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PPMA OFFICERS
Marty Overlilne
President
Aardvark Pest Management
Phildelphia, PA
Adam Witt
President Elect
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
Jeff King
Vice President
The Pest Rangers
Hanover Twp., PA
Keith Hamilton
Chairman of the Board
J.C. Ehrlich
State College, PA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Central Division
Gary Lesher
Governor
Perry Pest Control
Landisburg, PA
Leland Manuel
Pest-Rite
Manchester, PA
Keith Jones
Archer Pest Control
Camp Hill, PA
Eastern Division
Bryan Levengood
Governor
Elverson, PA
Mike Snyder
Township Pest Control
Warrington
, PA
Rob Byer
Terminix
Mount Laurel
, NJ
Northeast Division
Jeff King
Governor
The Pest Rangers
Hanover Twp., PA
Paul Kutney
The Pest Rangers
Pleasant Mount, PA
Western Division
Adam Witt
Governor
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
Scott Grill
Bill Grill Exterminating
Verona, PA
Sean Williams
Bill Grill Exterminating
Verona, PA
Brian Smith
Univar
Sharon Hill, PA
Executive Director
Versant Strategies
Harrisburg, PA
Many thanks to these Past Presidents:
Len Bruno
Dana Lown
Harvey Goldglantz
John Morrison
Keith Hamilton
Mike Powers
Dave Hyres
Steve Rubel
Robert Jones
Charles Taylor
Joe Kahn
Ed Van Istendal
Paul Kutney
Rick Voyton
Are we missing someone? Let us know as we work to compile this record.
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Dear Friends:
Congratulations to the PPMA membership on having three successful Division Meetings! As a member benefit, providing industry leading credits remains a priority for the Association. Have a class you'd like us to offer? We are always hear to take your suggestions. Send them to cwright@versantstrategies.net.
Registration information for the upcoming Annual Meeting will be hitting your inboxes in mid-October. Mark your calendars now to be in attendance on
December 3-4 in Lancaster, PA!
If we can be of assistance in any way, please reach out via email at cwright@versantstrategies.net or by phone at (800) 842-9090.
Team Versant
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Tick season is in full swing in the Northeast, and adding to the region's tick problem a new Asian import that has joined the growing number of pests that can stand up to even the worst winters. The USDA has issued a fact sheet for this invasive newcomer, the bush or longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) who is making headlines for overwintering successfully in NJ.
The CDC is running a short, 20 question survey (even shorter for members currently not providing tick control) of companies in our region to get input from our members about their tick control practices and experience; even if you don't currently have tick-control clients, or have taken a prior survey, your input is invaluable in getting our industry's input heard in this emerging public health issue.
Click the link below to take the short survey:
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Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences has created an online permitting course for businesses and organizations moving within or from the quarantine zone of the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). You can find information on the course at
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly.
Companies should designate specific employees to take the course. Once a designated employee passes this course, his or her company will receive spotted lanternfly permits for company vehicles. The designated employee must train fellow employees to work in the quarantine zone without inadvertently spreading these insects and endangering agriculture and commerce. This course includes fact sheets to use with training.
If you have questions on the permitting process, email the PA Department of Agriculture at
slfpermit@pa.gov.
In addition, homeowner fact sheets and information, along with the process to report any sightings of SLF across the state are on the PSU website at
extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly (or you can just search PSU SLF). Penn State also have a SLF hotline set up to answer questions from the public and to report sightings outside of the quarantine zone - 888-4-BADFLY (888-422-3359) toll-free.
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The demands of healthcare are changing everyday, and as a business owner or manager, navigating these waters can be a challenge. Health insurance costs have skyrocketed over the past few years, making it one of the most expensive, yet highly sought after benefits by jobseekers. In June 2017, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) added a health insurance exchange to their ever-growing list of benefits. As a member of the Pennsylvania Pest Management Association and NPMA, you have access to it. These brand new benefits include a health insurance exchange available to almost all states in the United States. Previously, only larger companies often had access to group coverage. Through the exchange, small to medium sized companies can now offer PPO or HSA-compatible high deductible plans to their employees.
