Lawndale Tribune
AND lAwNDAle News
The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale
Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - August 31, 2017
Northrop Grumman Foundation Supports
Cousteau’s EarthEcho Expedition
This year, thanks to support from the Northrop Grumman Foundation, EarthEcho will, for the first time, include U.S. based middle school teachers in an exploration of water scarcity in Southern California
alongside Philippe Cousteau, Jr. and the EarthEcho Expeditions team. Since 2013, EarthEcho Expeditions have leveraged the rich Cousteau legacy of exploration and discovery to bring science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) education alive for today’s 21st Century learners and their educators. Photo Credit: EarthEcho
Useful Outdoor Ants Can Become a Nuisance
By Rob McCarthy
of homes or residents first determine what is
Occupants of home and businesses should be
attracting the ants and remove the food source.
on the lookout for an uninvited visitor that walks
Vacuum ant trails, wipe them with soapy water-
in announced, invades the kitchen and won’t
-or spray window sills, countertops, baseboards
get out of the bathroom. This public nuisance
and floors with window cleaner. Put out bait
is well known to South Bay residents, but a
stations or apply gel bait where the ants are
call to 911 isn’t going to help. It’ll take a pest
entering the building, the experts advise. Baits
exterminator or a visit to the hardware store.
don’t work immediately, so ant trails may be
The South Bay is experiencing a summer ant
visible for a few days.
invasion, with these beneficial insects heading
Ants will keep looking for alternative routes,
inside dwellings, warehouses and anywhere
the UC team warns. So, locate holes in exterior
that affords them food, water and cover from
or interior walls where ants are entering, and
the beating sun. The July-through-September
caulk the openings or fill them with petroleum
period is their busiest time of the year, pest
jelly to block access. Weather, especially hot
control companies say. Ants live outdoors in
and dry conditions in summer, trigger ant
colonies they build underground in garden
invasions and it will eventually stop on its
planters or lawns, and all except biting ants
own, the expert tell us. A professional charges
are harmless to humans.
between $100 and $250 for a one-time treatment
Ants are the most common insect found in
of a structure, and they offer service contracts
homes, and there are 210 species of them in
for about $50 per month that include regular
Southern California. The summer heat and dry
treatment of ant nests and indoor inspections.
soil conditions signal it’s time for the ants to
The Argentine ant is the most populous
find water and food, according to the University
species in the area and is non-native to the
of California’s pest management experts. As
state. It thrives in California and is believed
long as they stay outside, these insects quietly
to have killed off and replaced native ants
go about their business keeping termites and
“many of which are 10 times larger,” according
flea populations under control, the UC bug
to the website, Do Your Own Pest Control.
experts tell us.
Entomophobes (people with a fear of bugs)
These beneficial insects become a nuisance
when they head indoors looking for water and
sugary food in the kitchen. Ants enter through
open windows, doors or cracks in walls with
exposure to the outdoors, according to pest
professionals. An ant sighting, especially in
the kitchen or bathroom, is the time to take
preventative action. The UC bug experts say
that indoor bug sprays aren’t necessary, while
over-the-counter gels repel invading ants.
For immediate results, the UC pest
management services recommends occupants
should be glad to learn that Argentine ants
don’t stick around for long. They don’t nest
in the walls of a structure, preferring to live
outdoors. “They enter to forage and then exit,
returning to the nest,” the website says about
their lifestyle choice.
This Argentinian species prefers sweet foods,
so bagging up fruit and cookies in the kitchen
is recommended. They like to nest in moist
soil near buildings and live near sidewalks
and planters, according to information found
at DoYourOwnPestControl.com. Ants typically
enter a building looking for food and water
in dry or wet weather, and the most effective
pest control method is bait that the worker ants
carry back to the nest.
There are two species of Southern California
ants that attack wood and cause termite-like
damage to structures. Carpenter ants and velvety
tree ants invade residential and commercial
buildings, and they hollow out wooden beams
and plywood, according to the do-it-yourself
pest site. Anybody creeped out by the thought
of insects--you’re not alone. Bug phobia and
a repulsive reaction to the sight of an insect
ranks high on American’s list of fears, which
is what keeps the pest control companies busy
and bug treatments on hardware store shelves. •
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................5
Classifieds............................3
Community Briefs...............2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Legals............................2, 6-7
Pets........................................4
Police Reports.....................3
Seniors..................................2
Sports....................................8
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Sunny
90˚/75˚
Saturday
Partly
Cloudy
87˚/73˚
Sunday
Sunny
85˚/73˚