On The Fly relocates to Pikesville

PHOTO: ON THE FLY PEST SOLUTIONS

On The Fly Pest Solutions established its permanent home on Church Lane in Pikesville, Md., to better service customers in Baltimore and the surrounding counties.

“Since moving here, we were touched by the warm welcome we received and are excited to grow in the community,” the company says in a press release. On The Fly was previously headquartered in the city of Baltimore.

On The Fly offers a wide range of services, including residential and commercial pest control, as well as wildlife services and termite and mosquito treatments. The company specializes in integrated pest management. Practices include education, exclusion, prevention, and understanding the habits of pests and their interaction with the environment.

The On The Fly team displays its 2018 Angie’s List Super Service Award. PHOTO: ON THE FLY PEST SOLUTIONS

On The Fly received an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau, won its third consecutive Angie’s List Super Service Award, became Google Guaranteed, and has a five star rating on Google and Yelp. (To find other pest management companies that have won the 2018 Angie’s List Super Service Award, see PMP‘s post “Angie’s list announces 2018 award winners”.)

As a Pikesville-based company, On The Fly values supporting local vendors and businesses whenever possible. “We believe in re-investing our dollars into our community,” says the company.

Don Brody, owner of On The Fly, is a Pikesville native who has been working in the pest control field for more than 18 years. He started On The Fly to provide the community with sustainable solutions for all pest control and wildlife concerns.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/26/on-the-fly-relocates-to-pikesville/
Sacramento CA

Resolutions for common bird control issues

Noel McCarthy, VP Advertising, Noble Pine Products Co.

With 18,000 known species of birds worldwide, it should come as no surprise that you will have to employ a range of strategies to solve any given wild bird problem. However, here are some practice-proven approaches to help you resolve the more common issues you may encounter:

• Woodpeckers: While these birds consume millions of insects every year, their “drumming” can physically damage a structure. Remove temptation by deadening the resonant area with caulk. Visual and noise tactics can be helpful. If all else fails, create a physical barrier by covering the drumming site with sheet metal or bird netting.
• Fruit-eaters: If your customer has trees and shrubs full of fruit, but the birds are harvesting it first, barriers are effective deterrents. Netting can keep starlings, orioles, robins, blackbirds and jays from planted fruits, especially apples and raspberries. Scare tactics also can be effective.
• Nesters: Birds sometimes pick odd places to nest, but remember that federal and state laws protect most wild birds — and their nests and eggs. To prevent them from building nests in the first place, provide an artificial nest or bird box as an alternative. Otherwise, it’s best to contact your federal or state agent for advice on the particular situation.
• “Roosters”: When pigeons, sparrows, grackles or crows start roosting in the trees around a structure, they can actually pose a health hazard. Pruning the trees may be enough to make the roosting site less appealing. However, if the birds in question are roosting on the building itself, physical barriers are usually the best option. Scare tactics also will work, at least for a while.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/26/resolutions-for-common-bird-control-issues/
Sacramento CA

Rutgers keys out Asian longhorned tick

PHOTO: JAMES GATHANY, CDC/DVBD

The Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) is an invasive species that not only threatens livestock in the United States, but can transmit a fatal human disease in its native countries. Because it can reproduce asexually, the tick’s populations can multiply quickly.

Also commonly known as the East Asian tick, it was first discovered in the United States on a pet sheep in 2017 in Hunterdon County, N.J. In 2018, the population was found to have overwintered and survive. Adding to the problem is that this tick can easily be mistaken for two native species that don’t carry nearly the threat it does: the rabbit tick (H. leporispalustris) and the bird tick (Ixodes brunneus).

The Center for Vector Biology, part of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., teamed with other scientists recently to create a guide that “makes it easy for anyone with a powerful enough microscope to tell the Asian longhorned tick apart from those North American cousins, as well as a Central American species,” according to Rutgers Today. The key — and its related research — was published in the Jan. 23, 2019, edition of ZooKeys.

“To begin to understand the threat posed by Asian longhorned ticks in the United States, we need to know the full extent of its distribution,” Lead Author Dr. Andrea Egizi, a visiting professor at the Center for Vector Biology and a research scientist with the Monmouth County Tick-borne Disease Program, told Rutgers Today. “We made this key so that researchers across the country have an easier way to identify them.”

At press time, the ticks have been found in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/26/rutgers-keys-out-asian-longhorned-tick/
Sacramento CA

Syngenta: Advion Master Shippers

PHOTO: SYNGENTA

Take control of ants and cockroaches in 2019 with Advion Ant and Advion Cockroach Gel Baits from Syngenta. Advion Ant features an attractive formulation that can be used in sensitive situations for broad-spectrum ant control, while Advion Cockroach controls all prevailing cockroach species, including gel bait-averse cockroaches, the company says. These are available as Master Shipper packages, which contain 40 30-gram syringes of each product. These packages also count toward qualification for the 2019 PestPartners 365 Program, which makes it easy for businesses of any size to save all year. Act now to qualify by April 30, 2019.

