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     November 2017

 

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 PPMA OFFICERS
   
Marty Overlilne
President
Aardvark Pest Management
Phildelphia, PA
 
Adam Witt
President Elect
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA

Keith Hamilton
Chairman of the Board
J.C. Ehrlich
State College, PA

 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 
Central Division
 
Gary Lesher
Governor
Perry Pest Control
Landisburg, PA
   
Leland Manuel
Pest-Rite
Manchester, PA

Keith Jones
Archer Pest Control
Camp Hill, PA
 
 
Eastern Division  
 
Bryan Levengood
Governor
Thur-O Pest Mngmt
Elverson, PA

Mike Snyder
Township Pest Control
Warrington , PA
 
Rob Byer
Terminix
Mountain Laurel , NJ
  
Northeast Division
 
Jeff King
Governor
The Pest Rangers
Hanover Twp., PA
 
Paul Kutney
The Pest Rangers
Larksville, PA
 
Peter Arnold
K-9 Bed Bug 
Detection Services
Pleasant Mount, PA
 
Western Division
 
Adam Witt
Governor
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
 
Scott Grill
Bill Grill  Exterminating
Verona, PA
 
John Besic
Besic Pest Control
Transfer, PA
 
Technical Advisor
 
Chad Gore
Rentokil North America
Carnegie, PA
   

Industry Liaison
 
Brian Smith
Univar
Sharon Hill, PA
 
Executive Director
Versant Strategies
Harrisburg, PA








 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Featured Article
What action, if any, do you want your members to take? Add a "Find out more" link to additional information that you may have hosted on your website.
Dear Friends:

Wow, what a fantastic November! Many thanks and congratulations to the PPMA Annual Conference Committee Chairman Jeff King and committee for their hard work and dedication to this year's conference. With an increase in numbers of attendees over the last few years, planning for next year's conference is already underway!  Plan to join us next year on December 3-4, 2018 at the Eden Resort in Lancaster, PA for another top-notch line-up of speakers, business round tables, and time to meet and mingle with others in the industry. 

Congratulations to the Western Division for winning the first annual Membership Drive Award, recognizing the division with the highest percentage of recruitment and retention of members since the previous membership year. Accepting on behalf of the division (pictured below) were Scott Grill and Sean Williams, both of Bill Grill Exterminating. Other photos from the Board Dinner can be seen further in the newsletter.



In the meantime, keep up-to-date with industry news at the Division Meetings scheduled near you. Keep an eye on the Meeting Dates section below, or the website, www.papest.org. 

If we at the Association's office can ever be of assistance, please feel free to contact us at (800) 842-9090 or cwright@versantstrategies.net.

  Team Versant  



Past President Keith Hamilton being recognized for his service to PPMA by President Marty Overline during the Annual Board Dinner.


President Marty Overline recognized Dana Lown for his years of service as the Salino Scholarship Chairman at the Board Dinner.
Pioneer Award Winner 2017, in memorium of Harry Katz
The Pioneer Award was established to recognize leaders in the Pest Management Association who had a profound impact on the Pennsylvania Pest Management Association. This year's awardee is in memoriam of Harry Katz.
The following biography was adapted from PCT.
The pest control industry mourns the loss of Harry Katz, renowned entomologist and former PCT columnist. Harry passed away on Sunday, August 28, 2016 surrounded by family. He was 101.
Harry was raised in the Western Pennsylvania town of Cannonsburg, and introduced to the pest control industry by family friend, Fred Pollack, a pest control operator and supplier who sparked Harry's interest in the trade during the 1930s.
Harry served our country during WWII, and upon his return took over the Elco Manufacturing Company operation, in Pittsburgh. 
Harry was one of the pest control industry's leading educators and advocates for association involvement. For example, in 1961, Elco acquired a one-acre site near Pittsburgh where the company built a warehouse, office and training room for PCOs. Harry's association involvement includes becoming a founder of the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Pest Control Association in 1953. He served continuously as secretary of that association until the 1980s. Harry also held a membership in the Entomological Society of America and was an honorary member of Pi Chi Omega, the pest control industry's national fraternity.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Harry struck up a friendship with Pittsburgh resident Arnold Mallis, and was instrumental in preserving and archiving much of Mallis' research. He also authored several chapters in past editions of the
 Mallis Handbook of Pest Control and wrote a monthly column in 
PCT, Myth Conceptions.
Faygie Katz-Sillman told PCT her grandfather used entomology to connect with her and her siblings. "As a child, he would take me out with a net to catch bugs and put them under the microscope. He taught me and my siblings how to recognize many different insects. He saved every issue of the magazine, and I would read them when I came to visit. "
In addition to his industry involvement, Harry founded the Parkway Jewish Center, which is still in operation, in suburban Pittsburgh. Harry's wife, Ruth, passed away in 2002, and in 2008 he moved to New York from Florida, where he lived across the street from his son Elliot and daughter-in-law Linda. 
Harry is survived by son Elliot (Linda); eight grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandson (born last year). His funeral was held on Aug. 29.
Previous winners of the award include Dave Steiger, Joe Kahn, Fred Goldberg, and Harvey Goldglantz. Award winners are nominated and approved by the Board of Directors.

