Conclusions from the Oregon Bee-tastrophe of 2013

A pesticide applicator's worst nightmare. Trees in Wilsonville,
Oregon swathed in protective netting following a large
and highly publicized bee kill due to pesticide misapplication.
Photo: Molly J. Smith/Oregonian.

The year 2013 was eventful for a group of insecticides known as neonicotinoids. Recent research showing the potential for these insecticides to negatively affect honey bee and bumble bee behavior (and implying that they might be responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder in honey bees), led to the cancellation of some of these insecticides in Europe. Many in the U.S. are likewise calling for the cancellation or severe restriction of the use of these insecticides here.

One of the events of 2013 that galvanized opposition to these insecticides was a massive bee kill in Wilsonville, OR last June. Immediately after the kill, Oregon officials announced that an application of the insecticide dinotefuran was the cause of death.  Yesterday the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) sent out a news release announcing the outcome of its investigations.  The investigation concluded that the applicator involved in the incident had applied the insecticide in direct violation of the label.

The application in question occurred when the pesticide applicator was requested to treat numerous linden (Tilia) trees in the parking lot surrounding a Target store in Wilsonville.  The trees were infested with numerous aphids that were dripping sap on customers' cars. The company treated the trees during the day with Safari (an insecticide containing the neonicotinoid insecticide dinotefuran), while the trees were in full bloom and attracting numerous bumble bees.  Shortly after the application, large bumble bees started to drop from the trees, eventually littering the parking lot with an estimated 50,000 dead bees.

Under the heading of Environmental Hazards, the Safari label clearly states:

This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment or residues on blooming crops or weeds. Do not apply this product or allow it to drift to blooming crops or weeds if bees are visiting the treatment area.

As a result of the incident, the ODA is requiring a special label amendment for Oregon labels of dinotefuran and imidacloprid (a second neonicotinoid). Beginning January 1, 2014 applications of these insecticides will be prohibited on linden and basswood trees. After its investigation the ODA concluded that it was these trees's natural toxicity to bees (linden tree nectar is known to be somewhat toxic to bees) in combination with the pesticide, that contributed to the massive bee die off.

In one sense, this announcement is vindication for the pesticide manufacturers who contended all along that it wasn't an inherent fault of the product, but a misapplication, that caused the "Oregon Bee-tastrophe of 2013".  But it is also true that the subtleties of who was at fault are not likely to resonate with the majority of the public and with most regulators.  The lasting memory of Oregonians, and others who read about the event at the time, will be that insecticides killed a bunch of bees. And this will lend strength to the arguments of those who say that neonicotinoid insecticides cannot be used safely, and should be banned.

What those of us in the pest control industry should remember, however, is that one failure to read and follow insecticide label directions can have notable and far-reaching consequences. This should be one of those critical moments that get memorialized in pest control textbooks (if they existed). The textbook message? Fail to follow the label at your own peril...especially as new pollinator protection alerts appear on labels over the next year.

To read more about the incident and the ongoing ODA response, click here.

ACE Prep Class and Updated ACE Exam to be offered at A&M Workshop

The newly updated Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) exam, along with a Prep Class for prospective ACEs, will be offered next month in College Station at the Texas A&M University Urban Pest Management Conference and Workshop.

With over 700 ACEs nationwide, the Certification program of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the fastest growing certification program for PMPs.  This year, in addition to seeing record growth, the ESA has partnered with the National Pest Management Association to make prep courses, to prepare for the ACE exam, more widely available.

In Texas, however, you need go no further than our own Texas A&M University Conference to take the Prep Class. Dr. Bob Davis and I will be reviewing fundamental knowledge requirements for the exam. The training is intended as a last minute review and confidence building class, but does not really substitute for your comprehensive studying.  Four CEUs will be awarded for attending the six-hour class.

Registration is required for the Conference to attend the Prep Class.  According to Laura Nelson, Conference administrator, this is the last week to take advantage of the pre-registration price of $200 ($225 after this week, or at the door).  If you want to take the ACE exam at the Conference you will also need to apply for the ACE program and pay the fees ahead of time.

On the second day of the Conference, January 9, the [optional] ACE exam is offered for anyone who wants to take it.

How Do I Get Certified?

