Beetles are the largest group of insects belonging to the order ‘Coleoptera’ which means ‘sheathed wings’. They can be found nearly in all climates and latitudes except in extreme environment as those in the polar region. About 40% of all insect species are beetles while most of them are undiscovered.

The majority of beetles feed on a variety of plants. They may feed on leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and roots. Any part of the plant is food to them. They also feed on stored crops and grains. These pest attack on furniture and items made of wood. Hence they are considered as pests causing damage to our plants in fields, yards, gardens, storage areas etc.

The most destructive species of beetles are:

1. Carpet Beetles: feeds on plant matter with high proteins.
2. Drugstore Beetles: feeds on stored grains, seeds, flour, spices, books, leather, and drugs.
3. Grain Beetles: feeds on grains, cereal, seeds, dried fruit, and food with higher oil content.
4. Ground Beetles: certain ground beetle species feeds on seeds and pollen of plants.
5. Plaster Beetles: sometimes feeds on stored food products.
6. Powder Post Beetles: feeds on starch, sugar, and protein from sapwood, prefers wood with high moisture content.
7. Spider Beetles: feeds on almonds, beans, cereals, chocolate powders, cornmeal, dates, dried fruits, mushrooms, dried soups, flour, ginger, corn, nutmeg, older woods, rye bread, seeds, etc.
8. Warehouse Beetles: feeds on nectars and pollens and also cereals, seeds, cornmeal, dried pet food, spices, pasta noodles, cookies, candy, and milk powder.
9. Wood Infesting Beetles: feeds on wood-containing moisture and sugar.
10. Mountain Pine Beetles: feeds on mature or weakened lodgepole pine.

Let us look at the below evidence that shows how beetles are destroying our plants and trees:

• Beetle spreads worry among Ventura County farmers
  By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, vcstar.com, 15 January 2016, California, US

Known as the polyphagous shot hole borer, the pest is a beetle that targets at least 38 types of trees, including avocados. It carries a fungus that interrupts the transportation of water and nutrients within the trees, leading to branch dieback and ultimately death.

The conservancy manages about 2,300 acres of land that is home to tens of thousands of oak trees.

Rick Bisaccia, stewardship director and lands manager for the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, said “Live oaks are probably the most predominant trees on our land,” he said. “If all of a sudden the oaks were to die and disappear out of there it would be a real, tragic loss.”

• N.Y. Wants Help Fighting Southern Pine Beetle
  By Kevin Lessmiller, 7 January 2016, Courthouse News Service, New York, US

(CN) – New York’s natural resources division said Thursday that it is taking bids for timber harvesters to help combat an invasive species of beetles.

Tree-cutting operations began as part of the response plan, resulting in nearly 2,500 infested trees being chopped down, according to the agency. However, its efforts have not been enough. DEC says there are still forested areas threatened by the southern pine beetle.

“By thinning a portion of this forest, which represents one of DEC’s largest land holdings in the Pine Barrens region, we are potentially saving thousands of trees from this invasive insect,” Seggos said in a statement.

The southern pine beetle is native to southern areas of the United States, but the species has spread north and west. It attacks all types of pine trees, and about 1,000 acres of pine forests in New Jersey have been destroyed by the beetle each year since 2001, according to DEC.

• Tel Aviv fears invasive beetle infestation that causes trees to collapse
  22 December 2015, The Jerusalem Post, Tel Aviv, Israel

Due to heightening fears that the ongoing spread of red palm weevil infestations will lead to spontaneous tree collapses around the city, the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality is demanding that private homeowners take certain measures to handle infected palms on their property.

The municipality announced that if property owners fail to treat their trees within 14 days, they will be subject to a NIS 730 fine. About 270,940 trees of all types grow in Tel Aviv, of which about 160,940 are found in public spaces, according to city data. Stressing the importance of urban plant growth to residential quality of life, as well as the millions of shekels invested in their preservation, the city urged residents to be proactive and protect the palm trees from the red palm weevil’s clutches.

• Pine bark beetles infest trees on the Palos Verdes Peninsula
  By Priscella Vega, 19 December 2015, Daily Breeze, California, US

Rolling Hills Estates in Peninsula removed more pine trees than any other species compared to past years, according to Andy Clark, community services director. The city held a special Parks and Activities meeting last week to address recent attacks on trees and hear Dudikoff’s concerns of bark beetles spreading to his area.

In Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills, infected trees haven’t been a major concern. Residents typically remove infected trees to prevent beetles from spreading while Rancho Palos Verdes residents are concerned about dead trees falling over.

• Oro-Medonte battles beetle
  By Frank Matys, 18 December, 2015, Ontario, Canada

Oro-Medonte is tackling an infestation of emerald ash borer, a bug responsible for the devastation of millions of trees in Ontario.

However, targeting an area of the township populated with ash trees will not halt the beetle’s march through the municipality, an official says.

“It certainly will spread,” said Jerry Ball, director of transportation and environmental services.

“Once a tree dies, you stand the risk of it blowing down across a road or taking out hydro lines or falling down on private property, maybe on a house or whatever,” Ball said.

Let us look at the statistics that shows the increasing beetle infestation:

• The U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service
  The annual aerial forest health survey in Colorado, 2015

A spruce beetle outbreak was detected on 485,000 acres in 2014, compared to 398,000 acres across the state in 2013. The epidemic expanded to 253,000 new acres, as compared to 216,000 new acres in 2013. The spruce beetle epidemic is expanding most rapidly in southwestern Colorado’s forests, and the total area affected by this beetle since 1996 has increased to almost 1.4 million acres statewide.

Approximately 3.4 million acres in Colorado have been affected by mountain pine beetle since the first signs of the outbreak in 1996.

• The British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations
  Sustainable Forest Management, Facts and Statistics 2013

Since 2002, an unprecedented infestation of mountain pine beetle in British Columbia has significantly threatened Alberta’s pine forests. The British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations projected that 57% of the province‘s merchantable pine forests could be killed by 2016.

• Below image shows increasing mountain pine beetle infestation in Canada, US region in the year 2013:

 

• Farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of blister beetles, Hycleus spp. (Coleoptera: Meloidae), as pest herbivores of Desmodium legumes in western Kenya
  International Journal of Pest Management, 2012

The highest number of farmers reported blister beetles as pests of desmodium (63%) and beans (58%), followed by sweet potato (51%).

Insecticides and pesticides are designed to kill pests. Because of their mode of action is not specific to one species, they often kill or harm organisms other than pests, including humans. Also the majority beetle species are directly important to the environment. For example, several beetle species are predators on other harmful pests; others are decomposers of organic matter. Here is the evidence that shows adverse effect of pesticides:

• New evidence of damage caused to bees by pesticide use, researchers claim
  By wmnpbowern, January 05, 2016, Western Morning News, England

Scientists at Sussex University claim new research shows the impact on bees of neonicotinoid pesticides is even greater than originally feared.

The researchers, at Sussex University, say they have discovered that bees are exposed to a chemical cocktail when feeding on wildflowers growing next to neonicotinoid-treated crops in UK cropland.

C Tech Corporation can offer a solution to overcome the damage caused by beetles and other insects to our plants, trees, and crops. Termirepel™ is an ideal solution for the prevention of damage caused by insects. Termirepel™ is the non-toxic and non-hazardous anti termite and anti insect additive. Although it is non-hazardous anti termite it is effective on insects like beetles, grasshopper, worms, bedbugs etc. It is cost effective and cost efficient, inert, stable upto 1400 deg C temperature and long lasting.

Termirepel™ is manufactured with a unique set of complex compounds. It is available in the form of polymer masterbatches which can be incorporated in agricultural films, mulches, etc during processing. Termirepel™ can also be incorporated in silage bags and packaging films to protect the crops in post-harvest stage from pest damage.

Yellow crazy ants fit the stereotype of a rapacious marauding invader. The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) is a species of ant, introduced accidentally to northern Australia and Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, which has wreaked ecological damage in both locations. It is colloquially called “crazy” because of its erratic movements when disturbed, with its long legs and antennae making it one of the largest invasive ant species in the world. This is a “tramp ant”, a species that easily becomes established and dominant in a new habitat due to traits such as aggression toward other ant species, little aggression toward members of its own species, efficient recruitment, and large colony size. It is on a list of “One Hundred of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species” formulated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has invaded ecosystems from Hawaii to Seychelles, and formed supercolonies on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

The yellow crazy ants are widespread across the tropics, and populations are especially dense in the Pacific region. The yellow crazy ant’s natural habitat is not known, but it has been speculated that the species originated in West Africa. It has been introduced into a wide range of tropical and subtropical environments including Caribbean islands, some Indian Ocean islands and some Pacific islands. The species has been known to occupy agricultural systems such as cinnamon, citrus, coffee and coconut plantations. Because the ant has generalized nesting habits, they are able to disperse via trucks, boats and other forms of human transport.

Yellow crazy ants demonstrate the power of numbers and the benefits of social cooperation. They are able to dominate large areas by forming super-colonies with multiple nests and multiple queens. The largest have up to 300 queens and extend over several hundred hectares. They spread by budding. A mated queen leaves her birth nest with some workers and sets up a new nest nearby. The boundary of a super-colony can advance approximately by 3 meter a day.

Also what is interesting here is that crazy ants have the ability to form multi-queened “super colonies”, where rather than fight each other, the offspring of different queens cooperate to form infestations. There can be several thousand ants per square metre of forest floor in these super colonies, but at any one time there are just as many ants foraging in the treetops.

A survey on Christmas Island one of the worst affected regions yielded an average spreading speed of three meters a day, the equivalent of one kilometer a year.

The species is most infamous for causing the ecological “meltdown” of Christmas Island. On Christmas Island, yellow crazy ants have reached densities of more than 2,000 ants per square metre—the highest density of foraging ants ever recorded. The ants have had a dramatic impact on the ecosystem and are linked to population declines in some species of crab, bird and plant. Yellow crazy ant impacts are varied, depending on their density and on the invaded ecosystem.

They like to think of themselves as literally being the “queens of their castles”. Crazy ants are highly aggressive to other ants. Only two of 40 ants on Christmas Island are able to coexist with yellow crazy ants. In Hawaii, yellow crazy ants aggressively defend flowers from other nectar-eaters. Their large-scale removal of insects deprives other insect-eaters, such as lizards and birds, of food. Monopolization was noted at a site near Cairns.

They cause a huge amount of damage to the biodiversity as well as to the agriculture in the areas they attack. Yellow crazy ant’s farm sap-sucking bugs for their honeydew and protect them from predators. The build-up in bugs and sugar encourages the growth of sooty mould, which can severely compromise tree health and is sometimes fatal.

Yellow crazy ants also cause agricultural damage. They have killed young chickens and pigs. They reduce yields of coffee, coconut and sugarcane crops by nesting at the base of these plants and exposing the roots to disease, and promote sooty mould disease in fruit trees. On one of the Seychelles islands, the abundance of a sap-sucking insect associated with sooty mould on citrus and cinnamon increased up to 100-fold in the presence of yellow crazy ants, and up to 90 percent of leaves were infected.

They are also known to spray formic acid which may cause burning and irritate the skin and eyes of animals and potentially humans.

Let us look at the following news article:

Federal Government gives $2m to fight yellow crazy ants south of Cairns

• Liam Parsons
• The Cairns Post
• November 11, 2013 6:14AM

RURAL MENACE: The Yellow Crazy ant, or Anoplolepsis Gracilipes.

THE war against one of the world’s most invasive pests has been given a boost after the Federal Government announced $2 million to fight yellow crazy ants south of Cairns.

The pests are about the size of green ants and spray a substance that irritates the skin and can cause temporary blindness to humans and animals.

Known for their frantic movements when disturbed, yellow crazy ants are entrenched at properties around Edmonton, south of Cairns.

But there are fears the infestation could spread to the neighboring Wet Tropics rainforests, causing severe damage to the World Heritage-listed region and local wildlife.

Wet Tropics Management Authority executive director Andrew Maclean said the ants would disturb fragile ecosystems while threatening young birds and even cassowaries.

“They’re quite aggressive,” he said.

“We would also be worried about the effect they would have on the invertebrate population, which plays an important part in the ecology.”

Mr. Maclean said recent surveys indicated the ants were confined to Edmonton, allowing the authorities to stamp them out before they spread.

“Once they’re established in a forest, the prospect of getting rid of them is pretty slim,” he said.

“It’s important you jump on these populations. We think it’s not too late to completely eradicate them.”

