December 1995 Pest Management Bulletin
The Pest Management Bulletin, a periodic publication of the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (CHPPM) Entomology Programs, is devoted to keeping installation pest management and preventive medicine personnel informed and up-to-date in the rapidly changing field of pest management.
This Bulletin is designed to keep you informed. Therefore, your comments and suggestions are welcome. If you have a problem, a solution, or a personal observation about any aspect of pest management, please send it to us. Write to the following address: Commander, US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (Provisional), ATTN: MCHB-DS-M (Pest Management Bulletin ), Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5422, or call us at DSN 584-3773 or commercial (410) 671-3773.
The contents of the Pest Management Bulletin and views expressed are at the discretion of the editor and staff of the Entomology Programs. They do not represent official views or policies of USACHPPM or the U.S. Army. Mention of a pesticide or a commercial product does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of this product by the Pesticide Monitoring Program, USACHPPM, or the U.S. Army. Reproduction of this bulletin or use of any portion thereof, except by Federal agencies, is not allowed without specific written permission from USACHPPM. Pest Management Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 2, Mar 1995 Pest Management Bulletin, Vol. 17, No.1, Dec 1995
In this month's issue of the Bulletin, we are concentrating on fleas (This requires an Envoy viewer ). As with all of the past articles, this article may be further distributed as long as proper citing of the source is provided.
The following are some notes from the Real Property Protection Committee and the Pesticides Committee at the last Armed Forces Pest Management Board meeting.
Real Property Protection Committee
An article by Dr. Albert Greene of GSA was distributed to the committee. This article, titled Bird-deterrence technology for historic buildings , deals with the pros and cons of various types of bird repelling devices for historic buildings. If you would like a copy of this article, please contact us on the DoD Pesticide Hotline, DSN 584-3773, commercial (410) 671-3773, or note the appropriate box on the form in the front of the this issue of the Bulletin.
Pesticides Committee
Bulk Glue for making your own sticky traps has been assigned a National Stock Number of 6840-01-420-9038. This comes in a box with 4 1-gal containers/box.
An NSN of 6840-01-390-4822 has been assigned to Demon WP (cypermethrin). See the attached Pesticide Stock List (Requires an Envoy Viewer).
In the last couple of issues of the Bulletin, we have discussed the fly-bait situation indicating that the active ingredient was no longer going to be manufactured by the registrant. Well, the registrant has changed their minds and the product will continue to be marketed with a label change. More on this when it becomes available.
EPA is proposing canceling the use of many products containing DDVP and restricting the use of most of the remaining products. One of the products affected by this action is the DDVP strip we have in the stock system. One of the primary uses DoD has for these strips is in the mosquito light traps. The Armed Forces Pest Management Board is preparing comments to be sent to EPA on the continued use for this purpose.
The AFPMB approved the assignment of a stock number for Logic fire ant bait in a 25 lb. bag.
The AFPMB approved cancellation of the following NSN's. 6840-00-781-8195 (Simazine) and 6840-00-890-2146 (Bromacil). These are administrative deletions as the container sizes were no longer available.
EPA has recently determined that the active ingredient metam-sodium, when used with the active ingredient dichlobenil for root removal in sewer lines, is now a restricted use product. This is a highly specialized use and is outside the normal use of our pest control personnel. However, this material may, in fact, be in use by the engineering side of the house. If this type of work is being done by DOD personnel, this will require that a new training program be developed and that the personnel doing the application will have to be trained and certified.
Therefore, we ask your assistance in determining whether or not this operation is currently being practiced by anyone on your installation. If any DoD personnel are doing this type of work, please notify your MACOM/ MAJCOM pest management professional or contact us here at the DoD Pesticide Hotline.
PLANE COLLIDES WITH TWO GEESE AT A SMALL MICHIGAN AIRPORT . The jet was carrying House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). No one aboard was hurt. [Washington Post]
USDA WORKING WITH RUSSIANS TO FIND HONEYBEE RESISTANCE TO MITES (215 AP 9/25) -- USDA scientists have found honeybees in eastern Russia that may be more resistant to a damaging mite than honeybees in the U.S. The varroa mite has taken a heavy toll on U.S. hives since it made its way north from Mexico in the mid-1980's. But in the Primorsky region of far-eastern Russia, the mite is less damaging because the honeybees seem to be more resistant to it.
GRIZZLY BEAR ATTACKS WORKER. Authorities closed all trails to Montana's Fifty Mountains region after a grizzly bear mauled Glacier National Park worker Lester Ashwood, 38, who was identifying flowers in a meadow Tuesday. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital and is in stable condition. [USA Today]
BANGLADESH TO KILL 110 MILLION RATS (203 Reuter 9/12) -- Bangladesh plans to kill 110 million rats in a drive to save crops and protect people against a range of diseases, officials said. The month- long drive began Sept. 1 with government ministers urging farmers to kill rats and deposit their tails with agriculture offices.
