Quiz Answers: Pantry Pests

Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz on pantry pests. As the weather gets colder, there are fewer outdoor bugs and our attention is turned to household invaders. But pantry pests can and do infest during all seasons. 

1. The best way to find the source of a grain moth infestation is (d) inspect all dry goods. Pheromone traps will catch adult moths and may help you target a particular area, but the best way to find infested product is to look in every bag, box and package - whether opened or not. If you find frass, the silky webbing pantry moths leave behind, discard the dry goods in which the frass is found. Usually one box or bag will contain the primary source, and you will know it when you find it. But secondary sources may be present. Don't stop until all dry goods are inspected. And check also for webbing on the under side of stored canned goods!

2. Cigarette beetles are most commonly found in (c) dog food and paprika. When checking for the source of pantry pests, don't forget the spices and dry pet food. If you have decorative items like wreaths that are made out of natural products, check these too.

3. Pantry moths develop from egg to adult in (b) around 10-14 days, depending on temperature. If you have removed all the adult moths and their larvae, but find more in 10-14 days, there was a source you missed. Check dry goods again, and clean the shelves with a disinfectant cleaner to kill any remaining eggs.

4. Meal worms usually spend the winter (b) as larvae. It is difficult if not impossible to determine what the adult bug will be just by inspecting larvae. And larvae are not commonly susceptible to pesticide sprays. But boric acid will stop them in their tracks. If you find any kind of larvae, clean the area with a good disinfectant cleaner and look for the source. These pests love to hang out in bird feeders too.

5. It is rarely effective to use insecticides against pantry moths because (a) larvae and pupae are not controlled with insecticides. As noted above, larvae crawl right through liquid chemicals. And if the larvae are not controlled, the problem will persist.

6. (B) Larval Indian meal moths leave webbing, or frass. They spin the web as they become fully grown and leave behind silken threads wherever they crawl. This is the frass mentioned above - and is easily noticed as it caused clumping in rice, oatmeal or cornmeal and is sometimes apparent on the outside of a box or bag of infested product. Since the frass usually contains excrement, it should be disposed of immediately.

7. Small, wormlike bugs in the pantry are usually (c) larval moths. But as mentioned, larvae are difficult to identify. Any larvae found should be taken seriously as a pantry infestation. They can (and will!) chew holes through cardboard or plastic packaging materials to get to the food inside. One method of killing pantry pests before they hatch is to store dry goods in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Since the product may be infested when you bring it home from the store, storing it in heavy plastic or glass containers may not be sufficient.

We hope you've learned something useful about common pantry pests. As with all pests, if you cannot solve the problem yourself, contact a pest professional. But in the case of pantry pests, what you can do yourself is really the best solution to the problem.

Quiz Answers: Dung Beetles

Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz on dung beetles. If you missed the quiz itself, you can find it here. A great video on the under-recognized dung beetle can be found here. Enjoy!

1. Ancient Egyptians worshipped the humble dung beetle (scarab) because (d) they believed the sun was rolled across the sky each day by a mythical dung beetle, and buried at the end of each day - only to be reborn the next.

2. Dung beetles are found on every continent except (b) Antarctica. Too cold. Enough said.

3. Female dung beetles lay eggs in (a) dung. In some species, the mom and dad dung beetle roll a perfectly spherical dung ball together, until they find a soft piece of soil in which to bury it. After mating under ground, they prepare the "brooding ball" and the female lays her eggs inside it. Hatching larvae then have plenty of easy access to food (dung).

4. Dung beetles are the farmers' friends. They (a) aerate and fertilize soil, and (b) recycle animal droppings which has the added benefit of (c) reducing the population of flies and other insects which would be attracted to animal waste. So the answer is (d) - all of the above.

5. Dried dung beetles are used by Chinese herbalists for (a) curing many different diseases.

6. Dung beetles have been literary characters in the works of (d) - all listed authors. With an explanation. Aesop wrote the fable, "The Dung Beetle and the Eagle," Aristophanes' play "Peace" features a hero who rides to Mt. Olympus on an over-sized dung beetle, Kafka's character in "The Metamorphisis" is called an "old dung beetle," Poe wrote "The Gold-Bug,"and  Wodehouse wrote of the theft of a prized scarab in "Something Fresh." But the Faulkner listed in the quiz is not William but Raymond, an English Egyptologist and philologist, the author of  "A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian." 

