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ROLE OF THE TECHNICIAN Pest management technicians hove three primary responsibilities — as ambassadors for the industry, public educators, and service providers. The value of the structural pest management industry to the immediate customer as well as to consumers in general is often not communicated. Today’s technicians must be armed with facts and prepared to communicate to both individuals and groups the vital services that are provided by the pest management industry, specifically, the protection of health, property, food, and the environment. The professional technician projects a positive image. Pest management technicians often find themselves on the defensive, facing continuous pressure to significantly reduce or eliminate pesticide use. This was brought to the forefront as environmentalist groups and individuals expounded a different view of pesticides and their value to society. They have had justifiable concerns and have succeeded where the pest management industry has failed because they are able to capture the attention of consumer’s via media and their educational efforts. The primary task of the structural pest management industry once was to spray pesticides. During the past decade, however, the industry gradually evolved, shifting to both integrated pest management (IPM) and reduced risk pest management strategies. These processes begin with the identification of pest problems and are followed by the implementation of a comprehensive pest management plan that may involve application of pesticides. Today base board spraying is “out,” and techniques that minimize the use of pesticides, e.g., crack and crevice applications as well as baits, insect growth regulators, and other approaches to pest management have become the norm. Most consumers are unaware of these changes and so continue to expect an “exterminator” to walk in the door with a compressed air sprayer in hand. When pest management technicians take the time to explain new techniques and products to consumers, it is an investment in the future. Technicians should be prepared to answer tough questions regarding pest biology and behavior, justify the use of reduced risk techniques, and explain the benefits of the services they provide. Understanding and anticipating consumer expectations are important responsibilities for everyone involved in the industry, but it is especially important for the pest management technician to explain how the process and results may differ depending on the type of pest management strategy to be employed, e.g., the use of residual pesticides and aerosols often results in immediate reduction of pest populations, whereas the use of baits and insect growth regulators requires more time. Failure to explain such information might lead to misunderstanding and dissatisfaction. Pest management technicians should be familiar with the information on the product label and knowledgeable about all aspects of pesticide use when the pest management plan involves pesticide use. Some of the toughest questions are those regarding pesticide safety, risk of exposure during application, reentry time, health effects, etc. Vital to consumer education is the ability to communicate this knowledge when responding to such questions. Technicians who are knowledgeable and comfortable in their responses provide a positive image for their companies and for the pest management industry. Technicians are obligated to be professional in their physical appearance as well as in their use of body language, i.e., they should be neatly attired in clean uniforms, and they, themselves, should be clean. They should be good listeners, responding honestly to customers’ questions. If they don’t know the answer to a question, they should find out and communicate the answer to the customer as soon as possible. Technicians who are comfortable in their dealings their customers provide a positive image for the industry. The customer’s first impression of the pest management technician is crucial because it is also a first impression of the pest management company, and it may even be a first impression of the industry as a whole. Hopefully, the first impression will not be the last. Pests are defined as plants and animals that cause trouble, annoyance, or discomfort to humans and/or other animals. Customers often define pests according to their threshold of acceptance. Most individuals find just one cock roach to be an unacceptable number, but a few people tolerate cockroaches as long as they don’t see them. Customers are intolerant of most insect and other animal pests because they are unsightly or are indicative of unsanitary conditions. However, the deleterious effects of pests on human health is the most important reason for utilization of pest management services. Pests affect human and animal health in various ways: as modifiers of commodities, pathogens, vectors of disease, and targets of control agents. In other words, pests affect human and animal health by consuming and contaminating food supplies; causing psychological stress; injecting venoms; invading body tissues; transmitting viral, bacterial, fungal, and other disease-causing organisms; and exposing them to the potential hazards of pesticides. The most important responsibility of the pest management technician is to provide safe pest management services to the consuming public. The benefits provided to the public and the environment by modern pest management services are described below. IMPACT ON FOOD In addition to consumption of human and animal food, pests affect the physical characteristics of food, its palatability, seed viability, and nutritional value. Several investigators have estimated post-harvest food loss as a result of pests at 8% to 25% in developed countries such as the United States and as high as 10% in developing tropical countries. This difference is affected by several contributing factors, i.e., climate, higher reproductive potential of the pest population, and inadequate storage and handling. However, the most significant factor is the availability and implementation of innovative pest management materials and practices which are available in the United States but ore only just beginning to be used by technicians in developing countries. In addition, the expectations that consumers have for an abundant and wholesome food supply are a major influence on the demand for effective pest management services in the United States. In addition to consumption of food products, pests affect food quality such as taste. Secretory and excretory products contaminate foods. For