Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 16, 2016 9A
Home sweet home bugged by uninvited winter guests
ENGAGEMENTS
Ivey - Dunmire
Cooler temperatures
drive many insects
indoors, including
some exotic species
B RUCE
P OKARNEY
Agnews
The welcome mat outside
your home’s front door
probably isn’t intended for
all species of life, especially
those with lots of legs.
Nonetheless, many
insects jump at the chance –
or more likely crawl — to
find a cozy shelter as win-
ter approaches. Oregon
homeowners and apartment
dwellers may notice the
usual increased indoor ac-
tivity of insects associated
with this time of year.
“During fall and winter,
several insect species —
both introduced and native
— can enter homes in large
numbers,” says Oregon De-
partment of Agriculture en-
tomologist Jim LaBonte.
“They may be a nuisance,
but homeowners should not
be overly concerned with
these bugs. They are not a
threat to humans, pets, or
structures in any way, man-
ner, or form.”
Because these pests are
relatively small — some
species are very tiny — they
can easily enter through
gaps under and around
doors leading outside, poor-
ly fitting windows, dryer
vents, and other points of
access into a residence.
While almost all species of
these pests feed on plants,
they do not feed while over-
wintering and should not
harm house plants. These
insects do not reproduce
while inside homes.
Keeping these bugs out in
the first place is probably
the best choice for residents.
“The best thing to do is to
seal up points of access,”
says LaBonte. “For bugs
that have already entered
the home, it depends on
how many you have and
your tolerance for them. You
can escort them
outside, flush them down
the toilet, or dispose of them
as you see fit.”
After a few hard frosts, the
outdoor bugs will likely be-
come ver y inactive or
will have already found shel-
ter for the winter. In either
case, they aren’t likely to
come indoors.
Several native species find
their way into the home
during winter, most com-
monly the box elder
bug, Boisea rubrolineata,
which normally feeds on
maple leaves. ODA has re-
ceived calls about the na-
tive western conifer seed
bug, Leptoglossus occiden-
talis, a leaf-footed bug
sometimes mistaken for the
“conenose” or “kissing”
bug. That bug is a species of
assassin bug, which bites
people, sucks their blood,
and can transmit Chaga’s
disease. However, “co-
nenose/kissing” bugs are
not found in Oregon.
Over the past dozen years,
a handful of exotic species
have burst onto the
local scene in high numbers.
One insect pest with an
unsavory name and an un-
appealing scent first showed
up in Portland in 2004. At
the time, it was the first ap-
pearance of the brown mar-
morated stink bug
(BMSB), Halyomorpha halys
west of the Mississippi.
Since then, the bug has be-
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB an insect pest
with an unsavory name and an unappealing scent first
showed up in Portland in 2004.
come established through-
out Oregon, with large pop-
ulations in the Willamette
Valley area.
BMSB — native to Asia —
is similar in looks to some
Oregon’s native stink bugs,
but is not affected by the
natural predators, parasites,
or diseases that help con-
trol native stink bugs. Where
established, it can
enter homes by the thou-
sands, which can be stressful
and disturbing to residents.
BMSBs can release an un-
pleasant odor when dis-
turbed but are otherwise
harmless to people.
House or ground spiders
often enter homes this time
of year, especially while
seeking mates. These spi-
ders are nothing to be con-
cerned about, according to
LaBonte. The only truly poi-
sonous Oregon spider is the
black widow, which is
rarely common in resi-
dences except perhaps in
eastern or southern Oregon.
It appears to be a normal
year of indoor bug activity
in Oregon. ODA is receiv-
ing fewer reports of brown
marmorated stink bugs in
homes, but that may be a
sign of Oregonians just get-
ting used to having
them around. No matter the
species, its normal for you to
share your home this winter
with insects whether you
like it or not.
1. Rough stink bug,
Brochymena affinis
2. Arhyssus sp.
3. Box elder bug, Boisea
rubrolineata
4. Various color morphs of
multicolored asian lady-
bird beetle, Harmonia
axyridis
5. Xanthochilus saturnius
6. Tuxedo bug, Raglius al-
boacuminatus
7. Elm seed bug, Arocatus
melanocephalus
8. Western conifer seed
bug, Leptoglossus occi-
dentalis
9. Brown marmorated
stink bug, Halyomorpha
halys
10. Big nose bug,
Metopoplex ditmoides
(with a silhouette to scale,
as they are ~4mm in
length.)
