About Bugs

With excerpts from "The Best Control"
by Stephen Tvedten

Ants Carpenter Ants Fire Ants Bees Fleas

Gypsy Moths Lice Head Lice Body Lice "Crabs"

Mange Mites & Scabies Dust Mites Scabies Mosquitos

---

Gypsy Moths

ORDER - Lepidotera FAMILY - Liparidae Description - The Gypsy Moth, now called Portheria dispar (Linnaeus), a species introduced from Europe, is the most common in the East; its larva does tremendous damage to the forest trees and about 500 different plant species. In the late 1860s a French astronomer named Leopold Trouvelot brought an obscure European moth then called Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus) to his home in Bedford, Massachusetts to develop a disease-resistant form of silk worm. Some of his captive moths escaped. Since that time there have been organized eradication efforts in the U.S. Despite these efforts, the gypsy moth has spread and become the most notorious forest/tree pest in North America. Note: The Gypsy moth was first identified in Michigan in 1954, and aerial spraying with DDT for the next nine years resulted in the "successful" eradication. In 1966 a "new" infestation was found and carbaryl was used to "eradicate" the Gypsy moth. In 1973, carbaryl and diflubenzuron were used by the Michigan DOA to "eradicate" the Gypsy moth. By 1980 the Michigan DOA "eradication" efforts continued and over 16,000 ha were sprayed with poison between 1980 and 1984. By 1984, the Gypsy moth had spread to 73 of the 83 counties in Michigan. Today, spraying of Bt and other toxins continue to "control" this pest. Male Gypsy moths are brownish, with plumose antennae, and are good fliers; the females are white with black markings; do not fly. They are in the Tussock Moth family. Lepidoptera all have scale-covered wings. Gypsy Moth Control - Scrape and remove all egg masses - 50% of all residential egg masses (containing 500-1000 eggs) occur within reach of the ground. Try to spray the infested trees with soapy water and/or diluted Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint Enzyme Cleaners or Peppermint Soap) - but if the trees are too tall - Gypsy moths like to migrate down the trunk during the heat of the day to find cool shade - so tie layers of burlap around the trunk of the infested tree and then late in the afternoon, lift the layers of burlap and spray them with diluted Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint Enzyme Cleaners or vacuum them up or brush them into a 5-gallon bucket half filled with soapy water - repeat as necessary. Install bands of Tanglefoot® or Vaseline® around the infested trees. You might also try parasitic wasps - some suppliers are A-1 Unique @ 1-916-961-7945; Arbico @ 1-800-827-2847; Beneficial Insectary @ 1-800-477-3715; Caltec @ 1-209-575-1295; Nature's Control @ 1-503-899-8318 and/or Natural Pest Controls @ 1-916-726-0855 - this shows promise but really has not been properly field tested. Aqueous neem seed extracts containing 0.5% extractable product sprayed on oak tree leaves gave 100% control of gypsy moth. Remove debris, bark flaps and dead branches every fall. Gypcheck is the registered name of a baculoviris or nuclear polyhedrosis virus, which is a naturally-occuring pathogen that can collapse high gypsy moth populations. The USDA - Forest Service has registered this microbial control agent for use against the moth. Azadirachtin, a tetranortriterpene present in Neem extracts, can also be used to control these pests as can diluted Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint and/or Peppermint Soap. Imported parasites that attack gypsy moths in North America Natural Controls & Parasites  Type Host Stage Generations per year Anastatus disparis   Wasp Egg 1 Ooencytrus kuwanai    Wasp Egg 2-4 Apanteles melanoscelus Wasp Young larva 2 Phobocampae disparis Wasp Young larva 1 Exorista larvarum Fly Larva Numerous Compsilura concinnata Fly Larva Numerous Parasetigena silvestris Fly Larva 1 Blepharipa pretensis Fly Larva 1 Brachymeria intermedia Wasp Pupa 1-2 Entomophago maimaiga Fungus Disease N/A NPV (nucleopolyhedrosis) Virus Disease N/A When the temperatures drop below -28o F on a single day or below -15o F at least 15 days, the eggs begin to perish in the egg masses. Try BT or Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint enzyme sprays or peppermint soap or diluted red dye if you must spray. Put Tanglefoot® or Vaseline® pest barrier around infested trees, shrubs and vines. In 1999 Delaware's Department of Agriculture announced that for the first time since 1981 it would not be spraying 49,000 acres in spring and summer; the 1998 virus and fatal mold applications had resulted in no egg masses in the Fall 1998 survey.

