APRIL NEWS

FOUR STATES SUE TO REQUIRE ALL INGREDIENTS ON PESTICIDE LABELS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Feb. 16, attorneys general (AG) from New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Alaska sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for allegedly failing to act on a public health petition that would require manufacturers of pesticide products to list all ingredients on their product labels.

The lawsuit stems back three years when New York AG Eliot Spitzer, Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal, Massachusetts AG Tom Reilly and Alaska AG Bruce Botelho requested that the Agency require pesticide manufacturers to disclose all ingredients in pesticides on product labels. These "inert" ingredients can make up as much as 99 percent of many pesticides used for home and lawn care services.

The AGs said many of these inert ingredients are known to be harmful to human health. Similar to federal regulations requiring detailed label information on all ingredients in food products, the AGs want the same standard to apply to pesticides.

According to Gene Harrington, manager of government affairs, National Pest Management Association, the inert ingredients in pesticides are also the active ingredients in many other products that are not related to pesticides. "These products are registered by the EPA, so they do go through some scrutiny before they are included in a product," he said.

Besides the fact that they are already registered with EPA, pesticide manufacturers also argue that listing these inert ingredients would divulge trade secrets without really adding safety.

"[Pesticide manufacturers] have invested a fair amount of money in formulation research and the result of this research is considered confidential business information," said Fred Langley, manager of state government operations for Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), an industry trade group. "So, if we’re recognizing the fact that manufacturers can have confidential business information, that is protected under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)."

Langley added that pesticide labels have already undergone label improvements several years ago. Research was conducted to see what kind of information consumers wanted on labels to help them better understand pesticide products. "The overwhelming majority of people questioned said they didn’t want these long chemical names listed on the labels because they didn’t understand them," he said.

The assumption that consumers don’t want the complete listing of ingredients on labels shortchanges the intelligence of the American consumer, according to Mark Violette, a spokesman for New York AG Eliot Spitzer. "Consumers do want information on the products they buy," he said, adding that this was the same argument the food industry raised when the issue was listing all of the ingredients on food product labels. "They’re essentially saying that consumers are not smart enough to understand a product label and therefore, we should just spare them the headache of doing that. Listing all the ingredients on the labels gives consumers the choice of whether or not they want to read the ingredients."

Violette said he expects the lawsuit to be settled by mid-April. Although there will be repercussions for pesticide manufacturers, PCOs will be less affected. "Product labels will get longer and more cumbersome than they have been in the past, but that’s all I see that would affect pest management professionals," Harrington said.

An EPA task force compiled of pesticide manufacturers, environmental groups and representatives from the New York AG’s office was created to reach a consensus on how to inform the public about inert pesticide ingredients. But, according to Harrington, "The manufacturers and activist groups aren’t seeing eye to eye on this matter at all," he said.

"It will be difficult for the task force to reach an agreement over what kind of information should be provided (on pesticide labels) that would be meaningful to the customer and, at the same time, protect the confidential business information for the manufacturer," Langley said.

For more information on the lawsuit visit www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2001/feb/feb16b_01.html.

FUTURE CLOUDY FOR USDA HOUSEHOLD INSECT RESEARCH
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — All signs indicate that the pest control industry is on the verge of losing an important research outlet — the household insects unit at the USDA- ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Fla.

Household insects and fire ants are both CRISs (Current Research Information Systems) that make up the USDA- ARS’s Fire Ant and Household Insect Division, which develops control technologies and integrated management strategies for ants, cockroaches and fleas, and the mitigation of health implications associated with these pests.

The household insects CRIS is now down to just one full-time scientist, Dr. Steven Valles, a research entomologist. Dr. Richard Brenner, the research leader of the division, divides his time between the household insect CRIS and the fire ant CRIS.

"Anytime a staff is down to one-and-a-half persons that is usually the ‘kiss of death,’" said Phil Koehler, an urban entomologist with the University of Florida. "Usually when that happens, it means the program has one year left."

In the last 12 months, the household insect CRIS has been reduced by two scientists and in the last 10 years it has been reduced by six scientists due to fiscal reasons, according to Brenner, who has been at the Gainesville site the last 18 years. "The next 12 to 18 months will be absolutely critical to the program’s future," he said. "With the current resources it is very difficult to maintain any substantive research program in that specific area (household pests)."

Contributions from outside sources, such as the National Pest Management Association, helped the household insect CRIS continue its research in the 1980s and ’90s, but the unit has not received any budgetary increases since the early 1990s.

