As we gear up for spring, don't miss the latest updates on the expansion of the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone expansion, updates to the pesticide recertification program, or legislative update listed below!

Be sure to send in your PA One Call Invoices! Don't forget, state law requires you to call before you dig for termite treatments (www.pa1call.org.). Once you receive your annual invoice from PA One Call, send it right to us at [email protected] and we will pay the bill for you.

If we can be of service to you, feel free to reach out at 800-835-8065.

Dealing with an increase in Carpet Beetle Calls?

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

If you're getting more calls lately about tiny little beetles climbing up walls, you know it's spring. In early spring, adult carpet beetles show up in homes that didn't even know they had carpet beetles.

Carpet beetles all belong to the dermestid beetle family with the characteristic hairy, yellowish larvae. The three oval Anthrenus species (varied, furniture, and common carpet beetles) all have calico markings of various colors but because they are so tiny (1/16-1/4-inch or 2-6 mm) they appear dark when seen on walls. The related black carpet beetle is a solid dark color and is more elongate.

Most homes have at least a few unnoticed carpet beetles, especially homes with accumulations of pet hair and other lint. The carpet beetle larvae generally feed in hidden places: in dark corners, under heavy furniture, behind baseboards, on the underside of wool rugs. After larvae have matured and pupated, adult beetles tend to emerge in the spring, timed to coincide with the early spring bloom of certain trees and shrubs. What? Yest, that's because the adult carpet beetles don't feed on carpets, or wool, or lint, hair, dead insects, or carcasses like their larvae. They are commonly found outside where they feed on flower pollen and nectar, and mate.

While the beetle larvae shun light, newly emerged adults head for lights and windows in an attempt to find their way outside. They can fly but are usually seen walking, and are most often noticed on light-colored walls. So, how do carpet beetles ever end up inside? After mating outside, the female shuns light, and looks for a dark place with the appropriate food source to lay her eggs; she may fly or be carried inside. Most beetles emerging inside, though, probably never make it outside and reproduce indoors without a pollen fix.

Sticky Trap Catches Can Feed Carpet Beetle Larvae

On a related note, Fumigants and Pheromones newsletter points out a relationship between carpet beetles and the use of a sticky board traps in accounts. Insects that become stuck and die on sticky traps can actually become food for carpet beetle larvae. If a cricket, cockroach or other large insect is stuck near the edge of a trap, carpet beetle larvae can feed on it and use it as a bridge, somewhat protected from the glue surface by their hairy bodies. Fecal pellets from feeding beetle larvae then stick to the glue, providing another surface that they can crawl over. The moral of this story? Check sticky traps; don't let dead insects accumulate or you'll have a new pest problem in the account. The same applies to dead insects in catch trays in light traps.

7 reasons your customers hate you

Originally published on www.usatoday.com

Ever wonder why your small business customers keep breaking up with you? It’s not them; it’s you.

Sure, you want to blame the competition down the street — it’s younger, sexier, or cooler. But more likely, you’ve done something to irritate your small business customers — you take them for granted, you never call anymore or you don’t do the little things you used to do, like tuck a little gift in their bag, offer free shipping or remember their birthday.

You’ve lost that loving feeling, and this is how they know: Read the 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 – Monday and Tuesday, November 11-12 (Eden Resort, Lancaster, PA)

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.

PA Department of Agriculture is setting in motion plans to comply with needed modifications to the existing PA Pesticide Certification Program, as outlined by the EPA. While these changes are not expected to go into effect until approximately 2022, those that may be affected should be aware and plan ahead as needed.

 

 

Questions or concerns about these upcoming program changes may be directed to Jessica Lenker at PDA via phone (717-772-5217) or email ( [email protected] ).

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

Five-year study to assess risk of tickborne illnesses in Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it is conducting a five-year environmental surveillance of ticks to assess the risk of tickborne illnesses across Pennsylvania. Funding for this project is being provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. 

 

The survey, which started in July 2018 in coordination with county governments, is part of the Pennsylvania Lyme Disease Task Force recommendations for combatting the growing incidence of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. It is funded annually through the state budget.

 

“Lyme disease affects thousands of Pennsylvanians every year, but ticks are also known to carry other pathogens that could infect humans. This survey will provide important data that will help us better understand these arachnids in our environment and inform Pennsylvanians on how, when and where to avoid getting bitten by a disease-carrying tick,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “We want everyone to enjoy the outdoors and take the proper precautions to avoid contact with ticks, and we are proud to support the Lyme Disease Task Force’s efforts to protect Pennsylvanians.”

 

“Lyme disease is a major public health concern in Pennsylvania,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Many people believe that Lyme disease, and the ticks that carry the disease, can only be found in wooded areas. However, I know personally, as do many others, that ticks can be found in your backyard, where you walk your dog, or the local park. These surveillance efforts will help us to share with all Pennsylvanians the importance of taking steps to protect yourself.” 

 

The survey is taking place in every county in Pennsylvania to track ticks’ habitats, life stages and peak activity levels and to test them for human pathogenic diseases. Additionally, 38 counties are conducting a specific survey of nymphal blacklegged (Ixodes scapularis) ticks, which can transmit Lyme Disease to humans.

 

Ticks are collected using white felt drags that sample low-lying ground cover and understory vegetation for questing ticks.

 

Fall and winter surveillance focused on analyzing adult blacklegged ticks for emerging and changing disease burdens in public use habitats across Pennsylvania, such as parks, playgrounds or recreational fields.

 

The spring and summer surveillance will focus on collecting three tick species: the blacklegged tick in its immature nymphal stage, when it most often infects humans with Lyme disease, as well as human babesiosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis; the adult American dog (Dermacentor variabilis) tick, which transmits Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever and Tularemia; and adult lone star (Amblyomma americanum) tick, which transmits Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia.

 

The nymphal stage of the blacklegged tick causes the most tickborne illness in Pennsylvania due to its size and activity period. It is significantly smaller — about the size of a poppy seed — than the adult and therefore less likely to be discovered on the human body. 

 

“The nymphal stage of the blacklegged tick’s lifespan overlaps with people enjoying the outdoors in the spring and summer,” McDonnell said. “Tracking and testing them at this stage is extremely important because it will allow us to more accurately pinpoint when and where risk of human illness is most prevalent and help prevent cases of Lyme disease in the future.”

 

Since July 1, 2018, DEP collected 3,663 adult black-legged ticks for testing.

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.

At the state level, Representative Sue Helm plans to reintroduce language that she advocated for that would license Home Inspectors and would create an industry-based Commission that would create guidelines. PPMA is supportive of this legislation.

03-27-2019 Warmer weather brings ticks, Lyme disease

Lyme disease cases continue to climb in Luzerne County as warmer winters take less of a toll of ticks, a frequent carrier of the painful and debilitating ailment. “It has not been cold enough to get a sizeable decrease in ticks,’’ said Michele Cassetori, an adjunct faculty member in the... - Tunkhannock The New Age Examiner

03-18-2019 DOH: Wolf Administration Stresses Poison Prevention Tips for Residents

  (Press Release)

03-18-2019 The cicadas are coming! Noisy insects will emerge with warmer weather

We hate to bug you, but it’s almost time for the return of magicicada septemdecim — 17-year cicadas — to Indiana County and the vicinity. “Seventeen-year cicadas are found in most areas of Indiana County, but in pockets of higher concentrations in some places,” said Indiana... - Indiana Gazette

03-15-2019 PDA: Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Zone Extended to Dauphin County

  (Press Release)

03-04-2019 Agriculture Secretary and Community Taskforce Discuss Spotted Lanternfly...

  (Press Release)