7. As mentioned in question 3 above, dung beetle larvae feed on (a) dung upon hatching from the brooding ball. It is a convenient system, which gives the larvae a storehouse of nutritious food.

8. Dung beetles have the ability to roll balls of dung weighing (c) 50 times their weight. If you have not seen this colorful activity, take a look at another great video here. After learning a bit more about the dung beetle, we hope you give thanks for this humble bug this weekend.

Quiz Answers: Bees

Here are the answers to yesterday's Bee quiz. 

1. The ancient civilization which used honey as currency and later minted coins with the image of a bee on them was (c) the Roman Empire. Ancient Romans honored the honeybee for its industry. Egyptians and Greeks kept bees anciently, but did not use them as currency.

2. A single colony of honeybees can contain (c) 20,000-80,000 individuals. That's a lot of bees! Consider full capacity at Petco Park is less than 50,000.

3. Their first week on the job, adult worker honeybees (a) clean the hive. The second week they are promoted to feed the young. Third-week bees make and repair wax cells, and graduate their fourth week to guarding the hive.

4. The Australian "karbi" bee uses a form of torture on intruders which was borrowed years ago in the form of the "rack." The correct answer is (b): guard bees latch onto the intruder's limbs and pull - stretching them to their full extent for an hour. Does this make for taller bees? Or fewer intruders? Kind of explains Australian football, doesn't it?

5. Of the 15 states which have identified the European honey bee as the official state insect, (b) Nebraska and New Jersey are the two listed. Complete list: Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. To the best of our knowledge, Utah is the only one to have a minor league baseball team actually named "The Bees."

6. It would take (d) 9-10 bees to equal the weight of one M&M's plain candy. This factoid will not do much for bee control, but it may be a fascinating conversation starter. Or not.

7. A queen bee must eat (d) 80 times her weight each day to produce 2,000 eggs. To put this in perspective, this would be like a 12-year-old human eating 6400 pounds of food. That's a lot of M&M's!

8. Surprisingly, the average life span of a queen bee is (d) 2-8 years. Obviously, after all that food, they must work out.

For an interesting video on the life cycle of bees, click here. Another great video taking you inside the hive is found here.

Quiz Answers: Pharaoh Ants

Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz on Pharaoh ants. The hope is that in learning more about these difficult pests, we can work together to control infestations and secure homes against invasion.

1. In the human world, polygynous means more than one wife. In the ant world, it indicates (b) colonies have more than one queen. Mature colonies of Pharaoh ants contain several queens, winged males, workers, eggs, larvae, prepupae and pupae. 

2. Pharaoh ants are usually very small (approximately 1/16 of an inch long), and yellow to light brown in color. One distinguishing characteristic is the (c) three-segmented club at the end of their antennae. 

3. Although Pharaoh ants can be found in apartments, hotels and grocery stores, they are often associated with (a) hospitals. They can be especially troubling in health care areas, as they infest small spaces are are very difficult to eradicate. Unfortunately, they are capable of mechanically transmitting diseases and contaminating sterile materials - making them an especial nuisance in the health care industry.

4. The best way to treat Pharaoh ants is to (c) bait only. For this reason, we recommend you (d) call a pest professional. A successful Pharaoh ant control program will involve intensive baiting using baits that contain insect growth regulators. Unlike the more common Argentine ants, spraying can be counterproductive with a Pharaoh ant infestation. Chemical sprays tend to induce colonies to spread and divide, making control much more difficult.

5. Part of the reason baiting is more successful is that the percentage of Pharaoh ants typically out foraging at any given time is around (a) 5%. That means the best shot we have at control is to use the foraging ants to take poison bait back to the nest.

6. In severe infestations of larger buildings, like warehouses and hospitals, it could take (c) up to a year before total elimination is achieved. 