PestPartners365.com

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/26/syngenta-advion-master-shippers/
Sacramento CA

Vehicle accidents happen

PHOTO: ZOELLNER EXTERMINATING

Darren and Dee Gooch, owners of Zoellner Exterminating, Catoosa, Okla., found out the hard way that a Ford F-150 is no match for a speeding semi truck. One of their technicians, who had just found out she was pregnant, was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler in a construction zone on the highway. She was driving the 40 mph speed limit, but the truck driver was doing approximately 75 mph. The impact pushed her truck into a center wall and totaled four other vehicles.

First responders said if she had been driving a smaller truck, she could have been killed. “Thank God she was in a full-size vehicle,” Darren says. “She walked away just a little sore and bruising.” Her pregnancy was not affected (she eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy), but the truck was a complete loss. “The Highway Patrol and firefighters on the scene said the only thing intact on the truck was the cab,” Darren says. “The truck bed was crumpled like a taco.”

Although the cab was completely enclosed, everything in it flew out and was demolished. “The semi hit her so hard, there were tools 300 yards away,” Dee says. “Her iPad was about 100 yards behind the wreck.” The equipment had to be replaced; the insurance company settled the claim six months later.

“The accident was a real kick in the gut,” says Darren. “You don’t realize how much one vehicle down can affect your revenue, routes, everything.” He says drivers who saw the wreck and recognized the company’s truck called the company, well before the police and their technician called to tell them what happened.

“People passing the wreck would call our business number and say, ‘I’m praying for you guys, I see one of your trucks,’” Darren recalls. “People we didn’t even know left messages about the wreck.”

First responders asked about the company’s safety data sheets (SDSs) and spill kit, which flew out of the truck on impact, Dee says. She recommends securing them in the vehicle. An annual review meeting of what to do and whom to call in case of an emergency is good practice, too.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/26/vehicle-accidents-happen/
Sacramento CA

Live from Legislative Day 2019

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) called on its members to work together on issues affecting the pest management industry, and they delivered during Legislative Day 2019.

The annual event is held at the Capitol Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C. and this year, it took place Feb. 24-26. NPMA committee meetings, panel discussions, keynote addresses by Washington insiders, and in-depth discussions of the issues kept attendees busy. On the final day of the event, PMPs storm Capitol Hill and meet with their senators and state representatives to ask for their support on the issues the NPMA has chosen as critical to the livelihood of its members.

This year, PMPs are asking their representatives for:

• Support of the SMASH Act, which would extend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants for mosquito control programs to include emerging mosquito-borne diseases and extend existing mosquito control programs.
• Support of the REDTAPE Act, which would remove the requirement for pest control applicators to request a National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permit in the event of runoff near water.
• A partner on bed bug legislation that would help address the ongoing crisis caused by this pest.
• Passage of the Main Street Tax Certainty Act that would make the Section 199A tax deduction permanent.
• Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bonus depreciation provision permanent before 2023.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/26/live-from-legislative-day-2019/
Sacramento CA

IPMA hosts business development workshop

Paul Bellow presenting at the “Make Money on Purpose” workshop. PHOTO: INDIANA PEST MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

The Indiana Pest Management Association (IPMA), along with BASF and Univar, sponsored a day-long business development workshop at the Embassy Suites in Noblesville, Ind. The theme of the workshop was “Make Money on Purpose.” More than 50 attendees from across the state learned accounting principles, management concepts and marketing ideas.

They also learned to identify the price of doing business, how to raise prices and profitability, calculate hourly rates, earn premium prices, and other proven methods to make money on purpose, rather than by accident.

PJB Pest Management Consulting‘s Paul Bello presented at the workshop, drawing from more than 42 years of experience in the industry as a business owner, trainer and consultant. PJB Pest Management Consulting provides consulting services in the urban and industrial pest management markets for such clients as manufacturers, hospitality, health care, cruise ships, museums, warehouses and schools.

PHOTO: INDIANA PEST MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

Bello holds a bachelor’s degree in entomology from the University of Georgia, as well as an MBA in accounting from Adelphi University. In March 2018, Bello won an Award of Excellence from the Certified Pest Control Operators (CPCO) of Georgia.

The IPMA promotes education and training of the pest management industry in  Indiana. It hosts a network of pest management companies that offer solutions for pests such as ants, cockroaches, termites, spiders, biting and stinging insects, and rodents.

BASF’s pest control division offers a variety of professional solutions for both general pest and termite management. Univar is a global chemical and ingredient distributor and provider of value-added services for several industries, including professional pest management.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/02/25/ipma-hosts-business-development-workshop/
Sacramento CA