A New Online Disaster Preparedness Tool To Capture Restoration Commercial Sales

Restoration ERP is an online disaster preparedness tool for restoration companies to utilize in capturing local commercial facilities as new clients.

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Mold Remediation Baltimore

Lobster Marketing study examines COVID-19 impact on industry

LOGO: LOBSTER MARKETING GROUP

Lobster Marketing has published a study that looks at pest control search and buyer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights four company’s website traffic metrics. The free, nine-page report can be downloaded as a PDF here.

Lobster Marketing evaluated the nationwide Google Trends for total “pest control” searches during the height of the pandemic in 2020, and compared them to the same time period in 2019. The Ellsworth, Maine-based internet marketing service provider, which specializes in the professional pest management industry, also took a look at its customers’ website traffic and buyer behavior. Report findings include:

• Pest control search volume was down in 2020 compared to 2019 due to COVID-19, but has come back strong and higher than ever.
• Lobster Marketing customers increased their website traffic despite COVID-19.
• Lobster Marketing customers experienced at least a 60 percent or more increase in online buying from pre-COVID-19 to post-COVID-19; the company expects this trend will continue to going forward.

“These results point to the impact SEO has on pest control businesses, and PMPs have a great opportunity to take advantage of the consumer shift to buying pest control online,” Kristi Harrington, director of marketing for Lobster Marketing’s partner company, PestRoutes, tells Pest Management Professional (PMP) magazine. “They need to improve their digital presence and enable consumers to buy their services online.”

Lobster Marketing has been blogging throughout the pandemic, offering tips for PMPs to keep business leads coming in and maintain current customers. Its May 27 post, for example, is titled “3 Ways to Attract More Customers,” and focuses on SEO, paid searches, and reviews and referrals.

 

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2020/06/01/lobster-marketing-study-examines-covid-19-impact-on-industry/
Sacramento CA

Exclusion strategies for stored product pests

PHOTO: STOCKFOTOCZ/ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS/GETTY IMAGES

Exclusion is the cornerstone of good integrated pest management programs. Modifying environments to make it less hospitable to pests can be more effective than chemical control tools. This is especially important in sensitive environments, such as food production or warehouse facilities. When discussing exclusion strategies with clients, pest management professionals (PMPs) tend to focus on pests that predominantly come from the exterior. However, exclusion strategies can be employed for all pests, especially stored product pests (SPPs).

As SPPs live in the food they eat, exclusion tools that minimize food buildup inside facilities effectively minimizes this pest risk. This is particularly true for facilities working with dry ingredients. As food dust settles in the facility, the buildup becomes a conducive condition for SPPs. Through indoor exclusion methods, PMPs can minimize risk by:

• Sealing cracks and crevices in walls and floors: Apply food-grade sealant in food processing areas to remove the potential for buildup in expansion joints, wall/floor junctions and all equipment.
• Building material and design: Recommend materials and design with smooth surfaces to prevent material from building up. For example, a corrugated wall allows for build-up both in the wall and in the seams of the wall.
• Equipment and racking design and installation: In dry processing environments, be cognizant of racking and equipment design as these areas are where material can collect. Some SPPs species, like Indianmeal moths, do not live in their food source and look for cracks and crevices to finish their development.
• Consider the type of facility being serviced: For facilities that process raw grain ingredients, exclusion can be implemented in the processing stage when commodities are sifted to remove adult and juvenile stages of SPPs from the food.

While SPPs can make their home inside the facility, many species are found on the exterior of a facility, specifically Warehouse Beetles and Indianmeal moths. For these pests, similar exclusion tools that are effective against flying insects are also successful in excluding SPPs:

• Closing doors and windows: Ensure clients practice closing doors and windows will keep exterior stored product pests out.
• Air curtains and fans: Recommend clients use air curtains and fans essentially forces insects in the opposite direction so they are unable to enter a facility.
• Positive pressure: Check if a clients’ building has positive pressure. This is when air is exiting the building through openings, which makes it harder for exterior insects to stay out.
• Sealing or screening openings: Repair any holes or gaps (aside from doors or windows) in the building that may permit entry into a facility. Points of entry that cannot be seal should be screened to eliminate pest entry points.