The money will go towards a five-year eradication program involving baits, research funding and public education and awareness programs.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter welcomed the funding and called for residents to identify and report the ants.

The funding, under the Federal Government’s Caring for Our Country grants program, comes 12 months after the State Government and Biosecurity Queensland stopped its eradication program.

Thus we can see that these pests are causing us a lot of grief and control measures are extremely costly.

In 2007, the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) claimed it had undertaken the world’s most successful eradication of the exotic invertebrate species, Yellow Crazy Ant, in the Northern Territory of Australia. However, the need for control programs for these ants is a pressing one. We at C-Tech Corporation can provide a solution to this grave problem.

However, the need for control programs for these ants is a pressing one. We at C Tech Corporation can provide a solution to this grave problem. Termirepel™ a product by C Tech Corporation is an effective non-toxic, non-hazardous insect aversive. It works by the mechanism of repellence by which it aims at repelling the target species away from the end application. Termirepel™ can be incorporated in agricultural films during processing which can then be used to protect crops against the onslaught of these vicious ants. Termirepel™ can also be sprayed on the plants to protect them from these crazy ants.

A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than    6 mm in length and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae . There are more species in this family than in any other beetle group. Scientists estimate that there are over 1,000 species of Curculionidae in North America. Weevils are generally divided into two major divisions, the Orthoceri or primitive weevils, and the Gonatoceri or true weevils. Weevil species occur in a wide range of colors and body shapes. Many are slender or oval-shaped insects. Depending on the species, weevils range in size from about 3 mm to over 10 mm in length. They are usually dark-colored—brownish to black. Some have scales or shiny hairs covering part of their bodies. The most distinctive feature of weevils is the shape of their head. An adult weevil has an elongated head that forms a snout. The mouth is at the end of the snout. Some weevils have a snout that is as long as the body.

Most of the weevils are destructive to crops and are categorized as agricultural pests. They feed on crops as larvae as well as adults. Most weevils are found in fields, gardens or orchards. They can be very destructive, and their damage is often very expensive. For many years, one of the most destructive weevils was the cotton boll weevil. The black vine weevil, is found in many parts of the United States. It feeds on a variety of plants, including hemlocks and rhododendrons.

A few weevils attack stored grains and seeds. Weevils are often found in dry foods including nuts and seeds, cereal and grain products, such as pancake mix. In the domestic setting, they are most likely to be observed when a bag of flour is opened. Their presence is often indicated by the granules of the infested item sticking together in strings, as if caught in a cobweb. The most common stored product weevils are the rice weevil, the granary weevil, and the cowpea weevil. Sometimes plant-feeding weevils invade homes for shelter from the weather. Occasionally people accidentally bring seed-feeding weevils into the kitchen.

Banana weevil is the most important pest of banana plantations. The banana weevil (C. sordidus) is known from virtually all banana-growing countries of the world, including the New World, Afrotropics, Oriental and Australasian regions. According to a study conducted by cirad  banana plots are colonized from already infested neighboring plots or from reservoirs, such as semi-natural wild banana stands. Plot organization within an agricultural landscape thus plays an important role in the spread of weevils, as does the position of the various elements within plots – banana plants, harvest residues, cover crops, pheromone traps, etc. It is its larvae that damage banana plants, by boring galleries in the bulb, which prevent the plant from taking up sufficient nutrients and sometimes cause it to fall.

Substantial losses can result if this pest is not controlled. Although it will attack all parts of banana suckers and established plants, it prefers decaying banana corm material. Spent stems (cut or left standing), residual corms left after the stem has been cut, underground stubs of corm tissue left after de-suckering, uprooted suckers or stems, and any corm tissues that are large enough to dry slowly are good targets for banana root borer attack. Dispersal within a banana field occurs when adult weevils walk from plant to plant or when infested plants containing eggs and larvae are moved. Dispersal between distant fields undoubtedly is caused by the transportation of infested planting material. The injury is caused by grubs (larvae), which tunnel through the corms. Tunnels which are circular in cross section become wider as the grub grows and are filled with dark-colored debris. Extensive feeding damage by grubs results in root destruction, slowed plant growth, reduced fruit production, and, sometimes, toppled plants. The tunneling by the grubs makes the corms susceptible to invasion by secondary decay organisms. Reduced production and growth of suckers occur when parent plants are heavily damaged. Affected sucker plants can be recognized by their dull, yellowish-green withered leaves. Relatively little damage is caused by adults feeding on plant tissues.

The damage caused by the banana weevil is demonstrated by this article published recently in The Hindu:

NATIONAL » TAMIL NADU

NAGERCOIL, September 8, 2013

Updated: September 8, 2013 10:24 IST

Stem borer a nightmare for banana farmers

1. KOLAPPAN

 The entry of banana weevil, a common pest, in tribal areas across the Petchiparai dam has become a cause of concern for both farmers and officials of the horticulture department as these areas had once been totally free from the pest.

  ‘Nenthiran’ and red bananas planted in these areas have become its victims. “Commonly known as stem borer, the pest could wreak havoc on banana crop and contribute to drastic decline in banana cultivable area.” said Surendran Joseph, Assistant Director, Horticultural Department in Kanyakumari district, who identified the pests during a field visit.

Mr Joseph said when he received complaints of banana stems bending over and collapsing at Thatchamalai during the flowering stage, he was under the impression it could be due to some fungus attack.

“Even last year there was no incidence of this pest. But now I am surprised to find that it is the handiwork of the stem borer,” he said. Even though the problem was prevalent in Kanyakumari district, particularly in Vilavancode taluk, the borer could not make a foray into tribal areas all these years.

He felt the weevil, which could reach 10-16mm length with a hard-shelled and curved snout, could have invaded the area along with banana suckers brought from outside for planting.

The damage is caused by the grub (larva of the weevil), which makes tunnels as it feeds on the corm and root stock. The tunnels encourage fungal infection, ultimately reducing it into a black mass of rotten tissues. This hinders root initiation and sap flow to the plants.

“The infection will result in yellowing of leaves and withering; particularly, young suckers show symptoms of wilting. In older plants, growth is retarded. In case of severe infection, plants produce small bunches and are easily blown over by wind,” he explained.

Mr Joseph said the pest could be controlled through crop rotation, drip irrigation, selection of healthy planting material and keeping the garden clean from weeds and crop debris. “Uproot the infested plant, chop it into pieces and burn them. Removal of pseudo stem below the ground level,” he said, and advised farmers to avoid planting susceptible varieties such as robusta and red banana

He said if the planting material is suspected of being infested, the suckers should be trimmed on all sides so as to eradicate the presence of eggs and grubs.

The above incident strikes a chord close to home. India being a country majorly dominated by agriculture as a source of livelihood, the crops need to be protected from vicious insects like weevils and bedbugs.

Conventional pesticides used have numerous environmental consequences. The use of toxic pesticides means exposing our pristine soil to the evils of degeneration, degradation of soil quality, groundwater pollution, etc. A better way is to use non-conventional products. Unconventional products like Termirepel™ a product of C Tech Corporation are the best for this job. Termirepel™ can be best described as a non-toxic, non-hazardous termite aversive. It is effective against a multitude of other insects and pests like weevils, beetles, etc. It works on the mechanism of repellence and therefore does not kill the target as well as non-target species. Being non-toxic, it does not harm the soil and environment.

 

 

 

 

Cimex lectularius is commonly known as ‘Bedbug’. Bedbugs feed only on animal’s or human’s blood. They do not cause any disease but their saliva contains biologically and enzymatically active proteins that may cause a progressive, visibly detectable skin reaction to repeated bites. Scratching on the bites may cause secondary skin infection that can lead to swelling or burning. People may experience insomnia worrying that they will be bitten again. Those who are allergic to bedbugs’ bite can suffer difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, fever, swollen tongue, etc.

Sometimes it takes a few days to notice bedbug’s bite that is why they go unnoticed for several days in the infested area. Hence one should look for blood stains, dark and rusty spots of bedbug excrement, fecal spots for the bedbug infestation. They can enter your home through your luggage, clothing, and used furniture. Bedbugs generally hide in places where people rest most of their time like mattress, bed frame, pillows, cushions, couch, box spring, bed skirts, headboard, curtains, tiny cracks, crevices, etc. They can be found everywhere despite the cleanliness. Places like hotels, business offices, military barracks, homeless shelter, college dorms, apartments, complexes, theaters, trains, buses, etc. are commonly have bedbugs.

According to The National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, nearly all U.S. pest professionals have treated bed bugs in the past year

Nearly all (99.6 percent) pest professionals have treated bed bugs in the past year, unchanged from 2013, but higher compared to five, 10 and 15 years ago.

The top three places where pest professionals report finding bed bugs are apartments/condominiums (95 percent) and single-family homes (93 percent) and hotels/motels (75 percent). Past surveys have shown these environments to consistently be the top three where bed bugs have been encountered.

However, bed bugs are also found seemingly everywhere else and in higher numbers, such as nursing homes, college dorms, offices, schools and daycare centers, hospitals, public transportation, and others:

Nursing homes – 58 percent (46 percent in 2013)

Office buildings – 45 percent (36 percent in 2013)

Schools and day care centers – 43 percent (41 percent in 2013)

Hospitals – 36 percent (33 percent in 2013)

Doctor’s offices/outpatient facilities – 33 percent (26 percent in 2013)

Transportation (train/bus/taxi) – 29 percent (21 percent in 2013)

Retail stores – 20 percent (15 percent in 2013)

Movie theaters – 16 percent (10 percent in 2013)

In addition to the environments above, pest professionals also report finding bed bugs in some very unusual places, results which illustrate how problematic this pest really is: A prosthetic leg; in a casket with a deceased body; vent above the bathtub; dance club; 911 Call center; and in a tow boat on the Ohio River.

Here are some incidences that show how bedbug infestation is an emerging problem:

• SHA’s Baltimore HQ battles bedbugs — again
  By Rick Massimo, January 1, 2016, Washington’s Top News, Washington

WASHINGTON — The Baltimore headquarters of the Maryland State Highway Administration is battling bedbugs for the second time in the past couple of weeks, and the 10th time since 2014.
SHA spokesman Dave Buck tells The Baltimore Sun that each finding of bedbugs is a separate incident, and that the repeated sightings aren’t a sign of a single invasion that’s been neglected.

• Bed bugs biting Robeson residents
  December 28th, 2015, The Robesonian, Pennsylvania

Emergency Medical Services and Lumberton police have alerted that the issues they have been having with people and clothing infested with bed bugs. In the case of the ambulances, this results in those units being removed from operation until they have been thoroughly cleaned.

• Bed bug infestation causes family to struggle
  By John Bush, December 15th, 2015, Ohio

Last winter, Sarah and her family unknowingly moved into a home infested with bed bugs. It wasn’t long before she and her two daughters began noticing the blood-sucking insects.

With no help from her landlord and not enough money to pay an exterminator, Sarah began purchasing bed bug spray every week to try to rid her home of the pesky insects. “I tried my hardest to get rid of them, but then one day we ended up tearing out a wall and found them all crawling in this one wall in the house,” she said.

To prevent and control bedbug infestation use of pesticides and insecticides is not beneficial because the effect of them stays only for a certain period of time. The toxic chemicals present in them can cause harm to beneficial insects and microorganisms. The evaporated toxic fumes from them are hazardous to human health. They can also degrade the quality of the product they are applied to.

Termirepel™ anti-insect additive a C Tech Corporation product is an ideal solution for the prevention and control of bedbug infestation. The masterbatch of Termirepel™ can be incorporated into wires and cables which are used in domestic wiring. While Termirepel™ lacquer can be added to paints which can then be applied to furniture, walls, ceilings, etc. It follows 6 pronged strategy which is extremely effective on bedbugs as well as insects like ants, beetles, grasshopper, termites, etc.

Termirepel™ is an extremely low toxic and extremely low hazard anti-insect additive. It is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil. It is RoHS, RoHS2, EU BPR, REACH compliant and FIFRA exempted.

Contact us at technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com to keep the pests away.

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Naval Force and Defence sector are the major sectors defining the growth and development of a nation-state. It is needless to describe how important these sectors to a nation’s security, integrity and prosperity. Billions of rupees are allocated every year for the advancement of these sectors.

Global presence and the increased operating tempo of naval forces greatly increase the chances of encountering pests that transmit pathogens, infest food supplies, damage electronic devices or simply present a nuisance to crew members. These pests are prone to inhabit certain areas, making continual monitoring important for the following spaces:

• Food service areas.
• Sculleries.
• Mess Decks.
• Ship’s stores (e.g., soda storage areas).
• Snack areas.
•  Heads and showers.
• Dry provision storage areas.
• Berthing areas.
• Laundry and dry-cleaning shops.
• Cleaning gear locker.
• Garbage collection areas.
• Electrical devices.
• Junction box.

