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"A Company with Heart"

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Thursday February 16, 2012
Posted by gerryweitz

Last week we went out to an inspection for mites. Sometimes we are able to help directly, though it can be extremely hard to find mites. Sometimes there are skin-mind connections or just pure psycho-somatic symptoms. But we do also find current or initial pest related reasons for feelings of mite bites. Often, even if we can’t find mites, we are able to help by identifying conditions that lead to mites, such as proximity to rats, bats, mice, birds and pets that come in close contact with these critters.

Anyway, last week we went on such an inspection but backed off immediately when we saw damage that had been caused by a pest control company that is active in flea control and attempted to do something similar for mite control. The company used Bayer Drione dust. They used a heavy volume applicator to push the pesticide throughout the attic.

The ceiling was very porous and no attempt was made by the company to seal the openings. I don’t think a good seal was ever really possible here. As a result, the pesticide came through openings from the attic and pushed down into the living space of this house.

The potential customer was complaining of heavy coughing. No wonder. Look at all the pesticide on this persons’ computer screen.

The potenital customer was told that we could not do any kind of evaluation until the current pesticide exposure was measured and most likely goes through a total cleanup – attic and living space. The customer was referred to Pro-Active Environmental Services, which specializes in the inspection and evaluation of environmental hazards.

It is due to the difficulty in controlling the flow of dust, as the term implies, that Hearts Pest Management RARELY uses dust and never with a high volume emitter.

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Thursday February 16, 2012
Posted by gerryweitz

I was recently at a meeting of pest control operators, where I learned that a warehouse fire in Fontana, CA, was caused by a heat treatment gone wrong. See for yourself.

This fire was caused by a pest control company performing a heat treatment in food containers. The containers exploded and damaged the warehouse. The heat from the explosion ignited the fire supression system inside the warehouse and that caused subsequent flooding which damaged tons of boxed inventory of food. All of this because the processing company wanted a “non-fumigant/chemical” option.

So while non-chemical heat treatments may be a viable option for termites and bed bugs, consider that the results of a non-chemical treatment can in fact be very toxic. All options have their own set of risks. This risk perhaps needing a bit more safety precautions, project management, calculation. Need I say more.

Tagged: bed bugs, heat treatment, termites

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Thursday February 2, 2012
Posted by gerryweitz

WESTERN FENCE LIZARD – AKA “BLUE-BELLY”

by Donna Walker

MTRP Trail Guide and Hearts Pest Management Customer Service

Hearts Pest Management, the leader in organic pest control for Southern California, provides a conscious, cycle of life pest management approach while maintaining an interest in the preservation of our natural resources and wildlife.   The Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), or “Blue-belly,” a constant companion to gardeners, manages the pest population in its own way by clearing a garden of beetles, flies, ants, caterpillars, spiders, and crickets.

The Western Fence Lizard Basks in the Sun

The Western Fence Lizard is often seen scurrying through vegetation to higher elevations where it will bask in the sun on a rock, (or a fence), regulating its body temperature and keeping an eye out for unsuspecting insects.  Common inCalifornia, the Western Fence Lizard is considered a spiny lizard with overlapping scales, lighter or darker in color depending upon their environment, and about 6 inches in length, including the tail.  Because the Western Fence Lizard likes to sun itself out in the open, it is often more prey than predator. 

Blue Belly Lizard Females Say All’s fair in Love and War

The male Western Fence Lizard has yellow on its thighs and a blue belly, hence the name “Blue-belly.”  The female also has blue on her belly but not on the throat and the color isn’t as vibrant as the male’s iridescent aqua-marine coloring.  The males are territorial and will do “push-ups” when another male is near, or when a female is present, showing off their blue belly.  Another interesting trait of the blue-belly is their ability to “throw” their tail to get away from an enemy.  Eventually, the tail will grow back; however, the female Western Fence Lizard is very picky about courtship and won’t even look at a male who has lost its tail.  Mating is in the spring at which time the female lays a clutch of up to 10 eggs that hatch during mid-summer.

Western Fence Lizard’s Winter Rest

If you wonder why you don’t see too many of these natural pest control agents during the winter months, it’s because the Western Fence Lizard becomes dormant, a hibernation-like state when its metabolism slows down and it becomes inactive, burrowing under rocks, layers of leaves or tree trunks.  

