Protecting Yourself From Bed Bugs When Traveling

Traveling this holiday season? Worried about the possibility of bringing bed bugs back home with you? Fear not! There's no need to be paranoid about bed bugs. However, it is a good idea to be informed and aware. Know what to look for and how to avoid bringing those unwanted hitchhikers home. Before I get into ways to protect yourself from bed bugs, I think it's important that you know a few facts about them:

• Bed bugs DO NOT fly, jump, or burrow into the skin. Bed bugs CRAWL. 
• Bed bugs are great hitchhikers. They easily crawl onto or into luggage, backpacks, clothing, secondhand furniture, etc. 
• Bed bugs don't discriminate. They don't care what color you are, where you live, or how much money you have. If you have blood, they will feed on you. 
• Bed bugs feed primarily at night. They tend to hide in cracks & crevices while they are not feeding. If you are seeing bed bugs during the day, it usually means there is a big infestation. Or you may be seeing a bat bug. If you're not sure, try to collect a sample for identification by a professional. 

Now, let's talk about some ways you can protect yourself from bringing bed bugs home. First, always take a little time to look around the area where you'll be sleeping. Whether it's a hotel room, a condo, a rental home, or even your friend or family's home, take a few moments to do a quick inspection. What do you look for when you're performing an inspection? All kinds of icky stuff, like:

Photo: www.bedbug.me

• Live and dead bed bugs. Adult bed bugs are about 3/16" (about the size of an apple seed), and reddish-brown in color. If they have not eaten recently, bed bugs are flat and broadly oval in shape. Once they have eaten, bed bugs swell and become longer (see photo at right). Bed bugs do not have wings and cannot fly. 
• Shed bed bug skins. In order to grow, an immature bed bug as to shed its old skin. The cast skin will be in the shape of a bed bug but it will be empty and transparent.
• Fecal stains (a.k.a. bed bug poop), which may be seen in and around areas bed bugs are hiding (see photo below).
• A less frequent sign would be reddish colored blood spots on mattresses and bed linens that result after an engorged bed bug is crushed. 

Mattress with bed bugs and fecal stains.

When performing your inspection, start by looking at the mattress, as this is where bed bugs most commonly hide. Remove the sheet and mattress cover, looking carefully along the seams, tufts, and edges of the mattress. Pull the mattress back so you can also take a look at the box springs.

Strip the bed completely to look for bed bugs or signs of bed bugs.
Look carefully at the seams and tufts of the mattress and box springs.
(Photo: http://membracid.wordpress.com)

Next, look carefully around the area where the bed is attached to the wall and around the headboard. The headboard is usually attached to the wall in hotels. If you can, use a flashlight to get a better look at the crack between the headboard and the wall.

Closely examine the area where the bed is attached
to the wall and the area around the headboard.
(Photo: http://membracid.wordpress.com)

Don't forget to check the closet area. Look carefully at areas where racks attach to the wall. 

Look inside the closet where the rack is attached to the wall.
(Photo: http://membracid.wordpress.com)

Don't put your suitcase or other items on the bed or upholstered furniture. Keep your suitcase on a luggage rack instead. But always check the luggage rack for bed bugs before placing your suitcase on it. 

Keep suitcases, backpack, computer bags, etc. off
of beds, sofas, and chairs. Use a luggage rack instead.

Another level of protection might be a luggage liner. These liners are available for purchase online. When they are zipped up, they prevent bed bugs from getting onto your clothing or other items in your suitcase. They do not, however, prevent bed bugs from getting on the exterior of your suitcase.

Use luggage liners to help keep bed bugs out of your suitcase.
Put things that you buy on the trip in sealable plastic bags.

In addition to the suitcase liners, dissolvable luggage bags are available online. Store items you've worn in these bags so they can easily be thrown into the wash once you return. Alternatively, you can keep the clothing you've worn in sealable plastic bags and keep them there until you have a chance to wash them. Just remember to remove your clothing from the bags before washing them if you're not using the dissolvable bags. Another great tool in your defense against the bed bug is the dryer. Placing clothing in the dryer on the highest setting for 30 minutes will kill all stages of bed bugs. Just be careful not to overload the dryer. Otherwise, the heat may not be distributed among the clothing at hot enough temperatures and you may be left with some survivors. And always take time to carefully examine your suitcase before bringing it inside. The garage is a great place to do this. 

Those of you with kids that will be coming home from college may want to take some time to check their suitcases, backpacks, laptop bags, etc. before dumping everything inside. Bed bugs have been found in college dormitories throughout North Carolina. This doesn't mean your child's dorm is infested with bed bugs, but it certainly doesn't hurt to look over items before bringing them inside. 

If you are a pest management professional and have accounts at schools and/or colleges, be aware that students may inadvertently bring bed bugs back to school from their holiday travels. Talk with school/college administrators and just make them aware of this possibility and have a plan of action should you need it. 

As I stated earlier in this post, there is no need to spend your holiday season being paranoid about getting bed bugs. You are now armed with some ways to protect yourself against bed bugs when traveling. So, go eat, drink, and be merry - and have wonderful bed bug free holiday season!

Insect of the Week - Syrphid Flies

Before moving on to this week's insect, let's first reveal last week's mystery insect. All the images of the insects shown in last week's post were flies. That's right, flies!

The fly shown below is a deer ked (Lipoptena depressa), which is a type of Hippobiscid fly. These flies are external parasites that feed on the blood of birds and mammals. Highly specialized claws help them cling to the hair or feathers of their particular host species. Deer keds have wings when they emerge from their puparium, but lose their wings once they find a host.

Photo: Alex Wild (www.alexanderwild.com)

Most of us have seen a house fly (Musca domestica) more times than we'd like, but I bet you haven't seen one emerging from it's puparium. That's what's happening in the photo below. Pretty cool, huh?

Photo: Alex Wild (www.alexanderwild.com)

Many species of flies use their wings for communication. The Ulidiid fly pictured below sports both pigmented spots - visible in the wing silhouetted by the flower petal - and rainbow reflections, visible in the wing against the dark background. Ulidiid flies are sometimes referred to as picture-winged flies because many of them have patterns of bands or spots on the wings. Flies have only two wings as an adult; the hindwing has been reduced to small knobs, called halteres. In the photo below, you can clearly see the haltere, which is the small knob-like structure seen behind the forewing.

Ulidiid fly (Photo: Alex Wild, www.alexanderwild.com)

Adult hover fly visiting a flower
(Photo: Alex Wild, www. alexanderwild.com)

Now on to this week's insect - the syrphid fly. The other two images seen on last week's post were both photos of syrphid flies. These flies are also commonly referred to as hover flies or flower flies. As the common name suggests, adult hover flies can often be seen hovering or "nectaring" at flowers.

Syrphid flies are a large group of medium to large flies, ranging from 1/4 to 3/4 inch long. Most adult syrphid flies are black or brown with yellow banded abdomens and body markings (see photo at left). Many have dense hair covering the body surface. At first glance, these flies often resemble bees and wasps. However, syrphid flies have only two wings, while bees and wasps have four wings. Also, flies have very short antennae that may be difficult to see; the antennae of bees and wasps is longer and more conspicuous.

A predatory syrphid fly larva feeding on an aphid
(Photo: Alex Wild, www.alexanderwild.com)

Syrphid flies are beneficial insects, especially in the garden. Adults feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers, and pollinate plants. The larvae of some species are predaceous, feeding on aphids and other soft-bodied insects (see photo at right).

Cooler Weather Will Drive Rodents Indoors

The National Pest Management Association estimates that rodents invade nearly 21 million homes in the United States each winter. This winter will probably be no exception. Cooler temperatures are in our not-so-distant future. You don't have to share your home with rodents this winter! Following are some simple steps you can take to help prevent these pests from setting up shop in your space.

