Author: admin

Learn Some of the Most Common Rodents That Inhabit the State of Massachusetts and How Professional Rodent Control Can Keep Rodents Outside

Massachusetts is home to a diverse population of wildlife, including more than 80 different species of mammals. Of those, 15 species are considered common rodents in Massachusetts, with critters ranging from tiny mice and shrews to subterranean big brown rats and spiky porcupines.

All rodents potentially carry health risks and could damage buildings, structures, and properties. Homeowners and business owners who encounter rodents or an infestation are encouraged to contact the pest and nuisance wildlife technicians at Catseye Pest Control.

Our technicians have the technical know-how and training needed to careful handle rodents found throughout the New England area.

Mice

Mice are among the most common rodents across the country, with more than 70 species frequently invading homes, businesses, and properties.

In Massachusetts, the house mouse, deer mouse, and white-footed mouse are the biggest offenders. In addition to leaving messy droppings and chewing food packaging and structural elements, mice pose a possible health risk, as they could carry dozens of diseases.

Health risks associated with mice includes hantavirus, leptospirosis, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV).

Rats

Rats are common New England rodents, especially in MA.

Norway rats, sometimes called big brown rats, are originally from Asia but are typically found wherever people live. These rodents tend to have poor vision and are colorblind, but their other senses, including hearing, smell, touch, and taste are strong.

They frequently burrow in soil near riverbanks, woodpiles, under low-clearance areas like decks or sheds, in addition to other areas.

Like other rodents, Norway rats typically enter homes in the fall when outside food and water sources become scarce. And despite their size, these rodents can fit through a hole the size of a quarter, easily entering homes or businesses to nest.

Squirrels

Squirrels can be incredibly destructive to buildings and properties. These fluffy-tailed rodents often gain entry to homes and other structures by climbing branches or utility lines.

Once inside, they destroy insulation, build nests, gnaw wires, and pose a health hazard. Although there are hundreds of different species of squirrels, the most common types in MA are the eastern gray squirrel and the red squirrel.

Chipmunks

Chipmunks are plentiful across the country, and the eastern chipmunk is one of the most common rodents in MA. Chipmunks thrive in rocky areas and spots with dense brush. Because they tend to burrow into the ground and under structures, these small rodents can do significant damage. They also carry parasites and love to steal birdseed from feeders.

Groundhogs

Groundhogs and woodchucks are often mistakenly thought of as two different rodents, but they are one and the same.

The rodent typically measures anywhere from 16 to 27 inches long as adults. These stocky rodents have bushy tails and coats in varying shades, ranging from deep brown to gray, often with white tips that lend a silver appearance.

Groundhogs often burrow under structures, gnaw on power cables, and eat plants of all sorts from gardens and landscape beds. Their tunneling behavior poses the greatest damage for homeowners and businesses.

American Beavers

The American beaver plays a key role in ecosystems across the United States, including areas of MA, building dams, and creating habitats for various other wildlife.

Beavers are the largest rodents on the continent and one of the most common New England rodents. They weigh up to 71 pounds and measure 35 to 46 inches in length, on average. Because they reroute water, beavers often create flooding problems. They can also clog drainpipes.

Moles

Moles can be quite destructive with tunneling habits. These rodents live almost exclusively underground and have a distinctive look with large, shovel-like front paws and webbed feet designed to make digging easier. Moles have hairless, scaled tails, pointed snouts, and fur in shades of brown, silver, or black.

Voles

People often confuse voles with moles, but voles actually look like stocky mice with rounder ears.

Voles eat plant matter, including tree bark, potentially causing limbs or entire trees to die. The rodent also eats roots, seedlings, bulbs, and more. Evidence of voles in outdoor spaces typically consists of shallow runways and damage to vegetation.

Shrews

These small rodents are among the most common rodents found throughout MA. They have some similar characteristics to mice, but instead shrews have long snouts and sharp teeth. Shrews have grayish-brown fur, hairless tails, and they eat vegetation, worms, and insects.

These critters typically cause damage to vegetation and dig tunnels on properties. If shrews venture indoors, they can leave foul odors and potentially spread diseases.

North American Porcupines

The second largest rodent on the continent is the North American porcupine. This spiky critter measures an average of 23 to 36 inches and has black or brownish-yellow coloring.

Porcupines’ quills are part of their defense mechanisms, helping to protect against predators like coyotes and wolverines. In addition to posing a threat to pets and other wildlife, porcupines like to chew and have been known to gnaw on everything from houses and lumber to cars and plants. 

Common Muskrats

Beavers aren’t the only swimmers who build essential ecosystems. Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents with scaled tails and dark brown fur. They are often mistakenly identified as a big gray rat or a member of one of the large rat breeds, but these rodents spend the bulk of their time in water, helping create habitats for waterfowl. Unfortunately, their burrowing habits can compromise levees and create flooding risks.

Tips to Prevent Rodents from Damaging Your Property

The only sure-fire way to prevent rodents from moving in and setting up shop in and on your property is with professional pest control, including routine monitoring and wildlife exclusion systems. Catseye uses Integrated Pest Management practices to identify the rodents, remove them, and keep them out using environmentally friendly approaches.

That’s the benefit of wildlife exclusion systems, also known as Cat-Guard. These chemical-free, all-natural barriers prevent rodents and other wildlife from entering protected areas for long-term protection. Other ways to prevent New England rodents from damaging homes, structures, and properties include:

• Cleaning up debris and keeping shrubs and trees trimmed to reduce areas rodents can use as shelter.
• Eliminating easy food sources by switching to tightly lidded garbage cans and storing all food (including pet food) in airtight containers.
• Sealing gaps, cracks, and openings around pipes, doors, vents, foundations, and windows.
• Planting rodent-repelling herbs and flowering plants like mint, lavender, and amaryllis near areas that need protection.

