[Pest Identification] Big Deal

Eric Benson carries a big stick. Literally. The Clemson University entomologist has toted an oak stick with him for nine years. "When my son was 5 years old, he was playing with a stick in the front yard," he said. "He was throwing it up in the air over and over again. It eventually came down and hit him smack on the head. He wasn’t hurt, but he said, ‘I’ve got to learn to get out of my way.’"

Benson was struck, too — by the underlying meaning of his son’s statement. "I think we all must learn to get out of our own way," he says. The stick now serves as a reminder of this philosophy. "Sometimes we’re not open to new situations that might be making minor pests into major problems," he said as he began his presentation on the topic at last year’s NPMA PestWorld conference.

Before reviewing case studies, Benson identified several reasons that PCOs may find themselves facing minor pests that have become major issues for clients. And his reasons mirror his "get out of your own way" philosophy.

These situations tend to develop "when you’re in a treatment rut," Benson told his audience. "Time is money, and a lot of technicians have to service lots of accounts in a certain period of time. So we do the same thing over and over." However, given more time to fully consider the range of options available, technicians may be able to approach an infestation or unusual customer complaint in a more effective way.

A second key to managing minor pests before they get out of hand involves accurate species identification. For many PCOs, this is a major challenge, Benson notes, especially because field guides don’t include an exhaustive list of species. The result of an inaccurate identification can be a frustrating attempt to eradicate a species that seems to be invincible. In reality, the pest is simply continuing to thrive because it doesn’t respond to a treatment designed for a different species.

In addition to always carrying appropriate reference guides, such as the "Mallis Handbook of Pest Control," which Benson contributed to, he advised the audience to make good use of their local university extension service in identifying questionable species. He urged PCOs to create their own reference collections by carefully assembling examples of unusual pests they come across. Samples should be sent to extension officers in crush-proof containers and preserved in mouthwash, which is not considered a hazardous substance, he said.

Even when pests are correctly identified, they may be underestimated, Benson continued. "Never say never, and never say always," he advises. Like any other animal, insects can behave in surprising ways, especially when conditions are unique. For instance, Hurricane Katrina brought more water to New Orleans than ever seen before. With such unexpected conditions, new and unusual pest problems can develop that require new treatment strategies.

ANT MISIDENTIFICATION. In many cases, technicians must be prepared to question customers’ assumptions. For instance, Benson told the tale of an alleged Florida carpenter ant outbreak in his home state of South Carolina. Repeated complaints about the pest had PCOs treating for Florida carpenter ants in various locations. However, when the ants appeared to be surviving the treatments, a closer inspection revealed that the technicians were fighting the wrong foe. Instead of Florida carpenter ants, they were dealing with field ants, a look-alike species only identifiable by its notched thorax (the Florida carpenter ant has a smooth thorax).

Once the ants were accurately identified, they could be treated appropriately. That meant approaching the pests based on their unique habits. Unlike Florida carpenter ants, field ants don’t populate trees or create satellite nests. Therefore, treatment should be targeted to the pests’ particular habits. "It took four hours and two people to mark the ants’ trails and nests on one customer’s property and then knock them back with spray," Benson said, noting that this represents an unusually time-intensive effort. But the PCO in this case had numerous customers complaining of the same type of ant infestation, and, once identified, each case could be approached with effective treatments.

Benson related another case in which a pest had "flown under the radar," surprising technicians when they finally received accurate identification. In this case, complaints of ant infestations had led PCOs to believe that they were dealing with Argentine ants, which are known to exclude other ant species. Upon closer inspection, led by a graduate student who decided to study the interactions of Argentine ants to other ant populations, it was found that odorous house ants and a little-known species, Asian fire ants, were also running amok in customers’ yards and homes. "Although Asian fire ants were introduced to America more than 100 years ago, they’re not often considered a primary pest," Benson said. Thus, many PCOs assumed they were dealing with more common species, and the Asian fire ants continued to prosper.

With so many species of ants in all areas of the nation, proper identification is absolutely essential in dealing with ant infestations. Benson described two other cases of ant misidentification. One involved thief ants mistaken for Pharaoh ants, and the other involved pyramid ants mistaken for fire ants. In both cases, once appropriate identification was achieved, the stories ended happily with the management of the pest problem.

TIME OUT FOR PLASTER BEETLES. One of Benson’s most dramatic tales of a minor pest causing a major problem involved an infestation of plaster beetles in a hospital. The situation shut down an operating room for more than two weeks. The challenge in this case was to find the source from which the beetles were emanating. Because these tiny bugs, which can be mistaken for common pantry pests, consume mold that develops in moist plaster or other construction materials, it is important to locate the food source and address the building’s moisture problem in order to eradicate the bugs. "It was a bit scary to stand on the hospital’s roof with officials asking me where to begin cutting into the building," Benson recalls. Treatment with Tim-bor to kill the beetles and a structural drying process solved the problem, he said.

FINAL THOUGHTS. In approaching all of these cases and others in which minor pests have created major problems, Benson says, "Don’t shoot from the hip. Try to anticipate the situation before minor pests become a major problem."

He suggests that pest management professionals ask themselves this key question when entering a potentially problematic situation: "Will this formulation or method control these pests, at this time, under these conditions?" By considering all the pieces of the puzzle — proper species identification as well as seasonal and environmental concerns — minor pests can remain in the background where they belong.

The author is owner of Compelling Communications and is a frequent contributor to PCT magazine. She can be reached at jvanklavern@giemedia.com.