Pest Management Professional, November 2015

PESt tRENdS T he Japanese or Yamato cockroach Periplaneta japonica a species indigenous to Japan China and southeast Russia is an outdoor living insect that survives in cool to temperate regions In late 2012 it was found thriving in New York City one of the first documented reports of this cockroach species establishing itself in the United States This particular population was first observed by one of our technicians inspecting exterior rodent bait stations installed in a Manhattan elevated garden walking park Several adult and nymph specimens were collected and examined by Dr Austin Frishman and me but we couldnt confirm the taxonomy We sent the samples to the University of Florida for identification DNA barcoding was performed at Rutgers University where they were confirmed as Yamato cockroaches Our theory is that the population was imported in the soil of ornamental plants that were then used in the park P japonica is a cold tolerant exterior living cockroach that requires two years to complete its life cycle Field research conducted in northern Japan concluded that the Yamato cockroach will overwinter as nymphs twice before maturing into adult cockroaches During the overwintering period in Japan nymphs could be found in decaying wood and under the bark of trees Their freeze tolerant capabilities appear to be similar to that of another exterior living cockroach commonly found in the northeastern United States the Pennsylvania woods roach Yamato cockroaches are rare in the U S Parcoblatta pennsylvanica New York City shares the same geographical latitude with Japan 40 N which might help explain how this insect is able to survive the New York winters Its been two years now Whether it was an isolated case or well encounter another population of P japonica this winter remains to be seen Just keep in mind that if a cockroach specimen looks a little different this season it might be worth collecting and checking out For more information visit History com news new cockroachspecies arrives in new york SCHUMANN has been the staff entomologist and technical operations manager for Bell Environmental Services since 1982 Contact him at kschumann@ bellenv com THe cold never boTHered iT anyway By KenneTH ScHumann Contributor B ecause of the changing climate ticks are beginning to survive and reproduce at a rate that is contributing to the decline of New Englands moose population In New Hampshire the moose population declined from 7500 in the 1990s to 4500 in 2013 and its possible this phenomenon is partly responsible In one documented case a dead moose was found with more than 100000 engorged ticks on it These scraggly emaciated so called ghost moose are named for the light patches of skin showing as a result of their attempts to remove tens of thousands of ticks attached to their skin by rubbing off their fur They have become a sad common sight in New England and are bringing tick populations evercloser to humans as they forage in residential back yards My colleagues at Environmental Health Services and I hope more pest management professionals PMPs take note of the changing environment and continue to emphasize integrated pest management IPM techniques in their control strategies to keep chemical use to a minimum We also hope they join us in educating customers about the health threats ticks pose to wildlife and by extension pets and humans and why professional pest management services are vital For more information visit washingtonPost com news energyenvironment wp 2015 10 07 ghosts haunt the maine and newhampshire woods this time of year NEGRON is director of marketing and sustainability for Environmental Health Services in Norwood Mass Learn more at EHSPest com PHOTOs KenneTH scHumann isTOcK cOm PaulTessier Ghost moose ticks and pest management in a new age By marK negron Contributor 16 November 2015 Pest Management Professional mypmp net