03/04/2020
Kemp Anderson and I have been working on guidance from a science and business perspective. Here is a section I added tonight. Thoughts?
"If someone asked you why you are an essential service, what would you say? Here is my “elevator speech”: “The pest control industry protects the public health and property including critical infrastructure from pests. We protect hospitals, assisted care facilities, nursing homes, schools, every government building, the places you eat, work, and play from pests such as rodents, bed bugs, asthma-triggering cockroaches, medically important stinging insects, wildlife, and pests that contaminate the food supply chain. Pest control services improve and protect our health, the places we live and work, the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. We are the most effective defense again mosquitoes, ticks, rodents, cockroaches, flies, and other public health pests including those that transmit pathogens that cause Zika, Dengue, West Nile, Lyme disease, and a host of food-borne pathogens. We also protect animal health (and yours) by controlling fleas that can carry tapeworm, mosquitoes that carry heartworm, and ticks that transmit numerous pathogens. We are often the first line of defense against invasive species such as the Formosan and Asian termites that damage not only structures, but contents, including paper documents. And we do this while putting your safety first.”
I am proud of this industry, can you tell? Nevertheless, we highly recommend evaluating the intent of “exterminators” being included as an “essential service” as you determine what is right for you and your company."
National Pest Management Association Florida Pest Management Association CPCO of Florida UF IFAS Solutions Pest Management Professional magazine PCT Magazine
