Tar Heel Pest Management News

March 2025

NCPMA Welcomes

New Premier Technicians

Congratulations to our newest Premier Technicians!

• Austin Braswell (Pest and Termite Consultants, Inc.) 
• Tyler Ferguson (Pest and Termite Consultants, Inc.)
• Nicolette Hurley (City Wide Exterminating)
• Brian Mastrionni (Pest and Termite Consultants, Inc.)

They completed the program on March 6 after more than 18 months of study.

Premier Technician is a course designed to elevate a pest management professional’s knowledge of the industry through the in-depth study of at least eight key areas including ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, flying insects, occasional invaders/stored product pests, rodents, wood-boring inspection or WDIR Accreditation, and wood-destroying organisms.

The Premier Technician program offers a continuous series of courses to help professionals develop a deeper and clear understanding of pest infestations from discovery to treatment. Individuals who complete the program must have worked in the industry for at least one year and must complete the Wood-boring beetle/Inspection course or have WDIR Accreditation through NCPMA.

The Premier Technician Program is made possible through the contributions of its Strategic Founding Partners: BASF, Bell Laboratories, Inc., Corteva Agriscience, ENVU, FMC and Syngenta.

Registration has opened for the NCPMA Spring Workshops featuring Patricia Alder of NCSU.

Workshop topics include Fly ID & Management (approved for 1 P-phase CCU) and Termite Biology 101 (approved for 1 W-phase CCU), and we'll host multiple sessions around the state so you can find a location near you.

Fayetteville

April 9, 2025, 8 - 10 a.m.

Cumberland County Extension Center

301 E. Mountain Drive

Fayetteville, NC 

Greenville

April 11, 2025, 8 - 10 a.m.

Pitt County Extension Center

403 Government Circle, Suite 2

Greenville, NC

Concord

April 17, 2025, 8 - 10 a.m.

Cabarrus County Extension Center

715 Cabarrus County

Concord, NC

Raleigh

April 18, 2025, 8 - 10 a.m.

NCSU Structural Pest Management Training Facility

4000 Chi Road

Raleigh, NC

Winston-Salem

April 22, 2025, 1 - 3 p.m.

Forsyth County Extension Center

1450 Fairchild Road

Winston-Salem, NC

Asheville

April 23, 2025, 8 - 10 a.m.

Buncombe County Extension Center

49 Mt Carmel Rd #102

Asheville, NC 

Wilmington

April 24, 2025, 1 - 3 p.m.

New Hanover Extension Center

6206 Oleander Drive

Wilmington, NC 

Members of the NC Pest Management Association traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in NPMA’s Legislative Day which took place March 9-11, 2025.

NCPMA’s Public Policy Chairs, Marie Horner (VP Government Affairs Arrow Exterminators, Inc.) and Marty Roberts (VP Rid-A-Bug Exterminating) along with NCPMA members Greg Canning (Economy Exterminators), Stan Hollingsworth (Bug N A Rug Exterminators), Scott Broaddus (Hawx Services), Scott Canady, NCPMA President (Canady’s Termite & Pest), Rick Thompson (Waterproof Supply) and Zach Mundy (BASF) met with Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd along with three house representatives on March 11, 2025.

“The meetings were very productive and gave us the opportunity to have our voices heard on issues that could affect pest control businesses in North Carolina. Specifically, we focused on helping legislators understand the concept of preemption and making them aware of the importance of codifying state lead agencies as co-regulators of pesticides (along with EPA),” stated Marie Horner.

The language that industry supports is included in the Farm Bill which has not been re-authorized at this time and, at this point, it doesn’t look like it will be before September 2025, meaning another extension will have to be implemented. Without preemption, PMP’s are burdened with having to comply with different laws and regulations in each community they service.

"The public policy team will continue to monitor the Farm Bill and keep members informed," promised Marty Roberts.

Regulatory changes involving certification and training for pest control applicators in NC will become effective July 1, 2025.  Updated rules will impact key areas of supervision, training, certification and record-keeping requirements.

NCPMA board of directors have been working with the NC Department of Agriculture over the last 2 years as the state submitted revised certification and training language to EPA for approval.  “We will continue to work with NCDA&CS to assist in making these transitions as easy as possible for our members,” stated Marie Horner, VP Government Affairs Arrow Exterminators, Inc.

There will be additional training requirements for registered technicians, revisions of certified applicator exams, record-keeping requirements and a one-time training requirement for current certified applicators and licensees.  There is a link below to the entire rules and regulations document located on the NCDA&CS website.

