Inked Out!

People get tattoos for any number of reasons, ranging from joining a gang or group, to enhancing one’s appearance, to making a questionable alcohol-fueled decision while on Spring Break. For many, including second-generation PMP Chad Wilder, the reason is to document a life-changing event. In the case of Wilder, president of Albemarle, N.C.-based Wolfpack Pest Control, the life-changing event was his company’s adoption of Termidor, which is celebrated across his arm in ink.

Wolfpack was founded in 1973 by Chad’s father, Mike Wilder, and Chad has been involved in the business since he was a child. During his teens (the late 1980s), he remembered the company struggling with termite control. “The service team wasn’t doing anything wrong; they just didn’t have the right product to keep the pests at bay,” he said.

That all changed in 2002 when Wolfpack began using Termidor, which he said “saved the company.” In tribute to Termidor, he has product and termite-related images tattooed on his arm. “I had used every product labeled for termites and Termidor was the one and only product that gave me the ability to look my customers in the eye and tell them with confidence that their termite problems were over,” he said. “This meant so much to me, because my word is all I have. Getting into the business only a couple years after the chlordane ban, all I heard was how wonderful it was, and how it was this magical insecticide that made all termite problems vanish. Well, I have Termidor, and that is my generation’s chlordane.”

Wilder got the tattoo in 2012, and here’s how he described how he came up with the design: “I had taken a photo of an infestation I killed using Termidor, I traced the shelter tube pattern and incorporated it into my design. I chose the light blue color to help the logo stand out; in hindsight, I would have chosen a different color.”

And how do people react to the tattoo? “It‘s hard to say,” Wilder said. “The BASF guys seem to dig it, and they say I‘ve been made into a motivational poster. There is still a stigma with tattoos, and some days I just want to buy milk, not have a 45-minute conversation about why I got them, and if I will regret it later, etc. Since I am an applicator, I wear long sleeves, so they aren’t visible most of the time; it also allows me to decide when I want to have a conversation about my ink.” — Brad Harbison

Lawsuit Claims Honda’s Soy-Based Wiring Covers Are Irresistible to Rodents

Environmentally friendly car wiring with a soy-based coating is too tempting for rodents to resist, according to a federal class-action lawsuit that demands Honda pick up the tab for the damage caused by gnawing mice, rabbits and squirrels, NBC News reports.

The breach of warranty lawsuit, filed last month in Los Angeles and first reported by Courthouse News Service, results from the automaker‘s quest to “go green” by using soy-based biodegradable wire coating. The coating costs less than plastic but does have a downside, according to lead plaintiff Daniel Dobbs of Wyoming.

In the lawsuit, Dobbs alleged that he had to pay twice to have chewed-up wires in his 2012 Honda Accord replaced at a Honda dealership. The second time, he said, mechanics wrapped the wires in special tape intended to deter rodents, demonstrating that Honda is aware of the issue.

That means car owners should not have to foot the bill for the repairs, argues Dobbs, who was joined by Honda owners in Arizona and Texas in suing Honda.