Congratulations are in order for the Pennsylvania Pest Management Association President Marty Overline for his election to the National Pest Management Board of Directors! Marty will serve as the Region One Director. Way to go, Marty!

Carpenter Bee Nesting and Control Options: The Period of Actual nest Building Activity is Brief

Written by Techletter. Reprinted with permission. www.techletter.com.

Depending on your location, carpenter bees can be seen excavating their nests in wood anytime from March to early summer. But in any one area the activity usually lasts only for a couple of weeks, then all is quiet for at least a couple of months in most areas. Carpenter bees are solitary bees, not part of a colony, so a single pair constructs each nest.

There are 7 species of large carpenter bees in the U.S. Depending on your location and the species, there may be only one generation of bees each summer as in the central and northern states, or there may be multiple generations in southern locations. In any case, the adult bees that emerge from the galleries in late summer will overwinter, usually in the same nest galleries. These late season bees will be excavating their own nests the following spring.

Carpenter Bees are Big, Buzzy, and Very Busy

Nest Building is the activity that gets the attention of customers and prompts spring-time calls for service. When carpenter bees nest around homes, they may go unnoticed if their chosen nest site happens to be unpainted fascia boards around the roof-line. Since the whole process is completed pretty quickly and there is no further bee activity at the nest site, folks who go on vacation for two weeks could miss the whole event. But, if the nest site being excavated happens to be a deck railing, or a mailbox post, or the windowsill on a front porch, a pair of carpenter bees can be pretty obvious and pretty intimidating. That's because the male acts as sentry, patrolling the nest site while excavation is underway, and buzzing and dive-bombing any perceived threat that comes near. Once you know that he is all bluff because he does not have a stinger, you can relax a bit. The female carpenter bee can sting but rarely does so unless threatened; she is much too busy using her jaws to excavate a tunnel-like gallery, plus collecting pollen to leave in the nest for her offspring.

Carpenter bees excavate their galley nests in soft, weathered, unpainted, or unfinished wood. Sometimes, the female will re-use an earlier gallery. The circular, dime-sized entrance hole is often found on the back, unpainted side of a piece of trim or other nonstructural wood. Inside the wood, the gallery turns and runs with the grain. Typically, a gallery will be several inches long, with 6-8 individual larval cells, each provisioned by the female with an egg and a ball of pollen to feed the developing larva. After the female finishes her job, the pair will move on, dying within a few weeks.

Once the eggs hatch inside their individual pollen-provisioned cells, it takes the larvae about 5-6 weeks to mature and pupate. During that time, woodpeckers may detect larval movement inside the galleries and make a real mess trying to peck them out of the wood. This activity may be the first hint that there is a bee gallery inside that wood.

Control Options for Carpenter Bees

Depending on the location of the nest and the severity of the wood damage, your customers may opt for no control once they understand the pest and a short duration of the activity. Carpenter bees are beneficial pollinators, visiting flowering plants, and since they do not have a colony to defend, they are not aggressive or apt to sting. Carpenter bee damage is cosmetic, not structural. The wood attacked is often old, weathered, and hidden. Situations where control might be required are: (1) if the nest is in a location where children, pets, or someone who is sting-allergic could threaten the bees, (2) when multiple pairs of bees are nesting in wood that is of value and also leaving yellow-brown fecal droppings below the nest openings, (3) when woodpeckers are damaging the wood trying to reach bee larvae inside (although the birds often persist even after nest treatment).

Deter future nesting by:

Kill bees that are currently active by:

5 Ways to Get Ready for Your Business’ Busy Season: Spring/Summer Edition

Originally published on blog.beaconfunding.com

While pest control isn't technically seasonal, think about these six tips that you can implement in your business!

Warm weather, long days, and blues skies are about to overtake the country. But if you’re one of the many businesses that sees a huge upswing in customers during the summer, it’s about to get pretty hectic. Before summer and your busy season are in full swing, find out the best ways to ensure it’s smooth sailing and the most successful season yet!

1. Prep your employees

Employees are typically the heart and soul of a small business. It’s important to make sure they are prepared and set up for a success. To start getting your staff in the busy-season mindset, sit down for an informal meeting . Ask your staff what their concerns are for the upcoming wave of business, and find out what would help them work more efficiently and with less stress. Not only will you find out how to help, but your staff will appreciate your thoughtfulness and know their suggestions are important to you.

In addition to prepping current employees, consider adding a new team member or two. Seasonal workers are a great way to get you through your chaotic months. Tons of college and high school students are looking for part-time jobs while school is out for summer. They can help out around the office, assist senior staff, and even bring some good ideas to the table. Business or marketing students should be well-equipped to do some basic social media marketing to help get the word out about your services.

Read the full article here.

Join us at our upcoming 2019 events!

Central Region Fall Seminar – Tuesday, August 20 (Park Inn, Mechanicsburg, PA)

Western Region Fall Seminar - Thursday, August 29 (Doubletree, Cranberry Twp., PA)

Eastern Region Fall Seminar – Thursday, September 12 (Wyndham, Trevose, PA)

Northeast Region Fall Seminar – Thursday, September 26 (Radisson Hotel, Scranton, PA) 

Annual State Conference – Wednesday and Thursday, November 12-14 (Spooky Nook Sports, Lancaster, PA) Note the date and location change!

The Eastern Division continues to hold its monthly meetings with varying topics of discussion on the second Thursday of every month at the Crowne Plaze in Trevose. For more information on monthly topics and speakers, contact Sue at (215) 331-1121.

Harrisburg, PA – After receiving reports of a population of Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) in Dauphin County and actively surveying and treating the area, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) today announced the expansion of the quarantine zone.

The quarantine gives PDA the authority to regulate the movement of commodities that may be moving within or leaving the quarantine zone. It restricts the movement of articles that contain any life stages of the Spotted Lanternfly, including egg masses, nymphs, and adults. All businesses are required to take an online training course designated to help them recognize SLF and prevent its movement, after which they will receive a permit from PDA.

“Whether you are a contractor, farmer, truck driver or business or rail owner, the Spotted Lanternfly can pose a risk to your business and threaten your bottom line,” added Redding. “It is incumbent on Pennsylvania’s business community to obtain a permit so that we can demonstrate our due diligence to trading partners and restrict the movement of this invasive pests to other areas of the commonwealth and other states.”

As part of the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine agreement beginning May 1, 2019, The Department’s Bureau of Plant Industry will begin to perform inspections and verification checks to confirm that businesses are properly permitted. Failure to take the permit exam and educate employees could result in possible penalties and fines.

The quarantine zone was last expanded in November 2017 to include Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill counties.

As part of the PA Farm Bill to protect agriculture infrastructure, the Pennsylvania Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account will provide $5 million in funding to allow for a quick response to agricultural disasters, which includes $3 million to utilize animal or plant health officials to contain an outbreak or threat, such as SLF. Additionally, USDA recently dedicated more than $7.5 million in new funding to Pennsylvania’s efforts.

This funding builds on work over the past year to eradicate the pest. PDA has taken responsibility for suppressing Spotted Lanternfly populations in the core infestation area, while USDA has established a perimeter extending 18 miles out from the core area, where they are working to eliminate any infestation. Between the two agencies, the entire Spotted Lanternfly quarantine area is being covered. Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has taken the lead on public outreach through its Cooperative Extension service. Additionally, the Wolf Administration has been training employees and issuing permits to state vehicles that travel through the quarantine zone.

Redding added that despite the new funding and the work being done through PDA’s partnership with Penn State and USDA, it is imperative that Pennsylvania homeowners assist control efforts by obtaining the materials needed to spray and suppress SLF on their own properties.

“I encourage all Pennsylvania businesses to learn how they can do their part to get permitted, and for communities and homeowners to join us in this fight,” said Sec. Redding. “This invasive insect is prone to human-assisted movement, so residents need to stay vigilant, check their vehicles, and survey their surroundings. By contacting your local Penn State Extension staff, you can receive tips and information about the latest products available to combat Spotted Lanternfly, such as sprays, sticky bands, and other approved control methods.”

All Pennsylvania business owners, managers, or supervisors are encouraged to register for the free business permit webinar to be held on Thursday, March 21 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. To register for the webinar, visit www.Spottedlanternfly.eventbrite.com .

Homeowners with questions about treatment, including approved sprays, can learn more through Penn State Extension at http://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly .

For more information about the Spotted Lanternfly, visit www.agriculture.pa.gov/spottedlanternfly .

MEDIA CONTACT: Shannon Powers, 717-783-2628

The information below represents legislative activity (including bill introductions) that has occurred since the last newsletter. For a full listing of legislation that Versant is tracking for PPMA, please contact us at (717) 635-2320 or [email protected]. Activity marked HCO or SCO indicates a co-sponsorship memo which precedes the actual introduction of legislation and is designed to secure the support of other legislators prior to introduction as a bill.

HB 21 - Helm, Sue (R) - Amends the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law, providing for the regulation of the practice of home inspection; and making a related repeal.

This legislation is of particular interest to PPMA. The bill has been refered to the House Professional Licensure Committee where it awaits action.

HCO 1764 Solomon, Jared (D) - Modernizes and overhauls the Landlord and Tenant Act.

The co-sponsorship memorandum has been filed. We await the filing of the legislation.

04-29-2019 Lehigh Valley businesses face deadline to get spotted lanternfly permit

Can you spot a spotted lanternfly? “The bug is a nuisance,” Dominick Shook said. “I’ve done sealcoating jobs where they’re just all over the trees. “ ... They’re like roaches,” said Shook, owner of Lehigh Valley Sealcoating Services in Upper Macungie Township.... - Allentown Morning Call

04-28-2019 Spotted lanternfly egg hatching confirmed in Berks

The first known hatching of spotted lanternfly eggs this spring has released tiny nymphs into Berks County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Nymphs were discovered from eggs laid on the side of a building in Shillington on Wednesday, according to the Agriculture Department.... - Reading Eagle

04-25-2019 DEP to start spraying for black flies

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will begin aerial and backpack spraying on about 1,700 stream miles in Snyder, Union and 33 other Pennsylvania counties to control black flies. The first aerial spraying could take place on the Schuylkill River and... - Sunbury Daily Item

04-18-2019 Spraying to control black flies to begin along Pennsylvania waterways

State officials are hoping the buzz of helicopters will prevent the buzz of black flies around area waterways. Within the week, the state Department of Environmental Protection will start aerial and backpack spraying to control black flies on about 1,700 miles of waterways in 35 counties, including Armstrong and Westmoreland.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

04-17-2019 Pennsylvania AG settles $101K dispute with pest-control company

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday a $101,430 settlement with a Utah-based pest control company, with Pittsburgh offices, in a deceptive business practices case involving door-to-door solicitation. Shapiro’s office initiated the investigation following consumer... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

04-09-2019 Spotted lanternfly hatching season looms in Berks, 13 other PA counties

Marie Hibshman discovered spotted lanternflies at her Lebanon County home for the first time last summer, and now she's preparing to attack the Asian invader where it's most vulnerable: She intends to destroy its eggs. She's taken up arms: a plastic card, a credit card-sized tool minted by the... - Reading Eagle