Back to Top

Lice

Head Lice

Pedicululus humanus var capitis

Adult - Head lice spread easily and infestations often occur at all social and economic levels, especially  among school children who are in close daily contact. At least 10 million children are infected each year.  Infestations are called pediculosis, which is a communicable disease. They vary in color from dirty white to reddish-brown to rust to grayish black in color. If the nymphal stages are passed on a person of blonde or light coloration, the adult louse is light in color, but if they are passed on a person of dark hair coloring, then the resulting wingless adult is more pronounced in coloration. They are small - about the size of a sesame seed.  They need a warm, moist habitat. They spread by crawling we have had some reports of a strain  that appears to "jump".  They live by biting and sucking blood from the scalp and can not normally survive for more than 2 days unless they are on the human head. Head lice aren't nice. Egg - Eggs or nits (that look like tiny white or tan dots) are usually laid by the female close to the base of the hair near the scalp and they are firmly cemented to the hair. The eggs (and the empty shell) are known as nits and are always oval- or tear-shaped, and are glued at an angle to the side of the hair shaft. They are usually tan when alive and pearly or grayish white in color after dying. The nits usually occur near the scalp (clustered in groups), but can often be found nestled behind the ears and at the nape of the neck. The hatched egg is easily identified by its opalescent and translucent appearance. Just before hatching the eyes and other structures of the embryo can be made out through the translucent shell. On hatching, the top of the egg opens like a lid. Live nits may be occasionally found anywhere on the hair shaft, but normally they are found near the scalp and they are "super-glued" on and do not flake off like dandruff. They are so hard to remove we invented the term "nitpicking" to describe the difficulty. One louse can lay 150 nits a month (normal lifetime). They hatch in about 10 days, depending on the climate. Nits need at least 82o F.; and 70% humidity to incubate. During the incubation time the respiratory passages of the louse shut whenever the nits are immersed in water and they can survive under water for over 24 hours.  Nuthall(1917) found 80% laid on hair and 20% laid on flannel.  The top of the egg or operculum supplies air and humidity to the developing louse. Nymphal stages - There are three nymphal stages, all of which resemble the adult except in size and possession of sexual organs, but they do have some change in color. During the first stage the nymph is a pale straw color and has no central nervous system (CNS) and, therefore, can not be killed using volatile, synthetic pesticide neurotoxins or by poisons that attack the CNS. The poisons and the "inerts" in these volatile pesticides can and do, however, attack your CNS! The gut of the nymph is clearly visible through the almost translucent cuticle, and when the first-stage nymphs have taken a meal of blood they are shining red in color, like rubies.  Afterwards the blood darkens and thereafter the gut appears purplish-black. The young nymph is able to feed  almost immediately after emergence and after this feeds regularly, at least twice daily. The nymphs and adults feed by pressing the front of their heads against the skin of their hosts; a series of curved teeth around their mouths then fasten on to the skin and the piercing stylets are released from a pouch where they are normally invisible, to pierce the skin. Saliva from the salivary glands lubricates the stylets and they begin to feed on you.  Enzymes create an extra "molt" they weren't anticipating and will quickly destroy live lice and help remove nits/glue. Lice can not become resistant (immune) to Pestisafes®, e.g., Lice R Gone ® , Safe Solutions, Inc. enzyme cleaners with peppermint or borax or heat. Length of life cycle - The egg hatches within 8 - 9 days and the nymphal stages take approximately the same length of time. The life cycle takes place, therefore, every 18 days. The length of the adult stage in the male is about 10 days and in the female can vary from 9 - 22 days. A maximum of about 6 to 10 nits/eggs are laid each day by each female and the maximum hatch rate has been found to be 88%. All lice feed on blood every 3 - 6 hours and can only survive about 20 - 48 hours without a blood meal. Nits are the size of the period at the end of this sentence.  At cooler temperatures (50 - 68 o F) eggs may hatch up to 30 days later. Pediculus humanus capitus (DeGeer) - Adult head lice are gray and about 1/8 inch long about the size of a sesame seed. They often have a tiny dot on their backs. They thrive only on human hair and scalps. Hatching occurs about one week after attachment. Since lice go through a gradual/simple metamorphosis, the tiny nymphs resemble adults. They grow to maturity in about 10 days. Adult lice mate and the female can lay about 50-150 eggs, but often falls short of that in her life of only several weeks. Wetting the hair and rubbing the scalp with a towel irritates the adult lice and makes them move about, aiding in their detection. You may wish to simply shave off the hair and thus remove the infestation, or you may soak the hair with baby oil until you feel the nits "move" or loosen and then use a lice