Experts weigh in on what to learn from bed bug encounters

In the June 2026 edition of Pest Management Professional magazine, we asked the PMP Editorial Advisory Board:

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from a challenging bed bug job?

Dr. Hamilton Allen, BCE

Fox Pest Control

“Surprisingly, the lesson wasn’t related to pesticide application. Instead, I learned the importance of customer communication, training and empathy. After three services, we eliminated the bed bugs, but the customer’s identity was impacted several months after the service. The customer called in on a weekly basis with bed bugs on his mind. Having bed bugs can be a traumatic experience for some. Instead of dismissing the customer’s concerns, we had to train our management team and office staff to listen and provide solutions even though the insects were essentially absent.”

Dr. Mohammed El Damir, BCE

Adam’s Pest Control

“Success depends entirely on thorough inspection and precise treatment execution. Because bed bugs are resilient and often hide deep in voids, even small details matter. For example, pesticidal dust must be applied carefully; excessive amounts can actually repel bed bugs and cause them to avoid treated areas.”

Michael Broder

BHB Pest Elimination

“Consider the customer’s emotions and mental state. Bed bugs, more than nearly any other pest we deal with, can deeply affect a person physically, mentally and emotionally. Knowing they are living with bed bugs can cause sleep loss and impair their rational thinking.”

Doug Foster

Burt’s Termite and Pest Control

“More than any other pest, our clients really are depending on us to help them. Bed bugs create such an emotional response and trauma for those affected that you must give your best effort every time.”

Scarlett Nolen

Truly Nolen Pest Control

“A lesson my dad instilled: An educated customer is the best customer. Knowledge is power. Partnering with the customer at the beginning is the path to success, particularly with bed bugs.”

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Sacramento CA

Envu launches In2Care Certified Specialist offering

As National Mosquito Awareness Week approaches, Envu is showcasing the innovative In2Care Mosquito Station and expanding support for pest management professionals (PMPs) through the new In2Care Certified Specialist.

The launch of the In2Care Specialist certification, driven by growing product demand, is designed to help PMPs expand their mosquito services through training, business-building tools and industry recognition.

“The launch of the In2Care Certified Specialist offering marks an exciting milestone for Envu and our partners,” said Chad Noyes, campaign activation manager for mosquito management and ornamentals at Envu. “By becoming an In2Care Certified Specialist, we’re helping service providers connect with potential customers interested in installing In2Care around their homes and businesses more than ever before.”

The In2Care Mosquito Station uses an always-on, auto-dissemination technology that turns mosquitoes into carriers of control. By spreading active ingredients to hidden breeding sites, mosquitoes help interrupt breeding cycles beyond the station itself, delivering continuous control. The result is continuous control that can support recurring service opportunities for PMPs and provide LCOs with an easy-to-add revenue stream.

The new certification includes free training, exclusive tools and a listing on the In2Care Certified Specialist Map. To become certified, eligible PMPs and LCOs simply create a free Envu Horizon account and complete a brief online training course. Once certified, they’re then added to the map, helping consumers connect with trained experts who can install, maintain and optimize the system.

About Envu

Envu was founded in 2022, a company built on years of environmental science experience, for the sole purpose of advancing healthy environments for everyone, everywhere. Envu offers dedicated services in: Professional Pest Management, Forestry, Ornamentals, Golf, Industrial Vegetation Management, Lawn & Landscape, Mosquito Management and Range and Pasture. Envu collaborates with customers to design innovative solutions that meet their requirements today and well into the future. The Envu portfolio consists of over 250 trusted and well-known brands. The company employs more than 1,000 people, operates in 100 countries and has four global innovation hubs.

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Sacramento CA

‘Drops of oil’ principles built one empire — and could build yours

Pest control is a business built on small actions repeated consistently over time. Every service completed correctly, every customer retained, every callback avoided and every route optimized may seem insignificant on its own; however, together they create lasting growth.

This concept is why I’ve always appreciated the story of John D. Rockefeller and his obsession with “drops of oil.” Rockefeller understood that tiny amounts of waste, repeated millions of times, became real money. Small improvements in processes and operations didn’t transform the business overnight, but over time, they compounded into one of the most successful companies in history.

How much does inefficiency cost?

Rockefeller’s “drops of oil” feels especially relevant in the pest control industry. Unlike some industries that chase the next big thing, pest control has always been a business of steady, predictable growth. Success is often measured in inches rather than miles. For example, a technician improves route efficiency. A branch reduces callbacks. A manager spends more time coaching. Customer retention improves by a percentage point. Each of these changes feels small in the moment, but over time, they stack on top of one another. Before long, what started as a series of minor improvements becomes a meaningful competitive advantage.

This concept of compounding has been championed by Warren Buffett throughout his career. Buffett’s success wasn’t built on a handful of spectacular decisions; it was built on decades of consistent gains that accumulated year after year. The lesson is simple, but powerful: small improvements, sustained over long periods of time, often outperform dramatic but inconsistent efforts. In many ways, the pest control industry is uniquely positioned to benefit from this philosophy because our business model itself is built on recurring relationships. Every customer retained, every referral earned, every renewal secured and every service delivered well becomes another building block for future growth.

