[Problems and Solutions]

NEW HOUSE = NEW BUGS?

Q I work in an area where new construction is running rampant. I have been receiving calls from new homeowners about insects they’ve found. I have sent you some samples. These are really small insects; I think they’re some type of beetle. I have not seen these before and wonder if they are common for new homes or has there been a change in the way pest management is being performed (i.e., baits instead of sprays)?

A Thanks for the inquiry and the samples. The samples this PCO sent are fungus beetles, sometimes called plaster beetles, in the genera Lathridiidae. There are several species of these beetles; all are small and usually hard to detect. They actually feed on fungi that is probably present in the new home (in wall voids and other areas). Since the PCO found these beetles in an upstairs room on a windowsill, I suspect they are emerging from the wall through cracks and crevices, and flying to the windows, attracted to the light.

There are several insects that can show up in new homes — most of them are related to moisture that found its way into the home during construction. When this happens (from rain mostly) and the walls are enclosed, there is a chance for fungi to start growing. These beetles find this moisture, feed on it and can emerge in huge numbers soon after the house is finished. I would suspect that where you are finding these incidents, the home is less then a year old and has not gone through a full heating and air-conditioning cycle yet. Houses more than a year old usually do not have these problems, unless there is an ongoing circumstance with moisture or mold growth.

In addition, in some cases, humidity has a lot to do with the survival of these insects. Other than fungus beetles, PCOs may see the following pests associated with humidity:

Psocids sometimes are referred to as paper mites. These insects can show up in new and old homes, especially if high humidity and moisture problems exist (usually). Psocids are usually controlled by basically drying the location out, lowering the humidity and finding possible sources of moisture. I have seen severe populations that take some time to control. Of course the main concerns are homeowners, who may become distraught because they see these pests just about everywhere in the structure.

Foreign grain beetles are another fungus beetle of sorts that gets its name from being found in moldy grain. They actually look similar to a red flour beetle. A careful identification is needed for this pest because it often shows up in bathrooms in new structures. You can get more in-depth information on this beetle and the plaster beetle from the NPCA Field Guide or PCT’s Structure-Infesting Beetles, volume II, by Stoy Hedges and Mark Lacey.

Wood wasps can be present if the wood was not properly kiln dried. The adult laid its eggs in living trees and the larvae feed in the wood for about a year. If "green" lumber is used in a house, wood wasps can be present and emerge through the wallboard, covering the wood they may be in. They are rather large, about ½ inch long, and some are black and yellow. They are wasps but do not sting and leave a perfectly round ½-inch diameter exit hole. They won’t reinfest but they sure get the homeowner’s attention.

There are some other insects that can enter during construction phases in houses. One that can become a real problem, with infestations often growing quickly, is the silverfish. These guys are a real pain to control. My opinion is that every structure in the United States has silverfish and at least one kind of carpet beetle in them. The latter insects can be brought into the house on flowers, and at this time of the year this can be very common.

That is the short list — keep an eye out for them. As far as control: There is nothing you can do for the wood wasp. Insecticide dusting into wall voids can assist in reducing populations of the beetles, psocids and silverfish. Also try crack and crevice treatment with residuals.

TERMITE BAITS AND LIQUIDS

Q I have been attending a lot of meetings recently and the discussion among regulators, researchers and pest management professionals has been varied about termite elimination using baits and now using liquids, especially non-repellents. What is your opinion? Do you have a favorite termite control product?

A Hey no fair! I could choose not to answer this! However, these are the exact questions I get when I am out in the field working with pest management professionals and giving presentations.

The positioning that goes on surrounding termite "elimination" is really fun to watch. I listen to all the parties you mentioned and maybe have more in-depth conversations with some. However, I will tackle the answer by asking a question: What is most important to you — getting the termites out of the house or marketing elimination to the customer? In my opinion, based on information I have seen and situations I have experienced in the field, and discussion with researchers and others, is yes, we can eliminate termites that are feeding on the structure if we get the chemical to those termites. Is there some kind of trick? No. Just simple logic.

We have more tools today, and darn good ones, to handle termite infestations and protect houses or other structures from termites. I believe the chemistry that is out there can affect large groups of termites and, in reality, when we treat a structure, from the data I have seen, we are most likely impacting a few to several groups (colonies?) of termites that surround the structure — one or two or more of which may be feeding on the structure. The others just may be hanging out and maybe will never find the house. They may even be another species of termite.

I have heard presenters state you cannot say you are "eliminating termites." Let’s look at the context of this and if people want to reply to this column, then great.

Can you eliminate termites on the property? No. Can you eliminate termites that feed on the bait or tunnel through termiticide? Yes. If the answer is no then I guess they would be saying the chemical does not kill termites. So the key is termites have to contact the "barriers" or be fed the baits. Otherwise we get no control. That sounds like a pretty simple concept! I would like to see some of the information researchers are coming up with applied to the real world of termite treatment. Instead of arguing or posturing amongst themselves, what would their recommendations be to increase the chances of success in baiting and liquid applications? In reality, I believe the information is sometimes couched in such a way that we cannot see the forest for the trees.

I have heard pest management professionals say that baits did not work for them. The chemical (liquid) did not work, because they still have termites active in the house. I cannot remember how many times I have read or heard information about termite treatment but it seems the success in treatment has a lot to do with inspection and application (with a capital "I" and "A"). Even so, we have seen a remarkable success and reduction in retreatments using the tools we have today. No one seems to be happy until we reach zero. I for one would prefer to see that happen sometime after I retire!

From the homeowner’s perspective, when those termites have disappeared, we did eliminate them. And, a remarkably high number of those homes do not get termites again. I would point out that termites reentering a station are not infesting a structure. Can we get termites back in monitors of a baiting system? Sure. Can we get termites back into the structure in the future when we are using a baiting system to monitor against them? Sure. Can "new" termites get into a structure that has been treated with liquids? Sure. Does that mean we lied to the homeowners or that we are defrauding the consumer? No. Here is where the regulators enter.

Carefully worded contracts should explain to the customer exactly what they are getting. If you state that the only method that will eliminate a problem is "X" then you are taking on quite a bit of responsibility. However, we have heard of companies doing this, issuing damage warranties for termite treatment five or 10 years…even lifetime warranties. I would hope this is more than a marketing gimmick?

Unfortunately, for an industry that has treated millions of homes for termites, we don’t have any data to show that backs up our performance. Numbers can show a lot, and analyzing them is important and making realistic recommendations based on those numbers would be important.

Now, what was the second question?

The author is president of George Rambo Consulting Services, Central, S.C. Fax questions to him at 864/654-2447 or via e-mail at grambo@pctonline.com.