FIREANT FESTIVAL (219 Business Wire 9/27) -- The 13th Annual FireAnt Festival to be held in Marshall, Texas, Oct. 6 - 8, celebrates, tongue-in-cheek fashion, a critter that is feared and loathed in the South. Activities include a fire ant calling contest, Tour de FireAnt bicycle races, a rubber chicken "chunking" contest and a "gurning" (making ugly faces) contest.
BANNED TOXICS FOUND IN WORLD'S VEGETATION. Pesticides, including DDT, can be found in the bark of trees all over the world, indicating that they persist wherever they've been used. [USA Today]
BEETLES RELEASED TO FIGHT WHITEFLY. California state officials today will release thousands of ladybird beetles in San Diego county to combat an infestation of giant whitefly. [UPI]
POISON PRODUCE FELLS 540 STUDENTS IN SOUTH CHINA (218 Reuter 9/28) -- Some 540 middle-school pupils in China's southern Guangxi province were poisoned after eating vegetables polluted by illegal pesticides, officials said Thursday. The poisonings were the most serious in a series of similar accidents since July in Nanning. The ChinaYouth Daily blamed the poisonings on the greed of farmers who save money by shipping produce contaminated by pesticides they know to be dangerous.
COLORADO TOPS THE NATION IN SHEEP KILLED BY BEARS. Colorado has a population of about 10,000 bears and is one of the few states that reimburses farmers for livestock losses caused by bears. Colorado wildlife officials have embarked on an intensive education campaign to try to help bears and people co-exist. Residents of mountain communities, many of them migrants from areas without bears, are taught to store their garbage and pet food indoors, bring in bird feeders at night, protect livestock with electric fences, and cut down berry bushes near their homes. [New York Times]
WILDLIFE ADVISORY IS ISSUED. Health officials are warning people to be aware of all encounters with wildlife. The advisory was prompted by the death Tuesday of Maria Fareri, 13, of Greenwich, Conn., of rabies from a bat scratch she didn't even notice. She was hospitalized Sept. 25 in Valhalla, N.Y. Rabies in humans is very rare but always fatal once symptoms appear. [USA Today, Oct. 5]
GIRL'S DEATH BLAMED ON RABID BAT (216 New York Times 10/5) -- An eighth-grade Connecticut girl died of rabies, apparently because of exposure to a rabid bat. This was the third rabies fatality in the U.S. this year.
BEE STINGS KILL WOMAN IN ARIZONA (219 New York Times 10/12) -- An 88-year-old Arizona woman has died after being stung by about 1000 bees, and state officials said it was Arizona's first human victim of Africanized bees.
DENGUE - TEXAS, USA: UPDATE ===========================
The Texas Department of Health Laboratory has received specimens from over 150 patients for dengue testing. To date, 16 cases have been reported from throughout the state; one was locally acquired. Dengue-2 virus was isolated from this patient's acute serum specimen.
The following is abstracted from the August 1995 issue of Acces-Pesticides , University of Arizona.
"In the 1960's, a physician named Theron Randolph introduced the concept of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) to describe a syndrome that he postulated was caused by exposure to foods and chemicals. Currently, the concept of MCS is being used (although not exclusively) by a group of physicians referred to as clinical ecologists to diagnose patients with unexplained illnesses characterized by multiple subjective symptoms that are attributed to chemical exposure. Among the majority of the medical and scientific communities, however, there is considerable skepticism as to whether MCS is a specific syndrome and whether chemicals are the cause. At least part of this skepticism derives from the fact that MCS has no generally accepted definition or diagnostic criteria even among proponents of this proposed illness. The common denominator of the proposed and controversial definitions of MCS is a polysymptomatic, multi organ syndrome that is elicited in response to levels of chemicals and common foods and drugs that do not affect most people. The symptoms of affected individuals vary, but are typically multiple and related to more than one organ system with the more common symptoms being nasal congestion, headaches, fatigue, lack of concentration, and memory loss. Subjective symptoms as described above are generally the primary complaint in MCS patients and, to date, detailed medical evaluations have uncovered no consistent physical or laboratory abnormalities that would identify or account for the symptoms. This constellation of symptoms is similar to that seen in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome; however, in MCS the symptoms are attributed to chemical exposures.
"Clinical ecologists hypothesize that MCS occurs when a chemical exposure "sensitizes" certain individuals to react to that chemical upon subsequent exposures. This sensitivity can then generalize to other chemicals so that exceedingly small exposures to the initial chemical and other unrelated chemicals including foods and drugs can trigger symptoms and at levels well below those producing adverse effects in most other humans under ordinary conditions.