example, confused and red flour beetles impart a very distasteful quality to the products they infest. Other health hazards associated with pests in food products include human consumption of living (and fragments of) arthropods, e.g., the hosta setae (i.e., barbed hairs) associated with dermestid larvae are known to occasionally cause severe gastric distress in young children. Consumption of materials of arthropod origin are known to cause severe allergic problems in sensitive individuals. Rats, mice, and birds also consume food products and contaminate them with their wastes. The pest management industry plays a critical role in protecting food products, i.e., during transportation, storage, processing and manufacturing, distribution, retail sales, customer storage, and, ultimately, consumption. …The pest management technician plays a major role in protecting the food industry. IMPACT ON HEALTH A variety of arthropod pests are pathogenic, i.e., they cause injury to humans and domestic animals by producing psychological stress, etiological (i.e., causal) agents, and invading living tissue. This is in contrast to disease-transmitting pests which carry disease-causing organisms. The impact of pathogenic pests on humans and domestic animals runs the gamut from pain and suffering associated with imaginary pests to death from anaphylactic reactions to bee, wasp, and ant venoms. A variety of pests are considered to be direct pathogens because of their ability to induce allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. The induction of allergies is caused by antigenic materials, i.e., naturally-occurring materials which contain protein and are associated with the pests, such as their cuticles (i.e., exterior skeletons), excretions, pheromones (i.e., communication chemicals), etc. For example, the role of cockroaches in human allergies and asthma has been well documented. While most arthropods that are found on humans, e.g., lice, fleas, chiggers, ticks, and other blood feeders, are considered to be surface grazers, several pests do invade human tissue. The most common invaders of human tissue are mites, e.g., the hair follicle and scabies mites. Occasionally, fly maggots, i.e., larvae, are found to be infesting wounds on animals or humans. Humans are no more than a free lunch serving as an important link in the survival of many blood-feeding arthropods, e.g., ticks, mosquitoes, lice, and biting flies. Although most of these blood-feeders consume very little, the sensitivity reactions to their bites, which can include severe itching and welts, is usually more uncomfortable. Some of the most unfortunate victims of these pests are individuals suffering from delusions that pests infest their bodies (i.e., delusory parasitosis) or houses and who simply have a fear of insects (i.e., entomophobia). These conditions are aggravated by the media which exaggerates, often graphically, the effects certain pests have on humans. Oftentimes, these “pest problems” are traced to environmental conditions, hormonal changes, medications, psychological conditions and myriad other problems that produce the perception of a pest problem and/or the sensation of having been bitten. With this in mind, the pest management technician must determine if there actually is a pest problem. In the summertime, as pest populations explode, the potential for arthropod-borne disease transmission (e.g. Lyme disease, encephalitis, malaria, and dengue) and vertebrate, i.e., zoonotic diseases, (e.g. rabies, and hantavirus), increases significantly. The incidence of pest-borne diseases as well as their impact on human health are increasing. Emerging pest-transmit ted diseases which result in devastating health effects include the hantavirus and lyme disease, and malaria which at one time had been eradicated from the United States. Several underlying causes exist for this increasing threat to human health. Diseases that are associated with rodent populations and other reservoir animals are increasing due to human encroachment into the animals’ native habitats. Urban sprawl has reached out into agricultural areas and native woodlands, placing people and structures within the animals’ habitat and displacing the animals from their native environment. Faced with a reduction in harborage and food, the animals seek new resources within and around dwellings and other structures. Lyme disease is increasing in many rural residential settings. If left untreated, this extremely debilitating disease can cause premature arthritic conditions, heart problems, and other systemic disorders. Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick in the eastern United States and by the western blacklegged tick along the Pacific coast. Deer and deer mice are also involved in the disease cycle; the latter commonly invade homes in late fall and early winter. Human exposure occurs in backyards frequented by the mice and by hiking through tick-infested areas. The deer mouse is the major rodent species associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. In this case, the disease is not transmitted by an insect or arthropod but is the result of inhaling mouse droppings or urine- contaminated particles which contain the virus. Most exposures have occurred in areas where mouse populations have increased with a resultant accumulation of droppings and nesting materials. The mortality rote for individuals who contract this disease is approximately 66%. Although this disease is an occupational risk for service technicians, there hove been no fatalities. In contrast to suburban settings, the inner cities of large metropolitan areas are plagued with burgeoning rodent populations. Rodent population growth appears to be related to a deterioration of living conditions in these areas, breakdown in government services (i.e., especially sanitation services), and revitalization projects which often displace established rodent populations. Inner city inhabitants commonly observe rats brazenly moving around during the day, feeding on food in their small backyard gardens, and scurrying about the dumpsters behind neighborhood convenience stores and fast food restaurants. The massive immigration of individuals into the southern United States from areas in which mosquito-born diseases are endemic as well as deteriorating living conditions due to overpopulation has resulted in increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Many of the immigrants come from countries in which dengue and malaria are as common as the cold and flu are in the United States. Poor exterior sanitation and lack of window screens and air