Beneficial Lizard Protects Us from Disease

The Western Fence Lizard isn’t just for entertainment and keeping garden pests at bay; studies within the last several years indicate in areas likeSouthern California, with a higher population of the Western Fence Lizard, there are less incidents of lyme disease.  Western black-legged ticks carry the bacteria for lyme disease which can be transferred to humans but when a tick feeds off the blood of the Western Fence Lizard, the protein in the blood of the lizard kills the bacteria and the tick is no longer a threat to humans.

Lizards in the Home

The Western Fence Lizard is a welcome companion in the garden and in the yard but if you find one inside your home, there are a couple ways of rescuing the blue-belly and releasing it outdoors.  The first method is called “noosing” in which you make a small loop with a long piece of string or dental floss and slip it over the lizard’s head, then tighten gently before it has a chance to race through the noose (this takes a little skill).  Another method is to place a small box over the blue-belly and slowly slip a piece of cardboard underneath the box to close the opening, then lift both box and cardboard and take them outside.  To keep lizards and other small critters from coming into the home, especially under doors, close off any caps ¼ in or larger.

Western Fence Lizard References:

University of California, Davis Integrated Pest Management                                       

California Academy of Sciences/

San Diego Natural History Museum 

Wikipedia on the Western Fence Lizard

California Herps – A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in California 

Barbara Bentler – Artist and Author

University of California, Davis – Entomology Department

Schoenherr, Allan A. 1991. A Natural History of California.Berkeley: University of CaliforniaPress.

Tagged: conservation, environmentalism, lizards, nature

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Thursday January 19, 2012
Posted by gerryweitz

Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, Fallbrook, CA

By Donna Walker, MTRP Trail Guide and Hearts pest control customer service representative

Hearts Pest Management – An Environmentally Activist Company

Hearts Pest Management is committed to the conservation and preservation of our natural resources.  The leader in organic pest control methods for Southern California, we at Hearts Pest Management do our best to provide a conscious, cycle of life pest management approach for our customers. 

Mission Trails Guides Journey to Santa Margarita Reserve in Fallbrook

As a trail guide and naturalist, I was invited to hike the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve in Fallbrook, CA where a group of us, led by one of the Reserve’s docents, explored the rich riparian ecosystem of native plants and wildlife.  The Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve is dedicated to keeping the land it in its natural state for educational and research purposes. 

Santa Margarita Creek and Oak Woodlands

Anxious to “get back to nature” our group started out along a path through the coast live oak woodlands where the docent spoke about the native oaks and the importance of preserving the land along the Santa Margarita River, one of the last “free-flowing” rivers in the coastal Southern California region.  Walking through the dappled sunshine, crunching fallen leaves, I felt like I was in the middle of a wilderness and could imagine the Native Americans, the Luisenos, trampling the same path in their agave sandals.

I spotted a small seedling in the middle of the trail with an acorn from the coast live oak still attached and thought to myself, “so that’s how acorns grow into big oak trees.”  I was too embarrassed to share my thoughts with my fellow trail guides because, of course, oak trees do come from acorns.  It’s just that I had never seen an acorn take root before and I was so in awe of this little life growing out of the ground. 

Further along the trail, I looked up into the branches of an oak and found what is called an oak gall, or oak apple.  These “apples” are not for eating since they contain frass (insect pooh).  Some galls are beautiful and different in color; the coast live oak gall tends to be a light reddish-brown or beige.  From my trail guide training at Mission Trails, I remembered that the oak gall is created by the larvae of a cynipid wasp.  The wasp lays its eggs in the bark or on a leaf, once the eggs are hatched, the larvae then begin to chew and the saliva triggers a chemical reaction in the oak tree, causing tissue to form into small balls.  These ancient coast live oaks host over 200 species of gall wasps, more than any other tree in the western states.

The White Lined Sphinx Moth and European Cabbage White Butterfly

Up ahead, several hikers were gathered around Bill Howell, MTRP Trail Guide Instructor and Naturalist, to look at the caterpillar he had in his hand.   It was green and yellow with a horn; a White-lined sphinx caterpillar.  This little guy likes to eat the flowers from the native evening primrose but in domestic gardens, it will settle for the flowers of a fuchsia.  The sole purpose of the sphinx caterpillar is to eat and get fat before transcending into its moth state.

