Fleas and Ticks and Ants, Oh My!

By BRIAN McTAVISH
The Kansas City Star

The good: Spring is finally here. The bad: So are spring bugs.

Then again, it’s all good to University of Kansas entomologist Zack Falin.

“I’m pretty non-interventionist, but people do get kind of wigged out about bugs, particularly the ants that are starting to get active,” Falin said. “They’re starting to build their nests up, so people are going to see them in their houses more. Things are going to start hopping.”

And burrowing and buzzing and biting. Not exactly a fun time for people and pets, especially for those not prepared.

“Now that things are starting to leaf out, this is when we start having tick issues,” said Kyle Johanson, a veterinarian at Barry Road Animal Hospital in Kansas City, North. “And a lot of pets have a serious problem with flea allergies.”

A good way to keep troublesome bugs away from cats and dogs is with a monthly topical cream that usually costs $15 to $20. It’s also important to talk with a vet, Johanson said.

“We’re trained to talk to people about fleas and ticks and their life cycle and what’s necessary to prevent as well as treat these problems in pets,” Johanson said. “Your Wal-Mart rep, obviously, doesn’t have a veterinary degree.

“Some of these products are designed for dogs only, they’re not labeled very well, and some shoppers may not pick up on that and go home and put it on a kitty cat. And all of a sudden you’ve got a cat that could have a fatal reaction. Cats are very sensitive to certain things.”

Sondra Kerbey of Focused Extermination in Merriam is used to customers sometimes misunderstanding what is needed to rid a home of such “nuisance bugs” as ants, or worse, destructive termites. She has already gotten calls this spring about swarming termites.

“Termites start to chew on the wood from the inside out,” Kerbey said. “So because people don’t see a lot of the damage that’s being done, they don’t realize how much damage is being done. I’ve been into houses where it’s absolutely just unbelievable that the floors didn’t fall through.”

Even after becoming aware of an insect problem, not everyone contacts a pest control company. They should, Kerbey said, if they want the job done right.

“People don’t realize where it’s necessary to treat, and the most critical part of it is outside,” she said. “If you’re dealing with mulch beds and your ants are underneath those in the ground, there isn’t any way — unless you have the right equipment — that you’re going to be able to saturate those mulch beds with the right technical amount of pesticides. That’s why the pest control industry is still here.”

Still, all insects that find their way into the home aren’t necessarily pests, said entomologist Falin.

“In my opinion, people do overact,” he said. “I mean, there are some things, like termites, that you just can’t have in your house. Many of the other things, like ants or box elder bugs or ladybugs, they really aren’t that much of a problem.

“Ladybugs aggregate over the winter in people’s houses, and so you can find tens or hundreds or thousands of lady bugs in houses (in the spring). But they’re harmless. I wouldn’t eat them, but they’re harmless. They don’t bite, and they’re actually good for your garden.

“But I guess if you’ve got 10,000 lady bugs in your living room, it might be a little upsetting. And it happens.”