comb and then shampoo, or sauna and/or wash your hair with Lice R Gone®, diluted enzyme cleaners, peppermint or neem soap or salt water and vinegar and/or borax laundry powder before trying anything more toxic. Wash your hair with Lice R Gone®; leave on for 15 minutes or until you feel the nits move freely off the hair shaft, then rinse or comb with a metal lice or flea comb if you wish. If any nits remain, then use your favorite hair conditioner and comb them out. Then go to your public health practitioners for an examination. In the United States, lice live in the head hair of pre-schoolers and of children of elementary school age (only rarely on adolescents or adults). This could simply be because little children hate having their hair shampooed with soap. Lice scuttle about on the scalp between hairs with much more speed than expected of a small, soft, wingless insect with slender hair grasping claws on the end of blunt legs. They are very sensitive to dry heat, so we advise saunas and/or hair dryers rather than poison head/hair treatments. They are sensitive to oil, so we also advise adding a conditioner and/or soaking the hair with olive, coconut or baby oil to kill the lice and help remove the nits. Pestisafes® such as Safe Solutions, Inc. Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint or Lice R Gone® contain basically dish soap, peppermint oil and meat tenderizer, all things to which lice are sensitive. (Be sure you are not sensitive too!) Salt water will also kill lice, but will not remove the nits. Close adaptation locks head lice into the human scalp in several ways. First, louse claws grasp human hair so firmly that they do not fall or wander out of it and yet they can crawl fast. Second, head lice suck blood by grasping the scalp with tiny hooks that surround their mouth, and painlessly pierce the skin with slender stylets. (Head lice feed several times a day but do not engorge themselves.) Most importantly, head lice neatly glue their eggs (called nits) to the hair shaft, usually within ¼ inch of the scalp. The tiny, pearl-like eggs (they look like miniature wax tear drops) stick alongside the hair so tightly that they can be dislodged only by being torn from their neat sleeve of biological glue by fingernails or a metal lice comb or enzyme cleaners. Usually nits found further away from the scalp than ½ inch will have already hatched; what is found is the empty shell which remains attached. The easiest way to remove cemented eggs is to cut them out or try to soak the hair in vinegar or baby oil or in diluted Lice R Gone® for 10 - 30 minutes; them comb out with a metal nit or flea comb. If any nits still remain, apply your favorite hair conditioner and recomb. How head lice are spread from child to child other than crawling is not well known, but they do not jump off or freely wander onto coat collars or hats, since they are restricted to humans with a scalp surface temperature of around 80 o F. or a little more, but head-to-head contact and sharing of clothing, hair ornaments and grooming materials are thought to be the normal routes of invasion. Temperature preference and perhaps humidity is so critical that lice easily die at elevated temperatures and from excess perspiration - so sauna! Conversely, at lower surface temperatures (about 50 o F.) lice become torpid and do not move or feed. A reasonable speculation is that head louse nymphs hatch from nits on hair shafts snatched by brushes and deposited on knit hats. The tiny nymphs then move toward the warmth of the next head covered by the cap or brushed by the brush. This normally limits transmission to siblings that have their hair brushed with a "family brush" or children who share knit hats or hair brushes of friends. Get your own brush and cap and become "selfish". Louse infestations are often discovered by school teachers who are watching for the signs of itching heads and/or frequent scratching, but classroom neighbors are not as likely to be infested as are brothers and sisters or close friends that sleep over with head-to-head contact or share combs and hair brushes and/or head gear. (American) head lice have been shown by surveys in several large eastern cities to infest the heads of Caucasian and oriental children but they very seldom infest those of African Americans (whose hair may be more oily and flattened). If you are using Lice R Gone® - wash your hair again in 5 - 10 days with the same protocol, if necessary. Be sure not to confuse nits with hair debris such as irregularly-shaped clumps of dandruff stuck to the hair shaft or elongated segments of dandruff encircling the hair shaft - that are easily dislodged. You have to get rid of all the nits on the hair shafts to prevent a reinfestation; use a bright light, a magnifying glass and metal (nit/flea) comb. South Florida kids have been kept out of school 68 days at a time per Terry Meinking, B. A. at a Hyatt Regency meeting in Tampa on 5/4/99. For every 4 children found to be infested with head lice by the comb method, only 1 child was found to be infested by the visual method. The punctures the lice make while feeding and people make by scratching will transfer bacterial infections, which explains the statement "feeling lousy." Vaseline, which is a mix of mineral oil and wax, can be applied 5 times a day for a week to eyelashes if eyelashes are found to be infested with head or crab lice, but Vaseline is very flammable!

