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.

Tuesday's Quiz: Test Your Ant IQ

We here at Centurion Pest Control think the more people know about bugs, the fewer they'll have to deal with. Hence, a new weekly feature on the blog: Tuesday's Quiz. Each Tuesday we'll test your Ento-IQ, with the answers to the quiz available in Wednesday's blog. You could probably Google the answers in about 5 minutes, but where's the fun in that? Instead, use the 24 hours between questions and answers to think through the questions logically and see how you do the next day. Or maybe use the quiz as a family activity, so everyone in the household gains a little more information about the bugs that bug us. Hopefully, as you learn more about the habits of these pesky invaders, it will help keep them out of your home and back in the wild where they belong.

Since yesterday's blog was on ants, the quiz today will stretch your knowledge of the characteristics of ants. Have fun!

1. Ants are close relatives of which of these bugs:

a. fleas and ticks?

b. mosquitoes?

c. bees and wasps?

d. aphids?

2. About how many species of ants are there in California?

a. 20

b. 200

c. 50

d. 500

3. Ant baits attract ants, inviting them to feed on poisonous bait and take it back to their nest. How do the ants take the bait to their colony?

a. Small particles of bait adhere to their legs and antennae, then transfer to other ants.

b. Foraging ants carry pieces of bait, often bigger than the ants themselves, back to the nest.

c. Like an ant STD, poisonous bait is transfered during mating.

d. Ants eat the bait, then regurgitate it to feed ants back at the nest.

4. Some ants leave a trail for others to follow. What is the name of the substance they leave behind?

a. Pheromone Trail

b. Honeydew Trail

c. Lipid Trail

d. Sweat Trail

5. What are ants most likely doing when they are walking around?

a. searching for a food source

b. searching for a mate

c. searching for their colony

d. searching for wi-fi

6. The "Queen" of the ant colony is...

a. waited on by the other ants, who bring her food.

b. distinguished by a crown-like appendage on the head.

c. more like a slave or prisoner than a queen.

d. too small to be seen by the human eye.

7. The best way to tell if you have Odorous House Ants is to...

a. smell the trail they leave.

b. put out foul-smelling bait.

c. look for an exceptionally large thorax.

d. squish one to find out if it smells bad.

Find answers to the quiz in tomorrow's blog.

Ants Again

Do you have ants again? Although we've blogged about ants here before, they are such a common problem in San Diego we thought they deserved another look. Among the several varieties of ants in Southern California, Argentine ants are by far the most numerous. First, a little background.

Argentine ants were brought to the United States from Brazil in coffee shipments in the late 1890's. They are prolific breeders, so they quickly established nests across the southern states. They are also relatively aggressive among other insects, very effective in outnumbering and overtaking other varieties of ants. They are survivors! Around  your  home, you may have multiple colonies containing easily a million or more individual ants. Because all Argentine ants in this country came from the same colonies originally found in New Orleans, they can recognize each other and team up to form super-colonies, causing problems for home owners as they invade in search of food and water.

This tiny terrors can be stirred up by changes in weather. When we experience draught conditions, they may be in the house looking for water. When it rains, their nest may have been disturbed. Or perhaps you just left a crumb on the counter that was particularly attractive. Ants send "scouts" out looking for food. The scouts then make a trail from the nest to the food source - and all the ant cousins follow. Knowing this can help you break the trail and send the ants back outside. Empty trash containers in the house often, use food containers with tight lids, keep pet dishes clean, and follow any trails that may appear until you find the point of entry into the house. Some household detergents or window-cleaning sprays will help erase the scent scouts leave for others to follow. But if you use indoor bait stations, be sure  you do not spray detergents or chemicals near the bait, or ants will refuse it. Inspect caulk around sinks and windows, repairing any breaches. 

It is impractical to try to eliminate all ants outdoors, but some precautions can help keep them out of  your house. Outside, it is a good idea to check for cracks and crevices around the foundations where ants might enter. Caulk here too, as well as around places where pipes or wires enter the house. Avoid planting fruit trees too close to the house, and keep grass and mulch at least a few inches from foundations. Trim tree branches and vines away from the roof. Eliminate standing water and do not keep wood piles next to the house. Ant stakes may be useful as baits outdoors. If you have been diligent in trying to keep the ants out and feel you are losing the battle -  you are not alone! San Diego homeowners fight ants year 'round, but especially in summer months. If  you can't solve the problem yourself, call in a professional. New products help pest control companies do a better job in stemming the tide of these aggressive and populous pests. To watch a time-lapse video of ants tunneling  in an ant farm, click here.

Maggots Made Cute

The new animated motion picture, "Fly Me to the Moon" is opening in local theaters today. Press releases for the film give mixed reviews, but we have to give them credit for making even the maggots in this fly-boy movie look cute. However, actual maggots are a far cry from the chubby pink images in the film. They are of course, fly larvae, most often found in garbage areas or congregated around decaying matter. If you have ever encountered these small, off-white worm-like crawlers, you  may already know that most bug sprays won't even slow them down. This is true for larvae in general. To stop them, find and remove the source. Here are some ideas for around the house and yard:

Empty and clean trash receptacles at least weekly. 

Keep doors and windows closed or properly screened.

Use garbage cans with tight-fitting lids, no holes.

Dispose of leftovers in plastic bags, securely tied.

Discard animal droppings as soon as you can, also in plastic bags.

Remove decaying fruit from under trees.

You can call the county department of vector control if  you have large numbers of flies around your property and cannot locate the source. Fly strips are a good way to eliminate adult flies indoors. Since flies can carry diseases like dysentery, cholera, pink eye, and even tuberculosis, it is important to address an infestation in a timely fashion. Unlike the cheerful cartoon creatures in the feature film, flies should not be a welcome guest in your home. 

Mosquitos in the News

Mosquitos are making front-page news today in San Diego. The San Diego Union-Tribune features a large article on the increase in "green pools" in the area and how they are breeding havens for mosquitos. Apparently, one side effect of the slump in the housing market and the increasing number of foreclosures is the neglect of neighborhood swimming pools. Without proper care, these pools become green breeding ponds, attracting mosquitos that lay eggs on the surface. Literally working overtime, vector control agents here are doing all they can to keep us safe. Here are some interesting facts from the article.

County environmental health officers have spotted nearly 900 "green" pools since May, using sheriff's helicopters to survey the city from the air. Mosquitos that hatch from these pools are rarely infected with the West Nile virus, but the incidence of birds that have died from the virus in the area has increased. Mosquitos that feed on infected birds and then on humans pass along the virus. What this means is that lowering the number of mosquitos in the San Diego area will lower the risk of human infection. For this reason, the county advises pool owners to maintain a proper chemical balance in their pools. Free mosquito-eating fish are available for ponds or green pools at the vector control office at 9325 Hazard Way, or by calling 858-695-2888. They advise us to use insect repellant containing the active ingredient DEET, wear protective clothing, repair window and door screens, and dump containers of stagnant water. For more information, go to sdfighhtthebite.com or westnile.ca.gov.

American Roaches

The summer of 2008 has brought the nationalistic fervor of the Olympic Games into our homes as we watch athletes from all over the world compete. But one American team we can't bring ourselves to cheer for is the American Roach - especially if the team shows up in our own home. Common cockroaches in San Diego County include the German cockroach (most common, also known as a "house roach"), the brownbanded cockroach, the oriental cockroach, the smokybrown cockroach, the Turkestan cockroach, and the American. We are highlighting the American Roach today, not because we're hoping he wins gold, but because we have had an increase in the number of calls reporting this particular variety. Pictured above are three stages of the American cockroach, (r-l) the adult, the nymph and the egg sack, or "ootheca." American roaches are larger than the common house roach, typically 1 to two inches in length, and brown in color.

We find more American roaches in downtown San Diego than in other areas - perhaps because the buildings are older or because of the higher concentration of commercial buildings. They are often associated with plumbing problems, as they favor warm, damp locations and are known to infest sewers, storm drains, basements and trash areas. Here are a few ways to limit their access to your home:

Have a plumber check to be sure pipes are in good repair throughout the house.

Check weather stripping around doors and windows, and seal any cracks or openings to the outside of the house.

Keep landscape bushes and vines trimmed, especially near vents. 

Store trash in covered containers well away from the house.

Where practical, use gravel around the perimeter of the house.

Store food in insect-proof containers.

Properly dispose of stacks of newspapers, magazines, bags and boxes.

If you find you have an infestation of American cockroaches, clean and dry out areas where they have been seen, and call a pest professional. Baits and insecticides are useful elements in an integrated pest management approach,  but must be used with the above suggestions to gain control. To view a video on exotic varieties of cockroaches, visit the Natural History Museum website, here. Or if the Olympics have put you in an international mood, click here to view a "Crazy Japanese Cockroach Commercial."

Flea Cycle Circus

If the Flea Circus has set up tents in your yard or on your pet this summer, you may feel like you're going in circles! There's a good reason for that - the life cycle of the flea and its resiliency. As shown in the illustration above (click to enlarge), fleas go through five main stages in their development from egg to adult. The female adult flea (#1) can lay ten to forty eggs per day, after a blood meal. That spins out to hundreds of flea eggs over a few month's time. Adult fleas are tiny - 1/8 of an inch long - so imagine how small their eggs are. So small, in fact, that you will have to imagine them, because you won't see these smooth, oval, white eggs roll right off  your pet and onto pet beds, favorite sofas, or carpet areas. Flea eggs hatch in two to ten days, into the larval stage (#3). The larvae like to stay in warm, protected environments. Depending on the temperature, they can feed on adult flea feces, which contain bits of dried blood, and crawl around for five to fifteen days before building their tiny cocoons (#4). Within these cocoons, larvae pupate into a stage also known as "pre-emergent adult" (#5). Fleas can stay in this pupal stage for months, waiting until their environment is right before hatching into adult fleas. Warm temperatures, humidity, vibrations, and carbon dioxide in the air trigger the pupae to emerge as fleas, ready to feed. Since the life cycle is extremely variable, lasting from two weeks to two years, flea control can be difficult. The best way to stop the cycle is to use a spray labeled for use against adult fleas that has a good residual, combined with an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR), which keeps eggs from hatching. 

To sum up our integrated pest management tips on flea control, pet owners should seek advice from veterinarians regarding topical applications of flea control. Vacuuming thoroughly and regularly helps by removing dead fleas and flea feces, which are a source of nourishment for larval and pupal fleas. Clearing the yard of harborage for urban wildlife that may carry fleas into your yard is also part of the process. If these methods do not control your flea problem, call in a pest professional who can apply a spray that will kill adult fleas and prevent flea eggs from hatching. Even after a professional application, it may take three weeks before the circus closes down and the fleas are evicted from your house.