All Articles
7/1/2023
How to manage mosquitos where PMPs miss them most It doesn’t take much to make a comfortable home for mosquitos. All too often, PMPs face callbacks and customer complaints because they’ve overlooked a single area where mosquitos can happily breed, rest, and feed. Some hotspots are obvious. Others are more hidden. Follow the tips in this guide to check — and treat — the most common spots overlooked by PMPs. Where there’s water, there’s a potential breeding site Water plays a crucial role in ...
6/1/2023
After visiting dead animals, feces, raw garbage, dumpsters, grease-traps, sewers, floor drains, biofilms, House flies, aka: “flying infections,” enter sensitive facilities and contaminate foods and surfaces through a combined process of extraoral digestive fluids (cyclical regurgitation), defecation, and groom-shedding of bodily particles. House flies contaminate everything from farm to fork and ultimately foods consumed by customers. As a result, filth flies convert restaurants into “pestaurants.” The risks are more intense in the healthcare envi...
5/1/2023
Ant bait acceptance refers to the ability of an ant colony to accept and consume a bait that contains a toxic substance. Ants have a complex social structure and their diets can vary depending on several factors including ant species, colony location, seasonality, presence of predators or competing ant colonies, and the availability of water sources. The bait contains a small amount of active ingredient that will slowly kill the ants that consume it. One important aspect of bait effectiveness is reliant on bait acceptance. Get to know your colony: One of the most impo...
4/1/2023
Best practices for using dry flowable bait It’s common for pests to hide deep within hard-to-reach spaces that may not be visible, making it challenging for pest management professionals (PMPs) to make applications that last. Dry flowable bait can be a long-lasting, convenient solution to help keep properties free from harmful pests and keep PMPs serving other customers instead of making costly retreatments. Indoor applications Dry flowable bait can enhance indoor integrated pest management (IPM) programs and is a strong addition to proto...
3/1/2023
HOW RODENTS MAKE THEIR MARK Rodents have mastered the art of avoiding humans. During the day, they live behind walls, under floorboards, or in attics. When they do venture out, it is at nighttime, under the guise of darkness. Their inconspicuous behavior makes them difficult to track and catch, but they are traceable. Rodents drop clues - or marks - behind during their nocturnal scavenges. Using these marks can help guide you in your rodent capture. Listed below are five ways rodents leave their mark. Droppings Rodents leave droppings everywhere they tra...
2/1/2023
When it comes to commensal rodents, there little “real world” research. Laboratory research is good, but it doesn’t take into account all the variables present when servicing accounts. New research from Rutgers University focusing on multifamily housing structures shows some exciting data. The researchers looked at multistory multifamily housing structures and discovered that mice are not evenly distributed. They found that an apartment was much more likely to have house mice if there was a shared wall with another apartment that had mice. The mice travel to adjoi...
1/1/2023
Envu is a new vision for a company that will focus on innovation, environmental health and a strong commitment to partnering with pest management professionals. Pronounced “ehn-VIEW,” the name is derived from “environment” and “vision,” which speaks to tightening its focus on environmental science exclusively. “The fact that our new company will be focused solely on environmental science will allow us to solve problems faster, smarter and more efficiently,” said Gilles Galliou, former president of the Environmental Science business at...
11/1/2022
The benefits of adding a dry flowable bait into your IPM plan While dry flowable bait may be underutilized in integrated pest management (IPM) programs, this formulation has several beneficial features that can enhance treatment protocols. It is common for pests to harbor within deep, hard-to-reach voids. These spots are often overrun with pests like cockroaches, are susceptible to continued reinfestation and can be difficult to reach with sprayable liquids and gel baits. Dry flowable bait is designed to drift deep into cracks, crevices and voids when a...
10/1/2022
Whitetails, Blacktails and Mule Deer Wintertime’s Triple-Threat for American Gardeners Condensed from the complete Wintertime's Triple Threat for American Gardeners, compiled by the makers of all-natural Deer Scram – America’s Finest™ granular deer repellent. No matter where deer are found in North America, the survival of white-tailed, black-tailed and mule deer through winter depends a lot upon how well the deer prepares for winter’s “drought” of foods. Their winter survival tactics will soon be ...
9/1/2022
JASON MEYERS, Ph.D.Senior Technical Services Representative IIBASF Professional & Specialty Solutions A few years ago, the spotted lanternfly made its entrance into the occasional pest market in the U.S. and has spread around the State of Pennsylvania and into surrounding states. It continues to spread at a rapid rate. Newly established populations have been found in Ohio and Virginia, among other states. Some have even been found in Kansas, although they are not yet established. The spotted lanternfly is primarily a threat for the fruit industry, such as the grape jam...
8/1/2022
More than 70+ million homes in the United States are built on crawl spaces. Houses are built on crawl spaces because it is cheaper than basements or because ground conditions make building a basement impractical. In most climate zones, properly designed, installed, and conditioned closed crawl spaces can work well. You might not offer encapsulation as part of your current business model, but as a pest control professional, you are often in crawl spaces that have already been closed or encapsulated. You can observe if the best “conditioning” method (a commerci...
7/1/2022
We are committed to the proper use of BASF chemistries Day in and day out, pest management professionals (PMPs) are making decisions about the use of insecticides that protect their customers’ homes and businesses from harmful pests. BASF develops insect and rodent management solutions for PMPs to control pests that carry and spread disease, contaminate food, and cause property damage. With a portfolio of solutions that meets nearly every need, it is important that we, as a company, demonstrate our commitment to their proper use and reinforce the ...
