<FONT color=blue>PCT on the Road:</FONT> University of Kentucky Short Course Coverage

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 38th annual University of Kentucky Pest Control Short Course, held this past week in Lexington, Ky., showcased the many facets of the pest management industry.

The first day’s speakers included George Rotramel and Pepe Peruyero, who covered two add-on services becoming more important to pest management professionals: rodent exclusion and prevention, and bed bug detection dogs.

Sponsors of the short course are BASF, Bayer Environmental Science, Bell Laboratories, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Professional Products, FMC Professional Solutions and Oldham Chemicals.

SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TECHNICIANS. George Rotramel, who runs a consulting company in Chicago, gave assembled pest management professionals a list of seven challenges – and opportunities – for rodent control. He said that companies can use these situations to sell their inspection and prevention services to current clients.

1. Abandoned homes. Home foreclosures are increasing mosquito calls, but the abandoned homes (and their stagnant swimming pools) are also going to increase rodent calls, Rotramel said. Companies can develop inspection and rodent-proofing services and programs for lenders and Realtors.

2. Less-frequent garbage pickup. With many cities struggling to make ends meet, services are bound to be cut. Sanitation departments may be picking up garbage less frequently, which can increase pest pressure, exposure and rodent harborage, he said.

3. More sanitation citations and business closures. As the economy tightens, local governments will try to increase their revenue through increased ticketing of out-of-compliance restaurants. Rotramel said technicians should emphasize their exclusion and evidence removal services, and discourage customers from using glue boards and sticky traps on their own.

4. More bans on inside smoking. As people move outside to light up, they prop doors open. “When the rat goes busting down an alley, (the door is) a scoop,” Rotramel said. “Exclusion is what you should be concentrating on, because we’re more and more limited on our options (for product use) indoors.”

5. More plastic garbage carts and Dumpsters. Rotramel cautioned attendees that these trash receptacles are not rodent proof; mice and rats can easily chew through the bottoms, creating instant buffets. “A Dumpster with the lid down and chains around it may make the health department happy but that Dumpster is feeding rats,” he said.

6. More curbside dog feces pickup laws. When building associations and governments require pet owners to dispose of their dog waste in unsecured containers, they create feeders for rodents, Rotramel said.

7. EPA’s rodenticide mitigation decision. This recent rule change will mean more DIY mouse control failures, Rotramel said, which creates an opportunity for pest management professionals. “This is an opportunity for the people who know what they’re doing. It’s going to be a zoo,” he said.

A HAIRLESS DOG NAMED NUDEY. Jose “Pepe” Peruyero, president and CEO of J&K Canine Academy in High Springs, Fla., spoke to attendees about the use of dogs to detect bed bugs.

Dogs can be used to find drugs, bodies, even some types of cancer, and have been gaining popularity as an add-on service for pest management professionals, who use them to locate termites and bed bugs.

Dogs used for insect detection can differentiate between dead and live bugs, as well as eggs, and other distractors (e.g., cast skins and feces), Peruyero said.

J&K, which developed a proprietary dog training method and has offices in Florida, California, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., recently did work at a 728-unit condo complex. Peruyero said it would have taken 15 human inspectors to do the work of three bed bug detection dog teams.

“Bed bugs are the new termites,” he said, adding that IPM programs are “one of the most critical parts where a dog can be beneficial.”

Peruyero offered these tips to companies thinking about using dogs in their service offerings:

• Ask how long the dog has been working
• Don’t try to make the dog a part of your family. Remember that the dogs are there to work
• Make sure the handler and the dog can work as a team
• Make sure you have a direct line of communication to the trainer of your dog
• Be certified. Otherwise, your work might not hold up in court

He said his company sells dogs for $9,500, which covers the dog and a one-week training course for the dog’s handler. In all, a company could spend between $80,000 and $100,000 to buy and train a dog and a dedicated handler (including a truck, insurance, vet bills, etc.).

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The conference’s second day of presenters included:

• Jerome Goddard, Mississippi State University, who spoke about the importance of pest management to maintaining public health, and the entomology of stinging and biting pests
• Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian, Rose Pest Solutions, Troy, Mich., who spoke about how companies can approach seemingly impossible problems
• Jay Bruesch, Plunkett’s Pest Control, Fridley, Minn., told attendees that their methods of pest management are already “green” and that they just need to communicate that to their customers
• Ted Granovsky, Granovsky Associates, Bryan, Texas, spoke about how technicians can use pest scat and other evidence to help identify and solve their clients’ problems
• T.J. Neary, Insect Technologies, Lexington, Ky., led a discussion about real-world strategies for treating bed bugs and pest management in restaurants

In addition, attendees viewed exhibits during evening and morning receptions from manufacturers and industry suppliers.