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  Health Canada confirms again "2-4-D is safe to use"

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) again concluded in its final re-evaluation of the popular herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), that the herbicide can be used safely according to label directions for lawn, turf, agriculture, forestry and industrial applications.
In a news release issued about the decision, the PMRA stated, “Health Canada also consulted an independent science advisory panel comprised of government and university experts/researchers in toxicology, epidemiology and biology. The Panel agreed with Health Canada’s assessment that 2-4-D can be used safely when used according to label directions.
Jim Gray, executive director of the Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data based in Kansas City, said, “After reviewing an unprecedented depth of scientific data and expert panel reviews regarding the impact 2,4-D may have on children, adults, animals and the environment, Health Canada determined the herbicide meets all of Canada’s pesticide health and safety regulations, which are among the toughest and most stringent in the world.”
In 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Decision Not to Initiate a Special Review after more than 21 years of research and agency review.
“These most recent findings by the PMRA are consistent with previous decisions made by
authorities including the World Health Organization, European Commission, U.S. EPA and recent studies by the U.S. National Cancer Institute that deem 2-4-D to be a valuable and useful herbicide that does not pose human health or environmental risks when used according to label instructions,”
Gray added. This conclusion supports the 2005 and 2007 draft assessments issued by PMRA which found that 2,4-D can be used safely on lawn, turf, agricultural, forestry and industrial sites, when label directions are followed. The Health Canada 2,4-D Re-evaluation decision can be viewed at www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/pdf/rvd/rvd2008-11-eng.pdf
2,4-D is the ingredient used the most popular herbicides worldwide, applied to increase yields  in food  crops such as wheat, corn, rice, soybeans, potatoes, sugar cane, pome fruits, stone fruits and nuts. It is also a component of herbicides used to protect turf grass from weeds and environmentally sensitive areas from erosion and invasive species.
It is expected that elected municipal officials will consider this scientific evidence before passing laws that ban pesticides with the 2-4-D active ingredient.  This final study could curtail some environmental activist's propaganda based on fear rather than fact.

Hantavirus Deaths Confirmed by Wyoming Department of Health

  There should be a law against bedbugs!  There will be soon.

A bill pending before the U.S. House of Representatives would help Americans sleep tight by eliminating bed bugs’ bite. The Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Bill, co-sponsored by Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) would establish a matching grant program by the U.S. Commerce Department in consultation by the U.S. Travel and Tourism Board. “Unfortunately, it’s not a joke,” Butterfield said. “Fifty years after being virtually eliminated, bed bugs can now be found in all 50 states.

Federal funds would go to individual states to launch inspection, prevention and eradication programs. To qualify, states would have to require the inspection of at least 20 percent of its hotel rooms. The money would come from funds already allocated to Commerce. Hotels are a prime target because of the risk of transporting bugs to homes.

HOW TO GET RID OF BEDBUGS.
    Find the solution to your infestation on this web page

   Flying Ants May be A Warning Sign

It's that time of year for carpenter ants to swarm.  All along the British Columbia and Washington State Coast, flying ants emerged with the first real warm day, Friday, May 16.  "It's an interesting phenomena" said Larry Cross, a pest professional who has been studying carpenter ants for almost 20 years.  "How do the swarmers in every nest know, this is the day we have to fly the coop? My theory is they detect a considerable rise in barometric pressure.  This means warm and dry weather for a few days."  Everyone living in a wooded area along the coast experienced the swarm with hundreds of flying ants outdoors.  These are reproductive ants; future queens and males that emerged from nests in logs, trees and stumps.

Flying Ants Indoors are a different story.  These ants emerged from nests that have been established in cavities in the building,  They did not fly in from outdoors. Some may have emerged earlier in the year, being confused by warmer temperatures in the home.  Winged ants are just a small percentage of the nest population. Dozens of flying ants inside a home are an indication that there could be thousands of hidden workers chewing on wood to expand the nests.  Your best advice: call a professional and ask for an estimate. Spraying pesticides will worsen the problem.  Read more about carpenter ants.  

Termites Destroy Insulation
GAINESVILLE, Florida -- Termites eat more than just the wood in the walls. A new University of Florida study shows them dining also on home insulation, making it much less effective. 
Three types of widely used construction materials - 2-by-4 boards, five-ply plywood and foam board insulation - were exposed to termites for eight weeks by insect scientists at UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.  "All three building construction materials were damaged by termites, but the pest caused more damage to insulation than to either the wooden 2-by-4 or plywood samples," said Phil Koehler, an entomology professor who supervised the study.
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/15719009/detail.html  

  Harmless Sowbug/Pillbugs Are Number One Pest. 

Bedbugs may be getting all the attention in the media, carpenter ants cause a lot of concern every spring and termites will always be considered a serious threat to many, but sow bugs and pill bugs dominate the number one position as pests that invade our homes and workplace. 

For years, the most common question submitted to our “ask the experts” web page is: “How do I get rid of sow bugs (or pill bugs)?”  Similar questions include: “What is the best pesticide to kill sow bugs, why to I have pill bugs in my dry basement,  what do sow bugs eat, why do they keep coming back, why are they dying in my home?”  

It is interesting that very few professionals include sow bugs (pill bugs) in their advertising as a pest they control.  The logical reason is: they are not considered a serious pest and spraying pesticides is not a long term solution.  Charging a customer to eliminate a pest and having it return a short time later will not enhance the reputation of any pest professional.   The only permanent solution is to change the environment that encourages their presence: moisture and very high humidity.  Sow bugs and pill bugs are harmless in a structure but they are a symptom of a serious moisture problem.   

Spraying pesticides will kill most of the small creatures that are visible in our living space, including sow bugs and pill bugs, but a vacuum cleaner or fly swatter can be just as effective. 
Why contaminate your living space with chemicals?  Most of the pest populations in structures are not visible and over-the-counter pesticides available to the general public have no effect on these hidden creatures.  Changing conditions around the outside perimeter of a building can be much more effective.  

Do it yourself. If sow bugs or pill bugs are invading your space find out why they are there and the best ways to eliminate the problem on this web page:  Sow Bugs.

  Interesting quote:   "pop environmentalism"

"That's why I left Greenpeace: I could see that my fellow directors, none of whom had any science education, were starting to deal with issues around chemicals and biology and genetics, which they had no formal training in, and they were taking the organization into what I call 'pop environmentalism,' which uses sensationalism, misinformation, fear tactics, etc., to deal with people on an emotional level rather than an intellectual level.

—— Patrick Moore,
Co-founder of Greenpeace, explaining why he no longer supports the organization in an article from Newsweek

  "The effect of Malaria right now is equivalent to crashing
       seven jumbo jets filled with children every day". 
Professor Wen Kilama of the African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network in Tanzania
Read Full Story

In 2000, the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative set up by WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and others, pledged to cut malarial deaths by half before 2010. Seven years later the spread of the disease continues. The rates of death and illness caused by malaria has not abated.  http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/malaria/index.cfm

This is one of many question posted on the "What is this pest" page

1513  This bug was found in Rosedale, Chilliwack, BC.  Angela..  This is a giant water bug (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae), a.k.a. toe biter or electric light bug. They are voracious predators on aquatic invertebrates as well as the occasional tadpole or small fish, and can deliver quite a painful ‘bite’ if mishandled. See nos. 1498, 1457, and 1378 for other examples. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

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