Rentokil Terminix enhances customer experience

Rentokil Terminix launched a series of digital and automated technology updates across its customer-facing brands, including online booking enhancements, digital monitoring systems and automated pest management tools. Additional updates are planned later this year.

According to the company, the rollout is part of its ongoing efforts to expand technology-driven pest management services and reduce reliance on traditional chemical treatments where appropriate.

“We continuously evaluate and update our technology infrastructure to support our core mission of protecting homes and businesses effectively and sustainably,” said Oz Siddique, innovation and product development director for Rentokil Terminix, in a news release. “These recent enhancements across our brand portfolio are designed to simplify standard customer touchpoints and optimize pest management outcomes. By integrating data-driven monitoring and automated tools into our localized service lines, we are better equipped to meet the evolving expectations of the communities we serve.”

The updates include:

• Google Booking Integration (Terminix): Terminix has added a scheduling feature through Google Search and Google Maps that allows customers to book services directly from local business listings.

• Digital Rodent Monitoring (Rentokil): Rentokil has expanded capabilities within its PestConnect commercial pest management platform. The system uses wireless sensors to monitor rodent activity and provide real-time data. The company said the technology can help businesses reduce rodenticide use while improving response times.

• Automated Mosquito Control (Ehrlich): Ehrlich Pest Control recently completed an installation of its automated Mosquito Repellent System, powered by Thermacell®, at a senior living community in Florida. The company said the project will help inform future deployments of the technology.

The company said the updates are intended to support technology-based pest management programs across its brands.

About Rentokil Terminix

Rentokil Terminix was formed in 2022 after the UK-based pest control company Rentokil Initial acquired the U.S.-based company Terminix Global Holdings Inc. The acquisition created what is considered to be the world’s largest pest control company, operating under the Rentokil Terminix name, with a combined customer base of approximately 4.9 million and 57,700 employees globally. 

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Sacramento CA

Liphatech: TakeDown II

For effective control, even in anticoagulant-resistant rodent populations, pest management professionals (PMPs) can turn to TakeDown II, an acute soft bait rodenticide from the experts at Liphatech.

TakeDown II can provide faster results than anticoagulant rodenticides. A lethal dose may be consumed in one night’s feeding, though it may take two or more days for the first dead rodents to appear. Bromethalin – TakeDown II’s active ingredient – is effective in fighting anticoagulant-resistant populations, especially those in commercial settings.

TakeDown II soft bait is available in 8-gram pouches that can be purchased in 4-pound bags or cases of four 4-pound bags. Along with the soft bait option, PMPs can also purchase TakeDown II in a 14-gram mini block, also available in 4-pound bags or cases of four 4-pound bags.

In addition to TakeDown II, The Soft Bait Innovators at Liphatech offer PMPs a variety of soft bait rodenticides. Each Liphatech soft bait product is labeled for control of Norway rats, roof rats, house mice and other rodent species, with a palatable formulation that maintains its integrity in hot environments.

As with all of Liphatech’s intelligent pest management solutions, TakeDown II is supported by an expert team of technical support specialists. These experienced people provide guidance and qualified recommendations to ensure PMPs are equipped with the tools they need to face their toughest pest challenges. 

About Liphatech

Liphatech has a long history of advancing the science of rodent control through research and product innovation. It is considered to be the developer of three of the industry’s active ingredients: chlorophacinone, bromadiolone and difethialone. The company was founded in France in 1946 io develop anticoagulants for the treatment of heart patients. It developed chlorophacinone in the 1960s and branded it as Rozol, a family of products that includes grain and pelleted products for field and structural use, and a tracking powder for use in and around structures. In the 1970s, Liphatech developed bromadiolone, its original second-generation rodenticide active ingredient.

The innovations continued with the opening of its U.S. facility in 1987. Research there and in Europe resulted in the discovery of difethialone during the late 1980s, with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registration as an active ingredient in 1995.

The company combines the most advanced technology available with world-class customer service, technical expertise and support to deliver intelligent solutions that allow pest management professionals quickly and cost-effectively generate results for both commercial and residential customers. Liphatech advocates for responsible rodent management practices that protect people, wildlife and the environment. The company is a member of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), the Rodenticide Task Force and the Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC).

Liphatech.com/TakeDown

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Sacramento CA

University of Florida hosts annual Bug Camp

Through its annual Bug Week celebration and the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology Field Camp, known as “Bug Camp,” the university in partnership with 4-H introduces young students to the science of insects in a hands-on, immersive setting.

Bringing people together

For two UF/IFAS students, Bug Camp did more than spark curiosity. It helped shape their lifelong friendship and academic and career paths.

Alex Switt and Christian Compton first met as fourth graders at Bug Camp. Now sophomores and roommates at UF, both are majoring in entomology, a decision they credit to their years attending the camp.

“I’ve been into bugs my whole life,” said Compton in a news release. “But before Bug Camp, I was just kind of in the dirt a lot, out in the woods and generally interested in bugs.”

