IPM for Bed Bugs

Here is a great video for treating bed bugs using IPM.

http://entsoc.org/buzz/integrated-pest-management-bed-bug-control

Proper water use

"There are a number of ways to save water in your landscape, and
there are some very good reasons to do so. Over half of household
water—in some cases as much as three-quarters—goes into our
landscapes. That means watering your yard efficiently is one of the
best and easiest ways to save water. Proper watering will also keep
your landscape plants healthy and beautiful through the year.
With a little help from this booklet you can figure out most of
your landscape watering needs on a weekend morning".

Preaching about water use.  I guess it is the move to the desert that has prompted me to really think about how much water is wasted every day and where our water comes from.  When using IPM in the landscape, proper watering is crucial to achieve positive results (limiting weeds, disease, rot...).  Please follow the link below for a pdf copy of how to determine how much water you need in your landscape. 

http://wateruseitwisely.com/region/arizona/100-ways-to-conserve/outdoor-tips/water-guides/Landscape-Watering-Guide.pdf

How to mail samples for identification

Did you know that if you come across a creepy crawler in your house or garden that you don't know what is, you can send it or take it to an extension office and get it identified?  Well, might get it identified.  The reason I say might, is because a lot of samples that these offices receive have taken a beating in the mail.  This doesn't just apply to arthropods, you can send plant pieces to them as well but they also need to arrive intact. These offices have a wealth of experience and knowledge.  If by chance they can't identify the specimen, they will most likely know who can.

However, even with all the knowledge these places have, the samples need to arrive in a way that will allow it to be identified. Please go to (http://www.youtube.com/BugBry00) for a short video on how to properly pack samples to send or take to an expert.  The video also shows what can happen to a sample if not properly packaged.

How important is water use?

VERY!!!

http://epa.gov/watersense/water_efficiency/when_its_hot.html#area

Beautiful, scary Black Widow (genus Latrodectus) are common in most areas in Arizona and raise alarm to those who encounter them. 

Medical information (UC IPM Online)

The black widow bite itself is painless or may feel like a little pinprick. Almost all medically important black widow bites are from the adult female, which is much larger than the male; the female also has stronger biting muscles and a larger venom reserve. At the site of the bite, you might see a little red mark or red streaking away from the bite. Within an hour, symptoms start to appear.

Bite victims might suffer from some but not all of the following symptoms: rigid stomach muscles, which some medical professionals have misdiagnosed as appendicitis; sweating, sometimes of just the bitten body part, such as a bite to the hand that results in only the arm sweating profusely; pain that can be local, radiating, or regional; urine retention; and—less commonly—numbness, agitation, fever, and patchy paralysis. Another symptom is bite victims will move or rock back and forth incessantly to try to lessen the pain from the venom injection process. However, these symptoms are the most severe manifestation; many black widow bite symptoms merely resemble the flu. Black widow bites don’t cause conspicuous swelling, necrosis, or deterioration of tissue around the bite.
As a neurotoxin, the venom of a black widow affects the nerve-muscle junction in the body. Normally the body’s neurons work like a light switch; they make the muscle, or “light,” turn on and then off again, so that the muscle can relax and be ready to contract again if needed. The venom causes the muscle to repeatedly contract. It would be like flipping on a light switch and not being able to turn it off again.

If bitten, seek medical attention immediately. You can place a cold pack on the bite to relieve the pain. An antivenom for black widow bites is available that works for all species that have been tested, worldwide. Response is fast, and bite victims can go from intense pain back to normal in 30 minutes. The antivenom is based on horse serum, so physicians need to monitor for anaphylactic shock. American physicians are somewhat reluctant to use antivenom for this reason and might prefer to have the bite victim simply endure the symptoms, which can be similar to a bad flu episode and that usually dissipate in a few days.

It is good to know what can happen when bitten, however, widow spiders tend to be very shy, are nocturnal and would prefer to run instead of stand and fight.  They will most likely be encountered outside the home in clutter, dark areas where they can hide during the day.  Ideal places are in children's toys, under lawn mowers, in sprinkler boxes, wood piles, and I tend to find them under the siding of my house.

The best method of control is to clean up the clutter in the yard and garage.  Make sure your doors and windows are sealed, this is good not only to exclude spiders but other potential pest invaders. Non-chemical control is best done at night since widows are nocturnal, go out with a flashlight and a good shoe. Chemical control for spiders is difficult because usually within a couple hours the spider is able to walk over the spray without harm.  Usually one must spray the spider or its web directly for effective control.

So the moral of the story is, be aware of spiders and their hiding spots.  Chemical control can work but is difficult and not very affective, the best method of control is manual extermination.  Keep yards and garages clutter free and make sure your doors and windows are sealed.  And remember, the world is beautiful, Black Widows are beautiful, we just need to be aware of our environment and enjoy every minute of it.

Thanks to UC IPM Online and for more information please see their site:  http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74149.html.