WI PWIPM is back with Lunch and Learns throughout the winter months. The first session will take place on Thurs. Dec.11, 2025, at 1 P.M. Eastern via Zoom. Kicking us off is Alex Taylor with Rottler Pest Solutions! Alex will be sharing her knowledge on hiring and retaining women in the pest management industry.
Register here to receive the Zoom link. Please refer to the image below or the attached virtual flyer for more information.
PDF via: WI PIPM
About the host
As the Director of Team Member Engagement & Support at Rottler Pest Solutions, Alex oversees the company’s training, recruiting, safety, and quality assurance programs. One of four directors at Rottler, she leads a team of six professionals focused on empowering team members and maintaining the company’s commitment to excellence and safety.
Before joining Rottler, Alex gained experience in the engineering and commercial door industries, bringing a broad understanding of business operations to the pest management field. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL).
A passionate advocate for women in pest management, Alex is one of Rottler’s two female directors and takes pride in helping attract and retain more women in a traditionally male-dominated industry. She is active in the Professional Women in Pest Management (PWIPM) network and has been a featured speaker at both the NPMA Women’s Forum, where she discussed strategies for hiring and retaining women, and Pestsure, where she presented on the journey of a new hire.
from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/wisconsin-pwipm-to-host-female-employee-hiring-and-retention-education-opportunity/ Sacramento CA
If you currently own a pest control company, you’re well aware of the attention our industry is getting from private equity (PE) firms.
Chances are, you receive numerous phone calls and emails each week asking whether you’re interested in selling. PE-backed companies and strategic buyers are extremely active in acquiring pest control businesses across the U.S., Canada and Europe. These companies are growing quickly through acquisitions and are leveraging technology to become more efficient and profitable.
Key takeaways
Private equity (PE) has become a major buyer in the pest control M&A market, competing directly with traditional strategic buyers.
PE buyers often pay a premium, offering higher valuations than strategic buyers because they are building a new platform, not just adding routes.
PE can offer a “second bite of the apple,” allowing owners to sell a majority stake, retain equity, and profit again on a future sale.
Selling to PE may offer more flexibility for the existing team and brand, as the PE firm’s goal is to grow the company, not just absorb it.
IMAGE: Getty Images / Sumedha Lakmal
1. They offer competitive valuations
PE firms are often “building a platform,” which means they are buying their first pest control company to build upon. Because they don’t have an existing infrastructure, they can’t achieve the same synergies as a strategic buyer who is just adding “tuck-in” routes. To compete, PE firms often have to pay a premium, which can mean a higher valuation and more cash at closing for the seller.
2. They create a new path for growth
PE firms are not buying your business to dismantle it; they are buying it to grow it. They bring sophisticated management, marketing, and sales expertise. For an owner who wants to see their company reach the next level but doesn’t have the capital or resources to do it alone, PE can be an ideal partner.
3. You can get a “Second Bite of the Apple”
This is one of the most attractive options PE offers. An owner can sell a majority stake (say, 80 percent) to the PE firm, take cash off the table to secure their family’s future, but retain a 20 percent stake in the new, larger company. They then partner with the PE firm to grow the business over the next 5-7 years, after which the PE firm sells the entire company for a much larger valuation. That 20 percent stake is now worth significantly more — this is the “second bite of the apple.”
4. Protect your team and legacy
A strategic buyer often absorbs a new company, folding its brand, trucks, and people into their existing operation. A PE firm, on the other hand, is buying your brand and your team as the foundation for their new platform. They often want the existing owner and management team to stay on, and they are investing in the brand you built, not erasing it.
5. They understand your business
Pest control is no longer a secret. PE firms have done their homework and are drawn to the industry’s recurring revenue, high profit margins, and non-discretionary service model. When you talk to a PE buyer today, they understand the business and speak the language of pest control.
6. They are plentiful
There are now dozens of PE firms actively looking to buy pest control companies, from the very largest to mid-sized regional players. This creates a competitive market for sellers, which drives up valuations and gives PMP owners more options than ever before.
Conclusion
Selling your business is the biggest financial decision you will ever make. While strategic buyers will always be a critical part of the M&A landscape, they are no longer the only option. For PMP owners looking for a premium valuation, a path for growth, and the opportunity for a “second bite of the apple,” private equity buyers are absolutely worth a look.
