Alternative Pest Control

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/weirdest-fire-ant-raft?source=relatedvideo

Fire Ants Make Living Raft In this flooded forest, the family that swims together stays together... as a living raft! But plenty of predators see these floating fire ants as an easy snack.

I know it's tempting to go for some of these bug repellent products, but you may be disappointed (see below). The methods we use for mosquito control, have been tested and proven to work. I get my yard done every spring and I couldn't be happier. Give us a call (770-995-5053) to get an estimate. Chances are it's not as expensive as you'd think.

- Julia, APC staff

http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/top-news/ftc-files-complaint-over-anti-insect-wrist-bands/nkFxX/

FTC files complaint over anti-insect wrist bands The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against a company that makes wrist bands intended to repel insects, saying there is no evidence they work.

When I think about the Pacific Northwest, the last thing that comes to mind is bugs (no poisonous spiders and completely mosquito free summers), but it looks like their forests are facing some very destructive pests. Hopefully this research project will bring new insights to the fight against wood-destroying organisms (something we know all too well here in the South).

- Julia, APC staff


https://gigaom.com/2015/03/02/this-data-project-could-help-save-forests-being-destroyed-by-insects/?post_id=100000124570852_1035134639834012 =_

This data project could help save forests being destroyed by insects A new project that combines satellite data, airplane mapping data and on-the-ground field data of the forests of the Pacific Northwest over several decades could help researchers better manage future forest insect outbreaks across the globe. The project, published in the journal of Forest Ecology an…

http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/nature/video/10/28/2014/invasion-of-the-zombees-a-bee-horror-film.html

Invasion of the Zombees: A Bee Horror Film \tUp and down the West coast of the U.S., bees are leaving their hives, flying around at night and then suddenly dropping dead. Learn all about the parasitic horror that quietly zombifies these insects and how you can become a real-life zombee hunter.

http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/02/27/2015/airport-apiaries-now-boarding.html

Airport Apiaries, Now Boarding Several major airports have found a new use for open but restricted space alongside runways and hangars—as a home for beehives.

Health Hazards Posed by Rodents

http://www.pestworld.org/news-and-views/pest-health-hub/posts/health-hazards-posed-by-rodents/

Dr. Jorge Parada
National Pest Management Association
Monday, November 24, 2014
A focus on select infectious diseases



It's not uncommon, especially during the winter months, to have an unpleasant encounter with a rodent who has made its way into a home uninvited. What many people do not realize, however, is that these pests can be much more than a nuisance. Rodents, such as rats, mice, prairie dogs and rabbits, are associated with a number of health risks. In fact, rats and mice are known to spread more than 35 diseases. These diseases can be spread to humans directly, through handling of live or dead rodents, through contact with rodent f***s, urine, or saliva, and through rodent bites. Diseases carried by rodents can also be spread to humans indirectly, through fleas, ticks, or mites that have fed on an infected rodent.

This is especially concerning as the weather cools and rodents start to look for snug warm places to overwinter - like our homes. The National Pest Management Association estimates that rodents invade about 21 million homes in the United States every winter, squeezing through spaces as small as a nickel.

Rodent droppings can trigger allergies and transmit food borne illness such as salmonella, and as mice are capable of dropping up to 25,000 f***l pellets each year, an estimated 70 times each day - prevention and prompt removal in case of an infestation is key.

Stay tuned for posts of some of the most common diseases associated with rodents: Hantavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, tularemia, and plague.

Health Hazards Posed by Rodents It's not uncommon, especially during the winter months, to have an unpleasant encounter with a rodent who has made its way into a home uninvited. What many people do not realize, however, is that these pests can be much more than a nuisance. Rodents, such as rats, mice, prairie dogs and rabbits, are…

The Myth of The Woolly Bear http://www.sciencefriday.com Legend holds that the length of woolly bear caterpillar's color bands can be used to forecast how severe the winter weather will...

http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/06/01/2012/finding-glow-in-the-dark-millipedes.html

Finding Glow-in-the-Dark Millipedes Forget fireflies, some millipedes glow in the dark too. We found out about the phenomenon from SciFri listener Chris Lavin, who stumbled upon fluorescing blue millipedes during an evening stroll near her home in Canyon, Calif.

http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/06/14/2012/behold-the-beauty-of-the-ant.html

Behold the Beauty of the Ant \tTaxonomy can be beautiful, according to Brian Fisher of the California Academy of Sciences. Fisher is the founder of AntWeb, an online repository of high-res glamor shots of ants, along with taxonomic information for each species. The AntWeb team has cataloged over 8,000 species so far, and aims t...

http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/04/18/2008/dead-bat-mystery.html

Dead Bat Mystery Bats across the northeastern United States are dying and no one knows why. We visit an abandoned mine in upstate New York, one of the largest bat hibernation spots in the Northeast, with several bat researchers looking for clues.

http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/04/21/2008/where-do-bees-do-their-business.html

Where Do Bees Do Their Business? \tBeekeeper Sarah Christman explains what happens in a honeybee hive during the winter. Christman is the Milwaukee operations manager for Growing Power, Inc., a non-profit organization and land trust based in Milwaukee, WI that helps people grow, process, market and distribute food sustainably. See…

http://s3.amazonaws.com/scifri-videos/levitation-010612.mp4