News

Good Growth Continues for the U.S. Structural Pest Control Market
MENDHAM, N.J. — The U.S. structural pest control industry generated an estimated $6.815 billion in total service revenue in 2012, a 4.5 increase from the $6.524 billion measured in 2011, according to a new report from Specialty Products Consultants, Mendham, N.J.

The top three U.S. service providers — Orkin, Terminix and Ecolab — represented 40.4 percent of the total industry revenue for the termite and general pest market segments this past year.

Service revenue derived from controlling bed bugs declined two percent from the prior year, bringing the total revenue earned to $401 million. Single-family homes and apartments were the primary leading types of accounts pest control operators treated for bed bugs. Nearly one-third of those servicing accounts for bed bugs report employing a monitoring device as part of their service. Nationwide, PCOs reported an average charge for a bed bug treatment of $587, down 2.2 percent from the prior year. The average charge was highest in the Northeast and lowest in the West region. The median charge nationwide was $500 for a bed bug treatment.

Nationwide, pest control operators reported good growth in both residential (+6.8 percent) and commercial (+2.9 percent) service revenue over the prior year. Total service revenue generated from termite work, including renewal fees, was up 1.5 percent from that measured in the 2011 market study.

Nearly 38 percent of the pest control operators surveyed reported using social media to advertise and promote their pest control business. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube were the leading social media platforms respondents used.

Total manufacturer level revenue increased 5.9 percent this past year to nearly $500 million. This is the third year of manufacturer level sales growth, following the 2007-09 recession. Manufacturers experienced an extraordinary increase in sales of insecticides, which was attributed to the mild winter weather in 2012. Sales of termiticides were down as a result of generic price pressure on the fipronil products, SPC research found.

More than 800 owners or managers of pest control companies were interviewed for this study. The market report forecasts pest control service revenue through 2014 and corresponding pesticide product category sales through 2017. The impact of the commercial and residential real estate market, mosquito and wildlife management services, changes in distribution, and pest control operators’ expectations for 2013 are just a few of the topics analyzed in this year’s report.

Specialty Products Consultants provides market research studies to the specialty pesticide industry. The 2012 season market report is the 13th edition of “A Strategic Analysis of the U.S. Structural Pest Control Industry.” Learn more at www.spcresearch.com.


NPMA, USDA Reach Agreement on Definition of ‘Urban Rodent Control’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In May, the National Pest Management Association and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services reached agreement on the definition of the term “urban rodent control,” which, for the first time, establishes meaningful parameters as to the work USDA-WS can and cannot perform.

The issue stems from a 1987 law that authorized USDA-WS to work at non-agricultural settings. Although the primary intent of the legislation was to permit WS to control birds at airports and engage in rabies control initiatives, the language was written broadly and authorizes almost any type of vertebrate work imaginable, including “urban rodent control.”

NPMA had long sought to have an official, enforceable definition of the term “urban rodent control.” Earlier this year, NPMA turned to a legislative solution, as defining “urban rodent control,” became one of two key components of the Pest Elimination Services Transparency & Terminology (PESTT) Act (H.R. 730), legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in February by Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) and Rep. Kurt Shrader (D-Ore.).

Gene Harrington, vice president of government affairs, NPMA, said, “Essentially the PESTT Act gave us leverage and standing to be able to negotiate an administrative solution to the competition issue.” Harrington added that as a result of this agreement the PESTT Act (H.R. 730) will go dormant.

Harrington said NPMA will continue working with members of Congress and Wildlife Services to codify and implement the definition, but the WS letter provides the broad framework for what NPMA was working towards.

“Certainly this is just the beginning steps, but the deal itself is notable, and it would not have been possible if PMPs hadn’t come to Legislative Day and raised awareness,” he said. “Really we went from a nice comfortable jog to a full-out sprint as a result of Legislative Day. We built up a great deal of momentum and it made sense for Wildlife Services to reach out to us.”

In the coming weeks, Harrington said USDA-WS will publish a federal register notice making this definition part of the public record. — Brad Harbison

*Visit “Online Extras” on the PCT Online homepage to view a letter USDA-WS wrote to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma outlining the agreement.
 

Waltham Services’ Richard Berman Retiring After 44 Years
WALTHAM, Mass. — Richard Berman, longtime technical director at Waltham Services, retired at the end of May. Berman had been with Waltham Services since May 1969.

“I still love coming to work, but it was time,” he said. “I have a touch of arthritis in my knee. Plus, I wanted to do some traveling with [wife] Myrna, and spend time with the grandkids.”