Compton now serves as a senior Bug Camp counselor, mentoring students much like he once was. “After the first year I went to Bug Camp, it was consistent. I genuinely loved it and I was waiting to be able to actually do entomology.”

Switt’s mom is a science teacher, and summer learning experiences were always on the agenda. “She didn’t expect me to really take to it,” Switt said. “But now she has to deal with me bringing bugs into her house.”

At camp, Switt said his interest quickly evolved into more technical skills. “I was specifically into catching bugs to collect different species and (at Bug Camp) we went directly into taxidermy and pinning insects,” said Switt.

Building hands-on experience

The UF/IFAS program combines fieldwork, lab experience and interaction with faculty, graduate students and professionals.

Participants collect specimens, learn preservation techniques and explore how insect science connects to agriculture, ecosystems and human health.

Rebecca Baldwin, associate professor for the Department of Entomology and Nematology, and Director of the department’s Education and Outreach program noted she designed the program to purposefully expose youth and student leaders to the breadth of the discipline.

“The campers get to experience our department, our classrooms, our labs, our campus field sites, and interact with university students,” Baldwin said, in a university news release. “We also travel to the Santa Fe River to collect aquatic insects, host a family night insect collecting trip, and visit amazing resources such as the UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab’s Apiary.”

“The camp is already in its 16th year,” said Baldwin. “Each year we explore a different theme and focus. The 2026 camp will focus on rearing insects for research and as pets by comparing and inspecting store bought ant habitats. Campers will collect and curate insects using a variety of collection techniques.”

While designed to be accessible and fun, the program offers a firsthand look at academic and career pathways through interactions with UF undergraduate or graduate student role models.

Both students said the program also opened doors to research and volunteer opportunities, including internships and work with the Florida Museum of Natural History.

“Alex and Christian are both just going into their second year as university students and are already encouraging and impacting the next generation of entomologists attending Bug Camp,” added Baldwin.

About University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life.

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Sacramento CA

Customer assignment agreements in the post-non-compete era

In April, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a sweeping rule banning nearly all non-compete agreements. It applies to the vast majority of American workers — including those in pest management — and requires employers to notify existing employees that prior agreements are no longer enforceable. The FTC’s rationale is that non-compete agreements suppress wages, stifle innovation and limit worker mobility.

The concern is familiar: A technician spends years building customer relationships, then either walks out the door to a competitor or starts their own operation. Non-compete agreements were the go-to protection. Now they’re gone. But in reality, they were never as powerful as owners hoped. Enforcement meant attorneys, court costs and months of litigation. And even when you won, the employee rarely had assets to collect. You got a judgment on paper and a bill for legal fees in real life.

A different kind of defense

Some operators abandoned non-compete agreements long ago in favor of customer assignment agreements, and they’re better positioned for this moment as a result. The concept is straightforward: Rather than restricting where an employee can work, you attach a dollar value to any customers they take with them.

For example, if your departing employee, Tom, services any of your customers within a defined period, he must purchase those accounts at five times the annual service value. If Tom walks away with $20,000 in recurring revenue, he owes you $100,000. That’s a real deterrent, but it doesn’t bar Tom from his livelihood — which is exactly why courts are more willing to uphold it. Plus, if it ends up in litigation, the damages already are written into the contract.

Other protection options

The FTC rule doesn’t touch non-solicitation agreements (NSAs) or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and both remain valuable. An NSA prevents a former employee from poaching your customers or staff. An NDA protects proprietary information such as pricing, customer data and treatment protocols. Neither restricts employment, which makes both far more defensible in court than a non-compete agreement ever was.

The era of using legal restrictions to hold onto employees is over. The operators who thrive are those building companies at which people actually want to stay. That was always the better play. Now it’s the only one.

Return to our non-compete strategy page

Protect your assets: FTC crackdown forges new strategies

This spring, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took steps to stop pest control companies and other businesses from using…

READ MORE

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Sacramento CA

Why non-solicitation agreements are better than non-competes

There are many reasons why traditional non-compete agreements have been commonly used, and many reasons why the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is not wrong in taking steps to stop their use.

I’ve owned my business for over 38 years. I do everything I can to protect my business and our client list, and I do not agree that former employees should use their relationship with our customers as a starting place when deciding to go out on their own.

On the other hand, I went out on my own to start my pest control business, and I understand how difficult that is. I also see the allure of “letting your old customers find you” and making the switch from the old company to yours.

Losing ground

The FTC’s new stance is to make sure professional pest control firms, in particular, do not have language that includes “unfair or anticompetitive non-competition agreements.” In other words, do not have your employees sign agreements restricting them from opening their own pest control business in direct competition with you. If they go into business in your market as a competitor, you are no longer able to stop or restrict them from doing so. In actuality, though, I think many pest control firms have not been able to enforce a non-compete agreement anyway.

