OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is beginning its annual hunt for pests that threaten the state’s environment and agricultural industry. Trappers will set thousands of traps statewide to monitor for the introduction or spread of over 130 invasive pests and diseases, including spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth), Asian giant hornet, apple maggot and Japanese beetle. 

Trappers have already started setting the first traps for Japanese beetle in the Grandview area where more than 24,000 beetles were trapped last year. Trappers will also place approximately 20,000 spongy moth traps statewide this summer. Both spongy moths and Japanese beetles attack over 300 different types of plants, which could be devastating to the environment and agriculture should they become established. 

Trapping for Asian giant hornet workers will not start until July when worker hornets should become more active. WSDA will trap exclusively in Whatcom County. However, the agency will also be encouraging citizen scientists to trap for these invasive pests again this year, especially in Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, Island, Clallam, and Jefferson counties. Citizen scientist trapping instructions are available on WSDA’s website. 

While trapping for Asian giant hornets continues to be important for locating nests, WSDA is still asking residents to report all suspected sightings. Public reports have accounted for more than half of Washington’s confirmed hornet sightings. Suspect hornet sightings can be reported at agr.wa.gov/hornets, via email at hornets@agr.wa.gov, or by calling 1-800-443-6684. While all reports are encouraged, a photo or specimen is necessary for confirmation.

WSDA has spent decades trapping for invasive pests that threaten agriculture or the environment. Their trapping efforts combined with public reports have prevented invasive pests such as the spongy moth and citrus longhorn beetle from establishing in Washington and devastating trees, forests, parks, farms, and gardens. Spongy moth, for example, has destroyed entire swaths of forests in the Eastern U.S. where it is established. Despite first detecting the moth in 1974, state and public efforts have prevented the moth from taking up residence in the state for nearly 50 years. 

Stacy O’Reilly, owner and president of Plunkett’s Pest Control, said, “Hansen Services stood out to us because of their family values and wonderful client relations, and we are working closely with Robin and Tom to help integrate clients into the Plunkett system, and to help transition their technicians and office staff to positions at Plunkett’s. I have a lot of respect for the company that Robin and her father built and the partnership they developed with their clients. We are looking forward to learning from the team and doing what we can to help everyone continually grow and improve.”

Hansen Services owners, Robin and Tom Stewart, said, “Good employees and customers are the backbone of our company. We decided to sell to Plunkett’s because we share the same business philosophy. We treat employees like family and customers like friends. I know both will be treated well by Stacy and her Team at Plunkett’s.”

Hansen Services was started by Robin’s father, Donald Hansen, in 1983, out of their family’s basement. Since then, it has evolved into a thriving and successful pest control company, thanks in large part to the assistance of Robin and her husband, Tom. Robin and Tom took over officially in 2004, making sure to continue Donald’s tradition of personable, client-first pest control services.

SARASOTA, Fla. - NaturZone Managing Partner Andrew Longfellow announced a major investment in people and promotions to support the growth of the company.

Longfellow said, “Our team's successful execution of NaturZone's vision to provide world-class customer service to our clients within the Southwest region of Florida is evidenced by our client retention rate of greater than 96% in 2021, while maintaining record-breaking growth in our portfolio of clients. The team's sucess has afforded us the opportunity to invest heavily in additional support roles for service, admin, and sales in 2022 to ensure our clients are getting the world-class service they've come to expect as we continue to grow. We are pleased to announce the following promotions”  

Mike Christiansen, Field Coordinator
Christiansen will oversee the Quality Assurance department, technician training / development and assist Operations Manager, Sean Cleary with day-to-day service operations. Mike has been with NaturZone since 2012 in roles as a technician and service manager. Prior to joining NaturZone he spent 20 years in the hospitality business.

Scott Michalski, Service Manager
Michalski joined NaturZone as a Service Technician in 2019. With a strong background in customer service and front-line management, he quickly learned the new industry and has used his positive mental attitude and customer service skills to satisfy clients across the greater Tampa Bay area. He will now serve NaturZone in a new role as Service Manager for Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Jordan Hager, Service Manager
Hagar entered the pest control industry eight years ago in Freehold, New Jersey. Since moving to Florida in 2018 Jordan has been an integral part of the NaturZone team, servicing clients across Manatee, and Sarasota Counties. He will now serve NaturZone's team and our clients as Service Manager for the Greater Sarasota area.

Leon Rodriguez, Service Manager
Rodriguez came to pest control after working in the security industry for over 20 years. Since joining NaturZone in 2016, Leon has put smiles on the faces of his clients across Hillsborough County and beyond. He will now serve NaturZone's team and our clients as Service Manager for the Greater Tampa area

Sean DeWeese, Quality Assurance Team
DeWeese has been working in the pest control industry for over 18 years. He moved from New Jersey to Florida in 2018 and has been an integral part of the NaturZone team since, serving clients across Sarasota County. Sean will now use his vast experience to service our clients and team as Quality Assurance technician across Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties.
Bryce Smith, Quality Assurance Team
Smith joined NaturZone three years ago as a service technician after many years working in the maintenance industry. He quickly excelled at his position and will now serve our clients as Quality Assurance Technician across Pinellas, Polk and Hillsborough counties.

Kristen Keyes, Sales Support Specialist
Keyes will be transitioning from an Admin position to a sales hybrid role focused on improving communication across sales, service and admin, as well as building relationships with clients at marketing events across NaturZone's service area. Kristen has been in the pest control industry for five years and a part of the NaturZone team since 2019.

For more information about the company go to: www.naturzone.com