Berman was recognized at a special dinner in his honor attended by colleagues past and present, including Clarke Keenan, former majority owner of Waltham Services, and Tom Walters, division president of Rollins, which purchased Waltham Services in July 2010. A company barbecue also was held in Waltham so that service technicians and sales and customer service representatives could send their well wishes to Berman.

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Berman was introduced to the industry by an apiculture (study of bees) professor, who was friends with Richard Keenan, longtime Waltham majority owner and president of Waltham Services.

“He hired me on May 26, 1969. Myrna and I were married on June 15, 1969, and he gave me two weeks paid vacation. I knew I was in the right place,” Berman said.

Berman came on board at an interesting time for the pest control industry. In 1972, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was revised, greatly expanding EPA’s authority to oversee the sales and use of pesticides. Participating in the pest control industry’s evolution the last 40-plus year has kept the job exciting, he said. So has watching others succeed. “My M.O. has always been to provide internal support, and watching our customer sales and service reps and service technicians do well is what gives me a good feeling.”

Berman said he is working on an arrangement whereby he will work for Waltham Services as a part-time consultant, dedicating a few days a month to the company starting later this summer.

LIPCA Insurance to Run New Programs
BATON ROUGE, LA. — Effective July 1, LIPCA Insurance entered into an agreement with Berkley Underwriting Partners, a member company of W. R. Berkley Corporation, to administer its pest insurance product to be written on StarNet Insurance Company and Gemini Insurance, another W. R. Berkley Corporation member insurance company. All are rated A+ (superior) by A.M. Best Company. StarNet is one of the longest running national pest insurance carriers in the United States, the firm said.

LIPCA has offered protection to its pest/lawn insureds since 1985. “LIPCA has been around for a very long time making sure its insureds have the best protection possible. The added coverages that LIPCA will be able to write with StarNet and Gemini will only make the program stronger, especially with LIPCA’s knowledge of pest and lawn exposures,” said Doug MacPherson, president of LIPCA Insurance.

LIPCA says it will continue to handle general liability claims. “What separates us from most, if not all competing programs, is the attention to detail and expertise in handling general liability claims for the pest and lawn industry. This is all that we do,” says Andy McGinty, EVP/COO of LIPCA. “Our loss ratios while handling the claims have been excellent, especially when we had the authority to underwrite the insureds. Not everyone is eligible to be with the LIPCA National Pest and Lawn program. We want the best pest and lawn companies to be with the best pest insurance program. But we also know how to work with those insureds with past claims to make them better. If they are willing to listen, so are we. The difference with LIPCA is being owned by the pest industry and actually caring for its members.”

The LIPCA National Pest and Lawn Program now has access to A.M. Best Company A+ rated admitted and surplus lines papers. LIPCA is a member of numerous state pest associations and NPMA. For more information email info@lipca.com.

Gene Wood, Former University of Maryland Entomology Professor, Dies
University Park, Md. — Francis E. “Gene” Wood, an extension entomologist and professor at the University of Maryland, died on May 18, at age 80. Wood died from complications of Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), a pernicious disease that attacks both cognition and mobility.

A native of Jefferson City, Mo., Wood earned a BS and MS from the University of Missouri and a Ph.D in entomology from the University of Maryland.

As an extension entomologist and professor, Wood helped educate the pest control industry and the public they serve, and also conducted applied research. Using his skill as a scientific illustrator, he produced scores of publications and drawings covering the identification, biology and control of pests. His illustrations soon will be available on the University of Maryland Department of Entomology website.

In the 1970s he began transforming a loosely organized group of Maryland “exterminators” into pest management professionals by providing training leading to certification at his annual Interstate Pest Control Conference, which is still hosted today by the Entomology Department. A major research effort of his was documenting the early detection of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide resistance in the German cockroach. In the 1980s Wood adapted the agricultural concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to reduce pesticide use in dwellings by developing trapping, baiting and harborage reduction techniques to manage exploding German cockroach populations in apartment buildings. Large demonstration projects were conducted with Baltimore City public housing and the National Institutes of Health’s animal care facility, which still uses this program.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Wood’s name to either the non-profit organization Literacy West Virginia, to support establishing a literacy program in Hardy County, W.Va., or to the University of Maryland Foundation, to support student scholarships. Checks for the literacy program should be made out to Literacy West Virginia and sent to Judy Azulay, PO Box 522, Union, WV 24983. Checks for the entomology scholarships should be made out to the University of Maryland Foundation, with a note on the check “For Steinhauer Scholarship,” and sent to the U of MD Department of Entomology, Rm 4112 Plant Sciences, College Park, Maryland, 20742.