Although the household insects CRIS is struggling with financial difficulties, the fire ant CRIS recently received funding for a five-year research project. However, those funds must be used on that project only and cannot be used for the household insects CRIS. Most fire ant research conducted by ARS is for agricultural purposes and has few applications for the structural pest control industry. Research conducted on household structural pests, such as cockroaches and fleas, is done by the household insects CRIS.

Losing the USDA-ARS household insects CRIS would be a major blow to the industry because it is one of the few places that offers unbiased research to the structural pest control industry.

The future of household insect research at Gainesville is now largely dependent on whether or not the unit will receive the federal funding it needs to hire more scientists.

"I think it’s going to take a grass-roots political effort by different (pest control) organizations to contact their members of Congress and make sure they understand how important this is to the industry," Koehler said.

CONTROVERSAL ECOSMART AD CAMPAIGN DRAWS FIRE
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Bioganic Safety Brands, a new subsidiary of EcoSMART Technologies, has launched a ad campaign aimed to alert parents to the "potential risks that conventional pest control products may pose to children." The campaign was launched in conjunction with the introduction of the new subsidiary’s line of pest control products for consumers.

Actress Jane Seymour is the spokeswoman for the campaign, which was launched Feb. 8. The campaign, called "Care for Kids," urges parents to "look for and eliminate harmful pesticides from their homes and children’s schools and day care centers and replace them with safer alternatives," according to the campaign's Web site (which is currently unavailable).

Since the company was founded in 1992, EcoSMART has developed a line of alternative "botanical" pest control products, which are derived from plant essential oils sharing a common molecular structure. EcoSMART has named the combination of plant essential oils Hexa-Hydroxyl,® which kills insects by blocking specific neural pathways that don’t exist within mammals. Because the products do not affect mammals, the company deems them more "environmentally friendly" than traditional pesticides. Bioganic Safety Brands is EcoSMART’s retail division and sells a similar line of pest control products to retail stores such as Home Depot.

Although the subsidiary is completely separate from EcoSMART’s PCO division, EcoPCO, many in the pest control industry are wary of the Bioganic Safety Brands’ campaign message — which opposes the use of conventional pesticides, claiming they endanger children.

Gene Harrington, manager of government affairs, National Pest Management Association (NPMA), said the campaign criticizes the pest control industry in order to benefit EcoSMART. "It’s basically a manufacturer (of pest control products) saying, ‘If PCOs use traditional pesticides they’re putting their customers at risk, and PCOs should use our products because they’re safe.’"

But David Murphy, general manager of EcoSMART’s EcoPCO division, said the company is simply "responding to the growing demand for safer, alternative pesticides that is fueled by the Food Quality Protection Act. We just want to establish ourselves as a viable alternative in situations where these types of products are needed, such as school IPM programs and other sensitive accounts."

Murphy went on to say that, at its core, the campaign is an effort to promote and teach IPM in schools and homes. "Its goal is to raise awareness in the general public, particularly in homeowners that apply their own pest control products and aren’t fully educated in the potential health hazards due to misuse of traditional pesticides," he said.

And while Bioganic Safety Brands is publicizing the unique aspects of its products with the campaign, "They’re not doing anything but emphasizing some of the things the EPA has already," Murphy said. "My hope is that the campaign will push consumers to call a professional because they’ll realize they’re dealing with issues that they aren’t well educated in."

In addition, Murphy said the entire company is also helping to draft a 2001 school health and safety bill in Tennessee in conjunction with the Tennessee Pest Control Association. "It will mandate that all schools use a professional, licensed operator to apply pesticides," he said.

While the school safety bill echoes some of NPMA’s efforts to establish such laws in other states, Harrington remains skeptical of the Care for Kids campaign. "If they think this is going to make PCOs more inclined to use their products I suspect they’ll have a shock to their system," he said. "This is not an industry that is appreciative of the message, ‘Pesticides are poisoning people, use our product.'"

DOW TO ACQUIRE ROHM & HAAS UNIT
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The steady stream of consolidating pesticide manufacturers continued in March with the announcement that Dow AgroSciences would acquire a unit from specialty chemicals company Rohm & Haas, and the specialty chemical market looks to be assuming increasingly important roles for these companies as agricultural markets soften. Rohm & Haas primarily manufactures products for the turf and ornamental market.

