FAIRFAX, Va. – The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), which serves as the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), has announced the creation of a new children’s show that teaches kids about the fascinating world of insects, rodents and small wildlife. The entertaining and educational show, aptly named “Pest Quest,” will deliver buggy factoids to junior scientists and is available on NPMA’s websites, PestWorld.org and PestWorldForKids.org.

 “Pest Quest” is hosted by a group of energetic pre-teens in a fun, colorful science lab full of gadgets and bubbling beakers. Each episode explores a variety of different topics, from wolf spiders, velvet ants and click beetles to opossums, pigeons and bats (and everything in between). Other fun features include “Pest Commander Pete’s Head Scratchers” and “Itsy-Bitsy Mystery” quizzes, which engage viewers and test their pest knowledge. In addition to sharing fun facts, the show aims to educate viewers about the risks posed by certain creatures when they enter homes and properties and become pests.

Twenty-four episodes have been produced for the first season of “Pest Quest,” focusing on species found within the United States. New episodes will be posted to the Pest Quest Channel twice a month.

“Children are fascinated by bugs and anything ‘creepy crawly’,” says Missy Henriksen, executive director of PPMA. “We wanted to foster and encourage that interest by creating a web-based program that allowed us to share our industry’s wealth of pest knowledge with such a captive audience, evoking their inner-entomologist and scientist.”

PPMA has a variety of programs designed for use in the classroom and on the family computer for children in grades K-8. Lesson plans, science projects, report writing programs, interactive games and other fun facts are on PestWorldForKids.org. The Pest Quest Channel is the next installment in NPMA’s commitment to science education.

“The Guardians and Contributors of PPMA are instrumental in strengthening our industry. With their support, we have been able to gauge and react to consumer attitudes toward professional pest control and develop unique marketing programs aimed at growing the industry, including early science education initiatives that reach future generations of pest control users and their parents,” said Henriksen. “The ‘Pest Quest’ children’s show would not have been possible without their steadfast commitment year-over-year.”

PPMA Guardians and Contributors will be receiving a specially designed Pest Quest Channel icon for use on their company websites, allowing them to directly link to the children’s web show. It’s also available for download on PPMATools.org, the Internet hub for PPMA investors. These investor extras are part of the PPMA Perks Program, which provides investors with incentives and unique marketing tools to use in their own businesses. For more information about “Pest Quest” or to learn about becoming involved in PPMA, please visit www.npmapestworld.org/PPMA.