This course is designed to provide the basic information needed to do an IPM service for common general household pests such as cockroaches, rats, ants, occasional invaders, mosquitoes, and filth flies.

Listen to the new BugBytes episode, "Cyborg Cockroaches, Winter Survival Strategies, and Ant Bait Abandonment with Special Guest Jen McCauley."

Cyborg cockroaches, equipped with wireless backpacks containing sensors and stimulators, have shown promise in search and rescue missions by successfully navigating complex environments and detecting human presence using machine learning. They achieved an 82.3% success rate in finding humans, indicating potential for both lifesaving applications and pest management improvements.

Mosquitoes are significant health threats, spreading diseases like malaria. Resistance to insecticides, particularly deltamethrin, complicates control efforts. Researchers found that heating deltamethrin enhances its effectiveness against resistant Anopheles mosquitoes. While promising, this method requires controlled conditions and may not suit all applications, highlighting the need for innovative solutions in pest management.

Researchers have studied the oral toxicity of the artificial sweetener sucralose on German cockroaches, finding that a 20% sucralose solution significantly increased mortality rates, dehydration, and reduced gut bacterial diversity. This suggests sucralose might enhance existing pest control methods. Further research is needed to evaluate its efficacy in real scenarios.

The nerd herd is back with another informative episode: Artificial Sweeteners, Histamines, and Ticks with Special Guest Emily Thomas Kendrick!