[News]

Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, 9th edition, now available from GIE Media

CLEVELAND — The ninth edition of the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control — an industry standard in education for more than 55 years — is now available from GIE Media. The book is the leading reference source in the pest control industry and it is a scientific guide and practical aid for the biology, behavior and control of structural pests.

The 1,400-page publication provides pest management professionals with the information needed to deliver effective, environmentally conscious pest management services in today’s competitive business environment.

"As the industry’s leading reference book for more than half a century, The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control has played a key role in the educational development of the pest management industry," says Mallis Editor Dan Moreland. "The ninth edition of this important publication continues the tradition of excellence envisioned by industry legend Arnold Mallis in 1945."

Written in easy-to-understand language, The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control features more than 1,000 photographs and insect illustrations, including comprehensive insect keys and a special color photo identification section.

The publication includes 24 chapters of practical information written by today’s leading entomologists, consultants, pest management professionals and researchers. Stoy Hedges of Terminix International served as editorial director.

To order your copy of the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, 9th Edition, call 800/456-0707 or order online at www.pctonline.com/store.

New Orleans to open Audubon Insectarium later this year

NEW ORLEANS — Large and diverse insect populations are a fact of life in southeast Louisiana — a region that has chosen to celebrate its unique relationship with nature with the Audubon Insectarium, a living museum set to open in New Orleans, La., later this year.

The Insectarium, which will be located in the historic U.S. Custom House adjacent to New Orleans’ French Quarter, is the latest addition to the Audubon Nature Institute’s family of facilities. The Audubon Nature Institute manages nine facilities on behalf of the City of New Orleans, under contract with the Audubon Commission, the public agency entrusted with its care.

Upon its completion, the Insectarium will be the largest free-standing museum devoted to the 900,000+ species of insects and their arthropod relatives and ancestors displayed in 23,000 square feet of exhibit space. It will feature thousands of live and mounted insects, interactive experiences and engaging exhibit interpreters.

One of the museum’s featured exhibits is titled "Termites — The Second Battle of New Orleans." This 550 square foot exhibit room focuses solely on Formosan subterranean termites — the only known exhibit of its kind. The exhibit will be divided into four thematic areas:

• Introduction to Operation Full Stop

• Basic termite biology

• Termite damage

• Control efforts and research

The Audubon Nature Institute decided to devote an entire museum to insects because of the prominent role these organisms play in everything from the helping the earth’s ecology to the profound economic and health impact that some insects can have on humans, museum officials say.

The Institute will get termites from the local mosquito and termite control board, from the regional USDA lab, and by collecting them themselves. Suppliers of live insects that range from Portal, Ariz., to Costa Rica to Africa to Malaysia will provide giant millipedes, darkling beetles, whip scorpions, butterfly pupae of many species, flower beetles, orchid mantids, Atlas beetles, and more. The Audubon Nature Institute will obtain stick insects from the Montreal Insectarium and assassin bugs from a North Carolina museum. They have already acquired hissing cockroaches from four different zoos in the United States and leaf-cutter ants from Trinidad.

The cost of the project is expected to be $24 million, with funding coming from public and private sources. The Audubon Nature Institute estimates that 428,000 people will visit the museum annually, and that the museum will have a $54.6 million economic impact on the region annually.

For more information about the Audubon Insectarium, contact Bob Marye via e-mail at bmarye@AudubonInstitute.org.

Action PC Educates Kids At GRoundhog Job Shadow Day

Evansville, Ind. — Groundhog Job Shadow Day was a great opportunity for Action Pest Control to educate young adults on the intricacies of professional pest management. "Junior Achievement kids are interested in business, what better way to showcase our industry than participating in this event sponsored by Rotary International," says Jim Deans, organizer of the event for Action.

Fourteen eighth-graders from area middle schools attended the half-day event at Action Pest Control corporate headquarters. "We split the group up and rotated them between the sales, service, administrative, technical and human resource departments to give them a holistic look at what it takes to run a pest management business," says Kevin Pass, owner of Action Pest Control.

Representatives from the company say Action plans on participating in this event annually.

PCOs travel to Tampa for BASF Summit 2004

Tampa, Fla. — About 180 pest management professionals, distributors and others affiliated with the industry traveled to Tampa, Fla., in February to attend the BASF Summit. Kicking off the three-day program, Business Manager Bill Baxter said, "These are exciting times for BASF Professional Pest Control." Citing the company’s "Welcome to Better" marketing theme, Baxter pledged to provide the industry with "better products, better support and better marketing."

While Termidor, BASF’s flagship product, will continue to receive much of the company’s attention in 2004, the firm will not neglect other products in its portfolio, according to Baxter. BASF plans to promote the use of Phantom — the only non-repellent termiticide currently available in the state of New York — as well the company’s "Inside Out" general pest control program, which features Termidor for non-repellent ant control outside and Phantom for non-repellent ant and roach control inside. "These two products offer a general pest solution previously unseen in the industry," he said.