7. A mature Pharaoh ant colony can house (d) up to 300,000 ants. That's a lot of ants. A single queen can produce many hundreds of workers in just a few months. And remember, the colonies of Pharaoh ants often house multiple queens. Unlike many other ants, they breed continuously throughout the year in heated buildings.

Now that you know more about these difficult pests, be aware of the ants around you and be sure to report any suspected infestations of Pharaoh ants before they take over!

Quiz Answers: Good Bugs

This week we have been featuring some of the good bugs that inhabit our yards and neighborhoods. What constitutes a good bug? One that helps pollinate plants or eats the destructive bugs that eat your garden. Monday's blog gave information on ground beetles, one of the unsung heros of the bug world. Today we have answers to yesterday's quiz on good bugs. How did you do?

1. (a) The praying mantis is one of the classic good bugs that works to kill bad bugs in your yard. In fact, they are so good for plantings that you can buy praying mantis egg cases online as a natural garden helper. Known as the "dragons of the insect world," praying mantis have excellent eyesight, heads that can rotate 180 degrees, and quick reflexes - making them formidable predators. They eat moths, crickets, flies, and in the case of females, their own mates. 

2. As you may have learned in Monday's blog, ground beetles are good bugs because they (c) eat slugs, among other pests. 

3. An average ladybug eats around (c) 5,000 harmful bugs in its lifetime. Technically called lady beetles or ladybird beetles, these colorful garden helpers can also be purchased for release in the yard, either at a local garden center or online. And they are among the cutest of bugs. Definitely good guys!

4. Beneficial nematodes are (a) microscopic parasites. They live in the soil and prey onground-dwelling insects like fleas, ants, termites, and grubs. If you choose to buy beneficial nematodes for your yard, be sure you buy from a reputable supplier. Ask your local garden center what kind of nematode might be most beneficial in your area.

5. Earthworms thrive in (c) moist soil. As for their importance, Charles Darwin noted, "... it may be doubted if there are any other animals which have played such an important part in the history of the world as these lowly organized creatures." They not only aerate the soil by plowing tunnels through which air and water can more easily flow, but leave nitrogen-rich "castings" in their wake, enriching the soil.

6. Of the plants listed, (a) parsley and sage are the most attractive to good bugs. Other attractive plants include clover, foxglove, cosmos, marigolds, and sunflowers.

7. Wasps are helpful because they (b) lay eggs on caterpillars, which hatch to larvae that then eat their host. This colorful process is the featured photo in yesterday's blog. The Braconid wasp is especially good to have in your tomato patch - they are a major predator of tomato horn worms.

Quiz Answers: Spiders!

Pictured: The eyes of a brown recluse spider

Spiders have been big news in San Diego this year. We continue to receive more calls for spiders than usual - indicating a population surge for spiders. Perhaps it is the weather, or maybe more people have been putting out bird seed. Whatever the reason, it is not necessarily a bad thing! The overwhelming majority of household spiders are good for the ecological balance of your yard. Because of the bad press of a scary minority of spiders, it seems the whole group has a bad aura. Here are the answers for yesterday's quiz:

1. The number of spider species that have been identified world wide is (d) 37,000. This is of course an approximate number. But taking that number into consideration, it should become immediately apparent why we are not always able to identify spider samples. What we can do is rule out the most dangerous of local spiders. Which brings us to:

2. The number of spiders in San Diego County which deliver poisonous bites: (a) two. According to the County of San Diego's Pest Management website, "The only poisonous spiders in San Diego County are the Black Widow and the Desert Recluse." From the same source, the Desert Recluse is not the same as the Brown Recluse - and it is found mainly in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, the foothills of the lower Joaquin Valley and areas close to the Mexican border. Check their excellent site here for more information on these two local spiders with attitude.

3. The largest spiders in the world can be found in (c) South America. In fact,  South American Tarantulas are about the size of a dinner plate - around 12 inches in diameter, with 1-inch fangs. For a video on these "killing machines" see the video here. The good news? Their sting is usually  no worse than a bee sting. There are no reported cases on human death by tarantula!