Pennsylvania's CHEMSWEEP to Provide 19 Counties with Safe Pesticide Disposal in 2018
 
Harrisburg, PA

 
"When pesticides outlive their usefulness, they can become a problem," said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. "Rather than leaving them sitting in barns and back rooms as threats to human safety and our environment, we provide this service to each of Pennsylvania's counties every four years."
 
The program is offered in different counties each year. In 2018, it will be available in Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Franklin, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Potter, and Washington counties.
 
More than 2.5 million pounds of unwanted or unusable pesticides have been properly destroyed through the program since it was established in 1993.
 
Every year, many pesticide products are discontinued, phased out or become unusable, leaving growers, commercial establishments, and professional applicators with potentially dangerous and toxic materials that cannot be placed in landfills. The unwanted pesticides often become a safety hazard and an environmental concern through long-term storage in garages, barns, or other areas.
 
Licensed pesticide applicators, pesticide dealers and commercial pesticide application businesses from the designated counties are eligible to participate by completing the CHEMSWEEP registration and inventory form that will be mailed directly to eligible applicators, dealers, and businesses. The registration period ends February 28.
 
An independent contractor hired by the state agriculture department collects and packages all waste pesticides at each participating location, primarily for incineration at facilities approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. CHEMSWEEP covers the disposal cost for the first 2,000 pounds per participant. Above that level, participants are billed at the agriculture department's contracted price.
 
The program is funded through annual registration fees paid by pesticide manufacturers and applicators.
 
For more information, visit www.agriculture.pa.gov .

Market Hardware Offers Second Business Webinar

Interested in learning more about web marketing? PPMA Allied Member and we marketing gurus Market Hardware will be hosting a second webinar for PPMA members. This one is titled, "5 Lead Magnet Ideas to Supercharge your 2018 Web Marketing Strategy." This hour-long webinar is scheduled solely for members of our association. 

When: January 9, 2018 from 3:00-4:00 PM EST

Registration: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5539829250214076419 

Now Accepting Applications for NPMA's 2018 Executive Leadership Program

The application process will close on December 15

 
The Executive Leadership Program was created to find passionate, committed, and engaged individuals from all parts of the country who want to enhance NPMA and the membership experience while connecting with industry leaders.
 
During this program, ELP candidates will participate in a two-year planned curriculum that prepares them for association leadership.
 
NPMA will appoint PMPs from across the country to participate in the Executive Leadership Program. NPMA will fund your participation and travel to Academy and PestWorld, so that you can be part of our board meeting, share your experiences and take advantage of networking and learning activities.
 
A letter of recommendation is required. This letter can be from a direct supervisor, mentor, manufacturers representative, or a member of your state association leadership. Click here to download the application. Your complete submission must be sent to jrickwalder@pestworld.org no later than Friday, December 15.

CondioTec Announces Apprehend Approval

CondioTech now has registration in the following states:
 
Alaska, Delaware, Washington D.C., Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.  
 
The specially designed sprayer kit and bottles of Aprehend® are now available for shipment direct from our facility in Pennsylvania. 
 