MI TOWN
We’re smack dab in the
middle of November and
around our house, we seem
to comment frequently that
the days are going by much
too quickly. We’re just get-
ting used to the time change
and fallout from the recent
elections, and now Thanks-
giving is just around the cor-
ner. All the big department
stores are being decked out
for Christmas already, and
we still have leftover Hal-
loween candy in the pantry.
Call me the village spoil
sport, but I just can’t under-
stand why the rush is on to
begin the shopping season
this early. Thanksgiving is
such a wonderful holiday,
with friends and families
gathering to share good and
happy times together, and
for us to all give thanks for
our many blessings. It would
be good to take the time to
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
enjoy this special time of
year and not be inundated
by Christmas carols and
decorations so soon.
—
Members of our commu-
nity are invited to attend
and participate in a town
hall forum this evening
(Wednesday) from 6 to 7
p.m. in the Richard Wood-
cock Education Center,
Pastega Conference Room
(Room 101). Western Ore-
gon University is actively en-
gaged in a strategic planning
process and welcomes sug-
gestions, ideas and ques-
tions from residents who
wish to share in the discus-
sion. For more information,
visit the website at
wou.edu/planning. Light re-
freshments will be served.
—
The Friends of the Mon-
mouth Library are looking
for books for their upcom-
ing sale from Dec. 1-22, and
are especially needing chil-
dren’s books in good condi-
tion. This sale is a wonderful
opportunity to find nearly-
new books for gift giving as
well as excellent books from
all categories for everyone in
your family. Proceeds from
the sale are used to pay for
items for the library that are
not included in the regular
budget. Please bring your
gently used books to the li-
brary by Nov. 30.
—
These dark and rainy days
keep us indoors much of the
time, and both the Inde-
pendence and Monmouth
libraries have many good
programs available for read-
ers of all ages. There’s noth-
ing more comfy on a dark
and rainy day than a good
book and a cozy nook – and
they are in plentiful supply
at our public libraries.
—
If you’re running out of
places to recycle all those
leaves and yard debris, be
sure to bring it to Riverview
Park in Independence Satur-
day from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.,
and Brandt’s will take it all
away. You can even include
any old pumpkins, grass,
twigs and tree limbs. Please
don’t bring ashes, dirt, sod,
rocks or gravel, stumps, ani-
mal waste, or painted or fin-
ished wood. Any questions,
please call 503-838-0464.
Cody Ivey and Amber
Dunmire, both of Dal-
las, announced their
engagement. The cou-
ple is planning a No-
vember 2017 wedding.
The bride-to-be is
the daughter of Steve
Dunmire and Shelly
Boatwright, both of
Dallas, and grand-
daughter of Willard
Lynn and Janice Dun-
mire, also of Dallas.
The groom-to-be is the son of Tim and Heather Ivey, of
Dallas, and Lisa Weajley, of Scio and grandson of Gary and
Kathy Ivey, also of Dallas.
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
These Polk County groups would welcome individuals
who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations
that would like to be added to this list should call 503-623-
2373 or email IOnews@polkio.com.
• AARP Foundation Tax-Aide – 503-930-7636
• After DARC — 503-623-9501
• Arc of Polk County — 541-223-3261
• Central School District — 503-838-0030
• City of Dallas — 503-831-3502
• City of Independence — 503-838-1212
• City of Monmouth — 503-751-0145
• Crime Victims Assistance Program — 503-623-9268
• Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce — 503-623-2564
• Dallas Fire Department — 503-831-3532
• Dallas Food Bank — 503-623-3578
• Dallas Kids, Inc. — 503-623-6419
• Dallas Police Department — 503-831-3582
• Dallas Public Library — 503-623-2633
• Dallas Retirement Village — 503-623-5581
• Dallas School District — 503-623-5594
• Delbert Hunter Arboretum — 503-623-7359
• Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon
— 503-581-2451
• Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-838-1276
• Falls City Arts Center — 503-559-6291
• Falls City School District — 503-787-3531
• Family Building Blocks – 503-566-2132, ext. 308.
