Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

January 6, 2014

Image Caption: This photo shows Argentine ants. Credit: D-H Choe Lab, UC Riverside

University of California Riverside

UC Riverside entomologists devise a technique that involves mixing a synthetic pheromone in insecticide sprays

After being inadvertently introduced in the United States from South America, Argentine ants have successfully invaded urban, agricultural, and natural settings nationwide. In urban California, the Argentine ant is among the primary pest ants. For example, this particular species of ants makes up 85 percent of ants sampled by commercial pest control companies in just the Greater San Diego Area.

Entomologists at the University of California, Riverside have now developed a pheromone-assisted technique as an economically viable approach to maximize the efficacy of conventional sprays targeting the invasive Argentine ant.

They supplemented insecticide sprays with (Z)-9-hexadecenal, a pheromone compound attractive to ants, and were able to divert Argentine ants from their trails and nest entrances. Lured by the pheromone, the ants were eventually exposed to the insecticide residue, and killed.

Study results appeared Dec. 23, 2013, in the online fast track edition of the Journal of Economic Entomology.

Our experiments with fipronil and bifenthrin sprays indicate that the overall kill of these insecticides on Argentine ant colonies is substantially improved by 57 to 142 percent by incorporating (Z)-9-hexadecenal in the sprays, said Dong-Hwan Choe, an assistant professor of entomology and the research project leader, whose lab focuses on urban entomology, insect behavior and chemical ecology.

According to Choes research team, the current attract-and-kill approach, once it is successfully implemented in practical pest management programs, could potentially provide maximum control efficacy with reduced amount of insecticides applied in the environment.

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Attract-and-kill Approach Developed To Tackle Argentine ants

Pest control ep1 part1
Pest control ep1 part1.

By: hardkill4441

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Pest control ep1 part1 - Video

Council to charge for pest control and stray dog services

7:31pm Monday 6th January 2014 in News

RAT catching and the returning of stray dogs by Stroud District Council (SDC) will now come with a price tag as it looks to plug a gap in its budget.

Getting rid of rats in homes has until now been a free service for the district's residents but they now face paying 45, or 30 for those on income-related benefits.

It will also cost dog owners 25 to have their pet returned if it is lost but micro-chipped, with the concessionary rate now removed, if the proposal is passed this evening (Thursday, January 9) at the Strategy and Resources Committee meeting.

The move was passed by the Environment Comittee at Ebley Mill on December 5 and is expected to be approved tonight, along with a host of other money-saving measures to meet a gap in the medium term financial plan.

SDC expects to earn 32,000 from the extra charges but will keep fees for other pests, including mice, wasps, fleas and other insects, the same.

Rat catching accounted for 1,134 visits by pest control officers last year, or 72 per cent of their total workload.

In his report to the Environment Committee, head of Environmental Health Jon Beckett said that because of the current economic climate, the move may cause concern for some users.

However this needs to be balanced against the fact that the council is facing increased financial pressures and all opportunities to generate income need to be considered, he said.

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Council to charge for pest control and stray dog services

By Jonny Irving

Last updated at 11:49, Tuesday, 07 January 2014

The home of a councillor was callously targeted by vandals who used an unknown chemical to cause thousands of pounds worth of damage.

William and Jacquelyne Geddes in their garden

The garden, in Harker, of Jacquelyne Geddes, the city councillor for Stanwix Urban, was broken into overnight between New Years Eve and New Years Day and vandalised while she and husband William were out.

The vandals covered garden furniture and her patios with a substance thought to be something like creosote, which is similar to tar.

It was a noxious substance which had been used. It smelled something like engine oil and was very greasy. It was poured over all the patios and over some garden furniture, she said.

This is an area with a very low risk for crime, so I think we were targeted. It is not a nice thing to happen especially when your husband is a 69-year-old vulnerable pensioner.

She added that the patios were permanently stained and without identifying the substance it could not be cleaned properly, meaning that they might need to be replaced completely.

Mrs Geddes has recently had her patio replaced costing over 1,000 and her garden furniture was also damaged in the attack. She believes that the cost of the vandalism could be more than 5,000.

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Home of Carlisle councillor targeted by vandals

Q. What is the best way to clean my pool enclosure screens?

A. Use a mild soap and water mixture, such as dish soap. Using a soft bristle brush, scrub from side to side, up and down, front and back, and then rinse the screen soap free with a garden hose. After rinsing, snap-dry the screens to shake off most of the water then allow them to air dry. Depending on how dirty your screens are, you may have to repeat this process.