Technological impacts

The question many businesses are asking today is whether artificial intelligence changes this equation. It’s an interesting thought. Historically, our industry has rewarded patience, discipline and continuous improvement. AI may accelerate the pace at which we discover opportunities for improvement, analyze data, communicate with customers or train employees. It may even help us find the next drop of oil faster than ever before. However,even if technology changes how quickly we identify opportunities, this doesn’t change the fundamental principle. Improvements only create value when people consistently act on them. Technology can point the way, but execution is what creates results.

From concepts to business opportunity

At Truly Nolen, this belief is at the heart of how we think about growth. We are committed to making iterative improvements that compound over time not because they generate immediate headlines, but because history shows they work. Every enhancement to the customer experience, every operational improvement, every leadership lesson learned and every innovation adopted is another drop of oil. Individually, these actions may seem insignificant. Collectively, they become the foundation of long-term success.

Rockefeller understood this. Buffett built a fortune around this. Subsequently, for those of us in the pest control industry, it remains one of the most powerful business lessons available. The future may bring new technologies, new tools and new ways of working, but the principle remains unchanged; the organizations that win are often the ones that never stop collecting “drops of oil.”

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Sacramento CA

USDA: Texas screwworm cases up to 4

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed two additional cases of New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax, also known as NWS) in the United States: a calf in La Salle County, Texas, and a dog in Andrews County, Texas. At press time, the dog is believed to have recently been in Mexico. In the U.S., this species had been considered to be eradicated since 1966, although there was a small, contained outbreak in Florida in 2017.

“Over the past week, USDA has identified and expeditiously confronted four confirmed detections of New World screwworm. While we address these instances that require immediate attention, and continue to sample suspected cases, we are simultaneously working to eradicate the pest entirely,” Dudley Hoskins, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, said in a news release. “We need the partnership of animal owners across the region – please stay vigilant, check your animals closely, and report anything that looks suspicious. Together, we can protect our livestock, our communities, and the health of animals nationwide.”

These two cases join the one announced for a calf on June 3 and a fourth case for which, at press time, additional details have not been made available.

Information on this flesh-eating fly

Per the USDA news release:

NWS is a serious pest that threatens livestock, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, people. The larvae burrow into the living tissue of animals, causing severe wounds, animal suffering, and significant economic losses.

The USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) continue to lead an aggressive unified response, with a total of 75 people actively responding on the ground and hundreds of additional people around the country providing laboratory diagnostics, logistics, treatment distribution, air operations, outreach, operational planning, and resource support for the response. APHIS and TAHC will continue to surge additional trained personnel as needed to ensure an effective response.

For each new case, USDA and TAHC implement actions outlined in the NWS Response Playbook, including:

• Establishing and maintaining a 20-kilometer infested zone with quarantines, movement controls, and heightened surveillance around confirmed detections
• Increasing trapping along the border and outside the dispersal zone
• Conducting surveillance and management strategies in wildlife
• Implementing targeted outreach to local producers, veterinarians, and communities

In addition, the USDA continues to release sterile flies over and just outside of the infested areas. To ensure sterile fly release operations can be deployed to affected areas in Texas and in northern Mexico near the border as quickly and efficiently as possible, USDA has activated the sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas. Sterile pupae arrived at the facility on Friday, June 5, and aerial dispersal flights originating from the base will begin tomorrow, June 9.

Because it is important to continue ongoing surveillance efforts while releasing sterile insects, it is possible that sterile NWS flies could be caught and/or reported. To ensure officials can tell the difference between sterile and wild NWS flies, USDA dyes the sterile pupae, and the dye transfers to the sterile flies when they hatch. The fluorescent green or orange dye glows under ultraviolet (UV) light and may also be visible to the naked eye. If a sterile fly is captured in a trap, this dye allows animal health officials to quickly rule the fly out as a threat. 

What local PMPs can do

Pest management professionals (PMPs) in the area can tell their customers to check animals for:

• Draining or enlarging wounds
• Maggots or egg masses
• Signs of discomfort
• Lesions in body openings (nose, ears, genitalia, umbilical area)

Per the USDA, anyone who suspects a screwworm infestation should immediately contact their veterinarian, state animal health official, or USDA. USDA has established a contact page at APHIS.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm/report-suspected-cases-screwworm to ensure everyone can easily find the correct contact information for these groups. Learn more at Screwworm.gov.

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Sacramento CA

Kness Pest Defense: Custom-Built Protector

In professional pest management, durability isn’t optional. It’s essential. 

The Kness Protector was built to deliver rugged, reliable protection where it matters most. Originally engineered to safeguard Pro-Ketch traps from forklifts and heavy machinery, it’s now available as a custom-built solution designed specifically for your trap and environment. 

When your equipment is protected, it lasts longer. When your setup is secure, service runs smoother. When performance holds up, confidence follows. 

