Winters in South Florida Happy Holidays!

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1 PROFESSIONALS PROTECTING PEOPLE & PROPERTY SINCE 1956 Winters in South Florida Happy Holidays! The holiday season is upon us once again and families across the country are getting in the spirit by stringing festive lights, wrapping presents and decorating their homes. While such holiday preparations may seem innocuous, they can provide opportunities for pests like spiders, ticks, ants and mice to be inadvertently brought indoors. One of the most common ways that pests are introduced into homes during the holidays is via Christmas trees, wreaths and firewood. Ants, spiders, ticks and other pests can hide deep in the branches of trees and in crevices of wood. In some cases, insects may even lay eggs in trees or garland. When brought indoors, the eggs will hatch creating a major pest infestation in the home. To prevent bringing pests into your home on live trees and other greenery, take a few minutes to carefully inspect such items before bringing indoors. Look for insects, nests or eggs, and shake off greenery outdoors to rouse any hidden tenants. Another way that pests can access our homes this time of year is through boxes of decorations, which are often stored in attics, garages and crawlspaces - all favorite hiding spots for pests. Mice and other pests find their way into the boxes of during the off-season. When homeowners unpack their decorations, they may find live or dead pests and droppings inside. Unfortunately, in some cases, they may also find that holiday decorations have been chewed or destroyed by pests. When it's time to decorate, unpack holiday items outside and inspect all items carefully for signs of pests, droppings, gnaw marks or other damage before bringing them indoors. Pay special attention to strings of lights to ensure that wiring has not been frayed by pests. Perhaps the most important step you can take to prevent pests during the holidays comes at the end of each season, when it's time to take down the tree and pack up the decorations. Store holiday décor in hard, plastic bins with tightly sealed lids instead of cardboard boxes or bags that can easily be chewed through. Do not pile discarded live trees or cut firewood near your home, as this can attract mice, termites and other pests. Remember, if you see signs of pests or suspect an infestation this holiday season, contact a Petri s Positive Pest Control to inspect your home and treat the problem promptly so that you can get back to enjoying the festivities in a pest-free home. Christopher Cavanagh, Editor Associate Certified Entomologist Common North American species are brownish, one to 2.5 to 4 cm long; segmented, with two pair of legs per segment. People find millipedes under mulch, piles of dead leaves, or under piles of grass clipping. Millipedes also live under structures like dog houses and storage sheds. Millipedes thrive in places where the soil stays damp. They eat dead leaves and decaying wood particles that they find.

2 Unwanted Holiday Pests! Every Christmas tree can harbor insects, mites, or spiders. Some of these may remain on the tree into winter and could become active after being exposed to the warm temperatures inside the home. Although many will stay on the tree, a few may be attracted to sources of light, including windows. 10. Ticks Crawl Up 9. All ticks (including deer ticks) come in small, medium and large sizes 8. Ticks can be active even in the winter 7. Ticks carry disease-causing microbes 6. Only deer ticks transmit Lyme disease bacteria 5. For most tick-borne diseases, you have at least 24 hours to find and remove a feeding tick before it transmits an infection 4. Deer tick nymphs look like a poppy seed on your skin 3. The easiest and safest way to remove a tick is with a pointy tweezer. 2. Clothing with built-in tick repellent is best for preventing tick bites Preventing introduction of these "pests" into your home is the best, and easiest, plan. Vigorously shaking the tree before bringing it into your home will help remove pests, and will also remove any loose needles. Bird nests, although considered decorative by some people, may contain bird parasites such as mites and lice. They should be removed by hand if not dislodged by shaking. Any egg masses on the trees, including those of praying mantids and Gypsy moth, should also be removed. Pestimonials WANTED! Let us know how we re doing and we ll feature your pestimonial on our website! info@petrispestcontrol.com 1. Tick bites and tick-borne diseases are completely preventable Top 10 courtesy

3 BROWN PATCH FUNGUS CARING FOR YOUR LAWN Here are some fun and EASY bug crafts that kids can do on their own! Large patch or brown patch fungus can affect all warmseasoned turfgrasses, especially St. Augustine grass. This disease is most likely to be observed from November through May when temperatures are below 80*F. Infection is triggered by rainfaull, excessive irrigation, or extended periods of high humidity resulting in the leaves being continously wet for 48 hours or more. Preventative Control: Irrigate only when necessary and do so only in the early morning hours (between 2:00am 8:00am) when dew is already present. Since mowers can spread this disease, mow diseased areas last, and wash turf clippings off the mower before proceeding to the next site. Avoid excess nitrogen during November through May. Instead, use slow-release nitrogen sources. It s important to keep in mind that for the diseased turfgrass to recover, it must be actively growing. Symptoms do not disappear until new leaves develop and the old leaves are removed by moving or decomposition. Since the disease normally occurs when the turfgrass is not growing very rapidly, recovery may be very slow. The fungicides simply stop the disease from spreading they do not promote turfgrass growth. --University of Florida IFAS Extension Best Wishes for a Pest-free Holiday Season From all of us at Petri!

4 The largest insects that ever lived were dragonfly-like bugs of the order Protodonata, sometimes referred to as griffinflies. They had wingspans of nearly 2.5 feet across and huge mandibles, making them formidable predators. Thankfully, they went extinct a long time ago at the end of the Paleozoic Era. Endemic to New Zealand, giant wetas are enormous bugs that are related to crickets. The largest giant wetas can weigh in excess of 70 grams (about 2.5 ounces), making them among the heaviest insects in the world. (They can weigh more than a sparrow.) They are long too, with bodies measuring as long as about 4 inches not including the legs and antennae. These enormous wasps, tarantula hawk, are so large and ferocious that they are capable of hunting and feeding on tarantulas. Their legs have hooks on the ends which they use to latch onto their victims, and their stinger (which can be as long as a third of an inch) is rated as among the most painful in the world.

5 For additional information, contact the Palm Beach County Master Gardener Hot-line at or Check out Phil Harmon, PhD s SCMV publication at: