Newsletter of the Singapore Pest Management Association Oct - Dec 2013 Issue No. Pip 042 SPMA s Participation in Community Programme... Bed Bug Educational Talk At Community Centre In response to the call by the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Constituency, Singapore Pest Management Association (SPMA) conducted a talk on Biology and Management of Bed Bugs on 26th June 2013 to some 40 over senior citizens living in the constituency. The talk was well-received and Dr. How Yee Fatt, who represented SPMA for the talk was called up again for the repeated 2nd and 3rd talks on 5th August 2013 and 6th August 2013 at Banda Senior Activity Centre and Chin Swee Senior Activity Centre respectively. The event was part of City For All Ages (CFAA) Project, a partnership project between Ministry of Health (MOH) and Kreta Ayer Kim Seng Constituency, aiming to enhance the liveability of elderly in high density urban environment. The event was attended by over 100 constituents and proved to be an overwhelming success. The speaker, Dr. How Yee Fatt is a bedbug specialist. He shared his professional knowledge and information of bed bug with the constituents who were amazed on the survival instinct of bed bugs. The shared information involved the topic of introduction of bed bug, sign and symptom of the bed bug bite and infestation, the prevention guides. The speaker, Dr. How Yee Fatt is a bedbug specialist. He shared his professional knowledge and information of bed bug with the constituents who were amazed on the survival instinct of bed bugs. Some Useful Tips on Bed Bug Prevention Shared During the Event: Practice good housekeeping to ensure easier bed bug management; Clutter removal to ensure reduction of the potential bed bug hiding harbourage; Avoiding contact of bedding or mattress item from wall or floor Wash those suspected/ infested clothes with recommended temperature of 60 o C for at least 30minutes or dry cleaning with chemical; Regular checking to detect any earlyinfestation and report to person in charge for earlier pest control inspection and application if any; Checking on any move in item/ luggage to ensure free of bed bug infestation; Do not scratch hard after bed bug bite as it may trigger secondary infection (particularly skin infection) via any scratch wound 1
SPMA s Participation in National Environment Agency (NEA) Health Education Programme for Food Handlers Seminar for Bakeries and Cake Shops On 4th July 2013, Dr. Foo Foong Kuan, a representative of Singapore Pest Management Association (SPMA), was invited to conduct a seminar talk on pest management for bakeries and cake shops at an event organised by National Environmental Agency (NEA). The event was held with the purpose of reinforcing the importance of having hygienic food handling practices and maintaining clean premises among the licensees and food handlers. The presentation covered the insightful tips on signs of pest infestations commonly found in bakeries and cake shops, preventive measures for bakery and cake shop environments, potential hazards of the pest control measures, as well as verification of the effectiveness of pest control. 2 Signs of Pest Infestation Evidence of rodent activity such as presence of live and dead rodents, droppings, urine stains, footprints, tail marks, gnaw marks, grease marks, and crackling sounds. Evidence of cockroach activity such as presence of live and dead cockroaches, oothecae (egg case), and droppings. Sighting of flies and ant pheromone trails.
Preventive Measure Good sanitation and proper housekeeping Perform thorough cleaning at the end of the day s operation. Ensure no food refuse is left behind. Develop a regularly cleaning schedules programme. Clean up food or refuse spillage promptly. Keep rubbish storage areas tidy. Use only close-fitting refuse bin with proper foot pedal. Close refuse bin at all time. Use disposable liners in refuse bin. Empty refuse bin regularly and perform frequent deep cleaning. Avoid accumulation of unwanted articles or refuse. Cover or store food products in tight-fitting containers or metal cabinets. Avoid leaving unwashed utensils overnight. Eliminate unnecessary water source and moisture problem. Pest exclusion practices Keep doors close when not in used, particularly kitchen doors or other entry points near dumpsters. Seal gaps or openings with proper sealant materials. Good stock management Open and inspect incoming materials. Break down and remove cardboard whenever possible. Refuse receipt of any pest infested products. Keep food products off the floor (at least 1 ft. above the ground and 1 2 ft. away from wall). Ensure adequate space to allow inspection (at least once a week) and thorough cleaning. Store food products from other items to the maximum extent possible. Practice effective stock rotation first in, first out (FIFO) procedure. Keep minimum quantity of ingredients or packaging in stocks. Strict segregation between raw materials and ready-to-eat food. Attend damaged or punctured bags, or bags where product is exposed on a daily basis. 3
LATEST DENGUE UPDATE NEA is keeping a close surveillance on the Aedes mosquito situation in Singapore. Although the dengue situation has improved in the past few weeks, there is always a possibility of resurgence of dengue especially in areas with pockets of high mosquito population. NEA has detected an increase of mosquito breeding at construction sites in the past two weeks. About 7% of construction sites inspected were found to be breeding mosquitoes. According to NEA, the numbers of breeding habitats detected have also increased and this unfortunately has resulted in the increase of enforcement action especially against the recalcitrant offenders. LASTEST HOT NEWS IN PEST CONTROL INDUSTRY SPMA would like to urge members who are involved in mosquito treatment services at construction sites to step up their control measures, in particular to emphasize on proper housekeeping and waste disposals to prevent breeding. Chemical treatment is only palliative and this must be supplemented by source reduction measures to prevent a recurrence of breeding especially at construction sites which are prone to breeding due to