Pest Management Professional, January 2014

ask the expert Dr Doug Mampe t Technical Consultant Q A variety store had an Indianmeal moth IMM problem We found the source in an attached garage and removed it but there are still a few adult moths in the store which also houses frogs lizards and larvae for feed I intend to use an insect growth regulator IGR labeled for IMM and install traps to collect the adults but Im concerned about the frogs and lizards Could the IGR harm them Ive told the storeowner the larvae being kept for feed will die T P Ind A The IGR in question affects only Indianmeal moth and larvae insects Frogs lizards and humans dont have such regulators in them so the active ingredient in the product wont harm them Youre correct to advise the owner the larvae will die whenever theyre ready to molt Q Union leaders claim theres an outbreak of scabies at the office building that houses its headquarters Leaders have notified the landlord my client via a letter requesting something be done about it Ive already notified the landlord and sent him information from the U S Centers of Disease Control Prevention that explains scabies is a medical problem not a pest control one I dont need to treat the premises correct What if the union insists Scabies in an office sounds strange Could it be something else N M Calif A You have the correct information so stick to your guns and dont treat Scabies outbreak in an office sounds odd They can be transmitted only through direct contact Perhaps this is one of those mystery bite situations Ask the landlord to obtain specimens from the union to see whats causing the problem If no specimens are presented an environmental survey should be conducted to determine whats causing the bites Good luck Q A tenant on the fifth floor of a six story apartment building has been complaining about cockroaches My technician told me there are no roaches I inspected personally and found roaches in the frame of the trash chute across from the complaining tenant When I inspected the basement I found roaches all over the compactor so my technician wasnt doing his job I blew dust up the chute from the basement and roaches came out of the chute on every floor The landlord is going to have a professional cleaning company that specializes in cleaning these chutes do the job in four days Yet Im concerned more roaches will be disturbed and scatter What can I do between now and then to minimize the problem T S Ill A I wouldnt spend much time treating the chute because the cleaning company will remove most of whatever insecticides you place there Id concentrate on treating around the chute doors to kill any roaches that leave the chute between now and the cleaning Because of the resistance problem with pyrethroids use a nonrepellent insecticide The apparent air draft in the chute indicates an insect growth regulator IGR wouldnt be a viable option because the vapors would be drawn out of the chute before they could take effect PMP You can reach Dr Mampe an industry consultant at dentomol@ aol com The IGR in question affects only insects The active ingredient in the product wont harm frogs lizards or humans Photo courtesy of and copyrighted by Gene White pmimages@ earthlink net Email your questions about insect identification and pest management technologies and techniques to Dr Mampe at detomol@ aol com Your questions most likely will be printed and answered in one of Pest Management Professionals upcoming Ask the Expert columns 62 January 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net