In addition to the health insurance exchange, there are many other health insurance-related benefits now offered through NPMA, and the best news is that it's not all or nothing. You have the ability to design and choose the layers of benefits you want in place. A few of the other offerings include a heath reimbursement arrangement (HRA) for the employers who don't meet the underwriting guidelines, a health savings account (HSA) where participants can use tax-advantaged savings to pay for medical, dental, vision and other qualified expenses, and flexible spending accounts (FSA) for health care, dependent care, and other limited-purposes that allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified expenses. To read more about this member benefit and the options available, visit npmapestworld.org/member-center/...
Submitted by Jeff King, The Pest Rangers
Northeast Division Governor
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As a member of the National Pest Management Association, I encourage you to join us in Orlando on Thursday, October 25 from 8:00-8:30 a.m. for the NPMA Annual Membership Meeting during PestWorld 2018. At this meeting, a vote will take place to adopt proposed changes to the association by-laws. It is important, if you are able, to attend this meeting in person. However, if you are unable to attend, you are welcome to submit a proxy vote online or via mail
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BACKGROUND
At PestWorld 2017 in Baltimore, the NPMA By-Laws Committee convened a meeting to discuss reviewing the NPMA by-laws. The last revision took place in 2014, and as a general principle, association by-laws should be reviewed every three to five years to ensure the by-laws are sound and current with evolving laws. The committee, which is comprised of Chair Lanny Allgood, Chris Gorecki, Laura Simpson and Jeff Dunn, reviewed the by-laws collectively and made several notes.
Following the initial meeting, NPMA had the by-laws reviewed by outside counsel. Outside counsel made several minor, but important, suggested edits. The by-laws committee then reviewed the suggested edits and made further revisions. At this point and after careful consideration, the NPMA By-laws Committee made a recommendation that the NPMA Board and general membership of the association adopt the bylaws as presented in the link below.
At the most recent meeting of the NPMA Board of Directors in June 2018, the amended bylaws were shared with the Board. A motion was made, seconded and the Board voted unanimously in favor of adopting the by-laws as presented.
We have provided the following information below to assist you with reviewing the proposed changes to the by-laws. This includes a high level summary of the changes, a redline copy of the proposed bylaws as approved by the Board in June 2018, and a link in which you can cast a proxy vote should you not be present for the General Membership Meeting.
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
- Section 4.6 - The ability to vote in multiple regions was previously based on paying "maximum dues," which will no longer exist. The new language details how votes are distributed.
- Section 12.3 - Clarify that joint partnership does not indicate the formation of a per se partnership for liability purposes.
- Section 13.2 - The previous version required all investments to be made with FDIC insured institutions, which could be restrictive. The suggested revision provides the ability for the board to craft policies that ensure safe, thoughtful and successful investments, without a hard "FDIC" rule.
- Revisions to update the term "Executive Vice President" to "Chief Executive Officer."
- Updates to sections where Delaware law has changed.
- Other minor edits and language clean-up.
In addition to amending the by-laws, the committee in response to a request by Joint Partner State Associations, has proposed an official "Joint Partnership Program" policy that should be approved by the board and maintained in NPMA Board Policies and Procedures. The program is referenced several times in the by-laws and this procedure is meant to clearly define this relationship.
Click here to view the redline by-laws with the changes as approved by the Board in June 2018.
Cast a proxy vote online or via mail in favor or against the adoption of the new by-laws should you not be present at the General Membership Meeting.
If you have any questions in regards to the by-laws, please contact the By-laws Staff Committee Liaison, Allie Allen at
aallen@pestworld.org
Sincerely,
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Dominique Stumpf, CMP, CAE
Chief Executive Officer
National Pest Mangement Association
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You've found evidence of mice in two very different places: fresh droppings on the bottom shelf of a kitchen island and more on the floor of an upstairs bathroom. Do you have multiple mice? You've checked the island and found nothing further. You want to place traps but not all over the house. It would help to find a mouse nest site, or two, where you could focus control efforts.
How far do you have to look?
A mouse's home range is surprisingly small, especially when food is readily available or when populations are large. In most cases, the travels of a house mouse are within 10 feet (3m) from her nest. But that's 10 feet in all directions: up, down, and to the sides. To visualize a mouse's probable home range, imagine a 3-dimensional sphere radiating out 10 feet or so in every direction from a central point that could be found evidence of mice such as droppings or gnawing. It's uncommon for a mouse to range more than 30 feet, looking for food.
