Hundreds of pest management technicians gathered in North Carolina’s capital today to kick off one of the largest pest management meetings in the country.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Pest management experts and technicians from around the state gathered at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel in downtown Raleigh on Jan. 22 for the opening of the 63rd Annual Pest Control Technicians’ School (PCT School) presented by the North Carolina Pest Management Association (NCPMA).
The 2013 PCT School will feature training and educational classes on new pest challenges faced by North Carolina’s pest management industry. These include pests which have been growing in number in North Carolina including bed bugs, kudzu bugs and Asian Needle ants.
“Over the past few years, we have seen new pests within our state that require treatment or prevention. As the only statewide association representing North Carolina’s pest management industry, we are providing these training courses so that our members can best address these issues for their customers,” said Lee Smith, NCPMA board member.
The conference convened with the opening session and a keynote address by the National Pest Management Association’s Acting Executive Vice President Bob Rosenberg. Rosenberg’s address is entitled “What’s Next in Washington? Things You Need to Know to Successfully Position Your Company.”
In addition to the PCT School classes, the NCPMA offered training and renewal classes for its Wood-Destroying Insects Report (WDIR) Accreditation program and a Pest Ant Identification and Bed Bug Identification workshop. The identification workshop will be held at the North Carolina State University Structural Pest Control Training Facility in Raleigh.
“Bed bugs continue to be an ever-present and growing problem nationwide. The addition of a bed bug identification workshop to this year’s PCT School gives our members extra training in the proper identification and treatment of these difficult pests,” Smith said.
The PCT School continues through Thursday, Jan. 24.
“For more than 60 years, North Carolina’s Pest Control Technician’s School has provided North Carolina’s pest management experts with the most current and thorough training available, and we are proud to continue that tradition,” Smith said.