So what's involved with getting certified?  First you have to qualify. To become an ACE, you must:

• Have seven years experience in pest control (three years for those with an entomology degree);
• hold a current U.S. pesticide applicator's license; and 
• agree to sign the ACE code of ethics.

If you think you qualify, you can apply through the ESA/ACE website. The application fee is $125 for ESA members and $150 for non-ESA members.  

Next you will need to study to take the ACE exam.  Information about how to study for the exam, and what study materials are recommended can be found on the ESA website.  Note that if you plan to take the exam at the Conference, prior study is highly recommended.  The Prep Class is not a prerequisite for taking the exam.

Big Changes in the ACE program

There are some big changes in the ACE program that will be inaugurated at our own A&M workshop.  Beginning Jan 1, there will be a newly updated and improved ACE exam.  In addition, all new and existing ACEs will begin to be required to document proof of continuing education every three years. This step was deemed necessary by the Board to ensure that ACEs maintain their training and keep up with advances in the field.  Everything you want to know about these changes and more can be found on the Certified Entomologist blog.

Forget the rats...fix the problem

Sometimes pest problems can be so daunting that it's easy to overlook the obvious solution. This was the case for many private and governmental PMPs in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Fortunately, the obvious didn't escape the attention of Claudia Reigel, with the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board.

Reigel was recently featured in a National Public Radio (NPR) piece on the huge city rat problems after the hurricane.  While the city and many PMPs were scrambling to dump enough rodent bait in bait stations and sewers to plug the Mississippi levees, the problem wasn't getting better.

Reigel's solution was simple in concept.  "Forget the rats; fix the problems!"

By problems, of course, she meant the overgrown vegetation, poorly sealed buildings, overflowing trash dumpsters other sanitation lapses. In other words, integrated pest management (IPM).

As the story correctly points out, consistently successful pest control has to start with making the environment less hospitable to pests. And for some pest problems, until we do this, all the pesticide in the world isn't going to make a big difference.  This is not to say that rodenticides (or any pesticides for given pests) shouldn't be used; but they should be used in the context of changing the pest's environment.

New Orleans' rodent problems, I'm sure, haven't gone away. And they didn't improve overnight either. But the improvements are tangible, according to Reigel.  Maybe there's a daunting pest problem you're facing right now. The answer could be to "forget the pest for a moment, and fix the problem".

Just for CEU providers

Pesticide re-certification classes, like the 2013 Fall IPM Seminar held at
the AgriLife Center in Dallas, serve over 15,000 urban pesticide
applicators each year in Texas.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is changing the way pesticide applicator training providers must operate.  The recently published Texas Pesticide Re-certification Course Accreditation Guide provides step by step instructions on how to put on a re-certification course, and get course approval.  It also outlines the new process of completing and submitting course rosters to verify attendance at the meeting.  

After studying the requirements, it looks to me like the new system is not a major change overall, but the reporting requirements will increase the administrative burden on some CEU course providers. My office puts on two large CEU training courses every year, with hundreds of participants; but I've concluded that the new system shouldn't affect our office's administrative time significantly.  This is because (1) we already have all participant names and license numbers in electronic format, and (2) the courses we provide consist of one big all-day meeting (without concurrent sessions).  But for some providers, substantially more time will be needed to document attendance and credits awarded.

Under the new rules, now in effect, TDA requires CEU providers to send an electronic roster of all participants in a CEU course within 14 days of course completion (previously we only had to supply copies of the sign in sheets filled out by participants). Presumably this system wasn't working well for TDA. Paper records are notoriously slow to access and deciphering hand written rosters could be a problem. To address the issue, TDA now has two electronic forms depending on the type of CEUs being rewarded: form PA-411E for agricultural licenses (including 3A licenses) and form PA-418E for structural pest control license holders.  

Under the new reporting system, if a person holding both a structural pesticide applicator's and an agricultural pesticide applicator's license wants to receive both kinds of CEUs for attending a meeting, that person's name must appear on both rosters.  Each roster must list all the appropriate CEU credits earned by those on the roster. 

So far, so good.  The only big difference between the current and former system is that attendance records must be submitted electronically.  For many providers this shouldn't be too difficult, as the names, addresses, and license numbers can be cut and pasted from an existing electronic roster and placed on the appropriate TDA roster(s).

