[News]

New Bed Bug Bill Introduced by House Rep. Jean Schmidt
WASHINGTON — Help for the nation’s bed bug problem may be coming from Congress. The “Bed Bug Management, Prevention and Research Act of 2011,” H.R. 967, was introduced last month by Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) in response to the dramatic resurgence of bed bugs in the United States in recent years. The bill aims to find ways to help Americans cope with this pest.

There are many reasons for the spread of bed bugs including the lack of a “silver bullet” product to manage these pests, meaning that multiple treatments are usually necessary to gain effective control. Multiple treatments and non-chemical methods can be unaffordable for many.

Since significant bed bug populations have only recently resurfaced, very little meaningful research has been conducted in the last 50 years and such research is essential to ultimately better controlling these pests. Due to the relatively small size of the bed bug product market, the high cost of developing new products and difficulty in getting them approved by U.S. EPA, there may not be sufficient incentives for the private sector to develop new, safe and effective bed bug technology.

Also, many of the bed bug products entering the market are exempt from EPA’s normal pesticide registration process because of their low toxicity. Since exempt products are not scrutinized by EPA as rigorously as conventional pesticides, in many instances they do not provide the same level of protection from bed bugs that consumers expect.

The Bed Bug Management, Prevention and Research Act initiates and directs a common sense strategic federal response to the bed bug pandemic, including:

Authorizing a federal bed bug research funding program to resume research that has been neglected for 50 years;
Requiring efficacy testing for minimum risk pesticides to protect consumers from products that don’t effectively manage bed bug infestations;
Adding “quality of life” criteria the EPA must consider when registering a public health pesticide so as to help provide professionals and consumers with safe, affordable and effective tools
Establishing a Bed Bug Mitigation Pilot Program to provide subsidized treatments for those on fixed and low incomes

“The bed bug invasion of America is real and severe and many Americans are turning to the government for help,” said Bob Rosenberg, NPMA’s senior vice president. “NPMA is pleased Representative Schmidt is taking a strong lead to assist the public in managing this pest.”

Rosenberg added, “Pest management professionals are on the front lines of the bed bug war, but cannot go at it alone. It is important the government, the public and the pest control industry work together to minimize infestations through education, building awareness and assistance. This bill sets the stage for this crucial cooperation.”

According to NPMA, 95 percent of pest professionals reported treating bed bugs over the past year, up from 25 percent of professionals in 2000. Moreover, bed bugs have been identified as the single most difficult pest to treat by the pest control industry.

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Santolubes Acquires Envincio; Will Integrate With Prentiss Business
CARY, N.C. — SantoLubes, owner of Prentiss, announced the acquisition of Cary, N.C.-based Envincio, which offers post-patent and select branded products for the pest control market. SantoLubes will integrate Envincio with the Prentiss business.

George Garrison, president and chief executive officer of SantoLubes, will assume the president/chief executive officer role of Prentiss. Randy Canady, founder and chief executive officer of Envincio, will assume the COO position and will be charged with the strategic direction and day-to-day management of the company.

Former Prentiss President Larry Eichler announced his retirement from day-to-day operations, but will serve in an advisory capacity as chairman. Eichler will continue to represent Prentiss on the United Pesticide Formulators & Distributors (UPFDA) board, where he serves as president.

“The combined Prentiss business offers a well-rounded platform poised for growth with a solid portfolio including fully-integrated positions on key active ingredients,” said Garrison. “From synthetic chemistries to botanical alternatives to 25b exempt product offers, we look forward to offering pest management professionals and customers across all segments multiple tools to meet their customer needs.”

Canady said, “It is a rare opportunity to be a part of a business dating back to 1919.We are excited about where our vision will take this next phase. We have a passion for the industry and are anxious to put our team of talent to work for our customers.”

SantoLubes acquired Prentiss in October 2008 and subsequently acquired exclusive rights to the patented EcoSmart Technologies portfolio for the professional markets in March 2009. With this latest acquisition of Envincio, the combined business will focus on the professional pest control, vector, industrial-janitorial-sanitation, farm hygiene and animal health segments.