Q. I have some mold on the aluminum pool screen fixtures and casings. I've heard I can clean it safely with bleach water, is that correct?

A. This is a bit more than a "yes or no" question. Have you ever cleaned an aluminum pot with bleach -- depending upon the amount of pure bleach you could compromise the integrity of the aluminum or discolor the pot. The same principle can apply here. You need to be careful how much bleach you mix with the water. It doesn't take much to kill mold but some home owners believe "more is better" and when it comes to using chemicals and cleaning agents that is not necessarily a correct principle. It would be better to use a very light mixture of bleach and water to kill the mold and then follow up with the basic cleaning above. Another consideration is the color of the aluminum -- if your pool enclosure aluminum is white then the mold shows up quicker as opposed to a dark or bronzed aluminum service. Cleaning as outlined in the above question on a regular basis usually impedes the formation of mold...BUT if you are in an area where it just keeps growing quickly then consider the use of a very light bleach mixture occasionally. If the problem is too persistent then first call your pool enclosure company for more direct referrals or a referral to a specialized cleaning service - but this is rarely needed even in areas such as central florida.

Q. How can I scare off ducks when they want to sleep and crap on my screen pool cage when I sleep at night?

A. Here are some suggestions about this from other pool enclosure owners:

A. This is another complicated question. The most important factors are finding out what the pool cage or pool screen enclosure being built for your pool area is rated for with regards to storms, wind and weather. Some companies provide poor, or weaker, structures than other companies. The type of materials, thickness and strength of the aluminum, and the structure of the design are all factors that go into this consideration. The first thing you should do is ask your pool cage company what their ratings are and if they offer any additional strengthening or upgrading to their standard structures. If not, you may want to consider another company. Summer Time Screen Enclosures, Inc. builds very strong cages and enclosures as their standard and can discuss with you any additional considerations you might want.

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Maintenance of pool screen enclosures, pool cages and patio ...

We feel truly lucky and grateful to be receiving a custom trailer stocked with industry tools for our business from BehrPro, said Kinder, a residential pro painter. With our very own professional trailer, my business is in a better position to grow and organize how it approaches residential jobs of all sizes.

The 2013 BehrPro Experience sweepstakes started in May and coincided with the third-annual BehrPro Experience Tour, which traveled around the country to showcase the companys latest products and services developed to support contractors, painters, property managers and remodelers with residential and commercial projects.

Weve felt the economy take a toll on our industry, and winning this sweepstakes could not have come at a better time for me professionally and personally, said McCaffery, a construction pro who also operates a small painting business. The trailer and tools will be helpful for the day-to-day activities at my full-time position and also reduce overhead costs for the paint work I do on the side, allowing me to retain more of the profits. Winning this prize from BehrPro means I can be more independent and not have to rent or borrow a trailer for future jobs something I greatly look forward to!

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BehrPro Sweepstakes Winners Awarded Stocked Trailers

The city of Barbourville and some of its boards bought products without obtaining bids; paid far more for land than the assessed value; and hired contractors for work that city employees could have done far cheaper, according to an audit released Tuesday.

The audit also found that Mayor David Thompson influenced the hiring of his wife at the city-run water park, and that the water park did not file state sales tax returns on concessions while she was in charge.

State Auditor Adam Edelen's office started the special examination of the city and its boards last summer at the request of five of the city's six city council members.

Council members had expressed concern about activities that could indicate mismanagement, according to the audit.

The audit, released Tuesday, covered July 2007 through August 2013 and identified a number of problems, including lax controls and oversight that led to financial mismanagement and abuses.

Edelen's office referred some findings to Attorney General Jack Conway's office and the state Department of Revenue, and recommended that others be referred to a regional ethics board.

"Small Kentucky communities, which are the lifeblood of our Commonwealth, need to be responsible stewards of extremely limited yet important resources," Edelen said in a statement.

Thompson, who has been in office since January 2007, did not return a call seeking comment.

However, he said in a letter to the auditor's office that he accepted all 28 findings and would implement the document's recommendations to fix problems.

For instance, Thompson said sales tax returns had been filed, and that he would give up his voting slot on the local tourism and recreation boards.

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State audit finds financial mismanagement in Barbourville

Will Satan be celebrated on the lawn of the Oklahoma State Capitol?

A devilish group based in New York believes it should be perfectly OK.