Insects like ants, cockroach, beetles, bedbugs etc. are the most commonly encountered pest aboard Navy ships. They contaminate food and food preparation areas and lower crew morale. The construction characteristic of navy vessels makes pest control very difficult. Abundant standing water, food, warmth, and numerous potential harborages provide the pests with an ideal habitat for growth and survival.

These pests require food, water, and harborage for the growth and survival. Their habits and body structure enable them to potentially transmit pathogens that cause dysentery and diarrhea. Their flattened body enables them to hide in tight places that are warm and dark. Infestations are most likely to be in and around:

• Steam lines.
• Cable bundles
• Berthing
• False bulkheads, overheads, and splash boards.
• Lagging and torn insulation.
• Behind pictures and bulletin boards.
• Around holes for plumbing and electrical lines.
• Behind drawers.
• Around iron supports counters and serving lines.
• In hollow furniture and utility legs (e.g., refrigeration and heavy equipment support).
• Oncoming food stores (e.g., bagged onions, potatoes), soft drink containers, and cardboard containers.
• Ovens and oven hoods.
• Motor housings, esp., in refrigeration units, ice cream machines.

Not only insects but rodents are also a threat to defence forces. There are several incidences that show how defence sector faces problem due to these pests:

• Navy SNAFU: Some Things Don’t Change

April 03, 2009, Sodahead.com, US

A senior official at the weapons station, who asked not to be identified, said the problem began when a squirrel came in contact with an electrical transformer. The rodent was electrocuted and the transformer exploded, knocking out power for a time, and seriously damaging a key component of the base phone system.

• Honduran army goes to war against invading bugs

By Noe Leiva, December 3, 2015, Phys Org, Honduras

A tree-munching bug called Dentroctomus frontalis, more commonly known in North and Central America as the southern pine beetle.

For Honduran soldiers from the First Artillery Battalion confronting the pine tree bugs in Zambrano province just north of the capital with chainsaws, much of that climate chatter is just theory and abstraction.

Commanders of the battalion of 350 men admit feeling impotent against the beetle, and have called in the country’s Forest Conservation Institute (ICF) and the military’s Forest Commando unit to help cut down infected trees, and healthy ones nearby.

“It’s a shame to see this,” one commando officer, Colonel Bernardo Avila, told AFP.

Below is the table that shows characteristics of some pests found aboard ship:

Insect	Length of adult (mm)	Days to devel-op	Presence	Common type of product attacked
Saw-toothed grain beetle	2-3	30-50	Very common	Packaged cereals, crackers, dried fruits, candy, flour, meal, sugar, dried meat, tobacco, wide variety of grain products
Merchant grain beetle	2-3	30-50	Very common (Pacific region)	Oatmeal, rice, flour, cake mixes, macaroni, cookies
Cigarette beetle,	2-3	30-50	Very common	Breakfast cereals, spices (esp., dry cocoa powder), raisins, rice, teas
Confused flour beetle,	3-4	30-120	Very common (health concern, if 3 or more/pound)	Flour, other grain products, beans, peas, dried fruits, shelled nuts, spices, chocolate
Mediterranean flour moth,	10-14	30-40	Rare	Flour, cereals, bran, biscuits, seeds, chocolate, dried fruits
Indian meal moth,	8-10	25-135	Very common (esp., in vending machine areas)	Flour, corn, cornmeal, dried fruits, nuts, powdered milk, crackers, biscuits, chocolate, dried red peppers, dried flowers
Varied carpet beetle,	2-3	1 generation /year	Common (health concern, demisted species, if 1 or more larvae/lot)	Grain products, woolens, silks, feathers, products of animal origin, rodent nests, dead insects
Rice weevil	2-4	30-50	Very common	Pasta, rice, raw grains, nuts, fruits
Spider beetles	2-3	90-300	Rare	Broken grain, seeds, dried fruits and meats, woolens and dried animal products, rat and mouse droppings

SOURCE: US NAVY SBPC MANUAL

Use of pesticides and insecticides is not an effective method to prevent and control these damages as their effect remains only over a certain period of time. These insecticides and pesticides are toxic in nature. The fumes evaporated from them can cause severe brain damage. They kill the target species as well as beneficial non-target species.

C Tech Corporation can offer a solution to overcome the damage caused by insects. Termirepel™ anti termite and an anti-insect additive is an ideal solution for the prevention and control of insects. It follows 6 pronged strategy which is extremely effective on termites as well as insects like cockroach, ants, beetles, grasshopper, bugs etc.

Termirepel™  is non-toxic and non-hazardous anti-insect additive. It is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade in the soil. It is RoHS, RoHS2, REACH, APVMA, NEA compliant and FIFRA exempted.

Termite in Latin means ‘wood worm’. They are commonly called as white ants and are closely related to cockroaches. They have been recently included into the order ‘Blattodea’.

Termites are social insect. They build large colonies in soil, trees, stump, wood pile, dead trees, wooden articles and other source of food. Their colonies are maintained at high humidity, this helps to protect thin skinned worker termites from drying out. They gain most of the water content from soil and wood itself. Each colony includes queen, king, workers, soldiers and immature ones. The queen’s body undergoes extraordinary changes and swells up to to give thousands of eggs. That means thousands of termites are added everyday to the colony. The worker’s job is to build the colony, gather food and nurture immature ones. Soldier’s job is to protect the colony from predators.

Termites can be grouped into three basic categories:

Dampwood: Dampwood termites generally live in damp rotting logs or rot pockets in dead or living trees.

Drywood: Drywood termites obtain water from the wood in which they live and have no contact with the soil, or with any other source of moisture.

Subterranean: Subterranean termites are generally ground-dwelling or require contact with the soil or some constant source of moisture and are the main threat posed to timber in the built environment.

Termites are considered to be the most destructive insect pests in the world. A termite colony can consume 5gm of wood per day. Many buildings and structures are damaged by these pests each year resulting in huge financial losses. They are often called as ‘silent destroyer’ because they may be secretly hiding and thriving in your home or yard without any immediate signs of damage. Cellulose found in plants, is the basic food requirements of all termites and in turn all types of plant or wood material can be damaged by termites.

According to Orkin Pest Control Company-each year, termites and similar pests cause an estimated $30 billion in damage to crops and man-made structures in the U.S. Annual termite damage is calculated to be 5 times more than that caused by fire, flooding and storms combined. A homeowner who discovers termite damage spends an average of $3,000 to repair the damage.

Below table shows annual losses associated with termite activity all over the world:

COUNTRY	COST ASSOCIATED WITH TERMITE ACTIVITY ( US $ 10^6/YEAR)
MALAYSIA	8-10
INDIA	35.12
AUSTRALIA	100
CHINA	300-375
JAPAN	800
USA	1,000

Source-Department of Process Engineering and Applied Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Here is some news that shows how termites are affecting our lives:

• Elderly woman found trapped under her bedroom ceiling after the termite-ridden wall collapsed while she was sleeping

31 AUGUST 2015, By ANEETA BHOLE for DAILY MAIL, AUSTRALIA

• The Adelaide woman, 82, was trapped from her waist down
• She sustained minor injuries and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital
• Neighbors are checking their houses for termites after the incident

An elderly woman has been injured after her bedroom ceiling collapsed and trapped her under mounds of debris. The woman woke to her ceiling caving in, dropping broken wood and plaster in her home on Arthur Street in Payneham.

South Australian Police media said that the damage was caused by a severe termite infestation.

Moisture is a key element that draws termites to wood, and despite the elderly woman’s house being a 1950’s double brick house, ‘the pests were likely to nest in the roof timber,’ explained Pest manager and neighbor Mark Wagner.

• Lenders are cracking down on homes with termite infestation

By Jill Chodorov, September 2015, Washington

In a few recent transactions, buyers’ lenders wanted to know whether any structural damage occurred to the house in cases where termites or other wood-destroying insects were discovered during an inspection.

“Lenders are paying more attention to WDI [wood-destroying inspection] reports to protect their investment,” said Jon Okun of Prosperity Home Loans.

Wood-destroying insects cause billions of dollars of structural damage each year and homeowners spend more than $2 billion each year to treat them, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“There are only two kinds of homes-those that have termites and those that will get termites,” said Rusty Markland, operations manager of PestNow, a locally owned pest control and extermination company.

• Aussie camping disaster: ‘Our tent was invaded by flying termites’

NOVEMBER 30, 2015, AUSTRALIA

Many people had camped at Wollondilly numerous times before and never had a problem with insects.

On this occasion it was just a case of bad timing, according to the Australian Museum.

“Termite colonies are formed when the winged reproductive forms leave their original nest and take a colonizing flight. These flights occur during warm humid weather and usually take place during spring and autumn.” it says.

“We’d never spent so much time contemplating termites until this camping expedition. Inside the tent, we found ourselves standing in a cloud of pests so thick we couldn’t breathe without inhaling them. They were there because we hadn’t abided by one of the cardinal rules of camping: do not leave the tent door unzipped at night while there’s a light on inside” said reporter Leah McLennan.

• Hanford battles termites at police station

December 02, 2015, U.S.

Police Chief Parker Sever said he learned about the pests a couple weeks ago. He said building maintenance staff had been sweeping up what looked like sawdust. The material was later determined to be termite droppings.

Maintenance Superintendent Randy Shaw said “Longfield Center, the south Hanford walk-in recreation facility, will need a new roof in the next couple of years due to termite damage. Exterminating the pests will require tenting the building at a cost of about $11,000”. 

Termites play a very important role in the ecosystem. They recycle nutrients, in particular nitrogen which is essential for healthy plant growth. When termite mounds erode, the soil particles rich in nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium are washed into soil from the mounds to become available for plant growth. Their excavations alter the structure of trees and provide spaces which have become a necessary part of the habitat of many vertebrate species including bats, birds, reptiles and arboreal mammals. Many species of termite feed on materials such as grass. Only handfuls are of economic importance to timber-in-service. Use of toxic pesticides and insecticides is not an ideal solution to prevent and control this damage caused by termites.

C Tech Corporation can offer a solution to overcome damage caused by termites. Termirepel™ – anti termite additive is an ideal solution for the prevention and control of termites. It follows 6 pronged strategy which is extremely effective on termites as well as insects like ants, beetles, grasshopper, bugs etc.

Termirepel™ is non toxic and non hazardous anti termite and anti insect additive. It is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade in the soil. It is RoHS, RoHS2, REACH compliant and FIFRA exempted.

Insects are the most diverse species found on earth. They can be found in places like desert, jungles, mines, caves, swamps etc. except the ocean. They are the most adaptable form of life. When these insects cause damage to our crops they become pests. Insect pests inflict damage to humans, farm animals, and crops.

Insect pests inflict their damage mainly by direct feeding on above ground or below ground plant parts. Insects with chewing mouthparts like a grasshopper, beetles cause feeding damage such as holes and cuts in stems, bore, and tunnel in plant tissues. They also cause injury to plants when they lay eggs in plant tissue. Some insect is also associated with transmission of plant diseases. Because of this infestation many plants die, many of them grow to be abnormal and nutrition deficient. Also in the storage area of crops, these insect pests contaminate feeding media through excretion, molting, dead bodies and their own existence in the product, which is not commercially desirable. Damage done by insect pests encourages infection with bacteria.

Provision of food has always been a challenge facing mankind. Most of the country’s economy depends on agriculture. Due to damage was done by insects, grains lose value for marketing, consumption, and plantation. Herbivorous insects are said to be responsible for destroying one-fifth of the world’s total crop production annually. This reflects the major loss to the economy of the agriculture and food industry. Indian agriculture currently suffers an annual loss of about US$ 36 billion.

Here is some news on how insect infestation has damaged the crops:

Insects feast on plants, endangering crops and costing billions

Behind the blossoming flowers and fields of fruit in the U.S. lurks a hungry threat that has crawled and eaten its way through much of the country. Sometimes, the menace infiltrates these places on the backs of unsuspecting hikers and travelers.

As summer approaches, swarms of invasive species—which the National Wildlife Federation refers to as “one of the leading threats to native wildlife”—are on a rampage. These organisms attack not just gardens, but also agriculture and the environment, costing the United States about $120 billion each year in damages, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In Hawaii, a rhinoceros-looking black beetle is attacking coconut-bearing palm trees. The beetle was detected less than two years ago, but the Plant Industry Division of the state’s Department of Agriculture is already calling it a “serious invasive pest.” It is forcing officials there to deploy thousands of traps to capture them and even asking residents to check their mulch before discarding it.