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Hank Mullany, Former Walmart Exec, Named ServiceMaster CEO
MEMPHIS, TENN. — ServiceMaster has appointed Hank Mullany to succeed retiring chief executive officer J. Patrick Spainhour.

ServiceMaster is the parent company of Terminix, TruGreen, American Home Shield, Merry Maids, ServiceMaster Clean, Amerispec, FurnitureMedic and TruGreen LandCare.

Mullany is a seasoned executive with nearly 30 years of retail experience and a background in operations, finance and strategic planning. Previously, as executive vice president of Walmart U.S. and president of Walmart’s northern U.S. business, Mullany was responsible for the operation of 1,300 stores and 34 distributions centers across 19 states.

“Hank is an outstanding leader and brings a wealth of experience to his new role,” said Edward M. Liddy, chairman of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, the parent company of ServiceMaster. “His expertise, along with a proven track record of executing strategies and producing outstanding results, make him the right person to drive continued growth at ServiceMaster for many years to come.”

Earlier in his career, Mullany served in various senior management positions, including as president of Genuardi’s Family Markets in Pennsylvania. A certified public accountant, he earned both his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Temple University.

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BASF Pest Control Solutions names Dan Carrothers Business Manager
ST. LOUIS, MO — BASF Pest Control Solutions (PCS) named Dan Carrothers as business manager for the group. Carrothers joins BASF from Data Core Marketing where he served as chief operating officer. Previously, he was vice president of Chipco Professional Products within Bayer Environmental Sciences and had responsibility for the U.S. turf and ornamentals market. Prior to that, Carrothers held several positions at Bayer including sales, marketing and project management in Canada and the United States.

“The combination of Dan’s experience and business acumen make him a natural fit for PCS,” said Jan Buberl, director, BASF Specialty Products. “His leadership skill set will further accelerate our planned growth in the termiticide, general insect and rural hygiene businesses.”

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Comings & Goings
If your company has added new personnel or recently announced other personnel changes, send a photo and press release to jdorsch@giemedia.com.

Dr. Stuart Mitchel has joined PestWest full time as principal technical specialist. “We have worked with Stuart for some years on a part-time basis and are now delighted to have Stuart join as a full-time member of the team,” said James Shaffer, PestWest president. “We are very excited about the increased technical support and training we will be able to offer.” Additionally, Mitchell has earned Diplomate status with the American Board of Forensic Examiners by the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute. ACFEI is an association of forensic science professionals. Diplomate status is an honor for those able to meet the stringent requirements of the ACFEI in the areas of knowledge, skill training and experience in the forensic sciences.

Target Specialty Products announced staff additions at its Fresno, Calif. branch office. Erik Smith joined the company as a sales representative and will serve pest control, fumigation and public agency customers in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  Jason Robbins also joined Target as the distributor’s new vegetation and pest management specialist for the San Joaquin Valley. In other company news, Emmitt Bewley has been named Target Specialty Products’ business manager for the vector control market. Based out of Target’s Dallas, Texas office, Bewley will be responsible for managing the company’s expansion in the vector market in the western and central regions of the United States.

Andrew Knox joined Bell Laboratories’ international sales team as Australasian business manager for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and other Australasian territories. Knox will provide strategic direction in sales, marketing and registration of Bell’s rodent control products in the pest control, agricultural and retail markets in Australasia and will also develop new business in selected Southeast Asia markets.

Brian Eisenberg  joined Residex Turfgrass as training manager. Eisenberg is a second-generation PMP from a Residex client family-owned pest control company. Additionally, Residex Turfgrass hired Jud Hudnut as new program manager.

VanWal Pest Elimination based in Kernersville, N.C., promoted Kevin Weidner to service department manager for operations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia regions. The company also promoted service technician Tommy Marley to Alamance County territory manager. Additionally, VanWal Pest Elimination hired three new technicians: Gene Doyon, Chris Nance, and Jerry Sims; and two territory managers: Steve Famiglietta for Raleigh, and Justin Harvey for High Point/Lexington.

