A Tradition Continues In Person and Virtually

Pest management professionals gathered in person and virtually, in January, for the 86^th annual Purdue Pest Management Conference. The three-day event, one of the premier training conferences in the pest control industry, was back in person, but also retained its virtual offerings, which were developed last year in response to COVID-19.

Conference chair Carrie Campbell, owner of Hatfield Pest Control, La Porte, Ind., welcomed attendees. Campbell thanked the conference’s planning committee for “keeping their thumb on the industry, feeling the pulse and really diving into what we need to learn about in the climate that we’re doing business.”

A fitting launch to this year’s conference was a 2021 review of pest control issues provided by Mark VanderWerp, manager of education and training at Rose Pest Solutions, Troy, Mich. VanderWerp focused on three areas: medical/pest issues, new technology and invasive pests.

Photos courtesy of Mark Vanderwerp

Other highlights from this year’s conference included:

LADDER SAFETY. OSHA Safety and Occupational Health Specialist Brian Bothast led a presentation on best ladder safety practices. He provided guidelines employers and employees can follow to help prevent injuries from fall hazards while on the job, including:

• Face the ladder while climbing; maintain contact with at least one hand; and don’t carry something that could cause loss of balance.
• Employers should establish rules or expectations for ladder usage that, through evidence, are shown to be comprehensive to employees.
• Employers should have an effective process for discovering deviations from usage rules as well as an effective enforcement program.
• Examine ladders for damaged or missing parts that may compromise their security while in use. Damaged equipment should be clearly tagged and not used until it is fixed or replaced.
• Always use equipment as the manufacturer specified. For example, make sure that A-frame ladders are properly secured into the correct shape before climbing.

OSHA’s general duty clause states “each employer shall furnish a place of employment free of recognizable hazards that are likely to cause death or serious, physical harm.” For questions, report potential violations or to file a complaints, call OSHA at 800/321-6742 (OSHA). Complaints also may be filed on the OSHA website, www.osha.gov.

INVASIVE VERTEBRATE PESTS. Chuck Bargeron, co-director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia, presented an overview of invasive vertebrate wildlife in the southeastern United States. Though the pests he discussed are region-specific, all PMPs should take time to understand the risks invasive animals present to natural flora and fauna. An example he provided was a Burmese python that ate an alligator, which served as a wake-up call for how big of an issue the invasive animal is in South Florida, Bargeron said. The diet of the larger variety of the snakes could explain major decreases of mammals observed in Everglades National Park compared to the 1990s.

Also, the population of feral pigs has increased considerably throughout the U.S. during the past few decades. In addition to the threat they present to local ecosystems, they have been known to destroy yards and can potentially carry disease. Trapping and hunting are the best forms of control, but laws vary from state to state.

Another example from Bargeron was cane toad sightings, which have been recorded mainly in South Florida, but their presence is expanding northward. They typically grow to 4 to 6 inches long, but smaller varieties are easy to confuse with native toads. They are poisonous to humans and domestic pets. The best control for them, Bargeron said, is hand capturing them with gloves and euthanasia. However, never euthanize a small toad because it might be a native species of toad.

People in the U.S. and Canada can use EDDMapS, an acronym for Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, to report potential invasive animal sightings.

STINGING INSECTS. Dr. Kathy Heinsohn, training and technical entomologist, American Pest, also talked about the importance of ladder safety during her presentation on stinging insects. The nests of baldfaced hornets, for example, can be found a few feet above the ground, potentially on the eaves of houses. As PMPs regularly need to climb ladders to treat these pests, Heinsohn urged they exercise extreme caution. Be sure to wear protective equipment, too — baldfaced hornets will chase perceived predators for more than 300 feet, she said.

Always be sure to remove the nests even after the hornets have been mitigated, she added. It gives peace of mind to the customer.

Carpenter bees rarely sting people, but their habit of returning to nesting locations year after year can create quite a nuisance. Heinsohn suggested PMPs use coat hangers to destroy carpenter bee nests. Hangers can be maneuvered in these 5-inch-long “galleries” to break up the membrane walls separating the eggs. Apply a residual in the gallery and wait a few days before returning to plug the hole, but sure to always read and follow the product’s label for guidelines as to when to plug the hole, as they will differ.

Harbison is senior digital editor of PCT and McGarvey is associate editor of PCT.

Photos courtesy of Mark Vanderwerp