Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.

A Port Orange man who committed burglaries while posing as a pest control worker was sentenced Tuesday to five years in a state prison, officials said.

Johnny Swanger faced up to 30 years in prison after he was convicted April 24 on charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling, dealing in stolen property and practicing pest control without a valid license, according to a release from the State Attorneys Office.

For several days in January 2013, Swanger, who is ordered to pay restitution to his victims, targeted older and terminally ill individuals, according to the release. Swanger, 46, stole jewelry worth several thousands of dollars after the victims invited him into their homes, believing he was going to treat the residences for pests.

Swanger will be subject to 10 years of probation with drug offender conditions upon his release from prison, according to the release.

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Pest control worker impersonator, burglar gets 5 years' prison

Provided

AVF investigators Georg Jander and Katja Poveda have received $498,000 in USDA funding to harness potato plants natural response to environmental stress. Their findings could deliver a sustainable pest control strategy that works with invading pests to increase crop yields and reduce insect damage.

Most farmers fight a constant battle against damaging insects. In a plant science version of keep your friends close but your enemies closer, Cornell researchers are working with a common potato pest to see if they can activate the natural defenses of potato plants by managing the bugs, rather than eradicating them.

The researchers aim to harness the plants physiological responses to environmental stress such as infestation as a sustainable pest control strategy that increases yields and reduces insect damage at the same time.

With seed funding from a 2011 Academic Venture Fund (AVF) award from the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, entomologist Jennifer Thaler, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, led a multidisciplinary team that worked with farmers in the Andes to learn more about how infestation by the local scourge of tuber moths actually helped some potato plants produce up to twice the usual yield of potatoes by harvest. These plants responded to a moderate infestation by overcompensating and ramping up production above the losses caused by the insect.

A team members previous research had identified one Colombian potato variety that responds to moth damage with robust yields. The AVF fieldwork pinpointed a second variety that is an effective trap crop. By growing a decoy plant that the moths especially like to eat alongside the potato with powerful natural defenses, farmers are able to control the amount of damage to the majority of their crop enough damage to activate the extra growth, without excessively taxing the plant. This push-pull strategy could help farmers around the world get bigger harvests from each acre of existing farmland, without pesticides, say the researchers.

Now plant biologist Georg Jander, associate professor, and assistant professor of entomology Katja Poveda, collaborators on the AVF research, are launching a study of the overcompensating potato variety to determine what genetic and physiological factors kick-start the plants growth.

Once we have identified the mechanisms by which the tuber moth promotes tuber growth, Jander explained, we can apply these mechanisms to increase yield in other potato varieties. The new project recently received three-year funding of $498,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Potatoes are indigenous to the Andes and remain a staple crop in South America, where more than 3,000 varieties are grown. The AVF-funded research confirmed local farmers interest in sustainable pest control.

We learned that farmers value the health benefits from an alternative pest management strategy much more than we anticipated, Poveda said. They are aware of the health consequences of using insecticides and willing to change to alternatives if they do not compromise the productivity of the crop. In the third year of the USDA grant, the Cornell team will return to Colombia to test the potato in field trials across different altitudes, soils and climate conditions.

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Pest attacks can lead to bigger crop yields

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Let #39;s play The Secret World - Episode 15 - The maggot or the egg
We go help our friend andy witha little pest control, and while doing so learn about the reproductive cycle of the Draugr. I #39;m aware that quality and the sound of my voice aren #39;t optimal....

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Bro #39;s out after the grey menace without me to hold his hand again. Watch the video to see what he gets up to! Check out our channel for more videos! - http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHMuDvc7quBoy-...

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June 19,

Researchers Develop Genetic Control Mechanism for Major Livestock Pest

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique to control populations of the Australian sheep blowfly a major livestock pest in Australia and New Zealand by making female flies dependent upon a common antibiotic to survive.

Dr. Max Scott, professor of entomology at NC State, and his research team genetically modified lines of female Australian sheep blowflies (Lucilia cuprina) so that they required doses of tetracycline in order to live. Female blowflies that did not receive the antibiotic died in the late larval or pupal stages, before reaching adulthood. Several genetically modified lines lacking tetracycline showed 100 percent female deaths.

Scott says that the gene construct responsible for lethality in antibiotic-free diets is female-specific. Interestingly and unexpectedly, the genetically modified female larvae containing the tetracycline lethality genes also took on a crimson color due to overexpression of the linked red fluorescent protein marker gene. This allows scientists to tell which larvae will be females and which will be males.

Overexpression of the gene responsible for the reliance on tetracycline also seems to overexpress this marker gene, Scott says.

Since the females will die when not provided tetracycline in their diets, the males can be separated out in the larval stage. This is essential for a male-only genetic control program to reduce blowfly populations, Scott says, as fertile males would pass the lethality construct on to female offspring, which would die in the absence of tetracycline. Male larval offspring, however, would still be dangerous to livestock.

In the study, the researchers showed that the tetracycline gene construct also works in Drosophila, the fruit fly lab rat of the insect world that is a distant cousin of the sheep blowfly. This holds promise that the genetic system will function in the New World and Old World screwworm, two major livestock pests that are close relatives of the sheep blowfly. Scott is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make male-only strains of the New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax).

The New World screwworm is a devastating pest of livestock that was eradicated from North and Central America by releasing sterilized male and female flies, Scott says. However, a male-only strain offers several advantages, including potentially more efficient population suppression for the ongoing program. Efficient genetic control systems have the potential to help eradicate some of the biggest problem pests across the globe, he said.

The research is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and NC State.

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New Genetic Control Mechanism for Major Livestock Pest

There are growing concerns about a debilitating mosquito-borne virus Channel 9 has been telling you about for weeks now.

Eyewitness News found pest control companies are busy fielding calls from people who want help keeping the mosquitoes away.

It only takes a few minutes for crews to spray yards to ward against mosquitoes.

Rick Seifert, president of the Pest Control Authority, said the calls have been coming in non-stop, especially after North Carolina confirmed its first case of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus that's starting to appear around the country.

One U.S. senator is now asking the CDC to issue a health alert to help doctors identify and treat those infected with the virus that can cause fever, joint pain, headaches and rashes.

Spraying kills adult mosquitos, but Seifert said you also want to get rid of any standing water, which can be a breeding ground.

Spraying your home is just one line of defense. Experts said you should use some type of insect repellent or wear long sleeves or pants especially if you're going to be out in the morning or late in the day when mosquitos are most active.

Out at Freedom Park, dog trainer Tyler Pagnoni said he doesn't do anything to protect himself. "I get bit maybe once or twice a day and that's it."

The Rev. Kelvin Brown said he's not taking any chances.

"It does make you nervous because you're running, jogging, and sweating and you don't even know what's biting you," he said.

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Concerns about mosquito virus keeping pest control companies busy