Monthly Archives

December 2020

Things We Love About Pest Control

By | Pest Business | No Comments

Now, more than ever, we have more things to love about pest control. Every industry has something special, something unique. Pest professionals likely never dreamed they would land here and, at the same time, cannot imagine leaving. Pest pros are passionate about what they do and their community. So, what makes the industry so attractive that people don’t want to leave? Here are four things we love about the pest management industry.

Things We Love About Pest Control - IPM

Four things we love about pest control

  • The People –From hard-working technicians to entrepreneurs to some of the largest chemical companies in the world, the folks you encounter in pest management are truly diverse and from every walk of life. It is an extremely hard-working group that makes the experience in this industry worthwhile. Once you are in you truly feel like you are a part of a community. Annual meetings offer great opportunities to rekindle lifelong friendships and learn more from folks of different regions and differing perspectives. People are so often willing to share their experience and knowledge, oftentimes even with their competitors.
  • The Democracy of Design – okay, we are biased on this one because we are creative folks who love the unique logo designs in the industry. Whether one-truck solo operators or larger regional and national chains, the different logos throughout the industry are as varied as the people. There are over 20,000 pest control organizations in the US, each with a design to match. We truly believe in the more the merrier.
  • The Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Industry – The “American Dream” has been realized by so many in the pest management industry:
    • Pest control technicians who rose up the ranks of national firms then grew their wings to launch their own successful regional company
    • Family-owned and operated manufacturing firms spanning over several generations with grandparents and grandchildren working side by side
    • Consultants who later in life take their industry experience and offer it back to the industry.
  • An Essential Industry – Pest professionals are incredibly important to the communities they serve. Professional pest management services protect public health, people’s homes and family and businesses reputations. Perhaps part of the love and draw of this industry is working for the greater good.

Easy to love

As the saying goes, love what you do and you will never work a day in your life. We believe that is why so many people have found success in the pest management industry, as it is an easy career to love.

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

Things we love about pest control – additional resources

First, get more great content like this in your inbox – sign up for our mailing list here: https://catchmasterpro.com/join-email/

Next, learn more about our rodent management tools here: https://catchmasterpro.com/collection/rodent-management-tools/

Finally, learn more about your pest management professional options from the National Pest Management Association here: https://npmapestworld.org/

 

The 2020 Mosquito Season Review

By | Mosquitoes | No Comments

As cold weather settles in over most of the United States and insect activity diminishes, let’s take a look back at some of the happenings with a 2020 mosquito season review.  Two of our most dangerous disease vectors, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) continue to expand their range in the US.  These two species are the primary transmitters of the viruses that cause Zika, chikungunya, dengue, and yellow fever.  A third species, the Asian bush mosquito (Aedes japonicus) is rapidly spreading in the Eastern US.  Its disease-transmitting potential is not well understood.

2020 Mosquito Season Review - Fun Facts

2020 Mosquito Season Review – CDC Statistics for 2020

The mosquito-borne disease burden for humans and animals was substantial.  The numbers below are from CDC’s website.  Note that full reporting for 2020 is not yet complete.  There was evidence of West Nile virus activity in people, birds, or mosquitoes in 44 states.  Also, there were 540 human cases, well below our average of about 2,000 per year; 184 (34%) of the cases occurred in California.  There were 9 human cases and a large number of equine cases of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE), compared to 36 human cases in 2019.

Dengue fever made a dramatic reappearance, with 250 total reported cases.  181 of those were travel-related while the rest of the cases (69) were all locally acquired in Florida, primarily in the Florida Keys.  Finally, there were 5 cases of a relative rare disease, caused by Jamestown Canyon virus, reported from New Hampshire.

A Rough Year for Mosquito Surveillance

It is really unclear how much actual disease from mosquito bites there was in 2020.  Many surveillance and control programs were crippled or actually shut down by the pandemic, and personnel resources were reallocated.  One piece of good news, however, is that there is absolutely no scientific evidence that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is transmitted by mosquitoes.

2021 will likely bring more outbreaks and surprises in the mosquito universe and CAPT Stan will be here to bring you all the news!  Best wishes for the holiday season and new year.

Captain Stan Cope (aka the Mosquito Man) is our Vice President of Technical Services and blogs frequently on mosquitoes. In addition to his social media content you can find his blog archives here: https://catchmasterpro.com/?s=captain+stan

2020 Mosquito Season Review – Additional Resources

Get our free mosquito management program guide when you sign up for our e-mail list here: https://catchmasterpro.com/mosquito-management-program/

Get more content like this daily when you follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catchmasterPRO/

Discover our full line of Catchmaster® mosquito management tools:  https://catchmasterpro.com/collection/mosquito-management-tools/

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