Critical Changes You Need to be Aware of Include:

• Training for Registered Technicians (RT): Registered Technicians (RT) will now be required to be at least 18 years old and on an annual basis have documented training in the safe operation of equipment used for mixing, loading, transferring or applying pesticides.  RT’s must always have access to applicable product labeling and be provided with proper PPE.  Ensuring that PPE is being worn and used correctly for its intended purposes via training, documentation or supervision.
• Supervision of Registered Technician Daily Task Requirement: Licensee or Certified Applicator supervising RT’s must ensure through training, documentation or inspections, that before each day of use, pesticide application equipment is in proper operating condition as intended by the manufacturer. Licensee must be physically present at the use site when required by product labeling.
• Training Requirements for Current Certified Applicators & Licensee: NCDA&CS is required to get every CA and Licensee up to the new standards.  The division has been working with NCPMA along with Dr. Wayne Buhler of NCSU on this training and the goal is to have the training available live and recorded.  The recorded option will allow licensees to show it to their entire company at one time or individually to reduce the impact of downtime.  This is a one-time training requirement.
• Record Keeping: Date and Time of fumigation applications will be added to the record-keeping requirement for fumigations.

NC Structural Pest Control Rules and Regulations (entire document)

Voting for the next NPMA Board of Directors has begun. If you’re the voting member for your company, check your email (and your Spam folders) for an email titled “2025-2026 Election” from electionsupport@intelliscanvotes.com.

NCPMA’s Past President John Adkins is on this year’s ballot for an At-Large position, and we wish him the best!

Voting closes on April 15, so check now!

Guest Column by Christopher Hayes

America, land of the free and home of the…cockroach? While we are known for our bravery, many people suddenly become much less so when unexpectedly faced with a six-legged, sometimes flying invader! Perhaps everyone’s worst nightmare, several species of cockroaches can invade our homes and business where they set up shop and refuse to pay rent – the biggest of these (in size) is the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana).

Despite its name, the American cockroach actually isn’t originally from America – go figure – and in fact traces its origins back to the African continent and the Middle East. During the 17th century it made its way to America alongside trade and slavery. 

So what’s the problem?



Well, for starters, it’s HUGE! Reaching upwards of two inches in length as adults, simply seeing one of these “beasts” can leave an impact. They are slow growing though, taking roughly 600 days to reach adulthood, and long lived as adults (400 days). For those counting, we are closing in on three years – that’s a toddler. 

More than size and lifespan though, American cockroaches are dirty! They are often associated with sewer systems, latrines, landfills, and dumpsters. These hang-outs are home to untold numbers of bacteria and other disease-causing organisms, of which the American cockroach readily carries all of them. They are just waiting to make us sick.

When controlling American cockroaches start with exclusion. These peridomestic pests can survive outdoors, so let’s keep them there! Search for and seal entrances into the structure – remember that a cracked or leaky sewer pipe could be a highway for them.

Once you’ve sealed up entrances and stopped further invasion, pivot your efforts to baiting and residual insecticide application – but don’t contaminate your bait! Place bait in crevices where they are likely stop by. Apply residual products around the exterior foundation wall, or as crack and crevice application indoors around areas where traffic is likely to be high. 



With a combined IPM approach you can send the not-so-American cockroach packing, back to the sewer it came from!

Dr. Christopher C. Hayes

Extension Associate

Structural Pest Management

Registration is now open for NCSU's Summer Course which will be held in May.

NCPMA recently received a Thank You Letter from NC State University for our contribution to the NCPMA Extension Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel.

We were so touched by this kind thank you message, but know that this wouldn't be possible without the generous and heartfelt donations from each of our members. Thank you!

The NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel supports the ongoing work of North Carolina State University, focusing on supporting positions that directly contribute to the education of the pest management industry. The endowment honors Mike Waldvogel, Ph.D., Extension Associate Professor & Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology.

NCPMA's website has some great resources for our members and is a great way to register for our events.

Update your member listing

Your company must be active in our membership database and have a unique email address on file for you to register yourself or employees for events as a member and pay the member rate.

Log in here NCPMA Website to review your company profile. Add your logo!

Need your login and password? 

Click here:  NCPMA Website. Remember the Company profile and Key Contact cannot have the same email address listed.

Update Your Employees

If you are the Primary Contact for your company, you can update and manage which employees are registered with NCPMA. While each of our members can update his or her personal contact information, only the Primary Contact for each company can update employee information. Please update License Type and Number for each employee. If an individual holds a license in more than one state, please add that information as well. If the state is not listed as an option please notify info@ncpestmanagement.org. This is critical for continuing education reporting.  

We hope this helps streamline the membership renewal process and event registration process.

Remember

We are proud to be joint members with the National Pest Management Association. Your login for the NPMA website event registration is different from your NCPMA website login. You will need a different login and password for NCPMA's website.

Check out the site today at www.ncpestmanagement.org.