• Store susceptible food items in airtight glass or plastic containers.
• Items such as bird seed, grass seed, etc. should also be stored in airtight plastic containers as well.
• Dispose of garbage regularly.
• Store garbage properly - in trash cans with lids that fit properly and close tightly.
• Reduce clutter, both indoors and outdoors, to remove potential harborage areas.
• Store items such as clothing, blankets, etc. in plastic sealable containers rather than in cardboard boxes.
• Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the foundation of the home and 5 feet off the ground, if possible.
• Remove piles of rubbish, trash, boxes or other debris.
• If possible, keep dense ground cover or other vegetation at least 12" away from the foundation.
• Seal holes and other openings 1/4" in diameter or larger around the exterior of your home, including areas where utility pipes enter the home. Depending on the size of the opening, caulk, copper mesh, screen, or metal sheets can be used to seal openings.
• Install or replace missing weather stripping around exterior doors.
• Make sure attic and crawlspace vents are screened and that screens are in good repair.

Insect of the Week - What Am I?

This week's insect is a mystery! Take a look at the amazing images below by Alex Wild (http://www.alexanderwild.com) and see if you can figure out what the mystery insect is (all photos shown are the same type of insect). We'll have the answer in next week's "Insect of the Week" posting. Following the photos are a few hints!

The tube-like insect on the right is the insect in question!

Helpful Hints:

• These insects have complete metamorphosis.
• They taste, smell, and feel with the hairs that cover their bodies.
• These insects vomit on food before eating it, so as to soften the meal up.
• This insect may have sponging, lapping, or piercing mouthparts, depending on the species.
• They walk on smooth surfaces using sticky soft pads that act like glue.
• And here's the giveaway: This insect has only two wings as an adult; the hindwing has been reduced to small knobs, called halteres (see last image above).

NCSU Researchers Help Solve Terrible Hairy Fly Mystery

Terrible hairy fly,Mormotomyia hirsuta (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

This summer, researchers Brian Wiegmann and Warren Booth at NCSU helped solve the mystery of the terrible hairy fly. Read article for News & Observer below for all the details:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/31/1608280/test-results-its-the-terrible.html#storylink=misearch

Ants: Facts and Fiction, by Eleanor Spicer Rice, NCSU Entomology Dept.

Think you’re an ant expert? Quiz yourself with these quirky questions about some of our favorite insect friends. The answers may surprise you!

1. (True/False) Most ants are pests.
2. (True/False) All ants have nests.
3. (True/False) There is an Argentine ant colony right now with billions of workers that spans nearly 4,000 miles.
4. (True/False) Ant workers are both male and female.
5. (True/False) Smaller ants never grow up to be bigger ants in the colony.
6. Which of the following is an effective home remedy for killing fire ants? (A) dumping grits on the nest; or (B) dumping a pot of boiling water on the nest 

Time to check your super ant knowledge!

Question 1: Most ants are pests. 
This is false! In fact, most ants are NOT pests! Of the more than 30,000 ant species in existence worldwide, fewer than 100 of them are pest species. And in North Carolina alone, fewer than a dozen of the over 250 known species are pest species.

What do all of the other ant species do? Ants are a valuable part of our ecosystem. Because they fill so many jobs, from predators and scavengers to plant protectors, they play a central role in maintaining the ecological balance and biodiversity present in our natural world.

Aphaenogaster carolinensis (Photo: Alex Wild, alexanderwild.com).

Some ants, like a group in North Carolina called Aphaenogaster, are responsible for planting seeds in the forest floor. Many seeds have evolved a tasty outer layer that ants love to snack on. After they remove this delicious shell, the ants plant the seeds in the ground. Without Aphaenogaster and ants like them, we would be missing a lot of our forest herbs.

Ants also protect plants from harmful insects and even aerate the soil as they dig out their nests. It has been estimated that ants turn more soil than earthworms!

Question 2: All ants have nests. 
This is also false! African driver ants and army ants do not have nests. These restless wanderers travel around without stopping, eating everything in sight. When the driver ants come through villages in Africa, residents pack up all their things and move out, allowing the ants to clean up after them. Check out the video below to see army ants in action!

Question 3: There is an Argentine ant colony right now with billions of workers that spans nearly 4,000 miles. 
It’s true! Argentine ants are little brown ants that look a lot like odorous house ants, also known as sugar ants, which are pretty common around here. Unlike odorous house ants, Argentine ants don’t fight each other, which allows them to form tremendous colonies called supercolonies like the one that spans nearly 4,000 miles of the Mediterranean coastline. We have a couple of supercolonies in North Carolina, too! Although they don’t sting, these miniature marauders are ruthless and can wipe out native ant populations when they move in. As we learned from question 1, we need our native ants!