"We are delighted with the proposed acquisition of the Rohm & Haas agricultural business, which includes its prominent fungicide lines, insecticides and herbicides," said Charlie Fischer, president and CEO of Dow AgroSci-ences. "These product lines complement and enhance Dow AgroSciences’ portfolio by adding high-performance, brand name products for specialty crops as well as turf and ornamental businesses."

Although federal regulations prohibit employees from talking specifically about the deal until it closes in the middle of the second quarter, the company is excited about its expanded product portfolio with the addition of Rohm & Haas’ fungicide, Eagle, and herbicide, Dimension. In addition, Dow acquires Rohm & Haas’ position in the joint venture RohMid, which owns the insecticide Mach-2 with BASF.

"Seeing our CEO specifically mention the T&O business tells you that this deal wasn’t just made for specialty crop reasons," said Scott Eicher, senior product manager, Dow AgroSciences, adding that many basic pesticide suppliers are now focusing more attention on non-ag markets. "If you look at the global agricultural business, you’ll see it’s either flat or contracting 1 to 2 percent annually. Where are the companies who sell into that market going to get new sales? They’re looking more at specialty businesses like T&O, vegetation management and pest control."

And the consolidating probably isn’t done. "The six largest basic suppliers have annual sales from $3 billion to more than $6 billion, but then the next largest company is down at $500 million, and there are about 10 manufacturers at that level," Eicher said. "As a manufacturer, you need to have enough critical mass to continue to afford the basic research and development for new products as well continue providing products with regulatory support.

"I’m not sure where or when the consolidation will end, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see more deals in the next 12 to 24 months between companies in that top tier and that second tier."

So what does this continued consolidation mean for the marketplace? "It makes the business interesting in that we are having fewer and fewer players as far as the chemical industry servicing this business — the growers and customers — and it seems to be the trend with all manufacturing in the U.S. as well as other industries," said Jeff Jetton, business communications manager, Rohm & Haas. "You have to have a critical mass to compete in this marketplace. If you can’t compete at that level the best thing for you to do is get out of the business."

WHITMIRE MICRO-GEN PHASES OUT DIAZINON
ST. LOUIS — On Dec. 5, 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency outlined a revised risk assessment for diazinon with registrants, including Whitmire Micro-Gen Research Laboratories. To meet the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) requirements, EPA and registrants have agreed to the following phased-in restrictions, cancellations and modifications of diazinon use:

• All retail sales of diazinon for residential crack and crevice treatments and all other indoor uses will be terminated by the end of 2002.

• Production of the aforementioned products will end March 1, 2001.

• The agreement virtually ends production in June 2003 and sales in August 2003 of diazinon for residential lawn care uses and requires significant reduction in all other outdoor, non-agricultural uses.

With this announcement, Whitmire Micro-Gen will discontinue future production of two diazinon products. The company has limited inventory of PT TKO Pressurized and PT TKO Capsule Suspension. These products will be available on a first-order basis. Current Whitmire Micro-Gen diazinon products in distribution and at the PCO level can also be sold and used until Dec. 31, 2002.

FMC ANNOUNCES BUSINESS MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP SERIES
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — FMC Corporation announces the launch of the 2001 Business Management Workshop Series featuring the FirstLine Termite Defense System. The one-day workshop will help pest management professionals to grow their business and improve their profitability using the FirstLine Termite Defense System and the new Guarantees of Support. The workshop series will kick off April 17, 2001, with meetings in New Orleans, La., and Sarasota, Fla., and will visit 30 locations nationally.

"Pest management professionals will gain valuable ideas for business growth in a fun, interactive setting. Not only will they learn the features and benefits of the FirstLine Termite Defense System and Guarantees of Support, but they’ll discover how to market the system and increase sales," said Rick Lewis, national sales support manager for FMC.

Designed to be interactive for attendees, the Business Management Workshops will provide PCOs with information and expertise to more effectively manage their business operations and increase financial rewards using the FirstLine Termite Defense System. The workshops will feature in-depth presentations on the following topics:

• Understanding The Proper Use Of The FirstLine Termite Defense System

• Data Proves The FirstLine Termite Defense System Controls Termites

• Marketing Made Simple For Pest Management Professionals

• Success With An Easy Selling Cycle

• More Profit Through Repeat Customers And Cross-Training Employees

• Maximizing Profit With The FirstLine Termite Defense System

• Tapping Into The Value Of FMC’s Guarantees Of Support For The FirstLine Termite Defense System

• Learn The Value Of SmartBait And How To Qualify For A Free Copy Of The Software

• Increase Your Bottom Line With FMC’s Alliance Rewards Program

The workshops will also feature demonstrations of the SMARTRAK Series of Software Solutions and how PCOs can use this technology. The workshops, which include lunch, refreshments and all the necessary educational materials, are free to qualified PCOs interested in the FMC Guarantee of Support Program. Attending the Business Management Workshop is one of the required steps for eligibility to participate in the Guarantee of Support Program.

For a complete schedule of dates and locations, or more information on the FirstLine Termite Defense System Business Management Workshops Series, call Maria Miller at 800/456-0707 or visit www.fmc-apgspec.com or www.pctonline.com/events.

LOUISIANA EXECUTIVE JOINS CPCO
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — The Certified Pest Control Operators of Florida (CPCO) added Cole Schober to its team, effective this month.

Schober will serve as the CPCO director of education and member services. "He will develop and implement programs for technician and license continuing education, conferences, seminars and hands-on workshops," said CPCO Executive Director Mel Edelstein. "He will also use these opportunities to spur continued growth in membership."

Although new to Florida, Schober is not a new face to the pest control industry. He formerly served as the executive director of the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Pest Control Association (LPCA). Schober explains that his experiences at LPCA have prepared him for this role – a role he said he eagerly anticipates.

"Through our involvement together in the Pest Control Executives’ Council (formerly the Forum), I had the opportunity to observe just how dynamic the CPCO really is. The members of CPCO have a revolutionary spirit that permeates their membership. I plan to put my knowledge and skills to work for the members of CPCO…I can’t wait," Schober said.

GROUP SURVEYS PEST PROFESSIONALS
DUNN LORING, VA. — According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides (NCAMP)/Beyond Pesticides is circulating a survey to pest management professionals across the country inquiring about the products they use to manage pests, their definition of Integrated Pest Management, and other pest management-related topics.

Previous surveys have been used to put pest management professionals in a negative light and PCOs should anticipate the information requested in this questionnaire once again being used against the industry, NPMA said.

PCOs should contact Bob Rosenberg (rosenberg@pestworld.org) or Gene Harrington (gharrington@pestworld.org) at 800/678-6722 with questions.

 

ARROW ACQUIRES TWO GEORGIA COMPANIES
ATLANTA — Arrow Exterminators recently acquired Morris Pest Control of Cordele, Ga., and All Seasons Pest Control of Lilburn, Ga. The Morris acquisition will be merged into Arrow Exterminators’ Americus, Ga., office. Pail Sigman, former owner of All Seasons, will join Arrow as manager of the Tampa, Fla., office.

"Morris is a fine company and a dominant player in the Cordele market," said Jeff Singley, southern Georgia regional vice president, Arrow Exterminators. "This acquisition will make a great fit for us in South Georgia."

MCCLOUD AND AEI FORM MARKET ALLIANCE
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — McCloud Services, a regional pest management company based in Schaumburg, Ill., and AEI Environmental, a national manufacturer of environmental controls, have announced a strategic alliance, according to Phil McCloud and Robert J. Wagner.

The companies recently joined forces to provide odor control and cooling services to food processing and other industrial markets, said McCloud, president of the 96-year-old pest management company.

"Since McCloud Services provides pest control to the food industry in Illinois, Iowa, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas and Tennessee, we are now expanding our service offerings to include the odor control and cooling benefits that two of AEI’s products provide," McCloud said. "We’re committed to the protection of the environment, health, property and food, and these services enhance our commitment."

AEI is a five-year-old company that provides environmentally sensitive, cost-effective solutions to the company’s customers, said Greg Ransdell, president of the Franklin, Ky.-based company.

ARS: CAMPHOR CURBS ASIAN LADY BEETLES
BELTSVILLE, Md. — According to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) News Service, camphor effectively repels the multicolored Asian lady beetle and could be a way to repel the insects as they attempt to overwinter indoors, ARS scientists report in a recently published paper.

The results may help researchers balance the need for protecting this beneficial insect against the public’s concern for the nuisance the beetles create. The research was published in the November 2000 issue of the Annals of the Entomological Society of America.

The multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, is originally from China, and was introduced to the U.S. in 1916. The beetle has been an effective biological control agent for aphids and scale insects.

Researchers with the Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., used bioassays to determine the ability of the plant compounds camphor and menthol to repel the beetle. Preliminary test results indicate that camphor and menthol vapors are an irritant to the beetle’s chemosensory organs. These organs — like little taste buds — were found to be so sensitive that the vapors from the two compounds were enough to repel the lady beetles.