Following Baxter on the program was Bill Wisdom, vice president of North American Agricultural Products, who told attendees "the pest control business is an integral part of BASF," a $33 billion global operation with diverse holdings. "It’s a core business of BASF. Some companies are divesting in this business, while others are investing in this business," he said. "We believe in this business. We believe in pest control even though it’s new to BASF."

As evidence of the company’s commitment to agricultural and specialty products, including those developed for the structural pest control industry, Wisdom pointed out that BASF has invested $1.5 billion in research and development and $6 billion in acquisitions in recent years. "Termidor is the largest single brand in the BASF Agricultural Products Group," he said. "It is one of our pillars. No product is more important to us."

In closing, Wisdom said everything is in place for BASF’s success in the pest management industry in the future. "We have the people, we have the products and we have the focus."

Following the meeting, attendees were taken to the Tampa Bay Lightning/Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey game. BASF is an "in-ice sponsor" of the Tampa Bay Lightning, where the Termidor logo is imbedded into the ice of the St. Pete Times Forum.

Senior Marketing Manager Karl Kisner said the company chose to become a Tampa Bay Lightning sponsor because of the opportunity it offered to reach homeowners in a region with severe termite infestation. "Tampa Bay ranks third in the nation for termite damage," Kisner said. "By sponsoring the Tampa Bay Lightning, we are able to build local homeowner awareness and interest in Termidor, while also reaching a larger audience who will be exposed to Termidor through national television coverage of the games and highlights."

58th Texas A&M conference an educational accomplishment

College Station, Texas — The 58th Texas A&M University Urban Pest Management Conference was held January 6-9, in Bryan/College Station, Texas, at the Brazos Center. There were 436 participants in attendance.

The conference sessions began Jan. 7 and Dr. Roger E. Gold welcomed attendees and introduced Dr. Kevin Heinz, newly appointed department head of the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Heinz provided an overview of the history of the entomology department and the pest management conference. Texas Pest Control Association President Ned Ewart spoke about the importance of involvement and participation in the pest management industry. He surprised Gold with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the TPCA for his contributions to the industry. Gold, in turn, thanked the industry for its generous contributions to the educational efforts through the Department of Entomology and announced the Scholarship and Assistantship recipients in the department.

A total of 26 CEUs were offered through the various presentations and training opportunities. These could be applied to continuing education requirements of the Texas Structural Pest Control Board and the Texas Department of Agriculture.

The Friday afternoon session was devoted to licensing examinations, provided by the Texas Structural Pest Control Board.

Call for entries: ‘Young Scientist of the Year’ contest

Montvale, N.J. — Bayer Environmental Science, in partnership with the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), announced the call for entries for the first annual Bayer Environmental Science "Young Scientist of the Year" contest, a scholarship and grant program for graduate students currently researching the pest management industry.

Applications and program criteria can be obtained by calling 800/577-5163, ext. 3389. In order to be eligible for the contest, an applicant must be a candidate for a master’s or doctoral degree at an accredited college or university.

"Along with NPMA, we look forward to reviewing submissions from the future of the professional pest management industry," said Shawn Mullen, marketing manager, general insect control, and contest director. "As an industry leader, we want to recognize and support the next generation of researchers in our field."

Three finalists whose research advances knowledge on the biology, behavior, ecology, or management of pest species will receive scholarships of $2,500, $1,500, and $1,000 respectively.

One individual selected as the "Young Scientist of the Year" will also receive a $10,000 grant to continue his or her research. In addition, a $1,000 scholarship will be donated to the general scholarship fund at the schools attended by each of the three finalists.

A panel of university and industry professionals will determine the final awards, and the three finalists will present their research at the annual NPMA convention. The inaugural awards will be presented at PestWorld 2004 in Honolulu in October.

For more information call 800/843-1702 or visit www.bayerprocentral.com.

North Carolina Pest Control Association PCT School breaks attendance record

Raleigh, N.C. — Breaking all attendance records, the 54th Annual North Carolina Pest Control Association PCT School was held Jan. 20-22.

The school drew more than 700 attendees plus exhibitors to bring the total close to 800 professionals, making it one of the largest state association meetings in the country. The three days of education and networking brought in many well known speakers and facilitators. Presenters this year included Drs. Jerome Goddard, Eric Benson, Coby Schal, Ed Vargo, Jules Silverman, Laurel Hansen and other researchers. Other speakers included Jay Breusch, Greg Baumann, and Dr. Eric Smith as well as many others.

The final day was reserved for discussing the "nuts and bolts" of the business as managers and owners were separated into groups and technicians had some hands-on experience with NC State researchers. Program co-chairs Debi Logue of BASF and Dr. Eric Smith of Dodson Bros. organized the second annual ant I.D. course presented by Smith and NC State. The hands-on portion taught I.D. using specimen collections and microscopes. This IPM-friendly portion emphasizes the importance of identification in pest management.

Next year’s meeting will be held Jan. 17-19, 2005 at the North Raleigh Hilton, Raleigh, N.C. For further information, visit www.ncpca.org.