Question 4: Ant workers are both male and female. 
False! All ant workers are females. Ant colonies have a female queen and female workers. Colonies only produce males once or twice a year. However, males don’t do any work. Their only purpose is to eat and mate (sound familiar, anyone?). After mating season is over, the female workers take girl power to a whole new level by either kicking the males out into the cold or eating them.

Fire ants range in size from 2-6mm. Nests typically contain workers in a range of sizes
(Photo: Texas A&M Univ.)

Question 5: Smaller ants never grow up to be bigger ants in the colony. 
It’s true! Although some colonies have workers of many different sizes, the littlest ones are fully grown. That’s because ants have something called complete metamorphosis. That means they’re like butterflies, flies, and beetles in how they develop from egg to adult. Just how a beetle baby is a grub, an ant baby is a grub-like larva. Ants pupate like butterflies and moths do, too. After they pupate, they emerge as fully grown ants.

Question 6: Which of the following is an effective home remedy for killing fire ants? (A) dumping grits on the nest; or (B) dumping a pot of boiling water on the nest.
The answer is B. A lot of people have tried dumping grits on a fire ant nest, but it just doesn’t work. First of all, as many North Carolinians can attest to, grits aren’t poisonous! Second of all, ants have tiny waists and can’t process grits by themselves.

Even so, some people insist they’ve poured grits on fire ant nests and come back to find the fire ants all gone. This could happen, as fire ants move around frequently and don’t like people tampering with their nests. However, it’s important to note that these fire ants just moved; they were not killed by the grits.

Dumping boiling water over the nest can put a swift end to fire ant mounds. This is because the scalding water boils the ants alive. Adding a little detergent to the water can increase effectiveness, too! The water must be boiling, however. Fire ants are used to flooding and can make rafts out of workers. If the water is not hot enough to kill them, they can just float away.

Using boiling water to treat a fire ant nest does have its limitations. First, you've got to get the boiling water outside to the nest without scalding yourself. Second, the boiling water can actually damage and/or kill any vegetation that's around the treated area. So, while it does work, boiling water is not always the most practical way to treat a fire ant nest.

Insect of the Week - The Antlion

Antlion larva
(Photo: Alex Wild, http://www.alexanderwild.com)

Antlions are quite fierce and scary looking. One look and you know you're dealing with a voracious predator (see photo above)! The antlion digs a pit in sand or other loose soil and hides beneath the sand at the bottom of the pit. When an ant or another small insect comes by, it falls into the pit where it slips to the bottom and is grabbed and made into a meal by the antlion. If the prey attempts to scramble up the walls of the pit, the antlion throws loose sand from below. This causes the sides of the pit to collapse, bringing the prey down into the bottom of the pit.

Check out this awesome video to see an antlion in action:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lYAWwMOCXE

Adult antlion (Photo: Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org)

An antlion is actually the larval form of what will become a beautiful, dainty lacewing. The adult has two pairs of long, narrow, multi-veined wings, and a long, slender abdomen (see photo at right). Adult antlions look very similar to small dragonflies or damselflies, but are easily distinguished from these insects by their prominent, clubbed antennae (dragonflies and damselflies have very short, bristle-like antennae). Also, adult antlions are typically active in the evening, so they are normally not encountered as often. Lacewings are attracted to light so it is not uncommon, however, to see them around porch lights at night.

Antlions are commonly referred to as doodlebugs because they leave lines in the sand that resemble "scribbling" or "doodling" as they meander through the sand searching for the perfect place to make their pit. Check out the video below to see an antlion "doodling."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exzPhd1abnw&feature=fvwrel

Antlion pits (Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, CSU)

You can easily observe antlion behavior in nature. If you ever run across an antlion pit, you can use a small blade of grass to brush the sides of the pit. This will usually cause the antlion to flick sand up in the pit. You can also capture an antlion by carefully scooping out the entire pit (using your hand or a cup), being careful to dig deep and wide enough so the antlion isn't crushed. Pour the sand through a strainer until you see the exposed antlion.