"The article in the Acces-Pesticides newsletter on MCS (December 1993) discussed sensitization of olfactory-limbic pathways in the brain as another possible cause for this illness. The olfactory nerves provide the most direct link between the outside (chemical) environment and the brain. There is no blood-brain barrier at this site as with other portions of the brain. The olfactory nerves communicate directly with the limbic portion of the brain, the so-called "primitive smell brain." This brain area is essential for laying down new memories (hippocampus) and regulates mood (amygdala). In addition, it supplies much of the input to the hypothalamus which in turn regulates autonomic nervous system and endocrine function. Temperature regulation, smooth muscle tone and appetitive behaviors are influenced by hypothalamic output. For many chemically sensitive patients, depression and memory difficulties are their most disabling symptoms, in addition to odor intolerance, symptoms which seem to fit a limbic sensitization model quite well.
"Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain how chemicals produce these polysymptomatic, multi organ responses. For many years, proponents of MCS have been focused on immunologic mechanisms to explain the etiology and pathogenesis of MCS. However, published articles on investigations of the immunological status of MCS patients show no evidence for alterations in their immune systems or any indication that MCS results from impairment of the immune system. The search for a theoretical basis of MCS currently appears to be moving from the immune system to the nervous system, and focusing on the neurotoxic effects of chemicals . Two as yet untested hypotheses focusing on the nervous system have emerged, one involving amplification of a nonspecific inflammatory response to low-level irritants known as the neurogenic inflammation hypothesis and the other involving induction of lasting changes in limbic and neuronal activity (via kindling) that alter a broad spectrum of behavioral and physiological functions.
"Opponents of MCS do not question the symptomatology of the patients, but question whether these symptoms represent a unique syndrome and whether they result from a direct toxic effect of chemicals. They hypothesize that MCS may not be a single entity, but a manifestation of one or more physical or psychological illnesses that have not been correctly diagnosed. This does not imply that toxic responses to a chemical or a complex mixture of chemicals do not occur in some patients but suggests that, on a case by case basis, different mechanisms (physical psychological) may be operating. Still others suggest that MCS is a belief system that is supported and reinforced by the clinical ecology subculture.
"MCS has been generating increasing attention in the media and action in the political and legal communities. The public is well aware of the many chemicals in our environment as well as the dangers of pollution and the effects of long-term exposure to asbestos and lead. Reports of sick-building syndrome due to volatile organic chemicals and carpets emphasize that indoor exposure to chemicals can cause illness that may be characterized by multiple subjective symptoms.
"Chemical sensitivity has been reported in several different demographic groups; industrial workers, occupants of tight buildings, including office workers and school children, residents of communities whose air or water has been contaminated by chemicals, and individuals who have $ had personal and unique exposures to domestic indoor air contaminants, pesticides, drugs, or consumer products.
"The limited data available at this time suggest that any mechanism or model that would purport to explain MCS would need to address the following clinical observations associated with this illness:
I . Symptoms involving virtually any system in the body or several systems simultaneously, most frequently, the central nervous system (fatigue, mood, memory, and concentration difficulties).
2. Differing symptoms and severity in different individuals, even among those experiencing the same exposure. 3. Induction or sensitization by a wide range of environmental agents, including pesticides, solvents, and combustion products.
4. Subsequent triggering by levels of exposure lower than those involved in initial induction of the illness.
5. Spreading of sensitivity to other often chemically dissimilar substances. Each substance may trigger a different, but reproducible, constellation of symptoms. Concomitant food, alcohol, and medication intolerance are estimated to occur in a sizeable percentage of MCS patients.
Some investigators attribute chemical sensitivity to underlying psychological problems. such as depression, to psychological conditioning, to stress, or to an inappropriate belief that chemicals are causing symptoms. However, these investigators have not ruled out possible chemical causes prior to making their diagnosis. Certainly stress or depression can produce some of the same symptoms that have been attributed to chemical sensitivity. The frequent presence of psychological symptoms in these patients, the current lack of a biological marker(s) or accepted case definition, and the absence of a plausible biological mechanism have hindered serious scientific inquiry into this condition.
Although many remain skeptical, concern about MCS is growing within the medical and scientific communities. There is concern for MCS patients and whether they are receiving proper diagnosis and treatment. There is concern that legislators and regulators are not basing decisions regarding MCS on scientifically substantiated claims. In addition, there is the awareness that interactions of chemicals (or mixtures of chemicals) with the human mind and body can be very complex and that scientific understanding of some interactions will require further study. [Source: Fundamental and Applied Toxicology 24, 22-28 ( 1995)]
We have recently received information on the following products. If you would like copies of any of this material, please call us on the DoD Pesticide Hotline, DSN 584-3773 or commercial (410) 671-3773.
