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Here 12 Case Studies contain strategies and techniques for effective pest-control solutions.They are selected “from-the-field” structural pest management case studies and IPM strategies that have proven to be effective solutions. Because each pest management situation is unique, the suggested techniques are not the only means of dealing with the problem. Service technicians ore encouraged to consult with their company technical director or supervisor before performing any pest control treatment. Case Study #1 A large food preparation facility experienced a chronic infestation of German cockroaches. In doing a thorough crack and crevice treatment, the ser vice technician suspected that resistance to the pesticide was the problem. The facility, which was very clean, had four foot ceramic tile walls, a finished concrete floor with several floor drains, and water hoses positioned throughout the food preparation area. 92 A thorough inspection of the account is essential. A night time visit to the facility revealed that the majority of cockroaches were exiting harborages around the drop ceiling. Discussions with the facility manager revealed that the kitchen area was washed with high-pressure hoses every day. An evening service was performed. Accessible cockroaches were removed by vacuuming. Cracks and crevices around the ceiling and other harborage areas were treated with a microencapsulated insecticide, and the facility man ager was instructed not to hose down the facility for at least three days. The void area above the drop ceiling was treated with an aerosol pyrethrin formulation (flushing agent). Most of the cracks and crevices were sealed with caulking materials, thereby reducing the number of harborage sites available to cockroaches. Case Study #2 On a worm winter day, a homeowner complained about a long line of tiny “bugs” trailing down the wall from the corner of the window and that they left a red spot when crushed. The “bugs” were identified as clover mites. These tiny mites entered the exterior wall void of the house early in the fall to overwinter. The warm winter day was a sufficient cause to stimulate them to come out of hibernation, and they began migrating out of their resting areas. To avoid stains on the walls, carpets, and fabric items, the clover mites were removed by vacuuming. Exterior wall voids around the window and door frames and wall outlets were dusted with an insecticide and the gaps sealed. It was recommended that the homeowner trim the grass back several inches from the base of the foundation the following spring and that all exterior openings around doors, windows, pipes, wires, siding, etc. be tightly sealed. In late summer, a microencapsulated formulation was applied three feet up the foundation, around doors and windows, and in a band at least ten feet out from the foundation. 93 Dusts played an important part in this case study’s IPM-based program. Case Study #3 A townhouse owner complained about hundreds of small jumping “bugs” in a downstairs bathroom. There was no previous occurrence of the problem in the five years they lived there. The “bugs” were identified as springtails. Upon further discussion with the homeowner, it was revealed that the property landscaper had spread mulch around all the town homes just a few days prior to the homeowner discovery of the springtails in the bathroom. The homeowner was instructed to eliminate all moisture in the bathroom. The mulch was raked bock and the soil, and the base of the foundation wall were treated with a microencapsulated insecticide. The mulch was replaced but thinned to no more than a one inch depth. Exterior areas around windows, doors and other wall penetrations were treated with a microencapsulated insecticide. Case Study #4 Apartment occupants complained about a continuous Norway rat and mouse problem in their building. Traps, bait, and tracking powder previously had been used to kill the rodents. During the last inspection of the apartments there was no evidence of a continuing infestation. Although no rots or mice were seen by the residents, they heard them scratching around in the enclosed ceiling over the kitchen and bathroom. Further investigation revealed that the area where the sounds were heard housed the vents for the stove and the bathroom exhaust fans. The fans’ exhaust ducts were vented to the outside of the building. An outside inspection revealed that sparrows were nesting in almost every exterior vent. The birds and their nests were removed from the vents, and the nesting area inside the vent was treated with a residual insecticide to kill any bird mites and other pests associated with the nests. The vents were screened with ¼ inch hard ware cloth. Bird infestations can b both a nuisance and a potential health risk in an account. Case Study #5 Four employees working in on centrally-located office within a warehouse suddenly began to experience “bites” on their exposed arms and legs. A thorough inspection of the office and warehouse failed to detect any pest problem. Since the problem was common to all four employees, they were asked about any changes in the office setting, such as new carpet, furniture, copiers, paper products, etc. They reported that they recently had run out of new invoice forms so retrieved some old carbonless paper invoices from the warehouse which they then began to use. The use of the old carbonless forms coincided with the onset of the bites. The carbonless paper forms were replaced with new invoices and the bites disappeared. Note: carbonless paper and tractor feed forms frequently cause skin irritations in office workers. Case Study #6 Homeowners had thousands of minute flies appearing around the windows in the basement of their two-story home. The flies were vacuumed daily, but massive numbers continued to recur. The flies were identified as members of the family sphaeroceridae, small flies similar to phorids. Both types of flies breed in decaying organic materials such as raw sewage. A pest control company applied an aerosol insecticide and managed to kill that day’s adult population which was immediately replaced the following day. The homeowner attempted to seal the perimeter expansion joint in the basement floor, but very little of the crack was ex posed and the sealing was inconsequential. All the drain traps in the house were holding water and there was no detectable sewer odor. The homeowners contacted a plumbing company which