What is more of a problem, really, is keeping a former employee from getting a job with another pest control company in your area and then contacting your customers and getting them to switch over to their new company. This also can lead to companies “poaching” your employees in hopes of using their contacts to steal your customers — all while instructing the customers to leave you for reasons other than because they were following your ex-employee.

Fight back, but fight fair

How can you protect your company from poaching? Simple: Drop the non-compete agreements and have everyone sign a “non-solicitation/confidentiality” agreement. This contract will allow you to protect your customer base far better than a non-compete agreement ever would.

Every business has the right to have and protect proprietary information. These are trade secrets and practices like treatment protocols (if they are something only you have figured out), business practices and — wait for it — client lists.

You may be losing the ability to stop someone from going into business that is in direct competition with you, but if all your employees sign a non-solicitation and confidentiality agreement, you will be able to keep them from using your trade secrets, which also includes the names, addresses and phone numbers of your clients.

This contract may not be as forceful as the old non-compete agreements, but it will give you the ability to keep former employees from soliciting your clients and from using any trade secrets you have established. As an aside, the trade secrets portion is difficult to prove that what you do and how you do it is really a secret. If you formulated your own materials or techniques in controlling pests, wouldn’t you protect that with a patent?

You can protect your business and continue to grow in this industry without resorting to stealing customers. After all, our biggest competitor is still the do-it-yourselfer.

Return to our non-compete strategy page:

Protect your assets: FTC crackdown forges new strategies

This spring, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took steps to stop pest control companies and other businesses from using…

READ MORE

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Sacramento CA

BASF: Prelontra and Selontra

Effective rodent management requires a strategic approach grounded in real activity, account sensitivity and long-term prevention. BASF’s switch approach is two-fold: Prelontra Rodent Monitoring Soft Block helps determine when to monitor, when to activate control and how to help reduce the risk of future infestations. When used alongside Selontra Rodent Bait, Prelontra supports a flexible, informed framework for managing rodent pressure across a range of account types.

The direct Selontra switch is best suited for accounts where rodent activity is already confirmed, and rapid population reduction is the priority. Selontra features a non-anticoagulant mode of action that helps combat resistant rodents and stops feeding after a lethal dose. Its active ingredient, cholecalciferol, also helps reduce the risk of secondary toxicity to non-target animals, which is an increasingly important consideration as regulatory attention continues to grow. For best results, success should be measured by activity reduction, not bait consumption alone.

Prelontra offers a more measured path for sensitive environments, rodenticide-restricted accounts, or situations where neophobia may slow bait acceptance. As a non-toxic monitoring soft block, it verifies feeding, identifies pressure zones and helps build feeding confidence before Selontra is introduced. After control is achieved, rotating back to Prelontra supports continuous monitoring and prevention. Together, Prelontra and Selontra give professionals a practical switch strategy for smarter, more sustainable rodent management.

About BASF

BASF Corp., headquartered in Florham Park, N.J., is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America and had sales of $25.7 billion in 2022.

BASF creates chemistry for a sustainable future by combining economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 110,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of its customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. BASF’s portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions.

In addition to Prelontra Monitoring Soft Block and Selontra Rodent Bait, BASF offers many pest control solutions to professionals, including, but not limited to:

• Termite Bait Solutions
• Alpine Cockroach Solutions
• Alpine Flea & Tick Solutions
• Alpine WSG
• PT Brand Pressurized Insecticides
• Fendona CS
• Termidor line
  

PestControl.BASF.us

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Sacramento CA

Ensystex: Pulmic Industrial 15

Now available from Ensystex, the Pulmic Industrial 15 is a true professional workhorse. Weighing just 9 pounds, the fully injection-molded tank has no drilled holes, eliminating vulnerable leak points, while an internal anti-slosh baffle maximizes balance on the move.

The 3S Electronic Spraying System delivers up to 100 pounds per square inch of consistent pressure throughout the charge. Maintenance is simple with an isolated side battery compartment and an easy-access service panel. Best of all, migrating your fleet is seamless and cost-effective thanks to a cross-compatible battery ecosystem.

About Ensystex

Ensystex was founded in 1994 by pest control operators intent on changing the landscape of the professional pest control industry. Ensystex has the expertise to synthesize, source, formulate, manufacture, promote and distribute a wide range of products to pest management professionals. With products for termite and general pest control — as well as turf and ornamental — the company sells to thousands of pest and turf and ornamental management professionals around the world. Products include:

• Abathor
• Adjuthor
• Bithor
• Borathor
• Cane Catcher
• CleanRest Encasements
• Exterra
• Isophthor
• Maxxthor
• Prothor
• Rodenthor
• Vectothor
• Zythor

Ensystex is also an authorized distributor of the Nature-Cide line of products, which include:

• Nature-Cide All Purpose Concentrate
• Nature-Cide Pest Management X2
• Nature-Cide Insecticidal Dust

Free samples of Nature-Cide products are available upon request.

Shop.Ensystex.com

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Sacramento CA