Pest Geek Podcast

I landed the biggest fish I could find Hal Coleman. I have on the phone the legendary Hal Coleman, The man that has shown more people how to make more money in the pest control business than Florida has bugs. Uncensored and Unplugged, Pay attention and take lots of notes, Cus Hal is going to show you how to make it rain. The Pest Geek Interviews The Pest Control Business Coach Hal Coleman Here are the top questions I asked Hal If someone was going to start a pest control business…what would be the number one piece of advice you would give them? What is the number one mistake new pest control operators make when starting out? Are most people you talk to happy in there business How important is social media ( your website, blogging, facebook, You tube etc.)? How important is it to identify your specific market? Is pest control just about killing bugs? When should you consider firing a customer? Did you ever do that? You can contact Hal Coleman at the following: Coleman Services, Inc. 770-993-0004 Hal@HalColeman.com www.HalColeman.com www.PestControlMarketer.com Would you like to be a part of the podcast or do have a question or comment call the question line 707-395-7378 and leave your recorded question so we can use it on the podcast the question line is available 24/7. A Special Shout Out To Good News Pest Solutions from Nokomis Florida Follow us on facebook IPM Innovation Lab @IPM_IL Virginia Tech/Blacksburg, VA twiter Working to raise the standard of living in the dev world by reducing damage caused by pests w/out harming the env’t. @pestgeekpodcast and on the web pestgeekpodcast.com This podcast is sponsored by Audible if you like listening to great content you’ll love books on audio. Get a free book download and a free month. By doing so you’ll help support this podcast go to Audibletrial.com/pestgeek. Tech Tip Of The Week TeeJet 8006 VisiFlo Even Flat Spray Nozzle 80 Degree $3 and $7 At 40 psi This nozzle delivers 0.6 gallons per minute

Has anyone seen my yellow pages? Do you know the difference between an entrepreneur and an employee? The employee says thank god it’s Friday  I get to put this crazy world behind me for 2 days the entrepreneur says thank god it’s Monday I get to disrupt the crazy world again for 6 days. Me and my wife had a marvelous day yesterday, we went to the mall,yea! A Special Shout Out To Arthur Wright Advanced Pest Control Harlingen, Texas Tech Tip Of The Week Baby wipes You don’t always have water to wash your hands so baby wipes are a good stand in, also good to wipe down your steering wheel, study have show lots of pesticide residues on steering wheel. Do you remember when there was only one local directory that big fat yellow book where everybody listed there business and it was the holy grail of local advertising. Well its still round just not I a book anymore its virtual and it has about another close to 200 competitors. The difference between being found online locally depend on how many of these local citation directories you are on which can account for about 15% of you local SEO rankin factors. Citations focus mainly on your NAP name, address, and phone number to serve up local listing to online searches. Then there is the customization of the profile, business info, logo uploading images, url links social media links the more complete your business profile is the better you can rank. The Citation building is a very tedious and time consuming task. Let’s say you want to be on the top 30 local citations if it takes 5 to 10 minutes for you to claim or create a citation and add in all the profile requirements,  this could mean between 20 to 40 hours to perform. This is the best and most preferred way to do it but if you have more than one location or multiple locations such a with franchises this can seem like an insurmountable task. Software and online services that perform most of the functions for you can be your best solution but they are not fool proof and if you cancel your subscription you citations can be reverted back to original status undoing all the hard work and money spent. Fortunately there are service that automate the process of listing and monitoring depending on your budget and demand this can cost from as little as $49 per month for Moz local with 13 citations and  up to $999 per year for Yext with up 30 citations. For larger business that would l to have manual citation creation with monitoring the can start at about $1000 for the citation creation with customized profiles with a company like Whitespark, Plus a monthly monitoring fee. Other like Synup offer a Generic profile creation for as little as $1.50 per citation creation and a $5 monthly monitoring fee. Monitoring is important because someone can hijack your listing and change your info also inconsistencies in your NAP create confusion for search engines and duplicates can be created so monitoring for these at least we once a month is a very good idea. As with everything online change is constant and if you want to use the Internet to be found by searching customers then you need to stay up with what’s going on.