Body Lice

Pediculus humanis var corporis

Appearance - The body louse is very similar to the head louse; the body louse is usually 10% - 20% larger, has thinner antennae, not as deep abdominal indentations, with better developed abdominal muscles than the head louse. Life Cycle Egg - This again is generally similar to that of the head louse. The eggs are glued to fibers of clothing and are sometimes found stuck to body hairs. Most eggs are usually found in the seams of clothes which come in contact with the skin where the adults and the nymphal stages are to be found. The body louse lays about twice as many eggs as the head louse and the nits can remain dormant for a period up to 30 days. Nymphs - Body louse nymphs spend the greater part of their time in the clothing, and feeding on the host only takes place when the host is resting or sleeping. All stages of the body louse congregate together, being attracted to each other by smell, e.g., the odor of the excrement. Body lice crawl about the clothing, generally keeping close to the host's body, although in heavy infestations they may be seen crawling outside on the outer garments. Length of life cycle - The body louse adults live about twice as long as head lice, are more resistant to starvation and exhibit less mortality during development. Body lice females may deposit 200 or more eggs , usually attaching them to clothing fibers. The development period is similar to that of head lice, but they may remain dormant for up to 30 days. The life history of crab lice is also similar except that the young require 2 to 2-½ weeks to mature and the adults normally live about a month. Human lice usually cannot survive for long when separated from their host. Head and body lice leave the host or clothing voluntarily only when the host has died for becomes hot with fever or has gone into a sauna, or when they try to avoid strong light or to transfer to another host in close personal (sexual) contact. Human lice are completely dependent upon human blood for sustenance. Lice feed frequently, usually every 3 to 6 hours, and can not usually survive more than 48 hours away from the human body. Their bites cause bad itching and red spots about the size of a mosquito bite - but remember it may take as long as 2 - 3 weeks (or even more) for some people to experience the intense itching associated with an infestation of pediculosis.

"Crabs"

Phthirus pubis (Linnaeus)

Appearance - This insect is easily differentiated from the head louse and body louse by the strong thick  claws of the mid and hind legs, while the claws of the fore legs are long and fine. The body is broader than  long, contrasting with both other species of Pediculus humanus. Life cycle - The egg is slightly smaller than that of Pediculus and it is glued to a body hair with more  cement. The egg hatches in 7 - 8 days. The three nymphal stages do not wander far from the hair, which is  grasped with the tarsal claws. Several hours are usually taken to complete each bloodsucking meal.  They  occasionally are found on eye lashes and eye brows. The nymphs become adults in from 13 - 17 days and it seems probable that the length of adult life is not  more than one month. Fewer eggs are laid than Pediculus. The adult is thought to be unable to survive longer  than 24 hours when removed from its host. Crab lice usually die within 24 hours if separated from their host. This short survival and their sluggish movement inhibit the spread of crab lice, except through intimate (sexual) personal contact or in extremely crowded living and sleeping conditions where they can and do spread readily. Crab lice may be (but rarely are) spread by nits on loose hairs left on bedding, towels and toilets by infested persons. Crab or Pubic Lice Overview Adult crab lice are only a little over half the size of body or head lice, rarely more than 1/12" long; their last two pairs of legs terminate in hooked mitts that resemble crab claws. These lice are confined to coarse pubic hair and sometimes armpits, eyebrows and eyelashes. Pubic lice move very little in the pubic region and produce few eggs. The most common method of transmission of crab or public lice is by sexual intercourse.  When infested pubic hair detaches, lice can hatch on underwear, towels, in beds, or on toilet fixtures. If their immediate environment is above 50o F., a pair of pubic lice could infest another person without personal contact.

Back to Top

What's in the products you may be using?

Most of the "active ingredients" listed below are FDA approved for use as pediculicides and scabicides and EPA registered pesticides.

Little or no research has been done on effects to the environment or people.  For the EPA uses, it against federal law for the manufacturers, government, pest control operators to call these chemicals safe even when following labeled directions. 