Census Bait Blocks . A non-toxic bait block for indicating the presence of rodents. Zeneca Professional Products.
Nixalite® Architectural Bird Control Wires. Nixalite of America, Inc.
Tim-bor® Insecticide , U.S. Borax Inc. (We have labels, MSDS and other technical information available.)
Ecopic Bird Deterrent System, Predator Balloon, Polyethylene Knotted Net , Ecopic Company.
Bird Control Netting from InterNet Incorporated.
Chimney covers from HYC Company, Inc.
Victor® Roach Pheromone Trap , Wood stream Corporation
Trappit Roach Traps, GP-2 Natural Attractant for cockroaches, and other lures and traps for agricultural purposes , AgriSense.
Live Animal Cages from Havahart
Li'l Hummer vacuums , Miracle Marketing Corp.
BaitGun® gel insecticide applicator , Specialty Products
BirdPoint wires, BirdWire, Bird Barrier Coil, Bird Barrier StealthNet, Daddi Long Legs , Bird Barrier America, Inc.
4The Birds Transparent Bird Repellent , J.T. Eaton & Company, Inc.
Sprayers from H.D. Hudson Manufacturing Company.
Hot Foot Gel and Invisi-Net Netting , Hot Foot America L.P.
Maki Rat and Mouse Meal Bait Packs, Maki Paraffinized Pellets, Maki Paraffin Block, Maki Rodenticide Bait Packs, Maki Mini-Block, Generation Ready-To-Use Pellets, Generation Rodenticide Bait Packs (Pellets), Generation Pellets-Placepacks, Generation Rodenticide Bait Packs , LiphaTech Inc.
Again, if you would like any information on any of these products, please call us on the DoD Pesticide Hotline or send e-mail to chppm-dodpesticidehotline@amedd.army.mil .
If anybody has any excess New Jersey Light Traps, Mr. Bill Wildman, Fort Riley, KS could use them. If you happen to be on the installation closing list and are no longer going to need your traps or if you just happen to have some sitting around that you don't need or use, please contact Bill. He can be reached at DSN 856-2936 or by writing: Commander, USAMEDDAC, ATTN: PVNTMED SVC, FORT RILEY, KS 66442-5037.
17-21 December 1995. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting , Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, NV. Contact: ESA, 9301 Annapolis Road, Lanham, MD, (301) 731-4535, FAX: (301) 731-4538.
*** 1996 ***
23-25 January 1996. North Carolina Pest Control Association 46th Annual Pest Control Technicians School , North Raleigh Hilton, Raleigh, N.C. Contact: Doris Sevener, Executive Secretary, NCPCA, 2113 Louise Dr., Monroe, NC 28112, (800) 547-6071 or (704) 289-8617
21-26 January 1996. IX International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds . South Africa. Contact: J.H. Hoffmann, Zoology Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa. hoff@botzoo.uct.ac.za.
24 January 1995. Hawaii Pest Control Association. 2nd Biennial Pacific Purdue Conference , Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu, HI. Contact: Hawaii Pest Control Association staff, (808) 533-6404.
18-20 February 1996. National Conference on Urban Entomology , Marriott Hotel, Arlington, TX. Contact: Dr. Roger Gold or Lisa Rodriguez, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2475 (409) 845-5855.
26 February - 1 March 1996. Biennial Army Entomology Training Course , Holiday Inn Downtown, 318 West Durango, San Antonio, TX. Contact: MAJ Richard Whittle, Medical Zoology Branch, USAMEDD Center & School, Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234-6142, DSN 471-4278 or commercial (210) 221-4278.
4-7 March 1996. 17th Vertebrate Pest Conference , Sonoma County Red Lion Hotel, Rohnert Park, CA. Contact: John E. Borrecco, (415) 705-2873.
10-14 June 1996. DoD Aerial Spray Certification Class , 910th Aerial Spray Group, Vienna, OH. Contact: Dr. Terry Biery, DSN 346-1178, commercial (216) 392-1178.
26-29 June 1996. 1996 International Hazardous Material Spills Conference . Hyatt Regency, New Orleans, LA. Contact: Technical Resources International, Inc., ATTN: Debra DeBose, 3202 Tower Oaks Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20852.
13-18 July 1996. International Summer Meeting American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) , Phoenix, AZ. Contact: ASAE (616) 429-0300.
17-18 July 1996. National Spray Model and Application Technology Steering Committee Meeting , Phoenix, AZ. Contact: Jack Barry (916) 757-8342.
A bachelor's degree from college won't necessarily guarantee a job in today's economy. However, it should help you stand out in the unemployment line.
Which is the better indicator of rainy weather, the evening forecast or a picnic planned for the weekend?
One good thing about developing a common-sense attitude is that the supply will never exceed the demand.
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