BASF, Lesco, partner for Subterfuge distribution

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — BASF Professional Pest Control announced an exclusive partnership with Lesco for the distribution of Subterfuge Termite Bait. Lesco, with its 250+ locations throughout the U.S., will be the sole distributor of Subterfuge.

According to Bill Baxter, business manager for BASF Professional Pest Control, BASF will continue to manufacture and support Subterfuge in all states. "We are pleased to work closely with Lesco on this exclusive agreement," Baxter said. "Their national reach makes them the ideal distribution partner for Subterfuge, our innovative baiting product."

"Lesco is very excited about this announcement," added Michael P. DiMino, Lesco’s president and CEO. "Earlier this year we announced the hiring of Jim Petrie as our new pest control manager as we look to expand our presence in the pest control industry. Now, partnerships like this one with BASF afford us a tremendous opportunity to provide pest management professionals with the products they need to succeed."

GPCA offers free training

NORCROSS, Ga. — The more than 4,600 individual pest control professionals who belong to the Georgia Pest Control Association (GPCA) now can enjoy more free training taught by some of the state’s foremost authorities on the subjects of household pest control and wood-destroying organisms.

"We’re very pleased to be able to offer our members this quality of training at no cost to them," says Valera Jessee, GPCA executive director. "Our instructors are certified professionals who are recognized leaders in the industry, and the conferences are designed to meet state requirements and insure that participants offer customers the best quality service using the latest techniques."

The GPCA mini-conferences offer six hours of free recertification credit: three hours each in HPC and WDO. Non-members can register for $20. Locations vary across the state, offering convenient opportunities for professionals in any region.

Monthly GPCA training held on the fourth Tuesday offers programs worth two recertification credits and are also free to members. In fact, Jessee says that more than half of the 331 hours of GPCA’s scheduled training sessions for 2004 are free of charge. "It’s very important to us to maintain the highest standards of excellence in the field," she says.

"Free training is just one way we are working to ensure that all of Georgia’s pest control professionals are truly expert pest management resources for the public."

Kansas PCO donates to help school

WICHITA, Kan. — 1st Choice Pest Services, based in Wichita, Kan., has launched a new program designed to help real estate professionals with their termite inspection and treatment needs. Additionally, the company will donate the funds from these services to assist a local elementary school.

"Here in Kansas, our schools have been hit hard by state budget cutbacks," says Jeff Ledford, owner of 1st Choice Pest Services. "We have been looking for ways to give back to our community, and this seemed like the way to go."

Motivated by the actions of a local real estate company, Ledford decided to "follow their lead" and find a way to help as well.

"With some help from another PCO, we designed a program to help Realtors get through the termite issues of a home sale a little easier," Ledford says. "Using this program as a backbone of our efforts, we are donating $50 from each termite treatment service we do for agents of that company, and forwarding those funds into their program."

The funds will at first be used to help the school purchase computers that are much needed.

"I think it is important for companies to find ways to give back to our communities — the communities that support our business," Ledford says. "Helping our children is a great way to give back."

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5 Questions

Former NPMA President Vern McKinzie provides some "real-world" insights about how to transition your business.

Q. How long before you retired did you begin putting a transition plan in place for your business?

A. My wife, Nancy, and I began the process of transition planning with a CPA, an insurance planner and an attorney about 20 years ahead of my target date of retirement, which by the way was planned to be at the end of the year following my 65th birthday in September 2001. This was important because it was necessary to develop a plan to provide me with continued income without a burden on the business after I was no longer a functional part of the operation. It also provided a plan to protect the employees and my family in case of my inability to function or my death before retirement.

Q. What are the key factors one must address when transitioning out of a family-owned pest control business?

A. I think you must be sure the company is healthy and you have not "bled" it dry of cash or left it with heavy debt or worn out equipment. You also must have serious, candid and frank discussions with all family members to be certain everyone understands what the plan is. It is very important to eliminate any possibility of sibling rivalry. That can wreck the best of plans. The successor family member must have a passion for the business and not feel they have an obligation to follow in their parent’s footsteps. The successor must also have been an integral part of the management team and been allowed to grow into the position of CEO. When you "turn over the reins" to someone else, then I think it is very important to get out of the way. Be available for support and counsel, but don’t go to the office every day to "see how things are going." The new leader cannot be a leader in the eyes of the staff if the previous owner/parent continues to come to the office.

Q. What was the biggest personal adjustment for you in transitioning out of the business?

A. I really have not felt I have had to make a big personal adjustment, at least not yet.

Q. What was most gratifying part of the transition process? What was the least gratifying?

A. The most gratifying part of the transition process was watching our son take responsibility to run the company and to do so successfully. The least gratifying is that I don’t get to be involved in solving people’s pest problems. After over 50 years of doing so, it becomes a part of your persona.

Q. Is there a single piece of advice you would offer a competitor just beginning the process of handing off their pest control business to the next generation of their family?

A. You cannot begin too soon. Plan well, talk to your CPA, insurance planner and attorney to explore all the tax and legal ramifications, and be sure the next generation has a passion for the business and is not just taking over because they feel it is a family obligation.