The group, which calls itself "The Satanic Temple," today unveiled its proposal for a monument it intends to erect next to another religious statue: a depiction of the Ten Commandments.

According to The Satanic Temple's application, the proposed monument features a large pentagram and a 7-foot tall goat-headed Baphomet that sits cross-legged flanked by a child on both sides. The lap will serve as a seat for visitors.

It would also include quotes from poets William Blake and Lord Byron.

The monument, said the groups spokesman, was designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and could doubly serve as a tourist attraction.

The statue will serve as a beacon calling for compassion and empathy among all living creatures, said spokesman Lucian Greaves. The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.

Oklahoma state legislators in 2009 approved the installation of a privately-funded Ten Commandments monument. It was installed last year over the protests of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The Satanic Temple wasnt the only group to apply for a monument; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and a Hindu group have also requested a place near the Capitol steps.

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Satanists unveil proposed statue for OK state capitol

District Judge G. Todd Baugh will retire at the end of the year and not seek re-election.

A district court judge since 1985, Baugh announced his retirement to KTVQ on Monday.

Baugh came under intense fire and garnered national scorn in August when he said a 14-year-old rape victim appeared older than her chronological age and he sentenced her teacher-rapist Stacey Dean Rambold to just a month in prison.

He did not return calls to his office on Monday.

When a Gazette reporter went to the judges office on Monday afternoon, Baugh, sitting behind his desk, simply refused to speak. His secretary said, He has no comment.

Its been a tumultuous six months for Baugh. The statements he made during Rambolds sentencing were picked up by numerous national and international news organizations and sparked outrage among many people, including members of the Montana chapter of the National Organization for Women.

A petition seeking Baughs resignation was circulated, and an Aug. 29 protest drew hundreds of people to the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn. Crews from Good Morning America, CNN and Fox News were there.

Two days after the sentencing, Baugh issued an apology for his comments, calling them just stupid and wrong.

Rambold was a teacher at Senior High when he was charged in October 2008 with three counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent for incidents involving one of his students, a then-14-year-old Cherice Moralez.

In February 2010, Moralez committed suicide, complicating prosecution, and so Rambold entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Yellowstone County Attorneys Office. Under the agreement, the state would dismiss the charges against Rambold if he completed a sex offender treatment program and complied with other conditions.

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Embattled judge won't seek re-election at end of term

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's inspector general will investigate a federal agency whose mission is to exterminate birds, coyotes, mountain lions and other animals that threaten the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers.

The investigation of U.S. Wildlife Services is to determine, among other things, "whether wildlife damage management activities were justified and effective." Biologists have questioned the agency's effectiveness, arguing that indiscriminately killing more than 3 million birds and other wild animals every year is often counterproductive.

Reps. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) and John Campbell (R-Irvine) requested the review, calling for a complete audit of the culture within Wildlife Services. The agency has been accused of abuses, including animal cruelty and occasional accidental killing of endangered species, family pets and other animals that weren't targeted.

DeFazio says the time has come to revisit the agency's mission and determine whether it makes economic and biological sense for taxpayers to underwrite a service, however necessary, that he argues should be paid for by private businesses.

"Why should taxpayers, particularly in tough times, pay to subsidize private interests?" said DeFazio, ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Natural Resources. "I have come to the conclusion that this is an agency whose time has passed."

Wildlife Services was created in 1931 as part of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. It has wide-ranging responsibilities, including rabies testing and bird control at airport runways. But the bulk of its work is exterminating nuisance wildlife by methods that include poisoning, gassing, trapping and aerial gunning.

The agency acts as a pest management service not only for agribusiness and ranches, but also for other federal agencies, counties and homeowners who might have such problems as raccoons in an attic. Other services include protecting endangered species and maintaining game herds for hunters.

The services are free or substantially subsidized, which many private predator- and pest-control companies say unfairly undercuts their business. States and counties complain that they are responsible for an increasing share of the costs.

DeFazio and Campbell are also calling for congressional oversight hearings. DeFazio says he has spent years asking for but not receiving information from Wildlife Services, which he calls "the least accountable federal agency" he has ever seen.

He said he had to learn from the Los Angeles Times about an internal audit the agency conducted last year. The audit found the agency's accounting practices were "unreconcilable," lacked transparency and violated state and federal laws. Further, the audit revealed that $12 million in a special account could not be found.

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Congressmen question costs, mission of Wildlife Services agency