[Rearview]

‘Beetles that like poop’ and other important topics covered in new children’s book

Jerome Goddard, a frequent contributing author to PCT magazine, recently published his first children’s book, You Gonna Touch That? Disgusting Facts About Bugs. The target audience for the book is 7- to 11-year-olds, Goddard says.

Sample chapters include:

• Beetles that like poop

• Beetles that squirt stinky junk on you

• Flies that like dead things

• Ants that take over the land

• Bugs that kiss you goodnight

• Spiders that kill

• Ticks that love to suck blood

"Many insects, spiders, scorpions, and ticks appear to be weird, gross, mean or scary. These creatures aren’t really mean or gross; it just seems that way to us. They are just out there in nature making a living and trying to survive," Goddard writes. "However, some species do cause harm to people by bites, stings, or the diseases they carry.

"Inside this book are stories of some of the most interesting bug creatures on earth and disgusting facts about each one. There are descriptions of deadly spiders, beetles that eat poop or squirt out stinky juices, ants that take over land, flies that eat dead things, and even bugs that kiss people goodnight. Perhaps more than anybody, kids encounter bugs — almost constantly. Therefore, it’s a good idea to know something about them — which ones are harmful, which ones are weird, and which ones are just plain disgusting."

The book was published by Xlibris and is available at Xlibris.com or jeromegoddard.com. The book was illustrated by Karen Boatman.

[Book Review] From Good to Great

There are good companies and then there are great companies. Some companies never make it to good; others do make it to good but can’t seem to improve past that point; and others take that final step. They aren’t just good anymore — they’re great.

Jim Collins’ second book, Good to Great, is about those companies and how to become one of them. Ken Petrmichl, technical salesperson, Presto-X-Company, Bellevue, Neb., said he would recommend the book to PCOs because it can assist companies in becoming better at what they do. "There are ideas in the book that can be used as a road map for a company to become the best in world at what they are passionate about," Petrmichl said.

Collins previously co-authored Built to Last. Good to Great discusses how the most successful companies do one thing very well and want to be the best in the world at it.

Petrmichl learned of the book when his operations manager shared it with company employees. He said he really likes the book’s well-researched data and that it is easy to relate to. He learned from the book that there are three main things to consider when trying to figure out how to become great: 1) What you are deeply passionate about, 2) What you can be the best in the world at, and 3) What drives your economic engine.

The lessons learned in Good to Great can be applied to the pest control industry, he said. "Considering all the changing regulations, the documentation needed, and highly educated customers, you need to have the right people in the right positions or, as the book says, ‘The right person on the right seat of the bus,’" Petrmichl said.

Petrmichl also said that people will be able to relate the book to their private lives as well as to their businesses.

For a chance to win a FREE copy of Good to Great, visit www.pctonline.com/AugustBook. — Marisa Peters

Yellow jackets breech security

John Retcofsky of PDQ Pest Control, Girard, Pa., had a customer whose security camera stopped working. First, the customer called the security company. The security company came to check it out, located the malfunctioning camera, and told her what was wrong. Then she called PDQ.

The problem was yellow jackets. They built a nest completely covering the camera. Retcofsky treated with Waterbury Companies’ CB80 with a crack and crevice tip. Then he tore the part around the camera off, which was actually just the paper (there was not any comb in it yet). Once that was off, he applied Bayer ES’ Drione Dust in the soffit, which was where the nest started. The yellow jackets were expanding because they’d run out of room where they began, in the soffit where the wires went through.

"Once they fill the void they just keep building down," said Retcofsky. "That’s the nature of the yellow jacket."

Retcofsky wore protective gear while treating the nest. The present yellow jackets died quickly from the CB80, but he had to worry about workers coming back to the nest, and he’s allergic to yellow jackets.

Retcofsky said it’s common for yellow jackets to start nests in soffits, and for them to build around any objects that might be in their way. — Marisa Peters