conditioning are the precursors to a major epidemic of mosquito-borne diseases. The yellow fever mosquito breeds in artificial containers and is found throughout the southern tier of states. The recent introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito into this country adds another dengue vector to the arsenal and extends the potential range of the disease further north. Both species thrive in deteriorating conditions where artificial containers are abundant. These mosquitoes readily enter structures and bite humans during the day. In the 1910’s, fear of recurrence of malaria transmission grew when millions of Vietnam veterans, many of whom were infected with the disease, returned to the United States. Despite the presence of a major mosquito malaria vector in the United States a major epidemic did not transpire, due primarily to the prophylaxis used during the war as well as to aggressive treatment of infected individuals. The recent recurrence of this disease in the United States can likely be attributed to massive immigrations of infected individuals from endemic areas as well as to their proximity to disease vectors. Stings by envenomizing arthropods such as bees, wasps, scorpions, spiders, and fire ants are increasing because of human encroachment into areas in which these pest species are prevalent as well as to destruction of their native habitats. Increased pest populations and colonizations within structures increase both the risk of human exposure and the possibility of fatal anaphylactic reactions in sensitive individuals. The northern migration of the aggressive Africanized honey bee and its limited incursion into the United States is another example of how an introduced pest can get out of hand and become a significant threat to human health and safety The responsibilities of pest management technicians extends well be yond the exterior walls of structures into the surrounding environment. As a protector of health, the attention of technicians can no longer focus solely on control of cockroaches, fleas, ants, termites, and stored product pests but must also consider the potentially devastating effects these disease vectors can have on customer health. IMPACT ON PROPERTY The most significant damage to property within the United States is caused by termites which readily feed on wood in structures and other cellulose- containing materials. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) re ports that termites attack 600,000 homes annually, causing more than $1.5 billion in damage. Because the damage to structures is usually slow, it typically goes un detected for years so that the cumulative effects can be staggering. Eventually, the termite feeding activity can cause floors and ceilings to sag, walls to crack, and wood to become structurally unsound, resulting in the need for molar structural repairs. The protection of property from wood-destroying pests and organisms is one of industry major challenges. Rodents, especially rats, are a close second to termites in causing property damage and are responsible for $500 million to $1 billion in property damage per year. Approximately 20% of fires of unknown origin are suspected as having been caused by rodents gnawing on electrical wiring. They also gnaw holes through walls, doors, and cabinets, etc. in order to gain access to and move throughout the structure in their search for food, water and nesting sites. They destroy millions of dollars worth of food products and carry several diseases which affect human and domestic animal health. Numerous pests that cause property (e.g., wood fabricated items, fabrics, leather goods, stored products, etc.) damage include wood-destroying beetles, wood decay fungi, birds, clothes moths and carpet beetles. IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT Some pest management companies appear to be “stuck in a rut”; i.e., they don’t know how to incorporate Integrated Pest Management (IPM) or reduced pesticide use strategies into their pest management programs. Many don’t perceive the need to change what they are doing; why should they when only a few customers ask for IPM and even fewer know what it means? Finally, some pest control companies are convinced that the only way to make a living is to spray baseboards monthly. Fortunately, only a few companies within the industry have experienced the unpleasantness and expense of a misapplication lawsuit. Pest management technicians, by serving as guardians of the environment as they utilize pest management methods, play a very important role in limiting liability for pesticide misapplication. Within the industry, reduction in pesticide use is being achieved in many ways. The era of the monthly service is drawing to a close. More companies are now offering quarterly, semiannual and annual service, thereby reducing the amount of product being applied. Some companies offer non-toxic pest control and have reduced their reliance on pesticide application by increasing the time spent on identification of pest problems and elimination of contributing factors. Preventive measures hove resulted in significant reductions in pesticide use indoors with concomitant increased emphasis on applications to the exterior perimeter. Many manufacturers are seeking means to reduce risk from the use of their products. Several new baits for use on cockroaches, ants, termites, etc., are now available that incorporate the concepts of pinpoint application, low toxicity, and low dos age. Insect growth regulators, chitin synthesis inhibitors, and other novel technologies targeted specifically for use on arthropods have been developed- New general-use pesticides and termiticides are being applied at remarkably low concentrations, some as low as 0.03%. All of these innovations have resulted in reduced use of pesticides. The industry has come a long way since the 1950’s, ‘60’s, and ‘70’s when pesticides were applied indiscriminately. We now have tools at our disposal which enable us to reduce risk and use of pesticides, satisfy our customers, and achieve our pest management goals. The impact pesticides have on the environment is more closely questioned and observed in today’s environmentally-sensitive society. CONCLUSION The staggering impact of pests on food, health, property, and environment costs consumers billions of dollars annually. Pest management technicians are among those with the important responsibility for minimizing the effects of pests and their economic impact while, at the same time, protecting the environment. Prev: Pest-Control Technology: Technician's
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