Another bug in Hawaii also found in California is the light brown apple moth. It is a particularly hungry critter known to damage scores of crops such as avocados, grapes and raspberries, and thousands of plants and trees that include roses and eucalyptus. “It could expand its preferences as it is exposed to new plants and crops,” the USDA-APHIS warns.

– 9 May 2015, U.S. CNBC

Flea beetles, cutworms top list of insects bugging Manitoba farmers in 2015

“Insects didn’t take a massive bite out of Manitoba crops in 2015, but there were some nibbling problems caused mainly by flea beetles and cutworms,” says Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development entomologist John Gavloski.

Borers were also found in the stalks of some potatoes, edible bean and hemp this year. It’s not unusual to find corn borers in crops other than corn when populations are high or when the corn isn’t at the right stage to attract the borer, Gavloski said in an interview.

-27 November, 2105, Manitoba, Manitoba Co-operator

In Florida, the OJ crop is getting wiped out by an Asian invader

Florida oranges are threatened with destruction if scientists and the government can’t find a way to stop an Asian bug from spreading a tree-killing disease.

The harvest for the state’s signature fruit could plunge to 27 million boxes by 2026, according to an Oct. 21 report by the Florida Department of Citrus. That’s an 82 percent drop from 149.8 million boxes in 2005, the year the bacterium that causes Huanglongbing, better known as citrus greening, was found in southern Florida.

The disease is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, a tiny winged insect, and there’s currently no known cure. Greening already caused industry-wide losses of $7.8 billion and more than 7,500 jobs in 2006 to 2014, the University of Florida estimates.                                                                                                                     – 24 November, 2105, Florida, Chicago Tribune

Pink bollworm a nightmare for Bt cotton growers

Most of the crop in Raichur district has been destroyed by the pest.

Farmer from Kadagamdoddi village in Raichur taluk, spent Rs. 2 lakh to cultivate Bt cotton on 15 acres that he had taken on lease. Before he could harvest the first round of yield, the entire field was destroyed by pink bollworm.

“I dread visiting my cotton field and seeing this devastation,” he told The Hindu on Friday. He is not the only farmer to face this problem. Another farmer who cultivated Bt cotton on 18 acres of land said the crop was destroyed by the pink bollworm. He incurred a loss of over Rs. 3.5 lakh.

Disheartening stories of Bt cotton farmers are unfolding across Raichur district, which is one of the major cotton growing districts in the State. The extent of loss is yet to be measured as no survey has been conducted. Cotton is cultivated on nearly 60,000 hectares of lands in the district, most of which is Bt cotton. Farmers started switching to the crop in big numbers in 2007-08 and there has been increase in acreage over the years since then.

-5 December 2015, Karnataka, The Hindu

Using toxic insecticides and pesticides to stop damage caused by insects is not an ideal solution. Insecticides and pesticides are designed to kill and because their mode of action is not specific to one species, they often kill or harm organisms other than pests, including humans. Also, the majority of insects are directly important to humans and the environment. For example, several insect species are predators on other harmful pests; others are pollinators, decomposers of organic matter or producers of valuable products such as honey or silk. Some can be used to produce pharmacologically active compounds such as venoms or antibodies.

C Tech Corporation can offer a solution to overcome the damage caused by insects to our crops. Termirepel™ is an ideal solution for the prevention of insects. Termirepel™ is the non-toxic and non-hazardous aversive anti termite and anti-insect. Although it is non-hazardous anti termite it is effective on insects like grasshopper, beetles, worms etc. It is cost effective and cost-efficient, inert, stable up to 1400 deg C temperature, long lasting etc.

Termirepel™ is manufactured with a unique set of complex compounds. It is available in the form of polymer masterbatches which can be incorporated in agricultural films, mulches, etc during processing. Termirepel™ can also be incorporated in silage bags and packaging films to protect the crops in the post-harvest stage from pest damage.

The deadly bugs called brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), or simply the stink bug, is an insect in the family Pentatomidae, and it is native to China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. It was accidentally introduced into the United States, with the first specimen being collected in September 1998. The brown marmorated stink bug is considered to be an agricultural pest, and by 2010-11 had become a season-long pest in U.S. orchards. The adults are approximately 1.7 centimeters (0.67 in) long and about as wide, forming the shield shape characteristic of other stink bugs. They are various shades of brown on both the top and undersides, with gray, off-white, black, copper, and bluish markings.

The brown marmorated stink bug is an agricultural pest that can cause widespread damage to fruit and vegetable crops. In Japan it is a pest to soybean and fruit crops. In the U.S., the brown marmorated stink bug feeds, beginning in late May or early June, on a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and other host plants including peaches, apples, green beans, soybeans, cherries, raspberries, and pears. It is a sucking insect, a “true bug“, which uses its proboscis to pierce the host plant in order to feed. This feeding results, in part, in the formation of dimpled or necrotic areas on the outer surface of fruits, leaf stippling, seed loss, and possible transmission of plant pathogens.

Let us look at the below news article;

Beat down soybean insect pests before they cause damage to your crop

Jan 17, 2014Patrick R. Shepard, Contributing Writer

When you see soybean loopers blowing out the top of the canopy, you’ve waited too long to take action,” says Gus Lorenz, Extension IPM specialist at Lonoke, Ark. “They start at the bottom of the plant and work their way up, so you can’t windshield scout loopers.” 

Scouting is critical, especially in a late-planted year like 2013.

“For example, we had really spotty bollworm infestations, Lorenz says. “You could walk across the turnrow from one field that was blooming into another field, and one field would have treatment level while the other field would hardly have any worms. That’s why scouting by the grower and/or consultant is critical. 

“There’s no rhyme or reason why bollworms infest one field and not one beside it. I saw some drilled beans that had higher numbers than row beans with open canopy.

“We need to scout every field and don’t assume that just because the middles have lapped that we’re safe. I encourage growers to use newer products like Belt, Prevathon or Besiege for bollworm control.”  

Stink bugs, which have been a perennial problem for South Carolina soybean growers for some time, were very pronounced in 2013.

“We experienced a lot of pressure from stink bugs because of lush plant growth from all of the rain,” says Jeremy Greene, Clemson University entomologist at Blackville. “Stink bugs represent a group of our most damaging insect pests — they infest a large percentage of our fields regularly, particularly late in the season.” 

The corn earworm can also cause problems in the state’s soybeans.

Stink bugs can cause a lot of damage if not brought under control. Traditional methods include the use of pesticides and insecticides on target plants such as corn and tomatoes. But the problem with such a solution is that there is always the danger of these toxic pesticides entering our ecosystem. Also, these harmful pesticides can get leached into the target vegetable or fruit and cause contamination. Many of these pesticides contain potentially harmful and proven carcinogenic compounds like benzene and its derivatives. Thus while using such hazardous products; we are taking a huge risk with the environment as well as human life. That established it is imperative that we find a solution for this problem.

 C Tech Corporation can offer a solution in the form of their non-toxic, non-hazardous product Termirepel™.  Termirepel™ is an eco-friendly insect aversive. It is available in the form of polymer masterbatches which can be incorporated in agricultural films, mulches, etc during processing. Termirepel™ can also be incorporated in silage bags and packaging films to protect the crops in post-harvest stage from pest damage.

 

 

Grasshoppers belong to the insect order Orthoptera (“straight wing”), a group whose major characteristic is long hind legs, adapted for jumping. Another distinguishing feature is the presence of short antennae; this separates the order from a related order, Grylloptera (crickets, katydids, mole crickets and camel crickets), sometimes confusingly referred to as the “long-horned” grasshoppers.

Grasshopper has been on average, the most economically important pest in Canada; although. The first record of an outbreak from the Prairie Provinces was from Saskatchewan in 1800. Certain species of grasshoppers did not become abundant, however, until about 1900 when road-building; drainage and cultivation in southern Manitoba created favorable breeding sites and greatly increased the abundance of suitable food plants.

Grasslands like American Prairie Reserve are homes to a bounty of insects that help the ecosystem grow and flourish. They also include potentially loss-prone insects like grasshoppers. They are mainly grass feeders. Economic damage is primarily to cereals, especially wheat and barley. Native and migratory grasshoppers have together destroyed areas of range grass and hay almost entirely. Grasshopper outbreaks have cost tens of millions of dollars in annual crop damage over the past several years. Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets, today still cause an estimated $1.5 billion in damage to grazing lands in the American West.

Damage to cereal crops is generally concentrated near field margins and is caused when hatchling grasshoppers move out of egg beds into field edges; damage to grasslands tends to be more evenly distributed. Damage to cereals includes leaf notching and stripping but is most costly when stems are severed just below the heads of maturing or mature crops. When grasshopper numbers are extremely high and natural plant hosts in short supply, grasshoppers will consume or attempt to consume any plants or plant products that they come upon during their migrations in search of food. Grasshoppers have a major impact on plants by changing the way nitrogen cycles work in grasslands. The grasshoppers speed up the process of nitrogen recycling by selectively feeding on plants that take longer to decompose, plant production increases. However, if they selectively feed on plants that decompose quickly, nitrogen becomes less available to the soil and plant production decreases.

Grasshoppers are the most difficult insect to control because they are highly mobile. All grasshoppers lay their eggs in the soil. There are over 100 species of grasshoppers in Colorado.

During periods when local outbreaks are developing, control usually involves using sprays or baits

Problems tend to increase beginning in early summer and can persist until hard frosts. Among vegetable crops, certain plants are favored by the grasshoppers such as lettuce, carrots, beans, sweet corn, and onions. Squash, peas, and tomatoes are among the plants that tend to be avoided. Grasshoppers less commonly feed on leaves of trees and shrubs. However, during outbreak years even these may be damaged. Furthermore, grasshoppers may incidentally damage shelterbelt plantings when they rest on twigs and gnaw on bark, sometimes causing small branches to die back.

Grasshoppers defoliate grasses by direct feeding on leaf and stem tissue and by cutting off leaves or stems and heads while feeding. High populations of grasshoppers on rangeland can damage plant crowns so severely that many grass plants will not recover. Grasshopper economic thresholds in a cereal crop are typically eight to 12 per sq. meter, but in lentils two grasshoppers are considered too many. As farm commodity prices rise the cost of damage done by individual insects rises along with them, dropping the threshold numbers that dictate when it starts to pay to take action.

Let us look at the following news article:

 

 

 

Grasshoppers devour and damage area north of Chico

Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record; POSTED: 06/26/15, 2:49 PM PDT | UPDATED: ON 06/26/2015

Baji Hantelman isn’t expecting any red garden tomatoes this year. She’s also not holding her breath for the first fig or nectarine.

Any hopes of backyard produce were dashed when the ground, the trees, the fence posts were found crawling with grasshoppers. After just a few weeks, her garden is nibbled down to sticks and stems.

How many grasshoppers? So many that the critters line the wires of the fences, climb along the side of the house. The bugs are so thick on the driveway Hantelmen hears a distinct “squish” when she backs up her car.

To quantify her misery, she counted the grasshoppers on one square meter of ground. The total was 70.

In addition to the garden, the critters are at work on the 100-year-old almond orchard nearby.

The trouble seems to be isolated to an approximately two-mile area north of Chico, she said, near Meridian Road and east of Highway 99, from Wookey to Munjar roads, she estimated.

This is where Hantelman and her husband Richard Coon own Wookey Ranch. They produce pasture-grown sheep, turkey and hogs.

Normally, the sheep are carefully rotated through the pastures. However the grasshoppers got there first and they’ll need to buy supplemental feed.

The feed bill for turkeys was low for a couple of weeks because the birds were moved across the land and could feast on grasshoppers.

Native Americans in this area are known to have eaten grasshoppers and other insects for protein.

Hantelman said she tried to catch some to fry in an iron skillet, but found them too difficult to catch.

The problem of grasshoppers has happened before, including in 2003. Another grasshopper year was in the 1990s.

Hantelman looked up the particular pests she has come to know well. They are Melanoplus devastator, which seems like an appropriate name. They certainly devastate the plants, she said.

In a normal year, the population of grasshoppers won’t be that large because a wet spring can drown the eggs or damage the nymphs, she explained.

INSECTS COME AND GO

Agricultural Commissioner Richard Price explained that surges in grasshopper populations occur periodically, with a handful of reports this year. The insects lay eggs in the spring. High moisture at the young stages of their development can control the population due to a fungus that occurs in damp soil, Price explained. In these dry times there has not been moisture nor fungus, he said.

