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Common Pests and Pathogens
Rocky Mountain Pine Beetle Colorado State University Extension - Mountain Pine Beetle Hobo Spider Tegenaria agrestis also known as the Hobo Spider or Aggressive House Spider is foreign to the United States. It is thought to have been brought here from Europe as early as the 1920's and 1930's via shipping lanes where it ended up in Seattle, WA. Hobo Spiders are brown or gray and about 1" to 1 3/4" when full grown. Their legs show no distinct rings and short hairs, and they have chevron shaped markings on their abdomens. The most distinctive characteristic is on their under-side. The two back legs will have small black spots near their body. (see diagram of a male hobo below)
Brown Recluse Spider Loxosceles reclusa, aka the brown recluse spider is uncommon to the area. It is found mainly in southern and Midwestern states. The brown recluse is often a yellowish-tan to dark brown with grayish to dark brown legs covered with short, dark hairs. It is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. It is distinguished by its dark, violin-shaped mark directly behind the three pairs eyes.
This spider is not aggressive and it prefers undisturbed areas. People are most often bitten when putting on clothes or shoes that have not been used for long periods of time. Victims may feel intense pain that lasts two to eight hours. A small blister will form with a large red/swollen area around it. Bites are commonly misdiagnosed because the symptoms are so similar to a variety of other, non-spider bite causes, such as allergies and viral infections. (It is useful to collect spiders that have caused bites that produce significant symptoms to be sent to a trained, medical specialist.)
Carpenter Ants (Capmonotus species) Carpenter ants are the largest ant in the area (1/4 to 4/10 inch). They are black or dark brown and may have a red thorax. The thorax is rounded, without indentations. Their most distinctive habit is to nest in wood that has been softened due to water and decay damage. Carpenter ants do not eat the wood. They are actually scavengers eating dead insects, insect honeydew, and other materials. Rarely do the nests that originate in damaged wood extend into undamaged areas. These ants do not sting but can produce a mildly painful pinch from their strong jaws.
White Pine Weevil Pissodes strobi is a common pest on Colorado Spruce trees in Teton County. The adult (mature) pine weevil is about 1/4" in length with a long curved snout. It has a brown body that is white speckled. The females seek out spruce trees after the snow melt and feed on the growing areas in the top portion of the tree and insert eggs. The larvae are about the size, shape and color of cooked white rice. They tunnel under the bark to feed causing wilting and crooking of shoots in June and July. The adult (young) chew on needles, buds, and twigs, causing stunted growth. Control: This insect can be very difficult to control, therefore prevention is recommended as the best method. Keep your trees healthy with proper irrigation, drainage and pruning. Keep the area underneath the tree free of leaves, needles, and debris. If you already have an infestation, remove and destroy infected branches, making sure to prune immediately below the line of infestation. Contact one of our local pest control services for further information and assistance.
Leafminer Moths Leafminers can be less than 1/4 inch in size. They feed between the upper and lower leaf surfaces of plants. At higher elevations they occasionally enter homes and can occur in significant numbers. However, leafminer moths are harmless as household pests. They cannot feed nor reproduce indoors, and eventually move out. Leafminers are particularly common in willows, aspen and/or poplars where they produce mines. They damage the tips of branches, which turn brown and drop off. They are best controlled using chemical methods early in the season and again in May and June. Contact one of Teton County's pest control services for further assistance.
Hantavirus Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) has only recently been recognized as a disease in North America. So far, its uncommon and the chances of becoming infected are low, but it can be potentially deadly. Immediate intensive care is essential once symptoms appear. It is carried by rodents, especially the deer mouse, and you can become infected by exposure to their droppings. The first signs of sickness are fever and muscle ache, which appear 1 to 5 weeks after exposure. This is often followed by a shortness of breath and coughing. Once this phase begins, the disease progresses rapidly, and often hospitalization and ventilation within 24 hours are necessary. Prevention: is best and simply means taking practical steps to minimize your contact with rodents. This disease is not known to be contagious from person to person.
