Carpenter ants taking over a house in MiWuk Village
Steve Deaver took this video of a severe carpenter ant infestation at a home in MiWuk Village. 31 May 2018.
Salamander
Salamander. 31 May 2018. MiWuk Village, under a wine barrel. Photo by Steve Deaver.
Bag Contents 35595
Three arthropods in the bag. May 2018.
Springtail
Unknown
Parts of the unknown insect.
Mite.
Mite. Ruler marking is millimeters.
beetles
Skunk damage in subarea of home
The subarea of a vacation cabin in the Twain Harte area was invaded by skunks. The cabin had a shallow foundation wall, and the skunks were able to dig under it. A low-to-the-ground deck gave an additional area for them to dig to gain access to the subara. The skunks tore up the insulation under the house, and made numerous tunnels and burrows. We did exclusion work, and Service Master did clean up. May 2018.
Skunk caught in live trap
We received a call from a customer in Columbia Sky Mobile Park, who had a skunk under his house. But he had already called the county trapper, who came out, and trapped the skunk. When the customer called the trapper to retrieve the skunk, the trapper said it would be a couple of weeks before he could make it back. So the customer called us. Jason Mink released the skunk, per regulations. His reward? The skunk sprayed. 25 May 2018.
Ladybugs en Masse, Twain Harte California
Steve Deaver took these photos of a large number of ladybugs at a residence in Twain Harte, California. 29 May 2018. We presume the ladybugs are getting ready to migrate. The season has been relatively cool until now.
Bohart Museum Society Newsletter referencing Snailcase Bagworms
Snailcase Bagworms are now in Tuolumne County – May 2018
Ryles Richards, the same technician that discovered the first case of snailcase bagworms in Calaveras County, brought in a specimen of a snailcase bagworm from Pine Mountain Lake, Groveland, Tuolumne County, California. The insect was on the siding of a house on Pleasant View Drive. This was a new pest control service for us, and the main problem was pine tree ants. The customer usually found these snailcases inside her house, and vacuumed them up. She had recently found them on the exterior, as well. She removed most of the snailcase bagworms with a vacuum, but she missed this one. Ryles spotted it on the wall, and explained to her what it was.
To our knowledge, this is the first report of snailcase bagworms in Tuolumne County. Earlier this year we reported that snailcase bagworms were discovered, by Ryles Richards, in Calaveras County. It is clear that this insect pest is widespread in the Mother Lode, but has been undetected until now.
Below are photos of the specimen that Ryles Richards collected. Great job, Ryles!
14 May 2018
Pogogyne serpylloides, native mint
This highly aromatic plant is growing in abundance in the Lake Tullock area. Farm Advisor Scott Oneto believes it is a native mint, Pogogyne serpylloides.