Other scientists have found that adult beetles use visual or physical cues to find acceptable overwintering sites. These locations are usually the sunnier or warmer sides of buildings in the afternoon or prominent, exposed, light-colored buildings. Once beetles are at the chosen site, they then resort to using chemical cues to locate the exact crevice they want to inhabit within the structure. Researchers believe that the source of these chemical cues may be beetle feces from the previous winter, the odor of beetles that died at the site or an attractant pheromone.

This evidence suggests that Asian lady beetles could be controlled using a "push-pull" strategy. They could be "pushed" from their overwintering sites by the camphor repellant and "pulled" into traps — using chemicals that mimic the natural cues they use to identify sites — without harming them.

J.T EATON VOLUNTARILY CEASES PRODUCTION OF SEVERAL PRODUCTS IN WAKE OF EPA INQUIRY
TWINSBURG, Ohio — In mid-January, J.T. Eaton & Co. notified its distributors that "due to problems in manufacturing and production" the company decided to suspend the sale of certain rodenticide, bird and insecticide products, prompting some in the industry to speculate that the longtime product supplier was the target of an EPA investigation. "I don’t know what the situation is there," said one well-known distributor, "but I do know they have some regulatory problems."

While representatives of the EPA’s Regional Counsel Office (Region 5) would not confirm or deny any action against the Twinsburg, Ohio-based firm, in mid-February J.T. Eaton released a statement that the product suspension came as a result of an Agency "inquiry into three products in which various reports and samples were provided to the EPA." In the meantime, the company voluntarily ceased manufacturing all of its EPA-registered products until further review.

According to a press release from the company, no mandate was issued by the Agency to stop the manufacture and sale of the products. Instead, J.T. Eaton is conducting a self-compliant audit of all registered products. "The suspension of production has enabled the company to use this time to thoroughly evaluate and analyze our product line," said Jack Polenick, a spokesperson for the company. J.T. Eaton hopes to return several of the affected products to the marketplace in the near future, although no specific timetable has been announced. "We hope to have one particular product back on line in the next two weeks, a rodenticide.

"We are most concerned that our customers continue to receive quality bait products with as little disruption as possible during this time of evaluation and transition," Polenick said. "We want to assure our customers that we will continue to be a major supplier of professional pest control products." The company’s line of mechanical traps, glue traps and bait stations are unaffected by the EPA audit.

"ANTHOLOGY: THE BEST OF STOY HEDGES" NOW AVAILABLE
CLEVELAND — With more than 20 years of field research and experience, Stoy Hedges is known throughout the pest management industry as a leader. Since 1985, Hedges has been sharing his extensive expertise in the field of pest management with the readers of PCT and Service Technician magazines.

"ANThology: The Best of Stoy Hedges," is a comprehensive collection of the most important articles written by Hedges for PCT and Service Technician magazines during the past decade, all fully revised and updated. Topics covered include ants, cockroaches, flying insects, rodents, bats, stinging pests, integrated pest management and case histories. In addition, the book features two new chapters focusing on "IPM in Hospitals" and "Making Training Fun."

Hedges, manager of technical services at Terminix International, has also written a series of "technician quizzes" to accompany each chapter, making the book particularly useful as a training tool. The quizzes are designed to assist in the learning process and ensure thorough comprehension of the material – a great interactive tool for technician training programs or independent studies.

The new nine-chapter book was edited by PCT Managing Editor Brad Harbison. To order, call the PCT Media Group at 800/456-0707 or visit http://www.pctonline.com/store.

VIDEO RELEASE TO INCREASE MOSQUITO AWARENESS
DALLAS — Attendees of the 2001 American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) trade show got a sneak peak of a television news segment scheduled for national distribution in the near future. The threat of mosquito-borne diseases and the use of larvicides to prevent mosquito problems are the focus of the news story developed by Zoecon Professional Products to educate the general public about the seriousness of mosquito-borne diseases such as the West Nile virus. Television outlets across the country will have an opportunity to air the segment during their regular news broadcasts later this spring. To view the video news release, scroll up to the top of this page.

WEBTRENDS

The following is a list of new or updated industry Web sites. E-mail jdorsch@pctonline.com with new sites.

• Cleary Chemical — www.clearychemical.com

• 4th International Conference On Urban Pests — http://entweb.clemson.edu/urban/icup2002.htm.

• Nixalite — www.nixalite.com

• New Insect-O-Cutor site with MSDS labels — www.insect-o-cutor.com