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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In a state known for its abundant opportunities for continuing education, over 450 pest management professionals, educators and industry suppliers made it a priority to attend the 62nd annual Texas A&M University Pest Management Conference and Workshop in January.
“This is one of the largest meetings we’ve had in the past few years,” said Dr. Roger Gold, organizer of the annual event. “We were particularly pleased with the response to the presentation given by the graduate students wherein they reported on the results of their research programs.”
Among student papers this year were talks on a new crazy ant species invading the Houston area by Ph.D. candidate Jason Meyers. Several master’s candidates gave updates on research projects, including crazy ant nutritional requirements by Rachel Wynalda, termite species distribution in Texas by Tara McGuigan and fire ant control by aerial application by Aaron Thompson. In addition, students hosted the annual insect identification workshop, designed to challenge PCOs’ identification skills.
One of the meeting highlights is a nighttime visit to the Urban Entomology Center located on the Texas A&M University campus. The tour provides another opportunity for students to practice communication skills as they explain their research to interested groups passing through their lab space.
In addition to current students, the A&M Conference attracts recent urban entomology graduates, to share their ongoing interests and knowledge. Graduate Janis Reed, now technical director for ABC Pest and Termite Control in Austin, Texas, spoke about special problems in bed bug control. Recent graduates Molly Keck and Kim Schofield, now entomologists with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, talked about fire ant control in special accounts, including nursing homes and schools. Wizzie Brown, now also an extension entomologist, shared her passion for cockroaches, their identification and management.
But the conference covered more than bugs. “This was the first time we were able to offer CEU credits for business talks,” said Gold. Local attorney Ed Elmore gave an interesting overview of business organization and tax options for people starting a business.
The A&M conference site also is popular among exhibitors. “This is a great meeting for exhibitors,” said H.F. Warns, regional sales manager for Zoecon Professional Products. “The proximity of the exhibit hall to conference rooms and break areas means lots of opportunities for us to meet and mingle.”
The conference closed with a series of mini-workshops in commercial kitchen insect pest management, fumigation and termite management. “We try to add hands-on experiential learning where we can,” said Gold. “Through this one conference, the (PCOs) not only receive all their required CEUs for 2008, but have the opportunity to practice their skills and interact with some of the best and the brightest young minds in the industry.”