By: Bennett Jordan, Ph.D., B.C.E. Nothing operates independently. It’s as true in pest management as it is in the rest of the world. We are clear about this in our documentation and communication with our clients. Every organism has basic needs that must be met to sustain life. For pests to successfully infest a structure, [...]
By Anna Berry, B.C.E. Unlike many of the pests we protect food from, stored product pests (SPP) live in the food they are consuming. They do not travel from a safe harborage to a food source and then return back to their harborage — the harborage is the food source. The living preferences of species [...]
By Christian Wilcox, ACE Although the subject of this article is the use of Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs), its true purpose is to highlight the importance of knowing your target pest’s biology, particularly its reproductive cycles. This is a much different way of looking at pest situations. Most products we use have applications based on [...]
By Brad Baker Our 18-year old female cat went missing recently. Everyone in the house began a massive search for the cat except me. I had a lot to do and I knew that if she did not want to be found, she would not be found. The question came an hour later, “What if [...]
By Mark D. Sheperdigian, B.C.E. Filth flies are among the most frustrating pests of food-handling establishments. It’s not hard to understand why when you consider a single fly can grab the attention of everyone in the room and constitute a health concern in the process. To make matters worse, they can find a way in [...]
By Cory Goeltzenleuchter Pest control service kits have come a long way over the years. But even with all the different brands and new products they hold, some things stay true. Using an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) service kit helps you remain professional, saves time and keeps your customers safe. I call these devices “technician [...]
By Pat Hottel It is estimated that in the U.S., about 40 percent of all food produced is wasted. It makes both environmental and economic sense to find alternative uses for our food wastes to reduce this high percentage. For commercial food facilities, this can include repurposing of certain types of food. Food that is [...]
By Jay Everitt With people living longer, the age of retirement increasing and most adults working outside the home, many different generations occupy the workforce today. However, millennials, or those aged 22-37, account for the largest population, or about 35 percent, of U.S. workers. In our business, we have had to make adjustments in the [...]
By Shane McCoy A sign at our Wil-Kil Pest Control Menomonee Falls office reads “Sanitation is Pest Control.” I asked our regional manager why the sign was there, and he said it is intended to be a constant reminder that many pest problems, especially small flies, are because of poor sanitation. Every time someone enters [...]
Photo Credit Rutgers Coop. By Jim Nase One of the ways in which you can change up your current core training and provide your technicians with another tool to be incorporated into your pesticide safety program is the use of fluorescent tracer materials. Fluorescent tracers are used by pesticide safety educators to show workers safe [...]
