Bugs On The Internet

These days, hardly a moment goes by that someone isn’t talking about the Internet. It jumped into the minds and homes of Americans faster than any other previous new communication medium. And as a means of communication, it has arguably made as much impact, more quickly and more dramatically, than any other communication method before it, save the printing press.

And though they’re cliches, most of the Internet catch phrases ring true -- it is a virtual library at one’s fingertips, and it can bring an entire world’s worth of information right into your living room or office.

But how valuable is the information to the pest control industry? And is the information found floating out in cyberspace useful for PCOs? The answer it seems is somewhere in the middle, with some Internet sites serving as treasure troves for online PCOs, and others acting as vehicles for dangerous misinformation. For example, on a recent trip through the Internet, Jim Harmon, a pest control operator who frequently looks to cyberspace for information relating to his business found an innovative and deadly solution for flea control. "A few people were advising to spray diazinon on your dogs for flea control, or to feed them diazinon," he said. Harmon, a board certified entomologist, who works with A Perfect Pest Control Company in San Gabriel, Calif., set them straight. "If you spray diazinon on your dog, you may kill the fleas," he told them, "but your dog will die with them."

More and more pest control operators, such as Harmon, are using the Internet as an important resource, and though they are finding all sorts of misinformation out there, many have also found it to be a gold mine for research and networking.

The Internet, a global array of computers all linked by telephone lines, features four main components, and pest control users are actively involved in each: electronic mail, the World Wide Web, newsgroups (sometimes referred to as bulletin boards) and on-line chat groups.

Following are the stories of four pest control company mangers and their experience with using the Internet as a tool for modern pest control.

Jim Vaive, Varmet Guard, Columbus, Ohio.

"I have 114 E-mail messages in my box right now," says Vaive whose company is hooked up to 20 different newsgroups that provide him with the information he uses to manage his pest control business. "We are on business newsgroups, finance newsgroups and pest control newsgroups," he said. "They are helping us with a competitive advantage."

Vaive has also used the Internet to form connections across the continents. "People around the world have different ideas about pest control," he says. "

Even though his company has a web-site (www.varmentguard.com), Vaive said his involvement with the Internet is not so much out of choice, but out of necessity. Vaive insists that he can’t afford not to keep up with the developing Internet. "We are staying ahead of all the new trends going through the universities and staying ahead of some carpenter ant things and termite things. Anybody who ignores the Internet and ignores getting together with people around the world is missing the boat."

But it’s not all smooth surfing, Vaive warns. "It’s a purchasing investment, but it is also a time investment. When I first got online I spent hours and hours searching for good information. It takes a lot of time but it’s made us more competitive."

Bill Kolbe, Western Industries, Parsippany, N.J.

For Western Industries, the Internet serves as an information resource tool. Kolbe has tried to use each of the Internet’s major components. "We are using it for some job searches by putting out the positions we have available," said Kolbe who also belongs to several newsgroups, including one devoted to spiders. "We are staying in touch with e-mail addresses," he explains. "The more I learn, and the more I network, the more opportunities there are."

In addition to business and networking pursuits, Kolbe also uses the Internet for technical pest control and regulatory information. For example, he uses the Internet to access different federal agencies related to pest control. "You can access the federal register, see the changes to it, and then download the documents," he explains.

Sharilyn Gunn, Hurt Exterminating, Odessa, Texas.

Gunn has used the Internet as a library of pest information. "If we have an insect that we don’t know what it is, we usually use the Internet to find out how to control it. I haven’t had a need to go to our personal library sources, because the computer will tell you anything. It is beneficial to any small business owner."

Tim Leatherman, Dawn Exterminating, Edgewood, Ky.

What was just a personal past time when he first went online, has now become a business task, said Tim Leatherman. Leatherman said he regularly visits the military web site on pest management and university entomology departments, which publish their research online. It is no surprise that the military, which developed the Internet, and universities, which were active online long before it became mainstream, should have fully developed web sites for educating the public.

"The military has information on some of the strange insects that come across from overseas," he explains. "There are articles for instance on pest control problems in the Gulf War, and there are pictures of some bugs I’ve never heard of."

One of the university sites Leatherman visits is operated by Purdue’s Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management. The center’s site is part of a larger site at Purdue dedicated to pest management information and research (http://www.entm.purdue.edu) There are studies on ants and roaches and papers that are published on there that you can download," he said. Leatherman also said there is also practical information on various products and application methods. "Some of the research papers I’ve read were on ant baiting, and where you are supposed to apply the bait. It was for a product we were using too much of and it saved us money. Some of the information is useful, but a lot of it is just stuff that I’d like to know."

For example, Leatherman said, one of the university sites he visits has information on rodenticides and how they affect the neurological systems of mice and rats. Leatherman said such detailed information would not have been easily accessible if it wasn’t for the Internet. Leatherman has also seen some of the misinformation available on the Internet. "Sometimes," he said, "you even find pest control operators who don’t know what they are talking about." Leather was offering advice on America Online’s "Ask a Pest Control Operator" forum for homeowners, when he came across a PCO misinforming a homeowner. "One time I was talking to somebody about carpenter ants, and a supposed pest control operator told them they should spray the place with Dursban, and that would take care of it. That is not true, and I told them right away. With carpenter ants you use a lot of insecticide dust and you treat the outside if they are foraging from the outside." Another homeowner had a problem with bats, Leatherman said, and someone told him to put ammonia in a pan and put it up in the attic. "But what he needed to do was exclude them," Leatherman said.

Though he finds it useful, Leatherman said there are still some things that are lacking on the internet for pest control operators. "There’s a lot of call for a forum that we could use to educate homeowners, realtors and other industries that complement or work with us. We need to better educate the people who use our services. There are a lot of people who don’t think about what we do."

Harmon agrees. "The Internet is a very much under-used tool at this point in time. A lot of people aren’t set up on computers. But the Internet is one of the most powerful information sources and networking sources that was ever invented."

Certainly not every pest control company is actively involved with the Internet, despite the significance it represents to the exchange of information. But as the Internet further develops, the future will most likely entail more and more PCOs crawling around inside the web, searching for bits of information, and leaving the "bugs" to computer programmers.

Jennifer Hanson is a writer in Chicago, Illinois. Steve Smith, assistant editor of PCT, provided additional reporting.

Editor’s note: Look to PCT Online for more reporting on PCOs and the internet. Stories planned include topics such as how to design and maintain a web site for your pest control company and survey research on the way PCOs are using the Internet.