Due to travel issues through Houston during the aftermath of Hurricane Ike (and we hope that life is returning to normal for the people in those affected regions, my appearance in California scheduled for September 16 has been re-scheduled for this Tuesday, September 30.

As termite season is upon us and the increasing abundance of rain out west is causing more activity than ever, I thank our friends in California at KMIR NBC 6 for allowing me to tell Palm Springs and Palm Desert viewers during the 9 a.m. Pacific hour how to combat termites and steps you can take to get ahead of the curve in terms of protection. Their website is www.kmir6.com.

As our two presidential candidates continue to debate whether they should even have a debate with the financial crisis of our country taking center stage, a number of scientists are warning of yet another consequence that could affect the entire world: a potentially dramatic increase in insect populations, leading to widespread disease, crop shortages and famine.

The impact of global warming temperatures on insects and humans is far reaching – forest and food crops could be affected and diseases spread by insects could have a wider range.

Nature has a delicate balance and it doesn’t take much – a slight temperature variation, or even a movement in the course of a river – to cause changes that move throughout an ecosystem. When the weather gets warmer, the deck gets stacked in favor of insects.

Pests like the cockroach, scorpion, mosquito and other parasites are among the most adaptable and successful life forms on earth. For example, cockroaches are among the oldest living creatures. They survived the Ice Age, and are believed to have persisted for more than 350 million years. With that record of success, we can be sure they will adapt and thrive in changing climate patterns.

We know that there is a strong, direct relationship between insect populations and fluctuating temperatures. By having experts study populations carefully and tracking the trends, we may be able to contribute significantly to the broader research that must be done into the global warming issue.

I’m now 1-3 in my college football selections, as the Fighting Irish let me down against the Spartans. I’m going to go with what appears to be a sure thing and take the Oklahoma Sooners over the Texas Christian Horned Frogs.

Be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends – interested? Visit www.facebook.com and friend the Truly Nolen Mousecar!

Barry The Bug Guy

Last week, I spoke about how insects have amazing abilities, much like our U.S. Olympians.  But I neglected to search for whether there was a “gold bug” in existence, which would have certainly been worth some attention.

One particular athlete has gotten the world’s attention this week – Michael Phelps.  As of this writing, Phelps is five for five in gold medals and has won 11 golds in his career, making him the most decorated Olympic athlete EVER.  In addition, he still has three events left, and should he win those, he would be the first person to ever win eight gold medals at one Olympics!

To celebrate this super-human achievement, I did some research this week to see if a gold bug in fact exists.  Sure enough, it does – but only in literature:

THE GOLD-BUG.

As it turns out, legendary poet and short story rider Edgar Allen Poe actually composed a story entitled ‘The Gold Bug’, which was originally published in 1843.

The story is about a man named William Legrand who apparently goes mad after he finds and is then bitten by an insect that was thought to be made of pure gold.  After being bitten, he encourages his close friend to go with him and search for a lost treasure buried by a legendary pirate named Captain Kidd.  Although his friend has doubts, they do in fact find the treasure, which was worth nearly 14 million dollars, and Legrand explains he had all of these visions after he first found the gold bug.

Michael Phelps! Michael Phelps!  This American is swimming mad! He has been bitten by the gold bug.  The riches he finds when he returns from the Olympics will be his own treasure.

Now if I can just uncover a Silver Bug and a Bronze Bug, we’ll be on to something.  With a nod to Mr. Poe, Quote the Bug Guy, Always more!

Barry The Bug Guy

As the games of the Beijing Summer Olympics begin tomorrow, our American athletes will be attempting amazing feats that they hope will bring them many medals on the victory stand.  This got me to thinking – insects may make pests of themselves, but it’s hard to deny they have amazing abilities that would dwarf some of our human record holders.

Insects have tremendous adaptability. Those abilities allow them to survive in difficult settings and can make controlling insect pests a challenge at times.

For example, fleas are known for their jumping ability, which helps them elude predators and find new places to feed.  Inch-for-inch, they would far out-jump even the best human long and high jumpers. A flea’s 13-inch long jump, when translated to human terms, would be 450 feet. For a human to jump the equivalent of a flea’s 7-inch high jump, he or she would have to jump up 250 feet.

The current world record for humans is a 29.5 foot long jump set by Mike Powell of the United States in 1991 and Javier Sotomayor of Cuba currently holds the record high jump at 8.08 feet, which means Trevell Quinley and Jesse Williams will be hard pressed to match those feats, let alone the insect translations!

The world’s best power lifters can find inspiration in one of the world’s smaller creatures: the ant. Ants can drag food that is 25 times heavier than their own weight.  That’s the equivalent of a 100-pound human carrying around one of our VW bug Mouse cars.

Although the Bug Guy is quite loud, Cicadas are the world champions of noise making. The African cicada produces a calling song with a mean sound level of 106.7 decibels. Two species of North American cicadas produce an alarm call with a mean sound level of 105.9 dB. Both decibel levels are near that made by snow blowers or jet planes.

We wish all of our Olympic athletes the best of luck in Beijing and hope to be able to stage a bug Olympics someday soon!

Do you have any Olympic memories?  Have you ever experienced a world famous cockroach?  Ever been to a flea circus?

Barry The Bug Guy

Each of us has heard someone say at one time or another, “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite!” While many children probably think this is just an old-time saying and that there’s no such thing as a bedbug, they couldn’t be more wrong.

In fact, bedbugs have been prevalent in the news throughout the country after investigative reports found some hotels crawling with them. This is how bedbug infestations usually happen: People bring these unwanted guests home with them. Add in the fact that bedbugs can live up to 18 months without feeding, and that a female bedbug can lay over 500 eggs in a lifetime, and it’s not hard to understand how an infestation can occur.

The truly disheartening fact is that outbreaks can occur anywhere – there are documented outbreaks within the last six months at hotels in New York, apartments in Texas and residential homes in California.

Adult bedbugs are reddish brown, and can grow one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch in length. Plus, they are not fast movers, so it is relatively easy to spot one on beds, linens, sofas and other places.

Two of the more common bedbug types are the western bat bug (Cimex pilosellus Horvath) and the swallow bug (Oeciacus vicarius Horvath). While these insects prefer other hosts, they can, when stressed, feed on humans.

Cleanliness has nothing to do with an infestation: Bedbugs are attracted to carbon dioxide, which every human puts out. They feed on blood, not dirt. So no matter how well-scrubbed a dwelling is, an infestation could happen. Heavily used hiding places are evident by black or brown spots of dried blood excrement on the surfaces where the bugs rest. Eggs, egg shells, and cast skins may be found near these places.

Usually there is an offensive odor where bedbugs are numerous. In early infestations, bedbugs are found within mattress folds and daybed covers. If left unchecked, they will work their way behind baseboards, moldings, wallpaper, and any other cracks and crevices in a home.

The most effective way to get rid of bedbugs is a thorough check of belongings after a hotel stay. If you are trying to control bedbugs in your home, consulting a pest control professional will be your best bet as they will be able to provide treatment for the problem and help assist you in finding where these creatures may be hiding.

Have you ever encountered a bedbug? Do you think Oklahoma City’s new NBA team should be called the Bedbugs? Let me know…

Barry The Bug Guy

With Major League Baseball’s 2008 All-Star Game less than one week away at Yankee Stadium, the “All-Star” list of summer pests reads like a who’s who of insects that can make your life that much more difficult.

Leading off with quite a buzz are bees, because they are not comfortable around people or animals, and any disturbance near their hives puts them on immediate alert. They will set up nesting sites in cracks in buildings, trees, underneath mobile homes, flower pots, old tires, playground equipment, woodpiles, and even at baseball games. In fact, in 2005, a spring training baseball game in Arizona had to be stopped in the fifth inning when a swarm of Africanized Honey Bees attacked pitcher Darren Oliver, who was fortunate to escape without injury. If that had been me, I probably would have had to change my name to Barry “The Bee Guy”.

Next in the classic lineup are fleas, which are equally pests towards humans and animals. They prefer dark places like sand, cracks and crevices and bedding and prey on blood. Fleas are responsible for spreading disease such as Murine Typhus and were the cause of the 14^th Century Black Plague that killed over 100 million people.

Like the other classic pests, Bedbugs can be quite a nuisance. Using humans as their preferred host, they are blood feeders that greatly enlarge after completing a meal. They are tough to control because they normally prey on their victims while they sleep. They are also not shy about moving from room to room in search of their next meal.

The American Roach often makes itself known by flying into a home through an open front door. Also known as Palmetto or Flying Water Bugs, they are the largest type of roach and are attracted to sweets, grains, hair and soap. They are normally found in home foundations, under wood and near pools.

Because they often carry illnesses such as West Nile Virus and Encephalitis, mosquitoes may be the most feared of all classic pests. Mosquitoes breed in standing, stagnant water and females need a blood meal to lay their eggs. Despite a very short life cycle, mosquitoes wreak a tremendous amount of havoc during that time.

Much like a pickoff attempt at first base, in terms of prevention, the exterior of the home is a pest’s natural environment. Eliminating mulch and decaying vegetation from around the home can help limit their access into the home.

Besides George Steinbrenner, is there a pest you think should make the “All-Star” lineup that I omitted? Should the U. of California-Irvine Anteaters warrant special consideration for an honorary “Degree in Pestology?” Are there players from today that translate well into certain insects? Look forward to your thoughts…

Barry The Bug Guy

The 2008 hurricane season began June 1, and with one named Tropical Storm (Arthur) already in the books, opportunistic pests will be looking for a chance to invade and infest homes. Much like your in-laws, you’re not going to want these pests to pay you a visit.

Did you know the high winds and flooding brought on by a hurricane create new breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes, termites, and other pests and dangerous species such as fire ants and brown recluse spiders seeking shelter and food?

While 2006 and 2007 were fairly quiet hurricane years, people all around the United States discovered firsthand in 2004 (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne) and 2005 (Katrina, Rita, Wilma) the destruction hurricanes can bring. From an insect perspective, the biggest problems we see during hurricanes and floods are standing water which is a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes. In fact, the mosquito larvae feed on the organic matter in standing water and this can lead to an outbreak of the West Nile virus in areas where West Nile is present in the mosquito population.

Another nuisance is a species of fruit rat (also known as a ‘roof rat’) that normally feeds on fruit, but when trees are damaged or destroyed during a hurricane, the rodents will enter a home in search of a new food source. Rats can fit through an opening the size of a quarter and mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. People may not realize that rodents are the number one cause of accidental electrical fires.

Insects can find opportunity when a roof is not intact. A roof that has been damaged in a hurricane provides easy access for a variety of insect pests. Insects are not a lot different than humans. They’re seeking safe harbor in a more pleasant environment.

I encourage homeowners to consider these helpful pest control tips when making their hurricane plan:

• Address low-lying areas on your property that need to be drained to properly prevent long term accumulation of standing water.

• Seal any openings or repair damage in the roof, walls, or windows of your home to keep out insects.

• Overturn plant pots, bird feeders and other containers that could create mosquito breeding grounds.

• Secure any trash containers so discarded foodstuff are not scattered by the winds and become magnets for rats and other pests.

• Trim overgrown grass or shrub areas before a hurricane to prevent those areas from becoming pest refuges during and after a storm.

Do you have any additional questions about how best to stave off insects during a storm? Have you ever had a close encounter with an insect during a tropical storm or hurricane that gave you a case of the willies? Has Flick from A Bug’s Life been to your Hurricane Party? Let me know…

Barry The Bug Guy