That’s the advantage of protection built for the real world. 

• Built tough with durable steel construction
• Custom-made to fit your traps and space
• Low-profile design for tight, high-traffic areas
• Proven performance trusted by professionals 

Protect what powers your performance. Contact Kness today to build your custom protector.

About Kness Pest Defense

Per company history, the Ketch-All was invented by a young, widowed father of six, Austin Enos “Brick” Kness, in 1924. Mice were prevalent at the high school in which Kness was a custodian, “and led him to the idea of the ‘box’ trap. He built the first trap from a square oilcan, a Tuxedo Tobacco can, a spring from a curtain rod, and the wood base of a crate. The first night he set his trap, he captured five mice.

“He was elated and showed the teachers and his friends. He was encouraged to build others for his friends and to seek a patent. By 1927, Kness Mfg. Co. was formed to produce the KetchAll Automatic Mousetrap and another of Kness’ inventions, the RotoBow tree saw.”

Brick Kness was inducted into the Pest Management Professional Hall of Fame in 2024.

Kness.com

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Sacramento CA

MGK: Sumari Triton

New Sumari Triton Ant Gel Bait’s exclusive bait matrix takes the guesswork out of ant baiting by combining three food sources — sugar, oil and protein — to meet ants’ nutritional needs in a single bait.

This new product joins the existing Sumari System lineup, which includes an effective non-repellent insecticide spray and a popular ant gel bait. This launch follows several recent improvements to the Sumari family, specifically the insecticide:

• The Environmental Protection Agency’s acceptance of clothianidin, Sumari’s active ingredient, for use in food-handling establishments and commercial kitchens
• Expanded labeled pests with the addition of wasps, hornets and yellowjackets
• Updated ant control language emphasizing colony elimination and prevention of re-infestations

“Sumari Triton is another chapter in MGK’s commitment to innovation and continuous improvement in the pest control industry,” says MGK President Steve Gullickson, adding that feedback from pest management professionals (PMPs) “drove the development of the Sumari System, and it quickly became a game-changer in ant control treatments. We’re excited to bring this next-generation bait with Nutrilure technology to provide even more value to PMPs — helping reduce callbacks and increase profitability.”

Sumari Triton is powered by Nutrilure, a trademarked bait matrix developed by MGK’s research and development scientists. Nutrilure allows for the inclusion of three different nutritional sources in one bait while maintaining palatability and optimal uptake across most ant species.

MGK’s commitment to sustainable packaging and the protection of those using its products is reflected in Sumari Triton and the entire Sumari System:

• All plastic packaging, caps, syringes and tips are 100 percent recyclable
• All paper labels and inserts are sourced from sustainably managed forests
• Sumari Triton is formulated without crustacean shellfish, eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, sesame, soy or wheat to minimize allergenic impact during use
• Both Sumari gel baits include bittering agents to help protect against accidental consumption by pets and children

About MGK

MGK’s mission is to make life healthier by creating responsible products that protect people and their environments from the impact of insects. Founded in 1902 and based in Minnesota, MGK sells insect control products throughout the world, spanning several industries including professional pest control, consumer home and pet products, animal health, and crop protection. As an affiliate of Sumitomo Chemical Company, MGK is a worldwide leader in the development and distribution of the botanical insecticide pyrethrum as well as a wide range of conventional insect control technologies. MGK and its subsidiaries employ 250 people at its facilities in North America and Africa.

MGK.com/Sumari

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Sacramento CA

Tyro Group completes second US acquisition

Elverum, Norway-based Tyro Group has acquired American City Pest & Termite, a California-based pest control provider.

This marks the Group’s second acquisition in the United States, following the acquisition of EnviroSMART Multifamily Pest Solutions in Texas in November 2025.

The acquisition represents a further step in Tyro Group’s international growth strategy, as it continues to build a network of high-quality, customer-focused pest control businesses across key markets.

Founded in 1979 by Jim and Celia Shockey, American City Pest & Termite began as a family operation where customer calls, billing and fieldwork all happened from the home. What started at the Shockey family kitchen table has grown over four decades into a community-rooted service provider across Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Through its history, American City has remained guided by the same principles: work hard, treat people kindly, do the right thing and take pride in serving the families and businesses that rely on you.

With the acquisition, American City Pest & Termite enters a new chapter. After many years of leading the company, President Cindy Ziemke will be retiring from day-to-day operations and transitioning into a consultant role with Tyro Group.

American City’s leadership remains strong and steady. Greg Bausch and Andrea (Andi) Moreno will continue in their roles guiding the team, supporting operations and carrying forward the culture and values that have defined American City for 47 years.

About Tyro Group

Tyro Group is a leading pest control company in Europe, operating in seven countries with particularly strong market positions in the UK, Norway and Germany. We bring together the best local entrepreneurs and teams delivering the highest levels of service quality in the market. By combining operational expertise, long-term investment and shared best practices, Tyro Group is raising standards and driving innovation across the pest management industry.

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Sacramento CA