In the past, grasshoppers were a problem on the land that is now paved over by the Chico Mall. The mall opened in 1988. Before that the area was burned every once in a while to control the insects, Price said.

To treat grasshoppers, a bait can be used when the creatures are small, he said. But they’re more difficult to control as they reach maturity.

The life cycle of grasshoppers includes egg pouches deposited in moist soil in the spring.

They emerge as little hoppers, without wings, he continued. They go through seven stages, casting their skin each time, and eventually developing wings to fly and mate.

Typically, they’ll eat everything they can until food runs out or it gets too cold, usually about 3-5 months.

“If you think of it from a grasshopper’s viewpoint, they are on the range, things are drying up and there is nothing to eat,” said Steve Heydon, senior scientist at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis.

“There’s this house that has a watered garden that’s green and tasty.

“They wander around and when they hit a spot with food, they stay,” Heydon said.

His guess is that more of the eggs survived and hatched last year due to the mild, dry weather.

If its any consolation for Heydon said, the lack of water might mean very few places for the adult grasshoppers to lay their eggs. Next year could be relatively-bug free.

Now that her garden and backyard orchard are stripped, Hantelman has a very clear view of what grasshoppers don’t eat — California bay, manzanita, deer grass, rosemary, sage, marjoram, and thyme.

We can see that grasshoppers are a definite cause of worry for cultivators and gardeners all over the world. As mentioned before it is very difficult to implement grasshopper control using insecticides or pesticides as they are extremely mobile and thus difficult to contain.

In such a scenario Termirepel™, a product by C Tech Corporation offers a viable solution. Termirepel™ is a non-toxic, non-hazardous, termite and insect aversive available in liquid as well as masterbatch form. It works on the mechanism of repellence whereby it works in keeping target species like grasshoppers, insect, and pests away from the application that needs to be protected. It can be sprayed on the crops and grasses to keep grasshoppers at bay and also foil their attempts at an outbreak!

Ants often invade outdoor electric equipment such as pad-mounted transformers, traffic light control boxes, irrigation control boxes, heating and air conditioning units, and telecommunication equipment. Once inside they can cause equipment to malfunction due to ants chewing through wiring insulation or other equipment components or accumulation of soil and dead ants. Paper wasps, honey bee, and other such insects will also build a nest inside such equipment. These nests can cause shorts and mechanical problem. Not only ants damage equipment, but it is much more difficult to service or repair equipment that’s swarming with ants.

In Texas alone, costs associated with fire ant damages to electrical and communications equipment totaled $146.5 million per year. Vandermeer et al. (2002) suggest that where ants of any species are very numerous they will, through natural foraging activity, randomly get into the switch boxes, or transformers, etc. They are shocked when they come between live contacts, at which time the pheromone attraction is initiated. Carpenter ants have been documented to cause sprinkler irrigation system control boards to malfunction in Florida. On a circuit board, short circuits may be caused when ants conduct electricity between different circuits. Another documented case involved acrobat ants causing an air conditioner unit to malfunction in Austin, Texas, resulting in replacement of the entire switching mechanism at a cost of $196.54. In this instance, once ants were electrocuted, their dried bodies in the switch prevented the switch from closing to conduct electricity.

Let us take a look at the recent incident where these ants were successful in damaging the brake cables in local trains risking the life of commuters.

 

Mumbai: Ants Chew Up Brake Cables in Local Train

Mumbai | mid-day.com | Updated: November 19, 2015 13:20 IST

 Ants chewed up the cables inside an Electro Pneumatic brake. Officials say ants are difficult to manage, but regular pest control is carried out.

 The lifeline of Mumbai, the suburban local trains carry lakhs of people every day, but in this case, a rake was also ferrying thousands of hidden passengers – red ants. To make matters worse, these red ants gnawed through the primary brake cables.

The incident happened inside a Kalyan-Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus local train around 1.30 pm yesterday and the coaches were comparatively less crowded.

“As it crossed Matunga, the motorman saw a flicker on the dashboard, indicating that one of the cables connecting the EP brake was not working efficiently,” said a Central Railway (CR) official on condition of anonymity.

The Electro Pneumatic (EP) brake being the primary one inside the Siemens rake, the motorman then had to shift his attention to the secondary brakes.

Motormen have come to rely on the EP brake, in which the electrics take care of the braking and acceleration with little manual or mechanical intervention. This brake is like a joystick on the right side of the dashboard panel and the entire train, including its speed and braking, can be controlled by using it.

Backup provision

Sources said that after the EP brake failure, the rake was then run as a normal one, without the EP brake, all the way to CST, without it getting hampered by any technical glitch.

During this time the secondary brakes – which comprises an Auto brake – was put into use to take the train all the way till CST. “The train was then taken to Kurla carshed for inspection,” added the official. This is when the officials found thousands of red ants chewing the already damaged cables and insulators of the EP brake.

The official added, “The SKS12 cable insulator and in-coder cable were found damaged. We then had to replace them with a new one out of the stock.”

Meanwhile, the CR officials blame the motormen for not knowing to operate Auto brakes which are as good as the EP ones. Sources said that ever since the new rakes have come in, a single joystick is sufficient for acceleration and deceleration of trains. The Auto brakes and other semi-manual ones are on the left side of the dashboard panel.

“The motormen have more or less forgotten to use the Auto brakes, which was earlier an important part in older trains while manoeuvring them. We will now be training the 800-odd motormen to apply Auto brakes on a regular journey,” said the CR officials. The training will begin on the Kalyan-Karjat/Kasara route in the next couple of days during off-peak time when the motormen will be monitored while applying Auto brakes.

In this case, CR officials claim that the motorman could have easily used the secondary brakes without panicking. These Auto brakes are semi-manual ones where there is little electronic control. When the Auto brakes are pressed, pressure is applied or released through a piston that then controls the braking of the entire rake. This was how the older rakes used to function.

Official speak

“There is no need to panic as the braking system is foolproof. There are three other brakes to ensure that there are no problems in the running of the train. Ants are difficult to control but regular pest control is carried out,” said Narendra Patil, chief PRO, CR.

Combating the ant menace

Every rake undergoes pest control during the periodic overhauling every 18 months. Apart from this, the authorities try to ensure that there are no anthills inside the car shed, where trains are parked in large numbers.

Dealing with emergencies

There is a ‘dead man handle’ – that is like a spring on the joystick – which ensures that the train comes to a halt if the motorman is incapacitated or other brakes don’t function. The guard too has an emergency brake inside his cabin that is completely manual.

The joystick where the EP brake is present also has a regenerative brake in it wherein the train saves power of 33 percent every time the brake is applied. When the EP is pulled backward, the regenerative braking works up to the speed of 5 km/h

 Although ants are frustrating when they get into your home or when you’re having a picnic, ants do help the environment. They, through moving of soil by nest building activity and by collecting food they affect the level of nutrients in the soil. This can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal groups, from decomposers such as Collembola, to species much higher up the food chain. But at the same time, the damage done by these creatures cannot be ignored.  Malfunctions in such equipment are costly to repair and can result in power failures or disrupted service. Although it is important to protect such sensitive equipment from insects and the methods used to prevent or control the insects not be damaging the equipment, it is equally important to not kill or harm these insects. Thus use of traditional toxic pellets, insecticides are not viable.

C Tech Corporation offers a non-toxic and non-hazardous product, Termirepel™ to protect the electrical application and cables from these ravenous insects. It is an environmentally safe product that works by repelling the insects without causing any harm to the target or non-target species. Termirepel™ is available in concentrate and lacquer form. It can also be used as a liquid solution. Termirepel™ can be safely incorporated into the PVC insulation of wires and cables or coated on surfaces to keep crazy ants away from the application. Termirepel™ can also be incorporated in agricultural films and mulches for the protection of trees and bushes against these creatures.

Nasutitermes Corniger, more commonly referred to as the conehead termite, is an invasive species of termite that aggressively eats wood in just about any form. Its nickname stems from the cone shape of its soldier termites’ heads. Soldiers make up an unusually large portion of the total conehead termite colony – anywhere from 20-30% of the colony. Only 1-2 percent of subterranean and drywood colonies are soldiers. Another way to distinguish conehead termites is by the appearance of their tunnels. While subterranean termites also build mud tunnels, coneheads build wider and much more extensive tunnels than subterranean. Still another distinctive characteristic is the appearance of their nest. Visible conehead termite nests are usually built in the open, perhaps in a tree, and look like a large, dark-brown “bumpy” round or oval shaped ball.

Conehead termites are species native to the Caribbean. They were first brought to Florida via wooden Pallets delivered from Caribbean Island in 2001. Residents in Florida referred to them as ‘Tree Termites’ for years but they were renamed conehead termites to alleviate the misconception that this pest is only found in trees. They act like peers infesting any wood it can find to feed, build colonies, and generally wreak havoc.

They grow in hot, humid environment, which is why they prefer tropical and sub tropical region. Unlike most termites, the conehead termite does not rely on underground tunneling to travel. Instead, they forage on the ground like ants, allowing them t  o spread quickly. Conehead termites are an extremely aggressive termite species known for causing widespread property damage in a short period of time.

 Termites are nothing new to South Florida; 20 or so species provide a challenge to homeowners and a steady income to the pest-control industry. What makes this termite different is that it lives above ground, so it doesn’t compete with the more common subterranean termites.“The behavior and biology of conehead termites are entirely different from what the industry is accustomed to,” said Allen Fugler, executive vice president of the Florida Pest Management Association. “It will build a nest in a tree. It looks like a paper wasp nest, and it could be easily overlooked, even by trained professionals.”

In early 2000, The department of agriculture along with Florida Pest Management Association and Certified Pest Control Operators of Florida worked together to devise consistent, reliable control methods the average pest-control operator can use. The department had requested $202,000 from the state Legislature and the National Pest Management Association lobbying Congress for matching funds on a three to one ratio, for a maximum of $606,000 in federal money. The funds were used towards training and subsidizing termite control for property owners, who can’t afford it, said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association.

Let us have a look at the below article regarding how this coneheads again invaded the colonies in south Florida’s Dania Beach.

Conehead termites invade Dania Beach

Species first discovered in city in 2001

Author: Jenise Fernandez, Reporter, jfernandez@local10.com

Published On: Apr 28 2015 12:49:50 PM EDT   Updated On: Apr 28 2015 12:57:00 PM ED

DANIA BEACH, Fla. –

Broward County is experiencing a major bug problem, as conehead termites are spreading throughout the area just before termite swarming season.

The conehead termites popped up in Dania Beach about 14 years ago. Since then, experts have been able to contain the species. On Tuesday they were out at several properties, destroying nests before swarming season.

Experts said the colonies of conehead termites are nestled in the trees and not visible to the naked eye.

The insect is a ravenous Caribbean termite that’s easily recognizable by its pointy head. The species is also considered dangerous and highly adaptable.

“It can also get into ornamentals, fruit trees. There’s almost nothing that it won’t eat,” science adviser Barbara Thorne said.

The species first popped up in Dania Beach in 2001.

To prevent them for spreading, experts go out once a year to try to destroy the nests in hopes of eradicating the species altogether.

“What you want to do is contain them here and kill them before they swarm to another location,” Andy Rackley, with the Florida Department of Agriculture, said.

A property off of Southwest 45th Street is one of two active nesting grounds for the conehead termites. But despite that, experts believe they’re doing a good job at making sure the species doesn’t spread throughout the county.

Experts said once they spot a nest, they destroy and incinerate it. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of termites are expected to take to the air and find their territories during swarming season.

“This termite is very capable of spreading quickly and probably quite far in South Florida if not beyond,” Thorne said.

The process of killing the termites takes about a day and a half. Once the nests are destroyed, experts will come back out to make sure no more pop up.

These pointy heads are responsible for much of the estimated $40 billion in economic losses attributed to termites annually. Their habitat ranges over in South Florida, already home to a daunting number of invasive plant and animal species thriving where they should not. It is not always possible for an untrained individual to see evidence of termites; however, homeowners can sometimes identify a potential termite problem by being vigilant in and around the home. Thus termination of these termites is need of an hour.

C Tech Corporation, an Indian based company has come up with a novel solution to deal with such problems. Termirepel ™ is an aversive for termites and insects. It has unique qualities which range from being non-toxic and non-hazardous to being “ECO-FRIENDLY”. Aggressive species are further deterred from attacking by advanced mechanisms like aversion, feeding deterrents, mating disruption, reproduction cycle inhibition, growth impairment and chemo sterilization thus modifying their response towards the Termirepel ™ containing products resulting in them staying away from the application. Thus, Termirepel ™ actually helps in modifying insect behavior. It does not harm or kill the insect but just repels them away from the application.

