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.
Roof rat eating a pumpkin, and then running off with rat bait
This roof rat was eating a decorative pumpkin. In the second section, we see im carrying off a Contrac rodent bait place pack, and that was the last time we saw him. Video recorded early March 2018, Columbia California.
Geometrid moth larvae crawling inchworm-style
This inchworm was collected by Jon Shattuck, Sonora California, 20 February 2018.
Common Eumenid Wasps Blocked from Entering House
Common eumenid wasps are beneficial, as they hunt oakworms, saving our oak trees from defoliation. But people still do not like them in their homes. Here is a video showing the wasps, unable to re-enter the wall voids, after we caulked the entry points. Each of these wasps is carrying an oakworm. The white caulk will dry clear. Columbia California, 23 May 2017.
Boxelder Bugs Mating
These videos, by Rob Hecocks, show boxelder bugs mating. 17 March 2017, Murphys California.
Southern Fire Ants at New Melones Reservoir
The rapidly rising water levels at New Melones is flooding southern fire ant nests.
Notice that Maggie Beck is pulling out a small submerged filaree that has a ball of southern fire ants attached: the ants were under water!
Video and photos taken 12 March 2017 by Maggie Beck, near Tuttletown.
Pack Rats Excluded From Under Home, With a Visit by a Weasel
Here is a film made from still images taken by a wildlife camera, placed to see what was living under this home in Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County, California. It was a pair of pack rats. The one-way valve let the critters out, but they could not get back in. And they came back day after day, hour after hour, for over a week, to try and get back in. NOTE… the camera did not have the correct date set: the images were taken in December 2016.
We also see some local wildlife walk by: a raccoon, skunk, opossum, and something shy, elusive, and rare. Go to 3:02 in the video to see the one frame of the furtive creature. I shared the video with John Buckley of CSERC, an organization that uses a lot of similar cameras and is very familiar with the local wildlife. According to John, it “is almost certain to be a weasel…. it’s the right shape… right speed.” and “We only get them infrequently at our CSERC cameras, but they usually are rushing through the photo similarly.”
The weasel is likely there looking to eat those pack rats.
Using a Drone to Inspect a Roof for Squirrel Entry Points
Here is some video from a drone we used to inspect a roof for squirrel entry points, in Arnold California, December 2016. The drone made a difficult job much easier.
The Argo Spray Rig in Action
This video shows David Muffoletto taking the Argo through swampy ground, and even through deep water. This unit allows us easy access to many, otherwise, difficult and un-reachable terrains. Video by Garrett Simpson, 30 November 2016.
Kelp flies, Coelopa, in Seaweed
Noah Werner took this video of kelp flies in seaweed, on Pfeifer Beach, at Big Sur, on November 19, 2016.