Defendants Must Have Appropriate Scientific Support for Pesticide and Drug Claims Two marketers of unproven cedar oil-based remedies for bed bugs and head lice have agreed to enter into settlements with the Federal Trade Commission that prohibit the allegedly deceptive claims, and require pre-approval from the Food and Drug Administration for any future treatment claims about head lice products. The settlements resolve deceptive advertising charges the FTC filed last year against Dave Glassel and the companies he controlled, including Chemical Free Solutions, LLC, alleging that they made overhyped claims that their BEST Yet! line of cedar-oil-based liquid products would treat and prevent bed bug and head lice infestations. According to the FTC, the defendants falsely claimed that their natural, BEST Yet! bed bug and head lice products were invented for the U.S. Army, that their bed bug product was acknowledged by the U.S.D.A. as the #1 choice of bio-based pesticides, and that the Environmental Protection Agency had warned consumers to avoid chemical solutions for treating bed bug infestations. Under the agreed-upon settlement orders, the defendants are prohibited from claiming that their BEST Yet! products by themselves can stop or prevent a bed bug infestation, or are more effective at doing so than other products, unless they have competent and scientific evidence to make the claims. The defendants also are barred from claiming that their products can effectively treat head lice infestations unless those claims are non-misleading and they obtain FDA approval prior to making those claims. The defendants are further prohibited from misrepresenting the results of scientific tests or studies, and from claiming that a product or service they sell is endorsed by a government agency or by any other third-party entity when it is not. The orders impose a $4.6 million judgment against Glassel who is facing bankruptcy, and a $185,206 judgment against Chemical Free Solutions, LLC, which will be suspended due to the company’s inability to pay. If it is later determined that the financial information the company provided the FTC was false, the full judgment amount will become due immediately. The FTC will continue to pursue its case against the remaining three defendants, Springtech 77376, LLC, Cedar Oil Technologies Corp., and Cedarcide Industries, Inc. Consumers concerned about bed bugs also should see the FTC publication, “Battling Bed Bugs,” which urges caution about advertisements that offer quick solutions, and provides other related advice to consumers. The Commission vote approving the proposed consent decrees with Dave Glassel and Chemical Free Solutions, LLC was 3-1. Chairwoman Ramirez and Commissioner Brill issued a joint statement. Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen, who voted no, issued a dissenting statement. Commissioner Wright issued a separate statement. NOTE: The consent decrees are subject to court approval. Consent decrees have the force of law when signed by the District Court judge. The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources. MEDIA CONTACT: Betsy Lordan Office of Public Affairs 202-326-3707 STAFF CONTACT: Kerry O’Brien and Linda K. Badger FTC Western Region, San Francisco 415-848-5100 See Original Article Here  

Maybe You Shouldn’t Do-it-Yourself When it comes to Pest Control? Especially if you risk burning your home to the ground!

NJPMA - The Dangers of Do-It-Yourself Pest Control By:Len Douglen | The New Jersey Pest Management Association In June, a Woodbury, NJ homeowner managed to set his house on fire in the course of a do-it-yourself pest control effort to rid it of bed bugs. He was reportedly using a space heater, a hair dryer, and a heat gun in order to exterminate bed bugs in a room on the second floor. “He went online, got some instructions,” said a neighbor, referring to one method pest management professionals (PMPs) use to rid a room of bed bugs by raising the heat to a point that exterminates them. PMPs, however, are extensively trained in this and other methods to ensure safety. Over the years there have been many instances in which homeowners have used “bug bombs” to rid a room or two of a particular pest only to have the volatile elements of the spray explode due to contact with an oven pilot light or some other source of flame. “People commonly purchase an off-the-shelf pesticide,” says Leonard Douglen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Pest Management Association, “but many homeowners and apartment dwellers are disappointed with the results and end up calling a pest management firm. I’m biased, but most of the time, they should make that call first.” “As often as people are told that pesticides are toxic chemicals,” says Douglen, “they still tend not to read the instructions or use them properly when they do. Pest management professionals (PMPs), licensed and certified by the State Department of Environmental Protection, receive extensive, on-going training. The arrival of summer guarantees “Lots of bugs and bites,” says Douglen. “It is a particularly active season for pest management professionals. Among the insects making a big comeback are bed bugs and fleas.” Fleas, Douglen explains, had become less of a problem that PMPs were treating because of the advent of a host of products sold by veterinarians and applied directly by pet owners. “What PMPs know, however, is that fleas like other insect pests can, over time, build a resistance to the chemicals in those products and the result is that pet owners are discovering flea infestations in their homes and apartments.” “Bed bugs had virtually been eliminated as a household pest in the 1950s are the new plague,” said Douglen, “and they have become a major problem involving new techniques to deal with them, including dogs that are especially trained to find them. This is not an insect problem that can be eliminated without professional help.” Let’s not forget those perennials, ants and roaches. “Roaches have been around since the days of the dinosaurs and, along with ants, they reproduce in such vast numbers that virtually no place is immune to an infestation,” says Douglen. “A legion of PMPs works around the clock in New Jersey to insure that homes, schools, hospitals, restaurants, hotels and offices are kept free of these invaders. Because a lot of pest management work is done at night, the public does not see them, but they are on the job.” The combination of heat and moisture makes summertime the ideal time for insect pests to thrive. “People who like to barbeque in the backyard or enjoy the outdoors know that they can find themselves under attack by yellow jackets, wasps, and other stinging insects,” says Douglen. “Around one’s home, these problems do not yield to a quick spray with an off-the-shelf pesticide and it’s a bad idea to be spraying indiscriminately. You may get one or two, but there’s always an entire colony nearby that needs elimination and you may never find it. That, too, is the job of professionals who are trained to spot their nests and other habitats.” “Aside from the annoyance or pain of being stung,” says Douglen, “there is the very real threat of the diseases many insect pests like ticks and mosquitoes can spread. West Nile Fever and Lyme Disease are just two diseases that are still active throughout the state. Here again, pest management professionals can protect your family from being exposed to them.” When a pest problem occurs, Douglen recommends a quick call to a pest management firm. “One way to determine whether a particular firm has the right credentials to do the job is to ask if they are a member of the New Jersey Pest Management Association,” says Douglen. “You can visit our website at www.njpestcontrol.com for information on a member company in your area.” The New Jersey Pest Management Association was founded in 1941 and its members are also members of the National Pest Management Association.

The Cicadas Have Emerged in West Essex NJ Posted By: Carolyne Volpe Curley Article Credit: http://www.thealternativepress.com/ Saturday, June 1, 2013 • 12:31pm ESSEX FELLS, NJ - The emergence of the cicadas has begun in Essex Fells according to photos and video provided to West Essex TAP by Corrine Feindt-Summerville of Caldwell. Friday afternoon, as she explored the area over by The Pond, she started taking photos as she saw what definitely appears to be the expected cicadas. Although they may be alarming by their numbers, there is no cause for concern because they do not sting or bite and they aren’t known to transmit disease. If a human or animal goes near them, they will most likely fly away. "From what a friend told me they are only in the Fells so far and not here near my home in Caldwell yet," Summerville said.

The 2013 Emergence ~ Brood XIV

This particular species of insect, Magicicada periodical cicada, last appeared during 1996, which scientists referred to as the “Brood II periodical cicada emergence.” This year’s insects are primarily expected to be prevalent in the tri-state area as well as the Eastern Seaboard states from Georgia to Maryland. However, according to this online map which is updated daily, they have already made their way to Kentucky and up to Rhode Island.

Appearance

The insects are set apart from other cicadas by their appearance; they have red eyes, orange wings and black bodies. Though they are also referred to as locusts, they are not true locusts which are actually more like grasshoppers. "It was very cool and I knew right away they are cicadas, I have seen them before when I was a girl scout leader," Summerville said. Credit: Corrine Feindt-Summerville Nymphs and Imagoes The youngest cicadas are called “nymphs” and they live underground for seventeen years. In the spring of their seventeenth year, they begin to construct tunnels to be able to exit up to the ground surface. Each hole is about a 1/2 inch wide. Credit: Corrine Feindt-Summerville When they are ready to emerge, the nymphs leave their underground tunnels at sunset, locate nearby vegetation and begin to start the molting process towards adulthood. Once they have fully molted, the adult cicadas, called “imagoes,” will appear tannish-white and then their shell will harden and they will darken again. Credit: Corrine Feindt-Summerville Feindt-Summerville explained that in the West Essex area, they are just now hatching from the ground up; news reports have suggested the hatching is due to the excessive heat. “I might have to go back for more pictures of them climbing up to the surface. It’s so cool; they climb out backwards and then they get rid of their shell and their wings and it takes some time for them to open up. They open like a balloon, it’s very interesting.” The entire emergence period--from when the nymphs first come up from the ground until they grow into adults and finally die--is about six weeks long. The decaying cicada bodies around trees effectively supply nitrogen and other nutrients to the roots of the tree. Credit: Corrine Feindt-Summerville Young Tree and Shrub Damage Although they are no danger to humans, the cicadas can harm young trees or shrubs because they may feed from the plant or lay eggs in its branches. An effective way to protect small trees or shrubs is as follows:

• First use a garden hose to spray all insects off of the tree or shrub
• Nest, cover them with screening material so the insects can’t get through to them.

Credit: Corrine Feindt-Summerville Two Reasons Why Dogs Should Not Eat Cicadas Dogs seems to enjoy eating copious amounts of cicadas and the insect would be considered nutritious for them; animal protective groups, however, have issued warnings suggesting dogs should not be encouraged to do so:

• Small pets can choke on the hard wings and body parts
• Most importantly, the cicadas may have been sprayed with pesticide which is poisonous to animals

Credit: Corrine Feindt-Summerville The Chirping The chirping sounds cicadas produce are actually the mating songs males use to lure female cicadas. Power tools and lawn mowers apparently create sounds which one cicada mistakes for another cicada; this therefore attracts them to land on the tool. The best time to use these tools are early morning or after dusk when the insects are less active. The Next Seventeen Years A female may lay as many as 600 eggs. After ten weeks, the eggs hatch and those new nymphs leave the trees, burrow underground and begin the next seventeen year cycle all over again. For further information, this website called Cicada Mania has a large amount of facts, multimedia and maps. Credit: Corrine Feindt-Summerville  

The Large List of Pests New Jerseyans Will Encounter in 2013.

“Death and taxes are predictable, but Nature is predictable as well in the form of the many insect and rodent species that attack property and spread disease,” says Leonard Douglen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Pest Management Association. “The Handbook of Pest Control by Arnold Mallis is an encyclopedic collection of information about pests that exceeds 1,100 pages.” “When people think about pest control for their homes, apartments, offices and other facilities, they often begin with cockroaches,” says Douglen, “and there are a number of cockroach species common to the tri-state area. They are famed for spreading many diseases associated with food poisoning such as salmonella, but they also are known to transmit pneumonia and typhoid, are a cause for allergies, and afflict those with asthma.” Cockroaches have been around for millions of years, reproduce at amazing rates, and pose particular problems for food establishments, hospitals, hotels and similar enterprises. “In recent years bed bugs have risen to the top of the list of people’s concerns,” says Douglen, “and the pest control profession has rapidly developed a number of techniques to find and exterminate them wherever they occur.” “By far, the most costly among the insect species that afflict people are termites,” says Douglen, “costing millions every year for the damage they do to homes and other structures. Coming in a close second are carpenter ants because an entire colony numbering several thousand can move into a home overnight and begin to destroy parts of it. Both species are often at work for several years before their presence is noted.” Lessor known species of beetles cause damage as well. “Though they don’t make headlines,” says Douglen, “various species of moths damage clothes, carpets, and other textiles, as well as invade pantries. Some beetle species rival moths for the damage they do. “Spiders loom large in people’s imaginations and there are some 35,000 species of spiders worldwide, but other than being scary, they do not pose much of a threat to humans.” In New Jersey, the spread of Lyme Disease has been caused by a common parasite, ticks, but they are also known vectors of encephalitis, tularemia, and typhus. There are many tick species and pet owners are familiar with dog ticks. Often mistaken for ticks are mites. Stinging insects such as wasps and Yellow Jackets pose a well-known problem, especially when their nests are disturbed. “People should call on pest control professionals to remove their nests because a do-it-yourself approach can result in multiple painful stings.” “New Jerseyans share their suburbs with a wide variety of vertebrate pest species that include mice, rats, and voles. Squirrels can pose problems for homeowners, as do raccoons and opossum that can get into chimneys unless they have a protective device,” says Douglen. “Bats, too, have been known to invade attics and require particular care to remove as their guano can cause respiratory problems.” While acknowledging that pest control professionals do not address the problems of larger animal species, Douglen noted that, “In recent years there has been a greater awareness of the state’s growing population of coyotes that will attack pets. Bears, too, require homeowners in more rural areas to take care to install tamper-proof garbage containers. Businesses that use dumpsters need comparable protection, The population poses problems in the form of auto accidents, eating ornamental foliage, and the ecological damage they do as in the case of the South Mountain reservation where culling has been necessary to ensure new tree growth.” “Pest control professionals are on the front lines of defense against the many insect, rodent, bird and animal species that represent problems of property damage and disease,” says Douglen, “and the public should know that they are licensed and certified by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. They undergo continued training throughout each year?’ The New Jersey Pest Management Association was founded in 1941 and is affiliated with the National Pest Management Association. It provides its members with seminars on a variety of pest issues and it maintains an Internet website at www.njpma.com that provides a list of its member firms throughout the state.