With all the problems caused by Hurricane Gustav, insect problems are developing in the carnage and broken life styles. Ants and honeybees appear to be the primary problems, with mosquitoes and love bugs not far behind.

1. Love bugs – The rain and the heat have awakened a monster in most people’s eyes. Thousands of these little bugs fill the roads and sky, blot out visibility and finish messing up the finish on your vehicle that the flying objects from the storm missed – and just aggravate you as you try to work and clean up or as you crawl down the roadways. They enter your homes and get into just about everything from food to makeup. I’m sorry to say, there’s nothing that can be done to get rid of them except time and patience, much like the energy companies tell you when you call to say you do not have electricity. They will be with us for the next few weeks and out of sight and mind til next spring. Figure 1.

2. Carpenter ants – Many homeowners who have trees blown over or broken in the storm are concerned about seeing carpenter ants in the hollowed-out centers of these massive trees. Many see carpenter ants emerging form them in mass numbers or foraging about in the trees and in homes. You are correct to say the ants are living in the trees, but they are not the culprit that has caused the decay in the centers of the trees. That honor goes to a disease known as heart rot. This decay is an ideal site for carpenter ants to start a colony as they nest in decaying or water-soaked wood. They are not usually structural pest, but an infestation in a home over a long period can infest more than just water-damaged wood. They are scavengers and will use the branches of trees that are touching the house as a highway to get inside and scavenge. With all the damage after the storm, the carpenter ants seem to be everywhere. To combat them, remove all branches from the trees that touch your house to break up the “highway.” Second, some baits and gels will help manage them. Max Force carpenter ant bait gel and Advance granular baits will help reduce populations and make them less annoying. Figure 2.

3. Elongate tree ants – These ants have small colonies and are found in cavities of many live and dead plants. These ants feed on other insects as well as on honeydew from scales, aphids and other homopterous insects. Most people come in contact with this ant when working in the yard – and most of us have a good reason to be working in the yards now. These ants, like most, are active foragers, but they have one difference -- they have a very painful sting. They can be characterized by their elongate and orange-and-black color pattern. Figure 3.

4. Crazy ants – These long-legged, fast-moving ants get their name from the erratic pattern they have in searching for food. They are common in urban settings and can be very aggravating when entering and nesting in the home. Spraying these in the home is one of the worst things to do because it causes the colony to divide and create several new colonies in the structure. Liquid spray barriers should be made around structures to prevent entrance, and sweet liquid baits should be used to help manage populations. Colonies can be transported in potted plants or soil from a compost pile. They will nest in these places as well as under objects. They feed on a wide variety of materials from dead insects to honeydew. Figure 4.

5. Argentine ants - These colonies have populations that number in the millions and colonies have been known to stretch for thousands of miles. They are found usually around lakes or other water systems. They will nest just about anywhere – under boards, in loose litter around trees, in mulch and in any suitable habitat in the home, like potted plants. Baits again are the best means of control. A bait found to be effective is: mix 1 teaspoon of boric acid crystals and 8 teaspoons of sugar in a pint of hot water. Stir to dissolve. In small baby food jars or similar containers place enough cotton balls to cover the bottom but do not squeeze them together. Pour enough of the dissolved mixture into the jars to saturate the cotton balls. Cover the jars and punch small holes about the size of the point of a ballpoint pen in the covers – make several just big enough for the ants to crawl in and out. Set the jars in areas where ants are trailing in and out. This may be inside or outside. Check jars periodically to keep the cotton balls moist and to dump out the dead ants. To prevent injury from broken glass, tape the outside of the jars so if they’re broken the glass will not scatter. Figure 5.

6. Fire ants – With all the rain and heat, ant colonies are popping up everywhere. When the ground is dry enough, treat with one of the insect growth regulator baits. This is not an immediate kill but may take 2 to 6 weeks to show differences in populations. But once the bait is taken into the colony and fed to the queen, the colony is doomed. Normally the treatment is made in October and repeated in April. But with all the rain and people working outside cleaning up, it may be good to do it now. Where individual mounds need to be controlled quickly, use either Orthene or Over and Out with Fipronil or Indoxicarb to provide control within 24 hours. Be careful in removing debris and other materials because the ants will nest in these areas and can inflict multiple stings when disturbed and gathered up in one’s arms. Figure 6.

7. Honeybees – With all the down trees, many are finding that honeybees have set up colonies in some of the ones that are hollow. Disturbing them again when cleaning up can cause a stinging incident in a neighborhood. Some colonies are found in the walls of structures that have been damaged. Those needing assistance with bee removal can find a listing of beekeepers by area of the state on the LSU AgCenter Web site, www.lsuagcenter.com . In the search box type honeybee removal and hit enter. This list has the names and phone numbers of beekeepers around the state who can help with a honeybee problem. Figure 7.

8. Mosquitoes – Oh what a tangled web nature is – a little rain, a little sunshine and one hell of a mosquito population to add to the misery from Gustav. Not that we didn’t have a few before, but now they are everywhere – and en masse. Remember to empty all standing-water systems, use mosquito dunks in small bodies of water where they can breed, use mosquito repellents and keep windows and doors shut and properly screened. Where outdoor activities in the yard are to happen, you may try fogging with a pyrethroid to keep the population down for a few hours. If this is done, be sure to treat the shrubs because these are primary hiding places. Where trap systems are, used be sure to keep them away from the gathering as much as possible because once there mosquitoes, will go to people rather than traps. Remember, West Nile virus is in the system and can cause problems for individuals – particularly the elderly. Figure 8.

Until next month,

Dale

Figure 1. Love bugs and the mess they can make of your cars. Figure 2. Carpenter ants nest in decaying or water-damaged wood. Figure 3. Elongate tree ants -- the other stinging ant. Figure 4. Crazy ants get their name from their erratic searching behavior. Figure 5. Argentine ants usually live in massive colonies and are a nuisance.

Figure 6. Fire ants -- now is the time to get ready to treat. Figure 7. Honeybees will nest in open colonies or inside trees. Figure 8. Mosquitoes need a blood meal to lay eggs, and they can spread West Nile virus when they feed on you.