New video game Kill It With Fire 2, developed by Casey Donnellan Games and published by tinyBuild, will officially launch on Nov. 25, 2025. The player-versus-player (PvP) installment is the perfect game for those with a vengeful feeling of wanting to take out a horde of spiders with an arsenal of weapons of your choice.
Key game features
Gear up and exterminate – Take on large groups of spiders with up to 45 different weapons and gadgets. Try out newspapers, burning instruments, miniguns, rocket launchers, or something entirely else.
Save the multiverse – Exploration is key in this game as you hunt across seven district worlds, each with its own theme, working to exterminate pesky arachnids. Every level is a unique battle against the spiders!
Complete challenges – Brew magic potions in a bubbling cauldron. Demolish a megapolis as a kaiju-sized madman. Defend a cacti-owned saloon from waves of spiders. Win a drone race in virtual reality. And more!
Play as a Spider – If you start to feel bad for the spiders, take up some time playing as one! An eight-person PvP is the perfect way to flip the script on your friends and get a feel for what it’s like to be a spider.
The game will release across all major platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam.
More pest control games
For PS5
If you want to spend your holiday weekend with other pest control themed games, there are an abundance of options, including:
Starship Troopers: Extermination: A co-op shooter based on the Starship Troopers movie franchise. Players choose from different classes to fight against alien bugs.
Insectum – Epic Battles of Bugs: A game that appears to involve epic battles with bugs, available on all major platforms, including PS5, Xbox, Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Take control of tough pests with D-Fense NXT, Control Solution Inc.’s (CSI’s) powerful multi-mode aerosol engineered for today’s pest management professionals. Combining three active ingredients — deltamethrin, novaluron and pyriproxyfen — D-Fense NXT delivers rapid knockdown and lasting residual control through multiple modes of action.
With a flexible label that allows use in food-handling areas and even on mattresses, D-Fense NXT is ideal for targeting pests in and around structures — including bed bugs, ants, cockroaches and more. The 360-degree valve ensures precision application, reaching hidden harborage sites from any angle, even upside down.
When treating for bed bugs, apply directly to mattresses, box springs, furniture joints and medical equipment for thorough coverage and ongoing protection. With no personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements listed on the label, D-Fense NXT offers convenience, and confidence in every use. As a premium choice for spot, general surface and crack-and-crevice applications, D-Fense NXT is a trusted, ready-to-use solution that delivers dependable results where it matters most.
About Control Solutions Inc.
Control Solutions Inc. (CSI) is a hybrid manufacturer featuring a broad spectrum of post-patent and innovative products. CSI operates through four main divisions: CSI Pest, Quali-Pro, CSI Production Animal and Martin’s, each focusing on different aspects of pest control, turf and ornamental, animal health, and consumer products.
CSI leverages its position as a subsidiary of the ADAMA Group, one of the world’s largest agricultural chemical companies, to access a wide range of active ingredients and offer an extensive product portfolio.
The company can actually trace its roots to 1958, when former president and CEO Mark Boyd’s father, Richard, purchased a small pest control company in Pasadena and founded Ford’s Pest Control. By 1960, Richard Boyd launched Ford’s Chemical to formulate and sell pest control solutions to colleagues and the public. In 1976, he merged the two businesses into Ford’s Chemical and Service. Read more about the history in Pest Management Professional’s anniversary coverage in its July 2018 issue here.
Does cleaning near bait stations impact effectiveness?
IMAGE: Unsplash / Towfiqu barbhuiya
In addition to the gel bait lifespan study that appears in this issue, Dr. Zach DeVries, an assistant professor in the department of entomology at the University of Kentucky, is helping to shed new light on what happens when common household cleaners and insecticides contaminate cockroach gel baits. Despite their effectiveness, baits are prone to contamination, and it isn’t uncommon to learn that a client applied a household cleaner and insecticide near or even on baits after an application occurred.
Do common household cleaners and insecticides impact the effectiveness of cockroach gel baits? This is exactly what the DeVries Lab wanted to know.
To answer this question, researchers measured what happened when laboratory colonies of German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) were allowed to feed on two commercial cockroach gel baits contaminated with a long list of common household cleaning products and both over-the-counter and professional-grade insecticides.
To test the effects of these contaminants on bait performance, they measured total bait consumption and mortality of the cockroaches. They also exposed the cockroaches to contaminants without a gel bait present to measure mortality from exposure, and again with contaminants applied to plain peanut butter to see whether the ingestion of contaminants in the absence of gel baits could drive mortality.