Product	Active Ingredients	Inert Ingredients	USE	Precautions
RID® Lice Killing Shampoo	Piperonyl Butoxide 4%, Pyrethrum Extract equivalent to .33%  Pyrethrins. Read more about this poison	C13-C14 Isoparaffin, Fragrance, Isopropyl Alcohol, PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Water, Xanthan Gum.	On adults and kids for lice and scabies	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes, don't exceed 10 minutes on body.
RID® Mousse Maximum Strength	Same As Above	Cetearyl Alcohol; Isobutane; PEG-20 Stearate; Propane; Propylene Glycol; Purified Water; Quaternium-52; SD Alcohol 3-C (26.5% W/W)	On adults and kids for lice and scabies	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes, don't exceed 10 minutes on body.Flammable: Keep away from fire or flame
RID® Lice Control Spray	Permethrin 0.5% Read more about this poison	( 3-phenoxyphenyl) methyl (±) cis/trans 3-(2,2-dichloroethenyl) 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate. Cis/trans ratio: min. 35% (±) cis and max. 65% (±) trans.	Spray on furniture, bedding, toys, etc., etc., for lice, scabies.	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes, don't allow contact with skin . Hazards to humans and domestic animals .
NIX®	Permethrin (1%)  Read more about this poison	Balsam Canada, Cetyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow No. 6, Fragrance, Hydrolyzed Animal Protein, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polyoxyethlene 10 Cetyl Ether, Propylene Glycol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Water, Isopropyl Alcohol 5.6g  (20%), Methylparaben 56mg (0.2%), and Propylparaben 22mg  (0.08%).	On adults and kids for lice and scabies ( Note: Rid Lice Control Spray (above) has half the amount of Permethrin but warns that it is hazardous to humans and don't allow it to come into contact with skin.   Does this make sense when applying this dissolution of permethrin to your family's head and body?)	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes, don't exceed 10 minutes on body.
R&C®	Pyrethrum Extract (33%), Piperonyl Butoxide (3.0%)	C13-14 Isoparaffin, Fragrance, Isocetyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Lauramine Oxide, Laureth-4, Laureth-23, Petroleum Distillate, Polyquarternium -11, Purified Water, TEA-Lauryl Sulfate	On adults and kids for lice and scabies	Do not administer to children under age 2
Elimite®	Permethrin (5%) Read more about this poison	butylated hydroxytoluene, carbormer 934P, fractionated coconut oil, glycerin,  glyceryl monostearate, isopropyl myristate, lanolin alcohol, mineral oil, polyoxyethylene cetyl ethers, purified water and sodium hydroxide.  Formaldehyde 0.1% is added as a preservative.	On adults and kids for lice and scabies	Note:  Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen
Acticin®	Permethrin (5%) Read more about this poison	butylated hydroxytoluene, carbomer 934P coconut oil, glycerin, glyceryl stearate, isopropyl myristate, lanolin alcohols, light mineral oil, polyoxyethylene cetyl ethers, purified water, and sodium hydroxide. Formaldehyde 1 mg (0.1%)
Clear®  Lice Killing Shampoo	pyrethrum extract (.33%) with piperonyl butoxide (4.0%) Read more about this poison		On adults and kids for lice and scabies	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes, don't exceed 10 minutes on body.
Pronto®	Piperonyl Butoxide 4%, Pyrethrum Extract   0.33%.  Read more about this poison	Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Benzyl Alcohol, BHT, Decyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Isopropyl Alcohol, Glycerin, PEG-14M, Poloxamer 183, Purified Water.	On adults and kids for lice and scabies	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes,  don't exceed 10 minutes on body.
Lyclear™ Crème Rinse Manufacturer:  GlaxoWellcome	Permethrin                1.0 % m/m Read more about this poison	Methyl hydroxybenzoate 0.2 % m/m Propyl hydroxybenzoate 0.8 % m/m	On adults and kids for lice and scabies	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes, don't exceed 10 minutes on body.
Kwell®, Kildane®, Scabene®, Bio-Well®, BBH, G-well, Kildane®       Kwildane®        Thionex®	Lindane (1%) Read more about this poison		On adults, kids, plants	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes,
Ovide ®	Malathion 0.5% Read more about malathion Consumer Reports	Isopropyl alcohol (78%); terpineol, dipentene and pine needle oil.	On adults and kids for lice and scabies.  Caution different sources do not recommend this poison for children 6 and under or 2 and under.	Don't inhale, don't drink, don't get in eyes,  keep away from open flame (it is flammable)
Derbac-M  Suleo-M  Prioderm	Malathion 0.5% Read more about this poison
Lice Rid	Malathion 0.5% (5mg/mL Maldison, and a solvent)	Maldison is another name of Malathion.	See Above
Eurax®	Crotamiton 10%	beeswax, fragrance, glycerin, glyceryl monostearate, lanolin, methylparaben, oxyquinoline sulfate, paraffin, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate and propylparaben. Alcohol- and bisulfite-free.
Stromectol	ivermectin
Bactrim® Septra®	TMP-SMX	unknown		Antiboitic - May be prescribed for use with Nix?

Back to Top