Steve asks is it heat or UV Light damaging my pesticides A Special Shout Out To: Congratulations Michael Phillips and Preston Dean for passing your EPA agent exam on the 1st try. They work at Marty Dean’s Pest Control Beebe Arkansas. Tech Tip Of The Week Would you like to chat with your customers on your web site? http://www.formilla.com/ Steve’s question about Heat or UV light. Hey, frank, This is Steve Jackson regular listing of the show first off. Let me come meet you when you’re interviewing skills interviewing is much harder than most people realize and especially when the record button is on and you did a great job with the Ian McGuire So kudos the both of you. He was he was wonderfully transparent and insightful so great job know if my question this summer up here in South Georgia. I use the new product on the market they did a really good job for bed bugs and the label says that steam will not kill the residual of the product so because of that means summertime I figured that I didn’t what a life on my exterior treatment if I use this particular product, but that clearly wasn’t the case so my question is is heat killing the residual of the product or is it the sun’s UV rays. Thanks for your help! Thanks Steve for the kind words and your question this is a very thoughtful question that some in GHP do not ask and very few talk about I will attempt to answer it as best as I can. The effect of UV light on pesticide I have included several studies on the fate of pesticides, Photocatalysis, photodegradation, Photoionization, Photolysisand and Photosensitization. Effect of light on the degradation of two neonicotinoids vs acetamiprid and thiacloprid in soil. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18389160 Bifenthrin In the California Study “ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF BIFENTHRIN” “The photodegradation half-life on soil exposed to natural sunlight was 106 days for C-14 phenyl labeled bifenthrin and 147 days for C-14 cyclopropyl labeled bifenthrin (FMC 50429-025, 1983).” http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/emon/pubs/fatememo/bifentn.pdf Photodegradation of pesticides on plant and soil surfaces. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15217019 Rapid degradation of termiticides under field conditions. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-6055.2007.00543.x/abstract This podcast is sponsored by Audible if you like listening to great content you’ll love books on audio. Get a free book download and a free month. By doing so you’ll help support this podcast go to Audibletrial.com/pestgeek.

Mike From California Asks About MaxForce Complete For Fire Ants A Special Shout Out To Lamp’s Pest Solutions Lexington, South Carolina I just found your podcast and have t say I love it so far. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Tech Tip Of The Week Markup profit Margins http://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/financial/markup-calculator.php Mike From Southern California Asks? Hey, PestGeek my name is Mike. I’m relatively new to pest control and down here in Southern California. We’re starting to see a little bit more activity with fire ants because of the drought now a lot of the coworkers that I have used Maxforce Complete however the company I work for is no longer purchasing it because of the fact that it’s hard to come by so what would you recommend using for fire ants? If you don’t have that disconnect. Thanks for your question about Maxforce complete for fire ant control very interesting on many aspects I did some digging for you and here is the reason and what is available. Maxforce complete fire ant Hydramethylnon 1.00% Fire ants is on the label. Maxforce Complete is registered in California. The label is weird *Do not use on other non-crop areas in California. In other words if a site is on the label you cant use it on that site in California other than in a crop area. Links to verify if a product or active ingredient is registered for use in California http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/label/labelque.htm Zip File ftp://cdpr.ca.gov/pub/outgoing/product/regnum.zip Active Ingredient Registered http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/label/actai.htm Washington state university has a label that says not for use in California. http://cru66.cahe.wsu.edu/~picol/pdf/WA/54023.pdf http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7487.html#TABLE1 Alternative to Maxforce Complete for fire ant Control DuPont Advion Fire Ant Bait Active Ingredient: Indoxacarb http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/publications/pdf/viewpdf_42.pdf Extinguish Methoprene Efficacy of broadcast and perimeter applications of S-methoprene bait on the red imported fire ant in grazed pastures. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16813290 Extinguish plus Same active ingredient as Maxforce Complete Active Ingredients: Hydramethylnon 0.365% S-Methoprene 0.250% Ascend® Fire Ant Bait Used to prescription treatment now basf Active Ingredient: Abamectin Maxforce FC Fire Ant Bait Active Ingredient: fipronil Link to info on Imported fire ant http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/ants/red_imported_fire_ant.htm This podcast is sponsored by Audible if you like listening to great content you’ll love books on audio. Get a free book download and a free month. By doing so you’ll help support this podcast go to Audibletrial.com/pestgeek.

