Tired of bugs, Levelland residents hope red flour beetle infestation abated soon

LEVELLAND — Residents in Levelland's Kauffman Addition are fed up with a bug infestation originating at a nearby agricultural facility.

For months, residents of the neighborhood have been finding hoards of dark-colored, rice-grain-sized red flour beetles in and around their homes. The insects fly and feed on processed grains.

The beetles are believed to be hitching a ride on trains from California, hiding out in almond hulls shipped to Penny Newman Grain Co., located on State Highway 114 just south of the neighborhood in eastern Levelland.

Residents say this is the second year they've dealt with the beetles, and by far the worst. Some find hundreds or thousands of the insects at any given time.

"We sweep up probably about 300 or 400 every morning," Kauffman resident Henry Pompa, who has lived in the neighborhood around 40 years, told the Avalanche-Journal.

"You'll shake out your blankets, you'll crawl into bed, and you'll feel them crawling on you," neighbor Chasity Willson added.

The City of Levelland says it has been working with the Hockley County AgriLife Extension Service to find solutions to the infestation.

In mid-August, after public outcry and media reports about the beetles, city officials began working to find the source of the infestation, tracing it back to Penny-Newman and two other industrial facilities in the area. Code enforcement cited the three companies — Penny-Newman, ADM Southern Cotton Oil and Titan Lansing, an oilfield logistics company — giving them 10 days to abate the nuisance or face a $2,000 daily fine.

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Officials previously said Titan Lansing and ADM quickly began abating the issue by removing product, while Penny-Newman was working to spray a pesticide on their product to get rid of the bugs.

When the 10-day abatement window expired Aug. 31, city and state officials placed dozens of pheromone and probe traps around the area to gather data to determine if the nuisance has been effectively abated. Code enforcement will collect the traps on Monday to determine if fines are in order.

Dozens of neighbors turned out for a Levelland City Council meeting last Monday night to hear an update on the abatement process from Levelland-Hockley County Emergency Management Coordinator Cole Kirkland.

Kirkland said while the companies and code enforcement work to clear up the issue at the industrial sites, the City of Levelland has identified other ways to mitigate the infestation in the Kauffman Addition, similar to spraying for mosquitos.

"They spray Perm-X now for mosquitos, which is also effective for red flour beetles … and there's another one on the market called Crop Spray," Kirkland said. "We're looking at acquiring that and fogging the Kauffman Addition, especially, in the evening."

Kirkland also said Levelland officials are working on crafting an ordinance to prevent a similar situation from arising in the future.

"Information has been submitted to legal staff … to draft an ordinance for commodity storage inside the city limits. We are expecting to see a draft of it by the next council meeting," Kirkland said. "The ordinance will include the duration of the storage — how long they're allowed to leave it on the ground and how long it's allowed to be there — the surface they're allowed to store it on, treatment and pretreatment, testing and an integrated pest management protocol."

But Kauffman residents are concerned the process is not working in their favor.

"Really all we hear is a bunch of — I'm going to just come out and say it — B.S.," said Danny Rios, who lives near Kauffman Park, during the public comment portion of the meeting. "Who's going to pay for this? Recaulking windows, sealing the attic: Are y'all going to pay for it? Penny-Newman?" Rios asked the council.

Officials said resources might be available for homeowners who have had to spend money out-of-pocket to treat their properties. Mayor Pro Tem Breann Buxkemper said she would be open to a policy to use any potential fine money from the companies to reimburse property owners. Mayor Barbra Pinner added she has been in contact with state and federal officials trying to secure resources for residents.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Levelland residents hope red flour beetle infestation abated soon