4. The most  reliable distinction between a brown recluse and a wolf spider is (d) the number of eyes. While it is true that the brown recluse has a dark, violin-shaped marking behind the head (on its cephalothorax), many brown spiders, including varieties of Wolf spider, have markings that could be interpreted as looking like a violin. While the 6 eye pattern of the brown recluse is easy to see with magnification, we do not recommend looking closely at the eyes of a live spider! Some spitting spiders do have a similar eye pattern, but do not have a violin. See the photo above for the distinctive eye pattern of the brown recluse. For more on how to identify the brown recluse, visit the website here. To view a map of where brown recluse spiders are found, see here. Note: The city of San Diego is NOT identified as a brown recluse zone on the map.

5. The largest family of spiders is (a) Jumping spiders (Salticidae), followed by Sheet Weavers (Linyphiidae) and Orb-weaving spiders (Araneidae). Using a well-developed hydraulic system which extends their limbs by altering the pressure of body fluid, jumping spiders can jump 20-60 times their body length as they pursue prey. They typically have eight eyes in two or three rows. Tarantulas are the largest of spiders, but not the largest family of spiders.

6. The best way to avoid spider bites is to (b) wear shoes outdoors. Keeping exterior house doors closed is also a good idea, but unless you are able to close even the smallest breaches under doors and around windows spiders are likely to find their way inside. 

7. The correct FALSE answer is (b) - all arachnids are spiders. In fact, all spiders are arachnids - but not all arachnids are spiders. One case in point is the Daddy-longleg, which is an arachnid but not a spider.

8. This is a trick question. Remember, this is the Hallowe'en edition of the quiz! Depending on what species of spider you were, and how tall you stand proportionally, you might be able to jump (a)85 feet, (b) 130 feet, (c) 260 feet (best answer) or (d) 350 feet. Remember, there are around 37,000 varieties of spiders in the world, with various abilities. Now that you know a little more about spiders, we hope you will not  jump when you see one! For more information in a short video about spiders, click here.

Quiz Answers: Weird Bug News

Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz on weird bug news. These are actual news stories we gleaned off the internet - so you know they are true! Have fun reading the answers, and perhaps learning a bit more about the wonderful world of insects.

1. From Liverpool, England, we have a story about a 50-foot mechanical spider, placed on one of the biggest buildings in town by a French arts collective called La Machine. The three-story arachnid is lovingly named (d) "La Princess." We are not sure why they chose the name (we like our fake names better) or the location for this giant bug, but it makes a great photo op (see photo above). 

2. From Tokyo, a Japanese monk accidentally set fire to his temple while trying to eradicate (b) hornets. The story, from msnbc.com, reports the Buddhist monk had lit rags attached to a stick and tried to apply it to the hornet nest in the temple - but dropped the torch when the hornets attacked him. So much for attempting your own pest control! 

3. From Eagle Rock, California, a school teacher was recently praised by PETA for (a) appointing an insect monitor to prevent the squashing of bugs in the classroom. The teacher, Melodie Conrad, said she is  not exactly an insect rights activist, but she wanted to emphasize to the children that there is already too much violence in the world.

4. From New Jersey, another man's attempt at do-it-yourself pest control ends in disaster. According to the story on reuters.com Isias Vidal Maceda was not injured but destroyed 80 percent of his apartment in Eatontown when he attempted to (a) spray for roaches. Although the article does not give details, we suspect Mr. Maceda may have used an over-the-counter bug bomb without turning off pilot lights, or perhaps used too many. Whatever the details, the bug spray reportedly ignited a blast that started a fire in the apartment and caused smoke damage in the apartment above.

5. From Pennsylvania, via an article on the Fox News website, (c) giant beetles from Taiwan were discovered in a postal package. The contents were listed as toys, gifts and jellies - but when the postal workers heard scratching noises coming from inside the box, they became suspicious. The parcel was X-rayed then opened, revealing 26 of the largest beetles imaginable - averaging 5-6 inches in diameter. For the record, it is illegal to ship live beetles into the United States without a permit from the Department of Agriculture, as they can cause a great deal of damage to fruit and vegetable crops.