Before implementing these exclusion methods both inside and outside a facility, PMPs should be mindful of where the material will be used as well as food safety considerations. Exclusion work that uses the wrong material can put a food facility at risk for chemical or physical contaminants. With all of these exclusion methods and details in place, clients will be able to avoid and control SPPs inside and outside their facility and ensure their buildings and products are SPP-free thanks to you, the PMP.

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Anna Berry, BCE

BERRY is a training manager for McCloud Pest Management Solutions, South Elgin, Ill. She is a Doard Certified Entomologist, ServSafe certified and instructor and proctor for the National Restaurant Association and is certified in HACCP. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in grain science from Kansas State University.

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2020/06/01/exclusion-strategies-for-stored-product-pests/
Sacramento CA

Certus continues Pacific Northwest expansion

Certus Pest has purchased Meridian, Idaho-based Perx Pest Control. Completed May 12, this acquisition continues Certus’ expansion throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Founded in 2014, Perx provides pest management services to the market around Boise, Idaho. The company has five employees, all of whom are staying with Certus.

Brothers Jake and Max Perkes commented in a news release, “We couldn’t be happier for our employees as Perx Pest Control was welcomed into the Certus family of companies this past week. We have a win-win for us and our employees. On day two, the stress of being an owner-operator was gone, and our staff was excited about their future — new vehicles, health benefits and paid time off, items we couldn’t offer them.”

Mike Givlin, CEO and co-founder of Certus, said, “Jake and Max have put together a great team with years of industry experience. I am really excited to have this dedicated group of professionals join the Certus family.”

Certus entered the pest control market in 2019 in the Pacific Northwest with its first two acquisitions: Mathis Exterminating in Puget Sound, Wash., and Eco Elite Pest Control in Seattle, Wash.

Most recently, Certus purchased Dominion Pest Control based in Seattle, Wash., in April.

Certus now operates in Washington and Florida. The company expects to continue to grow in its existing markets and enter new markets in 2020.

The company entered the Florida market at the beginning of 2020 with the acquisition of Hoskins Pest Control, which provides services to Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Lee counties in southwest Florida. Most recently, Certus acquired Cape Coral, Fla.-based Strategic Pest Control of Southwest Florida.

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2020/06/01/certus-continues-pacific-northwest-expansion/
Sacramento CA

How To Get More Commercial Sales For Your Restoration Company

The ERP plan is a disaster preparedness/business continuity plan that facilities have in place to help be better prepared for disasters and recover quicker.

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Mold Remediation Baltimore

Follow the product label to control mosquitoes

Dr. Jason Meyers, Technical Services Representative, BASF

“Always read and follow label directions.” You see that a lot in product advertising, but there’s a reason for it: The label provides information on what the product is for, and how to use the product to get the best results.

In terms of some key basic requirements, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires testing for three different groups of mosquitoes for a product to have “mosquitoes” listed as a pest on the label. This list includes species in the Aedes, Anopheles and Culex genera. To be successful, a product must perform to a mortality standard over a given period.

Keep in mind the residual potential of a product on a wide variety of surfaces. Beyond laboratory evaluation studies, look for manufacturers that have conducted real-world or near-real-world testing. These will give you the best estimation for comparing how well registered products will likely control mosquitoes for your customers.

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2020/06/01/follow-the-product-label-to-control-mosquitoes/
Sacramento CA

Residential rodent enquiries surge 45% over lockdown period, says Rentokil

Rentokil has warned the rise in residential enquiries could be the tip of the iceberg with many commercial facilities currently unoccupied and that some rodent activity may go undetected.

from SmartBlog https://www.pestmagazine.co.uk/en/news/posts/2020/june/residential-rodent-enquiries-surge-45-over-lockdown-period-says-rentokil
Pest Control Pros