Whitworth Admin
Did you notice? Summer began a little while ago, but it began quite late. We had a very wet, cool spring. This year, as the spring continued to hang on well past the official start of summer, we received large volumes of phone calls and email regarding plant diseases. In some cases, these diseases had not been seen on the particular plant in question ever before. Diseases flourished in this cool wet weather and especially flourished when this weather persisted, not allowing plants to dry out. Some of the diseases that were brought to our attention included: Twig Blight on Atlas Cedars, Septoria on Poplars and Cottonwoods, Verticillium Wilt on maples, Shothole (Coryneum blight) on Plums. These were just a few of the many that came to our attention. At this point, Whitworth Pest Solutions and our Tree Care customers whose plants have been affected by these diseases are hoping to continue to get some extended dry periods that will help minimize or even kill some of these diseases and allow plants to recover.
Twig Blight Affecting Atlas Cedar
Septoria Affecting Poplar
Verticillium Wilt Affecting Maple
Breaking News: We believe we’ve discovered the next non-human life form that expresses their opinions without our traditional forms of communication. No doubt most people have heard of Paul the Octopus. Remember? He predicted the winner of the 2010 World Cup.
Paul the Octopus predicting the outcome of the World Cup
Well we stumbled across some subterranean termites–yes we’ve devolved a little bit here–that may have been trying to tell us something. Or it could be that “Whitworth Admin” is very tired at the moment and may be hallucinating.
Consider this picture of subterranean termite damage to a book:
Subterranean Termite Damage To Book
The patterns created are quite amazing and almost art-like:
Close-up of Subterranean Damage To Book
But upon closer inspection, we discovered this:
"The horror.....the horror...."--Marlon Brando (Apocalypse Now)
Are the termites implying they’re for smaller government by destroying a book that explains the Medicare drug plans? Has the world gone crazy? Do we really need another celebrity offering their completely uneducated opinion during this already nasty political season? As far as destroying books, why couldn’t the termites pick these:
The Passion, Secrets, Soul & what the...?
God Help Us.....
It seems Paul now is parlaying his celebrity status with a book deal? How ironic. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-10/octopus-oracle-paul-swims-clear-of-euro-gets-tentacles-on-book-film-deal.html. A book deal. It figures. Hmm…. Hmm….I could be the termites’ agent–they could have their book and eat it too! –Aargh
*Note: Whitworth Pest Solutions takes no official stance on government, politics, Paul or other Octopi . The views expressed in this blog entry do not necessarily represent the views of Whitworth Pest Solutions or its qffiliates. They are, however, representative of someone who perhaps possibly may stay up too late at times and possibly may think about pests way too much.
Due to our wet, cool spring the typical abundance of carpenter ant swarms we normally experience in April or May in Western Washington was delayed quite a bit. Whitworth Pest Solutions really began to experience a surge in calls beginning in late June and July. We’re still getting many calls now as we head into mid-August. The following is a short common FAQ on Carpenter Ants. The take-home message here is: be on the lookout for carpenter ants and DEFINITELY do not turn a blind eye to common ant sightings inside. This could be a sign of a serious problem and should not be ignored.
WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS LOOK LIKE?
They are the largest black ants occurring in Washington State. Workers range in size from 1/8”-3/4” and are solid black or their midsection may be reddish brown. Female swarmers are winged and up to 1” long.
WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
Carpenter ants are abundant in wooded areas where they live in hollow trees and fallen logs. In the spring, swarmers fly from the woods to search for new nest sites. Often, when woods are cleared for new construction sites, the displaced ants will invade the new buildings, whether they’re homes or businesses. The most common way nests are established is when worker ants swarm from parent colonies and migrate into buildings to form satellite nests.
I ONLY SEE A FEW ANTS PER DAY, SO WHY SHOULD I WORRY?
Occasional winged ants may just be wandering in, but if you regularly see wingless workers, they are gathering food for a colony and a nest must be nearby. Most ants stay in the nest and only 1-5 percent of the colony ever leaves it. For every worker you see, there may be 99 more in the nest.
I ONLY SEE ANTS DURING THE SPRING. DO I NEED TO WORRY?
Carpenter ants are extremely active during the spring and become more secretive during the summer, fall and winter. Their apparent disappearance during much of the year is typical of established nests when workers begin foraging outdoors.
HOW DO I TELL IF MY HOME (OR BUSINESS) IS INFESTED WITH THEM?
If you regularly see large black ants in the kitchen or bathroom, you probably have a carpenter ant nest somewhere inside. If you see ants regularly along the foundation, sidewalks or patio, you have a nest nearby, possibly inside.
ARE CARPENTER ANTS REALLY A SERIOUS PROBLEM?
Yes, they are the most common wood-destroying insect in the Pacific Northwest. Carpenter ants can chew into the major structural timbers of your home (or business-they don’t discriminate) while building their nests and runways. If ignored, they may cause serious damage, costing you thousands of dollars in structural repairs. For this reason, Whitworth Pest Solutions will take an aggressive approach (when required) when treating a building. We’ve seen what they can do when they’re ignored:
View of Carpenter Ant Damage in Wood
View of Carpenter Ant Damage Close-Up: Same Piece of Wood
This story appeared on television recently (see link below). Right about this time of year in our area we are inundated with paper wasp and yellow jacket activity. If you have a nest (or nests) on your property that you want to be rid of, call a professional. Attempting to destroy nests with water hoses or trying to knock them down can be dangerous.
Pictured: A Whitworth Pest Solutions certified technician removing a dangerous “bald-faced hornet” nest.
So far Washington State has been relatively “lucky” compared to most other parts of the nation that have already had years with hundreds of human cases of West Nile Virus. Unfortunately, this could be our year, as last year saw an upswing in human cases, with one death. This could be the sign of an upward trend in cases, but scientists aren’t sure. See this Seattle Times article from June 30, 2010:
Salt marsh mosquitoes, named for the coastal areas where they breed, travel in swarms and are vicious biters but generally do not carry human diseases. Their eggs, laid on dry land, must be moistened by marine water to hatch.
Terry Whitworth, owner of Whitworth Pest Solutions, is quoted in this AP story:
Mosquitoes are bugging Grays Harbor folks
To this day, mosquitoes are still a major issue in this neck of the woods, affecting Grays Harbor County and Pacific County residents every year.