B.H. Stangel Pest Management Training & Consulting Center of Suffern, N.Y., hired Tom DeChillo  to its training and consulting staff. DeChillo works with New York- and New Jersey-based pesticide firms that are having issues with regulatory violations.

Rick Harris joined Pest Control Insulation Systems as a field sales representative handling the northeastern states. Harris brings 25 years of experience in the pest control industry and has been responsible for implementing the TAP program in major markets.

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Rollins Promotes Crigler to Vice President of Integrated Marketing Programs
ATLANTA — Rollins Inc. has promoted Rob Crigler to vice president of global digital strategy and integrated marketing. Crigler manages Orkin’s paid and organic search, Internet Yellow Pages, online media, social media and web development as well as traditional print yellow page programs. Crigler also oversees Orkin’s international franchises’ digital marketing and infrastructure and supports Rollins’ other brands, including Western Pest Services, PCO Services, Trutech and Waltham Services Inc. with their interactive strategy and programs. Orkin is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rollins.

“Rob has forged a strategic platform and developed the infrastructure and tools that help us add incremental customers in addition to making it easy for customers to access our brands and to find information quickly and easily,” said Kevin Smith, chief marketing officer of Rollins. “His focus on the consumer experience will further enhance our brand delivery as we continue to provide the best pest control service for our customers.”

Crigler joined Rollins in 2006 as the director of interactive marketing and has spent the past five years expanding many digital programs for Rollins and managing the direct response television program for Orkin.

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BedBug Central Releases Expanded 2011 BedBug University Program
Lawrenceville, N.J. — BedBug Central, a bed bug information resource, has released the program for its second annual North American Bed Bug Summit. According to BedBug Central, the program has been expanded to continue serving all industries affected in by bed bugs.

The summit, titled “BedBug University: North American Summit 2011” has been extended to three days and will take place Sept. 25-27, at the renovated Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago, Ill. Attendees will hear the latest research and actionable strategies for bed bug control, legal protection, treatment cost containment and more.

New to this year’s summit is a more extensive discussion of legislative and social issues that are affecting pest management firms as bed bugs continue to infiltrate public spaces. The summit will also provide attendees with a comprehensive look at management options from around the globe. Additionally, BedBug Central has created “suggested learning tracks” that will help various sectors learn key information specific to their unique concerns and will allow pest management firms to hear the challenges faced by various industries.

According to Phil Cooper, president and CEO of BedBug Central, this year’s summit is focused not only on recruiting leading entomologists and bed bug experts, but also on creating opportunities for attendees to interact with experts on a one-on-one or small group basis.

“The mission of our summit has always been to bring together the leading experts and manufacturers in the bed bug industry and deliver unrivaled information to our attendees,” said Cooper. “This year we wanted to take this premise even further and provide attendees with unprecedented access to experts to ensure they receive meaningful and unique answers.”

To achieve greater interaction between experts and attendees, the BedBug Central team has expanded the Q&A sessions; created a “Night Out with the Experts” event; and developed unique industry/sector breakout sessions in which attendees will be able to speak with experts in round-table formats.

BedBug Central also brought back its EXPOCentral which will feature more than 70 bed bug product manufactures and its free beer tasting reception in which attendees will be able to mingle with speakers, industry experts, manufacturers and other attendees while sampling a variety of micro-brews.

For more information about the BedBug University North American Summit, to request additional information or to register, visit http://www.nabedbugsummit.com.

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Date Book
Send your announcement at least 14 weeks in advance to jdorsch@giemedia.com. For additional dates, visit www.pctonline.com/events.

April 26-27: UPF&DA Spring Conference, San Antonio, Texas. Contact: www.upfda.net.

May 10-11: Pest Management & Food Safety Seminar, sponsored by  BASF and RK Pest Management Services, Teaneck, N.J. Contact: 866/800-7378 or 631/421-1120.

May 15-18: 3rd International Symposium on Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, New Orleans, La. Contact: www.formosansymposium.com.

June 1-3: NPMA’s National Canine Conference: Solutions for Scent Detection Professionals, Philadelphia. Contact: NPMA, 703/352-6762 or visit www.npmapestworld.org.

