INGLEWOOD, Calif.  — A jury has awarded an Inglewood family $1.6 million in a case of bed bugs, the largest amount ever awarded such a case, CBS Los Angeles reported.

The family had rented an apartment at 10131 Buford Ave. in Inglewood in 2010; not long after they moved in, it became apparent the apartment was infested with bed bugs, CBS Los Angeles reported. The family suffered bites and rashes, and their son, who was just months old at the time, suffered to the point that he had to be taken to the emergency room.

According to a press release from the family's attorney, Brian Virag, "The defendant in this case, Amusement Six Apartments LLC owns an apartment complex in Inglewood, Calf., and simply didn't respond appropriately to the Plaintiffs complaints about bed bugs. According to the suit, it took management nine days to initially schedule bedbug treatment, and when they did, the pest control operator left handfuls of chemical all over their belongings and carpet. When the Plaintiffs complained about the chemical, the management told them there was nothing they could do, and they should vacuum a square area in their living room to sleep on with their two young children.  Although they then agreed to change the carpet, it took them three months to do so, and all the while, the bed bugs were feeding and breeding in the carpet until it was changed. The family continued to receive bed bug bites the entire time."

Source: CBS Los Angeles

Editor’s note: More than 450 conference delegates packed the stylish Auditorium Antonianum in Rome for two full days of presentations March 21-22, at the biennial conference organized by the Italian trade association – Associazione Nazionale della Imprese di Disinfestestazione (ANID). Frances McKim, editor of Pest magazine, filed the following report.

Professionalism within the pest control industry was one of the main themes at the recent Associazione Nazionale della Imprese di Disinfestestazione (ANID). This included presentations from five invited international speakers, one of whom was from the U.S. – Kevin Lemasters, president of EnviroPest, Loveland, Colo., and also an at-large member of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).

Lemasters gave an impassioned talk on creating a company culture. Using his own company as an example, he explained how vital it is to create a feeling of family. As so much time is spent at work, employees must feel comfortable within the organization, to be familiar with its identity, to understand its purpose and appreciate its values. By focusing on this, staff can concentrate on customers. “Your customers will notice the culture and care. This will differentiate you from your competitors,” he said.

Representing the Association of Pest Control Companies in Catalonia – Spain (ADEPAP), its president, Quim Sendra, advocated ‘thinking outside the box’ – to be creative, to come up with original solutions, to be innovative and so create novel business idea. “All of us can compete with other companies on price. But by being different we differentiate ourselves from our competitors;” Quim explained.

Extending the theme of corporate culture more directly to pest control, Henry Mott, president of the Confederation of European Pest Management Associations (CEPA) – the umbrella trade body for urban pest control in Europe, gave a heartfelt presentation declaring: “By referring to ourselves as ‘killers’ with such company names as Rentokil, Pest Exterminators etc people view us as eliminators – our image should be much more positive – one of protectors of the environment. As an industry we must advocate professionalism.”

Rune Bratland representing the Norwegian Pest Control Association (SkaBra), illustrated what can be achieved within a country. Since 2004 when the association was formed, it has worked with government to a position now where all pest controllers have to be licensed to practice. This involves two weeks of course work, followed by in-company training and an exam. “On average it takes 20 weeks to educate a pest controller to a position of being certified. And then, after ten years, recertification is required,” said Rune. 

Drawing this session to a close was Paloma Castro, the new director general of CEPA. Coming to the industry with a ‘fresh eye’ she exclaimed: “Our industry consists of hidden heroes. People do not know enough about us. We should be proud to be pest control professionals. The industry now has EN 167636 and CEPA Certified – the benchmark of quality and uniformity of service. Our aim is to take this to the next level – to transform this into ‘soft law’ by means of a Memorandum of Understanding.” If by doing this CEPA Certified can achieve a critical mass whereby only ‘trained professionals’ can access the full range of biocides.

Designed for a home Italian audience, the emphasis was, understandably, very much on sessions relevant to the Italian market. Opening the conference, ANID president Marco Benedetti, got the event off on a very positive note by highlighting the growing opportunities for professional pest controllers in Italy.

Looking to the future, the presentations then given by Luciano Toma from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome and Romeo Bellini, area entomologist from the Centro Agricoltura Ambiente (CAA) highlighted the growing threats posed by the increased number of disease carrying invasive insects in Italy, in particular from Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito) – the known vector of the chikungunya and dengue virus.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Terminix revealed the 25 most termite-infested cities in the country. Termites were most prevalent in Houston in 2017, followed by Los Angeles and Mobile, Ala.

The top 25 cities for termite infestations in the United States are:

1. Houston
2. Los Angeles
3. Mobile, Ala.
4. San Antonio
5. San Diego
6. Dallas
7. Memphis, Tenn.
8. Jacksonville, Fla.
9. Miami
10. Tampa, Fla.
11. Phoenix
12. Orlando, Fla.
13. Atlanta
14. Cincinnati
15. Philadelphia
16. Sacramento, Calif.
17. Honolulu
18. San Jose, Calif.
19. Baton Rouge, La.
20. Pittsburgh
21. Savannah, Ga.
22. Nashville, Tenn.
23. Little Rock, Ark.
24. Tucson, Ariz.
25. Louisville, Ky.

