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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: infestation

infestation stories: 10 news summaries

 Bedbug Dogs Sniff Out 
 Bloodsuckers 

Trained hounds in high demand as infestations rise

Oct 21, 09 1:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - The resurgence of an old pest has created new jobs for dogs. Bedbug infestations have soared in American cities over the last four years, creating boom times for exterminators, especially those using canny canines trained to detect the tiny suckers. Handlers say the dogs can expertly sniff out infestations and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
infestation • bedbugs • insects • pests • dog • exterminators • pest control • dog training

One Serving of Cotton, Please; Hold the Poison

Genetic engineering unlocks protein that could feed millions

Sep 7, 09 3:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have developed a novel genetic engineering technique that makes the protein-rich seeds of the cotton plant easily edible, Time reports. The entire plant, including the seeds, produces a toxic chemical called gossypol that protects it from insects and microbes. “People, pigs, chickens—none of us can stomach... More »

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food • agriculture • protein • infestation • genetic engineering • Texas A&M • cotton • Norman Borlaug • gossypol

Crazy Ants Swarm
Gulf Coast 

Tiny, frenetic munchers invade homes, snack on  electrical wiring

Sep 5, 09 5:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Billions of "crazy ants" are munching their way through Gulf Coast counties in Florida and Texas, the Wall Street Journal reports. The tiny insects, believed to have originated in the Caribbean, happily make their homes in human dwellings and are tough to dislodge once they move in. The... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Florida • Texas • ants • infestation • insects • exterminators

(Newser) - Critics, most notably John McCain, have lambasted the latest omnibus spending bill for its 8,500 earmarks; one frequently cited provision is $1 million to fight Mormon crickets in Utah. “Is that a species of cricket or a game played by the Brits?” joked McCain over Twitter. But to... More »

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John McCain • earmarks • Utah • infestation • pork barrel spending • crickets • Mormon crickets • katydids

Pine Beetles
Eat Through Western Forests

Huge bug infestation doing more damage than wildfires

Jul 16, 08 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - The biggest infestation of mountain pine beetles in decades is devastating huge tracts of forest in the Western states, USA Today reports; forestry workers say the bugs are killing even more trees than the wildfires ravaging California's forests. The larvae consume the inner bark of trees, usually lodgepole pines, killing... More »

MORE ABOUT:
trees • infestation • insects • forests • beetle

10 Lies Homeowners Tell Buyers

Few are above making a fib or two part of the sales pitch

Feb 8, 08 6:41 PM CST
(Newser) - When a homeowner is desperate to sell and a buyer is ready to fork over the cash, the truth about a house is often swept under the rug, MSNBC reports. Watch out for frequent fibs when talking about:
  1. Personality of neighbors and the neighborhood.
  2. Status of home repairs
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
home improvement • housing market • list • homes • infestation • homeowners • existing home sales • water damage

$25K Sundae Comes With Mice, Roaches

NYC closes upscale dessert shop for
health violations

Nov 15, 07 8:10 PM CST
(Newser) - An upscale dessert shop on New York's Upper East Side that serves $25,000 ice cream sundaes has been shut down for egregious health-code violations, including a dysfunctional sewage system, mounds of mouse droppings, and a thriving cockroach population, CBS reports. The shop, Serendipity 3, introduced the extravagant sundae, which... More »

MORE ABOUT:
New York City • Department of Health • infestation • rodents

Study Finds Rats Are Winning the Rat Race

New York rated most vulnerable to boom in rodent population

Oct 4, 07 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rodent experts labeled New York the US city most open to large-scale rat infestation today, after conducting a nationwide survey that took into account climate, waste management, population density, and age of infrastructure, Reuters reports. New York's appearance atop comes months after a KFC/Taco Bell restaurant was overrun by rats... More »

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New York City • public health • rats • infestation

Bedbugs Make Bloodthirsty Comeback

Once thought gone for good, pests are
on the rebound in US

Aug 20, 07 5:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Despite admonitions about not letting the bedbugs bite, Americans are doing just that, and infestations are being reported across the country. Once thought wiped out by the now-banned pesticide DDT, the insects have been found in hospitals, schools, and even high-end residences, the Times of London reports. "Saturday Night... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Saturday Night Live • carbon dioxide • bug • infestation • Maya Rudolph • bedbugs • insects • DDT • pesticide • carbon emissions

They're Here

Jun 1, 07 7:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Brood XIII cicadas are emerging throughout the Midwest in an every-17-year fit of Darwinian survival.  Scientists theorize that their abundance — they emerge by the millions per acre—is an evolutionary advantage: Because of their numbers, predators (primarily birds, insects and fish) cannot possibly eat all of them.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Midwest • Brood XIII • cicadas • bug • infestation

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