Letters, e-mails and faxes from PCT readers
MOSQUITOES CONSIDERED VIRUS "FACTORS"
Your Newsworthy article (PCT, November 1999) on the encephalitis outbreak in New York was great. I’ve fielded many questions about this situation and the article was as clear as the murky facts we have about West Nile-like virus will allow. The only statement that I had a little trouble with said that the virus does not affect the birds and mosquitoes that carry it. While the Centers for Disease Control can’t say that it was the virus that killed all those crows, it most certainly was at least one of the factors in the sudden die off. The mosquitoes are another matter.Since the mosquitoes are biological vectors (the virus actually reproduces and multiplies in the mosquito), the virus must take resources from the wee beast. A disease doesn’t have to kill you to have an affect. It is important to realize these mosquitoes aren’t just flying dirty hypodermic needles. If they were, then every mosquito could carry every disease. West Nile-like virus is a disease of specific Culex mosquitoes that carry it and of birds that has spilled over into the horse and human population.
Lynn A. DuBose, Florida Vector Control Specialist, Van Waters & Rogers Inc., Spring Hill, Fla.
NEW LOOK A HIT
showed the January issue of PCT to my wife Ruth (she majored in journalism at Temple University) for comment. She was impressed with the imaginative layout, the increased use of color and general jazzing up the appearance. You have certainly gone all out in establishing yourself with the new "E" age, in communication, education, marketing, webbing, etc. Your inclusion of e-mail addresses for each staff member and author is especially useful. All this boggles the minds of the older generation. The only criticism I have is that the print could be a little darker or bolder.
Harry Katz, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
THANK YOU FOR JANUARY COVER STORY
Thanks for the article "Why I Sold" by Don Jamison in your January 2000 issue. I am a former employee of Jamison Pest Control, having worked for 2½ years in the termite division for Don and leaving the company just 7 months prior to the sale, due to moving out of town. After the sale was made, I was contacted by one of my former coworkers with the news of the sale. Now, with the reputation that Jamison Pest Control had in the Memphis/Mid-South area, the news was a little bit of a shock. I then contacted several other former coworkers who told me several different stories as to why Don sold the company.
I was never able to contact Don myself to get his side of the story, even though it really wasn’t any of my business. But you see, Jamison Pest Control was more than just a business, and Don Jamison was more than just an employer. The company itself was a family and Don was like a father to a lot of us that worked there. I personally respect and admire Don and truly believe that I am a better person today because of my association and friendship with him. He is a great man and a great friend. Even though it has been almost two years since I have seen Don, I truly and sincerely believe that if I needed something and he was the only person I could get in touch with, he would bend over backwards to try and help me out. I miss Don as an employer, but I miss him more as a friend. I wish I could have been there a little over a year ago to help him through the ordeals of the sale. Thanks, Don, for telling your story "Why You Sold" and thanks to PCT for printing it.
Jimmy Bass, Sales Inspector, Orkin Pest Control, Paducah, Ky.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
Don Jamison speaks about agonizing over many business and personal decisions before selling the company to the best (for him) bidder and walking away from 100 upset employees. He admits that 70 percent of his employees left the new employer within the first year. I guess that was due to lowered pay rates and/or worsened working conditions. Speaking as a technician, could you also feature an article about someone selling his business who made sure his employees were taken care of?
Bob Seljan, Service Technician, Cleveland, Ohio
LEADERSHIP THANKS
This year’s Leadership Awards event was extra special due to PCT Publisher Dan More-land’s effort and the PCT and Zeneca staffs. Thank you for continuing this great experience that allows us to learn of the personal lives and accomplishments of those that are honored.
Larry Musgrove, Company Affairs Representative, Western Exterminator Co., Solvang, Calif.
YOU PICKED THE RIGHT MAN
I just finished reading the article "Pro of the Year" in the December 1999 issue of PCT. I could not think of an individual more deserving of the 17th annual "Professional of the Year" award than Norm Goldenberg.
The article explains in detail Norm’s commitment and ability to do whatever is necessary to help our industry. He has set the standard for others to follow. He is known throughout the industry as the pest control industry’s ambassador, but to those of us who have the privilege to know him personally he is more than that — he is a valued friend.
P.S. — I have been witness to many of Norman’s accomplishments and I can honestly say success has not changed Norman Goldenberg. No, I’m wrong. He has changed. He is a better dresser, thanks to his wonderful wife Diane.
Mel Edelstein, Aim Pest Control, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
CORRECTION
We note that the November issue of PCT contains a figure attributed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service that supposedly maps the U.S. distribution of Formosan termites.
We wish to inform you that we have no evidence that Formosan termites have ever been found in Arizona. We routinely identify termites for the public and the urban pest control industry. Thus, if Formosan termites had been found in our state, we would be aware of this important development.
Thank you for informing your readership of what we believe to be an error in your distribution map.
Paul Baker & Robert L. Smith, University of Arizona, College of Agriculture, Department of Entomology, Tucson, Ariz.
Readers with comments are invited to write to PCT, 4012 Bridge Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113. Or, e-mail letters to Jodi Dorsch at jdorsch@pctonline.com. Letters may be edited for space or clarity.
