Recent Technical Articles From Techletter.com

• OSHA HCS Training Modules. Ten free training modules and exam on the new OSHA rules on the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Click here.
• Bed Bug Articles. A complete list of bed bug articles at Techletter.com Click here
• Can Insecticides Ever Be Used for Midge Control? Chemical control can be used in certain instances to control midges, particularly if used as a supplement with other control tactics. There are two approaches: treating the water where the midge larvae develop, or killing the adult midges in the immediate area where people are being inconvenienced. Full story
• Potential Insecticide Application Sites when Treating Beds. Following is a menu of potential insecticide application sites associated with beds and some techniques for treating these sites. The number and location of sites treated with insecticides will depend on the extent and severity of the bed bug infestation. Full story
• A Day in the Life of a Female House Mouse, Mus musculus. Follow a female house mouse on a typical day in a building. Includes control tips. Full Story
• Insecticides for Bed Bug Control. Listings of insecticides labeled for bed bug control, including those with mattress treatment. Full Story
• Improve the Effectiveness of Your Termiticide Soil Application. How to get good coverage during application of liquid termiticide to the soil and to the critical areas under and around a structure. Full Story
• Where to Look for Fabric Pests. Fabric pests such as clothes moths, carpet beetles, and hide beetles are found not only in woolen clothing and carpets. They can be found infesting almost anything made of animal materials such as feathers, furs, pet hair, even brush bristles, animal nests and accumulations of dead insects. Full Story
• Preventing and Eliminating Odors from Dead Rodents (and Other Animals). The smell of death can be a major customer relations problem in pest control. You've gotten rid of the pests, say a group of rats, but the resultant smell may make your customer think that the solution is worse than the problem! Full Story
• How Messy Dumpsters Generate Pest Problems. Profile of a "nightmare dumpster": There it sits: a dirty metal box holding eight cubic yards of old meat, chicken bones, secret sauce, fried fish, vegetables, soft drink residue, greasy fries and wrapping paper all rotting in the heat. Full Story
• Preventing "Nightmare Dumpsters". Guidelines for good dumpster management to reduce pest problems. Full Story
• How Late in the Year Will Yellowjackets Remain Active? In late summer, a yellowjacket colony is at its largest (1,000-4,000 workers), but its social structure is breaking down. Yellowjackets are at their pestiest in the late summer or early fall. There are no more developing larvae to feed so workers are foraging randomly for themselves. Full Story
• IPM to Control Yellowjackets at Schools, Stadiums, and Public Areas. Yellowjacket management at parks and other public recreation areas, on school grounds, at festivals, football games, and similar outdoor events can be a nightmare. The sheer numbers of yellowjackets are intimidating. And there is so much sweet, rich food to attract them. Full Story
• How to Find and Treat Yellowjacket Nests. The surest way to control yellowjackets is to find and eliminate their nest. Of course, this can be easier said than done. The nest can be well hidden inside a dense bush, or buried in the ground with only a small, hard-to-see entrance hole, or located deep inside a wall void of a building. Full Story
• Should You Give Pesticides to Your Customers? "Come on," says your residential customer, "leave me one of those tubes of ant bait, just in case." Or the apartment property’s manager insists that you leave rodent bait with her maintenance staff. A word to the wise: Don’t do it! 6/1/06
• ...more articles coming soon.