When a technician cannot name a pest on the day, the sourced route in Rio Rancho is the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, whose Sandoval County office is in Bernalillo. Insect questions go to its Master Gardener helpline, and samples of invasive insects can be taken to its Plant Diagnostic Clinic. This guide explains how to collect and send a sample, what the references cover, and how to record the answer.
Key takeaways
- The Sandoval County NMSU Extension office is in Bernalillo.
- Insect identification is handled through its Master Gardener helpline.
- The Plant Diagnostic Clinic accepts samples of invasive insects.
- Collect a whole specimen in a sealed container, with a photo and a note of where it was found.
- Check the current contact details before sending anything, because this site does not hold a verified current address.
- Record the date the sample was sent and the reply when it arrives.
Why use the Extension route at all?
The Extension route gives a name from an office that works on the state’s insects, and it gives a named office to cite in the report. A name from a current office is more reliable for a current question than a name taken from an old reference alone.
The state references this site reviewed are of different ages. The NMSU circular on household pests dates from 1970 and is useful only to confirm that a group is a household pest in the state. Its treatment advice is out of date. The circular on common insects was revised in 2005 and is the newer reference, with sections on scorpions, spiders and cockroaches among others.
Neither reference is a survey of what is active in Rio Rancho now, and neither should be read as one. For a question about a particular sample from a particular address, the Extension office is the route that can answer with a current reply, and the report should say which route was used.
What exactly is the Sandoval County office?
The NMSU Cooperative Extension Service has a Sandoval County office in Bernalillo. Its specialties named in the sourced material include insect pests and integrated pest management.
The office is part of the state university’s extension system, which provides research-based information to the public. Its insect questions are handled through a Master Gardener helpline, which can be contacted for identification and advice. The helpline is a route for a name, not a route for a treatment, and the office does not carry out pest control work for the caller.
This site does not hold a verified current address or telephone number for the office. The address and details shown in the sourced material should be confirmed on the university’s own pages before anything is posted or sent.
How is a specimen collected and kept?
A specimen is collected whole, in a sealed rigid container, without any liquid. It is kept cool and dry and out of direct sun, and it is labelled with the date, the place and the number found.
A whole insect shows the features an identifier needs: the number of legs and wings, the antennae, the body segments and the colour pattern. A damaged or crushed specimen may still help, but the identification may be less firm, and the report should say so. Do not add alcohol or any other liquid, which can damage features needed for a name.
Label the container with the date, the room or outside spot, and the number of insects found. Keep a second container for a second specimen if one is found on a different day, because a pattern across days is useful to the identifier.
How is a photograph used in place of a specimen?
A clear photograph with a scale, taken from above and from the side, can support a provisional name. A photograph alone is less firm than a whole specimen, and the report marks a name from a photo as provisional.
Light the insect evenly, place a ruler or a coin beside it and take a sharp photograph. Include a second photo of any mark, colour pattern or body part that looks unusual. A blurred photo taken from across the room is hard to use, and a second attempt with a closer view is usually better.
A photo is most useful when it is sent with a note of the place, the date and the number seen, and with the sighting history. The identifier can then use the photo and the context together.
What do you do while the sample is with the office?
While the sample is with the office, keep the place in the same condition, note any new sightings with their place and date, and continue any monitoring that is in place. Do not treat the place on an assumed name.
The sample is one piece of the evidence. The inspection, the monitoring and the sealing can continue while the identification is pending, and the report records which steps are waiting for the reply. A treatment that depends on the reply should wait for it, unless a safety issue requires action first.
Keep a note of every sighting in the meantime, with its place and date. A second specimen, or a repeat sighting in the same place, is useful to the identifier and should be sent with the first sample if it is found.
How is the answer recorded?
The answer is recorded in the report with its source, its date and the name given. If the name is confirmed, the report says so and uses it. If the reply is that the sample cannot be named, the report records that too.
A report that says the sample was identified by the Extension office should state the date it was sent, the date the reply came, and the name given. A report that quotes a name without its source is less useful, because the next technician cannot see how it was reached.
The reply may change the treatment or the sealing that was planned. The report should say so and recommend the revised step, with its check, and it should not keep an earlier plan that the reply no longer supports.
What happens when the reply says the sample cannot be named?
A reply that says the sample cannot be named is a result. The report records the reply, the reason given and the next step, which may be a second specimen at a different time, a monitoring period or a different method of collection.
A sample can fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the insect. It may have been damaged in the post, stored in the wrong container, or collected at a stage that is hard to name. The report says which reason applies if the office gives one, and it sets the next collection step with the same care as the first.
The caller should not treat a non-name as a reason to ignore the sighting. The activity may still need monitoring or sealing, and the report recommends those steps on the evidence that remains.
How does a name change the plan?
A confirmed name can change the treatment, the sealing or the monitoring, and it can show that a planned step is no longer needed. The report should say which step has changed and why, rather than keep an earlier plan that the name no longer supports.
A name may show that the insect is harmless in a house, or that it needs a different method from the one first thought of. It may also show that the kind found is a secondary sign of another problem, such as moisture or a food source. Each of those changes the next step, and the report records it.
A name that is given by the Extension route is written into the report with its source and its date. The technician then explains the change to the caller, in writing, before any new step is taken.
What should the sample log record?
The sample log records the sample number, the date collected, the place, the collector, the container, the date sent, the route used, the date of the reply and the reply itself. A single line per sample is enough for a home, and a business keeps a register.
A log is the simplest way to keep track of a sample that has been sent away. Without it, the reply may arrive and nobody can match it to the place it came from. The log lets the homeowner or the manager see at a glance which samples are waiting and which have been answered.
The log should be kept with the report, not in a separate file that may be lost. A copy of the reply goes into the report as an attachment or as a summary with its date.
How should a sample be packed and sent?
Pack the sample in a rigid container that will not crush, seal the container and place it inside a second sealed bag with the label. Send it promptly, and do not send a sample that has been left in a hot vehicle or in direct sun.
A rigid container, such as a small plastic pill tub or a tube with a secure lid, protects the specimen in transit. A sealed bag around it keeps the label and the sample together if the container cracks. The label should be written in pencil or with a waterproof pen, because ink can run if the container is damp.
Do not send a sample with a liquid in the container, and do not add a preservative unless the office has asked for one. A sample that arrives damaged may still be useful, but the report should note the damage, because the identifier will need to know.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send the sample myself, or must the technician send it?
Either can be done. The technician can take the sample to the route on your behalf and record it, or you can send it yourself after checking the office’s current arrangements. Either way, the report should say who sent it and when.
Is there a charge for identification?
This site does not publish prices and does not state a fee for the Extension route. Check the office’s own arrangements before sending a sample.
Will the Extension office come to my home?
The sourced material describes an identification route through the helpline and the clinic, not a home visit. Ask the office directly if you need something else.
What if the sample is a venomous creature?
Do not handle it with bare hands. Keep it in a sealed rigid container out of reach of children and pets, and seek medical help first if anyone has been stung or bitten.
Can the Extension route name a pest that is a risk to my health?
It can give a name, and the report should then record what that name means for the next step. For any health question, a medical provider is the right route, and the poison information source named on this site is the place to ask about a bite or a sting.
Sources
- NMSU Circular 570, One Hundred Common Insects of New Mexico (revised 2005)
- NMSU Circular 423, Control Household Pests (1970, dated; household pest list only)
- NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, Sandoval County office (contact to be confirmed before publishing)
This guide is general information for Sandoval County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.