6/1/2022
Keep Pests at Bay All Year Long FMC guarantees 90 days of no retreatments* after a Scion Insecticide with UVX Technology exterior perimeter barrier application1 on a recurring residential pest management service2 done in accordance with the best management practices outlined and made within the program period. If any retreatment is required during the 90-day period, FMC will provide the amount of Scion insecticide needed to make a reapplication to the treated area as outlined in the best management practices section of this program. Pre-application Inspectio...
5/1/2022
By Dr. Chris Keefer, technical services manager, Professional Pest Management, Syngenta Ants are the top pests in many urban areas across the U.S. In many cases, these ants are large-colony pests such as Argentine ants, tawny crazy ants or odorous house ants. Successfully controlling these large-colony ants in urban environments requires an integrated pest management (IPM) plan that includes inspection, understanding the species and using multiple formulations and active ingredients. Inspect and identify conducive conditions Ants need...
4/1/2022
Overview Scorpions are eight-legged arachnids with two front large pincher type claws for grasping and holding prey. The claws can range in size from small and thin to large and robust. Scorpions have an elongated tail that can be laid out behind the body or curved over the body. It contains a bulbous stinger that in some species contains a potent venom with the ability to severely hurt or kill humans. There are several species present in the U.S. including the Arizona bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus), the Striped bark scorpion (Centruroides vittat...
3/1/2022
The use of tamper-resistant bait stations at accounts is a key factor in keeping other rodent control products, such as rodenticides, snap traps, and glue boards, inaccessible to non-targets. Selecting the right bait station is a critical step in implementing proper integrated pest management (IPM). One size does not fit all when it comes to rodenticide stations, which is why there are so many options available to choose from. Make sure you understand the differences and pick a station that best fits your needs. The first step is to determine your target, as some bait sta...
1/6/2020
Formerly a division of Univar Solutions, Univar Environmental Sciences has been sold to affiliates of AEA Investors. With the ownership of AEA, the future remains bright for Environmental Sciences (ES), its customers and suppliers. AEA brings a solid understanding of the ES business and a strong appreciation and desire for growth through product distribution and services offerings across pest control and other specialty chemical markets. What hasn’t changed is the continued commitment and organizational focus on growing the business for customers and suppliers. Read th...
11/26/2019
As a group, ants are often the number one pest encountered and the number one cause of callbacks. There are many variables to consider when picking the best ant bait for your operation, but choosing a bait is only half the battle. As good as today’s ant baits are, they still have to be applied in the correct environment and match the ant food preference or they will not bring satisfactory results. First and foremost it’s important to correctly identify the ant species you’re dealing with. Misidentification or, more frequently, no identification,...
7/1/2019
Outsourcing brings out mixed emotions among business owners. Some quickly see an opportunity to eliminate tasks, whereas others fear no one can properly and reliably execute the tasks at hand. When it’s done right, outsourcing can offer pest management companies with greater stability, flexibility, and a higher degree of expertise than you alone can provide. Here are three steps that will help you find the best providers to handle your needs: 1. Assess your current situation. Which tasks can you outsource so your staff has m...
5/29/2019
Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of Pest Management Professional magazine and is reprinted with permission. It can be found at https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/27/place-your-headshots-in-the-no-selfie-zone/ Place your headshots in the no-selfie zone By Grant Hunker While there is definitely a time and place for selfies when it comes to your pest control company’s social media presence, headshots for media announcements about new employees, job promotion...
4/17/2019
At Veseris, we take pride in providing customers with the most current industry news and knowledge — within local communities and nationwide. Here’s an overview of early Q1 2019’s biggest trends as reported by Veseris managers across the country: [click to enlarge]
4/15/2019
Schedule termite inspections 24/7, online By Heather Gooch Homeowners, business owners and real estate agents seeking termite inspectors typically want immediate results. That’s why one family-owned pest management company created and launched TermitePro.us, a website that lets customers schedule termite inspections online. “We saw this as a basic next step for our industry,” says Isaac Camacho, marketing and sales director for Irvine, Calif.-based Accurate Termite and Pest Control. “We live in a world w...
12/13/2018
Q. I am dealing with a German roach issue in an apartment complex broken into buildings. The maintenance people seem to think it’s okay to leave whole panels out under kitchen and bathroom sinks for access to the plumbing. One building has at least 12 units with roaches. I’ve tried everything from baiting, dusting, baiting and dusting, to recently hitting all of the penetrations with a knockdown product, an IGR and again baiting and dusting. What do you recommend? --Kenton, IN A. I think you may be throwing too muc...
12/4/2018
Q. I’ve had a problem with a couple of bed bug jobs. I will have my customers prep their home and then schedule treatments at two-week intervals. Afterwards, the homeowner will go a month with no bites or sightings. Then, out of the blue, they will call about finding a dying bed bug. I think it was there the whole time and just taking time to die. Do you know how or why this happens? — Mike, OH A. One reason could be that a bed bug harborage was overlooked during treatment. Even if you’ve done your best, that’s just the nature of bed ...
11/27/2018
Looking for a smarter way to collect — and correct — product requests across your team? Today’s Better Business Tip will help you save time and reduce errors every time you restock your inventory. Click the video below to see how you can use team Quick Lists to share shopping lists and approve orders for your entire team. Get More Business Tips We’re continually adding to our library of Better Business Tips videos with more ways to streamline your business. Stay tuned for more videos coming soon &#...