Termites though extremely small and tiny creatures have managed to stir us humans into noticing them and acknowledging their existence. The primary reason is the tune of damage they cause which has a direct impact on the economy of the country and thus the humans. Termites attack in groups and feed on any form of cellulose especially wood. This little bit of trivia makes us realize that almost everything around us is susceptible to a termite attack. Termites always seek for moisture filled places and therefore basements and the space under wooden boards are their favorable infestation places. Termite damage often looks similar to water damage. Outward signs of termite damage include buckling wood, swollen floor sand ceilings, areas that appear to be suffering from slight water damage and visible mazes within walls or furniture. Termite infestations also can exude a scent similar to mildew or mold. Dry wood termite infestations may only become apparent after a colony has burrowed so deeply into an infested item that the veneer cracks and the maze-like tunnels beneath become visible. Such damage is common in antique furniture pieces.

One of the most favourite termite snack is paper in any form. The below article proves my point;

Death penalty files ‘lost, eaten by termites’

Pradeep Thakur & Himanshi Dhawan,TNN | Aug 3, 2015, 01.41 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Records of death penalty convicts who have been executed since independence have gone missing from many prisons with the National Law University (NLU), conducting a first of its kind study, able to confirm data related to 755 executions since 1947.

“Some prison authorities have written to us that either the records have been lost or destroyed by termites,” NLU director Anup Surendranath told TOI, who is heading the death penalty research project. The NLU is compiling data on all prisoners who have been executed since independence with the help of the central government.

The missing files are not only a serious lapse on part of prison authorities but has also hampered an ongoing attempt to study all death row convicts to ascertain the fairness of the capital punishment jurisprudence, particularly those who have been executed in independent India.

The casual attitude towards death row convicts is reflected in the loss of mercy pleas of Krishna Mochi and three others in the Krishna Mochi & Ors vs. Bihar case of 2001. Convicted by the TADA court, mercy pleas of the four have been lost by the Union home ministry. Their pleas were sent to the President in 2003, and a recent RTI response to Suhas Chakma of Asian Centre for Human Rights has revealed that the home ministry has no records available. “These papers have evidently been lost,” Chakma said.

Loss of data on executed prisoners reflects poorly on the record-keeping of the government and the judicial system. Incidentally, the 35th report of the law commission had confirmed execution of at least 1,410 death row prisoners in a span of 10 years—between 1953 and 1963.

Data by the National Crime Records Bureau is also not without gaps. For example the NCRB claims that as many as 2,052 individuals were awarded capital punishment by courts between 1998 and 2013. And the NCRB also says between 2001 and 2013 the number of those whose death sentences were commuted was double: 4,497 persons.

CHRI’s Venkatesh Nayak says that this is where the NCRB data becomes “questionable”. “The discrepancies probably crept in when jail authorities counted all commutations even those of shortened prison time,” he said.

“Information on executions are sourced from various prisons and courts across the country which do not reveal either the religious or caste backgrounds of the convicts who have been executed,” Surendranath points out. The NLU report on death penalty is scheduled for release in mid-August where a detailed analysis of socio-economic profile, legal representation and duration on death row would be made public.

The NLU has conducted interviews of 373 surviving death penalty convicts and has drawn their socio-economic profile. The analysis of these surviving prisoners shows that an overwhelming majority of them are from backward class, religious minorities and economically vulnerable classes. In the category of terror offences, 94% prisoners sentenced to death are Dalits and religious minorities.

“We have been unable to find an exhaustive list of prisoners executed in India. However, as per a report of the Law Commission (1967), the total number of cases in which the sentence of death was executed from 1953 to 1963 was 1,410,” Surendranath said.

One can only imagine how much damage these insects can inflict on our ever powerful judicial system. Sure we can punish human criminals but what about these little criminals??

We at C Tech Corporation can provide a long-lasting and effective solution to combat termite infestations. Our product Termirepel™ is a non-toxic and non- hazardous termite aversive. It is effective against a host of termite species including damp wood termites as also the most aggressive ones. It is available in the form of polymer compatible masterbatches as well as in lacquer form. It can be mixed with paint or an organic solvent to create a solution for topical use.  Termirepel™ is the one and only effective solution to our termite woes!

Thrips (order Thysanoptera) are minute, slender insects with fringed wings. Other common names for thrips include thunder flies, thunder bugs, storm flies, thunder lights, storm bugs, corn flies and corn lice. Thrips species feed on a large variety of plants and animals by puncturing them and sucking up the contents. Some species of thrips feed on other insects or mites and are considered beneficial, while some feed on fungal spores or pollen. More than 6,000 species of thrips are known around the world, with over 300 of these in Europe and only around 150 natives to Britain. Thrips are small hemimetabolic insects with a distinctive cigar-shaped bauplan. They are elongated with transversely constricted bodies. They range in size from 0.5 to 14 millimeters (0.020 to 0.551 in) in length for the larger predatory thrips, but most thrips are about 1 mm in length.

Many thrips are pests of commercial crops due to the damage caused by feeding on developing flowers or vegetables, causing discoloration, deformities, and reduced marketability of the crop. These tiny insects pierce hundreds of species of plants, sucking the nutrients and causing billions of dollars in damage to U.S. agricultural crops. Barely visible to the naked eye, they heavily damage fruits, vegetable, and horticultural crops, so much so that they can and do pose a biosecurity threat. In 1996, Cuba’s Fidel Castro accused the United States of aerially releasing Thrips palmi over potato fields. Thrips may also serve as vectors for plant diseases, such as Tospoviruses. Over 20 plant-infecting viruses are known to be transmitted by thrips. These enveloped viruses are considered among some of the most damaging of emerging plant pathogens around the world.

Herbaceous ornamental, and certain vegetable crops are more susceptible to serious injury from thrips feeding and thrips-vectored viruses, especially when plants are young. Thrips feeding can stunt plant growth and can cause damaged leaves to become papery and distorted, develop tiny pale spots (stippling), and drop prematurely. Infested terminals may discolor and become rolled. Petals may exhibit “color break,” which is pale or dark discoloring of petal tissue that was killed by thrips feeding before buds opened. On some plants, thrips can cause severe stunting to the early season flush of terminal growth.

Western flower thrips is primarily a pest of herbaceous plants; but high populations can damage flowers on woody plants, such as roses. Rose petals may develop dark streaks and spots from feeding injury that occurred before the buds opened, or the flower buds may deform and fail to open. Western flower thrips also vectors Impatiens necrotic spot virus and Tomato spotted wilt virus, which can severely damage or kill certain vegetable crops and herbaceous ornamentals.

In the April issue of “Greenhouse Management”, Kansas State University professor and extension specialist in horticultural entomology and plant protection Ray Cloyd wrote that, “Western flower thrips are still the most destructive insect pest of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops, the reason being that western flower thrips cause both direct feeding damage to leaves and flowers and indirect damage by vectoring viruses. This results in a very low tolerance for this insect pest.”

As stated earlier some species of thrips feed on other insects or mites and are considered beneficial, while some feed on fungal spores or pollen. Hence they hold a lot of ecological importance in our ecosystem. In many thrips species, by the time their damage is observed, such as after buds open, the thrips may no longer be present. Thus instead of taking controlling remedies, one must look for effective preventive measures. Thrips can be difficult to control effectively with insecticides and pesticides, partly because of their mobility, feeding behavior, and protected egg and pupal stages. Also use of insecticides and pesticides are harmful to them as well to the ecological system.

At C Tech Corporation, we offer a safe and effective solution to deal with these insects. Termirepel™ is a non-toxic, non-hazardous product that primarily repels insects from the application. It is a broad spectrum repellent which works against almost 500 species of pestering bugs thus efficaciously repulse them away from the application. The best feature of this product is that it is environmentally safe and causes no harm to the insect as well as humans and the environment. It is available in masterbatch and lacquer form and as a liquid solution. For prevention of damage caused by Thrips, films incorporated with Termirepel™ can be used to cover the area or mulches can also be used to save the plants. Such films can also be wrapped around big fruits to prevent damage. This product work on the mechanism of sustainability and green technology and therefore significant in today’s time and date as ecology salvation has become the prime focus.

Harmonia axyridis commonly known as ‘Multicolored Asian lady beetles’ is a large coccinellid beetle. Its color ranges from yellow-orange to black, and the number of spots between none and 22. It is native to eastern Asia but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in South Africa and widely across South America.

Multicolored Asian lady beetles are about 7 mm long. As the name indicates, they occur in a wide spectrum of colors ranging from yellow to orange to red and have a varying number of spots. The variability of appearance in the adults can mislead people to think they are different species. A characteristic that assists in their identification is an “M” shaped marked located behind the head.There are about 5,000 species of ladybug beetles worldwide, so depending on the species and habitat, there is a large variation in this insect’s lifecycle. For example, some lady beetles are predators, while others are plant feeders.

The greatest damage caused by the multicolored Asian lady beetle is the discomfort they give to homeowners. It is not uncommon for tens of thousands of beetles to congregate in attics, ceilings, and wall voids, and due to the warmth of the walls, will move around inside these voids and exit into the living areas of the home. In addition to beetles biting (which they do), they exude a foul-smelling, yellow defensive chemical which will sometimes cause spotting on walls and other surfaces. They are also known for the annoying habit of accumulating on the sides of buildings and wandering indoors during the fall. Asian lady beetles are a beneficial biological control in trees during the summer, and in fields and gardens during the fall, but can be a severe household nuisance during late fall and winter. Wooded residential and industrial areas are especially prone to problems.

In Asia, multicolored Asian lady beetles feed primarily on aphids found in trees. In the U.S., they feed on aphids not only in trees but also in agricultural crops and gardens. In fact, the multicolored Asian lady beetle is an important predator of soybean aphids, a serious pest of soybeans in Minnesota and other Midwest states.

In their native Asian habitat, these insects fly to cliffs and rock outcroppings each fall where they overwinter in large numbers. In the absence of such areas in the U.S., the beetles seek out sunny sides of tall or prominent buildings during fall. Lady beetles are particularly attracted to buildings that have contrasting dark and light areas. Because the beetles feed on aphids in trees, buildings adjacent to wooded areas are more likely to encounter large numbers of multicolored Asian lady beetles than buildings in open areas.

Large numbers of lady beetles generally begin to fly to buildings on the second day of temperatures above 65 o F that follow freezing or near freezing temperatures. Such conditions usually occur in Minnesota between late September and late October.

Once lady beetles reach buildings, they crawl into cracks and gaps around windows, doors, roof lines, and other openings. Some continue to move inside the structure until they reach the living areas of homes where they soon die. Others will find suitable overwintering inside wall voids, attics, and other areas, sometimes forming large living masses of insects.

Let us look at the following recent news article regarding infestation caused by lady beetle.

 

 

 

Asian lady beetle infestation is upon northern Minnesota

By John Myers on Oct 12, 2015, at 6:00 p.m.

They are out there all summer, living in the woods and fields, and now they want a snug place to spend the winter.

Your house, cabin, camper or deer shack will do just fine, thank you.

Orange Asian lady beetles, the little bugs who have replaced ladybugs across much of the landscape, are making their annual trek from the outdoors to indoors, and the infestation seems worse than ever to many Northlanders.

“We’ve had them before, but never this bad. It’s been pretty nasty,” said Dan Woodhull of South Range, who had hundreds of the beetles in his house in recent days.

Reports of beetle outbreaks are coming in from across the region.

“It does seem particularly bad this year. We’ll have to wait and see if this is just an early rush or if there really are this many more of them,” said Larry Weber, a Duluth-area naturalist. “I left my vehicle sitting out overnight and I had a bunch of them that tried to get into it, all around the door seals.”

Asian lady beetles are much the same that field mice, Weber noted, always around but mostly unnoticed until they try to get indoors this time of year.

Experts say the beetles are pushed by diminishing daylight hours to seek winter cover. But they also swarm and fly most often on warm, sunny fall days following the first cold snap — which may be why so many people reported infestations over this past weekend.

“I noticed them for the first time over the weekend. I’m getting a lot of calls on them,” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources entomologist Val Cervenka said Monday.

Amanda Glowacki at Guardian Pest Control in Duluth said many people are calling to say they are grossed out by such large numbers of the orange bugs.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls on them this year. That’s what nearly all of our calls have been for the last couple of weeks,” she said.

