[October News]

BASF appoints Paul Rea director of combined Specialty Products Division

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — BASF Agricultural Products has appointed Paul Rea as director of its Specialty Products Division.

The division consists of three businesses: Professional Pest Control, Professional Turf & Ornamentals and Professional Vegetation Management.

Rea has been with BASF for more than six years, and his most recent position was director of regional marketing for North America. Prior to that, he was involved in the company’s divestiture of the Microflo business and global marketing efforts for BASF’s line of herbicides.

“Paul’s background and experience will prove invaluable as we move forward with our Specialty Products Division,” said Markus Heldt, group vice president, BASF Agricultural Products.

“His key focus will be working closely with his management team and their respective customers within pest control, turf and ornamentals and vegetation management to ensure continued mutual success,” Heldt said.

Before working with BASF in North America, Rea was national sales manager for BASF Australia, and charged with overseeing commercial strategies and implementation for the company.

Insects Limited hosts fumigation workshop

CAVE CITY, Ky. —  Westfield, Ind.-based Insects Limited, in cooperation with Fumigation Service & Supply and the Kentucky Feed & Grain Association (KFGA), recently held a fumigation workshop during the annual KFGA meeting in Cave City, Ky.

This continuing education course focused mainly on fumigation, bird control, rodent control and insect identification.

Invited speakers included Dave Mueller, B.C.E. (Insects Limited); Dan Collins, B.C.E. (Collins Pest Control); and Dr. Doug Johnson (University of Kentucky Extension). They shared their knowledge with 50 other fumigators from Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

PCT on the Road: Goddard wraps up series of public health seminars

BALTIMORE — Dr. Jerome Goddard wrapped up in late-August the last of his day-long seminars on pests of public health importance, treating a crowd of East Coast PCOs, service technicians, entomologists and others to his trademark stories and Southern sensibilities.

Goddard, state medical entomologist for the Mississippi Department of Health, told the crowd that the role of the pest management professional is changing. With the increasing risks of diseases and allergies transmitted and caused by pests, pest professionals can no longer be content to just spray a house every three months; they now must act as detectives, sanitarians and guardians of public health, he said.

“Your role is changing,” he said. “There’s always going to be a role for somebody who understands the biology (of pests). There’s always going to be a role for pest control. It’s all about being a detective and using your head.”
The day-long seminar was presented by the The PCT Media Group and sponsored by DuPont Professional Products.

Goddard told the story of being called to a building that housed a day care center and other offices. The day care center was complaining of a gnat problem, and had used five different pest control companies that failed to get the pests under control.

So Goddard brought one of his colleagues out to the building, and they walked into a black cloud of gnats. Through the haze, they asked the day-care manager where the insects were coming from. She looked at them with a blank stare.

No one, Goddard said, had ever asked her that before.

The two men eventually found a grease trap outside where the flies were “breeding like gangbusters,” then flying in through dry floor drains.

“Sadly, five pest controllers came to that place and said, ‘Get back, I’m here to spray,’” Goddard said.

That mentality — that pest management professionals only come around to spray and don’t look at the big picture — is one of the past, Goddard said.

These days, pest professionals are likely to encounter more and more questions from customers about their own health, and they have to know how to handle them.

And while most North American customers aren’t going to have many encounters with dengue fever, they likely will have questions about possible infections from bed bugs, spiders, ticks and mosquitoes.

But, he said, any questions about infections or requests for examinations should be referred to a health care provider.

“These are medical issues,” he said. “It’s just not your world. Refer the people to a ‘doctor doctor.’”

Pest management professionals, however, should work closely with the medical community because many doctors don’t have extensive entomological training. Goddard, who teaches at Mississippi’s medical school, said many doctors often will misdiagnose tick paralysis as any number of things.

“You have to tell them. They don’t know,” he said. “You’ve got to say, ‘Tick, man. Tick.’”

One of the most important issues in public health pest control, Goddard said, is myiasis — when maggots develop in open wounds and sores — in hospitals or nursing homes.

Goddard showed attendees a photo of a wound crawling with white maggots.

“If this is your Aunt Sally, and you see this…you’ll sue the nursing home, the pest controller, the bread truck driver, the landscaper, everybody,” he said. “As a pest controller, this can blindside you.” — Chuck Bowen

Birds and their guano may have contributed to fatal Minneapolis bridge collapse

PARAMUS, N.J. — The collapse of the huge Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis earlier this year may have been caused by what seemed to be a relatively small problem: bird droppings.

Sal Santamaria, vice president of operations for Bird Doctor, Paramus, N.J., said the leave-behinds of pigeons, while unsightly and a major health risk, also can play a major role in the degradation of such structures as roads, buildings and bridges.