Contact Catseye to Remove and Exclude New England Rodents

Investing in regular pest control and maintenance can restore your peace of mind. Contact us today for a free, detailed inspection to start the process.

The post Common Rodents in Massachusetts appeared first on Catseye Pest Control.

This article appeared first on Catseye Pest

Bed Bugs are Back After a Record-Setting Summer of Travel — Discover How to Protect Yourself and Loved Ones

Summer 2022 was a record-breaking travel season. Sadly, for many travelers, souvenirs aren’t the only things they brought home. Bed bug season typically peaks from June through October, and it’s expected to remain high throughout fall and well into the cold weather months.

Bed bug infestations aren’t only an issue in New England. People across the country are scrambling to figure out the best tips for protection from bed bugs — and for good reason.

In late September, an Amazon fulfillment center had to shut down in Amarillo, Texas. In early October, the Athens-Clarke County Library in Georgia had to close for several days. What did they both have in common? Bed bug infestations.

It’s no coincidence that bed bug season peaks just as people are traveling and returning home. Bed bugs love hitching a ride on clothing, luggage, and pets. Understanding what causes bed bugs, how to spot signs of bed bug infestations, and how to get rid of them can help everyone keep homes and loved ones safe.

What is the Main Cause of Bed Bugs?

Travel is among the top causes of bed bug infestations spreading. These critters are most commonly found in locations where people and their belongings frequently visit, including the following:

• Hotels and motels
• Cruise ships
• Public transportation like trains and ride share vehicles
• Outdoor campsites
• Apartments
• Dorms

Do Bed Bugs Travel on People?

These creepy crawlies love to hop into people’s belongings and stow away until they find a spot to feed, breed, and call home. Bed bugs will stow away in purses, in backpacks, and on upholstered or soft surfaces.

Can Bed Bugs Spread Diseases?

Bed bugs aren’t a known carrier of diseases or illnesses, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These blood-sucking parasites are more of a nuisance for people who have to deal with them. Physical reactions to bed bug bites range from negligible symptoms to itching and redness to an allergic reaction that could be life threatening.

How to Protect Yourself from Bed Bugs While Traveling

Bed bugs love soft folds, upholstery, and cozy nooks they can nestle into while traveling to each new destination. Swapping soft-sided luggage for hard-shell suitcases and packing belongings inside resealable plastic bags can help lower the risk of taking these pests home.

Other tips for avoiding bed bugs in hotels and other travel destinations include:

• Place luggage, purses, and other belongings on luggage racks or in the bathroom until you have a chance to inspect the area.
• Inspect the mattress, bed frame, box spring, pillows, linens, under beside lamps and tables, and in the folds of drapes.
• If you suspect a problem, call the front desk or management to work with the hotel, resort, or facility to find an effective solution.
• Protect yourself when you get home by inspecting your luggage, purse, and bags and washing/drying all your clothing using the high heat setting.

Early Stage of Bed Bug Infestations

The earlier you catch a bed bug infestation, the easier it is to treat and eliminate it. That’s why year-round preventive maintenance and treatment from pest control professionals can be so effective.

Some of the early signs to look for include:

• Live bugs in areas like baseboards, couch cushions, and mattress seams.
• Tiny, pearly-white, oval-shaped eggs.
• Dark smears and spots on fabric from bed bugs’ fecal matter.
• Bloodstains on sheets, pillows, or clothing.

How Long Does It Take for Bed Bugs to Appear?

It can take up to two weeks to notice bite marks after initial exposure. Every day, females can lay up to five eggs, which take anywhere from four to 12 days to hatch. As a result, full-blown infestations occur within a matter of days.

What to Do if You Get Bed Bugs from a Hotel

It’s a good practice to get into a bed bug prevention routine after traveling. After arriving home, keep luggage and other belongings in the garage or on the porch. Remove washables and transfer them to a garbage bag before putting it in the washer.

Keep everything else outside until each item can be inspected and treated, if necessary.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Luggage

Several methods can help eliminate bed bugs in suitcases and other bags, but there is no replacing professional bed bug control.

First, use a stiff bristled brush to scrub every part of the luggage to dislodge bed bugs and eggs. Then vacuum the luggage thoroughly, focusing on each seam, nook, and pocket. Remove the vacuum bag or empty the cup and dispose of the content in a tightly sealed garbage bag.

After vacuuming the luggage, it is ideal to place it in a freezer, if possible, for a few days to kill everything.

If bed bugs are found, it is advisable to leave these items in a tightly sealed plastic bag until a professional pest control technician is able to mitigate the situation.

Inspect Your Home for Bed Bug Infestations

Checking your living space for evidence of a possible infestation can confirm that you’ve got a problem or give you some peace of mind. Common areas that should be carefully checked for live bugs, dead bed bugs, and eggs include:

• Mattresses and box springs, including the seams and near tags.
• Pillows, particularly seams and folds.
• Headboards and bed frames, especially cracks and crevices.
• In the seams and between/under cushions of all upholstered furniture.
• On the underside and in the folds of curtains and drapes.
• Loose or peeling wallpaper.
• Cracks near where the wall and ceiling meet.
• Behind pictures and other items on walls.
• Inside electrical receptacles and appliances.

Schedule a Free Bed Bug Inspection with Catseye Pest Control

If you find evidence of an infestation or want to get professional help, contact us.

Catseye has more than three decades of experience treating everything from bed bugs to wildlife infestations — and everything in between. Effective bed bug treatment starts with a free, detailed inspection that we use to create a custom plan to eliminate these bloodsucking pests.

The post Bed Bug Infestations Expected to Spike appeared first on Catseye Pest Control.

