Blog
Northern Pocket Gopher
We are sharing this video of a Northern Pocket Gopher filmed at Mills Junior High in Rancho Cordova.
Truth in Pest Control
The Pest Control Industry has many different facets. California is one of the most compartmentalized and regulated states in the union. DPR (Department of Pesticide Regulation) does an excellent job at monitoring our industry. I am not writing this to demonize any of these industries contained within the term pest control. My intent is to simply point out the differences between the departments and how they affect you as a home or business owner and maybe give you some peace of mind when it comes to pesticide exposure around your home and businesses.
North American Home Services is considered a structural pest control company, meaning that we treat structures and outbuildings for pests. We cannot and do not however treat fields or food commodities for pests. That is considered Agricultural pest control. After 15 years in this industry and being familiar with pesticide regulations for our state, it is my opinion that the structural portion of the industry is much more regulated than the agricultural side of the industry. Their use of pesticides is less noticeable and therefore less scrutinized than our applications.
Earlier today I came across an article with a very telling story about agricultural pesticide usage in California. If you compare the information in the story to the information from our structural pest control experts at www.pwg2pmp.com you can see a major difference in the focus of our legislators. Pesticides can and should be used in a responsible manner no matter what the application site. I encourage you to view both of these websites and come to your own conclusions.
Earth Justice Article: Stories On Pesticide Drift: Pesticides on the Playground
Comparison of a Pest Control policy
It has been 115 years since the first auto insurance policy was written in the United States in 1898. Today all 50 states require insurance on an automobile. Massachusetts was the first to require it in 1927. I bet you are asking yourself, what does that have to do with Pest Control, well I’m getting to that! Insurance is designed to protect the driver and anyone that they may hit. We all pay a premium, some more than others, in case we are hit or in case we hit someone else. The insurance companies make their money by spreading the risk of having to pay for repairs over a large number of customers.
Pest Control is much like insurance. You are paying a “premium” every other month or quarterly or monthly in order to protect your home or business from pests. You are not paying for one service. Most companies offer free re-treats for problems that continue past your scheduled date. We are spreading our “risk” over a large number of customers. The smaller the company the greater the risk!
This fact is what keeps us focused is customer service and keeping you happy. At North American Home Services, we are very aware that we would not have a job if it wasn’t for our “policy holders”. For every customer we lose to moving or any number of reasons we must get 2 more to take their place. This keeps our risk down and allows us to provide our technicians and staff with better equipment and more training to better serve you! So, next time you are upset about paying that bill when the guy was only there for 20 minutes, remember you are paying for 60 days of coverage and we will come back anytime for FREE!
Pest Control/Bugs have an alter ego
After 15 years in the Pest Control Industry I have seen a lot of interesting insect behavior. Granted, I have not spent much time observing the little critters but I have noticed different behaviors. For instance, when hit with pyrethrine, some roaches run right at you while others try to hide. My question has always been…is that a simple reaction or does the charging roach have a Napoleon complex? Turns out, insects in the same species may have actual personalities! As reported in this months PCT magazine, the article “Mr. Personality” spells out the research behind the claim.
Rain, Pest Control and the EPA
April showers may bring May flowers but it puts a damper on the pest control industry. With new EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) rules going into effect regarding certain widely used insecticides. These regulations are also part of the new surface water protection regulations issued by the DPR (Department of Pesticide Regulations) to reduce the amount of pesticide in the ground water. California is allowed to institute stricter laws than the federal government but they cannot change the labels on the pesticides.
In a nut shell, the new regulations restrict our usage of some of the most widely used materials in our toolbox. Gone are the days of soaking a property to keep the critters away. Now the treatments have to be targeted to certain areas and in certain amounts. Training and thinking outside the box have never been more important. The technicians will now have to work even harder to rid your property of unwanted pests. But I do believe, as an industry, that we are up to the challenge.
For more information, go to the Pyrethroid Working Group’s website at PWG2PMP.com, and watch the video regarding the new EPA regulations.
Sacramento, CA
