[News]

University of Georgia Releases Webinar Schedule

Athens, Ga. — The University of Georgia CAES Extension, in cooperation with the DI Group @ Georgia College, announces its 2015 “Getting the Best of Pests” webinar series. A leading research scientist or consultant will give a two-hour webinar presentation on topics of importance to pest management professionals in April, June, August, October and December.

Register at www.gabugs.uga.edu. Web-inars are 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. EST. As of press time, CEUs were available in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.

To learn more about the webinar series, contact Dr. Daniel R. Suiter at the University of Georgia at 770/233-6114 or email him at dsuiter@uga.edu. Following is the schedule of events:
 

April 15 — Bed Bugs
Dr. Stephen Kells is a research professor of urban entomology at the University of Minnesota. His research specialty is the biology of bed bugs (bedbugs.umn.edu). Dr. Changlu Wang is also a research professor of urban entomology, and specializes in bed bug monitoring and control. Both are highly productive researchers and are considered authorities on the biology and management of bed bugs. During this web-inar, they will both discuss their current research on bed bugs.

June 17 — Rodents
Dr. Robert Corrigan, RMC Consulting, has been studying the biology, behavior and management of rodents for decades. He is author of Rodent Control: A Practical Guide for Pest Management Professionals. Dr. Claudia Riegel is the director of the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board, a City of New Orleans-funded group whose goal is to protect the city from these pests. Both will talk about rodent biology, behavior and management, with special emphasis on management in commercial environments.

Aug. 19 — Insecticide Resistance; Biology and Management of Fleas
Dr. Michael Scharf is a research professor at Purdue University where he holds the O. Wayne Rollins/Orkin Endowed Chair in Urban Entomology. Scharf is an insect toxicologist, and in this unique webinar will present a talk on various means by which insects evolve resistance to insecticides. Dr. Nancy Hinkle is an extension professor of Veterinary and Urban Entomology at the University of Georgia. Among her many qualifications, she is an authority on the biology and management of parasites of pets, including fleas. In her webinar she will discuss the resurgence of cat flea problems and provide insights into their biology and management.

Oct. 21 — Insecticide Mode of Action; Pesticide Safety
Dr. Scharf returns to present a one-hour webinar on insecticide mode of action. Dr. Phil Koehler is an extension and research professor of urban entomology at the University of Florida where he holds the Margie & Dempsey Sapp Endowed Professorship of Structural Pest Control/FPMA Endowed Professor of Urban Entomology. Koehler will highlight the safe use of pesticides.

Dec. 9 — Ants
Dr. Robert K. Vander Meer is a senior research scientist and research leader of the Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects unit at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Fla. He is a world-class expert on ant communication, particularly the study of pheromones. His presentation will be “Chemical Communication in Ants.” Dr. Chow Yang Lee is a professor of Urban Entomology in the School of Biological Sciences at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, in Penang, Malaysia. He’s an authority on the biology and management of pest ants, termites and German cockroaches. He will talk to pest management professionals about ant baiting and the principles of baiting.
 
 

Comings & Goings

If your company has added new personnel, send a photo and press release to jdorsch@giemedia.com.   American Vanguard Corporation in January announced that Ulrich (Bob) Trogele, Ph.D., was named chief operating officer and executive vice president of its principal operating subsidiary, AMVAC Chemical Corporation. He spent 10 years at FMC Corporation, where he served most recently as president – Asia Pacific across 20+ countries and, for several years prior, as North American area director of FMC’s agricultural solutions business. Marathon Data Systems announced the appointment of Joe Bonelli as senior director of corporate marketing. Bonelli will lead the global marketing, branding and awareness strategies for Marathon Data Systems. Mike Goza, an 18-year industry veteran, joined Kness Manufacturing as its Western Region sales manager. Additionally, James Hayward also joined Kness as national retail sales manager. Don Brown, former president of Energy Products, was named the new president and COO for Real Green Systems. Brown is responsible for day-to-day operations and future business growth. Joe Kucik, former corporate president and CEO, stepped down as president of the company he founded in 1984; however, he will continue in his current role as Real Green CEO. Reliable Pest Control, Toronto, Canada, hired Rick Chard as new business development manager in charge of managing service delivery to TCHC, a Canada property management company. Daniel Aust, son of Bug Doctor President and CEO Stuart Aust, has joined the company as an account executive. Daniel was born into the family pest control business and has been working there since he was 13 years old. He graduated cum laude from Taylor University in Upland, Ind. Lance Reeve has been named director of food safety services innovation at AIB International. He replaces Stephanie Lopez, who was promoted to president of AIBI Certification Services. AP&G Co. hired John Dougherty as Mid-Atlantic regional manager and Rick McDonald as vice president of professional products. (888)PESTCONTROL announced the addition of Phillip Trump as vice president of national account sales.