Low Volume Sprayer Kit, with Waist Pouch, P/N 30101-50, $150
Low Volume Sprayer Kit, with Shoulder Pouch, P/N 30101-75, $150
 
(Includes: Spray Gun, Compressor and Hose, Rechargeable Lithium Battery, Car Charger, Wall Charger, and Waist or Shoulder Pouch)
 
Aprehend® 16 oz. bottle, P/N APR10116, $125
Aprehend® 16 oz. bottle, 6-pack, P/N APR10116-600, $625
 
Aprehend® is a new and unique product, and must be applied using the Aprehend® spray gun.  Application strategies and resident preparation will also differ from current protocols, so it is essential that all new users watch the series of short training videos, which can be found at http://www.aprehend.com/training/ .
 
If you would like to take advantage of our direct sales, please contact me directly to set up a new customer account.  If we can answer any additional questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call at (800) 891-8610.
 
For more information contact:  
Don McCandless
CEO
  ConidioTec LLC
2440 Earlystown Road, Suite 600
Centre Hall, PA 16828
  Cell: (814) 360-8482
www.conidiotec.com

Ag Department, Penn State seek public input on state Pollinator Protection Plan
 
Public comment period ends Dec. 15, 2017
September 28, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Farmers, gardeners and other Pennsylvanians concerned about the health of pollinators - given their critically important role in growing and producing food - now have the chance to comment on a draft of the state's proposed Pollinator Protection Plan.
The plan, developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State, is designed to protect bees and other insects that pollinate nearly 75 percent of the Commonwealth's food crops.

"The Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection Plan is a living document that will change over time as researchers and interested citizens share personal experience and best practices when it comes to protecting and expanding pollinator populations," said state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. "Pennsylvania is blessed with rich soils and a favorable climate that allow us to produce a variety of agricultural products, but we need bees, flies and butterflies to pollinate three quarters of our food crops."

The department and Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research, which is housed in the College of Agricultural Sciences, developed the protection plan after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency directed state agencies to develop pollinator protection plans to mitigate risk to honey bees and other pollinators. Pollinator populations have declined in recent years due to a number of threats.

According to Penn State researchers, beekeepers reported a 52 percent loss in their colonies during the winter of 2016-17. In addition, 51 species of butterflies, 111 species of moths and three species of bumble bees are considered to be at risk.

Each state is required to submit its own plan to EPA that provides technical advice to homeowners, beekeepers, farmers, nonagricultural landowners, businesses, organizations, government agencies and the public on how to improve and increase areas where bees and other pollinators can live safely, eat well and thrive.

Agriculture relies on pollinators for human health and economic stability. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State determined that Pennsylvania growers gain more than $250 million in fruit and vegetable production due to increased yield as a result of pollination from insects and an additional $9 million in value from crops where pollination produces seeds. 
"Pennsylvania is the nation's fourth largest producer of apples, thanks in part to the work of about 235 species of bees found in our fruit orchards. It's easy to see the value of preserving and protecting the diversity of our pollinators," Redding continued. "Our apple harvest averages more than $124 million annually, so this plan is an integral part of maintaining our agricultural and economic viability in this and other fruit, vegetable and seed industries."

"Many of our favorite foods depend on bees, flies and others to transfer pollen between plants. They are critical to the success of our food supply," said Christina Grozinger, distinguished professor of entomology and director of Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research. "If you enjoy strawberries, raspberries, cherries, plums, peaches or pears, you can thank these pollinators."

Grozinger encourages Pennsylvanians to review the first four chapters of the plan: "Introduction," "Best Practices for Forage and Habitat," "Best Practices for Pesticide Use," and "Best Practices for Beekeepers." The plan is available for review online at the Center for Pollinator Research website.

After the comment period ends on Dec. 15, the Pennsylvania Pollinator Plan's task force and advisory board will compile the public comments to create the fifth chapter, "Recommendations for Research, Education and Policy."

The plan was developed with input from 36 individuals representing 28 state and national organizations and stakeholder groups.

"I am very pleased with the final plan, which provides an outstanding framework for pollinator conservation and health in Pennsylvania and beyond," Grozinger said. "Members of the task force and advisory board have forged valuable partnerships, and our communities and our ability to feed a hungry world will be stronger for their efforts."
 