Unfortunately, things get tricky when real life hits.  Suppose 100 people attend a training in which five CEUs are offered, and 2 people leave early, missing the last CEU.  You will now need to supply TDA with two rosters.  One roster will list the 98 people who sat through the whole training and received credit for five CEUs, and one roster will contain only the two early-departers.  The second roster will show that they only earned (the first) four CEUs for the day.  

Consider a parallel situation where 98 attend the full day's training and two people miss one CEU each--however one person comes in too late for the first CEU and the other leaves early, missing the last CEU. Now the course provider has to supply three forms: one with 98 names on it (showing they earned all five CEUs), one (showing the last four CEUs) for the late-arriver, and one for the early-departer (showing that he earned only the first four CEUs).  Conceivably this could get complicated with a large program and lots of people not staying for the whole program.   

Another tricky situation occurs when concurrent sessions are offered at a training.  Suppose you offer two concurrent sessions at your meeting.  For the first concurrent session people can choose between a talk on, say, (A) Lawn and Ornamentals or (B) Termite.  At the second concurrent session they choose between a talk on (C) IPM or one on (D) General Pest Control.  For this scenario the provider will need at least four rosters including one for people who attended each of the following combinations of talks: AD, AC, BD, and BC.  If there are three sessions, eight rosters will be required; for four concurrent sessions there will be 16 possible roster combinations.  Most providers will conclude that it is easier to just have a separate roster for each concurrent session.  It will also take a very patient administrative assistant to retype the name, address and license number of each session attender.

I strongly recommend all CEU providers maintain session sign-in sheets, or use some other paper means of documenting attendance at each session.  This will help tremendously in ensuring accuracy of the computer rosters, and will serve as a backup for the spreadsheets.  Remind all course attenders that they must have their license number if they want TDA to verify their attendance.  If you're a sponsor, you must keep course roster and attendance records for a minimum of two years (six years for private applicators). And lastly, remember that certificates of completion must still be supplied for all attenders as their proof of CEU completion.  

Advising Austin

The Stephen F. Austin State Office Building in Austin is
home to the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Last Thursday, 21 November, was the first meeting of the new Structural Pest Control Advisory Committe (SPCAC), which provides input to the Texas Department of Agriculture's Structural Pest Control Service.  I say "new committee" because the size and composition of the committee has been significantly revamped since it last met in April. Only four of last year's committee members remain, and seven members are new.

By way of review, the SPCAC has an advisory role only and does not make or enforce rules governing pest control in the state.  The committee meetings are, however, one of the few venues where PMPs (and consumers) can formally offer input into the way the their industry is regulated (it is common, for example, for visitors to the SPCAC to sign up to present public testimony on subjects related to pest control).  The SPCAC is also a way for anyone who is interested in the sometimes mundane details of pest control in Texas to learn what is going on inside the halls of the Stephen F. Austin Building, home to the Texas Department of Agriculture.

The changes to the committee this year are the result of a bill passed during the 2013 Legislative session that expanded the committee to 11 from the original 9 set by the 2007 Legislature. The committee seemed even larger this time, however, since one position (a consumer advocate position) had remained unfilled since the original committee was founded.

I found the expanded committee excited and ready to assume its new tasks.  Much of the meeting was devoted to learning the requirements for Open Meetings, and how to handle Public Information Requests; however I thought it would be good to introduce the new committee and share a couple of the more significant new business items discussed.  

New Membership List

• Peggy Caruso, IPM Coordinator from Katy ISD, is an original committee member and represents the seat for a school district employee associated with school IPM.
• Dauphin Ewart, of the Austin company "The Bug Master" remains from last year's committee and is one of three members representing the interests of structural pest control operators.
• Warren Remmey, Jr. also represents the interests of structural pest control operators and is owner of Spider Man Pest Control in San Antonio.
• Scott Dickens is the third structural pest control operator member, Past President of TPCA, and owner of Champions Pest Control in Spring, TX.
• Some of you may remember Roger Borgelt as a former attorney for the Structural Pest Control Board. Roger was appointed as one of three members representing the public interest, and was elected to be the new committee chair at this meeting.
• Dr. Nancy Crider is a faculty member for the University of Texas Southwest Medical School and a registered nurse.  She represents the public interest.
• Nancy Zaiontz, of GSM Insurors of San Antonio, is the new member representing interests of consumers.
• Jay Jorns, of JNJ Pest Control in Katy represents pest management professionals with experience in natural, organic or holistic pest control.
• Dr. Thandi Ziqubu-Page is an original committee member and represents the Commissioner of the Department of State Health Services.
• I also serve on the committee representing an institution of higher education with experience in the science of pests and pest control.
• There remains one vacant, public member position on the committee.