6 Roach Bait studies reveal how horizontal transfer works for secondary and tertiary kill Baits work 3 primary ways, a primary kill, secondary kill tertiary kill. A primary kill is when the insect eats the bait and dies from direct ingestion of the bait similar to the experience with the sprays, a secondary kill effect is when a roach consumes or comes in contact with the active ingredient through the primary kill or the first roach that died, a tertiary kill is when the third roach from coming in contact with second roach that died through the first roach. Social insects like cockroaches are particularly susceptible to baiting because it uses its own biology or habits against the roach, the foragers return to the nest and contaminate it and its vicinity with traces of the active ingredient. There are three ways that horizontal transfer works for secondary and tertiary kill. Horizontal transfer works for secondary and tertiary kill through emitophagy Emitophagy is when cockroaches will eat each others vomit. When the cockroach is affected by the active ingredient in the bait itwill often hurl. Apparently roach vomit bait is very delightful and irresistible to roaches. Horizontal transfer works for secondary and tertiary kill through coprophagy. Coprophagy is when a roach feeds on a roach feces excrement defecating all over itself snother appealing quality of a roach, this is probably the most important secondary kill effect for the control of cockroaches. When the cockroach eat the bait it will pass it through the gut in 8 to 12 hours and between 50% and 90% of the active ingredient in the bait is in the feces. Enter in the secondary kill effect, nymphs 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th instar will feed on cockroach feces and die from eating contaminated feces with the bait in it. Horizontal transfer works for secondary and tertiary kill through Necrophagy Necrophagy is when the roaches eat each through cannibalism which is the third secondary kill effect. The live roaches will open up the stomach and eat the stomachs content that contains the undigested active ingredient. Horizontal transfer works for secondary and tertiary kill through Active Ingedients Fipronil maxforce fc and magnum works by ingestion and contact it is fast acting so it might not allow the roach to get back and defecate. If not excreted or defecated might not get secondary kill. Indoxacarb Products like Advion allowed for more secondary kill and tertiary kill Hydramethylnon Maxforce Pro Roach Killer Bait Gel is slow acting allowing roaches to defecate and vomiting result in extensive secondary kill. My Cockroach Service Procedures Avert Dry Flowable in void Advion gel crack and crevice Baits stations third active ingredient fipronil Gentrol Point Source Maxforce Impact Check for How much bait is being eaten. Studies FACTORS AFFECTING SECONDARY KILL OF THE GERMAN COCKROACH (DICTYOPTERA: BLATTELLIDAE) BY GEL BAITS http://entomology.rutgers.edu/personnel/changlu-wang/pdfs/2-Secondarykill.pdf Horizontal Transfer of Bait in the German Cockroach: Indoxacarb Causes Secondary and Tertiary Mortality http://www.entm.purdue.edu/ants/pubs/18.pdf Method of Insecticide Delivery Affects Horizontal Transfer of Fipronil in the German Cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) http://www.entm.purdue.

Ian Maguire of Plant Health Care Systems of South Florida Ian has a great story on how he got involved with plants, photography, and later a position at the University of  Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center that lead to the idea of starting a pest control business. You can find Ian at http://www.planthealthcaresystems.com/ But rather than write a long post about it just listen to the podcast. Ian discusses empire zoysia mealy bug and how it is impacting the management of this type of lawn? http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/ORN/MEALYBUG/tuttle_mealybug.htm Do you have a question or comment call the question line 707-395-7378 and leave your recorded question so we can use it on the podcast the question line is available 24/7. A Special Shout Out To John Whitney Byrd Byrd Pest Management, Patterson California. said “This is an intelligent, informative podcast that any pest professional should listen to!” Thank you for for listening and the 5 stars is appreciated. Follow us on facebook and twiter @pestgeekpodcast and on the web pestgeekpodcast.com This podcast is sponsored by Audible if you like listening to great content you’ll love books on audio. Get a free book download and a free month. By doing so you’ll help support this podcast go to Audibletrial.com/pestgeek. Tech Tip Of The Week The IPest I phone APP is a great app for new technicians to help them id pests and to show customers what pest they have. 1.99 each there are 3 in the series its only available for iphone.

