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Monthly Archives: September 2020

Autumn Stings

It’s officially fall, which means Michigan’s woods and fields are buzzing with stinging insects fueling up for winter; and some of them are grumpy.

Yellowjackets are especially not in the mood to be trifled with as they can be really intolerant this time of the year. As things begin to wind down in the fall, they can become aggressive.We receive numerous calls each fall season with homeowners claiming to have a nest somewhere on their property Homeowners will notice singleton bees and wasps hanging out around their doors, windows, and soffits; they searching for any crevice to squeeze into.  Yellowjackets often nest in the ground in colonies that can reach 4,000 to 5,000 workers. The entrance holes they are searching for might’ve been there since spring— but autumn is when the colony reaches its largest and when the insects become feisty. One reason is the last hatch consists of next year’s queens, which are the future of the colony.

Encounters

Swat a stinging insect and you might trigger and even more threatening response: Like a honeybee, a dying yellowjacket releases a pheromone that alerts the nest. Meddling or even stepping in the wrong place can trigger a full-on attack with the wasps swarming and pursuing.

Humans are most likely to encounter stinging insects as they look for food. Their diet somewhat changes. Throughout the summer wasps are predators, feeding on other insects. In the fall they develop somewhat of a sweet tooth. Fermenting fruit, colas, ciders, fruit juice, become more attractive to the wasps. Because of this, they tend to linger about orchards, cider mills, picnic areas, outdoor restaurant seating, and barbecues— all popular fall hangouts for Michigan residents.

Similar to mosquito bites, wasp stings contain a protein that can cause itching. They can and will sting multiple times, along with hornets. Both wasp and hornet stings can be painful and swell for up to 24 hours as they inject venom into their victims.

Honeybees, on the other hand, have a barbed stinger and can only sting once, as they die after stinging. The stinger remains in the victim’s skin until someone removes it. You can easily scrape it out with a fingernail or with a credit card.

Overall, avoiding these insects in any season is the best method to prevent stings. Knowing the correct precautions to take not only keeps your fall season safe but above all, fun!

For more information on how to distinguish stinging insects from one another, be sure to check this out!

Here are some examples of nests to avoid:

Stinging insectsstinging insectsstinging insectsstinging insects

Miller, Korin. “Is That Stinging Insect a Bee, Wasp, or Hornet? Here’s Exactly How to Tell.” Prevention. 18 May 2020, www.prevention.com/life/a32389815/bee-vs-wasp-vs-hornet-difference/.

Pumpkin Spice & Fall Mice

The leaves are fading to vibrant shades of crimson, orange, and chartreuse, silently falling to the ground. The mornings are foggy and crisp, the darkness stretching each day. You’ve taken the sweaters out of their storage bins and began to wear them proudly; apple cider and pumpkin spice quite literally fill the air. The downside of all things fall, though, is that rodents are packing their bags to move into your home for the winter, too.RODENTS

Why are Mice Moving into Your Home?

As we’ve previously talked about before, as temperatures drop, rodents are drawn to sources of potential food and heat. Most assuredly, they will find creative ways to enter a structure: through open windows and doors, cracks in walls, vents, pipes, you name it, and they will try it! There are some main attractants to rodents when they are seeking solace:

  1.  You haven’t kept up with landscaping maintenance.

    Having plants close to buildings and failing to rake up leaves that pile against foundations are open invitations to rodents. They hide amongst the vegetation while searching for an opening, and you may never notice them. Instead, keep plants and accumulated leaves at least 2 feet away from your home, trim weeds, and never allow debris to collect against the house.

  2. You haven’t prepared your house for the chilly weather.

    If you have not inspected weather-stripping, cracks, and other areas of weakness, then you have opened your home to wayward rodents. Ensure you seal any gaps around windows and doors, even checking where you may have made repairs last season— as weather-stripping and caulking are known to crack with temperature fluctuations.

  3. You haven’t rodent-proofed your exterior.

    If you’re not checking the exterior of your home for weaknesses, then mice may be able to crawl right into your home. Have you had any home repairs or installations? Check to see if sealing around cable wires or plumbing is intact. Rodents can crawl up sewage pipes and plumbing, so seal off around the areas where these pipes enter your home. Additionally, if you have outdoor vents or intend to keep any windows open, fit them with screens to keep mice out.
  4. You haven’t made your home inhospitable to rodents.