In other words, if you find mouse droppings, you can usually expect the mouse's nest to be within 10 feet in some direction. This is why a mouse can be getting food from a pet's bowl in the kitchen, but nesting and even hoarding the food, in an upstairs closet directly above, after moving up through the wall void. Conversely, if you find a mouse nest but also have droppings 40 feet away at the other end of the house, you no doubt have more mice.
In a commercial account, a mouse's travels may start at her nest site in a wall void, then out through a gnawed hole to a food storage pallet, across two feed of floor to a few stacked food boxes, up onto a series of food storage shelves, into the wall through a pipe run, and back down to the nest site. In heavy infestations, a mouse or extended family that can include 15-20 individuals, may aggressively defend a desirable territory within a home range.
Where do mice like to nest?
Now you have an idea of the area where a nest could be located, but to find the nest itself you can save time by thinking like a mouse, knowing what type of site appeals to, perhaps, a pregnant female mouse. Inspect first those sites that are most desirable for nesting. When there are multiple mice, some may be pushed out into less desirable nest sites.
Protection may be the number one need for a mouse. A nest serves as a protected place to give birth and nurse young, a place that is protected from the elements, and is safe from predators and threats from unrelated mice.
Because mice are small, a nest site need only be a couple of inches wide. A mouse wants to find a nest site that is in a warm, dark, protected place near food and water. For a pregnant female, proximity to nest material is a plus.
In kitchens, mice will nest in bases or voids inside refrigerators, dishwashers, and other appliances (the unused broiler or pan drawer in a stove is a favorite). Since appliances provide insulation for nest material plus extra warmth, if not nesting in them, mice may nest near them in floor-level cabinets or wall voids. The back corners of lower-level cabinets and drawers, especially those least used, are frequent nest sites. Often, mice may not be nesting in the floor cabinet itself, but in the void space below the cabinet and behind kickplates. When the nest is not accessible, look for gnaw marks, rub marks, and other clues that mice are entering a hidden void space to nest.
Don't limit your inspection to kitchens. Mice will also nest amid garage and attic clutter and inside equipment and objects, large and small. Desirable sites include stuffed furniture, storage boxes, cluttered dresser and desk drawers, bathroom cabinets, beneath furniture and shelving, in ceiling and wall voids in corners and near heat sources, or beneath water heaters. Most importantly, know that a mouse can nest just about anywhere.
What does the nest look like?
You may know that a mouse's nest is not usually a neat little ball of softness. Its size and "fluffiness" depend on resources available, so a nest can be very sparse indeed. Nest material for a mouse is pretty much anything that is pliable, shredable, and portable. A female mouse about to give birth spends a lot of time collecting soft nest material such as string, yarn, dryer lint, fabric, carpet fibers, tissues, paper, and insulation. In a pinch, less-soft items such as leaves, stems, plastic, or cardboard will sometimes have to do.
The size and shape of a house mouse nest is extremely variable but often appears as a loose, fibrous wad of collected materials, about the size of a softball. A nest might also contain bits of hoarded seeds or other food, and droppings... and baby mice.
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Upcoming Meetings
Mark your calendars for the State Conference scheduled for December 3-4 in Lancaster, PA!
The
Meetings and Events
section of the website is always the most up-to-date resource for happenings of the Association. Be sure to check it out!
The Eastern Division continues to hold its monthly meetings with varying topics of discussion on the second Thursday of every month at the Crowne Plaze in Trevose. For more information on monthly topics and speakers, contact Sue at (215) 331-1121.
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The information below represents legislative activity (including bill introductions) that has occurred since the last newsletter. For a full listing of legislation that Versant is tracking for PPMA, please contact us at (717) 635-2320 or cwright@versantstrategies.net. Activity marked HCO or SCO indicates a co-sponsorship memo which precedes the actual introduction of legislation and is designed to secure the support of other legislators prior to introduction as a bill.
The State Legislature returned last week from their summer recess. In that week, no legislative action was seen on issues related to the PPMA.
However, on your behalf, Versant Strategies has continued to monitor legislation and co-sponsorship memos that have been introduced that impact small business and the pest management industry.
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