The Salino Scholarship Committee is now accepting applications for the 2020 scholarship year. Applications are due to the PPMA Office by March 15th. Applicants must be sponsored by a Pest Management that has been in good standing with the PPMA for at least for years, be attending an institute of higher education (either two or for years), and cannot have received the scholarship previously. For further specifics and to download the application, click the button below.

The Eastern Region will again be offering transportation for members interested in attending NPMA Legislative Days in Washington, DC. To reserve a spot contact:

Jim Murphy

Tri-County Pest Control

[email protected]

Marty Overline

Aardvark Pest Management

[email protected]

Join us at our upcoming 2020 events!

Central Region Spring Seminar (February 24 | Radisson, Camp Hill)

Central Region Fall Seminar (TBD)

Eastern Region Spring Seminar (March 12 | Radisson, Trevose) *** Please note the location change from previous meetings!

Eastern Region Fall Seminar (September 10 | TBD)

Northeast Region Fall Seminar (TBD)

Western Region Fall Seminar (August 27| Doubletree, Cranberry Twp.)

Annual State Conference (November 10-12 | Spooky Nook Sports, Manheim)

You can find registration and credit information on our website by clicking here!

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

The Delaware Pest control Association will be holding their 61st Annual Short Course on Wednesday, February 19th and Thursday, February 20th at the the University of Delaware. To register, download the form below!

Monitoring Baits as Part of a Rodent Proram

These Nontoxic Baits Address More Than Bait Shyness

Written by Techletter. Reprinted with permission. www.techletter.com.

If you have a rodent problem in a commercial account, why would you want to start out using a nontoxic bait when you could begin killing rodents right away? There are plenty of good reasons to use nontoxic baits in certain situations. You can save time and baiting costs later if you spend a little time up-front using monitoring baits.

The baits, also known as monitoring/tracking baits (MTBs), or biomonitoring baits, are nontoxic bait blocks or soft bait pouches that look like regular toxic baits, but contain human food-grade ingredients and no rodenticide. These baits also stain or dye the rodents' droppings so feeding activity can be monitored and tracked.

Monitoring Baits Have Two Primary Uses

Monitoring with nontoxic baits is especially useful in sensitive accounts where toxic bait use is not allowed or must be limited: schools, food warehouses, zoos and parks, for example. Toxic bait is then placed only if and where it's needed, as determined by prebaiting or postbaiting biomonitoring. No need to keep poisonous bait out on an ongoing basis.

MTBs are exempt from EPA's rodenticide label changes. You can bait burrows with these baits and can bait any distance from a building, along fence lines, etc. You don't have to worry about nontarget poisoning or bait translocation, although labels require that bait be placed in a bait station or secured and out of reach of nontarget animals.

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How to place Monitoring Baits

Since monitoring bait blocks (or pouches) look and act just like their rodenticide bait cousins, getting used to using them should be a no-brainer. Remove as much available food as possible. Then place the monitoring baits in sites with presumed rodent activity and in the same manner that you would place rodenticide baits. Follow the label diretions. Place MTBs with safety in mind. Just because you know the baits are nontoxic doesnt mean customers and others will know that. You could be challenged with a misapplication of what is presumed by others to be toxic bait.

Make sure you place the MTBs in tamper-resistant bait stations so that you don't scare off your preconditioned rodents if you place toxic bait or traps in stations later. This also gives the rodents a chance to scent the stations with urine and droppings to attract more rodents when real bait is used.

Monitoring block baits come with anchoring holes for use on rods in bait stations. You can also wire, glue, or nail nontoxic block baits to fences, pipes, or other objects.

If rodent gnawing on the bait is noted, replace monitoring bait with toxic bait (ideally from the same manufacturer) or with traps, until no new signs of rodent activity are seen. Follow up with MTB monitoring on an ongoing basis to detect any new activity.

6 Ways to Prepare Your Employees for the Busy Season

Originally published by Pet Butler.

Whether or not your business is seasonal, it likely has a busy season. You know that time…when your employees put in overtime, the phones are ringing , and ‘free time’ doesn’t exist. As a business owner, you should generally know when that busy time of the year starts and ends.

If you are not sure, it is easy to look back at your inventory or accounting records to see when more money is being spent on supplies and when more income is coming from sales. If the trend persists from year to year, your business has a busy season. You may have a seasonal business that is very busy at the beginning of the season as well as at the end of it.

Once you establish that there is a busy season, you should look at what you need to do to make sure your business and employees, are ready for it. You want to make sure your employees are not so overworked that they burn out during this season.

Here are 6 ways you can help your employees prepare for the busy season:

1. Stay Positive . Your employees will take the cue from you. If you are stressed or worried, they will sense it and will become stressed as well.

