Bug season

  • Published
  • By By Staff Sgt. Nestor Cruz
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  As the weather begins to heat up, many Okinawa residents may have noticed visits from some unwelcome guests - termites, ants and other pests.

The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron has a team of experts in the Kadena Pest Management office who have noticed a few pest trends, and they have some tips to help people deal with the unwanted visitors.

"Pest sightings depend mostly on the weather," said Master Sgt. Edward Balfour, 18th CES NCO in-charge of pest management. "[The weather] has been cool lately, but it's warming up now and we're definitely entering the busy time of year."

Staff Sgt. Steven Millerd, 18th CES pest management craftsman, said termite swarms, sometimes referred to as "flying ants" are common from May to June. But they are harmless and usually die off after 24 hours.

"Pesticide spraying is not very effective or necessary," said Sergeant Millerd. "The best thing people can do is vacuum up the termites after 24 hours when they've lost their wings."

Keeping blinds closed at night and turning off unneeded indoor and outdoor lights are some ways to reduce the termite swarm.

"Termite swarms and flying ants are attracted to light," Sergeant Millerd said. "Which is why many of the calls we receive are of them coming in through windows."

Mosquitoes are a problem for Okinawa residents, but there are ways people can combat this threat.

"Mosquitoes are attracted to temporary containers such as flower pots, children's toys or anything that's full of rain water," said Sergeant Balfour. "What people can do to minimize breeding spots for mosquitoes is periodically go around the house and empty out these containers." He also recommends people wear insect repellant.

Ants are also a problem in Okinawa.

"Spraying pesticide is also ineffective for many species of ants," said Sergeant Millerd. "The pesticide might drive the ants to move inside your home, so it's best to leave them alone if they are only outside."

The pest management NCOIC said using pesticides alone is a bad method of pest control.

"Anytime people use pesticide it affects the ecology of the area," Sergeant Balfour said. "Pesticides are indiscriminate which means they'll kill the ants folks are targeting but they will also kill some beneficial insects which keeps the ecology in balance, potentially making things worse.

"It may seem the pesticide successfully eliminated some pests," he added. "But once the pesticide diminishes, other pests will fill in the void."

Good housekeeping is the best method for keeping ants away.

"Proper sanitation is the key to getting rid of ants and other bugs," Sergeant Millerd said. "People need to keep their yard clean and get rid of debris such as leaves and sandbags."

With the prevalence of jungle areas on base and around Okinawa snakes continue to present a danger for people. Residents should be cautious if a snake is sighted and treat every snake as a "habu."

"If people see a snake, they should call us so we can come out and pick it up," said Sergeant Millerd.

People reporting a snake sighting should do their best to keep track of the snake so the 18th CES experts can easily locate it upon arriving.

"If a person is bitten by a snake, they should try to remain calm and call for help right away," Sergeant Millerd said.

The NCO said snakes should be killed or photographed for identification purposes.
Snake reports are taken seriously, but not all insect problems can be resolved by the pest management section.

"All snake calls are deemed an emergency, but calls for termites and other nuisance pests are not an emergency because there's not much that can be done quickly to eliminate the problem," Sergeant Millerd said. "It's a tropical island and there are all kinds of bugs out there. We can't kill them all, but what we can do is control the situation to where it's at a tolerable level."

Although the 26-member pest management team responds to all military bases on Okinawa and completes an average of 400 job visits per week, they are happy to answer questions and give pest control tips to those in need of assistance.

Pests can also be brought in to customer service for identification. Customers can also get a variety of self-help products and information to help the fight against pests.

"We're aware of the pest problems out there and we're doing our best to help," said Sergeant Millerd. "We only ask people to try self-help methods before giving us a call and [to] please be patient."

For general questions about pest control, call 634-0882. To make an appointment for base housing, call 634-HOME (4663); for base facilities, call 634-2424.