Lipton, Joshua N. Adkins, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, and Eoin L. Brodie, and “Observations on the life history of the horned Passalus” by L.E. Gray.

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In the wild, squirrels play an important environmental role and are often referred to as one of nature’s essential gardeners1. These members of the Sciuridae family, which includes other small and medium-sized rodents, spread nuts and seeds with their playful activities. When left buried and forgotten, these elements grow into new plants and trees2, replenishing nature and contributing to a healthy ecosystem. They even have their own holiday, National Squirrel Appreciation Day, which falls on January 21. 

Despite their many benefits, squirrels can pose a risk to human health and safety and the structural integrity of your home. Catseye Pest Control has helped homeowners learn how to keep squirrels away from their homes for decades and understands the challenges of human-squirrel interactions.  

Explore the importance of squirrel-proofing your home and garden and get tips on how to deter these inquisitive critters below.  

Introduction to Squirrel Deterrence 

Like any wild animals, squirrels love to scamper around in nature, and it may not be possible to completely prevent them from scampering around your property. However, it is within your power to make your home less attractive to them as a living space. In turn, you can take steps to reduce their negative impact, which can range from minor annoyances like knocked-over bird feeders to serious issues like health risks345.  

Why Keeping Squirrels Away Matters 

With their bushy tails and climbing hijinks, squirrels can be a lot of fun to watch in the wild. However, when they decide to set up shop on your property, they can cause significant damage. From digging up your garden to chewing holes in siding to gnawing on wires, squirrel activities can turn into more than just a nuisance.  

Common Issues Caused by Squirrels 

Notoriously, squirrels love raiding easy access birdfeeders. Although it can be aggravating, this habit is the least of the trouble squirrels can cause. Other common challenges associated with squirrels in the house include: 

• Gnawed electrical wires (indoors and out) can cause electrical fires.  
• Chewed insulation can hamper homes’ energy efficiency and send energy costs soaring. 
• Structural damage could include gnawed siding, walls, beams, and other architectural elements. 
• Loss of garden crops could result from squirrels foraging. 
• Urine and droppings cause germ-filled messes, particularly indoors. 
• Potential contamination of surfaces could spread diseases like tularemia, plague, and typhus6. 
• Spread of secondary pests like mites, ticks, and parasites is dangerous for inhabitants. 

Understanding Squirrel Behavior 

When you understand how squirrels typically behave and what attracts them, you can better deter them and keep them away from your home and garden. In the wild, they can live as long as six years and often choose sheltered areas like hollow tree trunks to build their nests7. However, they can also be very opportunistic and take advantage of readily available food, water, and shelter.  

Additionally, squirrels tend to be social8. That means if you have one squirrel nesting in your home, you may very well have several others living there, as well. 

What Attracts Squirrels to Homes and Gardens? 

Outdoors, the scent of food, including fruits, vegetables, and plants like daisies and tulips, can be a powerful lure9. Birdfeeders and fallen seeds and nuts also attract these rambunctious rodents, as do water sources and the allure of safe shelters, including overgrown lawns and shrubbery.  

Squirrel Feeding and Nesting Habits 

Squirrels eat more than just nuts and seeds. These fluffy-tailed home invaders also eat fungi, fruits, small insects, young snakes, eggs, insects, and caterpillars. To protect their food sources, they often bury their food to ensure they have nourishment once the weather turns cold. They typically nest in tree branches and cavities during warm weather. However, once the temperatures dip, they often start moving indoors to get warm and cozy for the winter10. 

Natural Deterrents and Repellents 

Squirrels have a keen sense of smell, which can work in your favor when employing natural repellents. However, it’s essential to keep in mind that squirrel repellent methods are a temporary fix. Keeping squirrels away permanently will require a layered approach and professional expertise11.  

Using Plant-Based Repellents 

Using plants, powders, and sprays made with scents that squirrels hate can help keep them away. For example, you can use ground cinnamon or fresh garlic around gardens, property perimeters, and bird feeders. Sprinkling mothballs, which contain naphthalene, or strongly scented laundry products can send squirrels scurrying. However, once the scent fades or gets rained away, they are likely to return. 

Benefits of Predator Scents 

Squirrels use their keen sense of smell as part of their strategy to evade predators. Homeowners can use that to their advantage by applying products that mimic the odor of predators’ urine. Predator scents effectively warn the rodents to stay away from the property. 

DIY Squirrel Deterrent Recipes 

Ready to try your hand at a homemade squirrel deterrent? Make a DIY spray by combining the strong scents of pepper, cinnamon, garlic, and apple cider vinegar and spray it in squirrel hotspots. Another popular DIY solution combines water with cayenne and a few drops of dishwashing liquid12. 

Physical Barriers and Modifications 

Although natural remedies and DIY deterrents may provide temporary relief from squirrel activity, strategic modifications can have lasting effects. For example, you might consider installing rodent and wildlife exclusion systems like Cat-Guard Exclusion Systems for targeted or whole-home protection that incorporates a rigid, chemical-free barrier. Sealing entry points, being mindful about gardens and feeders, and using fencing to your advantage can also help keep squirrels away.  

Securing Entry Points to Attics and Basements 

Trim shrubs and tree branches away from your home and thin out any dense shrubbery near the foundation to help eliminate easy access. Routinely inspect the perimeter of your home and seal up any holes that squirrels may be using to enter and exit — but only do so after removing the squirrels from inside13.  

