Under Attack
Fighting Off Pests Intelligently Requires Prevention, Not Just Poison

By Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 24, 2008

A brigade of teeny brown ants scaled the wall, shot across the kitchen counter and stormed the fireplace at the Montgomery County home of Debbie Samartzis.

It was war.

"I have three dogs and two small kids," she said of last summer's invasion. "Obviously, I didn't want something that was toxic that could hurt the dogs or the kids."

She contacted a local exterminator, whose remedy did little good, then called a nationally known company that treated the house "more aggressively" with a wider variety of products touted as environmentally friendly.

Mission accomplished.

"It's been very effective," she said.

This is the season for ants and termites. And don't forget cockroaches and bedbugs, unwelcome visitors no matter the time of year.

So how do you win the fight?

Do you turn to do-it-yourself products such as bait traps, or call an exterminator? Do you opt for tried-and-true synthetic chemicals or the increasingly popular green products such as those Samartzis used?

The answer: Depends.

For minor infestations -- a few ants here and there -- a bait trap from the drugstore may do the trick, experts say. (There are mixed opinions about using store-bought aerosol sprays.)

But for bigger problems, particularly termites, carpenter ants, cockroaches and bedbugs, it's best to call a pest management company. Get an estimate, ask questions, and explore the different treatments.

Over the years, government agencies have banned some harsher insecticides. Some environmentalists and entomologists have concerns about the toxicity of certain products that are still used.

Still, professional exterminators rely on some of those chemicals, along with a growing repertoire of products based on natural materials such as rosemary, garlic and mint oil.

"Our responsibility is to take the least toxic products that are available," said Cindy Mannes, a spokeswoman for the National Pest Management Association.

Bob Young, division manager for Terminix, a national pest control company, said there seems to be a growing demand for green products. But he said some have proven less effective than traditional formulations, and the industry is looking to improve them.

Patrick Copps, technical manager for Orkin, another national company, added that some of the green products may need "more targeted applications and potentially more frequent applications" because they may not last as long.

Whatever the choice, experts agree: It's best to prevent home invasions.

Termites love wood and moisture. To fend them off, experts recommend scheduling regular inspections and keeping the home's foundation dry. Shrubs and mulch, insect havens, should not touch the house.

"The easier you make it for them, the better they'll like it, and the easier it is to move into the house," said Lyn Garling, program manager for Pennsylvania State University's integrated pest management program.

Ants and cockroaches also love moisture and food. They tend to slip through cracks in the house, looking for goodies.

One way to find cracks and holes is to have an energy audit, said Eric Day, an entomologist and manager of the insect identification lab at Virginia Tech. "You're getting two for one," he said.

Plug the holes with caulk or other materials. And get rid of tempting food. Keep the kitchen crumb-free. Seal edibles in plastic containers.

Of all the common pests, termites are the most costly, causing an estimated $2.5 billion annually in damage and repairs.

Stuart and Jackie Mendelson of Potomac know too well the problems termites can cause.

Last month, Jackie heard a bird pecking at the front door. She opened the shade to take a peek and saw a swarm of insects stuck between the storm window and the regular window.

"They're black bugs with white wings. I was like: 'Oh, my God, are they carpenter ants? Are they termites?' I really wasn't sure what they were. I was praying they weren't termites."

She scooped some into a bag and took them to her exterminator in Rockville, who confirmed her fears. A subsequent inspection found plenty of termites inside the living room walls.

The Mendelsons hired a contractor to tear down the drywall in the living room, then replace all the woodwork, studs and insulation, as well as a 24-foot beam where the flock was nesting.

The couple also hired someone to trim two trees and move the mulch away from the side of the house. The pest management company drilled into the brick and injected insecticide to keep the termites from getting in, Stuart Mendelson said.

The indoor work alone cost $15,000.

"You hear these stories," Stuart Mendelson said. "You never really know what it is till it comes in your house. What a mess for three weeks."

If you spot termites, entomologists recommend, call a professional. "Termites are the big league," said Garling of Penn State.

Young, of Terminix, said his company offers several possibilities, including the installation of dry bait stations outside the perimeter of the home or a state-of-the-art non-repellent liquid. Termites pick up the bait and return to the nest, killing others inside.

Another approach is to drill holes in wood inside the home and inject liquid insecticides.

In certain instances involving dry-wood termites, the exterminators might fumigate with a product called Vikane, Young said. That kind of termite is usually found only in a couple of states and not in this area, according to the National Pest Management Association.

The Green Guide, an environmental Web site produced by National Geographic, is sharply critical of Vikane, calling it "extremely toxic." It claims that the product can linger in furniture for up to 40 days. The Environmental Protection Agency's Web site rates Vikane as "acutely toxic," but an agency spokesman said it poses no unreasonable risk to humans or the environment when used according to the label.

Young maintains that Vikane is safe and doesn't languish for that long. He said his company makes certain that levels in the home are safe before people can reenter.

Ants are often a source of household angst -- and embarrassment. It's never good when an ant marches across the table at a dinner party.

As the weather warms, they become more active, searching for food. Adult ants love sweets, but they also search for protein to feed their young.

Carpenter ants can take that a few steps beyond embarrassment. Those insects, which seem most active at night, can eat away at wood and cause structural damage.

The key is to locate the carpenter-ant colony and apply treatments, which may come in the form of aerosols or dustlike products.

For other types of ants, use bait traps or gels inside the home. Outside the perimeter, exterminators may apply liquids or granules, according to the pest management association. Some of the eco-friendly products include plant oils.

How is it that one minute there's one ant and a short time later there's MacArthur's army, dragging away crumbs?

Entomologist Garling can explain.

She said an ant finds food, then drags its abdomen as it returns to the colony, leaving a scent trail that says, "Come and get it." All its comrades pile on.

When it comes to ants, she said, it's best to avoid aerosols and chemicals if at all possible. "There's a lot we don't know about the chemicals."

She said, "I still think 99 percent of the time, you can clean up the mess and plug the hole and take care of it." Like ants, cockroaches love wet spots and hanging out around newspapers and cardboard boxes, where they can eat the glue.

Experts recommend storing food in containers; keeping lids on garbage cans; fixing leaking faucets; and plugging holes in baseboards, doors and windows.

Bait stations or gels applied along baseboards and other areas can be effective against cockroaches. The pests often take the product back to the nest, which helps kill other cockroaches.

One pest that seems to be getting more attention is the bedbug. The little buggers can be picked up in hotels and hitch a ride home.

Garling suggests that at a hotel, guests should lift the bedsheet and examine the mattress.

If you spot an infestation at home, she said, wave the white flag. "I would say, 'Call a licensed pest management professional.' Bedbugs are tough. They're just disgusting, and they suck your blood."