Source: The Washington Post

Comings & Goings If your company has added new personnel, send a photo and press release to jdorsch@giemedia.com. Sandidge Dr. Jamel Sandidge recently joined Rockwell Labs as a research entomologist. Sandidge earned his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Kansas, and has been a consultant on the subject of brown recluse spiders since 2001. He also operated a general pest control business in the Kansas City area from 2004 to 2009. Team Too Termite & Pest Control named Jeremiah Patin general manager for the company’s corporate office in Corona, Calif. Klein Environmental Science, a division of Bayer CropScience, announced that Ryan Klein joined the company as area sales manager for its professional pest management business. Klein will be responsible for the Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan territory and will manage two distributor accounts. Craft Travis Craft recently joined Dublin, Ga.-based Allgood Pest Solutions as the company’s chief financial officer. Craft has 12 years of experience in both the public and private sectors as a certified public accountant. FMC Professional Solutions recently appointed Bob West as national pest segment manager, and Richard Spigler II, BCE, as pest market specialist for the Northeast. West will lead the U.S. pest sales team, focusing on delivering solutions for the pest management industry, FMC said. Spigler will offer sales and technical support to PMPs, distributors and other FMC channel partners throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and all of New Massey England. The Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation recently elected Harvey L. Massey to its board of directors. Massey is the owner and CEO of Massey Services in Orlando, Fla.   Osborn Industry veteran Dean Osborn was recently named the Southeast sales representative for J.T. Eaton. Dow AgroSciences named Natalie Holt as the sales representative for the Sentricon System in Ohio and Eastern Michigan. She will be based in Columbus, Ohio. West As well, a new Sentricon sales territory has been created in the southern United States. Brandon Crain was named the representative for this new territory, which covers Mississippi, northern Louisiana and southern Alabama. Crain will be based in Jackson, Miss. FEMO Products, a manufacturer and distributor of mosquito control systems, announced that Barney Rinaldi has been named the company’s new president. James Herrmann joined the Zoëcon Professional Products division of Central Life Sciences as director of marketing. Spigler Joe Wilson, CEO of the Fredericksburg, Va.-based PermaTreat Pest Control, recently received the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber’s Joseph L. Argenzio Award. The award recognizes volunteer work on behalf of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, and is named for the late Joe Argenzio, the youngest infantryman to land on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion in June 1944.

NPMA Announces Results of 2013-14 Board Election
Fairfax, Va. — The National Pest Management Association announced the results of the annual board election. The following is a list of board of directors for the 2013-14 year:

• Kevin Pass (Action Pest Control, Evansville, Ind.) will serve as president.
• William Tesh (Pest Management Systems, Greensboro, N.C.) will serve as president-elect.
• H. Russell Ives (Rose Pest Solutions, Troy, Mich.) will serve as treasurer.
• Chuck Tindol (Allgood Pest Solutions, Duluth, Ga.) will serve as secretary. New members of the board of directors include:
• Past President Representative: Bruce Carter (Carter Services, Farmington, N.M.)
• At Large Director: Rick Bell (Arrow Exterminators, Atlanta, Ga.)
• At Large Director: Dennis Jenkins (ABC Home & Commercial Services, Lewisville, Texas)
• At Large Director: Jennifer Leggett (Lindsey Pest Control, Jacksonville, Fla.)
• At Large Director: Sheri Spencer-Bachman (Spencer Pest Control, Roswell, Ga.)
• At Large Director: Scott Steckel (Varment Guard Environmental Services, Columbus, Ohio)
• Region 1 Director: Matt Nixon (American Pest Management, Fulton, Md.)
• Region 4 Director: Lee Whitmore (Beneficial Exterminating, Hawthorne, Calif.)
• Region 5 Director: Steve Graff (Abell Pest Control, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada)

RK Environmental Announces New Venue, Speakers for Food Safety Event
WESTWOOD, N.J. — A five-star venue, expanded program and well known speakers will highlight RK Environmental’s “Food Safety and Pest Management 2013,” the company said. The seminar, broadened this year to encompass both the food safety and pest management industries, will take place Oct. 2-3, at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J.

Keynote speakers include Al St. Cyr, head of food safety education for AIB International, who will present on the current state of third-party food safety audits, as well as the Global Food Safety Initiative and new AIB standards. Rodent control expert Bobby Corrigan will discuss advanced techniques for rodent management in a food environment. Other speakers include Lowenstein Sandler attorney Robert Towey, on the legal aspect of food safety; and entomologist Jeff Tucker will discuss insights on flies within the food environment. Other experts will cover recalls, the Food Safety Modernization Act, and other subjects relevant for anyone working in the food safety/pest management industries.

