By Austin M. Frishman, Ph.D. Nobody said selecting a pesticide is easy – and it goes far beyond just reading a label. As Pest Management Professionals (PMPs), it is our responsibility to select the most appropriate and effective products for our customers, no matter how many challenges we face in an account. From food processing plants to animal shelters, hospitals and pharmaceutical facilities, here are the questions you should be asking before you choose a pesticide program best suited for the locations you are treating: - How will your residential program differ from your commercial program?
- How will the products you use indoors differ from the ones you use outdoors?
- Will weather conditions affect the products you choose?
- Will you select any restricted use pesticides? Under what circumstances, and for which pests?
- Should you attempt to become a reduced-risk pesticide company and, if so, just for certain accounts or for all of them?
- What products should you use for special pests, such as fire ants, ticks and bed bugs?
- Will you use flushing agents indoors? Why, and when?
If you provide service in more than one state, can each pesticide be used across states? - Will a given product create odor and/or staining?
- Are concerns for honeybees and other pollinators an issue?
- How close to exterior water sources can you apply each pesticide?
- How will treatment be different between initial, follow-up and regular services?
For residential accounts, sensitive situations often require a technician to think before applying pesticides. Look through this list and consider how you would handle the following objects or scenarios while treating a customer’s home
Objects:
- Stuffed toys
- Toothbrush
- False teeth
- Expensive antiques
- Pet food
- Plants
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- Medication
- Velvet wallpaper
- Air conditioning unit
- Piano
- Radio
- Flames (pilot light)
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- Plastic bathroom tile
- Security alarm/fire alarm
- Sensitive items
- Firearms
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Scenarios:
- Customer is unable to communicate
- Small, sensitive pets
- Flooded basement
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- Customer has respiratory condition
- Fresh paint
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- Hostile pets
- Vegetables grown near house
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No pesticide will give complete control on its own. It is imperative to use an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach that involves pest proofing, proper sanitation, removal of appropriate debris and minimizing harborage areas. You must adjust your IPM approach to fit the needs of your customers, and some of these items will involve cooperation with the customer.
Before you make any final decisions, find out who else is using these materials, how long they’ve been using them and what they think are the pros and cons of using each product. Check with your distributor and manufacturer representatives for additional support. To receive articles by Dr. Austin Frishman, advanced pest management information and more on a monthly basis, subscribe to our emails.
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