Squirrel-Proofing Bird Feeders and Gardens 

Buying squirrel-resistant feeders is a step in the right direction, but it’s only one of the many strategies you can use. Other ways to hamper squirrel activity include the following1415: 

• Move feeders at least 10 feet from the closest spot they could jump from to gain access. 
• Add baffles or a slinky to bird feeder poles to discourage squirrels from climbing up them. 
• Swap your birdseed to a blend that includes safflower seed and milk thistle, which are less appetizing to squirrels. 
• Try hanging a bar of strongly scented soap like Irish Spring near feeders and gardens to help repel squirrels and other foraging rodents. 
• Sprinkle cayenne pepper or chili pepper flakes on the ground in the garden or in bird seed. 
• Add row covers or bird netting to gardens to protect your crops without hampering sun exposure. 
• Install motion-activated sprinklers, which will startle curious invaders and encourage them to stay away. 

Using Fencing and Netting Effectively 

Row covers and netting can protect crops. Metal fencing, which should be buried a minimum of six inches into the ground, can also help keep squirrels out of protected areas16. 

Habitat Modification to Discourage Squirrels 

Taking a proactive approach is critical to preventing squirrels from moving into your space. Three easy ways to do so include eliminating food sources, tidying up the landscape, and securing garbage and compost.  

Removing Food Sources 

Squirrels will take advantage of easy access. Picking up fallen fruit, seeds, and nuts and taking care to ensure food items are stored properly can help mitigate the risk17.  

Altering the Landscape to Reduce Attraction 

Keeping landscaping trimmed and tidy can reduce potential shelters and nesting sites. Additionally, planting natural repellents like marigolds, daffodils, peppermint, and mustard can help make your property less attractive18.  

Tips for Garbage and Compost Management 

Unsecured garbage and compost piles can be like an all-you-can-eat buffet, not only for squirrels but also for other rodents and wildlife. Choose wildlife-proof receptacles with tight fitting lids and place compost bins on a cement pad to eliminate burrowing nuisances19.  

When to Get Professional Help for Squirrel Removal 

Modifying habitats and relying on DIY deterrents won’t always get the job done. These agile creatures play a beneficial role in the environment and pose a risk if they defend themselves by biting or scratching you. Don’t try to eradicate a squirrel problem on your own. Instead, lean on professionals who can inspect your property, assess the situation, and devise the most effective removal, sanitation, and prevention program for lasting success.  

Contact Catseye today to partner with industry leaders with the expertise needed to remove squirrels from your home and prevent them from returning.  

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Each year I try to grow pumpkins in my suburban landscape in Columbia, MD. Each year roving gangs of white-tailed deer invade my landscape and pillage my pumpkins despite my best attempts to shoo them away or assuage their damage by dousing my pumpkins with deer repellent. One morning last week, shortly after sunrise, while mourning the loss of yet another batch of pumpkin leaves, I was fascinated by clusters of solitary bees jockeying for position to gather nectar and pollen from newly opened blossoms of pumpkins. One of the most entertaining was the eastern cucurbit bee, Peponapis pruinosa. The genus name Peponapis literally means “pumpkin bee.” Sometimes as many as four of these rascals with their stripy abdomens tussled for access to nectaries deep inside the blossom. These wonderful bees are specialists, collecting pollen only from members of the squash family. Females construct burrows in soil a foot or more in depth and prepare several brood chambers along the gallery. Each chamber is provisioned with pollen and nectar to feed the developing young. Larvae develop through summer and autumn and emerge next spring when squash, pumpkins, and other cucurbits start to bloom. While females toil to build their subterranean nurseries, when blossoms close in the mid-morning heat, males can sometimes be found resting inside closed blossoms. These native bees evolved to pollinate their cucurbit hosts and can be found from Canada to Mexico.

Early one morning I stopped by my pumpkin patch and caught a glimpse of eastern cucurbit bees mobbing pumpkin blossoms. They were gathering nectar and pollen to feed their young. Nearby, a two-spotted longhorn bee tidied up a bit before moving to another blossom. Look at the size of her pollen loads. Her legs look like saddlebags. Wow!

Zooming about my pumpkin patch, but not as numerous as Peponapis, was a gorgeous black bee with smokey black wings and two white tufts of hairs on its abdomen. Melissodes bimaculatus goes by the name of two-spotted longhorn bee. Unlike Peponapis, this native solitary bee is more of a generalist. I often see it gathering nectar and pollen from my cone flowers and other members of the aster family in addition to its sorties at my pumpkins. Hind legs of female bees are festooned with stout hairs called scopa which are used to collect pollen. When fully loaded they look like yellow saddle bags. Like Peponapis, female two-spotted longhorn bees tunnel in the soil and provision brood chambers with nectar and pollen to feed their young. Although these are solitary bees, they often form large aggregations of nests in areas with loose soils that they prefer.  

If you grow pumpkins, squash, zucchini, or cucumbers and you live in the eastern US, grab your cup of coffee and head to the cucurbit patch early in the morning to enjoy these entertaining and beautiful native pollinators. 

Acknowledgements

Bug of the Week thanks Sam Droege for generously taking time to identify the heroes of this episode. Information about the bees featured this week came from Tufts Pollinator Initiative, and Joseph S. Wilson and Olivia Messinger Carril’s amazing book “The Bees in Your Backyard”.     

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