This article appeared first on Catseye Pest

Learn How to Protect Your Property by Identifying and Eliminating Bed Bugs

Bed bugs aren’t confined to dirty places. These tiny, dark-loving pests thrive in warm spots that have a ready supply of carbon dioxide and blood.

Research has found that at least 20% of Americans have either dealt with bed bugs or know someone who has.  

These small blood-drinking critters can be found everywhere from mattresses and bed frames to stuffed animals and purses. Bed bugs affect homes and businesses across the country, and approximately 97% of pest management professionals have provided bed bug treatments within the past year.

Popular tourist cities, including Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City, are regularly on the list of places with the highest bed bug infestations. With some upscale hotels revealed to be bed bug hot spots, many people are justifiably worried about taking the problem home.

It’s easier to avoid a full-blown infestation if you know what bed bugs look like and where they like to lurk. If you suspect a bed bug infestation, seeking professional help as soon as possible to obtain bed bug treatment increases the likelihood of eliminating the problem.

It’s important to understand that do-it-yourself efforts will not eliminate a bed bug infestation.

These public health nuisances breed quickly and become more challenging to eliminate as the infestation grows. It’s essential to understand not just how to get rid of bed bugs, but also how to identify bed bugs to ensure proper treatment.

How to Identify Bed Bugs

Many people initially confuse bed bugs with other pests, including fleas. Although adult bed bugs have a similar reddish-brown color, these critters sport a flat body that has an oval shape.

They have piercing mouthparts that allow them to break through skin and suck blood from their hosts. Nymphs have a shape that’s similar to adults, but their coloring starts out as translucent and becomes an opaque brown during the maturing process.

What bed bugs look like may matter less than signs of their presence. Most people who discover they have bed bugs after waking up with bites. In addition to seeing live bugs and bites, other telltale signs of bed bugs include:

• Bites: Bed bugs feed anywhere they can find exposed skin. The small bite marks start painless and typically become itchy welts.
• Stains: Rolling over and moving about can inadvertently crush bed bugs. When these pests get crushed, they leave behind red stains and streaks on linens and other surfaces.
• Dark Spots: Red stains aren’t the only marks bed bugs leave behind. Dark spots on fabric indicate excrement left from bed bugs.
• Eggs: Tiny, pale yellow fragments could indicate freshly hatched nymphs or skin left behind as nymphs mature.

Where Bed Bugs Hide

In addition to knowing how to identify bed bugs, it helps to know where they like to hang out. Bed bugs are notorious hitchhikers, it doesn’t take much for these pests to survive. Bed bugs attach themselves to clothing, hide in luggage, and use pets as a form of transportation.

They have been found on second-hand furniture, inside moving boxes, in office buildings, in clothing stores, on public transit, and almost anywhere else imaginable.

Bed bugs can live up to 300 days and lay one to five eggs per day — which is absolutely terrifying. The good news is bed bugs are not known to transmit diseases, and all infestations are treatable with the help of a professional.

Areas to check for live bed bugs and eggs include:

• Seams of mattresses and box springs
• Cracks in headboards and bed frames
• Between cushions and in seams of upholstered furniture
• Folds in draperies and curtains
• Inside electrical appliances and receptacles
• Behind wall hangings and in cracks where the ceiling meets the wall

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Getting rid of bed bugs can be a significant challenge, which is why professional pest control is a must. Whether the infestation is in a residential or commercial location, pest control pros like Catseye Pest Control can help treat and eliminate bed bugs.

It takes a significant amount of effort, but the problem is not insurmountable. Professional treatment from Catseye relies on a combination of state-of-the-art freezing methods and monitoring to achieve effective, environmentally friendly control that targets specific areas of homes and businesses.

Although bed bugs can withstand cold temperatures as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit, the pest cannot withstand being exposed to temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit for several days. If exposed to extreme temperatures for an extended period of time, the freeloaders can be eliminated.

In addition to professional treatment and monitoring, it’s crucial to make the space less hospitable for these tiny bloodsuckers. Other helpful steps that homeowners, renters, and business owners can take include:

• Reducing clutter to reduce hiding spots.
• Washing linens, clothing, and stuffed animals in hot water and drying items on high heat.
• Scrubbing mattress and box spring seams with a stiff brush before thoroughly vacuuming.
• Repairing cracks and peeling wallpaper to reduce the number of potential hiding places.
• Using a special mattress cover to prevent bedbugs from entering or escaping the mattress.

Contact Catseye Pest Control for Professional Bed Bug Removal

Since female bed bugs can lay up to five eggs in a single day, it doesn’t take long for a small number of bed bugs to grow into a large infestation.

If even a single bed bug sign is spotted, don’t wait as it could already be a monstrous situation.

At the first sign of these pests, contact Catseye for professional control and monitoring that safely and effectively eliminates the problem.

The post Identify and Get Rid of Bed Bugs appeared first on Catseye Pest Control.

This article appeared first on Catseye Pest

 

 

In last week’s visit to Hawai’i we met one of many species of small sucking insects known as psyllids that have evolved along with their iconic native host plant, the ʻŌhiʻa tree, one of the first colonists of lava flows. This week we return to the Kilauea volcano on the big island to meet two non-native invaders to these remote islands. Recall that this chain of land masses formed as the earth’s crust passed over a volcanic hot spot beneath the Pacific Ocean over the course of some five million years. Flora and fauna extant on this archipelago are comprised of descendants of ancient colonists or more recent travelers that arrived from elsewhere with or without assistance from humans. The stark beauty of the lava flow on Kilauea’s Iki trail is punctuated not only by the indigenous ʻŌhiʻa, but also by a drop-dead gorgeous orchid known as the bamboo orchid, Arundina graminifolia. Bamboo orchids are native to tropical biomes in several Asian countries but have been introduced to countries in Central America, the Caribbean, and several Pacific islands, including Hawai’i where they readily colonize newly formed volcanic soils. Plants are not alone in their abilities to colonize new lands. Insects are also renowned for their peripatetic abilities and amongst the best of these travelers are ants, anointed by famed entomologist and sociobiologist E. O. Wilson as the “little things that run the world.” Ants created quite a stir in the media earlier this year when scientists released their findings that we share our planet with some 20,000,000,000,000,000 members of this six-legged clan. Ants are found on every continent on earth except Antarctica, which seems strange as this continent is the only one with “ant” in its name (LOL). Several islands also lack ants, but not so for the Hawaiian Islands where more than 60 species of ants have been introduced over the last few centuries with an assist from humans, as imported plants and products arrived on the islands.