Yo it aint us, Why are PMPs taking the rap for stuff we are not even doing We here all over the news, blogs and from environmental watch dogs how the application of pesticides are causing cancer in children, contaminating groundwater, polluting lakes and streams, but has anyone asked who is doing it. Lets face it as PMP’s we are the poster children for the pesticide industry yet we are responsible for less than 1% of all the pesticide applied in the US. The reality is that the only experience with pesticides most of America has is with the local home improvement store and with a pest control company. Yet this accounts for less than 7% of all the pesticides applied in the US. In this podcast I’m going to uncover the true culprits. Using the EPA’s, USDA, USGS and several universities to bring this into context. So who’s doing all the spraying? According to the USDA approximately 877 million pounds of active ingredients where pumped into the ground in 2007 on our crops. The good news is that it went down from the 1.1 Billion pounds of active ingredient when compared to 1980. Herbicides like glyphosate “Roundup” account for 49% of all pesticides applied. Source USDA Pesticide Use & Markets http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/chemical-inputs/pesticide-use-markets.aspx. According to the EPA 70 million pounds of pesticides are applied to residential lawns and landscapes by homeowners. In surveys performed between 20% and 90% of residents reported using a pesticide. Source Public Education and Outreach on Stormwater Impacts http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/npdes/swbmp/Pest-Control.cfm A study in California revealed over 50% of the residents had treated there own homes in the last 6 month, 40%-60% said they didn’t follow the label directions exactly. 42% to 55% where purchased at large home improvement stores. Only 11% – 17% hired a professional for outdoor pest problems. 5%-15% admitted to pouring the pesticides down the drain or outside down the storm drain. If you take the 11% – 17% of the estimated 70 million pounds we are only responsible for applying and disposing of correctly you only have 7.7 to 11.9 million pounds of active ingredients at the highest level. Taking responsibility for the highest percentage of application in the the segment that’s only .88% -1.36% of all the pesticide applied in the country, like I said in the beginning. yo it aint us. Source Residential Pesticide Use in California. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PUBS/ncalifsurvey_1.pdf But wait there’s more This is not to mention all the landscapers applying glyphosate and other herbicides like its going out of style without any training, supervision, PPE, licence or certification talk about a threat to the environment and health. Products like “roundup” account for the majority of pesticides applied to a home a on an annual basis because its usually applied every week to every other week to mulch and garden areas to control weeds, more than insecticides and fungicides and lawn selective herbicides that may be applied bi monthly or on a quarterly basis. So once again yo, it aint us. Lets talk about water and air pollution According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) they investigated 51 streams in 9 states in the mid west in order to deter...

A Pesticide Ban Is Coming To A City Near You On October 6, 2015 Montgomery County city council in a 6 to 3 decision voted to ban over 100 active ingredients they have classified as toxic giving them restricted non essential pesticide in the county for control of lawn pests, weeds and diseases for all private properties. But conveniently allowed some of the same toxic pesticides including the highly targeted neonicatenoids to be used by county employees on all its own sports fields and golf courses. Councilmembers Sidney Katz, Craig Rice and Roger Berliner have voted against the ban. How convenient for politicians to pass a law that basically tells their citizens you will have to have a crapy looking lawn because those pesticides are killing your kids but we will continue to uses them and allow us to continue to kill your kids for you. Why because we know you can’t have a good looking lawn with just cultural practices but we are the government and we can have a double standard. This is what happened in Montgomery County Maryland and this is not the first time it’s happened, they are taking their cues from Canada and the sweeping pesticide bans that took place their. Ontario Canada Cosmetic Pesticide Ban Ogunquit Maine Imposes Pesticide Ban only pesticides allowed are organic or FIFRA exempt. A 1,300 person community in Maine Guided only by Carson’s 1962 book, “Silent Spring,” Cosmetic Lawn Pesticide ban Takoma Park, MD. The Main Proponent of the Bill George Leventhal I have two disappointments with the way this happened one that the proponents of this bill did not care to listen to any other options a total ban or no deal, I have no problem with having an initiative or mandate for a city reduce pesticides on city or county property even to decide not use any, but what I’m really disappointed in is the fact that they showed no leadership no creativity and no inspiration. They could have used the opportunity to impose on themselves a ban and worked with all the talented people in the Maryland state universities entomologists, pathologist, agronomist and companies that manufacture natural and biological products to develop the first integrated pest management program and organic that is sustainable to inspire their county use it in home owners associations and residential private property. And after demonstrating it could work start mandating a county wide reduction program instead they did the complete opposite the reality is there are no visionaries no one to look up to in government to inspire people to do great things to achieve the impossible no Martin Luther kings to share a dream, no John F Kennedy’s to make us reach for the stars, no Ronald Reagan’s to let us believe in the greatness of the American Spirit. So we have resulted to the equivalent of a Coup d’état, we can’t lead so we will imposes the view of a few on the majority, proving that absolute power corrupts absolutely. When one party rules there is no dialog no concern for personal property rights. My second disappointment is that as hard as I looked I could find no response or direct comment from the one organization that is supposed to be supporting us The National Pest Management Association, nor the Maryland Pest Management Association this to me is disappointing. For those of you that do not know what is going on I will in this podcast review the bill with you, I spent almost all day Sunday’s reading through the 127 pages that was published by the Montgomery County. I will include links to the Washington Post article that covered the story as it unfolded the videos that have been put out by the supporters of the bill as ...

