Reduction of food, water and shelter is a critical component of food facility pest management programs. The more we can reduce the availability of these basic survival needs, the easier it is to control pests. However, there can be times that the type of cleaning strategies that are used to eliminate food can be detrimental [...]
Last month in this column, I discussed (arguably) the most commonly encountered family of beetles for our industry, the dermestids. Because of the many different habits, knowing what genus of dermestid you are after can help considerably. What follows is a breakdown of which structure-infesting genus your pest belongs to, and what you can do [...]
Of the massively diverse insect order Coleoptera (beetles), the dermestids are undoubtedly one of the most commonly encountered beetles in the urban environment. But, they are easily overlooked because of their small size and often hidden feeding habits. The Name Game. Dermestids, individuals in the family Dermestidae, are commonly known as skin or carpet beetles. [...]
It’s a nice sunny day and your staff is on the road with no delays. Just as you start feeling really good about the day, the phone rings. “We found a live bug crawling on our daughter’s pillow,” the customer says. “You guys just came out and treated our home for bed bugs. If it [...]
Bird control can be difficult and dangerous to do because of the nature of the job. To evade predators and protect themselves from the elements, birds tend to nest in high, secluded areas that are sometimes difficult to access. Since birds are using these nests to raise their young, you are dealing with both adult [...]
Well before commercial pesticide applicators came under scrutiny as the result of honey bee colony collapse disorder and suspicions of neonicotinoid effects on these valuable pollinators, we made every effort to call in local beekeepers to collect live, open swarms of honey bees that were phoned into our company as service requests during the springtime [...]
Stewardship stew•ard•ship noun \ stü-rd-ship, styü-; st(y)urd-\ : the activity or job of protecting and being responsible for something. 1: the office, duties and obligations of a steward. 2: the conducting, supervising or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care <stewardship of natural resources>. As pest management [...]
Whether it’s a salesperson trying to acquire a new account, a technician communicating with a client or a client reading content on a website, communication is the backbone of success. Establishing a personal connection with the audience and then creating an emotional connection to the content are two important steps on the pathway to success. [...]
Author’s note: This column was written prior to the release of a recent report by USDA. In May, USDA’s annual survey reported a decline in honey bee deaths over the October-April winter season. Conjecture on this observation has included references to the impact of neonicotinoid insecticides, but most leading entomologists and scientists disagree. When Colony Collapse [...]
Last month’s Tech Talk column focused on eliminating all other possibilities to ensure that a phorid fly issue is indeed coming from below the slab and determining the right location to begin your corrective work. This month, we focus on how to implement corrective action. Invariably, the solution to sub-slab phorid flies means digging up [...]