Does Your Marketing Campaign Have a Call-to-Action? – PCT Online
The Call-To-Action is a crucial part of any marketing campaign, and has been described as the bridge between marketing and sales.
Jason Hart has been named key customer manager for FMC Pest Northeast and Northern U.S.
PHLADELPHIA – FMC Corporation has appointed Jason Hart as key customer manager for FMC Pest Northeast and Northern U.S.
FMC is a provider of pest control solutions, including Scion Insecticide with UVX Technology, Talstar brand insecticides and more.
“Bringing Jason on has allowed FMC to realign territories to better fit our customers and their needs,” said Tom Wharton, FMC North American sales manager for the pest market.
Hart is a veteran of the British Armed Forces as well as spending 10+ years with a major distributor in the pest control industry. He brings deep industry knowledge to FMC and his customers in the Northeast and Northern territories, having held positions of outside sales associate, senior account executive and international account executive.
“I am eager to support pest management professionals by bringing FMC’s extensive line of brands to help address the challenges our customers face today while proactively solving future needs,” Hart said.
Over the past 15+ years, the pest management industry has become much better at controlling bed bugs. Here’s what to expect going forward.
Within a decade, bed bugs were a widespread problem afflicting multi- and single-family housing, college dormitories, health-care facilities, public transportation, office buildings even laundromats.
And while their reintroduction likely was due in part to increased international travel, immigration, changes in pest management practices and resistance to existing pesticides, people also were to blame.
“A general lack of public awareness is largely responsible for the unbridled spread of bed bugs throughout the United States,” writes Dr. Richard Cooper in the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, 10th edition. Cooper, who is vice president of BedBug Central and technical director of Cooper Pest Solutions, a Terminix company, says the pest’s secretive behavior and public ignorance meant infestations weren’t detected for months, which gave bed bugs an opportunity to spread.
And it wasn’t just the general public who was caught unawares. Most pest management professionals had never seen bed bugs before either. The industry pretty much had to learn from scratch how to control the pests, starting with how they behave and why.
Biology and Behavior Matters. Bed bugs are nocturnal insects that feed primarily on human blood, which is required for them to develop and reproduce. A bed bug needs a blood meal in each of its five instars, or immature stages, during which it molts and eventually becomes an adult. Males even seek out recently fed females with whom to mate.
Mated females lay two to five small, cream-colored eggs at a time and will deposit 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetimes. The eggs hatch in six to 10 days. Up to four generations may occur in a year. The pests tend to live in aggregations near the bed, as well as in upholstered furniture where people rest. With large infestations, bed bugs may be found in less predictable areas, such as in books and electronic equipment.
From egg to egg, the bed bug life cycle takes four to five weeks when relative humidity is 75 to 80 percent and the temperature is 83 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (28 to 30 degrees Celsius). The life cycle timeframe may lengthen when temperatures are reduced or blood meals are limited.
Getting More Strategic. Ongoing research and development have helped PMPs become much more successful in controlling bed bugs.
“Bed bugs jumped on the scene and it took us a while to figure out what to do about that,” says Chelle Hartzer, technical services manager at Rollins in Atlanta. “Now after 20 years we know that this is going to be an ongoing issue and we have the research and the information to really provide some great services,” she said.
More effective tools also have helped PMPs gain the upper hand. “I think the materials are much, much better now,” says Bart Foster, technical and training manager at Bill Clark Pest Control in Beaumont, Texas. Early bed bug treatments relied on tools available at the time. “We had some success but there was room for a lot of improvement,” he says.
Since then manufacturers have introduced products specifically for bed bug control and that reduce the risk of the pests developing insecticide resistance, a very real threat.
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Bed Bugs by the Numbers
1 mm – the size of a bed bug egg
2-5 – number of eggs laid at a time by a mated female
200-500 – number of eggs laid by a mated female during her lifetime
6-10 – number of days it takes a bed bug egg to hatch
4-5 weeks – typical bed bug life cycle from egg to egg
75-80% – optimal relative humidity for bed bug development
83-90 degrees F – optimal temperature for bed bug development
1 – minimum number of blood meals needed during each instar
5 – number of instars, or immature stages, before becoming an adult
316 days – typical life of a bed bug
Source: Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, 10th edition; University of Tennessee
Krejci brings field experience, a doctorate in entomology and years of research to Terminix.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Terminix Global Holdings announced Dr. Cassie Krejci will join its technical team as director of technical services.
Krejci will lead a team of technical experts as Terminix continues to expand its capabilities to serve residential customers and businesses around the world. She will manage the team of technical specialists that are tasked with continuous review of technician efficiency, materials selection and usage, and technical initiatives.
“As industry leaders in the global pest control market, Terminix aims to stay at the forefront of the latest research and technology relevant to our pest management services,” said Brett Ponton, chief executive officer, Terminix. “Dr. Krejci’s extensive background in research and education make her an invaluable member of the team. This deep understanding of the industry will help us be more valuable advisors and thought partners to our customers.”
Previously, Krejci worked as a technical field specialist for MGK. Prior to that role, she served as a lead research and technical sales associate for Term Barriers. Krejci holds a Ph.D. in entomology from Texas A&M University and currently serves as president of Pi Chi Omega, the national fraternity for pest control professionals.
“We are thrilled to add a passionate leader like Dr. Krejci to our team,” said Dominque Sauvage, senior director of quality and technical services, Terminix. “Her wide variety of experience, including chemistry, troubleshooting, education and product management, will prove to be useful in all facets of our business. Dr. Krejci understands that educating customers about pests constitutes a major part of our jobs as integrated pest management (IPM) providers. We are excited for her to get started.”
Krejci prides herself in her ability to relate technical details to an array of audiences and enjoys teaching others the science of insect control. She can be found on LinkedIn or TikTok.
The Professional Pest Management Alliance names at-large board members Barbara Aguiar (BASF), Mike Givlin (Certus Pest Control) and Ross Treleven (Sprague Pest Solutions).
FAIRFAX, Va. – The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) announced it has appointed three new members to its board of directors. Mike Givlin, chief executive officer of Certus Pest, Inc. headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Ross Treleven, president of Sprague Pest Solutions located in Tacoma, Washington, and Barbara Aguiar, director of professional and specialty solutions of BASF North America have joined the prestigious group as at-large members.
“We are incredibly pleased to add these strong leaders to our board. Ross and Mike are industry veterans with thriving pest control businesses and will clearly offer keen insights and perspectives as they serve in their new roles,” said PPMA Chairman Bobby Jenkins. “Barbara is equally committed to helping us grow, promote, protect and defend our great industry through the critical work of PPMA and will fill BASF’s longstanding seat at the table well.”
Treleven will fill the position previously held by his father, Larry Treleven, one of the initial founding members of PPMA and who recently retired from the board in 2021. Givlin is a new appointee who has long been a champion of the work PPMA does to elevate the industry and grow the market, and Aguiar brings with her 14 years of communications and marketing experience, and a keen acumen for business development within BASF.
“Our industry is truly fortunate to have such a wide range of talents committed to the Alliance,” said Cindy Mannes, executive director of PPMA. “For 25 years, we have worked tirelessly to promote our wonderful industry to the public and educate them on the value of professional pest control services. The voices that serve on our board ensure we are representing all businesses, suppliers and distributors and are effectively communicating a compelling and accurate value proposition to today’s consumer.”