    If you’re not placing traps in potential rodent hot spots and deploying repellents, then you’re giving mice the go-ahead to move in. Try using glue traps to monitor your attic or basement – since these traps will catch both mice and insects, they will let you know if you have a problem. Just be sure to inspect them regularly. Additionally, use natural scent repellents in pantries or drawers and ultrasonic repellents in basements, attics, and rooms with non-rodent pets.

Oh Deer

History

White-tailed deer were all but extinct in the eastern United States at the end of the 19th century; their population reduced to remnant herds in isolated redoubts.

What caused their numbers to plummet? Firstly, the arrival of European fur traders created a demand for hides. Then, colonists and commercial hunters poured in and began a slaughter spanning three hundred years. Ernest Thompson Seton, a naturalist, estimated that by 1890 we had reduced the pre-Columbian population of around 30 million to roughly 350,000.

But, conservationists brought them back. It took decades.

Aftermath

The events that transpired in the late 20th century was unnatural. Whitetail populations skyrocketed, especially in areas of suburban and exurban sprawl, which were primarily off-limits to hunters and almost entirely devoid of natural predators. For whitetails, this habitat proved to be better than an unpopulated forest.

Today, with a restored whitetail population of 25 million to 40 million, foresters have begun to complain that high concentrations inhibit the growth of new trees. The animals feed on seedlings and other young vegetation and browse as high as they can reach, even standing on their hind legs. In some areas throughout the US, deer have become de facto forest managers, determining what eastern woodlands will look like 50 or 100 years from now.

Modern-Day

Hunters, long shunned, are now being welcomed with open arms into some communities to trim deer hoards. Sometimes local governments hire professional sharpshooters to protect woods, parks, and neighborhoods; predictably, these moves have caused controversy.

One also thinks of the emotional distress suffered by the 4,000 drivers in the United States who hit deer yearly should be kept in mind.

Let’s take a look at the ecology.

“The Science of Overabundance,” a book published by the Smithsonian over 15 years ago, asserted that even then, many areas were too dense with whitetails. The book, written by 42 wildlife biologists, defined overabundance as “when deer threaten human life or livelihood, when they depress densities of favored species, they are too numerous for their excellence when they cause ecosystem dysfunction.”

How to Control

Their habitats vary widely, of course, but a good rule of thumb is that once the population exceeds 20 deer per square mile, they begin to diminish the vegetation on which they feed.

Humans, along with mountain lions and wolves, have been whitetail’s primary predators since the end of the most recent Ice Age. Evidence suggests that humans have killed more deer than every other predator combined. In the past few decades, however, towns, townships, and in some cases, entire counties have outlawed the discharging of firearms. (Hunters do kill around 100 people each year, mainly one another, in cases of trigger happy confusion. Statistically, deer kill more than twice that number in deer-on-vehicle collisions).

The result has been that for the first time in over 11,000 years, vast swaths of habitat in the heart of the white-tailed deer’s range are off-limits to their primary predator. Though coyotes as well as vehicles unavoidably kill deer, it’s not enough to keep populations at bay in many of these areas. This is why hunting seasons are imperative in states including Michigan.

Our Services

You may be thinking, what does deer hunting have anything to do with pest control? Well, without proper population control, herds take to large open areas such as golf courses, airports, and other outdoor spaces. Airports, for example, will have issues with deer if they do not have fencing that is 12 ft or higher. Anything less than will allow them to jump over and become a hazard for aircraft. Deer prefer to stay within a particular area and will rarely venture off to join a new herd; if they do, it is typical of the other herd not to accept the animal.  Their herds can include up to 25 members! This is why management and population control is so important.

Hogarth Pest Control & Wildlife Removal has been trained and certified to shoot in sensitive environments and can remove overpopulated deer to provide a safer environment for the client.

McShea, William J., et al. The Science of Overabundance: Deer Ecology and Population Management. Smithsonian Institution, 2003.