I want an organic lawn care service! In other cases I get lawn and ornamental calls wanting an organic program for there lawn and garden. This one is much harder than it seams to the caller. I remember when I was getting my certified horticultural specialist training and my professor took us on a field trip to an organic farm and I got see organic fruit I have to tell you if I saw that fruit in a supermarket I would complain to the manger about the quality. The organic farmer explained that his fruit is only sold to the finest restaurants in Miami and that there was a waiting list for his fruit. You the chefs bough the fruit for its quality not its appearance. The quality and the flavor was far superior than from any supplier and the customers would never see the fruit in its peel. He explained to us how it took over 7 years to get his farm certified organic because it could not be sprayed with any synthetic pesticide for 7 years and only after many soil analyses could it be certified. I asked what did he spray it with to to control the insects and diseases, he said “compost tea” that’s it I asked, that’s it he said. The reality is that most of the true organic products on the market could not be used in most residential neighborhoods because the smells would get you thrown out. Products like kelp, fish emulation, and compost, have odors, compost while its composting and have you seen the flies. Real organic gardening is not what most people are signing up for. Second the amount of weekly visits and applications to control pests and diseases will make it very expensive, I know what your thinking I just read a blog on organic gardening and they have all these natural products I can buy and apply then myself cheaper that the toxic products, you and you would be correct you can buy them and apply them yourself that is very different than having a professional company do it for you and it will not control all your problems. The truth is you can apply them, you can. Not me, first you will have to assume that you can correctly identify the pest, disease, and deficiency issues with your plants and that the particular product you are buying will control that specific pathogen or insect and how many applications will be required per the label to control it, second how often will the pest return and you have to start the process all over again. If you are going to compare a synthetically sprayed Apple with an organically sprayed Apple you need to calculate the real cost of control and not the cost of spraying. Spraying and control are not the same. Second are there organic products on the market to control every issue such as weeds, I know what your going to say corn gluten meal, have you seen how many pounds per thousand square feet you need to apply of CGM, if you have an acre you’ll need a semi trailer applied 3 times per year good luck with that one. You can’t use organics and switch back and fourth to synthetics when the organic solutions takes forever because you damage the soil biology or bacteria that you need to build up over time to get natural control. The reality is that in a high speed internet world people don’t want to wait much for results so organics will take years of hard work to pay off. Third you don’t even want to get into biologicals which the conversation scares the heck out of most people. When you say biological control the average person thinks of biological warfare and Freeks out. You start that we are going to use live agents forget it you lost me at biological. If you live on large properties like acreage you could apply organic gardening but in the average person 7000 square foot lot home you could not h...

I want an organic pest control service Are you getting calls requesting an all natural or organic pest control service? A special shout to Steve Berro of Berros Pest Control in Newbury Park, CA liked the podcast. https://www.facebook.com/steve.berro.7 With all the products out here now being natural or organic I get a lot of calls from people wanting an all natural or organic pest control service for their home or business and gardens. I typically ask the caller to explain why it is they want an organic or all natural pest control service. What are they looking for, most common reply is I want you to come and spray my home with a natural product. In other words their idea of natural pest control is changing from a traditional pesticide to a natural pesticide spray. The major reason is because they have a new baby or a new pest or someone in the home that has a serious illness and do not want any toxic chemicals in the house, they have gotten rid of all the toxic chemical and have replaced them with all natural products. This is a serious enough person that has taken serious steps in this direction and should be taken seriously. I always ask them how does a hospital surgery room remain sterile from the contamination of pests and the diseases they spread and the contamination of chemical pesticides at the same time, the question is designed to get the caller to really think about how this is achieved. I let them off the hook after a few umms and awws. And them I explain why natural and organics do not translate into safe or effective. All an organic product is to be certified organic is to have a carbon atom, all living matter has carbon. A natural product could be natural and organic but not safe and not effective. Organic peanuts are natural and organic but if your allergic to them they can kill you. The first thing I want to know is the current medical conditions in the home. Then I can develop a control strategy to control the pest problem in the most responsible manner possible and in most cases take additional measures in sensitive accounts. We explain how IPM is the process used in hospitals to control pest in the most natural way possible by excluding them. To most people this is a let down, like a simple cop out. But I will explain how exclusion and prevention is the only way to any effective pest control program, most people don’t understand pest biology and they are not expected to know I have never walked into a house and found trumans pest control manual on the kitchen table or on a book shelf. To most people pest control translate to a guy coming to my house once a month and spraying insecticide from a shiny can all over my house and when he no longer control my pests he must be watering it down so I will just get another pest control guy that will spray my entire house with something stronger. This is the way they have always seen it and this is pest control to them. So this issue of seeling stuff with a caulk gun and baiting sounds a bit hokey. And a lot of work for the homeowner. I mean can’t you just spray something you know quick and easy. If you can’t use it in a hospital room you should you use it.