“I think they had a real impact on the bridge,” Santamaria said. “Bird droppings are probably one of the worst things when it comes to breaking down metal and paints. You don’t give it credence, but it can be a big problem.”

Officials investigating the bridge collapse — which killed 13 people and injured about 100 more — have noted the structure’s ongoing problems with bird dung as far back as the late 1980s.

Santamaria said that if droppings aren’t washed away, they turn into a concentrated salt that, when mixed with water, generates an electrochemical charge — like static electricity — that becomes ten times as corrosive to steel as the normal environment.

This corrosion will continue until the structure is cleaned and repainted.
He noted two jobs Bird Doctor worked on where pigeons destroyed most of a six-story wooden structure and rendered a city park unusable.

In a 2002 project in New York City, the company was called on to exclude birds from a park that had been built underneath a highway. City officials had installed basketball, handball and tennis courts along a half-mile stretch of pavement, but pigeons roosting above had turned the recreation area into a sanitation district.

“Before the park was open you couldn’t walk or bounce a ball, the droppings were just that bad,” Santamaria said. “What they defecate is horrendous.”

That same year, the company worked on the Weehawken, N.J., water tower, a six-story, 90-year-old structure that had, over the years, accumulated nearly 7,000 pounds of bird droppings.

“(The droppings) had literally collapsed five floors of the building,” he said.
Pigeons, descendants of cliff-dwelling birds, are naturally drawn to bridges, since the structures provide them adequate shelter and flat spaces to build their nests. Santamaria said most of the bridges Bird Doctor works on are covered in droppings seven to 10 inches deep.

And the removal of that much dung is a hazard to both technicians, who must wear full protective suits and respirators, and the general public; the droppings harbor bacteria that can cause encephalitis, histoplasmosis and salmonella food poisoning.

“Especially in urban areas, you always have to consider the pigeon,” he said. “It’s something no one pays attention to.” — Chuck Bowen

Editor’s note: For more information on bird control, visit www.ppmatools.org.

Former Arrow executive puts experience to use in new consulting venture

ATLANTA — After 25 years working for other companies, Joey Edwards finally decided to go it alone, founding J. Edwards Services in Atlanta earlier this year.

Edwards’ new firm works with PCOs to develop sales plans and exit strategies, help with mergers and acquisitions and consult on a wide range of matters.

“To me, just being able to help small businesses grow their companies, it’s just very gratifying,” Edwards said.

Edwards, who spent almost two decades helping grow Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators, said he wanted to put his own M&A experience to work for small- and mid-sized companies who often had “that concerned, that glazed-over look,” during negotiations, he said.

“It was such an overwhelming experience. They just seemed so alone, seemed like they needed some direction,” he said. “They have no direction, no plan whatsoever, and they lose focus on the big picture — running their business.
“What I didn’t anticipate is the mid-sized and regional companies who need that same direction. They’re not quite to the size where they can justify a mergers and acquisitions department,” he said.

Edwards started with Arrow in 1988, when it had four locations and generated about $4 million in revenues. When he left in 2007 as senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions, technical services and quality control, he had helped acquire more than 80 companies and grown revenues to $90 million.

Edwards said he saw room in the industry for his consulting and M&A company, and already has signed on as a consultant with several Atlanta-area companies, and wants to expand across the country.

“(PCOs’) long-term goal is to either sell or have an exit strategy,” Edwards said. “Ultimately, it’s going to pass hands at some time. Nobody’s doing this for a hobby. The bottom line is: Companies want to be profitable. It’s their livelihood.”

He said the industry has seen tough times with slumps in the real estate and construction markets, and many companies need a hand developing new, creative ways to market and sell their services.

“We’ve got to get back to the basic blocking and tackling,” he said. — Chuck Bowen

51st annual ASPCRO meeting opens up critical industry dialogue

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The 51st annual conference of the Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO), held Aug. 25-29 in Charleston, S.C., was filled with subtle and not-so subtle differences from past years. Participation among state pest control regulators, EPA officials, pest management professionals, researchers, distributors and manufacturers created important dialogue at this year’s meeting.

With the exception of termiticide registration issues, the Environmental Protection Agency rarely figures significantly in the ASPCRO meeting agenda. This year, however, Kevin Keaney, chief of the agency’s certification and worker protection branch, provided presentations on a number of ongoing EPA initiatives.

Of particular interest is the effort to improve the 30-plus-year-old applicator certification program. This includes efforts to standardize certification categories, examinations and recertification requirements. EPA hopes to make it easier for states to reciprocate with neighboring states on certification and recertification. Voluntary and mandatory program changes will be used to accomplish this goal.

