QUESTION: My wife has several bites on her arms and legs. I have a sample of the insects that I think caused these irritations. Could you please tell me what they are and how to control them?
ANSWER: After examination under a dissecting microscope it was determined that they were insects from the Dermestidae Family. There are several species known as carpet beetles and furniture beetles. They can do great damage to home furnishings and clothes containing wool, hair, fur, feathers or other animal products. They can also survive on dead insects and food products such as cereals. The adult insects are rarely more than 6 millimeters long except the black carpet beetle which can be 12 millimeters long and are broad or an elongated oval in shape. When they are disturbed they play dead. The adult black carpet beetle is black with brown legs, but other species can be black to brown in color and may have a dull red band running down the center of the back. Others may be mottled with patches of white, yellow, and black and are light colored underneath. The Larvae of the black carpet beetle larvae of all species are oval except the black carpet beetle, which is elongated with long tufts of golden to chocolate brown colored hairs at the end of the body. Other species are covered with black, brown, or tawny hairs and three tufts of bristles on each side of the posterior end. Adult beetles can fly and are attracted to light and are often found crawling on curtains and windows. On warm spring days they will feed on pollen of flowers and may fly from house to house. Females will lay up to 100 eggs which will hatch normally in 8 to 15 days. Larval growth depends on temperature and food supply and they will molt 6 to 10 times or more. The old exoskeleton are often seen on clothing and furniture and may cause itching in sensitive people. The pupal stage may last almost 2 weeks. The life span period from egg to adult depends on environmental conditions and species, but can be from 126 to 657 days. Usually there are only 1 to 2 generations per year.
Control: Remove or cover food sources like grain or animal food. In this case open dog food was the insects feeding source. If infestations are severe then treatment with residual pesticides may be necessary, but car pet beetles may be difficult to kill. Treat only the edges or under carpets and around base boards and floor moldings. Tank type vacuum cleaners may be helpful in reaching cracks and crevices to eliminate sources of food and developing life stages.
Source: Insect Pests of Farm, Garden, and Orchard, 7th Ed. Ralph H. Davidson and William F. Lyon. 1979. pp.518-520.
QUESTION: Some shrub junipers at a rental property are dying. They are located under a window in a planter box and they are turning brown. Others on the property are doing very well. The sick plants are watered with a soaker hose which is turned on manually. What is the cause?
ANSWER: After examining some samples there was no evidence of insect or other pest damage. The dead or dying leaves were on side shoots or lower on the branch. The terminal growth looked fine. The most probable cause is improper watering. Turn on the soaker hoses and make sure they are working. Check the soil before irrigation with a soil probe to see if the ground is moist. If the probe goes in only an inch or two then water. If the probe goes in over a foot or two then do not water. With the dry winter we have had with little or no precipitation, watering of ever green plants is necessary every month or so because they are still doing photosynthesis, although at a reduced rate and growing slowly with the proper environmental conditions.