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Snow Fleas

Snow Fleas – Yes Virginia There Are Such Things!

As you know we write articles for Gardner News about a month in advance of the printing, so as I sit in 60 degree weather here in Northern New Jersey, I prepare for an interesting article on Snow fleas. This year so far El Niño has brought us warmer than usual weather. Let’s hope La Niña brings us some cold weather and snow. We will get snow and when we do there is a chance you could experience an insect that does occur in New Jersey called “Snow Fleas”. In February insects are the last things on your mind. You look down on what seems to be dirty snow and you see lots of little black specks. Suddenly you remember something you read on Gardner News and you stoop down for a closer look. Just as the snow turns to cold water melting onto your knee, you notice some of the small black specks springing into the air! Yes, you’ve found ‘em! Snow fleas! They are not fleas at all. They will not bite you, jump on your dog or really care about you at all. They are insects in the Order Collembola, commonly called springtails. In North America there are 7 families and @677 species of springtails. They are the most abundant of soil-dwelling arthropods. Living in a variety of habitats where they feed as scavengers on decaying vegetation and soil fungi, these insects are beneficial in that they help decompose organic matter. They are small in size usually 6 mm or less in length. They are named for a forked like jumping organ called the furcular. Springtails are able to jump by positioning the furcular up underneath their body, releasing it and propel into the air. Experts believe this mechanism was developed to avoid predation and escaping from other arthropods that may feed on them. The immature Collembola are similar in appearance to adults. They are dark blue in color making a nice contrast to snow. They usually molt 4-5 times before reaching sexual maturity. Unlike other arthropods, springtails have evolved in cooler climates. Snow fleas can tolerate cold temperatures down to 31 degrees Fahrenheit. When the ground is covered with snow, they tend to emerge from leaf litter during warm sunny days. Keep in mind that decaying leaf litter can generate heat during the winter months and many times you can find insects and other arthropods warm and cozy even during the coldest of winter days. Snow FleasThe economic importance of springtails is that of decomposition. They break down and recycle organic waste. A few species feed on living plants and are sometimes regarded as pests. The garden springtail (Bourletiella hortensis) may damage seedlings in early spring. Other species will attack alfalfa and mushrooms. Bug Bytes (courtesy of NC State University). Springtails may be extremely abundant in certain habitats. Population densities exceeding 750 million individuals per hectare have been found in some grassland communities. Springtails "hop" by snapping their furcula against the substrate. In this manner, they may propel themselves up to 20 cm in the air -- a distance 50-100 times their own body length! Unlike most other arthropods, springtails appear to have evolved in cool climates. Their relative abundance in the soil tends to increase as the mean annual temperature decreases. Other cold-loving species are found on the surface of glacial ice in the far North. Females of some Sminthuridae cover their eggs with a glaze of freshly eaten soil and fecal material. This mixture evidently protects the eggs from dehydration and fungal attack. Like other non-insect hexapods, Collembola continue to molt after they reach sexual maturity. But unlike other taxa, reproductive activity occurs only during alternate instars: each reproductive stage is followed by a molt, a short period of feeding, and another molt. Some springtails live in caves or in the burrows of small mammals. A few species, including all members of the family Cyphoderidae, live in the nests of social insects. Springtails come in a wide variety of decorator colors, including white, pink, yellow, green, orange, red, blue, and indigo. Editor’s Note: William A. Kolbe, BCE is a Board Certified Entomologist for Viking Pest Control based out of Warren, NJ. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Entomology with a minor in Ecology from the University of Delaware. He is a member of The Denville NJ Community Gardens. He can be reached at 800-618-2847 or visit preview0.dev1.snyderpreview.com