In a state legislative update, Gene Harrington, director of government affairs, NPMA, provided a detailed report of state legislative activity. State legislatures have been active in the past year in a wide variety of areas including sunset review of structural pest control laws; school IPM; and licensing requirements for SPC, home inspections, and mold control and remediation.

A trio of panel discussions highlighted this year’s meeting: mosquito misting, regulating termiticides and wood treatments for termites. 

With the advent of mosquito misting systems, mosquito control became a significant and controversial issue in the structural pest control industry. State regulatory and PCO concerns include the qualifications of these non-traditional applicators entering the business of mosquito control; the ability of property owners to override timed misting systems and apply pesticides at potentially inappropriate times; resistance management; drift and pesticide exposure in residential and commercial settings; effects on beneficial insects; liability; and the lack of adequate label language in either the use directions or precautionary statements when pesticides are applied through automated misting systems.

ASPCRO and NPMA efforts have yielded considerable progress in resolving many of these issues. An ASPCRO/NPMA workgroup was developed and has published best management practices (BMPs) and advertising guidelines for mosquito misting. Label use directions have been refined for products intended for use in misting systems while others not intended for the purpose now clearly prohibit their use in such systems. Exposure issues have been addressed by EPA in the reregistration of pyrethrin insecticides. Equipment design and installation have improved, in part as a result of the continuing dialogue of the workgroup, as has the general level of education of applicators and regulators.

The ASPCRO/NPMA workgroup continues its work and plans to develop model rules, based on the BMPs and advertising guidelines that states may use to aid in regulation of the industry.

Although the panel on regulating termiticides covered some of the expected areas with typical responses, the most interesting discussion centered on new thinking among the regulatory community. Most remarkably, regulatory personnel seemed much more willing to consider innovative termite control strategies and very different means of regulating termite control than did the PCOs in attendance.

This discussion centered around the new perimeter treatment labels and the possibility that termiticides of less than five-year efficacy, or even “kills only,” might be registered in the future. Of the panel members, only one expressed a negative opinion toward the possibility of less than five-year efficacy. Others acknowledged that there may be a place for such products in the future, provided mechanisms such as more frequent inspections are put in place to compensate for the shorter longevity.

All panel members acknowledged that innovation would continue and would challenge efforts to regulate and that current and future innovations would require better-trained PCOs with individually designed control programs.

The wood treatment discussion panel discussion derived from the work of the ASPCRO Borate (Termite) Treatment Committee. This committee was established to examine the efficacy of borate termite treatments, determine what constitutes a “proper” treatment, and to assess the ability of regulators to ensure proper treatments. Of the approximately 20 products making structural protection claims, only one, BoraCare, has submitted data for registration. According to several panelists, BoraCare treatments are showing a very low incidence of failure.

Industry leaders headline pest management conference at Purdue in January

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 72nd Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference will be held Jan. 7-11, at the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, Ind.

Outstanding speakers and industry leaders will give training seminars, research and regulatory updates, product development updates, marketing and management hints, and additional information vital to promoting innovative and environmentally sensitive approaches to pest management.

Speakers at the Purdue Pest Management Conference include: Gene White, Mark Sheperdigian (Rose Pest Solutions — Troy, Mich.); Judy Dold (Rose Pest Solutions — Chicago); Carl Hinderer (Southern Mill Creek Products); Jay Bruesch (Plunkett’s Pest Control), Bob Hickman (BASF); Mike Potter (University of Kentucky); Rick Cooper (Cooper Pest Solutions); Fred Whitford, Drew Martin and Linda Mason (Purdue University); Greg Baumann, Kathy Heinsohn and Rob Lederer (NPMA); Pat Hottel (W. B. McCloud & Co.); Ed Vargo (North Carolina State University); Judy Black and Dean Stanbridge (Steritech Group Corp.), Bobby Jenkins (ABC Pest and Lawn Services), Michael Olexa and Faith Oi (University of Florida); Brian Ranes (Action Pest Control); Jeff McGovern, Dodd Delph and Frank Meek (Orkin); Gerry Wegner (Varment Guard Environmental Services); Suresh Prabhakaran (Dow AgroSciences); Bobby Corrigan (RMC Pest Management Consulting); Tim Julien (A & T Wildlife Management); David Fincannon (A-All Pest Termite Exterminators); Stuart Mitchell (Springer Pest Solutions); and Stoy Hedges (Terminix).

For more information visit www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/urban/Urban_Info/pestcontrol.html  or call the department at 800/359-2968.