I was impressed with the credentials and enthusiasm of the reformed committee, and I think it will work well together. I think the expanded size will also benefit all parties as more points of view are expressed.  Any of us who serve are always willing to answer questions and discuss issues with you.  For a current listing of the committee and its meeting dates, click here.

Revamped Web Search Tool

The new license search tool on the TDA website
provides a more user-friendly way to find
pest control licensees or businesses in Texas.

Mike Kelly, SPCS Coordinator, and Leslie Smith, Director for Consumer Service Protection at TDA, demonstrated and answered questions about the new web search tool for Texas Pest Control businesses.  Currently the TDA website allows consumers, or any interested party, to search for any license holder or business online.  Up until now the only way to search was to go to the SPCS page and click on Current Licenses.  There you see a set of files in CSV format (which can be opened in MicroSoft Excel).  One has to save the file and open it in a spreadsheet and search for the information. Not extremely user friendly.

The new search tool allows you to search by zip code and refine your search while looking on a zoom-able map. Choose by license category or search directly by a business name or license number.  This tool should be useful for anyone wishing to confirm a legal license holder, or to search for an official address and phone number.  Since its launch October 8th, 1245 people have accessed the map view feature. 

Compliant Advertising

A big issue for many pest control businesses is making sure that their advertising is compliant with state law governing deceptive advertising.  Texas Department of Agriculture staffer Michael Kelly asked the committee for input on some new wording for Rule 7.152, governing pest control ads.  The changes would mainly require all ads to include the business name as indicated on the business license, and the business license number.  It's interesting how many different issues must be addressed, even with such a simple improvement to the rules. For example, the committee pointed out that font size requirements (critical in Yellow Page or newspaper ads) might not apply to a website.  And the proposed wording didn't define clearly what constitutes advertising.  Would a Facebook page for a company, or a Craigslist or Angie's List ad, be subject to these new requirements? Keep your eyes open for a more refined version of the draft rules to come out soon for public comment.

New Testing System

In April the TDA rolled out its new examination system, implemented to allow anyone who has applied and pre-qualified to take their applicators' or technicians' or category exams.  Now applicants can test on any day of the week, and at any of 22 PSI Online testing sites throughout the state.  By all accounts the roll out has been successful with the new sites administering 582 certified applicator exams, 1 fumigator exam and 683 technician exams between 15 April and 13 November.  Statistics show that 44% of certified applicator candidates for pest control passed on their first try and 60% passed on their second try.  Pest control technicians passed 88% of the time on their first try.  

In addition to these topics, the committee discussed ways to better educate consumers on how to recognize and deal with unlicensed applicators, regulatory review of rules regarding license applicants with criminal backgrounds or arrests, and rules being written (in response to SB 162, recently passed) allowing military personnel to count relevant military experience in pest control toward their certified applicator and technician licensing requirements.  We also learned that the extensive rule clarifications, including CEU requirements for school IPM Coordinators, discussed in April have not yet been published in the Texas Register due to an unexpected staff shortage due to illness.  

Future Meetings

If you have any interest in attending future meetings of the SPCAC, they are normally held the third Thursday of the months of January, April, July and October.  Next year's scheduled meetings are on 23 January, 24 April, 24 July, and 23 October.  The meetings are always held at 9 am at the Stephen F. Austin Building at 1700 North Congress, in Austin, TX  78701. Because schedules do change, should a quorum not be available, it's a good idea to check with the agency or one of the committee members before showing up at the door.

Entomologists and their license plates

I've always appreciated the creativity that goes into vanity plates--even if they are sometimes, well, a little vain. But you have to love the entomologists' license plates submitted to the first-ever BugMobile contest sponsored by the Entomological Society of America.

Members of the ESA were asked to submit photos of creative, insect-themed cars or license plates.  Most sent in insect-related license plates that they own or see around town.  People visiting the site were then invited to "Like" their favorites, and the plate with the most "likes" wins.

