Clothes Moths

The larvae of clothes moths (mainly Tineola bisselliella and Tinea pellionella) feed on fabrics and carpets, particularly those that are stored or soiled. The adult females lay batches of eggs on natural fibres, including wool, silk, and fur, as well as cotton and linen in blends. The developing larvae spin protective webbing and chew into the fabric, creating holes and specks of excrement. Damage is often concentrated in concealed locations, under collars and near seams of clothing, in folds and crevices in upholstery and round the edges of carpets as well as under furniture. Methods of control include using airtight containers for storage, periodic laundering of garments, trapping, freezing, heating and the use of chemicals; mothballs contain volatile insect repellents such as 1,4-Dichlorobenzene which deter adults, but to kill the larvae, permethrin, pyrethroids or other insecticides may need to be used.

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Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator

742 Santa Anita Court

Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 

503-371-8373 Salem

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Pantry Pests

Insect pests including the Mediterranean flour moth, the Indian mealmoth, the cigarette beetle, the drugstore beetle, the confused flour beetle, the red flour beetle, the merchant grain beetle, the sawtoothed grain beetle, the wheat weevil, the maize weevil and the rice weevil infest stored dry foods such as flour, cereals and pasta.

In the home, foodstuffs found to be infested are usually discarded, and storing such products in sealed containers should prevent the problem from reoccurring. The eggs of these insects are likely to go unnoticed, with the larvae being the destructive life stage, and the adult the most noticeable stage. Since pesticides are not safe to use near food, alternative treatments such as freezing for four days at 0 °F (−18 °C) or baking for half an hour at 130 °F (54 °C) should kill any insects present.

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Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator

742 Santa Anita Court

Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 

503-371-8373 Salem

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Meeting a Wormlion Is the Pits | Deep Look

Straight out of science fiction, the fearsome wormlion ambushes prey at the bottom of a tidy - and terrifying - sand pit, then flicks their carcasses out. These meals fuel its transformation into something unexpected.

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator

742 Santa Anita Court

Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 

503-371-8373 Salem

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Urban & Natural Rodent Control

Urban rodent control

Rodent control is vital in cities. New York City and cities across the state dramatically reduced their rodent populations in the early 1970s.  Rio de Janeiro claims a reduction of 80% over only 2 years shortly thereafter.  To better target efforts, London began scientifically surveying populations in 1972 and this was so useful that all Local Authorities in England and Wales soon followed.

Natural rodent control

Several wildlife rehabilitation organizations encourage natural form of rodent control through exclusion and predator support and preventing secondary poisoning altogether. The United States Environmental Protection Agency notes in its Proposed Risk Mitigation Decision for Nine Rodenticides that "without habitat modification to make areas less attractive to commensal rodents, even eradication will not prevent new populations from recolonizing the habitat." The United States Environmental Protection Agency has prescribed guidelines for natural rodent control and for safe trapping in residential areas with subsequent release to the wild. People sometimes attempt to limit rodent damage using repellents. Balsam fir oil from the tree Abies balsamea is an EPA approved non-toxic rodent repellent. Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha root emits chemical compounds that repel animals including rats.

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Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator

742 Santa Anita Court

Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 

503-371-8373 Salem

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Sterilization

Populations of pest insects can sometimes be dramatically reduced by the release of sterile individuals. This involves the mass rearing of a pest, sterilizing it by means of X-rays or some other means, and releasing it into a wild population. It is particularly useful where a female only mates once and where the insect does not disperse widely. This technique has been successfully used against the New World screw-worm fly, some species of tsetse fly, tropical fruit flies, the pink bollworm and the codling moth, among others.

Laboratory studies conducted with U-5897 (3-chloro-1,2-propanediol) were attempted in the early 1970s for rat control, although these proved unsuccessful. In 2013, New York City tested sterilization traps, demonstrating a 43% reduction in rat populations. The product ContraPest was approved for the sterilization of rodents by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in August 2016.

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Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator

742 Santa Anita Court

Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 

503-371-8373 Salem

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Meet the Bug You Didn't Know You Were Eating | Deep Look

The cochineal, a tiny insect deeply rooted in the history of Oaxaca, Mexico, is known for the vibrant crimson color it produces. This color comes from carminic acid in its hemolymph, a fluid equivalent to blood in other organisms. 

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator

742 Santa Anita Court

Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 

503-371-8373 Salem

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Insulation

Boron, a known pesticide can be impregnated into the paper fibers of cellulose insulation at certain levels to achieve a mechanical kill factor for self-grooming insects such as ants, cockroaches, termites, and more. The addition of insulation into the attic and walls of a structure can provide control of common pests in addition to known insulation benefits such a robust thermal envelope and acoustic noise-canceling properties. The EPA regulates this type of general-use pesticide within the United States allowing it to only be sold and installed by licensed pest management professionals as part of an integrated pest management program. Simply adding Boron or an EPA-registered pesticide to an insulation does not qualify it as a pesticide. The dosage and method must be carefully controlled and monitored.

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Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator

742 Santa Anita Court

Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 

503-371-8373 Salem

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