• H-2-O — 503-831-4736
HART (Horses Adaptive Riding and Therapy)
— 971-301-4278
• HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley — 503-363-1651
• Heron Pointe Assisted Living — 503-838-6850
• Independence Health and Rehabilitation — 503-838-0001
• Independence Public Library — 503-838-1811
• Kings Valley Charter School — 541-929-2134
• Luckiamute Watershed Council — 503-837-0237
• Luckiamute Valley Charter School – 503-623-4837
• Meals on Wheels — 503-838-2084
• Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce
— 503-838-4268
• Monmouth-Independence YMCA — 503-838-4042
• Monmouth Public Library — 503-838-1932
• Northwest Human Services — 503-588-5828
• Oregon Child Development Coalition — 503-838-2745
• OSU Extension Service - Polk County — 503-623-8395
• Perrydale School District — 503-623-2040
• Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of
Polk County Inc. — 503-623-8473
• Polk Community Development Corporation
— 503-831-3173
• Polk County Community Emergency Response Team
— 503-623-9396
• Polk County Museum — 503-623-6251
• Polk County Public Health — 503-623-8175
• Polk County Resource Center — 503-623-8429
• Polk Soil and Water Conservation District — 503-623-9680
• Relief Nursery Classroom — 503-566-2132
• SABLE House — 503-623-6703
• SALT (Senior and law enforcement together)
— 503-851-9366
• Salvation Army — 503-798-4783
• SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) — 503-391-8423
• Salem Health West Valley Hospital — 503-623-8301
• Victim Assistance Program-Polk Co. District Attorney’s
Office 503-623-9268 x1444
• Willamette Valley Hospice — 503-588-3600
PEDEE NEWS
James and Jenny Mellein
and kids, Tom and Amy
Gilson and kids, and Daniel
and Heidi Russell and kids
spent the Halloween week-
end at Newpor t. The
Me l l e i n s a n d R u s s e l l s
shared a house with a view
of the ocean. The children
were excited about playing
on the beach, and with 12
children between the fami-
lies, it made for a lot of fun
and a big pile of sandy wet
shoes. The trip was round-
ed out with visits from
grandparents and a walk
along the Newport bay
front where people dressed
up for Halloween were
passing out candy (The lit-
tle ones weren’t sure what
to think of receiving candy
from a person in a strange
costume).
—
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
Pam Burbank is happy to
report that her house is
now licensed as an adult
foster care home. She got
her personal license last
spring. So she will now be
accepting clients, plus is
still looking for additional
employees.
—
Joy Overlie has two al-
pacas she’d like to get to
new homes. One has pa-
pers and one is a cute white
one. She says, “Make an
offer!”
—
Thank you to Nancy Yancey,
Pharmacist at Dallas Pill Box,
for her exceptional,
personalized service.
She is truly
a client advocate!
Susan Wagner, RN
Pedee Church will again
be participating in Opera-
tion Christmas Child,
which is a project where
people pack shoeboxes
with gifts for children.
Please consider making
your own box(es) with your
family, or take items to fill
boxes with to the church.
They can also use dona-
tions of shoe boxes — qual-
ity plastic ones are a great
“reusable” option, or sturdy
cardboard. Another option
is to give money to cover
the postage cost. The dead-
line is Monday, and the kids
at church will be packing
the boxes on Sunday, so
please donate soon. Con-
tact Diana Barnhart: td-
barhart@aol.com for more
information, or go to the
Operation Christmas Child
website for info on packing,
24 hour
Service
age ranges, etc. They also
have gift suggestions.
—
The women at the Pedee
Women’s Club were so
thankful to the guys in the
Pedee Fire Department who
helped set up the clubhouse
and fire hall for the holiday
fair. Ethan McKinney, Jimmy
Libke, Mickenzy Tootle, Nic
Heller, Brian Yost, and
Daniel Russell did the heavy
lifting for the women, so all
was done in a jiffy.
This fair is very special —
surely almost everyone
from the community
comes, plus lots of other
people, and even a biker
group that comes every
year for the soup and pie.
Barb Max, of Corvallis, was
the winner of hte patriotic
quilt raffle that benefits the
soldier fund.
Pick up &
Drop Off
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