6. From Brazil, ants have been observed (c) sacrificing themselves to seal the entrance to their nest. A few ants, probably the older ones in the colony, remain outside the entrance to kick sand over the hole until it becomes invisible. Being unable to reenter the nest, these ants die from exposure to the cold. It is apparently a pre-meditated task, performed each night at sunset - whether or not there is a clear danger from predators. The covering of the entrance takes about 50 minutes, as the ants heroically kick sand backwards with their hind legs. 

7. According to an article in the Marin Independent Journal, a 250 million-year-old fossilized dragonfly had a wingspan of (b) 28 inches! The article goes on to note that dragonflies can be beneficial to gardeners, feeding on other more harmful garden pests. In case  you were wondering, the "dragon" portion of their name comes from the fierce jaws they use to catch their prey. And as mentioned in a previous post, they are the fastest of all insects, able to reach speeds of up to 60 mph.

We hope you have enjoyed this brief detour into the wide world of bugs. More local pest items tomorrow.

Bed Bug Quiz Answers

Due to technical difficulties, the answers to Tuesday's quiz are not being posted until Thursday. Here are the answers and a bit more information about bed bug control:

1. The correct answer to the question about the reappearance of bed bugs in the United States is (d)  - no one really knows. Experts have posited that the answer may be a combination of (b) more immigration from countries where bed bugs are common and (c) the reduced use of liquid insecticides, especially the abandoning of the use of DDT in this country. Whatever the reason, bed bugs are on the rise here, with populations doubling every year. This adds up to an expensive problem for homeowners and property managers.

2. The first indication of bed bug infestation is usually the presence of bites on their hosts because (d) they hide during the day and come out to feed at night. In fact, they often come out of hiding during the early morning hours, when people are in their deepest sleep, and as they take a blood meal administer a local anesthetic so that the host does not feel the bite until later - when it begins to itch. Because they are nocturnal, it is difficult to inspect for bed bugs. However, it is advisable when visiting a hotel to check the mattress, box springs, and headboard for signs of their presence. You probably won't see the bugs, but the small egg casings or feces may be visible.

3. Bed bugs carry no diseases that we know of, so the answer here is (d). However, their bites can be painful and very uncomfortable - and if the population is great there may be multiple bites.

4. When looking for bed bugs, check EVERYWHERE! The best and first places to look are the mattress and box springs - but you may find evidence in any of the other locations. The answer, again, is (d) all of the above.

5. Bed bugs cannot live at temperatures (a) above 100 degrees. You may actually be able to kill all existing bed bugs by turning up the heat - but there is no residual for any eggs that hatch. Steam cleaning a mattress at temperatures above 120 degrees is helpful in reclaiming a bed.

6. The best way to avoid bed bug infestations is to (c) avoid used furniture from garage sales, thrift stores, etc. Vacuuming and cleaning are essential in control of these bugs, but won't prevent an infestation.

7. Bed bug-resistant mattress covers are recommended because they (b) starve existing bugs in the mattress and prevent further infestation there. Many people believe they will get rid of a bed bug problem by discarding their old mattress and buying a new one. The problem is, if there are still bugs present in the house - hiding on the headboard or beneath base boards, they will come back to infest a new mattress as well. The best method is to cover the existing mattress - but not with plastic sheeting, with a mattress cover which is labeled as bed bug-resistant. If they have infested sofas or other upholstered furniture, it may be necessary to discard the furniture or at least have it steam cleaned.

8. Bed bugs can go without feeding for (c) 80 to 140 days. Because of their hardy resilience, they are a pest that is difficult to control. In most cases, a professional should be called in at the first indication of bed bug infestation. 

Quiz Answers

Yesterday's quiz tested your knowledge of fleas. How did you fare? Here, as promised, are the answers to the flea hoppin' quiz:

1. An expert on fleas is known as a (c) Pullicologist. Not in your dictionary? It's  not in mine either, but could be worth points on Jeopardy some day. The Spanish for fleas is las pulgas, so the derivation is probably Latin. For the really big money, what exactly does a pullicologist do? Probably scratches a lot!

2. Female fleas lay up to (b) 50 fleas per day. That's a lot of flea eggs. They typically lay four to eight eggs at a time, 400 to 800 total within a typical flea lifetime. Flea eggs usually roll off the host and into pet bedding or other areas where the animal spends time resting. This is why your pest technician may ask about your pet's sleeping areas, in an effort to treat the areas of your house most likely to harbor an infestation source.

3. Diseases spread by fleas include (d) all of these: plague, tapeworm, and murine typhus. Flea bites themselves are usually just annoying, but can cause allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin. 

4. The most common type of flea is the (b) cat flea. In fact, it could be called the "universal flea," as cat fleas, or Ctenocephalides felis, will happily feed on cats, dogs, rodents, or humans. You would need a microscope to tell the difference physically between dog fleas and cat fleas - but both will be happy to sample your blood. Dog fleas are rare in California. So-called "sand fleas" are actually crustaceans, unrelated to cat, dog, and rat fleas.

5. Flea eggs hatch in about (c) 10 days. Fleas undergo a complete metamorphosis. The eggs hatch into larvae in about 10 days, and the developing larvae feed on adult flea feces, which contain bits of dried blood. This is one of the reasons vacuuming is a big part of flea control. Depending on temperature, the larvae then molt three times in from seven days to several months. When mature, the larvae spin cocoons in which they pupate. From flea egg to adult flea can be a period of 16 days to a year or more.

7. According to the University of California online Integrated Pest Management guidelines, the best approach to managing fleas is (d) prevention. This means regular cleaning of pet bedding areas, and vet approved topical applications on the pets themselves. The most effective treatments inhibit the growth and/or reproduction of fleas. If fleas become a problem, chemical applications to carpeted areas and upholstered furniture may be necessary. Over-the-counter fogging agents do not have enough residual effect to control an infestation.

8. As indicated in the answer to #6 above, pre-emergent or pupal fleas can lie dormant for (d) up to 150 days. The immature fleas will not hatch until there is warmth, movement and carbon dioxide in the air - these are signals that a host is present. This is why we often experience a major hatch-out of fleas in a house or apartment that has been closed up and left vacant for weeks or months. What this means is that if your home has been sprayed for fleas, while the adult fleas will die within a few days, the pre-emergent fleas will wait for you. The best way to ensure the pupal fleas hatch and die is to vacuum daily after a flea treatment. 

We hope this information on fleas and their control is useful in dealing with one of Southern California's most enduring pests.

Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to yesterday's insect trivia quiz, interesting if not especially useful tidbits of information to tuck away in  your cortex for the next time you appear on Jeopardy. Some of these answers may surprise you!

1. The animal (not just the insect, the animal!) responsible for the most human deaths world-wide is (a) the mosquito. Some of the diseases mosquitos can transmit include malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and locally West Nile virus (a type of encephalitis). To read more about mosquitos, West Nile virus, and how to avoid mosquito bites, see our previous blogs here. To watch an entertaining video clip from Dirty Jobs on mosquito control, click here.

2. The insect responsible for killing 1/3 the population of Europe in the 14th century was (b) the flea. Fleas - mostly traveling via rats - transmitted Bubonic plague, otherwise known as Black Death, killing millions of people in Europe. Thanks to antibiotics, plague can be treated today, but it has not disappeared from the planet. The World Health Organization still lists 1,000 - 3,000 cases of plague every year. Another good reason to control wild rodents and fleas in urban areas.

3. We are not sure why Pacific Grove, California has a city ordinance making it a misdemeanor to kill or threaten (b) butterflies, but we think it sounds like a lovely place to live. Ladybugs are more useful in the yard, and honey bees are endangered in some areas - but please don't kill the butterflies!

4. Crickets actually have a pair of "ears" on their (c) knees. In fact, another acceptable answer would be (b) elbows - as the "tympanum" or ear is a tightly stretched membrane which acts as a sound receptor on the cricket's front legs. Ears on knees (or elbows if you prefer) enable the female cricket to "hear" the chirping sound made by male crickets rubbing their forewings together to attract a mate. Chirp sounds are different for various cricket species, allowing them to find the right mate.