 
Media Contacts: 
Chuck Gill
Work Phone: 
814-863-2713
Twitter Handle: 

Technical Spotlight

 Your house is just a gigantic bug habitat

Study: Average home everywhere has 100 insect species, and there's nothing you can do about it.  

By Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post

Michelle Trautwein hates to break it to you, but your home belongs to the bugs. 

They're in your basement and your attic. They're scuttling along floorboards and windowsills. They've turned your kitchen cabinets into complex ecosystems - complete with scavengers and parasites, predators and prey. And there's nothing you can do about it. 

This is the latest takeaway from Trautwein's five-year, five-continent effort to understand the creepy crawly roommates with whom we share our homes.

"We've been sampling houses all over the world, and it's true globally," said the California Academy of Sciences entomologist. "Bugs don't respect the limitations, the borders we've created. They just view our houses as extensions of their habitat."

These invertebrate interlopers, she continued, are "an inevitability of living on the planet."

Trautweint and her colleagues have sampled homes in bustling cities and rural villages in the United States, Australia, Japan, Peru and Sweden. Soon, they hope to visit Africa and Antarctica. 

In 2012, the team convinced 50 homeowners in Raleigh, NC, to let them look for bugs inside their houses. Decked out in headlamps and knee pads, the scientists spent hours crawling around on the floors of the strangers' homes, gently swabbing for critters and depositing their finds in tiny plastic vials. 

For their latest paper, published Friday in the journal Scientific Reports, Trauwein and her colleagues wanted to figure out what features of a building make it friendlier to bugs. So they scored each home on a number of metrics: degree of cleanliness; amount of clutter; presence of pets, pesticides, dust bunnies; number of windows and doors. (To avoid annoying their hosts, the scientists didn't tell home-owners how they ranked on the cleanliness scale.)

To Trautwein's surprise, "nothing seemed to make a difference: when it came to bug diversity. Each home had an average of 100 species living in it, regardless of how often the residents cleaned or how many pets they had.

Most arthropods - the group that includes inspects, spiders, millipedes and many other spineless creatures capable of giving you the heebie-jeebies - did prefer ground-floor, high-traffic rooms with carpeting, with lots of windows and doors. " which makes sense," Trautwein said, since a lot of what we live with is just kind of filtered in from the outdoors."

When they headed down to cold, damp basements, the researchers discovered a distinct population of darkness-loving cave-dwellers: camel crickets, millipedes, tiny crustaceans.

These insects aren't just temporary interlopers; they have formed food webs as complex as any you might find in the outdoors. There are prey animals, like scuttle flies, fungus gnats and book lice, which feed on sloughed-off skin and dusty detritus that collects in corners and under furniture. There are opportunistic feeders, like ants. An there are predators - cobweb spiders, ground beetles.

Some creatures, like the German cockroach, are found almost exclusively among humans - they've evolved to live within walls, instead of amid trees and grass.

"That gives us the indication that this is really a kind of community that is building indoors," Trautwein said.

The study dealt with diversity, rather than quantities of bugs, and Trautwein was quick to clarify that there's a difference between ordinary household bug communities and an infestation. 

But she believes some level of bug diversity in a home is probably healthy. Trautwein noted the growing evidence that some modern ailments, such as allergies and autoimmune diseases, may be more likely to occur because we aren't exposed to as many microbes when we are young. Insects may play a helpful role in hosting and spreading microbial diversity indoors.
Upcoming Meetings          

The Meetings and Events section of the website is always the most up-to-date resource for happenings of the Association. Be sure to check it out!

The Eastern Division continues to hold its monthly meetings with varying topics of discussion on the second Thursday of every month at the Crowne Plaze in Trevose.  For more information on monthly topics and speakers, contact Sue at (215) 331-1121.
  
Legislative Update

The information below represents legislative activity (including bill introductions) that has occurred since the last newsletter.  For a full listing of legislation that Versant is tracking for PPMA, please contact us at (717) 635-2320 or cwright@versantstrategies.net.  Activity marked HCO or SCO indicates a co-sponsorship memo which precedes the actual introduction of legislation and is designed to secure the support of other legislators prior to introduction as a bill.

