NatureFresh Farms develops unconventional pest management methods.

NatureFresh Farms develops unconventional pest management methods. A pest outbreak in the fall of 2016 left all bell pepper growers in the Leamington area highly concerned.

 Pepper Weevil (Anthonomus Eugenii) is an unconventional pest that a regular Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system cannot maintain and cannot be spotted by humans which makes it nearly impossible to catch early on.

 Once the pest spreads, it is essentially a death sentence for the crop as no beneficial bug is strong enough to combat it and sprays just irritate the pest forcing it to reproduce more. 

 Cam Lyons, Research and Development and IPM Technician at NatureFresh Farms, realized that there had to be a solution and conducted countless development sessions.

 “Dogs are a very intelligent animal. Many worker dogs are trained to recognize and discover scents associated with drugs or bombs, so it seemed possible to train a dog to recognize pepper weevil.”

 After a lot of research, NatureFresh Farms adopted Chili, a 15-month old female Belgian Shepherd who was bred as a working dog. Chili underwent 8 weeks of training and was certified by The American Working Dog Association who verified that Chili was the first dog certified for pest related scent detection on a farm. 

 This certification also allows Chili to work in the farm without any food safety concern.

HANDLING THE RAT MENACE..

. Rats have been linked to the spread of a lot of disease ,some are fatal while others can be treated.The best way to stay safe is by rodent control.The health risk posed by rats affects man, poultry,dogs and some other animals. Diseases occur as a result of interaction between hosts, agent and environment.Rats are no different from all other carriers,in this sense hence environment influences the infection and risk/rate of exposure. Living in a dirty,unkempt environment increases the chances of infection and consequent spread of infection.Rats are know to thrive where there is food and water, and most rats can eat anything. Living in close quarters with dogs, poultry and horses increases risk of infection.Living in highly populated environment surrounded by filth also poses risk of infection.Rats find their way to food industry and food processing plants posing a risk of food contamination from source. Rats are everywhere causing diseases by contamination through urine,feces, hair,and feet. Rats basically transfer these disease agents by contamination of feed,food,water,toys and clothing.The best way to avoid any disease is by proper pest control and maintenance of clean environment.The following are steps to keeps rats out;1) Use of rat traps 2) keep houses/farms rodent proof; by removing unfinished food, cover bins and keep them far away from homes. 3) rat adhesive boards 4) baits 5)proper waste management. 6) rat-proof your doors,windows in farms,homes and factory. Rats cause food wastage resulting in economic losses,when a food is contaminated by urine or feces,throw away immediately. If you suspect your pets toy is contaminated with rat urine throw away,same with clothing or any other contaminated material. Stay safe # avoid rat bites # dont eat rats # keep environment clean.

RATS POSE HEALTH THREAT TO MAN AND POULTRY.

Rats can absorb disease agents from their local environment and spread them, according to a University of British Colombia new study. The results also indicate that the threat rats pose to the health of poultry and humans has been underestimated.

Researchers studied the feces of rats caught at an Abbotsford, B.C. poultry farm, and discovered they all carried avian pathogenic E. coli, a bacteria with the ability to cause disease in chickens and potentially humans. More than one quarter of the rats were carrying multidrug resistant strains of the bacteria. 

The findings support lead author Chelsea Himsworth's theory that rats act as a "pathogen sponge," soaking up bacteria from their environment. If rats can absorb pathogenic E. coli, then they could potentially be a source of all sorts of other pathogens that we have not anticipated," said Himsworth, assistant professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health and leader of the Vancouver Rat Project, a group aiming to address the knowledge gap about the health threats associated with rats. Himsworth was surprised to find that the E. coli strains carried by the farm rats were very similar to those found in chickens, and totally different from E. coli strains found in urban rats. Basically, the rural rat gut looked like the poultry gut, and nothing like the urban rat gut . 

 This latest study follows previous research by Himsworth that found human pathogens, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. difficile, in the feces of rats in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Rat infestations ought to be taken seriously," said Himsworth. "They need to be tackled with an educated, informed approach in collaboration with scientists and pest control professionals. 

 There should be the development of municipal programs for managing rat infestations and rat-related issues. Story source; University of British Colombia.

Lassa fever .

Rats are carriers of both the spirochete bacteria responsible for Leptospirosis in man and animals and also the Lassa fever virus which affects man. The rat spread both infection by contamination with urine, when rats urine contaminate food and water, they spread these diseases. The consumption of rats have also been fingered in the spread of Lassa fever. The signs of Lassa infection occurs 1-3 weeks after exposure to the virus. The signs could be mild or severe and these are 1) slight fever 2) general malaise 3) weakness 4) headache. The severe signs include 1) bleeding/hemorrhaging in gums, eyes and nose. 2) respiratory distress 3)repeated vomiting 4) facial swelling 5) pain in chest ,back, abdomen and neck. Lassa fever infection also show neurological signs such as tremors, encephalitis and deafness. The treatment is supportive therapy of fluids and vitamins and Ribavirin, an antiviral drug. The prognosis is hinged on early treatment. Death usually occurs within 2 weeks after onset of symptoms. The major form of prevention is pest control; ensure your house, farms and factories are rodent proof. The proper disposal of waste is advised, remove all unfinished food and store food material on rodent-proof containers. Regular de-ratization in premises is advised. Do not eat rats. Stay safe # kill rats don’t eat them

Pest free zone.

DISEASE causing pests abound in the environment resulting in the use of pesticides .Pest are categorized and hence method of control is based on our focus . Insects are a nuisance in the environment resulting in disease.They also cause economic losses in homes, offices , feed stores and farm lots. There is a new handy pack of insecticides that help eliminate these pest; its B OLIVE INSECTICIDE.This will eliminate cockroaches,bugs,flies, spiders,wall geckos and other crawling insects. This potent insecticide can be used as a fumigant for offices,warehouses,garages, and stores.