5. An adult cockroach can live up to (c) one week without a head. In fact, cockroaches might be able to survive headless even longer, but they need a mouth to drink water. Keep this in mind if you have to deal with a cockroach infestation: they need water! 

6. An adult bedbug can live up to (d) one year  without food. But the food they want is you! This makes them one of the insect world's best survivors. For more about bedbugs, click here.

7. The Michael Phelps of the bug world is (a) the dragonfly. Clocked at speeds from 50-60 miles per hour, they are the fastest of insects. This means that although it may be legal to threaten or kill a dragonfly in Pacific Grove, you would have to catch one first!

Cockroach Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to yesterday's Cockroach Quiz. How did you do? Hopefully, the answers will help you understand some of the habits and control methods for cockroaches.

1. Cockroaches have (c) membranous wings, whereas beetles have hardened forewings (elytra). This does not mean that all cockroaches or all beetles can fly. If you want to see pictures of the various kinds of cockroaches most common in California, there are pictures and descriptions here. To the best of our knowledge, none of the cockroaches common to San Diego click when disturbed. Beetles, not cockroaches, are related to lady bugs, and feed on plants and fungi.

2. An adult German cockroach can fit through an opening as small as (b) 1/16th of an inch. An immature cockroach can fit through an even smaller opening. Part of exclusion involves sealing cracks and crevices in kitchens and bathrooms, where cockroaches can hide.

3. The egg cases of cockroaches are called (b) oothecae. HEPA (a) is an acronym for High Efficiency Particle Absorber - the kind of  vacuum filter suggested for use in vacuuming up roaches to avoid allergic reactions. The pronotum (d) is the shield-shaped section on most cockroaches located behind the head - another way to tell it is a cockroach and not a beetle.

4. German and Oriental cockroaches are the most common varieties seen in San Diego. Oriental cockroaches are (b) larger and darker in color than the German variety. Oriental cockroaches prefer cooler weather and survive well outdoors; American cockroaches can fly.

5. In controlling an infestation of cockroaches, (a) sanitation and exclusion are most critical. No amount of chemical treatment will eliminate a cockroach population without sanitation and exclusion. Keep food in tightly covered containers, clean kitchen and bathroom cabinets and walls, keep trash areas outside clean and garbage cans with tight fitting lids, eliminate piles of newspapers, paper bags, and boxes inside and outside the house, fix plumbing leaks, seal cracks to the outside, and check weather stripping on doors and windows.

6. Monitoring stations are helpful in identifying the origin of a cockroach infestation. It is wise o place monitoring stations in (d) the backs of kitchen cabinets, behind the refrigerator, and in corners of rooms.

7. One of the inherent problems with effective chemical control of cockroaches is (c) cockroaches can develop a resistance to chemicals used frequently or improperly. Cockroaches can actually pass along some resistance to their offspring if liquid chemicals are sprayed too frequently. Integrated pest management involves sanitation and exclusion, and the use of chemical applications used according to label directions.

8. The answer is (d) - all of the above. Cockroaches can carry salmonella, hepatitis or staphylococcus germs. Far from harmless, these invaders can put your family at risk for these and other diseases. If you have an existing problem which you cannot solve yourself, call your pest professional.

Rodent Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to yesterday's Rodent Quiz. How did you do? Hopefully the answers will help you protect your home against these unwelcome visitors.

1. Rats have poor eyesight, but they make up for this with keen senses of smell, touch, hearing, and even taste. For this reason, when we set traps they are best placed next to a wall - preferably a wall the target rodent is familiar with. Sometimes the traps are not sprung for a few days, as rats are naturally cautious of any new and unfamiliar object or odor. So the answer is (d) - all of the above.

2. Rats can squeeze through an opening as small as (b) 1/2 inch. Keep this in mind as you look for ways to rat-proof your home. An opening the size of a half dollar can be a thoroughfare for rats. And if rats can fit through a 1/2-inch opening, mice can access a much smaller breech. Check the weather stripping on all your doors!