Marty Johnson, a technician at Guardian, said he offers an exterior “ground to eaves” chemical treatment for homes that often also reduces beetle numbers inside the house, too. It costs $200. He also offers interior treatments.

“I had them all over my house this weekend, too,” he said.

Experts say the best way to get rid of Asian lady beetles is to vacuum them up, but then empty the vacuum or it may start to smell bad. To keep them out of your house, seal up even tiny cracks, around doors and windows, where cable, pipes or wires enter homes, and under fascia, soffits and eaves.

“But they will still find some way to get in, it seems,” Weber said.

Woodhull said he turned on his home’s air conditioning so the beetles huddled together, and then sucked them up with a vacuum.

The first Asian lady beetle infestation in the U.S. was reported in Louisiana in 1988. Since then the beetle has expanded across the U.S. and parts of Canada. There’s still debate if the outbreak was caused by beetles that were intentionally released to see if they might help control plant pests, or if the beetles spurring the outbreak hitchhiked on a freighter that docked in New Orleans. The first big U.S infestations occurred in the 1990s. The first major Northland outbreaks were in the early 2000s, Weber noted.

Native red ladybugs are considered beneficial because they live on flowers and plants and eat other pests and don’t swarm into buildings. But the orange Harmonia axyridis — native to China, Korea, Russia and Japan — can swarm in large numbers, crawl around on windows, walls and ceilings, and sometimes emit a noxious odor and yellowish staining fluid before dying, according to University of Minnesota Extension entomologists. The bug experts say Asian lady beetles are attracted to illuminated surfaces. They tend to congregate on the sunnier, southwest sides of buildings illuminated by afternoon sun.

They don’t eat wood or cause damage, experts say, and don’t spread disease. But some people say the orange beetles can bite.

Weber, however, says it’s more of a pinch. “I don’t think they can really break the skin, like a true bite, but they might annoy some people by pinching their skin.”

Others report incidents of asthma or allergy outbreaks after an Asian lady beetle infestation.

Asian lady beetles generally lay eggs outdoors under leaves, but may lay eggs inside, too. The average time from egg to adult is about one month and there are multiple generations per year. Individual beetles can live up to three years. They appear to have few if any natural enemies in North America.

Some folks who noticed them in and around their place this fall may see them again when temperatures warm in spring. Awakening beetles may emerge from behind baseboards, walls, attics and suspended ceilings. Because the beetles are attracted to light, they often are seen around windows and light fixtures.

Multicolored Asian lady beetles can be beneficial insects. They do a great job of controlling aphids that can damage many types of plants – this is called “biocontrol” – and they reduce the need for harmful pesticides. Despite this benefit, people are bothered by the beetles swarming outside their homes or flying around inside the house. Thus one needs to b very careful in taking measures against these pests. We need a solution that helps protect our shrubs and plants from damage, while at the same time does not harm the environment or these beneficial insects in any way. So, how do we fight this pest?

At C Tech Corporation, we offer a safe and effective solution to deal with these insects. Termirepel™ is a non-toxic, non-hazardous product that primarily repels insects from the application. It is a broad spectrum repellent which works against almost 500 species of pestering bugs thus efficaciously repulse them away from the application. The best feature of this product is that it is environmentally safe and causes no harm to the insect as well as humans and the environment. It is available in masterbatch and lacquer form and as a liquid solution. To keep these insects at bay, this product can be coated in lacquer form or added in mulches or films. The repelling mechanism of the product would keep off the beetles and any other insects that could harm our shrubs and plants.

 

 

 

 

Termites are a destructive species which threaten to unleash destruction in various forms in our lives. They secrete formic acid, a potent chemical capable of dissolving even the hardest of plastics. They are formidable house guests and termite colonies have the power to bring down an entire house.  Termites damage homes and other wooden construction by eating the seasoned timber found in houses. Most prefer leaf litter and dead grass, others prefer the damp, rotting wood inside trees and logs. Many homeowners are also unaware that home insurance typically does not cover this type of damage which can often amount to tens of thousands of dollars in repairs. Although they can cause much destruction, termites are essential components of our eco-system and are essential to maintaining balance and harmony.

Many methods are adopted by local homeowners to deal with termite damage. The most popular amongst them being the use of toxic chemicals to kill the termites in the way of fumigation. Fumigation makes use of harmful chemicals to get rid of termites. This method is mostly used by homeowners who often do not realize that these chemicals apart from being toxic to termites are toxic to humans too! Prolonged repeated exposure to such harmful and toxic chemicals can cause irreparable damage to humans. Let us look at the below news article;

10-year-old hospitalized after termite fumigation

“While our investigation is ongoing, we are issuing a Stop Work Order prohibiting (Sunland Pest Control) from conducting any fumigations at this time,” the agricultural and consumer services department said in a statement.

Sulfuryl fluoride, a gas fumigant, was the pesticide used to fumigate, sources told CNN.

Terminix gave this statement to CNN: “We were saddened to learn of this and our hearts are with the family. We are carefully reviewing the matter.”

Sunland Pest Control could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.Gribben set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family so they can take time off of work while Peyton recovers.The family has not filed a lawsuit.This is the second time this year that Terminix has been involved in a fumigation that injured people.In March, a family vacationing on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, fell ill after a suspected pesticide exposure. Preliminary tests showed the presence of methyl bromide in villa where the family was staying. Methyl bromide is a substance that is not permitted in the United States for indoor use.The DOJ and Environmental Protection Agency are investigating.That family, from Delaware, continues to recover, but the father and two sons have lost much of their motor skills as well, according to a source close to the family.

The article highlights how the toxic pesticides used in fumigation techniques can have unseen but potentially life crippling effects on humans. The worst part is that this is not a random isolated incident. There are many more. In fact, with Terminix alone, this has happened for the second time within a span of 6 months!

The above incident highlights the need for use of safer methods to deal with termite damage. It also emphasizes the importance of using a product that is non-toxic and non-hazardous to humans. Termirepel™ is a coming of age product developed by C Tech Corporation in India which is non-toxic and non-hazardous. Termirepel™ works on the mechanism of repellence and aims at protection the applications from termite damage by repelling the termites. The product is RoHS and RoHS2 certified. It is excluded from FIFRA meaning it is not classified as a pesticide. Termirepel™ has paved the way for a new age solution which is non-toxic in nature to deal with the ever-looming termite threat!

The Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni) is a species of tephritid fruit fly native to Australia. There are over 250 species of fruit fly in the family Tephritidae which occur in Australia but only about ten are pests. Adult flies are about seven millimeters long and are reddish-brown in color, with distinct yellow marking. QFF (Queensland Fruit Fly) is different from the small dark brown drosophila flies that hang around the ripe and decaying fruit. Drosophila flies are not agricultural pests but can be a nuisance where fruit and vegetables are stored. It is a widely acknowledged and feared pest in the agriculture and horticulture industry.

The fruit fly is native to eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales.  The ready availability of suitable hosts and habitat in urban and horticultural production areas in Queensland, Northern Territory, New South Wales and Victoria in Australia has enabled the fly to expand its natural range. It attacks a wide range of host plants, lowering production and making fruit inedible. This can have severe consequences for local and international trade.

The fruit fly causes damage in the larval stage as well as the adult stage. The female fly has a retractable, needle-sharp egg-laying organ (ovipositor) at the tip of her abdomen. Using the ovipositor she digs a flask-shaped chamber about 3 mm deep in the outer layer of the fruit where up to 12 eggs are laid at a time.

The fly lays eggs in maturing and ripe fruit on trees and sometimes in fallen fruit. The maggots (larvae) hatch and the fruit is destroyed by the feeding maggots and by associated fruit decay. The fly can attack a wide range of fruit, fruiting vegetables, and native fruiting plants. Evidence of the fly activity is sometimes seen as puncture marks in the skin of the fruit. The stings are where the female fruit fly has laid her eggs. Sting marks may appear as brown spots on persimmons, apples, and pears or small holes that may become small raised lumps in citrus and avocado. They are most active in warm humid conditions and after rain. The flies might be seen walking on the undersides of leaves or on maturing fruit. They readily take flight if disturbed.

There have been innumerable fruit fly outbreaks in the recent history. An outbreak however small in intensity spells huge losses for the horticulture industry as thousands of fruits growers are affected. They attack a host of fruit trees like apple, apricot, blackberry, cashew, etc. Bananas are said to be attacked only when overripe, and other fruits, such as grapes, are attacked only in peak years.

In Napa County a hub of olive growers, the meddling fruit fly has caused severe damage as reported in a leading newspaper. An ardent horticulturist Chris Craiker, the owner of Corlyone Olive Oyl in Browns Valley, said the infestation had hit his orchards hard in 2013, as he estimated a loss of 40 to 50 percent of his crop to the fruit fly infestation.

He said he usually grows about 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of olives, but had to discard the entire crop rather than sort the healthy fruit from the infected fruit.

Let us look at the following recent news article regarding the return of these devastating insects.

Fruit fly makes growers ‘nervous as hell’

By Mike Barrington – NORTHERN ADVOCATE

9:25 AM Friday, Jan 24, 2014

 A single male Fruit Fly found in the Hatea Drive area of Whangarei. Photo / Ron Burgin

The discovery of a male Queensland fruit fly in Whangarei has sparked a major biosecurity alert.

Up to 50 Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff was in the city and another 50 in Wellington were preparing yesterday to deal with the pest threatening New Zealand’s $4 billion horticulture industry.

The fly was found in the front yard of a home near the Whangarei Town Basin on Tuesday. It was collected from an insect trap MPI had placed there as part of its national fruit flies surveillance program involving 7400 traps around the country.

MPI staff yesterday put up signs banning people from taking whole fresh fruit and vegetables out of a 200m zone circling the place where the fly was found. Bins have been provided for residents to dump fruit and vegetables rather than disposing of them with other household rubbish.

Today MPI officials will begin putting about 200 pheromone traps into fruit trees in that zone and within a 1.5km radius of the discovery site extending up to the Regent, along Riverside Dr and into Parihaka.

An MPI mobile laboratory arrived in Whangarei yesterday for use analyzing fallen fruit and vegetables to be gathered from the two zones.

Queensland fruit fly is one of the most damaging fruit fly pests because it infests more than 100 species of fruit. Some countries will not import fruit and vegetables from sources where the fly is known to exist.

MPI deputy director general compliance and response Andrew Coleman said yesterday that New Zealand’s trading partners had been notified of the Whangarei find and measures were underway to find out if there is an infestation.

If no further evidence of fruit flies was found within a fortnight then overseas markets would accept the insect was alone, he said.

When the Northern Advocate asked whether the location of the fruit fly found in Whangarei indicated the insect had arrived in one of the many overseas yachts berthed at the Town Basin, Mr. Coleman said it may have done.

“But we may never know how it got here,” he said, explaining that the fruit fly life cycle involved a pupae development period on the ground.

The pheromone traps containing female fruit fly sex scent are expected to detect any males. If an infestation was found, ground spraying would be carried out to eradicate the invaders.

Minister of Primary Industries Nathan Guy and MPI chief executive officer Martyn Dunn were in Whangarei yesterday to see the fruit fly measures being imposed and for talks with Whangarei MP Phil Heatley, Mayor Sheryl Mai and top Northland Regional Council officials.

Mr. Heatley said later the minister had assured Whangarei people there would be no aerial spraying such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry carried out with the insecticide Foray 48B over parts of Auckland from January 2002 to May 2004 to eradicate another exotic pest, the painted apple moth.

Kerikeri Fruit growers’ Association chairman Rick Curtis said growers in his area were “nervous as hell”.

“They are watching and hoping the male fly found was alone,” he said.

Fruit fly facts:

• The Queensland fruit fly is a native of Australia where it is considered to be the country’s most serious insect pest of fruit and vegetable crops.
• Air and sea passengers are prohibited from bringing fresh fruit and vegetables into New Zealand.
• Fruit flies eat ripened fruit and vegetables. Eggs which female fruit flies lay on fruit hatch into larvae which find dark places where they grow six legs and wings before emerging as adults.
• Larvae of fruit flies develop in moist areas where organic material and standing water are present. The entire life cycle lasts 25 days or more depending on the environmental conditions and the availability of food.

Thus these flies are notorious pests which affect the horticulture industry reigning in losses to the tune of billions of dollars. Let us see what has been done conventionally to deal with these pests. The fly has been the subject of extensive control regimes including a Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone where it is forbidden to take fruit, and post-harvest dipping of fruit in dimethoate and fenthion. Now dimethoate and fenthion are interesting chemicals. They are basically organophosphates. Dimethoate is a widely used organophosphate insecticide used to kill insects on contact. Fenthion is an organothiophosphate insecticide, avicide, and acaricide. Since both the above chemicals are extremely toxic and hazardous to the human life due to their mode of action targeting the central nervous system, their use was under review by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), with dimethoate suspended from use.

In effect, we still have outbreaks of fruit fly infestations with almost no means of controlling them. Termirepel™ a product by C Tech Corporation is a promising alternative solution. Termirepel™ is a non-toxic, non-hazardous insect and pest repellant. Primarily designed to be used as a termite aversive, it is highly effective against a host of other insects and pests. It works by the mechanism of repellence by which it ensures that the target insect or pest stays away from the application without resorting to killing it. Termirepel™ is available in liquid form which can be used in the form of a spray. Also, the masterbatch form can be incorporated in agricultural films.

Crazy ants are so named because of their frantic movements and erratic behavior. While this species originated in Southeast Asia, it is known worldwide as an invasive species and environmental pest. Adult crazy ants are dark brown to black in color and measure approximately 2.2 to 3 mm in length. Crazy ants’ antennae have 12 segments without a club, and their antennae are elongated. Crazy ants’ legs are extremely long and give it a very distinct appearance. Crazy ants are highly versatile, living in both moist and dry habitats. They nest in rotten wood, soil, the cavities of trees and plants, trash and under rocks and buildings.

Crazy ants may be more difficult to control than other ant species because they dwell both indoors and outdoors. In addition, crazy ants forage long distances from their nests, making it difficult to identify their colonies.

 Ants of any species when numerous will naturally adapt foraging activity and randomly will get into the switch boxes, or transformers, etc. They are shocked when they come between live contacts, at which time the pheromone attraction is initiated. Crazy ants have been documented to cause sprinkler irrigation system control boards to malfunction in Florida. On a circuit board, short circuits may be caused when ants conduct electricity between different circuits. Another documented case involved these ants causing an air conditioner unit to malfunction in Austin (Travis County), Texas, resulting in replacement of the entire switching mechanism at a cost of $196.54

Crazy ants in Texas, Nylanderia fulva, the “tawny’ crazy ant, previously referred to as the rasberry crazy ant, Nylanderia (previouslyParatrechina) species near pubens, has caused serious problems with electrical utilities in the industrial parks near Houston (Harris County), Texas. These ants become abundant in localized areas or spots of infestation. Like other ants, large numbers of shocked ants cause short circuits and clog switching mechanisms in security systems, pumps, and other equipment.

Let’s have a look at how destructive these ants are in our day to day living.

 

 

 

 

THERE ARE ‘KILLER CRAZY ANTS’ IN BIRMINGHAM WHICH ARE ‘ADDICTED’ TO ELECTRICITY

By BREITBART LONDON 18 Aug 2015

 Apparently there are killer, crazy ants in Birmingham which are addicted to electricity, and can bite, sting, and spread salmonella.

This, according to the Birmingham Mail, is a new development in the West Midlands’ pest problems, and they hail from one of Britain’s worst enemies: Argentina.

The Mail reports:

They bite, they sting and they spread salmonenlla.

Pest control experts have now issued an alert over two extremely unwelcome species – “crazy” and “Argentinian” ants. They say multi-occupancy buildings, such as hotels and guest houses, are particularly at risk.

Crazy ants – given the name because of their jerky movement – are covered in red hair and get a real buzz from electricity, chewing through insulation for a light lunch.

The Argentinian variety is particularly vicious, attacking crops and animals. Almost black and 3mm long, they form large colonies in cracks in walls and between timbers.

The alert has been issued by Basis Prompt, a register of Birmingham and West Midlands pest control companies.

Expert David Cross told The Birmingham Mail the new arrivals are the latest additions to a growing list of fearsome tropical ants that have colonised our region.

Last year Scientific American wrote about how the Crazy Ants were winning the turf war against the cousins in the United States, claiming:

Crazy ants produce chemicals they then rub on themselves as an antidote to fire ant venom. And the acidic substance exuded from where a stinger would be located on other ant species also doubles as a chemical weapon they spray at foes, allowing the crazy ants to defeat competitors that would otherwise help keep them in check.

They are notoriously hard to kill, too. Reuters reports:

The researchers reported last year that in places where crazy ants arrive, creatures such as insects, spiders, centipedes and crustaceans decline, which could affect ecosystems by reducing food sources for other animals. The ants also nest in people’s houses and harm electrical equipment.

The New York Daily News writes:

The ants usually chew through wires in machines, electrocuting themselves in the process. But the dead ants emit a perfume which attracts even more aggressive ants to the machinery, leading to more damage.

MacKay (1988) described the way in which ants impact electrical equipment. However, some controversy continues as to why ants are attracted to electrical circuits and switching mechanisms. According to Dr. S. Bradleigh Vinson’s description of Dr. MacKay’s work funded by the Texas Department of Transportation (pers. com.), when switches are open, foraging ants tend to stop in the presence of the electric field. If the researcher turned off the electricity, the ants simply moved on. Once an ant is shocked by touching body parts between an open switching mechanism individually or among a group of ants touching each other, the ants displayed shocked reactions and often waved their abdomen (gaster) in the air (called gaster flagging) to release pheromones (volatile chemical communication chemicals) that, in turn, attract other worker ants (Vandermeer et al. 2002). Arriving ants that touch shocked ants also get shocked. Therefore many, many ants accumulate around a point such as the switching mechanism in a traffic switch box, causing it to malfunction. This explanation does not address initial attraction to the electrical site. Possibly the ants through random foraging find their way into open switches and get shocked.

In the case of imported ants, another aspect of their behavior also causes problems to electrical equipment. Colonies move into utility housing and import soil in which to nest. The result is moisture build-up and corrosion of the housings, a problem frequently associated with malfunctioning transformer units. In addition, ants can chew through coatings protecting wires resulting in possible short circuits. The soil removed from underneath slabs can cause the slab to tilt. When this occurs with a transformer box, the oil in the unit can leak out.

Because the crazy ants wander in aimless movements instead of a straight trail, it may be difficult to locate a trail to treat. Look under rocks, stumps, landscape timbers, firewood, and any rotting wood. Crazy Ants forage over long distances, so it is important to search diligently. Traditional methods like spraying insecticides, pesticides, etc are used to control them, but this method is hazardous and may cause long-lasting consequences to the application

C Tech Corporation offers a non-toxic and non-hazardous product, Termirepel™ to protect the electrical application and cables from these ravenous insects. It is an environmentally safe product that works by repelling the insects without causing any harm to the target or non-target species. Termirepel™ is available in concentrate and lacquer form. It can also be used as a liquid solution. Termirepel™ can be safely incorporated into the PVC insulation of wires and cables or coated on surfaces to keep crazy ants away from the application. Termirepel™ can also be incorporated in agricultural films and mulches for the protection of trees and bushes against these creatures.

Root maggots are the immature stage, or larvae, of small flies that belong to the insect order Diptera i.e. flies and the family Anthomyiidae. Root maggots occur worldwide. They are short-lived insects. Maggots are not particularly large creatures; their maximum length being 1/4^th of an inch. The maggots are – cream colored, elongate with the head end pointed. Root maggots thrive in organic matter.

Root maggots constitute the most serious annually recurring insect pest problem of vegetable production. They attack all varieties of crucifiers. When root maggot larvae feed on root crops such as turnip, rutabaga, and radish, they leave surface scars and feeding tunnels thus literally scarring the plant. Any feeding scars may render the product unacceptable for market thus causing severe losses. The root is severely damaged. Feeding tunnels make the plant vulnerable to infection by soft-rot bacteria and to secondary infestation by springtails and thrips. Feeding by root maggot larvae on the stem, leaf and flowering crucifers like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and kohlrabi results in a severe decline in the health of the plant. Young plants may be girdled and may die. Root systems in older plants may be extensively damaged and the taproot may be destroyed completely.

Root maggots attack different crops like cabbage, onion, canola, etc. They are named based on the crops that they target as canola root maggot, cabbage root maggot, onion root maggot, etc.

 The cabbage maggot, Delia radicum, is a sporadic pest of many Cole crops including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips, radishes, and other crops of the mustard family. Occasionally, they attack other vegetables such as beet and celery. When cabbage maggots emerge, they immediately start feeding on the roots of the host plant seedlings. Plants are more susceptible to cabbage maggots during a wet, cold spring with most of the damage limited to the early spring plantings. Injury from the second generation in late June or July is usually not severe because the maggots prefer cool, moist conditions and younger, tender plants. Maggots feed on the root hair and can create extensive, slimy tunnels on the root surface and throughout the roots. Larvae feed on roots and tunnel into the taproot, producing brown streaks on the root. The lower leaves of infested plants often turn yellow, with severe damage resulting in arrested plant growth. Feeding damage may also promote disease, causing further stress on the plant. Root maggots and root disease often show up together in the same field.

Severe root maggot damage can occur in fields with back to back canola plantations if crop rotation is not followed. Based on average canola prices, the yield losses quantified in the study were equivalent to $108-$140 per acre after only three years of continuous canola. In canola, severe maggot infestations can cause plant wilting, stunting and reduced flowering, decreased seed weight, and lower seed yields. If feeding tunnels are extensive and girdle the root, plant lodging and death can occur. Roots damaged by these maggots are more susceptible to invasion by root pathogens such as Fusarium than intact roots. Yield reductions in the range of 50 and 19 percent from root maggot damage for crops of Brassica rapa L. and B. napus L., respectively, have been reported. In a four-year survey conducted by a team of scientists, of nearly 3000 canola fields across Western Canada, the greatest degree of damage over the largest area was found in central, western and northwestern Alberta, although localized areas with severely damaged roots occurred along the northern edge of the entire Parkland eco region. Soil type can play a part in the degree of root maggot infestation of canola.

The onion maggot (Delia antiqua) is one of the most destructive insect pests of onions and related plants. Injured seedlings wilt and die. Larger bulbs may survive some injury but are often poor keepers. Once onion maggots infest an area, they seem to be a problem every year. White onion varieties are more susceptible to attack than other varieties. Stunted or wilting onion plants are the first signs of onion maggot damage. At this time, you may find the maggots in putrid, decomposing onion plants. Light infestations may not kill onions but may make them more susceptible to rots. Onions of all sizes may be attacked, especially in the fall, when cooler weather favors the maggot’s activity. Damaged onions are not marketable and will rot in storage causing other onions to rot.

Let us look at the following news article about root maggot damage.

Continuous canola can lead to root maggot damage


CONTINUAL DROP Study finds drop in yields significant 
after first year


Posted Oct. 5th, 2012

If your rotation is canola, snow, and canola again, you’re setting yourself up for a root maggot infestation.


Insects love it when you grow the same crop year after year, and root maggots and canola are no exception, University of Alberta entomologist Lloyd Dosdall told attendees at a recent Alberta Canola industry update seminar.


Dosdall was part of a research team that examined how canola rotation — or the lack of it — affects crop damage, yield and seed quality. The study examined 13 different treatments done across Western Canada at five different sites from 2008 to 2011.


Several sites were continuously cropped with canola, while others had a canola-wheat-canola rotation or only had canola in one of the three years. At the end of the season, researchers examined root damage to determine the severity of root maggot infestation.


“The damage to canola that was grown continuously was more severe than when canola was rotated,” said Dosdall.


Root maggot larvae overwinter in soil and the study found the damage they cause increased every year.


“We had the highest yields in the first year of continuous canola, and then they just dropped down significantly in the following two years,” he said.


Dosdall said the loss from continuous cropping ranged from a loss of $280 to $380 per hectare.

The above article suggests that crop rotation is one way of preventing root maggot infestation. But crop rotation is not always desirable or economical. In such circumstances, the crucifers don’t stand a chance. This is so because there are no insecticides available to treat root maggots; unbelievably so! This presents before us a huge problem. In these trying times, Termirepel™ a product by C Tech Corporation can provide us with the necessary relief. Termirepel™ can be broadly defined as a non-toxic and non-hazardous termite aversive. But it is also highly effective against a multitude of other insects and pests. Termirepel™ in the form of an atomized spray can be used as a new age insecticide but in this case explicitly non-hazardous and environment-friendly. Also, Termirepel™  is available in the form of a solid masterbatch which can be incorporated in drip irrigation pipes during polymer processing. The unique feature of this product is that it acts as a mechanism of repellence and does not kill the target species.