“Now that spring has arrived, we often see an increase not only in temperatures but also in pest-related activity, especially with termites,” said Joe Magyar, regional training manager for Terminix. “For homeowners living in areas that experience damp and humid weather conditions, it’s important to be aware of early warning signs for termites before damage becomes significant.”

Depending on the species, termite warning signs could include:

Blisters in wood flooring, which look like small cracks or holes

• Hollowed or damaged wood
• Evidence of the pests themselves, such as discarded wings
• Droppings that resemble sawdust or coffee grounds
• Mud tubes, which look like pencil-sized dirt tunnels, near the base of the home
• Early detection and professional termite control can help prevent a small termite problem from becoming an expensive ordeal.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —Nisus Corporation announced the following changes to its sales team.

Harry Bryan will be responsible for account management in Tennessee and Kentucky.  He will also work to develop the mountain territory consisting of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.  

Jeff Caudill was added as Midwest Territory Manager, where he will be responsible for developing and maintaining a positive relationship with the company’s Midwest customer base and increasing brand engagement with core customers as well as introducing Nisus products to new pest control companies.

Additionally, Nisus has strengthened its technical team with the promotion of Dr. Jeff Lloyd to senior vice president, innovation and sustainability and the addition of Jamey Gaston as vice president of research and technology

Bryan who has been with Nisus Corporation for more than 20 years, is highly regarded for his ability to build strong relationships with both distributors and pest management professionals.  He will continue to drive sales but will also promote Nisus products with PMP training and social media channels in the Pest Control community.

“Bryan’s product knowledge and deep desire to educate clients demonstrates the dedication and support that starts at the representation level,” says Lee Barrett, Vice President of Nisus Corporation’s Pest Control Division “His skill in finding clients the absolute best options and thinking outside the box is invaluable.”

Said Bryan, “I am excited about trail-blazing and sharing our approach to various pest challenges with an audience that includes my home state.”

Caudill comes to Nisus with 15 years of successful sales and account management experience. Caudill comes to Nisus from Kness Manufacturing, where he served as a Sales Manager of their Western United States territory, covering 16 states. Bryan will be working with Caudill for an extended period of time to introduce him to customers and ensure a smooth transition to the territory.  

“Jeff brings great energy, customer education experience and tenacity to our sales team which will solidify our support and commitment to our clients.  His experience is crucial to the industry and he has proven success in developing strategic sales plans, identifying new points of sales and increasing sales of current product lines,” says Lee Barrett, Vice President of Nisus Corporation’s Pest Control Division.

Added Caudill, “I am excited to join the Nisus team, a dynamic group of talented professionals. Nisus’ product offering is robust and sustainable, and helps pest management professionals provide exceptional services using quality products.” 

Dr. Lloyd joined Nisus on Nov. 30, 2001, and has been responsible for research and development as well as opening new global markets. He holds degrees in applied biology and microbiology and a Ph.D. in biochemistry/preservation technology from Imperial College at The University of London. With 27 years of experience in research, technical service and global wood protection, Lloyd has authored numerous scientific publications and holds several patents. A specialist in preservative biochemistry, formulation and utilization, and product development, Lloyd has had commercial successes covering the breadth of wood protection, structural pest management and forest pathology.

“It is amazing to work at a company like Nisus where I have been afforded the freedom to pursue my passions – my love of renewable resources such as wood, and the environment. There is really nothing more fulfilling than taking a simple idea and seeing it being embraced by customers and then commercialized for the good of the industry and the environment,” says Lloyd.

Lloyd is an advocate of maximizing responsible end uses for forest products while minimizing potential negative environmental impacts. This includes the sustainable use of wood in mass timber buildings, doubling the life of traditional wood products such as railroad ties and utility poles, minimizing carbon footprints and most importantly the permanent capture of carbon to reverse global warming. He especially enjoys working to achieve these objectives with multi-disciplinary research academics and industry experts around the world, as evidenced by his publications and their co-authors.

Lloyd has been an invited and key-note speaker for many national and international organizations. He is active with the Treated Wood Council and the Railway Tie Association and was an executive member of the American Wood Protection Association (4 years). The greatest achievement of his career was being selected to serve as the three-year President of the International Research Group on Wood Protection, where he has been heavily involved since 1991. He still serves as chairperson of the Ron Cockroft Awards committee, an international scientific conference attendance award for young researchers which has awarded 13 grants for 2018.

Gaston will be heading the research and technology department with the responsibility of building a best practice innovative program from ideation to new product development. Gaston demonstrates a deep understanding of the challenges faced by research and technology to create next generation pest control management solutions that demonstrate efficacy and sustainability.

Gaston introduces a wealth of relevant product experience to Nisus. In his most recent role as Omnova’s Innovation Program Leader, Gaston managed product portfolios, acted as liaison between technology group managers and project managers, and leveraged a strong business acumen with technical knowledge to achieve long term, sustainable growth.

“We are pleased to attract someone of the caliber of Jamey Gaston,” Says Kevin L. Kirkland, president/CEO of Nisus Corporation. “Jamey has immense technical knowledge and more than 20 years of experience in product development and successful project leadership. He is poised to make an immediate impact on our goal to develop more value-added products using proprietary pest control and preservative product technology.”