the nature of their activities. Thermal fogger explodes in his face The New Paper May 2, 2013 Pest Control Company given warning after tainted bread meant for pigeons poisons pet dog Tiger, a jack russell terrier, died on July 22 after playing at Block 412, Commonwealth Avenue West. The town council has warned the firm involved. -- ST PHOTO: JOANNA SEOW Source from ST Breaking News. A joint meeting was called on 17th September 2013 by NEA & MOM with the present of WSH representatives and SPMA council members in discussing the possibility of finding an alternative to the use of diesel during thermal fogging treatment at confine space like bin chute to prevent further accident. As according to MOM analysis (base on Swiss Cheese Model) Confined space + Diesel (flammable fuel) + Oxygen in the air + Hot Fogging Nozzle (sparks/ignition) = Flash Fire! However SPMA has a different view on sighting possible failure in keeping a good maintenance schedule on the fogger & possible lapse in SOP/insufficiency of training. SPMA urges all members to adhere to proper Standard Operations Procedures and step up training and put further emphasis on the use of personal protective equipment. Pest control officer who asked for bribe jailed for 3 weeks SINGAPORE - One of three pest control officers who allegedly tried to solicit a $100 bribe from a vegetable seller caught for mosquito breeding not only lost his job, he was also jailed for three weeks by a district court on Friday. Khushwant Singh, The Straits Times, Monday, Aug 26, 2013 5
SAND FLIES Introduction Apart from being vectors of disease transmission, sand flies may also cause a serious but localized biting nuisance and people that are highly sensitive to their bites may develop severe irritation. Sand flies are blood-sucking dipterous insects of the family Psychodidae. They are distributed worldwide, particularly in tropics and subtropics such as rainforests, highlands, and deserts. Species belong to the genus Phlebotomus, Lutzomyia, and Sergentomyia are known to habitually suck blood from vertebrate animals and the former two are considered to be the most important vectors of human diseases, including leishmaniasis (Leishmania spp.), bartonellosis or oroya fever (Bartonella bacilliformis), and sand fly fever or papataci fever. In Southeast Asia, Phlebotomus argentipes has been implicated as a vector of Leishmania donovani, which is the most often reported species that caused visceral leishmaniasis. Apart from being vectors of disease transmission, sand flies may also cause a serious but localized biting nuisance and people that are highly sensitive to their bites may develop severe irritation. Biology and life cycle Sand flies undergo a complete metamorphosis with distinct egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages (Fig. 1). Females lay 30 70 eggs singly in humid
Sand flies are blood-sucking dipterous insects of the family Psychodidae. They are distributed worldwide, particularly in tropics and subtropics such as rainforests, highlands, and deserts. soil rich in organic matters. Under optimum conditions, the eggs hatch after 6 17 days. Larvae typically have four instars. They complete their development after 19 60 days, depending on the species, temperature, and food availability. They are scavenger that feed on decaying organic matters such as fungi, rotting vegetation, animal feces, and dead insects. Both eggs and larvae require moist habitats with high humidity to develop because they have extremely low tolerance to desiccation. The length of pupal period varies from 5 to 10 days. Development from egg to adult takes approximately 20 40 days and extends to several months for larvae that enter dormancy. Identification Adult sand flies are minute, usually 1.3 3.5 mm long. They can be easily recognized by their hairy appearance (head, thorax, wings, and abdomen are densely covered with long hairs), have large black eyes, and long and stiltlike legs. The antennae are long, consisting of small bedlike segments with short hairs. The mouthparts are short and unobtrusive. Their lanceolate wings distinguish them from other biting flies. Eggs are black ovoid-shaped with patterned. Mature larvae typically measure about 3 6 mm long. They possess distinct black head with a pair of small mandibles. Their body is twelve-segmented and made up of grey or yellow in color. Thick bristles with feather stems and enlarge tips or matchstick hairs are salient on the head and all body segments. Pupae exhibit two remarkable pairs of caudal bristles. At pupation, the last larval skin is shed but always attached to the end of the pupae. Management strategies Insecticide spray or fog on the outdoor resting sites of sand flies such as tree trunks, animal shelters, and walls. Install protective nets or finer screens to prevent flies from entering into the premises. The nets and screens can be impregnated with pyrethroids to further increase their protection. Apply suitable insect repellents (diethyltoluamide, dimethylphthalate, and trimethyl pentanediol) for personal protection against sand flies. Install protective nets or finer screens to prevent flies from entering into the premises. The nets and screens can be impregnated with pyrethroids to further increase their protection. 7
Newsletter of the Singapore Pest Management Association Oct Apr - Dec Jun 2013 UPCOMING EVENTS SAFETY VIDEO MUCH ANTICIPATED THE 1ST ever SAFETY VIDEO TO BE RELEASED BY SPMA..SOON! The world first preview of some exciting video scenes make exclusively to our members, more stories will be covered in next issue. REVAMPED WEBSITE SPMA revamped website www.spma.org.sg is now live! Filming has been completed awaiting the editing process before video is review and go into production PEST SUMMIT KUALA LUMPUR 2014 UPDATE Pest Summit 2014 will be held at Sunway Resort & Spa, Kuala Lumpur (Sept 2014) with the Theme Sustainable Pest Management in a Borderless Globalized World. Check out for details in our SPMA website. SPMA Contacts Mr Dennis Ho, ( Secretariat ) Mailing Address: Crawford Post Office, P.O. Box 514, Singapore 911901 Hp: (65) 9437 1099 Fax: (65) 64844270 Email: contactus@spma.org.sg Website: www.spma.org.sg 8