Unusual weather making desert denizens active earlier

Friday, March 11, 2005 | 4:01 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

March 12 - 13, 2005

Desert critters are stirring earlier than usual this year thanks to soaking rains and above-average temperatures arriving earlier than normal, experts say.

Tortoises, lizards, bees, Oriental roaches, spiders, ants and scorpions could pop up in record numbers at backyard barbecues, in bathrooms and in blooming gardens as warmer spring weather arrives.

The most famous local tortoise, Mojave Max, emerged from a burrow at Red Rock Canyon Visitor's Center at 11:55 a.m. on Feb. 14, about a month ahead of schedule, county management analyst Christina Gibson said.

Besides desert tortoises, residents may see side-blotch lizards, a tiny reptile that is small enough to warm up during sunny weather before bigger snakes emerge, said herpetologist Alex Heindle, curator of the reptile exhibit at UNLV.

"They're so small, their bodies warm up fast," Heindle said.

Once the ground warms to between 55 and 60 degrees, Las Vegans can expect to see plenty of critters roaming the desert and wandering into backyards, Heindle said.

In January some of the 235 local pesticide companies began receiving calls about bee swarms, Tom Smigel, an entymologist with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, said.

"They were about a month ahead of schedule," Smigel said of the creatures that are only dangerous if someone threatens or disturbs their hives.

Africanized bees, also called killer bees, moved into the Las Vegas Valley about four years ago after working their way from South America to the North American continent since bees from a Brazilian laboratory escaped in the late 1960s.

The more aggressive bees have plenty of pollen to pack away in local hives because the winter rains produced so many wildflowers.

"Insects are having a good time," pest control expert George Botta said. "This will probably be the busiest bee season yet."

Botta has tackled growing insect problems at Las Vegas homes and businesses since 1978. For bees, a special foamy soap solution is used to kill them when they are found in areas used by people.

"People should never use pesticide on them. They're mad enough as it is," Botta said.

For a list of pesticide companies available and on call for tackling bee problems, call 385-5853.

"We're ahead of schedule on everything," Botta said.

For bark scorpions, it takes a temperature of 85 degrees or more before they become active, Botta said. The scorpions leave palm trees and hunt for food at night, but a few residents have found them inside their homes.

Bark scorpions and fire ants arrived in Southern Nevada riding cargoes of plants. Inspectors will check nurseries for both scorpions and fire ants, officials said.

People have also reported snails in the desert this year. The snails are active from all the rain and homeowners who overwater, Botta said.

Large, black bugs most people refer to as water bugs are actually Oriental cockroaches, Botta said.

By late March or early April the Agriculture Department, the Clark County Health District and country vector control experts will be on guard for mosquitos carrying the West Nile virus, Smigel said.

Since there is so much standing water after the persistent rains, there are plenty of breeding grounds for the disease-carrying insects, Smigel said.

The disease is especially prevalent in horses. Horse owners should have their animals vaccinated against West Nile virus, Smigel said.

Nevada reported 44 cases of West Nile virus last year, but usually by the second year of the virus' presence in an area the number of cases rises.

Cities and the county will trap mosquitos and will test dead crows, ravens and raptors again this year. They will also issue warnings and citations to residents who don't take care of stagnant water on their properties.