Pest Geek Podcast

Flies coming from every direction and you don’t know where they are coming from, using google earth to identify potential breeding sites.

Rodent business is booming, rodent populations are on the rise could it be global warming? With 2nd Generation, Anticoagulant off the retail shelves are homeowners giving up? James Rodriguez Technical Director JT Eaton Co., Inc Direct (330) 840-8606 Intro By Paul Strickland Account Manager Bayer Crop Science Southern Mississippi

Ethan talks about integrated snap traps. Integrated snap traps allow for the full force of the spring to be used during the kill. Because there’s no recoil, the trap provides maximum power as opposed to free standing snap traps. VM Products’ EZ Snap Line features integrated snap traps and includes a brand-new product, The EZ Seeker. VM Products Company Bio Texas-based VM Products is celebrating its 15th anniversary as a leading manufacturer of innovative rodent control solutions for the pest control industry. Founded in 2003, VM Products was born out of a need to provide innovative solutions that didn’t exist in the pest control market. Founders Ethan Vickery and Danny Myers are longtime colleagues in the industry – Vickery was a sales representative in the field with extensive industry knowledge of rodent control and Myers as the owner of a booming pest control business. The two industry professionals noticed a need for a better rodent station in the market after hearing many PMPs complain about how stations were not easy to clean, and the securing mechanisms were difficult. They started developing their own station and soon they were redefining the category of rodent management. “It’s not our job to be right, it’s our job to get the customer the right product,” Vickery said. “Too many companies invent a product and then try to figure out how to sell it. We spend more on R&D because we want VM Products to be a company where innovation flourishes with every new product we develop.” VM Products has separated itself from the entire market by its ability to do things other companies are unable to do: VM Products can go from conversation to real product in hand faster than anyone else. The VM Products line is made in the USA in Arlington, TX and includes EZ Klean/EZ Secured Rodent Bait Station, the EZ Snap line (EZ Snap Rat, EZ Snap Mouse, and EZ Snap Seeker) EZ Force, Mouse Bait Station (MBS) EZ Versa, FBS (Fly Bait Station) Ethan Vickery Bio Ethan Vickery, President and Founder VM Products Originally from Lubbock, TX, Ethan graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington in 1995. He has been in the pest control industry for the past 18 years. He lives with his wife and two children in Colleyville, TX. The science behind VM Products’ patented concrete block design sed in the EZ Secured and EZ Snap Rat. We did an absorption rate study on the EZ Secured rodent station working with our belief that the block on the outside of the station is a superior product. The lab results show that the block has a 7.3% absorbent rate thus pulling more moisture from the earth to create a familiar smell for the rodent. The moisture stays on the block, not on the inside of the station. The EZ Secured can be deployed on gravel, concrete, asphalt, sand, dirt, and grass with equal success For more information visit our website www.vmproducts.com Intro by Andy Otero OneWay Pest Solutions 20 Astor St, Lynn, MA 01905 http://onewaypest.business.site/ (617) 516-7486

Jeff discusses photo stuff how to get better pictures, with today’s modern cell phones quality is higher than ever even for an amateur photographer.

Social media uses can be for us to vent in groups about the frustrations we have to deal with in the field, but it can also be used to promote our customers. Contact jeff@jeffmcgovern.com Intro by Dan Nielsen-owner Genuine Pest Control 402-619-4424 http://www.genuinepestcontrol.com/about-us/

A Spiegel Research Center study reveals that having perfect 5-star reviews is causing you to lose business, how reviews influence buying behavior, but at what point does it influence and how much? As products or services begin displaying reviews, conversion rates tend to escalate rapidly. The purchase likelihood for a product or service with five reviews is 270% greater than the purchase likelihood of a product or service with no reviews. On Product purchases having more reviews isn’t necessarily better, after a point. The marginal benefit of additional reviews begins diminishing rapidly after the first five reviews. Reviews tend to have a greater impact on purchases for higher-priced items than for cheaper ones. The research found that when reviews they’re displayed for lower-priced products, the conversion rate increased 190%. However, for higher-priced products, the conversion rate increased 380%. Are five stars “too good to be true”? According to the research, it is. Across many product categories, they found that purchase likelihood typically peaks at ratings in the 4.0 – 4.7 range, and then began to decrease as ratings approached 5.0. Reviews from “verified buyers” are significantly more encouraging than reviews written by an anonymous source. They found that verified buyers are more likely to give 4 or 5 star ratings than anonymous ones. Conversely, anonymous buyers are significantly more likely to give 1 and 2-star reviews. Based on Spiegel’s extensive research into how online reviews influences purchasing decisions, they recommend that you follow these six principles when creating an online review strategy: 1. Display reviews and ratings on your product website: Businesses that choose not to show ratings and reviews risk losing customers to a website that does. 2. Embrace negative reviews, nobody is perfect: While it may seem counterintuitive, negative reviews can have a positive impact because they establish credibility and authenticity. 3. Prioritize generating reviews for with a low volume of reviews: Businesses should focus their efforts on making sure all products have at least a handful of reviews. 4. Additionally, prioritize generating reviews for higher-priced products: Retailers can help consumers overcome the risk of buying expensive or unfamiliar items by sharing additional reviews for these products. 5. Overcome the selection bias to improve the value of reviews: A larger pool of reviewer is not always more representative, particularly if it includes a large number of anonymous reviews. 6. Identify reviews from “verified buyers:” Identifying purchasers with “verified buyer badges” enhances the credibility of a review and improves the odds of purchase by 15%. http://spiegel.medill.norththeystern.edu/online-reviews/