The lava lake on the floor of erupting Kilauea Volcano creates new land. Among the first plants to colonize a recent lava flow is the beautiful non-native bamboo orchid. Not surprisingly, an unidentified species of ant is one pioneer to make this newly formed land its home, where it searches orchid blossoms for sustenance.

While always on the lookout for bugs and their relatives, it was no surprise to find the non-native bamboo orchid colonized by one of the many non-native ants busily exploring its blossoms, apparently in search of a plant product like nectar or perhaps honeydew-producing insects like aphids. Described as “ecosystem engineers”, ants play vital roles in global ecosystems providing services such as seed dispersal for plants, biological control of crop pests, aeration of soil, linking trophic levels of food webs, and decomposition of organic matter. However, recent invasions of pestiferous “tramp ants” to Hawai’i, including little and tropical fire ants, pose threats to humans and pets by virtue of their memorable sting. These and invasive yellow crazy ants attack and kill other arthropods, including native and non-native invertebrates like spiders, crabs, and insects, and also small vertebrates, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. They may also defend colonies of sap-sucking insects like aphids that damage ornamental plants and crops.  A small dedicated band of scientists at the Hawai’i Ant Lab are tracking the spread of invasive ants. Their mission is to protect Hawai’i from new ant invasions, prevent the spread of established invasive ants, eradicate new infestations, and help homeowners, resource managers, and businesses to find new ways to manage the ongoing influx of these emerging pests. Don’t know if the tiny ants attending bamboo orchids are a boon or a bane to Hawai’i’s’ ecosystems, but they, along with these orchids are one of the first insect colonists to gain a foothold on new land. 

Acknowledgements

Bug of the Week thanks the ranger crew at Volcano National Park for suggesting locations to enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of the geology and biology found in the park. Enlightening discussions with Drs. Dan Gruner and Paula Shrewsbury helped shape this episode. Thr wonderful articles “The Little Things That Run the World (The Importance and Conservation of Invertebrates)” by Edward O. Wilson and “The abundance, biomass, and distribution of ants on Earth” by Patrick Schultheiss, Sabine S. Nooten, Runxi Wang, and Benoit Guénard, were consulted for content presented herein.

To learn more about invasive ants in Hawai’i, please visit this website: https://littlefireants.com/  

This post appeared first on Bug of the Week

 

 

As the weather cools down throughout North America, let’s head to somewhere hot, really hot, to the Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanos on the big island of Hawai’i, where lava erupts from vents at some 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and creates some of the youngest land on Earth. The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago, a chain of land masses formed as the earth’s crust passes over a volcanic hot spot beneath the Pacific Ocean. The northernmost islands in the string, Kaua’i and Ni’ihau, were born around 5 million years ago but the youngster of the bunch is Hawai’i, which arose from the seafloor only some half million years ago. It continues to grow with ongoing eruptions and lava flows.

A hike across a lava flow on the Kīlauea Iki trail provides fascinating clues to the formation of the rich floral and faunal diversity of the Hawaiian Islands. One of the first colonists to a virgin larva field is the sacred ʻŌhiʻa tree, Metrosideros polymorpha. This keystone species comprises some 80% of the native forests on the big island and provides habitat and food for many of Hawai’i’s endangered birds and insects. Scattered across the moonscape of a 1959 larva flow are young ʻŌhiʻa trees whose roots miraculously pierce the ropy lava to collect water and nutrients, which support a leafy canopy and brilliant ʻŌhiʻa blossoms. While examining these remarkable trees, we observed several with Hershey-kiss-shaped galls on the lower surface of many leaves. Galls are abnormal growths on plants created by several species of insects and mites that secrete potent chemicals into the plant’s undifferentiated tissues. These chemicals derail the normal developmental processes of the plant and create food and refuge for the insect or mite at the expense of the unwitting plant host. We met other species on gall making insects in previous episodes on oaks, tupelo, spruce, and elm.

Spectacular eruptions of Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanos on Hawai’i transport lava from deep within the earth to the surface to form new land. One of the first plants to colonize virgin larva flows is a keystone species, the sacred ʻŌhiʻa tree. Strange Hershey-kiss-shaped leaf galls are home to one of some three dozen psyllid species that evolved on the Hawaiian Islands. Tiny sap-sucking nymphs with wing buds will soon mature and pop the top of their gall to emerge as winged adults ready to mate and colonize new ʻŌhiʻa trees. Adult psyllids utilizing ʻŌhiʻa are similar in appearance to the adult boxwood psyllid depicted here next to its shed nymphal skin.

