Last year this time, pest management professionals were forecasting a robust termite control season for 2020.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, which shut down the country in late March just as the termite season was kicking off in some areas, they got it.

In fact, 56 percent of PMPs said the COVID-19 pandemic had no impact on their termite control business, according to the 2021 PCT State of the Termite Control Market survey, which was sponsored by BASF and conducted by Readex, an independent research company.

Annual revenue from termite control services averaged 25.6 percent or $337,000 and was increasingly important to companies’ fiscal health. More than half (53 percent) of PMPs said termite services increased as a percentage of overall company revenue in the past three years; 39 percent said termite control was more significant to a company’s bottom line than it was five years ago.

Three factors helped create a surprisingly good year for termite control in 2020: more time spent at home, a robust real estate market, and conducive weather conditions

To protect the health, food and property of their customers, PMPs are not able to stay at home; instead they are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, performing essential pest control services throughout North America. How have they done it? Through personal sacrifice and doing what successful entrepreneurs always do, adapting quickly to rapidly changing market conditions and evolving as a business.

While challenging days, no doubt, still lie ahead, the advent of spring is about new beginnings; flowers start blooming, termites begin swarming and customers become aware of increased pest activity around their homes and businesses. But this industry is no stranger to challenges, and one thing is for certain, our pest control partners always rise to the occasion.

On behalf of BASF, let me send my sincere gratitude for your continued support, strength and market commitment in the face of adversity. And let me reassure you that we at BASF will not waver in our commitment to your success either. Our #1 priority has always been and will remain to deliver on the promise of providing a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality pest control solutions designed to grow your profit potential and ensure your success.

Towards that end, we’re proud of the contributions of the Trelona^® ATBS Annual Bait Stations, Advance® Termite Bait System and Termidor^® HE termiticide, the most trusted name in termite control. BASF is leading the fight against termites with best-in-class insecticides and termiticides, as well as technologically advanced injection, monitoring and baiting systems. Whether your specific area is residential, commercial, pre-construction or post-construction, BASF has the products with a proven track record of success and the people with your best interests at heart.

Although the pandemic requires us to keep our physical distance from one another, our sincere hope is we will come out of this closer than ever through a spirit of understanding, support and solidarity. Let’s stay strong together!

Kind regards,

Dave Poling

Manager, Regional Marketing

BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions

A supergene is a collection of neighboring genes located on a chromosome that are inherited together due to close genetic linkage. Studying these unique genes is important to understanding the potential causes for differences among the social structure of fire ants, specifically for controlling the species and building upon the existing knowledge base.

Researchers focused on young queen fire ants embarking on nuptial flights. They compared the supergene’s impact on the fire ants’ two primary types of social structures: monogyne, which is reproduction from queens that form a new nest, and pologyne, reproduction from queens that join an existing nest.

Ross initially worked alongside colleagues in his lab to discover a remarkable example of genetically encoded differences in social organization within the fire ant species Solenopsis invicta. The next step was to understand how these genetic differences result in complex behavioral and physiological variations among ants from single queen colonies versus colonies with multiple queens. Compounding this knowledge helps scientists further understand patterns of development in the species, increasing alternatives to combat invasive populations.

Led by a pair of UGA entomology graduate alumni, Joanie King, who earned her master’s degree in 2017, and Samuel Arsenault, who earned his doctoral degree in 2020, the team developed an experimental design that utilized a collection of samples from two fire ant organs — brain and ovarian tissues — and the complete range of social chromosome genotypes and social forms within this fire ant species.

The study incorporated various scientific methods, leading to a collaboration of tools and resources throughout many different areas of the institution.

“UGA was a very supportive environment to conduct this research,” said Brendan Hunt, associate professor of entomology. “We received help preparing samples for RNA- sequencing from Dr. Bob Schmitz’s lab in the genetics department, performed the sequencing at the Georgia Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, and utilized computational resources from the Georgia Advanced Computing Resource Center to analyze the data.”

These types of student-led projects give young researchers the chance to grow in a hands-on environment with mentorship and guidance from scientists with proven track records in the field.

“The graduate students gained experience that helped them transition to the next stages of their careers,” said Hunt. “Both have gone on to continue their studies of ant genetics.”

After earning their degrees and completing the research at UGA, King began pursuing a doctorate at Texas A&M University to study alongside Edward Vargo, and Arsenault works as a postdoctoral researcher with Harvard University’s Buck Trible Lab.

Source: Sean Montgomery/University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences News