Pest Management Professional, May 2015

Ask the expert Q An upscale residential client had a clothes moth problem We believe we solved the problem last year He just called again to say two new sweaters have holes in them He spoke with the store that sold the sweaters and they told him theyve had several similar problems They said their wool is from the underbelly of sheep and is much more attractive to clothes moths I didnt think clothes moths could survive on new clean wool Can they Weve placed monitors out but havent captured anything JOANNe t kANsAs A Youre correct Young clothes moth larvae cant survive on clean wool However once the larvae have molted several times they can attack clean wool If your customers sweater has holes either he has an existing infestation or the sweaters had holes when he purchased them The store might have the problem Ive never heard that wool from the underbelly of sheep was more susceptible Continue to monitor and have your customer check any new wool products at the store He might be bringing in the problem with new wool You can reach Dr Mampe an industry consultant at dentomol@ aol com Obviously if the monitors collect moths all wool needs to be inspected and discarded or dry cleaned to resolve the problem Because the larvae tend to remain on the infested wool theres little need for treatment except for a space spray to knock down existing adults You also should inspect the damaged sweaters with a hand lens to see whether any silk exists If no silk exists the damage could be mechanical or caused by carpet beetles whose larvae usually leave shed skins behind Carpet beetle infestations require crack and crevice or spot treatments in the infested area because the larvae tend to wander from the food source Q An elderly family member in Florida told me a pest management professional said she had termites Little particles are appearing near a baseboard It sounds to me more like pavement ants How can I be sure Do Formosan termites produce the same type of pellets as drywoods She was told they could spot treat to solve the problem Is that true JOhN O NeW YOrk A First you need your family member to send you some of the particles in an envelope If its because of drywood termites it will contain small six sided pellets If there are no pellets the problem is because of something else Formosan termites dont produce pellets Their indicators are about the same as native subterraneans Drywood infestations can be controlled with spot treatments using borates or another termiticide registered for this use Be sure the applicator has experience performing this work pmp By Dr Doug mampe Technical Consultant This pseudoscorpion specimen was found under the bark of a sycamore tree at Shelby park in Nashville Q Im emailing you a photo of a strange looking creature What is it and what do I need to know about it FrANk I ALABAMA A Its a pseudoscorpion It looks like a scorpion but without the tail and the stinger Its harmless It feeds on small insects and lives in dark undisturbed places Almost any labeled insecticide will kill it Email your questions about insect identifcation and pest management technologies and techniques to Dr Mampe at dentomol@ aol com Your questions most likely will be printed and answered in one of Pest Management Professionals upcoming Ask the Expert columns 78 May 2015 pest management professional mypmp net Photo Ryan KaldaRi WiKimedia Commons