Pest Management Professional, January 2015

Ask the expert There are a couple options when it comes to keeping chipmunks out of your mouse control program Q Another pest management company in my area is touting DNA samples to determine whether bed bugs are present in a building Can they do this using DNA samples How long does DNA last on a surface How accurate is such a test JOhN B ALABAMA A DNA samples can determine whether bed bugs have been present on the sample swabbed However DNA is very stable If the sample is positive it doesnt indicate whether theres an active infestation It only tells you bed bugs were present at some time Bed bugs might have been present two years earlier It seems like a marketing gimmick to me If the company sells a treatment for every positive sample it will sell a lot of bed bug jobs You can reach Dr Mampe an industry consultant at dentomol@ aol com Q I service a school that has a kitchen in the basement and another kitchen directly above it Every year beginning around April Oriental cockroaches Blatta orientalis come out from the floor drains in both kitchens The activity stops around early October This fall they opened the septic tank to clean it and the cockroaches crawled out by the hundreds Is the septic system the source Could I put screens over the floor drains to prevent the cockroaches from entering Can I treat the septic system If so how and with what Why dont I see the cockroaches during the winter months FreD e peNNsYLVANIA A The septic system is probably the source of the problem You dont see cockroaches during the winter because it becomes too cold in the septic system and activity ceases Placing screens in the floor drains would likely stop the cockroaches but because food particles could clog the screens quickly thats not a viable plan The septic system is probably open so bait inside as heavily as you can This might mean gel baits on the underside of the cover but you might find other spots to bait Put an insect growth regulator IGR into the system to slow down breeding IGRs can be volatile so treat any surface you can and the IGR will migrate to other areas of the system Begin treatments as soon as possible and follow up every three months You might need to bait more frequently if thats practical The IGR will give you as long as three months of protection pmp Photo istock com bukharova By Dr Doug mampe Technical Consultant Email your questions about insect identifcation 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 Q Im baiting for mice on the exterior of a residence at the request of the homeowner Recently chipmunks have been feeding on the blocks in the stations and dragging them out when the blocks fall off the wire rods Were concerned about the bait exposure Is there any way to keep the chipmunks out and still bait for mice FrANk I VerMONt A If you keep the chipmunks out youll also keep out the mice Consider water baits in the stations Mice will drink water if its readily available Another option is to replace the blocks with pellets The chipmunks will take the pellets out of the stations but will seldom leave any exposed Expect to lose a lot of bait however 56 January 2015 pest management professional www mypmp net