Monthly Archives

August 2019

Back to School Pest Control

By | Tips & Inspirations | No Comments

Avoid Pests this Back to School Season

With back to school season upon us, it is also time to brush up on your back to school pest control. The start of the school year coincides with the fall season and a popular time for indoor pests to re-surface. Avoid the possibility of your students bringing pests home to you this school year with the following back-to-school tips:

Back to School Pest Control 101

Keep backpacks clean and properly stored.

Backpacks can easily become a breeding ground for germs and an open invitation for pests. As remnants of lunch and clutter build up over the school year it can attract pests to your home like ants, fruit flies, rodents or even bed bugs. To avoid these pests, regularly clean out your student’s backpack and wash it according to the manufacturer’s directions. Always store backpacks out of bedrooms, in a mudroom or area away from sleeping areas.

Change bedding often and inspect for bed bugs.

Bed bugs are notorious for hitchhiking their way into a home. The school year presents a heightened risk of picking up this dreaded pest. Bed bugs can easily drop off one backpack and into another. The risk is even greater at a boarding school or college where the student sleeps. Be aware of what a bed bug infestation looks like and always inspect bedding as well as the mattress and box spring when changing bed sheets. If bed bugs are detected, alert the school and work closely with a pest professional to eliminate the problem.

Never buy or pick-up used furniture.

Experts recommend that you avoid buying or picking up used furniture. Used furniture can easily be infested with bed bugs or other pests and may be very difficult to detect for the average person.

Wash & dry all clothing upon returning home from school.

Two of the biggest hitchhiking pests known to infiltrate schools are lice and bed bugs. Clothing is an easy carrier for these pests to make their way into your home. Whether it’s the art smock that is occasionally brought home or the extra sweater that has been hanging in the locker, be sure to wash and dry at the hottest temperature that the fabric will allow to kill these pests.

Regularly monitor your home for pests.

The easiest way to deal with a pest infestation is to catch it early. Monitoring your home with glue boards can offer you peace of mind that you will detect a pest problem before a full blown infestation has the chance to settle in.

Additional Resources for Back to School Pest Control

Learn more about pests at Pest World, the official site of the National Pest Management Association here: http://pestworld.org/

To help your customers with back to school pest control consider our 288i insect traps and monitors: https://catchmasterpro.com/product/insect-traps-monitors/

Bobby Kossowicz is a content creator for the Catchmaster® brand, learn more here: https://catchmasterpro.com/blog/bobby-kossowicz/

Final Feed FAQs

By | Mosquitoes | No Comments

What questions are customers asking about Final Feed™ Mosquito Bait?

Captain Stan (aka the Mosquito Man) has traveled the US and compiled some Final Feed FAQs from the field.  Check out his update below.

Part of my amazing job at AP&G (Catchmaster®) is to travel around the country, providing classroom and field training on mosquitoes and Catchmaster’s line of mosquito control products.  Various venues have included pest control companies, professional meetings, trade shows, specialized workshops for continuing education credits, zoos and even back rooms at restaurants!  Here are the top three questions that customers ask about Final Feed, the first-ever bait for mosquito control.

Q:  What is the science behind Final Feed?

A:  Both male and female mosquitoes require multiple sugar meals each day for energy and survival.  As a result, they acquire these sugar meals from plants.  Final Feed is a sugar-based bait that is sprayed on non-flowering vegetation, where the mosquitoes ingest it.

Q:  How does Final Feed work?

A:  The active ingredient is microencapsulated garlic, which is contained in a bait matrix.  The exact mode of action is unknown (a Ph.D. thesis in waiting) but after ingestion, the majority of mosquitoes die within 1-2 days.  Also, after ingesting the garlic, female mosquitoes lose their appetite for blood.

Q:  As Final Feed is a sugar-based product, doesn’t it attract other pest insects?

A:  No.  Rigorous scientific testing in the field clearly demonstrates that other insect pests are not attracted by the bait mixture.

We hope you enjoyed these Final Feed FAQs, reach out with your own and check out some additional links below.

Discover Final Feed Mosquito bait here: https://catchmasterpro.com/product/final-feed-mosquito-bait/

Learn more about Captain Stan (aka the Mosquito Man) here: https://catchmaster.com/introducing-captain-stan-the-mosquito-man/

Finally, learn more about mosquitoes from the NPMA here: https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/mosquitoes/

Catchmaster Pestimonial – Hoffman’s Exterminating

By | Pestimonials | No Comments

Catchmaster  Pestimonial – Hoffman’s Exterminating

In this Catchmaster Pestimonial we examine how private label products help Hoffman’s Exterminating elevate its brand and expand its market footprint.

Marketing Multiplier

The origin story of how Hoffman’s Exterminating became one of the most successful family-owned businesses in the state of New Jersey mirrors that of so many start-ups in the pest management industry. It began with an ambitious entrepreneur named William Hoffman launching a home-based business and knocking on doors to win customers. Sound familiar?

It’s a legacy that has been repeated thousands of times since the founding of the industry, with each company’s path to success unique in its own way. In Hoffman’s case, he understood from the beginning that elevating one’s brand is essential when competing against national players with deep pockets and sophisticated marketing expertise.

“From the beginning, I wanted to build a business that our employees would be proud to work for and eventually retire from, and we continue to do our best to build the company’s brand together every day,” Hoffman says. “Whether servicing commercial and residential accounts, participating in local festivals or sponsoring sporting events, we’re committed to supporting the communities we serve. We want everyone to know they can count on us to do the right thing.”

But beyond traditional advertising and community outreach, what can pest control companies do on a daily basis to elevate their brand and expand their market footprint? That’s where private label products offer a multiplier effect, providing “in-the-field” branding and 24/7 visibility for your company.

“We use a lot of the glue boards and traps from Catchmaster®, and everything has our branding on it, “Hoffman says. “We do a significant amount of commercial work and we want our name and brand everywhere to keep our company top-of-mind with our customers.”

A Trusted Partner

And AP&G, a company Hoffman’s Exterminating has been doing business with for nearly three decades, makes it easy to do just that by enabling PMPs to imprint their company logo, website, phone number or other pertinent information on Catchmaster glue boards and insect monitors.

“For companies like us, anything we can do to stand out from the crowd is beneficial,” Hoffman says. “That’s why we brand, brand, brand whenever and wherever we can.”

Talk to your regional sales representative to learn more about the our Catchmaster® private label products here: https://catchmasterpro.com/sales-representatives/

Learn more about Hoffman’s Exterminating here: https://hoffmanexterminating.com/

Special thanks to the team at PCT Magazine for their contributions to this article: https://www.pctonline.com/