The seminar will feature an evening networking event as well as an exhibit by suppliers who will present the latest products and services exclusively for the food and pest management industries. Food industry attendees can earn CEUs and recertification credits will be offered for certified pesticide applicators. For more information visit www.rkenvironmental.com or call 800/996-4402.

Allergy Technologies Expands Distribution
AMBLER, Pa. — Allergy Technologies announced the expanded availability of its ActiveGuard Mattress Liners throughout the United States through new deals with several distributors, including Target Specialty Products, Pest Management Supply and Ehrlich Distribution.

“Based on the increased demand for ActiveGuard throughout the country, we are pleased to have widened our distribution so that greater numbers of PMPs can now easily enjoy the product’s availability,” said Joseph Latino, chief operating officer for Allergy Technologies.

For more information about ActiveGuard Mattress Liners visit www.allergytechnologies.com.

PCO News Please send press releases about your firm to jdorsch@giemedia.com. Team members of General Pest control of Alabama. The firm was recently purchased by Arrow Exterminators to operate under Arrow's Stark Exterminators brand. Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators recently acquired Birmingham-based General Pest Control of Alabama, a full-service company specializing in residential and commercial pest and termite control. General Pest Control will be operated under Arrow’s Stark Exterminators brand, launched late last year. Castleton, N.Y.-based Catseye Pest Control joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP). The voluntary program forms partnerships with pesticide users to reduce potential risks associated with their use. Orkin recently acquired BDD Inc., a franchisee of Hydrex Pest Control Company. BDD provides pest control service to a broad customer base in Orange and Los Angeles Counties in California. The team at Sri Lanka's Exterminators, celebrating 15 years in business Sri Lanka-based Exterminators recently celebrated 15 years in business. The company said its drive and passion has led them to become a leading pest control company in Sri Lanka, having won several awards for business excellence and entrepreneurship. Loyal Termite and Pest Control, Richmond, Va., recently received two awards. The company was named a 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award winner, and was voted Richmond Magazine Reader’s Choice No. 1 pest control company. Hearts Pest Management, San Diego, recently received the IPM Innovator Award from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Hearts provides pest management services to residential and commercial clients, and other IPM-based services to all its customers. Three companies have been added to BedBug Central’s bedbugFREE network: Pest Patrol, Abilene, Texas; Gary’s Termite & Pest Control, Mount Vernon, Texas; and Mathis Exterminating, Olympia, Wash. Terminix Service, a Terminix franchise based in Columbia, S.C., earned the National Pest Management Association’s (NPMA) QualityPro designation. Buckingham Pest Control, St. Louis, Mo., has been accepted into the 2013-14 edition of the Verified Service Reports Homeowners’ Guide of Quality, Reliable Contractors and Profressionals. To make the guide, a business must pass Verified Service Reports’ verification process in St. Louis or Phoenix, where Verified Service Reports currently has branches.

Pest Invasion 2013 Addresses Key Food Safety Topics and Trends
SOUTH ELGIN, Ill. — McCloud Services’ annual Pest Invasion educational seminar drew a record attendance of nearly 350 food plant professionals, regulators and PMPs on April 26.

Pest Invasion, an annual food industry seminar hosted by McCloud Services, is one of the few pest management seminars with a focus on the food industry, and combines hands-on training with timely topics important to the food industry, McCloud Services said.

The seminar focused on the increasing demands for improved food safety, with several speakers addressing the importance of pest management in food safety. Topics ranged from rodent control updates to fumigation alternatives. Speakers included Dr. Robert Corrigan of RMC Pest Management, Dr. Steven Kells of the University of Minnesota and Dr. Tom Phillips of Kansas State University. McCloud Food Safety Manager Dave Pettigrew and Technical Director Patricia Hottel, presented information on regulatory updates and third-party audits. Gene White of Rose Pest Solutions closed out the conference with a presentation on overwintering pests.

Key takeaways included:

• Dr. Corrigan recognized the importance of quality rodent control as an element of food safety by stressing the relationships between food-borne illness, rodents and food contamination.
• Dr. Kells instructed the audience on the importance of inspection, as well as follow-up inspections after insecticidal treatments. He has utilized this procedure to help uncover the sources of stored product pest infestations.
• Dr. Phillips reviewed a variety of research that has been performed at Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University. The research focused on stored product pests and fumigant alternatives. Phosphine fumigant resistance and strategies to prevent phosphine resistance in insects were also included in the presentation. Strategies to help prevent resistance include rotating to other fumigant alternatives.

“As we continue to serve the largest food-related brands in the U.S., it is important to address key issues and topics affecting today’s food industry,” said Chris McCloud, president and CEO, McCloud Services. “With a record attendance, Pest Invasion continues to provide key information critical to our industry and we are proud to have hosted another successful seminar.”