Arrow names new head of expanding M&A department
ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators, having successfully completed its eighth pest control acquisition this year and 88th since 1988, has named Kevin Burns to lead its expanding mergers and acquisitions department. Several additional members of Arrow’s executive committee will play an integral role with Burns in the merger and acquisition process to ensure success from initial discussions through deal  closing and integration of employees and customers.

“As I talk with fellow pest management companies, I have found that more and more of them are including acquisitions as part of their growth strategy” said Joe Thomas, Arrow’s chief executive officer. “It’s important to us that an owner considering merging with Arrow gets to know who we are and how we operate. Kevin is an excellent choice because he speaks from the heart, is passionate about the business and he has already proven to be successful in his expanded role.”

Optigard Ant Gel Bait granted Florida registration  

WILMINGTON, Del. — Syngenta’s Optigard Ant Gel Bait, introduced in June, has received Florida state registration.

Optigard Ant Gel Bait controls a broad spectrum of ants, including Argentine, carpenter, ghost and other pest ant species, by ingestion and transfer of the bait, which targets the entire colony, not just the workers, Syngenta said. The new gel formulation is clear and non-staining, with low odor. Additionally, Optigard Ant Gel Bait provides a longer window of palatability so, as it ages, ants will continue to feed on the bait without any loss of attraction.

Optigard Ant Gel Bait is currently approved in all U.S. states with the exception of Alaska, California and New York.

Last chance to order PCT Pests 2008 calendar

RICHFIELD, Ohio — The PCT Media Group, in association with printing specialist Koenings ProSource, announces the availability of PCT Pests 2008 Calendar, high-quality wall calendars featuring 13 colorful, attention-grabbing insect images photographed by Tom Myers, one of the leading entomology photographers in the country. Each pest photo comes with a detailed description.

Each calendar can be personalized to spotlight your company’s message in front of your customers all year long. Recipients of these calendars refer to them multiple times daily, constantly reminding them of your company name, message and contact information.

The calendars are available for as little as $1.99 each and the minimum order is only 100 calendars. Each calendar is 10 7/8 inches by 18 ½ inches open.
For additional information, contact Tim at 888/819-1029 or e-mail tim@koenigs.com. All calendar orders must be received by Oct. 26, 2007, to ensure pre-Christmas delivery.

NPMA’s MPM awards its first-ever scholarship to MSU student

FAIRFAX, Va. — The National Pest Management Association’s (NPMA) Minorities in Pest Management (MPM) has selected Mississippi State University graduate student Sandra Woolfolk as its first-ever recipient of the MPM Scholarship.

At MSU, Woolfolk is pursuing her Ph.D., studying the utilization of biological control agents to manage red imported fire ants. Woolfolk currently holds a 3.76 grade point average, and is a member of Pi Chi Omega, the national fraternity for the pest control industry. She said she anticipates completing her doctoral studies in December 2008.

Originally from Indonesia, Woolfolk previously earned master’s degrees in entomology from MSU and North Carolina State University. She also has taught at the graduate and undergraduate level, as well as kindergarten through senior high school, and has been published in numerous refereed and non-refereed journals. Woolfolk is a mother of two, and leads the only international Girl Scout troop in the state of Mississippi.

“Sandra is an extremely deserving recipient of the first-ever MPM Scholarship and MPM is incredibly proud to be able to assist in her education,” said Genma Stringer Holmes, chairwoman of MPM’s Steering Committee.
“It is especially gratifying for MPM to award a scholarship to a minority student studying an academic field in which minorities have traditionally been underrepresented,” Holmes said.

NEPMA conducting $10,000 scholarship raffle

CONCORD, N.H. — The New England Pest Management Association (NEPMA) is conducting its first-ever raffle campaign as an annual fund-raising event for the association’s Mark Weintraub Scholarship. A grand prize of $10,000 will be awarded.

The Mark Weintraub Scholarship was created in 1993 and is awarded annually to the child of one NEPMA member (or of an employee’s immediate family in New England) who is pursuing a post-secondary education. To date, the association has awarded scholarships to 13 students.

The scholarship is named after Mark Weintraub, who was president of the New England Pest Control Association from 1938-1940 and was both a regional and national industry leader.

Raffle tickets are currently on sale for $100 each and will be available until the association sells a total of 300 tickets. NEPMA will conduct the raffle drawing during evening festivities including a buffet dinner for ticket holders and guests to be held on Nov. 2 at the Peabody Holiday Inn, Peabody, Mass. Other prizes also will be awarded during the event.

