Tag Archive for: Ask an Expert

Hey, I live in Edmonton and have been trying to find a good concentrate to control my mosquito, aphid and leaf miner problems in my yard. Is there any product that you would suggest that is pet friendly?

Control of mosquitoes, aphids, and leaf miners: There is no one product that will provide safe control for all three types of insects mentioned here.

a. Mosquitoes – The best control is locating and eliminating larval sites – basically any container, natural or man-made, that will hold water for a week or more. There is currently only one pesticide product on the market licensed by the Pest Management and Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada for domestic or homeowner larviciding. Called Aquabac, it is a bacterial formulation very safe to use.  Click here for details. I do not know of any effective control for adult mosquitoes approved for homeowner use in Canada.

b. Aphids – If the affected plants are fairly sturdy, a strong stream of water from a garden hose may suffice to wash the aphids from the plants, killing some of them at least during the process. Otherwise, an application of an insecticidal soap or Neem oil should work; these are safe to use around pets.

 c. Leaf miners – I am not aware of any product in Canada labeled specifically for homeowner use against leafminers. You might try Neem oil or Spinosad if you can get it (currently undergoing registry review in Canada). Commercial greenhouse operations have used nematodes and parasitic wasps;  Click here for details.

Carpenter ants: Hello, During the May and early June, I found 4 major and minor carpenter ants in the my kitchen. These were the times of the day found:
(1) ~7pm crawling from my basement stairs into my work room. Minor.
(2) ~6pm same area as the previous, near my back door. Minor.
(3) ~11:30am on my ceiling crawling away from my back door. Minor.
(4) 7am (but I found it stuck in a spider web at the bottom of my basement stairs). Major.
I should add that my basement stairs are directly in front of my backdoor. There is an old wooden shed at my neighbors house ~50 yards away. I’m not sure what is in it. My other neighbors have a pile of old tree branches ~30 yards away. I don’t hear clicking in my walls late at night. All 4 times, they were not carrying food. Where are these things coming from? I should add that the weather strip at the top of my door needs to be replaced. Thank you, Wally.

Carpenter ants – These ants usually only attack wood that already is unsound, especially from moisture. The customer should check all areas where moisture could come in contact with wood for signs of damage. These would not always be in the basement; several years ago, we had a small infestation in the roof over our back porch where a leak in the metal roofing had allowed water to enter and damage the wood. In the meantime, this is a good reference to consult: Click here

RATS: What is the best method for making sure a rat doesn’t come back. I’ve been seeing peppermint oil, steel wool and caulking? I’ve also been reading to keep pet food and water dishes away. I have a cat. The food being put away is ok.. but the water dish would be bad for my cats health. I’m worried he wouldn’t be drinking enough water and get a urinary tract infection. An exterminator was in my apartment, but didn’t find any structural damage. The rat got in somehow, so apparently now I have to find it myself. Any help would be very appreciated.

Rat Exclusion – Rat Exclusion – I suggest that the customer review this comprehensive publication: Click here

SKUNK RELOCATION: Hi, I have a skunk(s) under my cabano in the back yard.I tried spraying the back yard with Chili peppers and cayenne powder, but it does not seem to get rid of the skunks. Please let me know if the skunk(s) could be trapped and released to wildlife. Thank you. MONTRÉAL.

We are certain about legal issues, but trapping and relocation of wildlife in general by homeowners usually is not recommended. The questioner might find this site helpful: “Common Skunk Problems” Click here

RATS – I heard rats in my attic a couple weeks ago. I had my landlord send an exterminator and he really seems to know what he is talking about, but what doesn’t make sense to me us that he doesn’t want to inspect my attic at all, set traps, or seal up any holes. He just blocked holes they could get into from all around the outside of my house and roof and set traps in garage and water heater room. My concern is: What if the rats are coming from holes connecting me and my neighbor’s attics? Then what he did would have solved nothing. Is what he is doing the right thing? Las Vegas.

The landlord should know whether or not there is any connectivity between the attic spaces of the apartment/condo units. If he/she does not know this, request an inspection to find out, and if there is indeed connectivity, the exterminator needs to come back and determine if additional control measures are needed.

SEAWEED FLIES – House is located 20 meters from the sea. In late fall, during a spell of warm weather, we are infested by small (3/16 in.) slender flies that seem to breed in seaweed. They come out of seaweed in hoards when it is disturbed. Once inside they seek the windows. Difficult to kill, need to be squashed after the swat. Once the window is cleared, they reappear in no time. Never had them in the house in spring until this year. Result of egg laying? Petit-Rocher

These most likely are kelp flies (Diptera: Coelopidae). Their larvae feed on stranded and rotting seaweed, and they can become quite abundant. About all you can do is to keep all windows and doors tightly closed or screened.

BED BUGS – How long bed bugs will survive in cold temperatures without blood availability. We have kept few things in a storage unit like mattresses and kitchen stuff from bed bugs affected house. It was there for more than 2 months under -10 temperature. Do you think the bed bugs could survive this..? Belleville.

If the temperature was -10 F, any bed bugs certainly would be killed. If it was -10 C, their death still would be very likely, but not 100% guaranteed.

Mouse – I’ve recently had a mouse problem in my home — I’ve clogged any hole I can find with steel wool, and my landlord planted blocks of turquoise poison. In the first two days, the mice ate two whole blocks, then on the third day, part of a third. This was last Wed-Fri. We are no 1 week later, and in some rooms, despite me blocking the holes I can see, I believe there are still mice eating away at the blocks of poison I’ve dropped there (they move overnight, I have picture proof of it). How long does it take for these blocks of poison to kill mice? And how are they not leaving any pee or poop to trace, but still chewing poison? Montréal

It may take four to six days for rodents to die once they have ingested a lethal dose. Also, just because the bait blocks have moved doesn’t necessarily mean that it was done by mice.