 

PMPs Get “Down in the Trenches” at University of Kentucky Short Course

LEXINGTON, Ky. — About 525 pest management professionals from throughout the United States recently traveled to the Lexington Convention Center to attend the University of Kentucky 44th Annual Pest Control Short Course. The theme of the conference was “Tips from the Trenches” and that’s exactly what attendees were provided during the popular three-day event, practical tips from more than 20 of the finest minds in the pest management industry.

“In pest control, the rubber meets the road in the trenches,” observed Dr. Michael Potter, professor of entomology, University of Kentucky, who has been the driving force behind the conference since 1991. “Effective educational conferences transport attendees from their hardback chairs to crawlspaces, attics, kitchens, bedrooms, yards and other places where pests dwell.”

Tailored specifically for industry professionals, this past fall’s Short Course was packed with helpful information for owners, managers and service technicians alike. Featured topics included a timely educational session about bees and pesticides; a discussion of advanced rodent control tactics; an update on progress the industry is making in its battle against bed bugs; “Tips from the Trenches” for managing ants, flies, cockroaches, nuisance wildlife and various invasive pests; and a “Food Service House of Learning.”

New to the conference this year was the “Food Service House of Learning” featuring four respected PMPs with more than 75 years of combined industry experience, who shared practical insights about how to control cockroaches and small flies in food service accounts.

Tom Dobrinska, technical director, Anderson Pest Solutions, Elmhurst, Ill., kicked off the well-attended session with a review of the essential role proper sanitation plays in managing pests in these complex environments. “Why is addressing sanitation so challenging?” he asked. “First, the customer doesn’t think it’s their problem.” They think it’s the PMP’s responsibility, but in reality it’s a team effort, requiring proactive communication on the part of the service technician. “Customers aren’t stupid,” he said. When it comes to sanitation, “they just don’t know what to do. You have to show them what to do.”

More than anything else, Dobrinska said, “a lack of demonstration” by PMPs is the industry’s most common mistake when it comes to managing pests in restaurants and food service accounts. Too often, he said, we don’t “show the customer” exactly what they did wrong and what they need to do better to correct the problem.

Therefore, whenever possible, PMPs should offer constructive criticism to customers, reinforcing what they’ve done right, but also diplomatically pointing out what they’ve done wrong. “Don’t flunk the customer,” he warned. “They’re the one paying the bill.”

Following Dobrinska on the program was T.J. Neary, owner of Insect Technologies, Lexington, Ky., and a PMP who has been proudly “killing roaches for 29 years.” Neary said the key to controlling cockroaches in restaurants is to “get down on your hands and knees” to identify harborage sites, particularly those high-activity areas around moisture sources.

“Every place you have an oasis, you have a (cockroach) cluster,” he said. “They have a little town going. And when that last instar turns into an adult, some of them are saying, ‘I’m going to leave town and go to another part of the restaurant.’”

Like Dobrinska before him, Neary said it’s essential to secure customer cooperation when servicing these high-stress accounts, letting them know you’re the one firmly in control. “When it comes to the bugs in a restaurant, I’m the boss,” he said.

Fortunately, with nearly three decades of experience under his belt, Neary’s in a financial position to say “no” to those accounts that are unwilling to cooperate. That’s why before taking on any new food service accounts, “I ask myself, ‘Do I need a headache? When I really needed jobs, I took every one,” he said, but that’s not the case today. He’s no longer willing to simply “manage” roach problems in restaurants. His goal is to eliminate them, and to do that successfully requires customer cooperation.

“If you’re managing a roach problem every time you’re there you’ve got a problem,” Neary said. “I tell new accounts, ‘I can get it to zero, but I need your help.’ When one of my restaurants does get roaches, I’m there every week until its zero again.”

Remember, he said, “Don’t manage a roach population. Cream it! Bam it to zero! I’ve got restaurants that haven’t had a roach in 10 years.”

Next up on the program was Stoy Hedges, president, Stoy Pest Consulting, Memphis, Tenn., who discussed cockroach baiting in food service accounts. “I’m a big fan of baits, but baits are being overused,” he observed. “A lot of bait is wasted or misapplied.”

The key to using baits properly is to apply them “intelligently,” placing small dabs of bait in and around active harborage sites. And how do you identify those sites?

“Your brain and your experience are your most important tools,” Hedges said, as well as using the proper tools, including a high-powered flashlight and an inspection mirror. “If you’re not carrying an inspection mirror, I guarantee you’re missing cockroaches,” he warned.