Tickets are available for purchase from any NEPMA board of directors member or from the association’s executive offices located in Concord, Mass., by calling 866/386-3762. A raffle form is available on the group’s Web site, www.nepma.org.

Weed Man works with EPA to improve environment

ONTARIO, Canada — Weed Man recently worked with the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) to become its first corporate partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP). PLANET’s umbrella strategy is to qualify its members for participation in the PESP program. The goal of the EPA’s initiative is to reduce risks to human health and the environment by working directly with pesticide users.

By joining the stewardship program, Weed Man pledged that sound environmental practices will continue to be an integral part of its pest control program. The company also has committed to undertake specific, measurable activities toward achieving its risk reduction goals.

To implement its partnership with the EPA’s program, Weed Man will be providing fact sheets to all its customers covering such topics as pest control, mowing, aeration, watering and other cultural lawn practices. Further, customers will be asked to complete Weed Man’s Environmental Lawn and Garden Scorecard. The scorecards will be used to measure the effectiveness of Weed Man’s environmental awareness program.

At the end of the year, PLANET, Weed Man and the EPA will assess the effectiveness of the partnership by reviewing the scorecards submitted by customers. Based on the results, Weed Man will then develop a strategy for the next year to help further educate homeowners and positively impact the environment.

GPCA presents awards at summer conference

NORCROSS, Ga. — Several special awards were presented at the Georgia Pest Control Association Summer Conference. Those honored included:
Pioneer Award to Jim Chase, Terminix International. This award honors an individual who has dedicated their career to improving the industry and has worked diligently with GPCA to further the goals of the association’s professionalism.

President’s Award to Chuck Carney, Cook’s Pest Control. This award was selected by the current president and presented to the individual who was the most supportive in helping achieve the president’s goals.

Region Director of the Year to Randall Piggott, Region 9 — northeastern Atlanta, Allgood Pest Solutions. Piggott invigorated an area that has had poor attendance at training and other meetings.

Committee Chairman of the Year to Rick Bell, Arrow Exterminators, and Jeff “Bodine” Sinyard, Adams Exterminators, Government/Legislative Committee. These two individuals are vigilant in maintaining the industry’s visibility and importance to regulatory officials and insisting that GPCA be involved in budget, building codes and issues that affect consumer protection.

R. Jack Spivey, Cherokee Services, and Thomas Diederich, retired from Orkin Pest Control, received honorary memberships, a special recognition bestowed on only a few GPCA members. This recognition is given to those individuals who have provided outstanding service and dedication to the industry through their careers.

Mike Tindol, Allgood Pest Solutions, also was given a special award for his recognition of outstanding service to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on behalf of GPCA. Tindol initiated the Association’s work for this charity.

QualityPro reaches 300-member mark

FAIRFAX, Va. — Nearly three years ago, the National Pest Management Association launched QualityPro, a voluntary program to help create an elite group of pest management companies. These companies commit to measures that increase industry professionalism and stimulate consumer confidence. Now, with the latest application, QualityPro has reached the 300-member level of participation.

“Consumers expect pest management providers to perform at a higher standard,” said Andy Architect, QualityPro’s executive director. “Companies who earn the QualityPro designation commit to operational excellence, superior customer service, environmental stewardship and technician training. We are very pleased to reach this level of participation.”

Some of the more customer-oriented QualityPro attributes include background checks and drug-tests for all employees, respirator fit tests, medical evaluation and providing clear, concise contracts and guarantees, in addition to ethical marketing practices.

Nisus Corporation leaders work to fight prostate cancer

ROCKFORD, Tenn. — Kevin L. Kirkland, president of Nisus Corporation and Jim Gorman, vice president of marketing, Nisus,  have teamed up with local East Tennessee businesses, hospitals and charities to fight prostate cancer. Both Kirkland and Gorman have a personal stake in this fight: Kirkland lost his father, Eddie Kirkland, to prostate cancer, and Gorman is a prostate cancer survivor.

A fast and simple way to detect prostate cancer early is through a PSA test. A PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is a simple blood test that can alert doctors of possible prostate cancer far in advance of digital exams.

In 2004, Nisus worked with Knoxville’s Medic Regional Blood Center and their blood drives to provide free PSA testing to screen for prostate cancer. “Teaming with Medic made sense because working with them during blood drives made it fast and easy to draw a blood sample for a PSA test as well. This gives men easy access to PSA testing and gets the message out to the public,” Kirkland said.

In 2005, Kirkland and Gorman formed the Eddie Kirkland Memorial Blood Drive and PSA Testing event. In 2006, the event expanded to five locations and 306 PSA tests were completed. Of that amount, 19 tests resulted in elevated numbers, prompting these men to get further testing.