Back Talk

OUR BAD

I just read PCT’s bed bug supplement in the August issue and wanted to alert you that the photo on page 44, which was identified as a bed bug nymph, is not a nymph. It’s an adult. Unfortunately, the CDC or the photographer originally mislabeled the image and it has appeared on many Web sites under the mislabeled “nymph” title.

Much of what I think is a problem with bed bug infestations today is that most people are shown pictures of adult bugs and told, “Nymphs are smaller but look like adults,” when this is not quite true. I’ve examined many infestations where there are upwards of a half million bed bugs present, but the obvious signs are the thousands of adults. You only see the majority of the insects, the nymphs, when you get a closer look or look at magnified views of pictures of the infestations.

Louis N. Sorkin, B.C.E.
Entomology Section, Division of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
New York, N.Y.

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An open letter to Raleigh Jenkins and NPMA

The 2009 NPMA Academy, sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, was a great success from every standpoint and for Raleigh Jenkins, as president of the National Pest Management Association, the event was truly a “feather in his leadership crown.” As I get back to my day-to-day business, I wanted to take a minute to share an Academy/NPMA feeling I had as the events of Friday evening came to a close.

The day started at 6 a.m., and it was coming up on 10 p.m., and the Olympic events of the jam-packed day were concluding. I had just left five NPMA staffers working on the scavenger hunt and as I was walking through the building I saw four more worn-out staffers sitting at a table waiting for the membership to board the busses before they could get back to gathering all of the paraphernalia needed to stage the event. I could not help but reflect on what they each had done just that day to pull off such a successful event. As I stood there thinking of what they had done, my mind went to their individual and personal care, attitude and dedication that went so far beyond just doing their job to produce such an overwhelming success. For a whole week, they left home, lived in a hotel, worked selflessly from early mornings to late evenings to assure that success.

As I write this I cannot help but think about how many times we go to successful NPMA events, knowing as it unfolded how much organization and hard work it took to pull it off and how few times we go out of our way to say how much we appreciate the job well done by the NPMA staff.

As a long-time NPMA member who has had the opportunity to see and work with several past executive vice presidents and their staffs, I felt compelled to take a minute out to pass along to you how much one older member truly and sincerely appreciates our staff at NPMA.

I believe the real benefits of the Academy to NPMA will not be easily or readily seen in the short term; but the lasting friendships that were created and experiences that were fostered will form the foundation for the future leadership and growth of our association. Maybe here is a good place to say a big thank you to Rob Lederer and his staff!! 

Don S. Jamison
Jamison Pest and Lawn
Memphis, Tenn.