Galls on ʻŌhiʻa are formed by a clan of sucking insects called psyllids, members of a large order of insects known as the Hemiptera – stink bugs, assassin bugs, bed bugs and their pernicious relatives like aphids, whiteflies, adelgids, scale insects, and many others. The tiny gall-makers on ʻŌhiʻa are members of a genus of psyllids named Pariaconus, a taxon with 36 named species on the Hawaiian Islands associated with Metrosideros polymorpha. Many of these psyllids are free-living and don’t form galls, while others form unique and interesting galls on stems and leaves. Why so many species of Pariaconus on but one species of plant? Well, it turns out that ʻŌhiʻa has a remarkable ability to colonize and thrive in many different soil types, zones of varying rainfall, and at many different altitudes found on the Hawaiian Islands. From the time the ancient ancestors of modern day Pariaconus arrived on these islands, which are the most isolated islands on earth, they were able to evolve and diversify in the myriad habitats occupied by Metrosideros polymorpha. These varied and unique niches spawned the great diversity of psyllids seen on the islands today. This form of diversification or radiation of species on islands was made famous by Darwin and his observations of the Galápagos finches in “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”.  

But all is not well for the iconic and irreplaceable ʻŌhiʻa tree and the insects and other creatures that call it home. While it seems to tolerate its psyllid guests reasonably well, it is threatened by two species of lethal fungi, Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia, causal agents of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD). First identified in 2014 on the big island, by 2019 it had infected more than 175,000 acres of trees. Through activities like moving infected wood, wounding trees with contaminated tools, and walking on or moving infected soil, humans are believed to help spread these fungi. Feral animals moving beneath infected trees and small bark beetles may also spread the disease. Efforts are underway to stop the spread of ROD and save this iconic tree so intertwined with Hawaiian culture and so important to the ecology and biodiversity of these unique and irreplaceable forests. 

Acknowledgements

We thank Dan Gruner for stimulating discussions about the ecology of Hawaiian flora and fauna and Paula Shrewsbury for images used in this episode. The great article “Making the most of your host: the Metrosideros-feeding psyllids (Hemiptera, Psylloidea) of the Hawaiian Islands” by Diana M. Percy was consulted for this episode.

To learn more about ROD and its management, please visit the following websites:

https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/rod/THE-DISEASE

https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/species/rapid-ohia-death/

This post appeared first on Bug of the Week

 

 

On recent visits to the thriving metropolis of Washington, DC, we met dastardly soft scales and rambunctious red-shouldered bugs enjoying meals served-up by oak trees and golden rain trees lining the avenues of our nation’s capital. This week we return to DC to visit glorious crapemyrtle trees and scandalous scale insects intent on turning crapemyrtle branches snowy white. Originally native to Asia, crapemyrtles traveled with botanical explorers from their aboriginal homes to gardens in Europe and the Americas more than 250 years ago. As North America warms, the range of crapemyrtles has expanded from subtropical southern states to mid-Atlantic locations, including Maryland and DC where milder winters and hot summers allow them to thrive. But, as is often the case with non-native plants, sometime after their arrival in a new land, their pests from afar soon follow them to the invaded realm. This was the case for crapemyrtles, when in 2004 the crapemyrtle bark scale, a type of felt scale, was discovered in Richardson, TX. Since the first detection in 2004 it has marched steadily northward to North Carolina in 2016, to Virginia in 2017, and to Maryland in 2020. Range expansion of this and many other scale insects happens in a variety of ways. Infested nursery stock shipped from southern states may convey scales to new locations. Some scale insects climb onto the feet of birds, hair of mammals, and bodies of flying insects and become unwittingly transported by these other animals from an infested to an uninfested tree. In an even stranger twist, some scale insects actually utilize “takeoff” behavior to help them become airborne and then ride the wind from one plant to another. Insects as aeronauts, how cool is that! 

Monocultural plantings of crapemyrtles and other street trees often support outbreaks of pests in cities. Beneath the snowy white egg-sac, we find a bizarre female crapemyrtle bark scale. She can lay more than 300 bright pink eggs. Eggs hatch into pink crawlers that sally forth to settle new patches of bark. They molt before producing their own egg-sac. Heavy infestations kill branches and foul the bark with honeydew, which supports the growth of ugly sooty mold fungus.

Like the aforementioned soft scale, crapemyrtle bark scale feeds on nutrient-rich plant sap called phloem. To gain sufficient nutrients for growth, development, and reproduction, vast quantities of phloem are imbibed. Once processed, any remaining liquid is excreted in the form of a sugary waste product called honeydew. Honeydew rains down from infested plants onto vegetation, sidewalks, vehicles, and furniture below, creating a sticky mess that also attracts stinging insects like paper wasps, yellow jackets, and honeybees. Adding insult to injury, honeydew serves as a substrate for the growth of a nasty black fungus called sooty mold which discolors bark, leaves, and other objects on which it lands. Removal of vital plant sap and damage caused by thousands of piercing mouthparts can result in branch dieback and death of crapemyrtles.

Life gets busy for crapemyrtle bark scales when tiny pink nymphs hatch from tiny pink eggs laid by the female in her snowy white, felt-like egg-sac (a.k.a ovisac) which encloses the she-scale and her young. These nymphs go by the name of crawlers and that’s exactly what they do, crawl to new parts of the crapemyrtle and settle down to suck sap from their crapemyrtle host. Each female can lay from 100 to more than 300 eggs. In warm regions there may be four generations annually and it is easy to see how populations can explode seemingly overnight. While crapemyrtles are the primary target for this rascal here in the US, this scale has also been found on more than a dozen other plant species in the US and other parts of the world, including beauty berry, pomegranate, boxwood, persimmon, privet, brambles, and many others.

 So, is there any good news here? You bet. Several members of Mother Nature’s hit squad, including lady beetles, lacewings, and parasitic wasps are known to attack and kill this felt scale. However, in many cases once the scale gets rolling even these beneficial insects may not be enough to put a beat-down on this pest. Many potent insecticides are available to kill both immature and adult stages of the scale. Here in the DMV an outstanding corps of certified arborists is available to help homeowners and urban foresters manage this invader. Let’s hope that all crapemyrtle Christmases aren’t white.   

