[Back Talk]

PMPs = Kindness

I enjoyed Dan Moreland’s ViewPoint column about the people he met at the closing dinner at NPMA PestWorld (November). What he wrote epitomizes the people of this industry, the common decency and kindness that is prevalent in the pest control industry. All I can say is well done! Thanks for reminding us all about what is important in our business every day.

David R. Carson,
Specialty Sales Manager Helena Chemical Company
Bardwell, Texas
 

*****
 

Another Take on Gel Baits

In response to the “Holistic Approach” article in the November 2011 issue of PCT: It has been my experience that gel baits do not work in low-income housing units here in the New Orleans market. You can explain how gel baits work and the proper time to see results every month to the tenants. Yet upon your return the next month, you will find that the bait has been contaminated by aerosol roach spray, aerosol wasp spray, hair spray or even aerosol spray deodorant. You try to ask the tenants as to why they contaminated the bait, to which they will always reply that they want the roaches dead now, not next month. Again you explain that the process takes time to achieve total results, and they agree to go along with the program. Upon your return, you discover that once again the bait has been sprayed with an unknown substance because this time they stuck their head in the cabinet under the kitchen sink and saw roaches eating the bait. After 12 months or so of achieving zero results with contaminated baits, you switch to the old-fashioned baseboard spray and at least you achieve approximately 75 percent control.

As far as dust applications in low-income housing, almost all the units that I have had the privilege of servicing had several holes in the wall, cabinets falling off the walls and appliances moved all over the units. I would not feel safe applying dust to these areas.

I am not trying to make excuses for the exterminators in the Greater Los Angeles area, just letting you know about my experiences in the New Orleans area.

Steve Meyers
Meyers Exterminating Co.
Metairie, La.
 

*****

A New Bed Bug Control Method?

In reading the article “Bed Bugs in the Crosshairs” in the January issue of PCT, something jumped out and slapped me in the face. The article quotes researchers as saying that “the tropical bed bug can mate with the common bed bug, but the offspring are believed to be sterile.” Well, good grief folks, we have already produced chemical control agents designed to create sterile offspring in a population. Let’s face it, insects like to do two things...eat and breed. If God has handed us a built-in, totally organic and completely chemical-free means of sterilizing a target population by the simple act of introducing a related species with which they happily crossbreed, does it not make sense to perform controlled crossbreeding and determine if the hybrid offspring are indeed 100 percent sterile 100 percent of the time? Is it not possible that this could potentially be the solution to entirely annihilating bed bugs nationwide? Worldwide? I’m just a humble bug guy (for the last 30 years), but this kind of strikes me as common sense.

Tom Brennan,
Founder/Owner Coventry Pest Control
Coventry, R.I.

Readers are invited to send letters to jdorsch@giemedia.com. Letters may be edited for space or clarity.