2002 Pest Wrap-Up

The United States is a large country with a variety of climates and varying weather conditions from year to year. In general, the key pests for any given city or area of a state remains largely the same year to year. Weather conditions do affect pest activity, and the past few years have provided warmer-than-normal winters that have promoted pest survival and proliferation in many areas, especially those with more than average rainfall. Still, a number of areas have experienced extended drought-like conditions, especially the Northeast. Florida experienced dry conditions for several years, but received relief in expected rainfall in 2002.

Attempting to provide a nationwide recap of urban pest activity is a daunting task as it is difficult to fully cover every region of the country. The following is a compilation based on interviews with a number of pest management professionals around the United States.

MOST WANTED LISTS. Each respondent was asked to rate the top five pests in his or her area for both 2001 and 2002. Most of the time, these two lists were identical although a few surprises did make the list in 2001 from the previous year. Additionally, each was given the opportunity to describe unusual pests that popped up in 2002.

Not surprisingly, ants of one species or another were the No. 1 pest reported both years in most areas. Each respondent was asked to list the top three pest ant species for 2001. Specifics will be detailed in the discussions on the following pages, but in general, the top five pest ant species in the U.S., based on totals derived from these surveys, are 1) carpenter ant, 2) odorous house ant, 3) pavement ant, 4) Argentine ant, and 5) fire ant. Interestingly the ranking last year was as follows: 1) Argentine ants, 2) carpenter ants, 3) fire ants, 4) Pharaoh ants, and 5) pavement ants.

The differences between the years lies largely with the differences in respondents from varying areas of the country. Fire ants are still the "queen" in Texas (and some other areas), while in California Argentine ants are the primary pest species. One trend that is holding the past three years is the increase in odorous house ants as a major pest in the Midwest and along the Atlantic seaboard. This species continually moves up respondents’ lists each year in these areas, if it is not already their No. 1 pest ant.

WEATHER CONDITIONS. A meteorologist from a weather prediction research center once told this author that one-third of the days in any given region has exactly the same conditions (temperature, precipitation, etc.) from one year to the next. The difference is that it is not the same 122 days each year. Each year, one area is warmer than normal, another cooler; one is wetter, others are dry. Variations in the overall weather have the potential to make or break a pest season.

The East Coast has been under drought conditions for some time from New England to Florida and the area has experienced mild winters the past two years. Florida, at least, had its drought end this year with fairly normal rainfall returning. Most of the East was dry until fall, when it was cool and rainy. Continuation of regular rain showers combined with good snowfall this winter might bode well for a decent termite swarm in the spring, provided, of course, the spring is blessed with series of warm, rainy days. Florida’s hot summer, combined with the rain, perked up its pest season.

A mild winter also graced the Midsouth and lower Midwest states while the Midwest experienced regular rainfall. The Midsouth area was wetter than normal with almost daily rainfall through August and higher than normal rainfall into fall. The upper Midwest was cool this spring but warmed greater than normal this summer. Summer was reportedly wet in Minnesota and fairly normal precipitation fell throughout much of the Midwest during the summer.

Texas’ weather was mild through winter, spring and summer. One hundred degree days in Dallas were few and far between, compared to previous years. Rainfall was normal compared to the previous several years of dry conditions. Little snow and rain has fallen in the Denver area this year and the mild, cool winter and spring were followed by a normal summer and a cool fall, temperature-wise. The West Coast was likewise fairly dry with some areas, such as Portland, reporting decent rainfall. Seattle, however, has been dry all year, while the whole Pacific Northwest was hotter than normal this summer.

NEW ENGLAND

According to Terminix branch manager Jim O’Neil, the top three pests in the Northeast were carpenter ants, subterranean termites and mice — the same as was reported for 2001. The termite swarm season was early and was rated good, as was the pest season. Bed bug cases continued to increase in the area this year while flea calls were rare. The warm, early spring prompted a quick beginning to the pest season with wasp and bee activity reportedly up. Carpenter ants got busy early too, but a cold May brought this good news to a halt. The activity levels then "roller-coastered" the remainder of the year as June was good followed by a drop in July and August with a rebound in September.

NEW JERSEY

After higher than normal rainfall in 2000 and normal rainfall in 2001, this area was dry during the summer. Both Rick Cooper of Cooper Pest Control, Lawrenceville, N.J., and Bill Kolbe of Western Industries, Par-sippany, N.J., list the odorous house ant as its key 2002 pest. This factor continues a trend along the Atlantic seaboard of this species being the most difficult pest ant to control. Carpenter ants are still prevalent as a residential pest, but the odorous house ant numbers in and around some dwellings are reported as "staggering" by Cooper. He also reports seeing more cases of small honey ants and has also seen thief ants more frequently than in past years.