While the budget and accompany fiscal bills were passed into law, the House has continued discussions on a Severance Tax. HB 1401 was called to the floor for discussion, bringing with it the hundreds of amendments. Parliamentary procedural moves have made many of them not-germane. The bill is expected to be discussed again as the House convenes in December. Versant Strategies is paying close attention to the following legislation on your behalf:

HB1001 - Helm, Susan (R) - Act regulating home inspectors; establishing the Home Inspection Licensing Board; providing for licensure & practice, for disciplinary action, for remedies & for penalties; making an appropriation; & repealing provisions. 

This bill has passed the House with a vote of 125-63. It was received in the Senate for their consideration.

SB 242 - Baker, Lisa (R) - Amends the Underground Utility Line Protection Law (PA One Call) further providing for defs, for duties of facility owners, for duties of the One Call System, for duties of excavators, for duties of project owners, for penalties, for enforcement. 

This bill has passed the House and Senate and was approved by the Governor (Act 50).

SB 76 - Argall, David (R) - Act providing for tax levies & information related to taxes; authorizing a personal income tax or earned income tax by a school district; for exclusions from sales tax; for increase to personal income tax; est. Fund; & repeals.

This bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee and awaits a committee meeting for a vote.

HB1818 - McCarter, Steve (D) - Act providing for labeling, signage and restrictions on sales and use relating to neonicotinoid pesticides.

The bill was filed and referred to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee where it awaits a vote. 

SB 936 - White, Donald (R) - Amends the Worker's Compensation Act, in liability and compensation, further providin for prescription drugs and the treatment of work-related injuries; and, in procedure, further providing for peer review.

The Bill was discussed during a House Republican Policy Committee Meeting. 

REMINDER from NPMA
Increase Your Business Opportunities; Update your Find a Pro Listing Today
 
To update your company's service area, please follow the steps below:
  1. Log on to the Manage My Group area of the NPMA website. Please note: in order to access the "Manage My Group" area of the NPMA website, you must be a company administrator. 
  1. Click on "Company Information" from the drop down menu.
  1. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Service Area section.
    1. Download the excel template found on this page.
    2. Update this template to include all of the zip codes that you service.
    3. Save the file on your computer.
    4. In the Service Area section click Choose File.  Locate the excel template file that you just saved. Click open.
    5. Click Upload file.
Once you've completed these steps your service on Find-a-Pro is instantly updated to include these new zip codes. 
If you are having problems accessing please contact NPMA at (703) 352-6762 or npma@pestworld.org.

Articles of Interest
 
11-29-2017 Pesticide disposal program coming to Lancaster County
Lancaster County farmers and agribusinesses will soon be able to safely dispose of outdated or unwanted pesticides. The state Department of Agriculture offers a pesticide pickup each year in rotating counties under its CHEMSWEEP program. A disposal program will be in Lancaster in 2018, the first pickup since... - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

11-27-2017 Christmas tree growers on hunt for lanternflies
Christmas trees should be covered in lights and tinsel, ornaments, stars and skirts. One thing you don't want on your tree: spotted lanternfly eggs masquerading as a speck of mud. Experts are telling Pennsylvanians to be on alert for the invasive insect's eggs.... - Allentown Morning Call

11-20-2017 Pennsylvania's CHEMSWEEP to Provide 19 Counties with Safe Pesticide Disposal...
  (Press Release)

11-16-2017 Orchards wary of lanternfly threat
Winemaker Dominic Strohlein knows that in any agricultural business, nature can quickly turn a profit into a loss. That's why the owner of Big Creek Winery in Kunkletown is trying to stay ahead of the spotted lanternfly, the invasive pest that has spread around eastern Pennsylvania since first being sighted in 2014.... - Lehighton Times News

11-10-2017 A species of wasp might be enemy of spotted lanternfly
Dr. Houping Liu, a state-employed entomologist, believes in science, not luck, but he confesses that his discovery of a potential weapon against the invading spotted lanternfly, was, well, a bit lucky. Enlisted into Pennsylvania's fight against the invasive insects that have... - Reading Eagle