White Lined Sphinx Moth in Wikipedia

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Wednesday January 4, 2012
Posted by gerryweitz

Our own San Diego trail guide, Donna Jensen, inspired by her new career at Hearts Pest Management, took to the Mission Trail this past week and came back thrilled by her find of a trapdoor spider.

Article by Donna Jensen 

Hearts Pest Management Customer Service and MTRP Trail Guide

Spiders, trap doors, jumping acrobats, oh my!

General Spider Information

Spiders can be identified by their 8 legs (jointed) and 2 body parts.  They do not have wings or antennae.  Since they spend most of their lives capturing and eating other insects, they are a natural form of pest management, however, they too can become pests once they decide to make webs inside your home.  Most spiders are not dangerous to humans but many of us fear them because of the way they look.  Spiders will bite out of their own fear and try to defend themselves when disturbed.  

Venomous Spiders

In California, the only spider to really be careful of is the venomous black widow.  The black widow usually lives in dark places like woodpiles, attics, and garages.  In size, it is a half to one inch in length; its body is shiny with a large abdomen and a red/orange marking in the shape of an hourglass on the underside of its belly.  Spraying with pesticides is more effective when the actual spider and/or egg sac is sprayed.

Another venomous spider commonly feared but is often misidentified is the brown recluse.  It is not native to California.  If the brown recluse has been found in California, it was most likely brought here from its native habitat, the south-central portion of the Midwest.  Like the black widow, the recluse likes to hide in dark spaces or corners.  It is about a half-inch long, and light brown in color.  It has 6 eyes rather than 8 like other spiders.  You can read more about venomous spiders and treatment for bites at California Poison Control

Scary But Fun Spiders

Jumping spiders are the largest family of spiders with more than 300 species in the United States.  Hunters by day they make no web but instead they stalk and pounce on their prey by jumping long distances.  Jumping spiders diets include earwigs, flies and such other pests.  They are easily identifiable by their large, middle eyes, giving them the keenest vision of all spiders and the ability to respond to any movement up to 18 inches away.  As true acrobats, jumping spiders attach a safety strand of silk just prior to leaping from one area to another.

Trapdoor spiders

Trapdoor spiders are curious looking creatures ranging from Virginia, South to Florida and West to California.   The California Trapdoor Spider lives in chaparral coastal sage scrub and mid-level forest habitats.  It burrows into the hillside and low embankments along trails making a perfect hole complete with a trapdoor hinged with silk for sneaking out and catching unsuspecting prey.  It resembles a small tarantula with shiny, rather than hairy legs. This spider is non-aggressive but may rear up and show its fangs if harassed. 

A close relative to the tarantula, trapdoor spiders are smaller and have shiny rather than hairy legs.  Their chelicerae (jaws) are strong like rakes which helps loosen the earth when digging to create their homes.  The burrow is then lined with silk and looks like a hollow tube.  The female lays eggs in the fall at the bottom and covers them with a sac attached to the tunnel wall.  Once the spiderlings are hatched, she cares for and feeds them all through the winter. 

When a potential meal comes close such as cricket or even a small lizard, the spider uses its strong chelicerae to hold the trap door shut, waits until it can feel the vibration of the passing prey, then quickly throws the lid open, grabs the unsuspecting prey and returns with it down the tube. 

Since the trapdoor spiders in California make their burrows along slopes in the chaparral and forest habitats, their distribution tends to be localized and may be subject to extinction because of local habitat destruction.  These spiders would not be considered pests but a species to protect.  Below is a picture of a California Trapdoor Spider taken on the Oak Grove Loop at Mission Trails Regional Park.

Tagged: spiders, trapdoor spider

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Tuesday December 13, 2011
Posted by gerryweitz

Toyon Christmas Berry – The California Holly

By Donna Walker
Hearts Pest Management

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), a native California plant, is our version of the holly and is commonly called “Christmas Berry” or “California Holly.” The red berries grow in the winter and are similar to holly berries. Toyon typically is found in the foothills, canyons, chaparral and riparian environments of Southern California. It grows 6-12 ft. tall with sprays of white/cream color, five petal flowers. Although the leaves of the Toyon are sharply toothed, they are not as prickly as the traditional holly and the leaves are a leathery evergreen, rather than smooth and shiny like the holly.

The Toyon sprouts readily after fires and is a shelter for local and migrating birds that enjoy eating its small “apples.” Toyon berries were boiled by Native Americans and then roasted underground for 2 to 3 days. The bark was used as a tea for medicinal purposes to cure stomachaches.

In the early 1900’s, collecting Toyon branches with berries was a popular Christmas decoration. The berries were also used for making wine, however, they contain small amounts of cyanogenic glycosides which are removed by cooking. Due to excessive collection during this time period, the Toyon was almost wiped out. As a result, a law was passed in the 1920’s forbidding collection of the Toyon on public land.


Because of its popularity, in the low hills north of Los Angeles, the city of Hollywood was named in honor of this “California Holly” shrub. Toyon is drought adaptive and is available at many nurseries that carry native plants. It is often used in landscapes and makes a wonderful addition to natural gardens.

Bibliography

Schoenherr, Allan A. 1991. A Natural History of California. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Reader’s Digest. 1982. North American Wildlife. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader’s Digest Association.
Farnsworth, Kahanah. 2005. A Taste of Nature. Benton Harbor. Michigan: Patterson Printing.

Tagged: California natural wonders

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Monday November 21, 2011
Posted by gerryweitz

If you are visiting the San Francisco East Bay area, take a morning to walk through the Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek. You can easily spend 2-3 hours wondering through the gardens. I was luck the day I arrived as they were exhibiting the works of local sculptures.

Here are a view of the succulents, cacti, ponds, local shrubs and trees that I found dotting the paths.

This sculpture was made for the person who takes pride in being a tree hugger!

The gardens are open most days of the year, 7 days per week. Follow this link to learn more about the Ruth Bancroft Gardens and visit on your next trip to Walnut Creek.

Tagged: Botanical Gardens

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Thursday October 6, 2011
Posted by gerryweitz

Fascinated not only by its’ ambitious title, but also by the breathe of topics within entomology, such that I had never before encountered, I grabbed Insectopia from the Barnes and Nobles shelf and “platzed” myself down on the floor for a good read. (I did buy the book).

Insectopia, authored by Hugh Raffles, approaches entomology from the highly unique perspective of an anthropologist, who tries to make sense of the “complex connections among people, other beings, and ‘inanimate’ phenomena.”

With Insectopia, Hugh Raffles takes us through a A to Z review of some unusual and thought provoking topics crossing entomology and anthropology. In his first chapter, Air, Hugh concludes “Stop. If you’re inside, go to a window. Throw it open and turn your face to the sky. All that empty space, the deep vastness of the air, the heavens wide above you. The sky is full of insects, and all of them are going somewhere. Every day, above and around us, the collective voyage of billions of beings…Too often, we pass through them unknowing, seeing but blind, hearing but deaf, touching but not feeling, contained by the limits of our senses, the banality of our imaginations,…”

With beautiful elloquence, hard facts and connective tissues to logical conclusions, Raffles describes the activity of airborn insects. Raffles first takes us back in time to the early period of human flight, when researchers began to study insects in flight from the altitudes that airplanes provided. He reports studies conducted that found thousands of insects, massive varieties of insects, in winged and wingless flight, that travel through the skies, not just near ground level, but as high as 15,000 feet! He explains how some of these insects are lifted with the air currents uncontrollably, but that others have clear flight patterns, whether they have wings or not. He mentions specifically ballooning spiders, not one particular species, but a characteristic of certain smaller spiders that will move toward the edge of a flower or some other peak, as a spider might view it, spread out their fine silk webbing (or gossamering) and legs in such a way as to be intentionally lifted aloft to be flown a few meters or thousands of miles.

Hugh Raffles poses a question that should sit for a while with any individual, pest control customer, pest control company, environmentalist or government agency that is involved in the good fight to balance, … dare I say control, the multitudes of insects around us. Simply put, how can we think clearly about “invasive species” when arthopods are flying about the world, even across oceans and to environments as diverse and the deserts and the polar ice caps? The unstated but obvious answer is that arthropods from over there are already here, sooner or later, but inevitably so. What might be the implications for infectious diseases and disease control? Think about it!

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Tagged: airborn insects, ballooning spiders, gossamer, Hugh Raffles, Insectopia, invasive species, wingless flight

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Tuesday September 13, 2011
Posted by gerryweitz

Two videos present the compassionate side of saving mice. You will hear the joy in the voices of these two young girls, when they are able to save these mice and give them a chance to live.

This father is clearly a good father. He is doing a wonderful job preserving the innocence and compassion of his daughter.

This young lady has great compassion for her “micees.”

So is saving mice the thing to do?

You can already see that children have a natural affinity for small creatures. They are able to see an animal’s natural beauty. The equation they use in their decision making is simple and pure.

Sometimes, these feelings and sense of purpose continue into adulthood and may even form the basis of strong religious beliefs.

But can we be so pure in our thoughts and practice?

The following two videos represent the other extreme. Though this is an extreme, it is a fair representation of the capabilities of mice to create serious sanitation and health issues.

In the pest control profession, we are forced to weigh the consequences of our actions – both for and against life. We may not be physicians; neither should we be soldiers simply trained to kill. But we do make decisions, as we must, that effect the ecosystem, as well as having direct impact on human lifestyle and health. Our choices are not based on luxury, but on responsible and timely health preservation. I would add that parents must also raise their children with a sense of responsibility that goes beyond the immediate reality to a larger scope when raising children to understand right from wrong. These are matters we deal with every day in our work. I assure you that we do not take this responsibility lightly.

The above videos show a caring parent and teen releasing mice into fields – one might say – where the mice belong. Parents have this luxury and may find value in teaching their children kindness. Legality and health issues aside, for a pest control company, this is simply not practical. Imagine hiring a pest control company to make a trip to your house and then having them drive out to the countryside to release the mouse; then to repeat this activity 3-4 times until all the mice are gone (if you’ve done a good job of sealing all mouse entry points to your house). One would have to expect at least double, if not triple the cost due to extra drive times, gas and probability of road accidents, which are major contributors to job costs. A parent does not need to make this financial calculation.

But now for the health issues: Simply put, mice are vectors of many serious diseases that have caused huge plagues. They are a well known cause of allergies and asthma. See this long list of rodent vectored illnesses from the Center for Disease Control

Social issues: Mice live in close proximity to humans and multiply rapidly. Two mice mating as much as 10 times per year could produce 120 mice per year! Mice do not use toilets, leaving unsanitary conditions behind in areas of the house that are not visible, such as wall voids and attics. They are silent killers. We find many homes in which mice are allowed to roam, causing total damage to furniture and safe occupancy. Think of mice as you might a dental issue, like teeth plaque. Often people neglect plaque and let it build up, all the while causing tooth and gum disease, with can lead to cavities, tooth pain, tooth extraction, and all the way to heart disease.

Being good to a mouse may be the kind thing for a parent to do for a child. But responsibility requires that we consider the private health hazards we create in our own homes by allowing mice to survive and multiply. And while some folks may express the sentiment as stated in comments that follow these videos on Youtube, that humans carry more disease than mice, that is simply not the case and there can be no moral equivalence between the survival of mice and humans. Without health tests for mice (not something that these families will pay for), there is no knowing what diseases or parasites these mice carry.

Legally, ordinances are on the books which forbid transporting rodents to public property, or for that matter, off your own property. These ordinances are on the books for public safety. See California Health and Safety Code 116125, which specifically states that mice must be exterminated as soon as their presence is known!

Our company does not do large animal trapping, because with a name like Hearts, we do not what you to feel that we are heartless when it comes to the survival of wildlife. We do care. But we agree that without the financial ability to do health tests, and realizing that it is unfair to place the problems of large animals on others’ property or that of the public, game hunting companies need to do what they do as a public service.

We believe that our governments have made the correct decision to control the spread of mice. We support the most humane methods of eradication and mice population control that we can find.

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Tagged: exterminate mice, kill mice, mice, save mice

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Wednesday August 31, 2011
Posted by gerryweitz

A pest control professional should spend time appreciating nature and understand that much of nature is beneficial or simply beautiful, something to be preserved.

Recently I have discovered BBC Nature, a website that contains some of the most beautiful and fascinating videos. Check out this video of monkeys in a natural hot spring in the mountains of Japan.

Tagged: BBC Nature, monkeys, nature

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