Hedges also urged attendees to consider other control options when servicing restaurants and food service accounts, including vacuuming, insect growth regulators (IGRs) and dusts. The beauty of using vacuums is you eliminate the pest immediately, taking a portion of the population out of the account with you following the service call. “Vacuuming is very important,” he said.

When applying dusts, Hedges said be sure to use a hand duster. “If you’re not using a hand duster, you’re missing the boat,” he warned. “It’s necessary for an integrated approach (to cockroach control).”

Wrapping up the nearly two-hour session was Scott Robbins, technical director, Action Pest Control, Evansville, Ind., who discussed managing small flies in food service accounts, recommending an integrated approach including proper sanitation (no surprise!), structural remediation, drain treatments, light traps, directed fogging and fly baits.

Yet when it comes down to it, the key to controlling small flies — like the other pests highlighted at the “Food Service House of Learning” — is customer cooperation. “Get the (restaurant) manager’s email and get on a first-name basis with that person,” he recommended.

Additional coverage of the conference will appear in future editions of PCT. Sponsors of this year’s event included BASF, Oldham Chemicals, Nisus Corp., FMC Professional Solutions, Bell Laboratories, Syngenta, Bayer ES, Dow AgroSciences, Control Solutions and Central Life Sciences/Zoecon. The 45th Annual Pest Control Short Course is scheduled for Nov. 3-5, 2015 at the Lexington Convention Center. Visit www.kyshortcourse.org for more information. — Dan Moreland

*****

Termidor H•P High Precision Injection System Introduced

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Fifteen years ago, BASF introduced Termidor to the North American pest control market, followed in quick succession by a number of other formulations of fipronil, the active ingredient in Termidor, including Termidor DRY Termiticide and Termidor Foam Termiticide/Insecticide.

In recent years, BASF scientists have invested considerable time and money in enhancing the application efficiency of Termidor through the introduction of Termidor H•E High-Efficiency Termiticide and the Termidor H•P High-Precision Injection System.

BASF says the Termidor H•P High-Precision Injection System is a new termite treatment that’s applied using an accurate and powerful termiticide delivery system. This new application technology creates a more uniform treatment zone with minimal disruption to clients’ landscaping due to trenching and rodding, the manufacturer says.

Termidor H•E High-Efficiency Termiticide features a proprietary blend of polymers that temporarily boosts transport of fipronil in the soil, creating an “Enhanced Protection Zone” around a structure using less water, smaller trenches, wider drill holes and rod spacing, and shallower treatment depths, according to Jon Sweat, director, BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions. “For PMPs, this means increased profitability through improved productivity, more efficient use of equipment and resources, and better business flexibility.”

“The Termidor H•P System uses a revolutionary application device to target the primary termite activity zones, while eliminating the need for most trenching and rodding,” Sweat said.

To ensure accuracy and consistency, the injection system is equipped with an advanced digital onboard computer that prevents over or under usage of termiticide by providing treatment readings within a tenth of an ounce. As a result, “the success of the termiticide treatment is no longer reliant on the mixing accuracy of the operator,” Sweat said. “Instead, Termidor H•P mixes the termiticide and water onboard, providing an exact, finished dilution concentration for accurate treatment of structures.”

“The Termidor H•P System requires less drilling, less patching and less treatment time, but the same amount of active ingredient is applied,” added Bob Hickman, market development specialist, BASF. The unit features three different injections settings — high, medium and light — to accommodate various soil types found in the U.S., and “it won’t damage phone lines and irrigation systems,” he observed.

With each application, Termidor H•P High-Precision Termiticide is injected around customers’ structures, giving a uniform treatment zone with minimal disruption to landscaping, BASF says.
 

The H•P System communicates via a Bluetooth connection and onboard GPS, so PMPs know where the unit is in the field at all times. “It’s a state-of-the-art system,” Hickman said. “You can check the GPS to see where they are on their route…and you can immediately see how much product each individual technician has put out.”

BASF leases the system to PMPs and provides all education and training. “It’s the future of termite treatments,” said Melissa Koenig, product manager, BASF.

All of the innovations relating to Termidor H•E and Termidor H•P “center around improved application,” added Markus Heldt, president, Crop Protection Division. “With these innovations we can defend our strong position in the North American market. We’re proud of our company’s willingness to invest in these innovations.”
 

