Our industry has a lot to be proud of this year as you and the rest of our members deliver increasing levels of professionalism and expertise. From protecting our food supply to managing disease-spreading insects, pest management plays a vital role in safeguarding public health.

To ensure the importance of our industry’s work is recognized, NPMA has released Pride and Professionalism 2017, a professionally produced video created to help your company effectively communicate the value of the pest management industry to your staff members and prospective employees.

Pride and Professionalism 2017 is available for immediate download and use. We invite you to use the video for a variety of communication efforts, such as employee recruitment, staff orientation and business development. Click here to learn more.

On Wednesday, January 31, at the National Association of State Department's of Agriculture (NASDA) Winter Policy Conference, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Departments of Interior and Commerce to improve the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Consultation process. The conflicting statutes and processes between EPA and the Department of Interior has created a logjam of pesticide evaluations and unnecessary litigation. The net result is that endangered species are not being properly helped and a growing concern that invaluable pesticides will no longer be available for use to protect public health. The signing of the MOA and the interagency commitment to work to resolve this issue is a tremendous step towards improving the pesticide consultation process which is currently broken.  

NPMA needs your help to communicate the need to reform ESA pesticide consultation process with legislators. Unfortunately, this likely cannot be resolved through regulation alone, but rather we will also need legislation to codify necessary reforms.  

Please take a moment and click here to send a personal note to your elected official in the U.S. House of Representatives. As an industry, we are protectors of public health but also stewards of our environment, which is why the problems associated with pesticides and the ESA is so troubling and must be fixed now.

A.N.T. Pest Control of Manhattan, IL
Animal Pest Management of Chino, CA
Cal Coast Termite & Pest of Long Beach, CA
Canine Detection Services of Fresno, CA
Everready Termite & Pest Control of Ojai, CA
First Star Fumigation of Paramount, CA
Integrated Pest Management of White Heath, IL
Northern Colorado Pest & Wildlife Control of Greeley, CO
Plateau Pest Control of Crossville, TN
Prime Termite Solutions of Tulsa, OK
RamVacBags.com of Johns Creek, GA
Reliable Pest Control, Inc. of Citrus Heights, CA
Rush Termite & Pest Control of Santa Clarita, CA
Stop Bugging Me Pest Control of Seattle, WA
True Heat Solutions of Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Turf Management, LLC of Pekin, IL
United Pest Solutions of Kenmore, WA

Quality Pest Control, Inc. of Omaha, NE

Sawfly Larvae Eating a Leaf

Plunkett’s Pest Control, Inc. recently announced it has acquired Varment Guard Environmental Services, Inc., based in Columbus, OH.

Nisus Corporation is pleased to announce its recent hire of Linde Mills, who has joined the Nisus team as Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator working from the Nisus corporate headquarters located in Rockford, TN.

Target Specialty Products has opened its 43rd branch in Denver, continuing several years of rapid growth.

Starting Friday, February 2nd, Donnie Shelton will kick off a free, four-part online boot camp that focuses on quick changes owners and managers can make for better recruiting. Every Friday morning throughout February, Shelton will publish videos and resources on the Coalmarch website, covering everything from understanding your candidate funnel to improving your employer reputation online.

Smithsonian Magazine
Though it won’t work for all species, Aedes aegypti mosquitos seem to have a memory for near-death experiences

Medical Xpress
Improperly used "bug bombs" are making Americans sick—and improved labeling isn't helping, government health officials say.

New Atlas
Scientists have discovered a brand new species of spider, with a feature that's not normally seen in the creatures – a tail.

WWLP
With colder temperatures, pests like mice are looking for a warm place to go. When they get inside your home, they can cause a number of problems.

Science Daily
Researchers cite 30 years' worth of evidence to clear up misconception of lone star tick as Lyme vector.

Fast Company
Obsessive micromanaging has never worked, but calling shots over task execution used to. Not anymore.

Skip Prichard
Building rapport with yourself is not often mentioned as a skill important to leadership, but it should be at the top of the list.

Thought Leaders
A common strategic planning mistake that people make is overestimating their own capabilities. It’s easy to overestimate your organization’s capabilities because we tend to have a favorable view of how good we are.

Let’s Grow Leaders
Training is only valuable when it leads to sustained behavior change and improved business results.

Fast Company
Not everyone thinks the same way. Here’s how to repurpose a three-decade-old management theory to tailor your message to just about anybody.

Time
Areas in the United States where Zika spread locally, like Florida and Texas, experienced a spike in birth defects.

Metro UK
Rats are being flooded out of the River Seine and wreaking havoc on the streets as Paris suffers its worst flooding in a century.

The Guardian
Ticks carry a wide array of pathogens – and environmental changes mean they are spreading