2. Have Inventory Ready . Make sure equipment has been tested and is in working order. Have all supplies on hand, based on the amount of    business you expect from prior years or from work already booked. Don’t wait to be in the busy season and realize you don’t have enough items or find out that an essential piece of equipment is broken. Check all of this ahead of time to keep yourself and your employees positive and stress-free.

3. Establish a Schedule . You know what has and has not worked in the past. Learn from that. Put together a schedule for your employees that is fair to them, but also gets the work done in a timely manner for your customers. Let your employees know what this schedule is as much in advance as possible. If you have employees that have worked for you for multiple busy seasons, ask them for their input.

4. Make Sure Everyone Knows the Procedures . For full-time employees, the procedures may be the same from season to season or year to year, but it is still important to make sure everyone is on the same page. Now is the time for them to voice any concerns. If you bring in temporary employees to help with the busy season, you will need to review the procedures in detail with them. Let your full-time employees help with the training. It is easier to get their buy-in to the additional workload when they are more involved in the process.

5. Don’t Expect Constant Overtime. If pushed too hard, anyone can burn out. Don’t expect your employees to work 7 days a week for 10, 12 or more hours a day without a break. They have families and other commitments as well. Consider bringing in additional temporary workers that can split some of the shifts or work over the weekends, if necessary. By giving your employees a needed break, productivity will actually increase.

6. Recognition . Everyone likes to be recognized for a job well-done. Did an employee sign a new client? Did someone identify a better process for your procedures? Maybe they worked diligently to make sure all of the jobs were done on time. Recognition and appreciation goes a long way. It could be a gift card to a coffee shop, a monetary sum, or a pizza party. Providing your employees with well-deserved recognition will keep them motivated and ready for whatever comes next.

Read the article where originally published here .

For up-to-date information on the Spotted Lanternfly and the current quarantine zone, visit the PA Department of Agriculture's website at the link below.

PDA Spotted Lanternfly Page

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 [email protected]. 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.

HB 21 - Helm, Sue (R) - Amends the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law, providing for the regulation of the practice of home inspection; and making a related repeal.

This legislation is of particular interest to PPMA. The bill has passed through the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate for consideration.

HB 2091 - Zabel, Michael (D) - Amends the Pennsylvania Pesticide Control Act, providing for prohibited pesticides.

This bill has been referred to the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee where it awaits consideration. The bill would ban chlorpyrifos.

SB 941 - DiSanto, John (R) - Amends Real Estate Tax Law, in sale of property, providing for notice of sale, for deed, for hearing and order for judicial sale and for additional restrictions and providing for condemnation orders.

PPMA is working jointly with NPMA on this legislation to ensure that work regarding pests is completed by an appropriate professional.

HCO 1764 - Solomon, Jared (D) - Modernizes and overhauls the Landlord and Tenant Act.

The co-sponsorship memorandum has been filed. We await the filing of the legislation.

Last week, Today, Governor Wolf delivered the annual Pennsylvania budget address. The General Fund budget is $36.056 billion, an increase of $1.460 billion or 4.22 percent more than last year. Those politicos wanting to take a deep dive into the rationale behind Governor Wolf’s Budget will want to examine the Budget Brief . Others may prefer the line by line comparison with last year’s budget. The Governor’s priorities included: investing in our children, building the nation’s strongest workforce, keeping Pennsylvanian’s safe, protecting our most vulnerable, and environmental protection, restoration, and job creation. 

 

The following excerpt from the budget stirred the most post-address buzz in the Capitol:

 

Repurposes $204M from the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Trust Fund to support the Nellie Bly Tuition Program, which will provide financial assistance to full-time PASSHE students who agree to stay in Pennsylvania for the same number of years for which they receive the benefit.

 

Several lines in the agricultural budget were again zeroed in the proposal including Agricultural Research, Agricultural Promotion, Education and Exports, Hardwoods Research and Promotion, Livestock and Consumer Health Protection, Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission, Livestock Show, Open Dairy Show and Youth Shows. As in the past, advocates will be working to see those lines stored. 

02-10-2020 Report: Bug could prove costly

UNIVERSITY PARK — If not contained, the spotted lanternfly potentially could drain Pennsylvania’s economy of at least $324 million annually and cause the loss of about 2,800 jobs, according to a study carried out by economists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.... - Altoona Mirror\

01-29-2020 New study shows economic toll of invasive insect if allowed to spread across state

(Harrisburg) — An invasive insect is already costing Pennsylvania $50 million each year in damages, according to a first-of-its-kind study, and researchers warn the cost could balloon if the pest is not contained. Scientists at Penn State say if the spotted lanternfly is able to escape... - WITF

01-28-2020 Bedbug discovery leads to early dismissal for some South Allegheny students

South Allegheny School District said it would dismiss middle and high school students early on Tuesday after a bedbug was found at the school building. The district said a pest control specialist would treat the entire building even though finding one bedbug does not necessarily mean there is an... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette