5 questions with Larry Pinto
Our question-and-answer session this month focuses on Larry Pinto, who with his wife and fellow entomologist, Sandy Kraft, has published “Techletter,” a bi-weekly training newsletter for pest management technicians, since 1985. Based in Maryland, Pinto has authored or co-authored more... Read more»
From the archives: Pest control for an atomic age
In 1951, the magazine offered a take on what would happen to radiation-exposed pests in a three-part article titled. Read more»
Conducive conditions: A different kind of mall rat
Strip malls offer several unique challenges to pest management. Typically, a strip mall has a number of stores unrelated to one another, sharing only a common wall and a common landlord. Sometimes they have a parking lot in back with... Read more»
How rodents resemble squirrel monkeys
Rats and mice belong to the order Rodentia and family Muridae. The word rodent is derived from the French word rodere, which means “to gnaw.” Rats possess two pairs of incisor teeth — one pair in the upper jaw and... Read more»Trapping roof rats with a sweet tooth
Follow the clues the rats leave behind as they feast on orange trees. At one time, three color variants of roof rats were recognized. They were known by the following subspecies names: Roof, gray-bellied or Alexandrine rat, Rattus rattus alexandrinus.... Read more»EPA clarifies use of dry ice on rats
Last fall, news reports surfaced of pest management professionals (PMPs) in three major U.S. cities successfully using dry ice (carbon dioxide, or CO2) to manage rats. “Dry ice is an effective way to control rats underground,” says Dr. Jim Fredericks,... Read more»
Door sweeps: Where insects fail, rodents succeed
Door sweeps are an important tool for exclusion, but there is a difference between insect-proof and rodent-proof. If insects were our only concern, this pair of door sweeps would be a perfect solution. If a pen can get through a... Read more»