Could your business benefit from a franchise structure? A special shout out to NorthEastern IPM Center from Cornell University https://www.facebook.com/NEIPMCenter If you are planning to grow your business or simply want to operate it in a way that will allow you to do more with less then implementing a franchise model strategy even if you do not plan to franchise your business could be very beneficial. I know what your thinking this is too corporate for me,  I left a structured corporate environment for that same reason. I don’t want to back to that I want to free, I get it I was groomed and raised in a corporate environment. But maybe you don’t plan to grow past one tech, maybe you would just like to play more golf, or fish more. When do you hire your first employee, most hire their first tech when they haven’t had a vacation for 8 years and they need time. After you hire your first tech you want to able to train and have them be a mini you, and you quickly find out they cant because all your 20 years of experience is in your head and tech don’t read minds. You start hearing things from your customers he doesn’t do it the way you did it, you when frank was doing it we never had a problem. If you wait until you need to hire to prepare for hiring it’s too late you need to start now. A simple system for growing through duplication is standardization. Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards. This is how we do it and everybody does it the same way. Three things will happen when you decide to standardize * Better more predictable results * Less ambiguity and confusion * Lower learning curve The journey through standardization begins with documentation. Documentation can be as simple as one page bullet pointed step by step procedure. Documentation will help you evaluate your procedures to improve upon them. Your documentation will become your training manual for the future. Now when you hire a new tech they are not dependent on whether you remembered all the steps, they can study and refer back to the notes for help.

Find a hole and fill it, finding your niche. I want to give a special a special shout out to Bryan Baird and Steve Jackson co-hosts of the http://arthropodcast.com/ Bryan Baird is owner of Baird’s Pest Control in Valdosta, GA. Steve Jackson is the owner of Titus Pest Control Warner Robins, GA A very funny and informative pest control podcast for the industry. Great show guys! A shout out to Kelly Dan Traynor Rustin at Monitor Pest Control Sugar Hill Georgia. who liked the podcast thank you. Your van is part of the inspiration for this podcast. What is a niche? Finding your niche is like finding your place and purpose in this world, doing the one thing you where created to do. We will discus how to find you niche. Its about being a true specialist in your chosen filed or profession. Ben Franklin is quoted as saying Jack of all trades master of none which is misquote what he said was Jack of all trades master of one. Implying everyone should be able to know something about a lot of things and everything about something. An MD is a Medical Doctor a Cardiologist is a specialist but a Cardiologist that is Cardiothoracic surgeon has a true niche. Finding something that compliments your talents, aptitude and attitude will lead to your niche. The most successful business are those that do less and not more by finding niche and filling it. The most important question in finding your niche is why! Mosquito Joe is a perfect example of a true niche in the pest control field. Only do mosquitoes, It’s easy to operate, Easy to train anyone. Mosquito control.