Surprisingly, most of the contaminants had no significant effect on bait efficacy overall, with most baits exceeding 90 percent mortality within seven days.
These results were informative and not what I expected. But a key takeaway for me from this study is not that contaminated baits are still effective. Instead, don’t be quick to blame bait contamination as the reason a treatment fails the next time you encounter a persistent infestation. Interview the client to determine whether resistance or bait avoidance might be in play.
On Nov. 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered 10 products containing the new active ingredient isocycloseram, a broad-spectrum contact insecticide proposed for use in structural pest control, as well as agricultural and turf and ornamentals use. For the professional pest management industry, isolcycloseram can be used indoors and outdoors on commercial, industrial and domestic sites for such pests as cockroaches, termites and bed bugs.
No human health risks of concern were identified when isocycloseram is used according to the registered labels.
The isocycloseram registrations are supported by human health and ecological risk assessments as well as a biological evaluation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). EPA did not identify risks of concern for aquatic and terrestrial plants. EPA preliminarily concluded that the proposed use of isocycloseram may affect insect pollinators from spray application and aquatic invertebrates from spray, seed and soil treatments. It can also cause chronic risks to birds and mammals ingesting treated rapeseed.
The following mitigation measures are found on the products’ labeling to address on- and off-field effects to non-target species, including listed species:
A link to the Bulletins Live! Two web system, with instructions to follow any applicable endangered species bulletins and Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs) on the site;
A link to EPA’s mitigation menu where users can choose mitigation options to meet use-dependent point thresholds;
Restrictions for application during rain or when soils are saturated;
Prohibition of aerial application on all uses except corn, cotton, potato and soybean, with additional geographical restrictions included in the label for aerial application on corn and soybean;
Spray drift buffer requirement for aerial, ground and airblast applications;
Prohibition on applications three days before and during bloom for orchard crops;
Prohibition on applications during hours of the day when bees are most active for indeterminate blooming crops;
List of best management practices to help reduce the risk to pollinators and to promote the health and habitat of ground-nesting bees;
Advisory requirement to protect pollinators from isocycloseram-treated seed coating dust; and
Instructions for managing spilled or exposed treated seeds.
Next steps
At press time, EPA has initiated ESA consultation and shared its findings with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. During formal consultation, the Services use the information in EPA’s final biological evaluation to inform their biological opinions. If the agencies “determine in their final biological opinions that additional mitigations are necessary to address any jeopardy/adverse modification determination or to address any unintentional harm known as incidental take, then EPA will work with the registrant to ensure that any necessary registration or labeling changes are made,” the news release says.
PMP will continue to update its readers with new information on the progress of isocycloseram-containing products for the professional pest control industry as it becomes available.
The event is scheduled to hold on Nov. 26, 2025 at the MAN Center Complex, 5 Eleweran Street, Wemabod Estate, Off Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
The MCDP is a compulsory annual refresher training designed to upgrade the skills, knowledge and professionalism of pest control operators nationwide. Developed by major regulatory and industry bodies, the program ensures that practitioners are fully equipped to meet modern standards, follow safe service delivery practices and comply with environmental regulations.
Main theme for 2025:
“Building the Future of Pest Control in Nigeria: Adapting to Climate Change, Embracing Technology and Promoting Professional Standards.”
Sub-theme:
“Enhancing Sustainability through insurance, contracts and effective risk management.”
Key speakers expected at the event:
Dr. Babatunde Ajayi – General Manager
Dr. Yakubu Mohammed Baba – Registrar
Mr. Ola Oresanya – Commissioner of Environment
PCO Olakunle Williams – National President, PECAN
These leaders will speak on emerging industry trends, climate-driven pest challenges, risk management and the future of pest control regulation in Nigeria.
Organizers:
Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON)
Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA)
Participants are required to register using accurate personal and company details as they will appear on the official e-certificate. After registration, all participants must send their name, email address, phone number, company name and payment receipt to info@pecan.ng.
PECAN Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The program also precedes the PECAN Annual General Meeting, where industry stakeholders will review the past year, set new strategic goals and discuss key advancements shaping pest management practice in the country.
As Nigeria continues to experience changing climate patterns and increasing urban pest pressures, PECAN says this year’s MCDP will be one of the most important learning events for practitioners, regulators and industry partners.