3. According the the San Diego County web page on rat control, a typical rat will travel up to(c) 300 feet to find food. Think football field. They may live in your neighbor's shrubs and eat at your house. For this reason alone it is a good idea to keep pet food indoors.

4. The best protection against rodent infestation is (c) exclusion. The more proactive homeowners are in sealing and screening vents, doors, and other openings that may invite rodents, the less likely they are to have to do any trapping or baiting.

5. Plague is not a historical disease. And it is not the only disease rats may carry into your home. Among other diseases rats may transmit to humans or pets are, leptospirosis, trichinosis, salmonellosis and ratbite fever. According to PCT online magazine, there are (b) 10-15 cases of plague per year in the United State directly related to rodent exposure.

6. The tendency of rats to avoid anything new in their environment is called (a) neophobia. Answer (d), "zenophobia" is a misspelling of "xenophobia," a related human fear of strangers. The other answers are ringers. Neophobia is peculiar to rats. Mice are much more inquisitive.

7. (D) Rodents are always seeking nesting material. Placing a piece of dental floss or string on the treadle of a snap trap has been found to enhance the likelihood of successful trapping.

8. As noted in the answer to #6 above, mice are naturally  more inquisitive than rats (d). Although both are rodents, it is helpful to know some of the basic differences as we try to protect our homes against rodent invaders. As is so often true in pest management, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Tomorrow's blog will give more suggestions for rodent-proofing  your house, along with information on free county services.

Quiz Answers

Yesterday's quiz generated some good discussion about ants. Here are the answers to the quiz, with a few explanations.

1. Ants are close relatives of (c) bees and wasps. If  you said (d) aphids, you probably remember that there is a connection between ants and aphids, and there is. Ants are attracted by the "honeydew" aphids leave on plants - so they actually protect and care for aphids outdoors. But bees and wasps are the ants' close relatives, belonging to the insect order Hymenoptera.

2. According to San Diego County's website on ants, there are about (b) 200 species of ants in California. The website also states there are fewer than a dozen that are important. We are not sure how that makes the others feel. Among the most common are the Argentine ant, pharaoh ant, odorous house ant, thief ant, and the southern fire ant. To see pictures of each of these for purposes of identification, click here and scroll down.

3. Ant baits attract ants, inviting them to feed on poisonous bait and take it back to their nest. From a recent article on ant baits in PCT Magazine, we learn that the process whereby foraging ants bring food to those back in the colony is called trophallaxis. Workers collect fluids that are stored in the upper part of their digestive system, then regurgitate a portion of the stored food and pass it on to other workers, larvae, and queens. In fact, in some species, there are workers who remain in the nest, with the specific job of storing the fluid so it will be available in times of food shortage. This is the long way of saying the correct answer is (d) - ants eat the bait, then regurgitate it to feed ants back at the nest.

4. The chemical substance ants leave behind in a trail for others in the colony to follow is (a) a pheromone trail. The pheromones ants excrete are hydrocarbons that trigger a response to follow the path to food. Most ants renew the pheromones as long as the food is available. In some species, the ants actually mark trails that no longer lead to food with a repellent pheromone. Cleaning up an ant trail with a household cleaner can actually erase the pheromones and confuse the ants. But if the food remains, they'll be back!

5. Most ants we see walking around are (a) searching for a food source. Ants are always on a mission. The ones we see in our yards and homes are focused on foraging for food and getting it back to the colony. They do not need wi-fi, and have their own GPS.

6. This is a trick question. Give yourself credit for (a), since the ant queen is fed by the other ants. But the best answer is (c) - the queen is more like a slave or a prisoner. She doesn't order the other ants around, and is limited to her egg-laying role in the colony. Not a very glamorous life.

7. The best way to tell if you have Odorous house ants is to (d) squish one and take a whiff.  The identifying smell has been described as "rotten coconut." They are tiny, around 3mm in length, dark brown to black in color. Odorous house ants prefer sugary foods and fruits and usually forage in large numbers. These ants are less common than Argentine ants in San Diego, but now you know how to recognize one if you see one.

How did you do? Look for another bug quiz in next Tuesday's blog.