The termite swarm was good and on schedule, and the mild winter and warm spring likely contributed to this result. Pest activity was rated "good" as compared to "excellent" in 2001. Fleas were not evident much again this year. Cooper states that springtail calls again increased over the prior year and have proved difficult to control. He says that neither residual application at high rates and volumes nor habitat modification were particularly effective for any extended period of time. He theorizes that springtail populations have boomed in recent years now that lawn care companies are no longer able to apply organophosphate insecticides for grub control in residential lawns. Cooper also notes that the paper wasp, Polistes dominulus, continues to be a problem in his area. This species is particularly aggressive compared to other species he encounters.

Bill Kolbe notes difficulty in German cockroach control with gel baits due to avoidance of such baits by some German cockroach populations. He also reported interior fly breeding as a particular problem, mainly due to lack of good sanitation practices by food-handling facilities.

MARYLAND & VIRGINIA

Ants are the No. 1 pest in the central Atlantic states agree Dr. Richard Kramer, technical director, American Pest Management, Takoma Park, Md., and Jerry Bukovsky, a technical specialist for Terminix. The area also experienced higher than normal activity for yellowjackets, likely due to the dry summer.

The termite swarm season was deemed "good" and arrived on schedule but was described as "sporadic" by Kramer. The pest season was good with ants, wasps and rodents making the phones ring. Fleas, as seen with most of the country, failed to be of any significance again this year. Like many areas of the country, bed bugs are on the increase. Kramer theorizes the increased use of baits to control cockroaches and ants may be playing a role in increased bed bug activity as baseboard treatments are a less frequently used technique. He states this ectoparsite as one of the more challenging pests to control, a fact shared by many respondents in this survey.

Kramer has also noted that overwintering pests, such as lady bugs, cluster flies and boxelder bugs, are markedly decreased this year, due likely to dry conditions through much of the spring and summer.

CENTRAL OHIO

Gerry Wegner of Varment Guard Environmental Services, Columbus, Ohio, listed the top pests in his area as paper wasps (P. dominulus), odorous house ants, and carpenter ants. He also notes a significant increase in phorid fly cases in his customers’ facilities this year. He rates the pest season as "excellent." Springtails are increasing, he believes, due to the growing popularity of mulch in landscape beds. The termite season was "fair" in his estimation and arrived on schedule.

Carpenter bee activity is noticeably up this year, Wegner reports, and he notes their access holes on the sheltered (less visible) side of wood often go unnoticed during routine services by technicians. As is being seen on the East Coast, lady bug activity is drastically down this year after several years of steady increase. Likewise, yellowjacket populations are way down. Wegner also notes that urban wildlife is an increasing problem. (Since his company specializes in that field, however, that just may mean he has noticed the increase while respondents from other areas simply do not get these calls.)

MINNEAPOLIS

Carpenter ants are the No. 1 pest of homes in the upper Midwest — no surprise. According to Eric Fulkerson, termite manager in Minneapolis, the pest season was only "fair" despite the abundance of moisture, likely a result of an unusually cool spring. Calls to the branch were steady through the summer but no sudden "rush" of calls occurred for any particular pest.

He reports getting some calls for fleas this year, which he rates as a good flea season compared to the recent past. Asian lady beetles have been a problem the past few years and an outbreak of strawberry root weevils occurred. Indianmeal moth incidence was noticeably increased over prior years, but a cause for this spike is not known. Fulkerson also notes that although subterranean termite activity is not often seen in Minneapolis, new activity is being discovered in neighborhoods where termites have not been seen before. He describes the activity as being confined inside buildings with little evidence seen outdoors around infested structures.

KENTUCKY

As in 2001, odorous house ants are the most important home pest in the central part of the state, says Dr. Mike Potter of the University of Kentucky. This ant has proven to be the most difficult-to-control pest in the area the past few years. He notes carpenter ant activity seemed down this year, possibly due to an unusually dry summer.

The spring and fall have been very wet in Kentucky and West Nile virus has proven to be a serious issue for the famed Kentucky horse industry. One recent study of house sparrows nesting around horse barns found 65 to 80 percent of the sparrows were carriers of the virus. Another interesting issue involving horses is the unusually large number of aborted fetuses in horses. The cause of the problem is strongly linked to the abundance of Eastern tent caterpillars and is not completely understood.

Springtails have been more prevalent this year, but lady bugs — a big problem in the recent past — have been "light" in 2002. Yellowjacket activity is also down. Carpenter bees were especially populous this year.

Potter rates the termite swarm as "good" and it arrived on time. Reticulitermes virginicus continues to be discovered more frequently in the area. This species seems to have finicky eating habits and getting it to "lock on" to a termite bait for extended feeding often proves difficult, Potter said.

MIDSOUTH

The odorous house ant is still the primary ant pest in the Midsouth, but the imported fire ant is an increasing problem in west Tennessee and central and northern Arkansas. Other ant species of importance are little black ants and acrobat ants. Brown recluse spiders remain a significant pest concern for many Midsouth homeowners and cases seem to continue to rise each year.

The termite swarm was "good" and it extended over several weeks. Swarmers occurred more on schedule into late March and early April in Memphis as compared to early March swarms in recent years. A cool early spring was likely the reason. The pest season was "fair" and odorous house ant activity seemed to be increased over the prior year. Overwintering paper wasp queen activity is also up this fall.

