A pesky tango with Argentine ants

by SEAN KIMMONS

A resilient ant species has gradually become one of the top pests in exterminators’ crosshairs as they invaded the Kyle-Buda area in recent springs.

Argentine ants are small and light-to-dark brown in color, burrow underground and travel in long line formations when they forage, experts say.

They don’t sting like fire ants or chew up wood as carpenter ants do. Yet, they travel in large numbers and can overrun homes or other structures with infestation.

Local pest control specialists say that the species becomes more common each year, especially while drought conditions persist.

This year, Dane Gibbs, who owns A Better Choice Pest Control in Buda, has already had hundreds of requests to rid homes of these insects, one of the biggest pests for his shop.

“They’re getting worse,” he said. “We use whatever we can pull out of our arsenal on these guys.”
Since he opened in 2004, Gibbs has noticed a steady climb in Argentine ants. The reason? Like others, he suggests that it could be new construction, agitating underground colonies.

One customer in Kyle, he says, removed a backyard pool and unearthed a colony of the ants, estimated in the hundreds of thousands.

“It took months to control,” he said. “They’re tough.”

The species aren’t just ground borne, warns Gibbs, who has also seen them sneak into homes from above by crawling down high-line wires into attics.

“They don’t sting or bite, but they are a nuisance,” says Roger E. Gold, professor and endowed chair in Urban and Structural Entomology at Texas A&M’s AgriLife Research and Extension.

The species came to the United States in the late 1800s, yet they are still fairly new to Texas. And, as with other non-native insects, they are here to stay, Gold says.

“They’re an invasive species, spreading rapidly with commerce,” he said. “It’s impossible to eradicate them. You would have to put in a lot of resources in order to do that and the state doesn’t have them.”

Though smaller, Argentine ants have also been known to kill fire ants and other insects to appease their appetites, he added.

In the spring and summer, large colonies of Argentine ants typically split into several satellite colonies, extending into nearby urban areas. When autumn comes around, the splintered ant colonies scurry back to form super colonies and hibernate until it warms up again, according to Texas A&M’s AgriLife Research and Extension website.

Honeydew, plant secretions, or sugary and syrupy fruit juices are the ants’ main food supply, says The Ant Institute website, located at http://www.antinstitute.com/.

The website goes on to explain that the ants can often be found outside teeming along patios, driveways, sidewalks and walls. Inside, they can be seen along baseboards, floor cracks, counters and beneath carpet edges.

If they do move indoors, they tend to nest in moist places, such as wall voids near water pipes, sinks or bathtubs and showers, the website says.

Scott Ehlinger, who owns Triumph Pest Control in San Marcos, says that the drought has forced the ants, and other insects, to move into buildings in search of food sources, mostly within potted plants and garbage.
The ants, he says, are impossible to completely exterminate. Maintenance and prevention are the only methods that work.

Residents can attempt to rid their home of the pests themselves by using over-the-counter sprays, dusts and baits, however, a proactive pest control company is the best way to keep them under control, experts say.
“You’re never going to get rid of them,” he said. “They’ll just keep sending out more workers if others die.”

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Eddie Baggs: Take the bite out of mosquito season with prevention methods

12:05 AM CDT on Sunday, May 1, 2011

Eddie Baggs

Mosquitoes can ruin the best-laid outdoor summer plans, because not only do they produce a painful bite during feeding, but they can transmit West Nile virus to humans and horses, and heartworms to dogs.

With temperatures above 70 degrees and heavy rains, mosquito populations will soar.

The best control is eliminating breeding sites. Mosquitoes like shallow standing water in areas such as old tires, cans, bottles, birdbaths, flower pots, poorly draining gutters and hollowed-out tree stumps, or any standing shallow water that also has organic matter. Mosquitoes can breed in any puddle that lasts more than four days. Mosquitoes rarely breed in pools or large bodies of water because they are too deep. Ponds usually contain fish and minnows that will keep mosquitoes in check.

For larger bodies of water that cannot be drained — such as shallow ponds, ditches or low areas — “doughnuts” or “mosquito dunks” can be used. These larvicides contain bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and are highly effective. Bt is an environmentally friendly, natural, nonpolluting, bacterially produced chemical. These products are applied directly to the water, killing all fly larvae including mosquitoes and are safe for use around animals.

