(the study of insects) has been absolutely fascinating to me since I obtained my degree in Entomology at Texas A&M and moved to S.E. Texas in 1957. The evolvement of several invasive species of insects, the horrible impact of hurricanes, the ebb and flow of droughts and floods, the seasonal impact of weather, the removal of availability of many pesticides all have kept me and my 50 plus staffers interestingly busy in keeping up with PEST TRENDS. Here are the top five “TRENDS” in recent years:

1. Bed Bugs

   In recent years this blood-sucking insect has approached epidemic proportions worldwide. Data out of New York City reflects that one in every fifteen homes and/or businesses have bed bugs. I actually saw my first infestation of bed bugs in a downtown Beaumont Hotel in 1958. But they were rare up until say the past ten years. As the saying goes, “back in the old days” the pesticides we had and the techniques of application pretty well kept the bed bug population at a very low level. But they survived and developed resistance to many pesticides. Their resurgence in recent years has been such they now may be found most anywhere – hotels, nursing homes, apartments, hospitals, waiting rooms, and yes, even in homes. Many studies have been done as to why the resurgence with no simple answers. Having bed bugs is very shocking to anyone. Their sucking your blood while you sleep is a horrible thought.

   We have been challenged to inspect, find, identify, and control them. So much so we have evolved highly trained specialists to handle this part of our pest control business. It’s working quite well! Yes, we have ‘em here – more than you can imagine. It’s just one of those very private matters people don’t talk about.

2. Rasberry Crazy Ants

   This brand-new invasive species was first discovered in Houston in 2002 by our industry friend Tom Rasberry (yes, they were officially named after him). Nobody is sure but they probably came from the Carribean or South America. We first found them in our area in 2008 and now have found them in four area counties. They don’t sting or bite but their massive populations into the millions overwhelms everything. With these numbers they literally sterilize the earth wherever they go – insects (yes, even fire ants), bird nests – whatever. They destroy your usage of your yard – even invade homes and businesses. Some schools have been inundated with them. In Houston, they have shut down refineries. They don’t fly but spread on foot like wildfire. They hitch rides on dumpsters, cross ties, pallets, potted plants from nurseries, etc. We know of one case where they were introduced via new school buses delivered to a school district.

   They are not your conventional ant and do-it-yourself materials don’t work. Indeed, our own conventional ant control techniques failed and we have had to join hands with Texas A&M researchers to develop effective control technologies – and they keep coming. You will be hearing lots more about them.

   As with bed bugs we have chosen to develop highly skilled specialists to effectively deal with them. Though challenging, we do have programs that work.

3. Africanized “Killer” Honey Bees

   In the 1990’s they came into Texas from Mexico. With their frequent “swarming” flights and their ability to hitch rides in equipment and vehicles, they now stretch from coast to coast across the southern U.S. Fear factors per media hype had everybody on edge about them. Indeed, they are very dangerous per their attack mode in mass. Many humans have been killed along with pets and livestock. They attack without warning and any colony in close proximity to man is a grave danger. Problem is, you may not even know they exist on your property until you are attacked.

   But, Mother Nature has stepped in. They are crossing with our more docile native honeybees. “Roll-of-the-dice” genetics has kicked in with some colonies having characteristics of the native bees and some the Africanized strain. But you can’t tell them apart by looking. When we are compelled to deal with any honeybee colonies, we choose to wear protective bee suits. Per all the many benefits of honeybees, we strongly advocate leaving them be unless their presence is an imminent danger.

4. Mosquitos

   I reckon they are older than dirt! Grin and bear them has gone on for generations. But three things have happened in this area in recent years that have changed “attitudes” about mosquitoes. One was the introduction of the Asian Tiger Mosquito into the Houston area via an incoming shipment of tires in the 1990’s. They quickly spread to our area. Their massive numbers and their 24-7 vicious attack mode disrupts outside activities. The second thing that happened regarding mosquitoes was the introduction of the West Nile Virus disease. The first occurrences were in the North East states in the 1990’s. Probably via migratory birds that carry the disease organism, we began to have outbreaks of the West Nile Virus in our area about ten years ago. Too, various species of mosquitoes also transmit other diseases. So, all together there was a heightened awareness and concern about mosquitoes. Fortunately in Jefferson and Orange counties we have effective mosquito abatement districts. But, for the most part these services are confined to public properties leaving private properties with little or no benefits. The third factor is that hurricanes and floods in recent years have profoundly changed habitats of mosquitoes – mosquitoes have benefited.

   So, we at Bill Clark Pest Control got busy to develop programs for private properties: Mosquito fogging services for refineries and large commercial properties; Automated Mosquito Mister systems for home yards and small commercial yards; and Mosquito Spraying Services in yards as an alternative. Yes, we have adapted to deal with changing TRENDS on mosquitoes.

5. Formosan Termites

   In the recent ten or fifteen years this whole region of S.E. Texas has had an explosion of these horrid termites. Though they have been around since the 1950’s, the “explosion” began in the 1990’s. In fact, I personally found and identified them in 1962 in the South Park section of Beaumont. This was one of the first discoveries in Texas Their massive numbers and their voracious appetites pales our native termite. Fifteen years ago the available termiticides were essentially ineffective against them. Our concerns were so great we considered ceasing offering termite control services. Fortunately research developed some new chemistries that now allows us to effectively control and prevent both the native and Formosan species.