West Nile Virus West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus which is passed to humans by infected mosquitoes and which can cause potentially serious illness and death. The most serious manifestation of WNV infection is fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in humans, as well as mortality in certain domestic & wild animals. West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999 and has been a significant cause of human illness in Wyoming since 2003. Nationally, there have been 23,967 total human cases of WNV illness reported and confirmed, including 959 fatalities as of January 2007. Control: West Nile virus requires an extensive Integrated Mosquito Management Plan including active bird/mosquito surveillance, community education, and vigorous larviciding & adulticiding to reduce mosquito populations. Prevention: Just one mosquito bite can transmit West Nile virus or other diseases. To prevent illness from WNV and other mosquito-borne diseases, remember to use mosquito repellent, eliminate mosquito breeding sites, install or repair window and door screens, and support community-based mosquito control programs. WNV can cause serious, life-altering and even fatal disease, so it's worth it to take the time to prevent mosquito bites. -Centers for Disease Control and Prevention For more information on WNV and mosquitoes, please visit the following links: Teton County Mosquito Abatement Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Moles Moles remove many damaging insects and grubs from lawns and gardens However, their burrowing habits disfigure lawns and parks, destroy flower beds, tear up the roots of grasses, and create havoc in small garden plots. It is important to properly identify the kind of animal causing the damage before setting out to control the damage. Moles and pocket gophers are often found in the same location and their damage is of confused. Control methods differ for the two species. Moles leave volcano-shaped hills that are often made up of clods of soil. The mole hills are pushed up from the deep tunnels and may be 2 to 24 inches tall. The number of mole hills is not a measure of the number of moles in a given area. Surface tunnels or ridges are indicative of mole activity. Pocket gopher mounds are generally kidney-shaped and made of finely sifted and cloddy soil. Generally, gophers leave larger mounds than moles do. Gopher mounds are often built in line, indicative of a deeper tunnel system. Control: Teton County Weed & Pest does not sell the traps or poisoned bait described in the following links. If you wish to purchase any of the control products described in the below links, please contact Valley Feed & Pet at 733-5945, go to www.gemplers.com or search the internet for the specific product. For control options for moles, please visit the following links:
Pocket Gophers Several mammals, most common are the Richardson Ground Squirrel, thirteen-lined ground squirrel, vole and the mole are sometimes confused with pocket gophers because of variation in common local terminology, or in the similarity of behavioral characteristics. Pocket gophers can be distinguished from the other mammals by their telltale signs as well as by their appearance. Pocket gophers leave soil mounds on the surface of the ground. The mounds are usually fan-shaped and tunnel entrances are plugged, keeping various intruders out of their burrows. In Teton County, their presence becomes obvious when the snow melts and their snaking soil burrows or anti-tunnels (called "gopher eskers") are uncovered.
Pocket gopher eskers formed under the snow Damage caused by gophers includes destruction of underground utility cables and irrigation pipe, direct consumption and smothering of forage by earthen mounds, and change in species composition through their soil disturbance. Gophers damage trees by stem girdling and clipping, root pruning, and possibly root exposure caused by burrowing. In irrigated areas, gopher tunnels can channel water runoff, causing loss of surface irrigation water. Gopher tunnels in ditch banks and earthen dams can weaken these structures, causing water loss by seepage and piping through a bank or the complete loss of or washout of a canal bank. The presence of gophers also increases the likelihood of badger activity, which can also cause considerable damage. Despite all of this, in natural areas, the very behaviors that make the pocket gopher such a nuisance in agriculture and lawn situations, can actually benefit the local habitat by turning over the soil and increasing water infiltration. Control: Teton County Weed & Pest does not sell the traps or poisoned bait described in the following links. If you wish to purchase any of the control products described in the below links, please contact Valley Feed & Pet at 733-5945, go to www.gemplers.com or search the internet for the specific product. For control options, please visit the following links: University of Nebraska - Pocket Gophers Kansas State University - PDF file
Voles Teton County Weed & Pest does not sell the traps or poisoned bait described in the following links. If you wish to purchase any of the control products described in the below links, please contact Valley Feed & Pet at 733-5945, go to www.gemplers.com or search the internet for the specific product. For more information on voles, please visit the following links: Vole Information and Control - Colorado State University
Skunks Skunks become a nuisance when their burrowing and feeding habits conflict with humans. They may burrow under porches or buildings by entering foundation openings. Garbage or refuse left outdoors may be disturbed by skunks. Skunks may damage beehives by attempting to fee on bees. Skunks dig holes in lawns, golf courses, and gardens in search for insect grubs found in the soil. Digging normally appears as small, 3 to 4 inch cone-shaped holes or patches of up-turned earth. Odor is not always a reliable indicator of the presence or absence of skunks. Sometimes dogs, cats, or toher animals that have been sprayed by skunks move under houses and make owners mistakenly think skunks are present. Rabies may be carried by skunks on occasion. Skunks are the primary carriers of rabies in the Midwest. Therefore, avoid overly aggressive skunks that approach without hesitation. Any skunk showing abnormal behavior, such as daytime activity, may be rabid and should be treated with caution. Control: If you wish to trap a problem skunk, Teton County Weed & Pest will lend you a live trap on a first come, first served basis. We will not come out and trap your problem skunk for you. Please return all traps clean and free of the trapped animal! Teton County Weed & Pest does not sell the traps or poisoned bait described in the following links. If you wish to purchase any of the control products described in the below links, please contact Valley Feed & Pet at 733-5945, go to www.gemplers.com or search the internet for the specific product. For more information on controlling skunks, please explore these links:
For more information on rodents and other pests, please explore these links: University of California IPM Project - An excellent site which talks about many home, landscape and agriculture pests. Vole information - A site created by Colorado State University regarding voles and their control. BugGuide.net - Probably one of the best if not the best site for the identification of insects that are pests and/or beneficial bugs that peek your curosity. Hosted by Iowa State University's Entomology Department.
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