Temporary outdoor suppression may include aerosol foggers; however, this is short-lived, and mosquitoes will continue to return until breeding sites are eliminated. Candles and torches do not provide much control. Bug zappers attract mosquitoes to the yard but are not a complete control method. They usually kill more beneficial insects than problem insects.

Horses can be vaccinated for West Nile. Dogs can be checked for heartworms and given a preventative treatment. Children can be sprayed with insect repellents. But the most important step any property owner can take to control mosquito populations is to remove all man-made sources of stagnant water in which mosquitoes could breed.

EDDIE BAGGS, extension agent with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Denton County, can be reached at 940-349-2880.

*Story provided by Denton Record - Chronicle DentonRC.com - Enties story - http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/business/stories/DRC_baggs_0501.2d7e9ce2d.html

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Buzz Kill Pest Control is a leader in providing, installing and servicing mosquito misting systems in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. We understand how disappointing it can be to not be able to go out and enjoy your outdoor space. We have experienced this too in the past. This is why we chose to become one of the premier companies in the Dallas Fort Worth area to offer mosquito misting systems, and to help people get back to the outdoors they once enjoyed before mosquitoes took over.

Buzz Kill Pest Control does ALL the work so you don’t have to. There has never been a more effective and convenient method for preventing mosquito bites in your yard. You will never again have to spray your kids, your guest or yourself with messy sprays, repellents or remember to fog your yard before a cookout.

Buzz Kill Pest Control specializes in the installation, ongoing service and refills of automated mosquito control mister systems, and we know every install is different based upon your property layout and families needs. This is why we will send one of our licensed professionals to your home or business for a free consultation for an automated mosquito misting system. The installation of the mosquito mister will consist of a variety of nozzles, tubing and a controller installed on the property. These components and controller will be installed in inconspicuous areas throughout your lawn to eliminate mosquitoes, flies, gnats and other insects while fitting right in with your family and lifestyle needs. The automated mosquito control mist system sprays a very fine mist of pyrethrin through nozzles installed around the perimeter of your yard. The mist settles on the grass and landscaping, killing any mosquito that comes in contact with it. The system is timed to mist 2 to3 times a day, early in the morning and early in the evening when mosquitoes are most active and while beneficial insects, like bees and butterflies are not. It also kills or repels other unwanted pest like flies and gnats. We offer both tanked and tankless systems which gives us and our customer’s better flexibility for any mosquito infestation or property layout.

Already have a mosquito misting system but need service, support or a chemical drum or tank refill?  Please give us a call we can provide you and your system with the same topnotch service and support as we do our own systems and customers.

Buzz Kill Pest Control is a leader in providing mosquito control for our customers in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. We have a variety of services to fit every customer's need and budget. Mosquitoes can be a real nuisance and can easily overtake your outdoors, making any beautiful evening unpleasant. Aside from the annoying, painful bites, mosquitoes are also known to carry diseases such as West Nile Virus.

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Mosquitoes 

Description and Habits
Adult mosquitoes are about 1/4-inch long, with long legs, a pair of clear wings and a slender body. The body and wing veins are covered with scales. The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), was first detected in Texas in 1985 and is now a wide-spread and common species. It is distinctly black with white markings on the body and legs. The thorax is marked with a single white stripe down the middle.
Females of "standing water" mosquito species (Anopheles, Coquilettidia, Culiseta, Culex species) deposit masses of eggs in "rafts" on the water surface, while "floodwater" species (Aedes, Psorophora species) lay eggs either on plants on or below a still water surface or in moist soil depressions that will be subject to later flooding. Time for eggs to hatch varies with species from 16 to 24 hours to more than two years for floodwater mosquitoes.
Habitat and Food Sources
Blood-feeding females have piercing-sucking mouthparts and usually must ingest a blood meal in order to develop eggs. Males, as well as females, sip nectar, honeydew and fruit juices.
Mosquito species vary in aquatic larval habitats, ranging from ponds, puddles, containers and tree holes to other sources of standing, slow moving, fresh or salty water. Large numbers of mosquitoes can develop in swamps, tidal marshes, flood water and rice fields. Male mosquitoes swarm in "clouds" to attract females. Mosquitoes can fly and disperse with the wind.
Bites and Diseases
Adult females bite and may transmit diseases such as malaria, filariasis, West Nile, arthropod-borne viruses such as yellow fever, denge and encephalitis. Saliva, injected by females while engorging on blood causes itching. There are about 55 species of mosquitoes in Texas (170 species nationally).

*Information provided by - Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University Systems

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