Acknowledgements

“Biology and Management of the Crapemyrtle Bark Scale: Landscape and Nursery Grower” by Erfan Vafaire, Mike Merchant, and Mengmeng Gu, “Crawler behaviour and dispersal” by David J. Greathead, and “Phoretic dispersal of armored scale crawlers (Hemiptera: Diaspididae)” by J. Magsig-Castillo, J. G. Morse, G. P. Walker, J. L. Bi, P. F. Rugman-Jones, and R. Stouthamer were used to prepare this episode.

This post appeared first on Bug of the Week

 

 

This week we delve into the Bug of the Week mailbag to help solve a mystery of “fuzzy” somethings, at the base of white oak leaves found on a tree near the gentle Choptank River on Maryland’s eastern shore. These curious fuzzy somethings are the handiwork of gall wasps, one of the most diverse groups of gall-formers found on plants. Galls are abnormal growths on plants created by several species of insects, mites, and some microbes, that secrete potent chemicals into the plant’s undifferentiated tissues. These chemicals derail the normal developmental processes of the plant and create food and refuge for the insect or mite within the gall at the expense of the unwitting plant host. We met other gall-making insects including those distorting leaves of black gum, elms and hickory in previous episodes.

The gall wasp family, Cynipidae, is more than 1,300 species strong with most generating unusual growths on woody plants, but some actually parasitizing other species of wasps. Dozens of species of wasps in this family have evolved intimate relationships with different species of oak. The diversity of galls on the leaves, branches, and acorns of oaks is awesome. Each species of gall wasp creates its own distinct and unique gall. Some look like bullets, others appear to be clusters of wool, some look like apples, and still others are the visage of grotesque horned creatures attached to a branch. The video accompanying this episode provides a smidgeon of this diversity of galls discovered on oaks in Maryland.

Let’s visit some gall wasps on oak. Strange horns decorate the outside of the horned oak gall wasp while the pupa develops within. These small round leaf galls are home to developing wasp larvae. When we open these green round galls, we can see the larval cell with an exit hole used by the wasp to escape the gall. Rough bullet galls wear exit holes outside and inside you see where the wasp chewed through the larval chamber and gall to get out. Pretty midrib galls and a couple spangle galls decorate this oak leaf. Potato-like galls and pouch galls adorn small twigs. Green spongy oak galls in summer turn to brown papery balls in autumn beneath oak trees.

Let’s walk through the life cycle of one cool but dastardly trouble maker, the horned oak gall wasp, Callirhytis quercuscornigera, to learn a bit more about these fascinating creatures. The saga begins in spring shortly after bud-burst of oaks when female wasps escape from their nursery inside the gall through one of the strange looking horns. These wasps are all females and are part of generation produced asexually through a remarkable process called pathogenesis. Many species of insects reproduce parthenogenically, such as aphids and scale insects we met in previous episodes. You go girls!  Wasps emerging from leaves are poor flyers and move just a short distance to developing leaf-buds, where they lay eggs. Single eggs hatch and induce the formation of an inconspicuous leaf gall. Later that summer both male and female wasps emerge from the leaf gall, mate, and females deposit girls-only eggs in tender green twigs. These eggs hatch and induce the formation of a small woody gall that enlarges over the course of the summer. Some 30 months later, fully developed female wasps emerge from large galls to complete the life cycle.   

Although details of gall inducement are not fully known, the act of egg-laying and the growth-altering chemicals subsequently released by the larva of the wasp cause the multiplication of nutritive plant cells inside the gall and abnormal development of the infested plant tissue. Wasp larvae consume these cells while non-nutritive cells proliferate to form the bizarre and characteristic gall. Inside the relative safety of the gall the larva grows as the gall enlarges. As development nears completion, the plant forms a tissue layer which can be a relatively tough, seed-like cell around the larva. Within this small chamber the larva transforms into a pupa from which the adult wasp emerges. Using powerful jaws, the wasp cuts it way out of the chamber and the surrounding gall and flies off to find food and a mate. Development from egg to adult often takes place in the gall while it is attached to the plant. However, in some species like the jumping oak gall, Neuroterus saltatorius, the gall breaks from the plant and falls to the ground with the larva inside. While completing development in the gall on the ground, the movement of the larva within can make the gall jump in the air. That’s right Little Orphan Annie, not leapin’ lizards, but leaping galls instead!

Acknowledgements

The fascinating article “Biology of Callirhytis cornigera (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) and the Arthropod Community Inhabiting Its Galls” by Eileen A. Eliason and Daniel A. Potter, and the Maryland Biodiversity Project were used to prepare this article. Special thanks to Sue Hauser for providing the image of fuzzy gall wasps on oak leaves and inspiration for this episode.

 This post appeared first on Bug of the Week

 

 

Last week while enjoying record breaking warm weather with a hike along the mighty Potomac River in Mercersville, MD, I was assaulted by two tiny terrors that pack a surprisingly large wallop for their size. In previous episodes we met dastardly Aedes, Culex, and Ochlerotatus mosquitoes equipped with hypodermic-like mouthparts perfect for inserting into small capillaries to obtain blood used by females to develop eggs. Although mosquito bites are itchy, to me their bites pale with respect to the aggravation and burning sensation brought on when legions of black flies and no-see-ums visit my skin.

Black flies use jaws with serrated edges to slash flesh and sever tiny blood vessels. As blood pools in the wound, the black fly laps it up. Only the female black fly has the blood lust. She exploits this rich protein source to produce as many as 800 eggs over the course of her lifetime. Males are the gentler gender and consume nectar from flowers, as do females when not taking blood. With her load of fully developed eggs, the female black fly visits running mountain streams or other fresh water sources and deposits her eggs on rocks, logs, emergent vegetation, or directly into the water. Eggs hatch and larvae attach to rocks and other submerged structures and graze on small plants and animals on the surface of their substrate.

