The Florida-based firm's cleaning service involves an initial application of a disinfectant (using a fogger) with a follow-up application of a virucide.

The entire conference is now split into three-day online webinar sections, beginning on May 18.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The 29th annual UC-Riverside Urban Pest Management Conference, originally scheduled for March 25, has been reformatted to an online format as a result of the UCR campus closure associated with COVID-19 pandemic

The entire conference is now split into three-day online webinar sections. Attendance for the Day 1 will be required for all conference participants. Participation for Day 2 or Day 3 will be dependent upon the route the attendees will choose.

Topics to be covered: Managing bed bugs and German cockroaches in apartment buildings, commensal rodents and the impacts of rodenticides, insecticide resistance, pesticide safety and avoiding common violations, termite inspection problems, managing stored product pests, mosquitoes in urban areas, subterranean termite chemical communication and bait system usage, insecticidal dusts, and spray & bait Argentine ant control protocols.

CLICK HERE for more information and a registration link.

A veteran industry consultant shares his insights on what it takes to experience exponential growth during the pandemic.

Editor’s note: Greg Clendenin, longtime leader of Middleton Lawn and Pest Control and current CEO of the Clendenin Consulting Group, shares provides his thoughts on what it takes to experience exponential growth during the pandemic.

On my web site, I am quoted as making this statement: “You cannot yield to circumstances. You cannot operate under the circumstances. You must be on top of the circumstances. You have to perform above them and do so on a level of sustained excellence. Being able to do so requires an aligned strategy that involves all business disciplines: finance, operations, HR and marketing. In addition, it is just as important to have a corporate culture that holds the entire company together.”

For example, one of those clients is up 41% in Q1, 2020 over Q1, 2019. Even after the news of COVID-19 had hit the streets in March, this company had a 35% increase over March 2019. This increase this year is on top of a good year in 2019 and this is not a small pest control company. In addition, April is going to be another stellar month. Another client of The Clendenin Consulting Group had a 52% increase in March 2020 and April is going to be another great month. As of April 20, 2020, he was already at the total month's result of April 2019, so they are going to have another great month in April, 2020. By the way, these companies are doing it in a safe and compliant manner. Their new sales are good and, in addition, very few of their customers are refusing service so the expected recurring revenue continues.

Too many times during the most challenging times, owners and leaders look where they don't want to go and then plan on going down that road.  During 911, some companies across many industries had leaders who thought business was going to get bad and then they planned on it getting bad instead of planning, implementing and executing plans for significant revenue growth and margin increase.  This is happening today during this pandemic.  We, in our industry, do not have to yield to these circumstances.  We can continue to be prosperous, growing and profitable.  Our industry is not recession proof.  However, it is recession resistant.  We are an essential service/business.  Leaders, continue to pull your team forward with your own work performance and level of confidence.  Focus on results and on those activities that drive results.  

A UF/IFAS study explains why two invasive termite species found in Florida are mating due to sex pheromone confusion and what it means.

The Asian subterranean termite and the Formosan subterranean termite are among the two most destructive termite species in the world and both are invasive in Florida. They impact structures and urban tree canopies and have historically swarmed at different times. However, since the 2010s, their geographic distribution and their mating seasons have been reported as overlapping in southeast Florida, adds Chouvenc. This overlapping observation has been a concern of scientists as to whether it could result in a hybrid termite between two destructive species.

During termite mating season, winged termites fly out of their colony to disperse, find a mate, and create new colonies as kings and queens. Because the two invasive termite species are now swarming at the same place and the same time, they now have the opportunity to interact and mate.

“It is possible that during all this time, the mating cues were conserved and no mating barriers were pressured to evolve to maintain species boundaries,” said Chouvenc. “However, because of global human activity, the two species have been moved around and are now interacting in their invasive range, in ways we did not expect, here in South Florida.”

Chouvenc’s research team now focuses on studying the biology of hybrid termites to determine if they could establish, survive, and spread in Florida and beyond in a foreseeable future.

Orkin’s “Top 50 Mosquito Cities” list ranks metro areas by the number of mosquito customers served from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. The list includes both residential and commercial treatments.