Proper Trap Placements for Summertime Pests

Proper Trap Placements for Summertime Pests By Gregory Covello A.C.E. Summer is finally here and as our gardens flourish so do the pests that invade them. Throughout my travels I often encounter do-it-yourselfers trying to eliminate a variety of pests using various traps. Many times I can’t help to notice the poor placement of pest traps. I would like to share some tips on proper placement of various traps to affectively capture your target pest. One of the most common trap placement blunders that I encounter is placements of lure traps near areas where humans will congregate. I have witnessed a countless number of yellow jacket traps place near pool yards and picnic tables. There are a variety of yellow jacket and wasp traps commercially available to reduce the number of these stinging insects without using pesticides. These traps utilize either a commercially prepared lure, or a beverage or your choice (extra sugary sodas or beer would be my recommendation) to attract the insect to the trap. When you place these traps on or near the picnic table that you are eating at, you are actually enticing the stinging insects towards you. Stinging insect traps should be placed away from the areas that you are trying to protect. Traps should be placed by hanging them from trees, poles, or fences where people will not be spending time. Try to establish a perimeter of these traps along your property line, not near your home or garden. In similar fashion to the stinging insect trap, there are commercially available mosquito traps. Most of the mosquito traps that are available utilize a propane tank that fuels a unit that is designed to emit carbon dioxide that will attract mosquitoes within a certain radius. You do not want the center of the attraction zone to be your garden. If you choose to invest in one of these units, once again, keep it away from areas frequented by people such as gardens, and outdoor dining areas. One of the most common summer garden pests also has a commercially available lure trap. The Japanese beetle trap, often easily recognized by the hanging bag full of bugs is another attractant type trap. Most of these traps are actually sold with pole type stand to hang the trap from. The lures available with these traps are highly attractive to Japanese beetles making it once again extremely important to place these traps away from you roses and veggies. Japanese beetle traps should be placed upwind of your garden, not in it. Also, follow the labeled instructions for the number of units you should use. Often, multiple units may be necessary to get a desired level of control. Traps are not only for insect pests. Another common summertime invader is the groundhog. There are various types of live traps available to get rid of this common excavator. The common box style live trap can be an effective tool if placed correctly. Sometimes you have to study your target a little before placing a trap. Often I see traps placed directly next to a groundhog burrow. Although you will occasionally trap a groundhog with trap placement near the burrow, a better solution is to place the trap where the groundhog is feeding. Leave a trail of bait leading up to the trap. Make sure bait is place behind the trigger plate, not in front of or on the trigger. Be creative with you bait choices when trapping a groundhog. As a general rule, use whatever the groundhog may be damaging or eating out of your garden. If your tomatoes are getting eaten, using a tomato as bait is probably a good choice. I have successfully used apples, tomatoes, and dark leafed lettuces that stand up well in the high summertime temperatures. I have heard of successes using cantaloupe and other fruits, however, I cannot share any personal success stories with cantaloupe. Unless the trap you have is specifically designed to place directly over the burrow, try not to place the cage too close to the burrow as to not alarm the animal. Best of luck to you with your trapping endeavors.

Fleas Ticks and Disease

Viking Pest Control. Fleas Ticks and Disease If you have pets, then you are almost certainly aware of the risk that fleas and ticks pose to their health. While a minor flea or tick infestation is a nuisance for a healthy pet, a major flea or tick infestation can pose a serious health risk to pets who are elderly, very young, or have health problems, and can even put otherwise healthy dogs at serious risk. As opportunistic blood-sucking parasites, fleas and ticks will not stop at feeding on your family pets; they will also feed on family members, and can live in fabric surfaces of your home, like carpet and upholstery. This means that a minor flea or tick problem can become a major nuisance very quickly.

Health risk associated with fleas and ticks

Of course, the real health risk associated with fleas and ticks has less to do with the blood that they drink and more to do with their potential for spreading disease. Although fleas are not generally disease spreaders, they are known to be linked to the spread of the single most significant deathly illness event in human history: the Bubonic plague. Modern fleas can still carry the plague as well as a lesser known disease, murine typhus. The risk of contracting either of these diseases through flea bites is relatively low, but it remains a possibility. On the contrary, ticks are frequent carriers of Lyme disease, and the risk of transmission is not insignificant. In fact, tick bites are the only known means of transmission of Lyme Disease, which impacts 300,000 people a year in the United States. Lyme Disease has both immediate flu-like symptoms and possible long-term symptoms such as joint pain, swelling, and chronic fatigue. While antibiotics may be able to help prevent Lyme Disease if a tick bite is discovered immediately, bites often go undetected and antibiotics are not helpful after that initial exposure period, making prevention a key.
Did you know? According To WebMD The investigators discovered that most of the affected children lived near wooded areas likely to harbor ticks. They also found that the children's first symptoms typically started in the summer months coinciding with the height of the tick season.
Viking Pest Control can help you eliminate your risk of exposure to fleas and ticks We can treat your home and your yard to exterminate existing fleas and ticks as well as preventing future infestations. Combining these treatments with effective veterinarian-recommended flea and tick medications for your pets can virtually eliminate your risk of a flea or tick infestation in your home or yard. You can increase your personal protection by using a DEET based insect repellant, covering your skin, and checking thoroughly for ticks after exposure to areas where ticks are likely.