June 17-18: 2011 Discovery Retreat: The PestPac Users Group. Contact: Call 888/711-3232, e-mail terrycare@att.net or visit www.lloydsmigel.com.

June 20-24: University of Florida Termite Biology and Control 2011, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Contact: Dr. Rudolf Scheffrahn, University of Florida, 954/577-6312 or e-mail rhsc@ufl.edu.

July 24-27: 94th annual meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, Ft. Myers, Fla. Contact: Visit http://flaentsoc.org/annual11.htm or call Dr. Gary L. Leibee, program chair, 407/884-2034, ext. 154.

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Georgia Rat Eradication Project Aims to Safeguard Antarctic Seabirds
DUNDEE, SCOTLAND — The South Georgia Heritage Trust has embarked on the first phase of a seven-year project to eradicate invasive rats from the entire sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. The Trust’s Habitat Restoration Project aims to completely eradicate non-native rats and mice from the island, with the goal of restoring South Georgia to its earlier status as one of the world’s most important seabird islands.

The trust plans to eradicate the rodents by distributing a special pelleted rodenticide, developed by Bell Laboratories. Bell Laboratories donated the bait for the limited-area trial.

Two helicopters equipped with spreader buckets dropped 58 tons of bait during March in a limited-area trial. According to the trust, the glaciers on South Georgia, which have so far isolated the rats into discrete areas, are now retreating due to climate change, thus allowing the rats access to new areas.

The remote and mountainous island of South Georgia, a U.K. territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean, is a haven for vast numbers of seabirds and marine mammals. Millions of birds, representing 31 different species, breed on the island, including the endangered black-browed albatross, vulnerable grey-headed albatross and vulnerable white-chinned petrel.

However, invasive brown rats and mice, inadvertently brought to the island by sealers and whalers beginning in the late 1700s, have had a devastating effect on the island’s native ecosystem. In particular, huge numbers of ground-nesting birds are eaten by rats each year and their eggs and chicks predated.

The Habitat Restoration Project is being led, organized and financed by the South Georgia Heritage Trust and has been supported by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Dundee. Their assistance has ranged from valuable expert technical advice to on the ground support.

“We have a unique opportunity to roll back two centuries of human-induced damage to this stunning island and its wildlife,” said Anthony Martin, project director of the South Georgia Heritage Trust and professor of animal conservation at the University of Dundee. “The scale of the challenge is daunting, but the conservation rewards cannot be over-stated; literally millions of seabirds will reclaim South Georgia from the rats.”

The Habitat Restoration Project depends upon the generous support of individual and corporate donors and has raised close to 2 million pounds towards the multi-phase project.

The limited-area trial to remove the rats and mice was from the island was to occur throughout March. The second phase of the operation to clear the remainder of South Georgia island will run from 2013 to 2015. Additional monitoring is planned in 2016 and 2017.

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PCO News
Please send press releases about your firm to jdorsch@giemedia.com.

Four Seasons Exterminating, Lakeview, Mich., has earned NPMA’s QualityPro designation.

Eco-Pest, based in Sun Valley, Idaho, is offering a new bed bug service developed specifically for local hotels and motels. The 24/7 Bed Bug Service is designed to provide bed bug treatments at any hour of the day or night for hotels and motels in the Wood River Valley of Idaho. The company uses an integrated approach to bed bug services, utilizing heat, steam, vacuuming and product applications to combat these pests.

Heron Lawn and Pest Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded the 2010 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all companies rated on the consumer review compilation service. Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, receiving an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

BHB Pest Elimination, New York, N.Y., has purchased its first canine bed bug detector, a miniature pincher-terrier mix named Bolt. The dog was purchased from Bill Whitstine of Florida Canine Academy. Along with the purchase, BHB also created a new business entity, Accurate Canine Detection.

Marlon Ferreira, founder of The Exterminators (Pvt) Ltd, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was named Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2010-Small Category at the 15th Awards Ceremony held in December. The event was organized by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Sri Lanka.