Leafcutter Ant

Size:  1/16 – 1/2”  Color:  Rust Brown to Dark Brown

Leafcutter Ants get their name from their habit of cutting leaves into small pieces.  They build their nests in well drained sandy soil.  These nests can be quite large and can cover 4,500 square feet in area and up to 20 feet in depth.  Leafcutter Ants can strip a tree over night, and can forage up to 600 feet away from the nest.  They often will leave a trail of leaf pieces.  These ants stay in the nest during the hottest parts of the day and come out in temperatures between 45° and 90°.

Old-house borers prefer seasoned softwoods, and particularly pine. Only the larvae feed on the wood. Larvae take two or three or more years to mature, depending on the moisture content of the wood. Larvae usually mature in the spring, and the mature adults then cut holes 6–10 mm (1/4 to 3/8 in) in diameter to exit the wood. Adults are most active in the summer. They are black or brown with grayish “hair” on their upper bodies and wing cases. They have shiny spots that resemble eyes.

Powder Post Beetle 

Size: 1/32 to 1/4”   Color: Reddish Brown to Black   Powder Post Beetles will lay their eggs in exposed wood pores, cracks or crevices.  They are active at night, readily fly and are attracted to light.  The larvae will tunnel with the grain of the wood and cover the tunnels with fine powder like dust/frass that often will fall from the hole.  They like both lumber (oak, hickory, ash and sometimes bamboo) and manufactured products.

 Determination of infestation activity and severity will determine the treatment plan.  Replacement of damaged lumber or full tarpaulin fumigation is recommended.

Photo taken in San Angelo, Texas by Lauren Randolph.

The Black Widow Spider gets its name from a belief that the female eats the male after mating – a phenomenon which rarely happens.  Coloring is typically black with 2 reddish triangular markings usually joined to form a reddish hourglass shaped marking.  These spiders spin an irregular web and suspend themselves from it in an inverted or upside-down position. The web is used to catch its prey.  Poisonous bites do occur with only the females being of concern.  The venom is a neurotoxin. The female is generally shy but will attack aggressively after she lays her eggs in defense of guarding them. On the exterior of structures, Black Widows normally live in protected places around and under stacks of firewood, stones, beneath wooden decks and in hollowed tree stumps.  In interior of structures, they usually harborage in seldom used parts of garages and in crawl spaces, preferring the more cluttered areas because they provide better places for which to catch their prey, primarily insects.

LIFE CYCLE:
The colony is initiated by a single queen that survived the winter.
The queen is very large and predominately orange, differing from the worker and
male wasps in a colony. After feeding on nectar and arthropods in early spring,
the queen’s ovaries develop and she seeks a nesting site. There she constructs
a nest of 20 to 45 cells and produces eggs that hatch into larvae. The queen
feeds these larvae nectar and arthropod prey and in about 30 days the first
worker wasps emerge from the pupal stage. After the number of worker wasps
increase, the queen no longer leaves the nest. Colonies can contain up to 4,000
workers. Late in the summer, workers construct larger reproductive cells in which
male and female wasps are produced. After they emerge, they leave the nest, mate.
Thereafter, queens seek hibernation sites while males swarm in high numbers over
hilltops and vegetation.

HABITAT, FOOD SOURCE(S), DAMAGE:
Mouthparts are for chewing. Colonies, constructed out of chewed vegetable fiber
that forms paper carton, occur in disturbed habitats such as yards and roadsides.
Nests are most often underground, but occasionally are found in wall voids and
indoors. In Texas, some colonies can survive for several years and continue to
grow. Colonies in Texas and other southern states have been reported that are 6
ft across. In exposed and underground sites, nests are spherical and consists of
a number of round combs, attached one below another, and surrounded by a
many-layered outer cover. Worker wasps leave the nest and seek protein sources
such as live insects and animal carcasses, foraging around picnic tables, garbage
cans and other locations. They do not make nor store honey.

PEST STATUS:
Venomous, stinging social insect, that is abundant in urban areas; when nests are
disturbed, defending worker wasps can inflict multiple stings; foraging worker
wasps may be a nuisance at picnics and other outdoor events.

Honey bees are somewhat variable in color
but are some shade of black, brown or brown intermixed
with yellow. They have dense hairs on the pronotum and
sparser hair on the abdomen. Microscopically, at least
some of the body hairs of bees (Apoidea) are branched
(pumose). The abdomen often appears banded. Larvae are
legless grubs, white in color.

Worker bees are generally not aggressive (defensive)
during foraging or swarming activities. However, when
the hive contains developing larvae and pupae, they
(particularly Africanized honey bees) will aggressively
attack intruders to defend their colony.

When worker honey bees sting they leave the barbed
stinger in the skin with the poison sac still attached.
Each bee can only sting once, and this is fatal for the
bee. Stings should be removed promptly to prevent
injection of additional venom. Scrape the sting and
poison sac away with a knife or fingernail in such a
way as to avoid slapping or pinching the poison sac
because this will inject additional poison into the
skin.

They feed on decaying organic matter and all kinds of food and filth which give them a strong odor.

They feed on all kinds of food and even on toothpaste, soap and glue.

Prevention: Being careful and aware of what you bring into a structure, discarding of trash, paper products and boxes will help. If noted inside a structure, immediate pest control services are needed to reduce and eliminate population.

They will feed on any organic matter and some plants, but will feed once inside on anything nutritive to them.

Prevention: Preventative maintenance treatment is encouraged for seeking control.
Inspection of windows, vent openings, screen doors, door sweeps and self closing doors to make sure that they are tight fitting, sealed good, and in good repair will help aide in prevention. Changing outside lighting to yellow bulbs around entrance doors may also help.