Are you looking for alternatives to pyrethrums and pyrethroids for Mosquito Control? We are going to discus 4 of them. Are you looking to offer your customers a natural solution for mosquito control Mosquito control is vital as part of your IPM program. Mosquito Control is one of the fastest growing categories for PCO’s Why is mosquito control so popular? Traditional General Household and Lawn and Ornamental pest control programs are performed bimonthly or quarterly programs and do not address the issues of mosquitoes. People want to enjoy their home more. In the summer where mosquito populations are highest kids are on vacation and want to play outside more. With a tough economy most people are choosing to entertain at home. How do natural insecticides work? These products work mainly by killing adult mosquitoes on contact and repel them. Most people want to use there outdoor spaces when mosquitoes are most active, early in the morning for breakfast on the patio or for dinners in the evening when mosquitoes are most active, usually an hour before and an hour after sunrise or sunset. This is a challenge for any type of spray application service. Most customers are looking for instant and long term continuous uninterrupted control from a product or service. This doesn’t exist. The secret to making these products successful is knowing the pest and the pest cycle. Removing any standing water, reduce irrigation and using them in combination with biological products like BTI or Insect growth regulators that have little or no affect to people and the environment. Most of these products are essential oils and some people could have allergic reactions. Photo toxicity in plants is possible be careful using it in extreme high heat or with delicate plants. Since they are natural their little or short residual value, so repeat more frequent applications are required. Good news is there is also little persistence in the environment. Fish could be affected. You should always adhere to your states laws governing spraying near bodies of water. You can you use them in mosquito misting systems, I offer misting systems as last resort, I’m not a big fan of misting systems because if its on twice per day you could be affecting beneficial insects and pollinators. The American Mosquito Control Association does not endorse misting systems check out the AMCA’s Position on Misting Systems http://www.mosquito.org/position-on-misting-systems Most of these products work for spiders, fleas and ticks on some ornamental pests aphids, soft scale, and whiteflies. Natural Mosquito Control Products EvoVia http://www.rockwelllabs.com/EcoViaEC.shtml BioRepel http://www.jhbiotech.com/Product%20Labels/BioRepel%200315-D-A-1.pdf WonderCide http://www.wondercide.com/outdoor-natural-pest-control-concentrate-kills-repels-100s-of-pests-ecotreat/ Essentria http://www.zoecon.com/familyofproducts.php?family=Prentiss/Envincio&id=51

Do you think you can make more money on your own? Before you dive off the deep end lets discuss it! Common reasons people want to go out on their own to start their own business. You are not getting paid what your worth. You’re not appreciated. You are frustrated with you job, boss, company. Maybe you got laid off or fired. As a tech you may be the best at what you do, but that’s not the same as being an entrepreneur or starting a business. 10 thing to consider before you go off on your own. 1. Do you really know what it takes to run a pest control business? 2. Can you handle the financial bootstrapping that will be required? 3. You can live with the uncertainty of a pay check and very long hours? 4. Do You have a passion for the pest control industry? 5. You need a job and feel it is a better option than looking for a job? 6. Everyone else seems to be doing it ok and making lots of money. 7. How do need to make money fast. 8. I want easier and more flexible hours. 9. You want the prestige that comes from being a business owner. 10. Listen to The Emyth. If you want to know more about starting your own business before you start. I highly recommend Michel Gerber’s Book The Emyth Revisited. www.audibletrial.com/pestgeekpodcast

Using IGR As Part Of Your Integrated Pest Management Program IGR’s are a great way to get and maintain control in a lot of circumstances and accounts It’s a great addition to * Baiting programs * Mosquito misting * Food handling facilities * Flea control * Ornamental pests Why are IGR’s effective in control Since an IGR is specific to insects they are considered to low risk with low to no mammalian toxicity because humans do make chitin or juvenile hormones. While most traditional insecticides target the nervous system. IGR’S Insect Growth Regulators targets the Hormones, enzymes and chitin that govern molting and metamorphosis in insects. IGRs work by disrupting the life cycle from egg, pupae and larva preventing them from becoming adults. http://www.ptrpest.com/pdf/igr.pdf Chitin synthesis inhibitor. They work by preventing molting through the development chitin the chemical used for developing of an exoskeleton with an improper exoskeleton the insect dies. The disrupting of chitin also prevents proper egg development Novaluron Tekko Pro Insect Growth Regulator Concentrate Juvenile hormone analogs and mimics THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/tutorial/endocrine2.html Interferes with molting process which causes premature molting. It causes deformations of wings and reproductive parts. Ovaries will produce infertile eggs. Pyriproxyfen pirydine NyGuard And Archer IGR lasts up to 7 months not really http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/emon/pubs/fatememo/pyrprxfn.pdf Hydroprene Gentrol IGR Concentrate Anti-juvenile hormone agents Blocks ecdysone which signals the insect to molt. This causes pupae to die. Anti-juvenile hormone agent causes the instar to molt prematurely into a nonfunctional sterile adult. Methoprene Precor IGR works great for fleas.