Fall Invaders

As shadows lengthen and days become shorter, we begin to see some six-legged critters sneaking around our windows, eaves, and soffits. This change is a good time for a reminder about just who some of these fall invaders are and how you can tell them apart. The insects are all just following the instinct to seek a secluded overwintering spot. Unfortunately for everyone, what happens next is anything but natural. The exterior sidewalls of our structures provide a beautiful array of nooks and crannies for these critters to sneak. The problem is that these spaces are often within human dwellings.

Who are the fall invaders on the side of my home?

Three of Michigan’s fall invaders are closely related in the order Hemiptera, or ‘true bugs.’ They are the boxelder bug, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), and western conifer seed bug (Table 1). During late summer and fall, it is possible to find all three species on one building.

Of these three insects, the brown marmorated stink bug is the newest arrival to Michigan, and the only one is a garden or agricultural pest. Often mistaken as a BMSB, western conifer seed bug is less common and mostly remains unnoticed until fall. Boxelder bugs are native Michigan insects that can be relatively abundant in some parts of the state. Boxelder bugs are not considered garden pests, but they can become a nuisance in homes only due to the large quantities that can accumulate on around doors, windows, and in attics over the winter.

If you are unsure whether the insects in your home are BMSB or not, Table 1 will help tell them apart. We use the shape of their hind legs, overall body shape, and color to differentiate these three fall invaders.

 

 Table 1. Features that distinguish Michigan’s most common true bugs (Hemiptera)
Common name Diet Body Hind legs Color
Brown marmorated stink bug Wide variety Pentagonal Long & thin Brown, tan, with white
Western conifer seed bug Seeds of conifers Elliptical Flat & broadened Brown, tan, with white
Boxelder bug Boxelder and related maples Elliptical Long & thin Black with red

 

Like many insects in the order Hemiptera, all three have a piercing-sucking mouthpart and can use it in self-defense. In other words, handle them with caution. It is important to note, however, that none of these insects sting or transmit disease; they do not reproduce in the winter. They are simply nuisance pests. In some of the most severe cases, excretions from high numbers of these bugs may stain furniture.

A fourth fall invader worth mentioning is the Asian lady beetle. These beetles spend their summers dining on aphids and other agricultural pests. They form large aggregations on the sides of structures in the fall as they search for a spot to overwinter.

Unlike the three mentioned previously, multi-colored Asian lady beetles are beetles (Coleoptera), not true bugs. Asian lady beetles can bite but do not spread disease. They also emit foul-smelling defensive secretions that can stain fabrics, and, in rare cases, can cause allergic reactions.

What causes these fall invaders to gather?

The summer months are when insects are active outdoors. However, as daylight lessens, insects undergo a physiological change known as ‘diapause.’ diapause is a time of inactivity during which they eat little to nothing and do not reproduce. In their natural habitats, the insects spend winter beneath tree bark.

BMSB begin to gather on the SW-W sides of buildings when there is less than 12.5 hours of daylight, usually the second or third week of September in Michigan. They mainly migrate toward garages, sheds, and siding with small spaces or gaps that protect them from the elements. For several weeks in the fall, BMSB and other aggregating insects may attempt to enter homes searching for an environment protected from snow and cold temperatures.

How can I keep them out?

In fall, be sure to check for gaps on the outside of the house that are wide enough for insects to enter. You can cover these areas with screens, wire mesh, or caulk. Window air conditioners should be checked for gaps. When hundreds of swarming insects are outside of a home, leave the windows closed or check for openings in the screen. The force of water from a hose knocks insects off exterior walls.

On homes with severe outbreaks, we apply a pest control treatment to the foundation or siding.

What do I do once they are inside?

The best way to control nuisance pests indoors is through removal or exclusion by a professional. Inside, BMSB are attracted to light and may fly towards light fixtures, resulting in an annoying buzz. We do not recommend applying insecticides to overwintering insects that are already inside your home. The chemicals will only kill insects that make direct contact and prevent additional insects from finding their way inside.

When hundreds of stink bugs are in the home or shed, vacuum with a shop-vac, on warmer winter days, a stray stink bug or two may emerge from diapause and walk or fly around the house. By this time, all overwintered insects are already inside a home, and hand-picking is the easiest way to eliminate them.

Fall invaders perpetually return each year. However, knowing the signs and how to prevent an invasion from occurring in your home is imperative.