placed a small camera into the sewer lines under the slab. This revealed that the entire kitchen caste iron waste line had deteriorated, and that raw waste leaked under the slab. Upon breaking up the slab, the raw sewage was writhing with millions of fly maggots. To make matters worse, the sub-slab soil had settled, and the sewage had spread some distance from the kitchen waste line. Pesticide treatment was not necessary. All the contaminated soil was removed, the drain line replaced with PVC, clean fill added, and the floor repaired. Case Study #7 Approximately 10 years ago in central Florida, a pest control operator found some German cockroaches exhibiting unusual behavior. The population was living outdoors, they could fly, and they were attracted to light. Entomologists at the USDA and the University of Florida were contacted, and, upon investigation, discovered that the Asian cock roach, a species identical in appearance to the German cockroach, had been introduced into the United States. 96-0 The application of granular bait was aced to control the cockroach infestation facing the technician. The Asian cockroach is most easily distinguished from the structural dwelling German cockroach by its behavioral characteristics. In contrast to German cockroaches, Asian cockroaches live outdoors; are attached to light; and fly. The control measures implemented by the technician included exclusion by sealing up exterior entry points around windows and doors, particularly where there was exterior lighting or interior lighting visible at night. Exterior lights using incandescent or mercury vapor bulbs were changed to yellow bug lights and sodium vapor bulbs, and lights were located away from the structure. Populations around structures were baited with a granular scatter bait. Case Study #8 In late fall, a homeowner found swarming ants in the house. The swarming activity occurred in one corner of a family room addition which was slab on grade construction. The family room was adjacent to the crawlspace under the main house. The homeowner at tempted to spray and bait the ants but was unsuccessful. Their point of entry was never located. 96-1 Crawl spaces present technicians with a host of potential pest harborage and entry locations. Upon inspection by the technician, the ants were identified as large yellow (moisture) ants. No activity was found around the exterior of the house. The crawlspace was accessible, somewhat damp, and insulation baits were stapled between the floor joists. There was no apparent evidence of ant activity, so some of the insulation was removed near the corner of the family room where swarmers were found. This exposed the colony which contained thousands of ants. The ants were in the insulation and the space between the insulation, joists, and subfloor. The ants and nesting site were treated with an aerosol residual insecticide, and the infested insulation was replaced. Case Study #9 A homeowner had a chronic infestation of Indian meal moths. Several infested food products were located and destroyed, a residual crock and crevice pesticide was applied, and an aerosol application was made. After treatment, the problem continued; after several months, pheromone traps were installed to monitor the situation. A few moths were collected each week until the onset of warm weather at which time there was a significant in crease in the trap catch. During an inspection of the attic nesting material, seeds, crackers and other infestible items were found, apparently brought in through torn screens in the gable vents by nesting sparrows. The attic was monitored using pheromone traps, and a significantly greater number of moths were trapped. The nesting material and contaminated insulation were removed, the gable vent screens were repaired, and a residual insecticide was applied. In addition, the areas around ceiling vents and light fixtures were sealed to prevent moths from entering the living space of the house, particularly around the light fixtures. Case Study #10 Purchasers of a new home observed holes about the diameter of a pencil in the family room wall as well as an occasional large flying insect with a long tail on the wall. When the insect was finally collected by the homeowners, it was identified as a horntail wasp. It was explained to the homeowners that these wasps occasionally emerge from wooden studs as much as a year or two after construction is completed. The homeowners were reassured that these insects do not re-infest, and thus, no treatment was performed. The holes were patched by the builder and the problem resolved. Case Study #11 A homeowner, who was deathly afraid of spiders, complained of a chronic problem with web building spiders primarily on the exterior of the home. The initial treatment consisted of dusting the webs with a residual insecticide. Approximately one week following treatment, the remaining spiders and webs were vacuumed. The homeowner was advised that spiders build their webs near exterior lighting and windows illuminated by indoor lights because this is where flying insects attracted to the lights. Exterior lights using incandescent or mercury vapor bulbs were changed to yellow bug lights and sodium vapor bulbs, and lights were located away from the structure. Case Study #12 Termite swarmers reoccurred for five years, even after repeated treatments with liquid termiticides. The swarmers consistently emerged along the back wall particularly around the rear door frame and a boy window in the kitchen. An inspection was made in the basement along the band board under the area of activity. While the band board was heavily dam aged, there were no live termites. Closer inspection of the siding immediately adjacent to the brick patio which abutted the back of the house for twenty feet in the area of infestation revealed that there was foam insulation running behind the brick and the concrete slab underneath. Three courses of brick were removed, and the foam insulation behind the brick was exposed. As the insulation was removed, thousand of worker termites were observed to be feeding on the exterior surface of the band board. The insulation extended down behind the concrete slab under the brick. All of the insulation was re moved, and the exposed gap and band board were saturated with a termiticide. It was recommended that an asphalt-based expansion material be used prior to replacing the brick and that the brick patio be sealed on a regular basis to prevent water absorption.Prev: |