How tog get A bit more commercial pest control business from existing residential customers by asking for referrals. Contact Jeff jeff@jeffmcgovern.com https://jeffmcgovern.com/blog/

Jeff McGovern talks about finding more commercial pest control business competing with the big brands. E-MAIL jeff@jeffmcgovern.com https://jeffmcgovern.com/contact/

Jeff McGovern discusses termite inspection and gear by special request from Geffry M. Gorman.

Offering Residual Gopher Control That Satisfies Your Customers with J.T. Eaton Answer for the Control of Pocket Gophers (Item # 277 ) Burrow Bait for Pocket Gophers. Active ingredient: diphacinone. Packed 40 x 4 oz. blocks per “Tamper-Evident” resealable pail (Net Wt. 10 ) Sold West of the Mississippi River Only

Following up after a pest control service is vital to ensure the customer you care about them.

Why 80% of Americans are poisoning themselves by doing their own pest control violating federal law and everyone is blaming pesticides. “The Label Is The Law” But it does not apply to 80% of Americans “It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.” RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE FOR RETAIL SALE TO AND USE ONLY BY CERTIFIED APPLICATORS OR PERSONS UNDER THEIR DIRECT SUPERVISION AND ONLY FOR THOSE USES COVERED BY THE CERTIFIED APPLICATOR’S CERTIFICATION Urinary Pyrethroid and Chlorpyrifos Metabolite Concentrations in Northern California Families and Their Relationship to Indoor Residential Insecticide Levels, Part of the Study of Use of Products and Exposure-Related Behavior (SUPERB) Abstract: Since the 2001 U.S. federally mandated phase-out of residential uses of organophosphates (OPs), use of and potential for human exposure to pyrethroids in the indoor residential environment has increased. We report concentrations of common pyrethroids, pyrethroid metabolites, and chlorpyrifos in floor wipes, and urinary concentrations of pyrethroid metabolites and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) in samples collected in 2007–2009 from 90 northern California families as part of the Study of Use of Products and Exposure Related Behavior (SUPERB). Correlation and regression analyses examined associations between floor wipe and urine sample concentrations. The most frequently detected urinary metabolites were TCPy (64.7%, median concentration of 1.47 ng/mL) and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA) (62.4%, 0.79 ng/mL). Compared to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2002 general U.S. population, this population had substantially higher pyrethroid metabolite and lower TCPy urinary concentrations. This may be related to the increased residential use of pyrethroids after the phase-out of OPs. Chlorpyrifos (98.7%), cis- and trans-permethrin (97.5%), bifenthrin (59.3%), and 3PBA (98.7%) were frequently detected in the floor wipes. Floor wipe concentrations for pyrethroid insecticides were found to be significant predictors of child creatinine-adjusted urinary metabolite concentrations (log–log regression coefficients ranging from 0.26 to 0.29; p < 0.05) suggesting that indoor residential exposure to pyrethroid insecticides is an important exposure route for children. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es403661a

Nick Interviews Gustavo Hernandez Of H2 Environment Pest Management 3207 Astoria Blvd, Astoria, NY 11102 Phone: (347) 642-8921 http://www.h2environmentalnyc.com/

Aprehend® is a Bio-Pesticide composed of Beauveria bassiana fungal spores applied in a proprietary formulation for the control of bed bugs. Aprehend is sprayed strategically in narrow bands where bed bugs are known to walk; direct spray contact is not necessary. Bed bugs of all life stages, sex or feeding status are killed within four to ten days following short-term contact with a treated surface. The fungal spores germinate within 20 hours of contact and then penetrate the cuticle of the bed bug and colonize inside, resulting in death. http://www.aprehend.com/training/

Fly control starts with fly prevention, how to stop flies from entering in the first place is the first step to really controlling fly problems. Contact Jeff for speaking engagements (770) 331-4348 jeff@jeffmcgovern.com Blog