Fast moving streams and rivers are prime breeding sites for black flies. A rock plucked from the river harbors a black fly larva hiding in the vegetation. A series of video clips show the expanding abdomen of the black fly as she feeds. When she is done, my flesh continues to ooze blood from severed capillaries. Watch as an even tinier no-see-um tanks up while feeding on my arm.

The wound of the black fly is quite something to behold. While the bite itself is cloaked by anesthetics administered in the saliva of the fly, the aftermath can be quite disagreeable. For many victims of their bite, reddish-purple blood spots appear beneath the skin at the site of each bite as the body reacts to anticoagulants and other allergens injected into the site of the wound. These red welts were accompanied by intense itching that can last several days and may be accompanied by fever, swelling, and nausea. There are reports of domestic animals dying when legions of black flies attack. The direct injury caused by black fly bites is the lesser of the evils visited unto humans by these tiny flies. In several countries in Central and South America and Africa, black flies carry nasty filarial worms capable of invading the human body. They occupy small tumors beneath the skin. In some cases, these filarial worms take up residence in the eye and cause permanent sight loss known as river blindness or Robles disease. Yikes! Glad our Maryland black flies do not carry such diseases.

Just downstream from Mercersville, near historic Harper’s Ferry, black fly populations hit intolerable levels on the Potomac. The Maryland Department of Agriculture and Department of Natural Resources treated a section of the Potomac with a biological control agent, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTi), to quell populations of black fly larvae developing in the river.  This bacterial insecticide is derived from a naturally occurring soil microbe and has been used to mitigate several types of aquatic and terrestrial fly larvae. Government agencies reported that “the treatment may cause temporary discoloration of the water, but it is completely nontoxic and is not harmful to humans, fish, crabs or other aquatic invertebrates.”

And just how tiny is tiny? Well, black flies range in size from about 1 to 5 mm and sometimes larger, smaller than the width of a tic tac. Our second tiny terror, no-see-ums, a.k.a. biting midges, can be even tinier than black flies at 1-3 mm. Little wonder they are called no-see-ums. While these minute vampires are hard to see, their bite is easy to remember with a characteristic burning sensation. Itching associated with these bites can last several days. Like black flies, females use cutting mouthparts to sever capillaries and sucking mouthparts to imbibe the blood needed to produce eggs. Also like black flies, male and female no-see-ums obtain carbohydrates from plant nectar. Larval no-see-ums are aquatic or semi-aquatic, found in both water and in moist soils near rivers, marshes, ponds, and lakes; tree holes; and decaying vegetation and fruit. In addition to the nuisance they become when abundant, they carry serious diseases of humans and domestic animals in some parts of the world. In Central and South America, parts of Africa, and some Caribbean islands, no-see-ums carry tiny roundworms that infect humans and cause skin lesions. In parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia, a deadly virus called African horse sickness (AHS) is carried by no-see-ums to horses and their close relatives. Fortunately, at this writing, AHS is not known to occur in Maryland or other parts of the US. Lucky us, that for the most part here in the DMV, these tiny terrors remain mostly annoying and not distributors of disease.

Acknowledgements

Excellent references by J. F. Butler (University of Florida) and J. A. Hogsette (USDA) on black flies, and C. Roxanne Connelly on no-see-ums (University of Florida) as part of the University of Florida’s ‘Featured Creature’ series, and M. T. James and R. F. Harwood’s “Herms’s Medical Entomology” were consulted for this episode. To learn more about “The Black Fly Suppression Pilot Program in Maryland”, please visit the Maryland Department of Agriculture website at this link: https://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/Black-Fly-Program.aspx

This post appeared first on Bug of the Week

 

 

In previous episodes we explored the travails of iconic monarch butterflies on the eastern and western coasts of North America where these long-distance travelers struggled with habitat destruction, climate change, disease, and pesticides. Unbeknownst to many folks is the fact that monarchs are not the only migratory visitors to the DMV. Several other insects, including another beautiful orange and black butterfly, the variegated fritillary, visit the DMV in the warmth of summer and head south to escape our chilly winters. Recently, an observant naturalist inquired about the migratory behaviors of these lovely peripatetic visitors.

Here’s the deal. Several years ago, I willingly surrendered the battle to maintain a lawn as a monoculture of exotic grasses like fescue or zoysia and as a result, floristically speaking, my yard has become quite diverse. Among the winners in the ground cover competition, particularly in shady spots and landscape beds, violets rule. With regularity, I notice significant nibbles and bites at the margins of the omnipresent violets, and upon closer inspection several glorious larvae of the variegated fritillary were found grazing on violet leaves. These tiny caterpillars were the spawn of orange and black variegated fritillaries that appear in my landscape each year, attracted by the bountiful floral resources needed for their sustenance.

In many states the variegated fritillary is a migrant, moving ever northward from its winter redoubts in the south. Much like our friends the monarchs who chase fresh patches of milkweeds as they move northward from overwintering grounds in Mexico, variegated fritillaries expand their range northward and colonize fresh crops of host plants for caterpillars and flower blossoms for adults. One has to wonder if the northern migration also helps them escape from hungry predators or stealthy parasitoids that hunt them in their overwintering grounds. Following their arrival in the DMV and well into autumn, they will be regular visitors to open sunny areas such as fields, pastures, lawns, and along the edges of roads where females consume pollen and nectar from butterfly weed, milkweed, dogbane, zinnias, cone flowers, red clover, and a variety of other plants. When they are ready to lay eggs, females seek nutritious plants such as mayapple, lamb’s ear, purslane, and violets, on which to lay eggs.

