PPMA OFFICERS
Keith Hamilton
President
J.C. Ehrlich
State College, PA
Marty Overlilne
President-Elect
Aardvark Pest Management
Phildelphia, PA
Adam Witt
Vice President
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
Paul Kutney
Immediate Past President
Larksville, PA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Central Division
Gary Lesher
Governor
Perry Pest Control
Landisburg, PA
Greg Ten Hoeve
Terminix
Mechanicsburg, PA
Keith Jones
Archer Pest Control
Camp Hill, PA
Eastern Division
Marty Overline
Governor
Aardvark Pest Mgmnt
Philadelphia, PA
Mike Snyder
Township Pest Control
Warrington
, PA
Jim Nase
Moyer Indoor/Outdoor
Souderton
, PA
Northeast Division
Jeff King
Governor
The Pest Rangers
Hanover Twp., PA
Paul Kutney
Diane Lown
Ajax Environmental Solutions
Dalton, PA
Western Division
Adam Witt
Governor
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
Scott Grill
Bill Grill Exterminating
Verona, PA
John Besic
Besic Pest Control
Transfer, PA
Technical Advisor
Chad Gore
Rentokil North America
Carnegie, PA
AWDII Chairman
Ed Van Istendal
Coatesville
, PA
Legislative Chairman
Adam Witt
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
Salino Scholarship Chair
Dana Lown
Ajax Environmental Solutions
Dalton, PA
Industry Liaison
Brian Smith
Univar
Sharon Hill, PA
Executive Director
Versant Strategies
Harrisburg, PA
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| Featured Article |
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Dear Friends:
The recent heat and humidity is a reminder that it is officially summer! That and the new membership year starts in just a few days!
Pennsylvania member companies enjoy the benefits of joint membership between the Pennsylvania Association and the National Association. To see a listing of the state's member benefits, click
here
. A membership form didn't arrive at your office? Click
here
.
As you are out working hard to protect public health, our team has been actively working to ensure that the voice of Pennsylvania Pest Management Professionals in the legislature. As legislation has been proposed that would pull pest management professionals under the Sales and Use Tax, potential regulations banning useful products, and other governmental concerns have been brought forward, we are here to protect your interests. You can read more about what our team has been working on in the legislative update below. If you have questions, please contact our team.
If we at the Association's office can ever be of assistance, please feel free to contact us at (800) 842-9090 or [email protected].
Team Versant
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Nuisance Wildlife Removal
Ant baiting is an important part of pest management and worthy of discussion. You may not agree with my philosophy on ant control, in fact, getting 28 technicians trained on ant baiting techniques has been a huge, ongoing challenge for me---so you are not alone. When one of my technicians asks for my assistance in problem solving ant infestations, eventually the light bulb goes off and they begin to see why I am so successful at solving ant issues.
In my servicing area, Odorous House Ants are the number one pest that I am called upon to resolve. It may be in your areas as well. Common practice for Odorous House Ant control would be to use gel baits or ant bait stations on the inside of a home. Most companies that I come across readily apply these gel baits or bait stations on the inside of a home. Let me explain why my philosophy and experience would advise you to do the exact opposite to obtain positive results.
After fully reviewing treatments and re treatments for Odorous House Ants, a common denominator stood out--ant gel bait and/or ant bait stations were applied inside the home. If given some more thought, you will come to realize that ant gel baits are designed to attract ants to them. Ants feed on them and take back some of the active ingredient to the colony.
The problem occurs when the ants do what they do-they leave a pheromone trail telling other ants in the colony to come on over and check out this new food source. What that means to the customer ultimately is that they will continue to see ants well after the treatment was performed and will call in to let you know that they continue to see ants.
This situation can easily be resolved in two ways. The first way is to only apply ant baits on the outside of the home which in most cases is where the ants are coming from anyway. In this situation the ants feed on the gel and never go inside the home. Even if you do not kill them all, the customer does not see them inside the home. This is a service victory.
The second scenario is to apply gel baits or ant bait stations in areas where the ants can feed on them and the ants are out of view to the customer. Such places might be on the sill plate of the basement, under the stove or dishwasher, or even under the kitchen cabinets. If you feel under the cabinets many times there is a ½ inch or so space that allows access under the cabinets. This would be an excellent place to apply baits.
My number one choice is to always apply on the exterior of the home. But if you use one of the above methods, you will see a drastic reduction in the amount of ants being seen after treatment.
I have intentionally not talked about the chemical applications for Odorous House ants. This is a topic unto itself and a possibility for a future article.
Next time you are faced with an Odorous House Ant issue, try placing your ant gel baits or stations outside, especially at corners and intersecting lines. If you must place baits inside do so in out of the way places. If the customer is not seeing the ants, you win.
As with other articles I welcome your questions for feedback.
Jim Nase
Technical Service Manager
Moyer Indoor/Outdoor Pest Control
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News from NPMA
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Save Pyrethroids; New Message to Send to EPA
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Recently, NPMA sent a grassroots alert requesting that members submit comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning the registration review of pyrethroids and we're doing it AGAIN this week.
We have a new message to send to EPA focusing on the societal benefit of pyrethroids and the efficiency and effectiveness of the products. If you submitted a comment last week we need you to do it AGAIN this week!
Based on the preliminary human health and ecological risk assessments published by EPA in November, NPMA and industry allies are becoming increasingly alarmed that EPA may further mitigate critical structural use patterns for pyrethroids. The docket to submit comments on the pyrethroid risk assessments will remain open until July 7. NPMA will be submitting comments on behalf of the entire industry but will need your help by sending individual messages leading up to the July 7th deadline.
Please take a moment and click this link to submit a note to EPA and pass it along to others!
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Upcoming Meetings
The
Eastern Division has announced their fall seminar slated for
September 14, 2017 in Trevose, PA. Registration information can be found
here.
Mark your calendars now for the Annual Meeting, scheduled for
November 12-14 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 [email protected]. 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.
HB 1001 - Helm, Sue -
Act regulating home inspectors; establishing the Home Inspection Licensing Board; providing for licensure & practice, for disciplinary action, for remedies & for penalties; making an appropriation; & repealing provisions.
The bill was voted from committee and referred to House Rules. The Versant Team remains poised to advocate for this bill as it was identified as a priority item by the Board of Directors.
SB 242 - Baker, Lisa - Amends the Underground Utility Line Protection Law further providing for definitions, for duties of facility owners, for duties of the One Call System, for duties of excavators, for duties of project owners, for penalties, for enforcement.
The bill was voted unanimously from the Senate and has been assigned to the House Consumer Affairs Committee.
SB 76 - Argall, David - Act providing for tax levies & information related to taxes; authorizing a personal income tax or earned income tax by a school district; for exclusions from sales tax; for increase to personal income tax; est. Fund; & repeals.
This bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. Versant Strategies has been working with NPMA as this bill could be very detrimental to the Pest Management Industry bringing pest management services under the Sales and Use Tax umbrella.
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| 06-19-2017 |
Pests causing more damage than expected to Allegheny forest
With insect pests are causing more damage than expected to valuable black cherry trees and other species in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, more tree planting and other measures in several areas are being proposed... - AP |
| 06-11-2017 |
Opinions differ on spraying of moth infestations
Controversy over the policy of spraying to reduce gypsy moth infestations at the state level spread this spring from New England to Pennsylvania, where spraying of more than 23,907 acres on 14 different state game lands began in May. In Rhode Island, the House Minority Leader said the infestation is a... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
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