Life Sciences Commons^™

Pb1764-Managing Pests In Childcare Facilities, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

Everyone agrees it is important to protect children and childcare workers from needless contact with products used to manage pests. It is equally as important to make sure children and workers are not harmed or made sick by coming in contact with pests. For example, many people do not know that cockroaches can make people sick. German cockroaches are the most common pests in kitchens. They, along with flies and other pests, can spread germs that can cause food poisoning. Cockroaches can even cause someone with asthma to have an attack. Mosquitoes, ticks, rodents and birds can transfer organisms that …

Year-Round Diet Of The Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys Palustris, In Virginia Tidal Marshes, Robert K. Rose, Shannon W. Mcgurk

Virginia Journal of Science

The marsh rice rat, Oryzomys palustris, is the dominant semi-aquatic rodent living in tidal marshes of the Virginia coastal plain. Described as highly carnivorous, this species is known to consume a range of animal foods, including crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and arthropods, as well as some plant foods. Analysis of stomach contents from rice rats collected from Eastern Shore tidal marshes throughout an annual cycle revealed that all 103 stomachs contained dicots, 82 percent had monocots, 61 percent had crabs and insects, and 38 percent had snails. Thirty-eight percent of stomachs contained foods in all five categories, no stomach was …

Pb726-Common Ticks Of Tennessee And Their Control, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

Ticks are external parasites of mammals, birds and reptiles and feed only on the blood of their hosts. They can be distinguished from insects and spiders because the head, thorax and abdomen are fused into a single, sac-like body region. They have four pairs of jointed legs and no antennae. Ticks are found walking on or attached to their hosts or in areas frequented by their hosts. These areas include woodlands, weedy or brushy areas, lawns, dag kennels an dog runs. Ticks frequently wait for a host on vegetation along trails and paths traveled by people or animals.

Sp341-O-Silverfish And Firebrats, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

Silverfish and firebrats eat a wide variety of food, including glue, wallpaper paste, bookbindings, paper, starch in clothing, rayon fabric, wheat flour, cereals, dried meats and dead insects. Usually they are found trapped in a bathtub, sink or washbasin.

Sp290-A-European Hornets Tapping At Your Window At Night, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

If you've seen hornets attracted to lights at night, most likely it is the European hornet, Vespa crabro. This species can be quite intimidating as they buzz and beat against lighted windows at night. They are very defensive, so be sure to maintain a safe distance between you and the hornet.

Pb1599-Carpenter Ants - Those Big Ants In Your Kitchen And Bathroom, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

Ever wondered about those big, black ants in your house? You know, the ants you spray every time you see them in the kitchen and bathroom — but they keep coming back. Or, maybe it took the occurrence of a mating flight of the winged forms (usually in the spring or summer) to alert you to their presence, since the worker ants (no wings) are most active at dusk or in the evening. This publication will help you deal with this challenging pest problem.

Pb1596-Chemical And Nonchemical Management Of Fleas, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Figure 1), is the most common flea found on cats and dogs in Tennessee. These fleas are about 1/16 inch long and are reddish-brown in color. Fleas have bodies flattened from the sides with backward projecting spines so they can easily walk through animal hair. Parts of the legs are enlarged for jumping, which allows an adult flea to jump almost 200 times its height.

Most of us are well aware of the flea and the itch produced by its bite. Not only are flea bites irritating, but fleas can also transmit several disease-causing organisms …

Sp341-I-Carpet Beetles, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

Carpet beetles feed on animal and plant substances such as wool, fur, feathers, hair, hides, horns, silk and bone, as well as cereals, cake mixes, red pepper, rye meal and flour. Other substances include powdered milk, dog and cat food, leather, book bindings, dead insects, cotton, and linen and rayon when stained with spilled food or animal excreta. The larvae cause the damage. They crawl from room to room and live behind baseboards and moldings and in heating system air ducts, dresser drawers, carpets, clothing and furniture. Adult beetles fly readily and may feed outdoors on flower pollen. Four species …

Sp341-S-Head Lice, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

In the United States, approximately 10 – 12 million people, mostly children, are infested annually with head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis DeGeer. The first indication of an infestation is the itching and scratching caused by these bloodsucking insects. Examination of the hair and scalp will usually reveal the white or grayish crawling forms (about the size of a sesame seed) and yellowish- white eggs (nits) attached to the hair shafts close to the scalp.

Lice are usually transferred by the sharing of combs, brushes, hats or bedding, or resting one’s head on upholstered furniture or pillows recently used by an …

Sp503-B-Mosquito Control Around Homes, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

There are strategies you can use to reduce the mosquito population around your home! This fact sheet will describe the different types of mosquitoes found in Tennessee as well as strategies residents can use to prevent the buildup of the most common species found around homes, mainly those species that have larvae in containers such as tires, etc.

Pb1763-Bed Bugs - Making A Comeback In Tennessee, Too!, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

“Red coats,” “wall louse,” “bed louse” and “mahogany- flat” – do you recognize any of these terms? These are just some of the many common names given to the bed bug, a not-so-common bug making a comeback. Bed bugs take shelter in or near the cracks and crevices of beds and in bedrooms. They feed on human blood at night, often leaving an itching lump as a result of a bite.

Flower Insects And Related Pests, Larry A. Sagers

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Sp678 Forest Management Strategies To Minimize The Impact Of The Gypsy Moth, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Use of silviculture to manage gypsy moth effects gives foresters additional tools for developing integrated pest management programs. Silvicultural actions should be taken prior to gypsy moth outbreaks to reduce or minimize the potential damage that arises in stands vulnerable to gypsy moth. Three approaches to reduce stand susceptibility to gypsy moth are applicable. First, change the stand composition by reducing the proportion of favored species and increasing the number of non-favored species in the stand. This can be accomplished through intermediate thinning treatments. The percentage of favored species that remain should be less than 30 percent of total composition. …

Sp503-H Beech Scale, A Potential Threat In The Landscape, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

The beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga Lindinger) was first found in the U.S. in Massachusetts and Maine in the 1930s. This European insect feeds on American and European beech by inserting its long, needle-like, piercing-sucking mouthparts (or stylets) through the smooth bark, where the scale remains stationary throughout its life. This persistent feeding can stress the tree, especially during drought conditions, and reduce the overall vigor and quality of beech. However, it is this insect’s association with two species of fungi, Nectria galligena (a native fungus) and Nectria coccinea var. faginata (an introduced European fungus), that can cause mortality …

Reducing Pesticide Poisoning Of Bees, Howard Dear, Richard Beard

All Current Publications

Choose insecticides that are non hazardous to bees whenever possible. The more hazardous insecticide active ingredients include many of the organophosphates and the carbamates, and some of the synthetic pyrethroids and neonicotinoids.

Pb1522-Preparing For Honey Bee Emergencies In Tennessee, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

Life-threatening, bee-related situations are rare, but they do occur. Some situations require immediate response, while others are less serious, requiring an operator to answer a question or refer the call elsewhere.

Uncertainty causes delay that may cost the victim’s life. A response must be made quickly, because a person could receive hundreds of stings in a few minutes.

Pb595-You Can Control Garden Insects, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Insect infestations reduce yields and lower the quality of harvested garden vegetables. Three to seven generations of many insect pests attack garden vegetables during the growing season. All plant parts may be injured by insects. Some insects bore into roots, seeds or stems. Many suck large quantities of plant sap. Others destroy crops by chewing on the succulent foliage, stems or fruits. Plant diseases are carried by certain insects.

Safe, effective and economical control measures can minimize the loss from insects. Control can be maintained all season by a combination of cultural practices, mechanical control, biological control and chemical applications. …

A New Moustache Wasp In Dominican Amber, With An Account Of Apoid Wasp Evolution Emphasizing Crabroninae (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), Daniel J. Bennett, Michael S. Engel

Faculty Publications

A new, extinct species of the wasp genus Lindenius (Crabroninae: Crabronini: Crabronina) is described and figured from two exquisitely preserved specimens discovered in Early Miocene Dominican amber. Lindenius paleomystax, new species, represents the first record for the tribe Crabronini in Dominican amber and the southernmost record for the genus in the New World. The unique locality and habitat data begin to reveal a more complicated natural history for the genus than that suggested by Recent taxa alone. A checklist of fossil apoid wasps in amber is provided and the new species is discussed within the context of an overview …

Evidence From Mitochondrial Genomics On Interordinal Relationships In Insects, Stephen L. Cameron, Andrew T. Beckenbach, Mark P. Dowton, Michael F. Whiting

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Acquisition And Retention Of Bacterial Spores (Bacillus Atrophaeus) By Eight Insect Species, Kieron Marie Torres

Theses and Dissertations

Acquisition and retention of spores of an anthrax surrogate, Bacillus atrophaeus Nakamura ("BG") were evaluated in eight insect species. Species included: house cricket (Acheta domesticus L.), German cockroach (Blatella germanica L.), common house fly (Musca domestics L.), blue bottle fly (Calliphora vomitoria L.), hairy rove beetle Creophilus maxillosus L.), yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), common paper wasps (Polistes exclamans exclamans Viereck), red paper wasps (Polistes Carolina L.), red harvester ant (Pogonymyrmex barbatus Smith). Individual insects were offered BG-treated food and sacrificed at specified time intervals following one, two or three meals. Resulting samples were surface-washed five consecutive times then homogenized …