Whether munching leaves of hooded violets or petals of a pansy, variegated fritillary caterpillars find these members of the Viola clan delectable. Adults love to nectar on cone flowers in the summer and can be seen in late autumn basking in the sun among fallen leaves before heading south for the winter.

The caterpillars are gorgeous, bedecked in bright bands of orange and white. The body is festooned with stout black spines. Unlike some caterpillars we visited in previous episodes, these spines are not reported to deliver a nasty sting. In addition to consuming my volunteer violets, I have discovered several fritillary caterpillars devouring the petals of my pansies, another member of the viola clan. Variegated fritillaries will be resident and complete three generations over the course of the summer here in Maryland. In some states above the Mason-Dixon Line only two generations occur each year, and in colder reaches of the US and southern Canada, but a single annual brood is found. Here in my landscape, they are one of the last butterflies seen well into fall. As the days grow shorter and the night times chillier, the last of the variegated fritillaries will head south for warmer overwintering grounds. Those not heeding Mother Nature’s warnings face a chilly demise if they remain here in the DMV, thereby removing their foolish genes from the population of these fascinating vagabonds.

Acknowledgements

“Caterpillars of North America” by David Wagner, “A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America” by Jeffrey Glassberg, and the Maryland Biodiversity Project were used as references for this episode. Bug of the Week thanks Adreon Hubbard for providing the nice image of a variegated fritillary and providing inspiration for this story.

This post appeared first on Bug of the Week

 

 

In keeping with a Bug of the Week tradition of visiting bugs dressed in orange and black to celebrate Halloween, All-Saints Day, and Día de los Muertos, what could be creepier than meeting three terrifying assassins? In the lexicon of entomology, the term ‘true bug’ identifies a large and important order of tens of thousands of insect species known as the Hemiptera. True bugs are characterized by their sucking mouthparts and incomplete metamorphosis consisting of egg, nymph, and adult stages. Many true bugs are plant feeders, including harlequin bugs, squash bugs, stink bugs, and bed bugs we met in previous episodes, but many are fierce predators playing an important role annihilating pests of crops and ornamental plants. This week we visit three murderous members of the true bug clan in the family known as Reduviidae, or assassin bugs, that dress in the colors of the season – orange and black. Orange and black are Mother Nature’s warning colors, usually sending the signal to predators “don’t mess with me”! Like monarch butterflies and milkweed leaf beetles, maybe these assassin bugs have a nasty flavor by virtue of chemical protectants.

The first bug I bumped into was the milkweed assassin bug, owner of a diabolically clever strategy for catching its prey. Hiding in foliage with its forelegs outstretched, it awaits the approach of an unsuspecting victim. The front legs of this assassin bug are coated with sticky goo (a technical term) perfect for snaring a victim. Once captured, the prey is impaled with a hungry beak that injects proteolytic enzymes. The predigested and liquefied contents of the prey are then sucked into the digestive tract of the assassin bug with the aid of a tiny muscular pump in the assassin bug’s head. 

Nearby, in a patch of goldenrod, another snatcher of lives, the orange assassin bug, stalked its victims. I watched this stealthy assassin move slowly about a goldenrod blossom. A short while later, I saw this assassin with a small leafhopper skewered on its beak. How it was able to sneak up and stab a highly mobile and wary leafhopper is known to the assassin bug but is a mystery to me.   

Watch as a juvenile milkweed assassin bug takes a wild ride on a hibiscus plant. Note the black wing buds on its back. At the next molt, these will develop into pairs of jet-black wings as seen on this camera-shy adult. Nearby, on a goldenrod flowerhead an orange assassin bugs hunts. Soon, a hapless leafhopper meets its doom at the end of this spooky predator’s beak.

The third amigo in this triad of terror is the large assassin bug known as the wheel bug. We met wheel bugs and learned of their important role as biological control agents of the brown marmorated stink bug in previous episodes of Bug of the Week. In addition to dining on invasive pests including brown marmorated stink bugs, this generalist predator has a taste for native protein sources including several types of caterpillars. To see what I mean, watch the YouTube “Wheel bug stalks caterpillar”, the most watched video in the Bug of the Week ensemble, a short snippet of which is included in this week’s episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bfUpaaEKcQ

In autumn the female wheel bug deposits clusters of barrel-shaped wheel bug eggs on the bark of many types of trees. The following spring when prey return to pester plants, the eggs hatch into gorgeous orange nymphs. The thorax of nymphs soon changes from orange to black, but as nymphs grow and molt a reddish-orange color is retained on the abdomen. Like other assassin bugs, the business end of the wheel bug is the powerful beak, or proboscis, stored between the beast’s front legs when it is not in use. Upon spying a tasty morsel, the wheel bug cautiously approaches, embraces the prey with long front legs, and then impales the victim with its powerful beak. The wheel bug pumps strong digestive enzymes through the beak into the prey. These enzymes liquefy the body tissues of the hapless victim. A muscular pump in the head of the bug slurps the liquefied meal up through the beak. If a string of unusually warm autumn weather prevails, dash to the meadows and you may have a chance to observe one of these beautiful and deadly assassins prowling for prey on the Day of the Dead.

Tiny wheel bug nymphs enter the world orange and yellow but soon the head and thorax darken to black. An older nymph grabs an ill-fated lightening bug and prepares to drain the beetle’s blood with its impressive beak. Nefarious pests including brown marmorated stink bugs and pesky fall webworm caterpillars fall victim to this assassin and even bristly spines of a smartweed caterpillar can’t save it from this terrifying predator.

Bug of the Week wishes everyone a spooky, fun-filled, and safe Halloween week!

Acknowledgements

The informative publication “Milkweed assassin bug (suggested common name) scientific name: Zelus longipes Linnaeus (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae)” by Megha Kalsi and Dakshina R. Seal was used to prepare this episode.

This post appeared first on Bug of the Week