An interesting case involving the brown widow spider occurred in New Orleans this summer. This species is not native to Louisiana but hundreds of spiders were found among cars at car lots in one area of the city. The situation was severe enough that dozens of cars were fumigated. It is possible a few brown widows were transported in a used car or on some other item to one of the car lots and a small population began. The bright lights associated with car lots, however, lured an abundance of food (flying insects) and created a paradise for the spiders.

FLORIDA

As would be expected in Florida, the top pests are ants which, in that state, may comprise a dozen or more pest species state-wide. The primary culprits are crazy ants, carpenter ants, imported fire ants and ghost ants throughout much of the state. In southern Florida, the white-footed ant is an increasing problem while in the north, Argentine ants can be particularly bothersome.

The termite swarm was fair to good and arrived on schedule to late depending on the area of the state. Pest activity was good this year with the bulk of the calls involving ants. One respondent reported a decent number of flea calls, but in general flea activity continues to be negligible. Unlike most areas of the country, where the house mouse is the prevalent structure-invading rodent, roof rats are more common in Florida.

TEXAS

In 2001 Mike Kilpatrick, Terminix technical specialist, listed the imported fire ant and Argentine ant as his area’s top pests. This year, however, he notes more problems with the odorous house ant, although Argentine ants and imported fire ants are still key pests. He has observed the odorous house ant to be increasing its presence, but this year it is proving to be one of the more difficult-to-control pests faced by his technicians. The pest season in Texas was good but again fleas were not evident as a significant pest. Mosquitoes were reported more often as pests due to more rainfall, but more so to the increased awareness of West Nile virus nationally in the media. In the Dallas area, the termite swarm was rated "fair," and it occurred on schedule.

In Kerrville, Texas, outside of San Antonio, Terminix franchisee Kent Bond reports subterranean termites to be his key pest followed closely by scorpions and fire ants. Scorpions proved especially difficult this year, leading to numerous extra service calls. Pharaoh ants are also encountered often in the area. He describes having a fair flea season, and rats were the rodent of most concern in 2002.

DENVER

Pavement ants, spiders and mice are the key pests in the Denver market, according to Terminix branch manager Bruce Edwards. The area was exceedingly dry all year and the lack of moisture resulted in a fair pest season. Calls are down dramatically compared to recent years, including those for black widow spiders. He has noted an increase in requests to control voles, however. The drought conditions also affected the termite season with the swarm rated as "poor."

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Although known for its rainy weather, this area was either dry or wet this year compared to where you lived. Ron Wikstrom, a Terminix branch manager, reported a wet year while his colleague working from the Tacoma, Wash., branch, Jim Stiles, noted fairly dry conditions for the Seattle area. As would be expected, carpenter ants and odorous house ants are the primary structural pests while yellowjacket activity is prevalent during late summer into fall. The Portland area reported an "excellent" pest season, likely due to regular rainfall while that of the Seattle area was less so due to lack of rain. Both managers report an increase in the number of bed bug calls, primarily seen in hotels. Wikstrom notes that any bed bug cases in homes generally could be linked to the homeowner’s return from an out-of-town trip.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

In Southern California, it should surprise no one the key pest is the Argentine ant. This species is so abundant and pervasive in the urban environment, it generally dominates the attention of professionals at the height of summer. Odorous house ants have also proven difficult this year.

Roof rats and house mice were both active pests in 2002 in the Los Angeles area, according to Terminix manager J.R. Reed. He rates the pest season as "good" and notes in commercial facilities, phorid flies were particularly active. He also noted more honey bee nesting within structural voids, theorizing dry weather may be a contributing factor to this change in behavior.

SOUTHWEST

Terminix Technical Specialist Brian Ferris of Phoenix reports various ant species to be of most concern depending on the area. For example, in Las Vegas, the Argentine ant continues to plague homeowners and businesses alike. In Phoenix, crazy ants and pavement ants are more commonly encountered. The termite swarm in the area was "poor" according to Ferris and arrived late, likely due to the lack of any rainfall all year.

HAWAII

Wes Otani, a technical specialist for Terminix, reports from Hawaii that the weather is normal for the islands: beautiful, mild and sunny. Ants are his area’s biggest problem, the species involved depending on which island and which area of the island you’re located. In Honolulu, for example, some neighborhoods are plagued by white-footed ants while others see the ghost ant more often. Pharaoh ants are also a real concern. Otani also reports large cockroach species and centipedes to be significant pests and bed bugs are on the rise.

His termite swarm was rated "fair" and was on schedule for both the Formosan termite and drywood termites. The pest season was good and outbreaks of house mice occurred on Maui, Hawaii and Oahu. Additionally, a mosquito-borne dengue fever outbreak occurred on the islands in the past year and is a big concern for Hawaii officials.

The author is manager of technical services, Terminix International, Memphis, Tenn. He can be reached at shedges@pctonline.com.