Will the Roach Motel trap silver fish as well. Too many of them in my apartment, washroom floor and lower kitchen cupboard? Thanks, Bob. Vancouver

The silverfish question. A Roach Motel will trap any small creature (including silverfish) that ventures onto its sticky surface, but there is no substance in them that would attract silverfish. Thus, although they can be quite useful in monitoring silverfish activity, they do not constitute an effective control measure.

Hi, We are moving out of a place with a massive cockroach infestation. How do we safely clean kitchen gadgets, especially larger ones (e.g. microwave, instant pot, that sort of stuff) to ensure we don’t take any unintended passengers with us to the new place, please? The roaches like to hide in dark places, so are pretty likely to be in the internal parts of the device where we can’t easily look. Thank you so much! North York

Weather may be your friend here – if you have a place where it would be safe to leave your appliances outdoors or in an unheated room in freezing temperatures, you may be able to kill any roaches present. German cockroaches cannot tolerate exposure to temperatures colder than 14 F (-10 C) for more than an hour, or 10 hours at temperatures below 45 F (7 C). If you feel you must clean, use a mild detergent in warm water to clean all surfaces, but be sure to read the appliance manuals for any precautions. Also, if you do not need to move immediately, you could try setting out a few roach bait stations or ‘roach motels’ to see if you detect any activity. 

WASP NEST IN ROOF. Sorry long message A few months ago end of July early August I noticed wasps getting into a space under my roof I told my landlord thinking he’d get a professional to see to it but nope he only plugged it up him self before making sure their was no nest and way would they be dead now and if not what do I do I am hearing like a humming/buzzing in my ceiling going from one end of my trailer to the other I also had a bees nest in my crawl space under my trailer that he sprayed and I haven’t seen any since I was stung a few times by a wasp and also by a carpenter bee I just noticed the buzzing wen everyone got quite I haven’t been home all day so I am not sure wen it started but is the humming or buzzing I hear wasps if so how do I get ride of them I feel like my landlord just put a quick fix on the problem without actually getting to the base of the problem. Summerside, Prince Edward Island

Wasp infestation in trailer ceiling – First, make sure that the buzzing sound is coming from insects and not some other source, such as an electrical problem. If it is indeed coming from wasps, with your landlord’s permission, make an opening into the space above the ceiling from the outside of the trailer large enough to insert a nozzle from an aerosol spray (preferably a synthetic pyrethroid) labeled for homeowner use (check label for any fire hazard warning – if none, spray out the contents and seal up the opening). If the buzzing persists after this or if you cannot get permission to apply the spray, you may have to let cold winter weather take care of the job. Normally, only the queen survives the winter, and if she remains sealed up in that space, she will be unable to establish a new colony. Just be sure that you go over the trailer very carefully to be certain that any potential entry places have been covered/sealed.

I live in LaPeche, Qc. My south facing outside wall is covered with Cluster flies and they are starting to come in through the basement windows. How do I get rid of them? They are all over the walls and I can’t reach those high on the walls. Is there a kind of insecticide powder I can put along the bottom of the walls and balcony?

Click here for a Government of Canada pub on their control. Any flies that gain entry can be knocked down with an aerosol spray and vacuumed up.

I have a dog, I flea treated him but my room mate had cats that she did not treat. The infestation is bad. The room mate has since left with the cats, but my house is still infested. I never had this problem before until her cats arrived. I’m overwhelmed and don’t know what to do. Also do not own a working vacuum. Hamilton, Ontario

You should consult with a licensed veterinarian for specific advice. Click here This site has some general recommendations that may be helpful.   I also highly recommend you obtain a good vacuum cleaner. 

Hello, I hope you are well. I would like to know if cockroach spray/dust is safe for infants. I live in an apartment and they are spraying to get rid of cockroaches. I have a 1 month infant. They have said that we need to leave the apartment for 4 hours after they spray. I would like to know if it is safe for my infant to re-enter the apartment after 4 hours. Please let me know. Thanks. Mississauga, Ontario

It depends on the specific pesticide being applied. If it is a synthetic pyrethroid (commonly used in cockroach control), it probably would be prudent to wait a bit longer than four hours. A Canadian government web page on pesticide safety recommends waiting 12 hours unless specified otherwise on the pesticide label – Click here

We had a terrible infestation of potato bugs this year but could not find a product that would irradiate them. It seems the old products we used to buy are no longer available. Please tell me the name of a product that will work that I can buy for next year. East Selkirk.

Potato beetle control – I have had good success using a formulation containing Bacillus thuringiensis var. tenebrionis (Bt-t) bacteria. This targets the young larvae, so it should be applied every few days as soon as the eggs start to hatch. If you apply it too early, the bacteria won’t survive until the larvae emerge, so the treatment won’t work. Also, Bt-t is sensitive to UV rays, so you should spray late in the evening or on cloudy days. Also make sure that it won’t rain within 8 hours after you have sprayed. You can tell if the treatment is working because the larvae will turn black.

How do I get rid of rats in my home? Antigonish

Rats in home – You need to consult a professional as there is no good universal answer – each situation is unique. Search the Pestcontrolcanada pages (Click here) for a recommended company; this one appears to be the closest one to you: Click here