Mice have been running wild in Southland, New Zealand, getting to the point where it has gotten almost plauge-like in Southland. Fiordland, Te Anau, Stoney Creek and Five Rivers are the main areas that are having a serious problem with the mice population. The problem it seems is that these mice are breeding at a high pace. Gestation period for mice is only about 20 days, with 10-12 being born during optimal breeding. The reason for the high abundance of mice is that there seems to be a huge excess supply of food for the mice. It has gotten to the point where homes were catching up to 9 mice a night in their houses. Farmers are seeing hundred of mice scatter when they are scared away.
Southland is trying to control the population, however, is having trouble figuring out how. Some households say that their cats and dogs have been eating the mice, which has helped a little. However, with such a large population, it would be extremely tough to get rid of all of them, so they are focusing on limiting the food supply of the mice. However, they are finding that now Southland has a few more unwanted visitors, in weasels and rats. When the mice die off in the winter, officials are worried that these other pests will more onto the bird population. As of now, they are just urging people to do whatever they can do to get rid of these pests.
Though this widespread mouse problem is happening in New Zealand, these creatures can be infesting your home. If you would like a free inspection or more information about our rodent control services, please contact us.
Scientists at Vanderbilt and Yale University have been working a proposed “Mosquito Nose Transplant.” What they do is take the nose of a mosquito, which is the center of their antennae which is filled with nerve cells and “odor receptors” that react to different compounds and transplant them to either frog eggs or fruit flies. The scientist have done a great job, successfully transplanting most of the nose. The key to this whole operation, however, is that these mosquitoes carry malaria, the deadly disease that affects 500 million people. They transplant these cells and put them into frog eggs or fruit flies. By doing this, they are trying to combat this disease that is crippling and killing millions of people.
The two strategies have produced similar results, but are different in the set up. The process of transplanting the odor receptors to the frog eggs complex. DNA is injected into the eggs, while the odor receptors are put on the outside of the egg. The process with the frog eggs is rapid, very sensitive and you get a precise measurement. The fruit fly takes up to 3 months to engineer with the odor receptors in their antennae. However, despite the length, there are advantages to the fruit fly process. You can study compounds that don’t dissolve in water as well as detecting chemicals in the receptors rather than exciting them. The result of these studies have been encouraging. There are some compounds that will attract the mosquitoes more than humans do and also compounds that will repel the mosquitos. These developments are encouraging in the prevention of the spreading of malaria, a disease that kills millions.
The “Bronx Swamp” has finally been drained by multiple departments within New York City’s government. After nearly a decade of local residents pressuring the city to do something, they finally have. The cleanup efforts cost nearly $350,000 and required the Environmental Protection Agency to pump out about 650,000 gallons of waste water, and the city Sanitation Department removed about 60 tons of waste after the water was drained. The “Bronx Swamp” has been a breeding ground to mosquitoes, rats and diseases over the past decade. Residents are happy, and the city is trying to figure out who owns the land to get compensated for the cleanup efforts.
The Bronx Swamp is located on the abandoned railroad tracks in Mott Haven.
Alberta, one of the ten provinces in Canada, is receiving $10 million from the federal government in order to help contain the outbreak of mountain pine beetles. The beetle’s carry a fungus that causes the pine trees to turn red and eventually kills them. The province has already committed $25 million on the problem in the past year and $200 million since 2006.
According to Conservative MP Rob Merrifield, the outbreak “came in on a thermal or in the jet streams in July, which infested our forests in a way in these last 90 days that was unexpected. It has thrown urgency into … the issue of the pine beetle in Alberta, and because of that, we have to accelerate what we do to be able to deal with it.” Merrifield also explained that the outbreak is threatening Alberta’s $9 billion forest industry and the 38,000 jobs in it.
The mountain pine beetles have already harmed thousands of acres of forest in British Columbia. According to Ted Morton, minister of sustainable resource development for Alberta, “British Columbia has lost half of its marketable pine.”
As winter draws closer and closer by the day, your family won’t be the only one that will want the warm comfort of your household. Pests such as insects and rodents will want to share the warmth of your house. Mice are the most common of household pests that find their way into your house. Mice with their small frames and slippery movements can creep and crawl through the smallest of holes and cracks that are in your house (half inch). With the capability of carrying tons of different bacteria and diseases, mice are a rodent that you should be concerned about.
Prevention is the key for keeping these uninvited guests out of your house and in the wild. Make sure you inspect your house occasionally for any open vents, open crawl space doors, and any type of small cracks or holes near the bottom of your outdoor siding. This will keep out most of the bigger rodents out, but this wont be the only type of pest that will try and enter your home. Insects will try and get in as well, any cracks in your house’s siding is a great place for flying insects such as ladybugs, to try and nest and hibernate during the winter months. Keep brush and logs away, these are great spots for animals to find refuge from colder days. Bugs such as the Western Conifer Seed bug (stink bug) love this type of habitat and they will find a way into your house if you do not prevent such un-natural habitats near your home.
Again, rodents and insects are pests that you need to keep out of your home to prevent unsanitary conditions as well as damage to your home. Rodents will leave droppings all around your home, finding their way near children, pets, and can even find their way into your food supply. Take the necessary precautions to avoid pests problems during the winter season and you will find your self having quite a pleasant winter session. Please contact us for a free inspection of your home.
In Morris County, New Jersey they have taken these facts and have put together a project that would help prevent above normal mosquito population. For the past ten years the county has put together a task force that has workers going into the wooded areas of the county and collecting old vehicle tires that have been dumped. Morris County states that they have recovered just about 52,000 tires since the program started 8 years ago. The state Department of Environmental Protection states that not only does it reduce the amount of mosquitoes that can populate different areas, it is also a huge environmentally friendly project. With every tire that is picked up it helps the environment as well as creating a credible recycling source of rubber. The rubber recovered is chopped up and recycled into things such as playgrounds, rubber footing rings for horseback riding, as well as landscaping. As a prevention project, Morris County officials say that the cleaning up of dumped tires will help prevent an “inborn” West Nile virus. Officials state that with the junk tires becoming few in numbers it means that they are getting rid of any lingering mosquitoes that can carry the West Nile virus, stating that most cases of the virus have been totally transient.
Mosquito populations can be prevented by a good percentage with the right prevention steps and tactics. Our Vector Intervention Program targets Mosquitoes, Rodents and Ticks. Please contact us if you are interested in a free inspection.
A dead bird tested positive for West Nile Virus today in Hall Count, Nebraska. This is the first case of West Nile the county has seen. Spraying has been conducted to cut down mosquito populations in the area.
West Nile originates in birds, then, mosquitoes feed on these dead animals, transmitting the virus to the mosquito. Then when a mosquito feeds of a human, they can transmit the virus.
Today a town in China was sealed off due to reports to the pneumonic plague. Three people died. The health department urged people that recent visitors who developed small coughs to be hospitalized.
This plague is spread by rats, fleas and by coughs. The town is being disinfected, and the pests are being controlled in order to eradicate this plague.
The World Health Organization said that this plague is one of the most deadly in the world.
A group of doctors from around the country will come together to discuss the treatment methods involved with Lyme disease. Lyme disease is commonly found in deer ticks, which are prevalent in the northeast of the county. Some doctors say its a short fix, other say its a long hard battle. We will let you know the outcome..
The front page of the Wall Street Journal today featured an article written by Gwendolyn Bounds about using natural pesticides to control pest activity around your home.
The use of natural products to control pests is not new. Garlic based sprays have been used for many years to control outdoor pests such as mosquitoes. The author of this, reported on the products she used to control pests on her property. Garden pests can cause a lot of damage to your plants, therefore controlling them is imperative.
Many companies that manufacture over the counter pest control products are trying to release new green products. There are a few problems with launching these new products, the most popular being consumer acceptance. Bounds’ makes a great point from the consumer’s view.
“…consumers say we want (natural products) and what we really want (dead bugs, now!).”
Another interesting side was that the side effects of pesticide to not even come close to the effects of Lyme disease and West Nile like virus.
“…pests can transmit illnesses such as West Nile virus and Lyme disease that can be more harmful than some potential side effects from pesticides. S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., for instance, launched a Raid “Earth Options” product in 2006, then discontinued it the next year due to low consumer acceptance.”
Spectrum Brands Inc. said that they released a mosquito repellent without DEET, and it did not sell well.
“Over the years, the EPA has banned some insecticides considered too risky from use in the home market, such as diazinon and chlorpyrifos. It also now maintains a list of active ingredients used in what it dubs “minimum risk” pesticides. “It’s a pretty good bet it’s a safe product if it’s on that list,” says John Kepner with Beyond Pesticides, a not-for-profit group based in Washington, D.C.”
In conjunction with all natural products, it should be known that some pests, such as ladybugs, can be used to control harmful pests such as aphids in your garden.
The author mentions in the article that she could not find an all-natural method to control carpenter ants.
JP McHale is constantly exploring new environmentally friendly products, also taking into account the effectiveness of them. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates pesticide products, and the way they are applied. Please contact us so we can create a custom home pest prevention program to protect your family and home from pests.
The original Wall Street Journal article can be read here.
Mice have been running wild in Southland, New Zealand, getting to the point where it has gotten almost plauge-like in Southland. Fiordland, Te Anau, Stoney Creek and Five Rivers are the main areas that are having a serious problem with the mice population. The problem it seems is that these mice are breeding at a high pace. Gestation period for mice is only about 20 days, with 10-12 being born during optimal breeding. The reason for the high abundance of mice is that there seems to be a huge excess supply of food for the mice. It has gotten to the point where homes were catching up to 9 mice a night in their houses. Farmers are seeing hundred of mice scatter when they are scared away.
Alberta, one of the ten provinces in Canada, is receiving $10 million from the federal government in order to help contain the outbreak of mountain pine beetles. The beetle’s carry a fungus that causes the pine trees to turn red and eventually kills them. The province has already committed $25 million on the problem in the past year and $200 million since 2006.
A dead bird tested positive for West Nile Virus today in Hall Count, Nebraska. This is the first case of West Nile the county has seen. Spraying has been conducted to cut down mosquito populations in the area.
Today a town in China was sealed off due to reports to the pneumonic plague. Three people died. The health department urged people that recent visitors who developed small coughs to be hospitalized.
The front page of the Wall Street Journal today featured an article written by Gwendolyn Bounds about using natural pesticides to control pest activity around your home.