 

PCO News

Please send press releases about your firm to jdorsch@giemedia.com.   Inspect-All Services, of Conyers, Ga., recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Inspect-All began providing termite control in 1984 as Accu-Pest; today it is a multi-million-dollar pest solutions and home inspections operation serving metro Atlanta and the surrounding region. In the mid-1990s, the company added home inspection to its termite service offerings and changed to its current name. Today it provides professional services such as termite, pest, rodent and mosquito control, home inspections, radon testing, mold sampling and infrared thermal imaging. Skyline Pest Solutions, a provider of pest control, termite protection and wildlife removal services in the Atlanta market, purchased the pest control division of Aabby Group. The acquisition grows Skyline’s presence on the south side of Atlanta. Ballard’s Professional Pest, Kingwood, Texas, was selected as the Kingwood Award program’s 2014 Best of Kingwood in the pest control category. Each year, the program identifies companies that it believes have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category, enhancing the positive image of small business through service to their customers and the community.

 
 

In Memoriam: Alan Smith

Lawrenceville, N.J. — Alan Smith, a 39-year veteran of the pest management industry, passed away on Dec. 13. He most recently worked for Cooper Pest Solutions, Lawrenceville N.J., and as part of the Cooper team he was recognized as PCT magazine’s Termite Technician of the Year in 2004.

Smith graduated from Ohio State University in 1975 with an undergraduate degree in entomology. He then worked with Robert and Judy Dold for 25 years as general manager for the Rose Pest Solutions’ Lafayette, Ind., office (dba Cochnower Pest Control). In early 2001, Alan’s wife, Dee, accepted a position as a college admissions coordinator in Pennsylvania, and Alan joined the Cooper Pest Solutions team. During his tenure at Cooper Pest Solutions, he was a valuable team member, praised for his troubleshooting ability and role as a mentor to other service professionals.

Smith is survived by his wife, Dee, his daughter Johanna, his son Cameron and daughter-in-law, Lauren.
 

*****
 

Liphatech Announces PestWorld ’14 Winners
 

ORLANDO, Fla. — Liphatech announced winners from its PestWorld promotions, including Dan Fleischer, owner of Pestex, Newtonville, Mass., who won a trip to Bobby Corrigan’s NYC Rodent Academy. Other winners included Bill Haynes, Haynes Exterminating, Buford, Ga., who took home a $500 gift card, and Ben Ray, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Fla., and Mike Stanley, Abell Pest Control, London, Ontario, who won Microsoft Surface Tablets. “Our Eraticate Encore at PestWorld provided the perfect landscape to launch our new SST and 40g FirstStrike and Resolv soft baits. We continue to develop products that make a PMP’s job easier and increase their success and productivity in the fight against rodents,” noted Manny Martinez, Liphatech executive director. “A big thank you to everyone that visited us at PestWorld 2014.”
 

*****
 

ServiceMark Communications Celebrates 20 Years

DALLAS, Texas — ServiceMark Communications is celebrating 20 years supplying the pest management industry with business printing and marketing materials. Clinton Kemp founded the company in 1995 after serving as communications and marketing coordinator for B&G Chemicals & Equipment Co.

“I owe it all to Tom Wright who was president of B&G at the time,” said Kemp. “Tom was very instrumental in helping me get my business off the ground and introduced me to other suppliers, many of whom still distribute our pre-printed WDI reports and other forms today.”

Besides wholesale products sold through distributors and associations, ServiceMark supplies pest control businesses with custom business printing, graphic design, marketing services, logo imprinted customer giveaways and fillable PDF business forms. In celebration of 20 years of service, ServiceMark is offering PCT readers a 10 percent discount on all online store orders placed by July 31, 2015. Shop online at www.servicemarkonline.com, and use discount code PCT10.

 

Date Book

Send your announcement at least 14 weeks in advance to jdorsch@giemedia.com. For additional dates, visit www.pctonline.com/events. March 8-10: Temp-Air’s first Biannual Thermal Remediation Bed Bug National Conference, Grapevine, Texas. Contact: http://thermalremediation.com/conference-registration-form. March 15-17: Legislative Day 2015, Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C. Contact: NPMA, 703/352-6762 or visit www.npmapestworld.org. March 19-21: Pest Management Canada 2015, Westin Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Contact: See March 15. March 23-26: 8th International IPM Symposium, Salt Lake City, Utah. Contact: http://ipmcenters.org/ipmsymposium15/. March 24-25: New England Pest Management Association’s ACE Review Course with exam to follow, Holiday Inn, Dedham, Mass. (Attendees must register with the Entomological Society of America no later than 30 days before the class.) Contact: 866/386-3762 or email info@nepma.org. March 29-31: Arizona Pest Professional Organization (AZPPO)’s Great Western Conference, Carefree, Ariz. Contact: www.azppo.org. April 19-21: NPMA and Ecovar’s PestWorld East, Dubai Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf, Dubai. Contact: See March 15. April 21-23: UPFDA Spring Conference, Marriott at McDowell Mountain, Scottsdale, Ariz. Contact: Valera Jessee, valerajessee29@gmail.com.