The winner was a cool-looking, University of Arizona themed license plate with the no-so-original (in my opinion) text, DRBUG.  Much more original, in my opinion was the plate, shown here, that must have belonged to a pest management professional, DBUG4U.  Also way cool was the yellow-with-black-racing-stripes Chevy Camaro, with the Iowa plates reading BMBULBE.

One entomologist advertised his or her enthusiasm about entomology with the plate N2BUGS. I liked that.

Some plates only an entomologist would love, or understand, such as the Colorado plate reading SCARAB2, suggesting an enthusiasm for beetles in the family Scarabeidae (and implying that she is not alone, assuming SCARAB1 had already been taken).  Even more of an insider plate read BUP DR, which I might not have recognized as an entomologist's plate in another context--BUP referring to the beetle family Buprestidae.  And BTLEMAN.  And HISTERS and SCARABS (Beetle families Histeridae and Scarabeidae) in the same driveway no less.  I'll bet I can guess what dinner table talk is like at that home is like.  What is it about beetle guys and their vanity plates?

Some of the references were too obscure for me.  CANTHON turns out to be another dung beetle.  CY BUGS... cyborg bugs?  SP NOV is entomologist code for "new species" in Latin... representing a dream of every entomologist to name a new bug species.

I got BUG DOOD, and TSETSE (for the African Tsetse fly--carrier of sleeping sickness), and BUG ACE (which I suppose is proudly displayed by an Associate Certified Entomologist).

As for my car, I do have two bumper stickers that I've never displayed publicly.  They read "Have You Hugged Your ExterminatorToday?" And, "Entomologists are Good for What Bugs You"...  Maybe some day I'll be bold enough, or vain enough, to advertise my inner bug nerd.

If any of you have a BugMobile photo that you're especially proud of, I'd like to see it. Just email me a copy at m-merchant at tamu dot edu, or post a link to your picture in the comments to this post.  If I get enough, I'll post them on this site for all to see and enjoy.

Hackberry nipplewhat?

This week has been the week of the hackberry nipplegall maker, Pachypsylla celtidismamma. I should have known when, during the Entomological Society of America's annual conference in Austin last week, I opened my 23rd floor hotel room blinds and saw the outside window covered with these insects.

Pachypsylla adults (about 1/8-inch long) are
commonly found at this time of year indoors, around windows

Sure enough upon return to my office, calls and messages were awaiting me about little "gnats"  covering window screens, outside walls, and cars. The small size of these insects allows them to enter buildings with ease, even squeezing through window screens.  Though these insects are present annually, the invasion seems to be unusually heavy and widespread this year with complaints from Austin to east Texas and the Dallas area.

Pachypsylla is a genus of tiny insects that grow up inside galls that form on hackberry leaves. Also called psyllids (SILL ids), they are not gnats or flies, but belong to the same order as the leafhoppers and cicadas. Like other gall making insects, Pachypsylla adults lay their eggs on leaves, which then start to swell around the egg or developing larva, forming a gall. After feeding on the gall tissue all summer, Pachypsylla adults emerge in the fall. Unfortunately for your customers, these adults commonly enter structures at this time in their search for a warm place to hang out and, perhaps, catch some football or prime time TV during the winter.

The nipple-like swellings on hackberry leaves give this little
insect its name.

Despite being a nuisance, hackberry nipple-gall insects are pretty harmless.  They do not bite, do not eat clothes and do not hog the remote. Apart from needing to be vacuumed up from windowsills occasionally, there is little you can do about these insects. In most cases, poor seals around windows and doors provide entry points, but truth is they can get indoors through any crack or gap in the building envelope.

Those who have tried spraying window screens with an insecticide noted that the main result is smeared windows.  If you do offer to spray, keep your sprays limited to window and door frames, and obvious gaps and cracks in outdoor siding.  I do not advise treating indoors, as these insects should die relatively quickly anyway. And no, you can't treat the trees. A vacuum is the best control tool, in my estimation.

For customers who find the invasion to be an annual occurrence, removing nearby hackberry trees and replacing them with another well-adapted tree is one possible solution.  Keep in mind, however, that these little guys can fly.  They were, after all on my 23rd floor windows  last week. So if other hackberries are nearby, cutting down the tree may not help a lot,  especially during a banner year like this.

I have no explanation for the great numbers of nipplegall makers this year.  This obscure group of insects has not been as well scrutinized as other, more important pests.  However we do know there was something they liked about 2013, rain at the right times, the temperature, or few natural enemies.