September 2015 – Roberts Rants

A REAL RANT FOR ONCE…DOES LOGIC CONTINUE TO EVADE OUR FELLOWS IN OTTAWA??? WE REALLY WANT TO REDUCE THE GRAIN INDUSTRY?

Posted on September 25, 2015 by roberts

I haven’t picked on Ottawa lately…creating some resistant super bugs by reducing classes of chemistry, allowing the consumer to buy whatever they want off a shelf, increase allergies and illness and downtime at work to keep the weeds happy. Ahhh…those were some rants!

All for the sake of keeping everyone 100% “unexposed”.

Ideological…but have they forgotten risk benefit trade-offs? The Risk/Benefit equation exists in every aspect of our lives, but their Mantra must be “No Risk and Damn the Benefits”.

But wait, aren’t those levels of safety already built in as part of the registration process?

But…..On to the next challenge defying logic.

And going right to the heart of one of Canada’s major exports.

In their ever and ceaseless, on-going battle to eliminate (not actually regulate) pesticides, the government is now taking a stab at protecting the lives of confused flour beetle, Indian meal moth and rice weevil even though it may have a HUGE impact on the grain Industry.

That’s right…a new list of protected species.

The problem…in a nutshell?

Further label restrictions on products to treat insect infested grain may reduce the ability to use, or make the product so restricted it’s impossible to use. Methyl is gone, which may be a good thing, but now phostoxin products?

A quick projection:

The market for grain insecticides shrinks due to restrictive legislation. No attraction for new research, development dollars from the major suppliers.

They pull out, as there’s no sustainable market dollars (or actually their just get fed up)

And we’re left with reduced quality grain, poorer grades, poorer prices, quarantined product, and generally… loss in trade.

Nothing to worry about.

The #2 leading exporter of wheat, with 20 million tonnes annually, may have to scrap or down grade anything that is infested with insects.

Will we have more insect problems…sure as hell.

In all the elevators I’ve ever been to, bring in a load of buggy grain…whoops you don’t get market price. It’s all about quality quality quality.

Estimated impacted on not being able to treat grain on farm or at the mill?

Big question…

10%?

20%

Lets be easy on ‘em and say there’s just a 10% downgrade in quality and loss of yield.

So 20 million tonnes, less the 10% that has been downgraded or rejected…that gives us 2 million tonnes that may be at risk.

At today’s rate of $281/tonne of #2 Canadian Red Spring Prairie….

That’s $562,000,000 loonies.

In easier terms….$500 million

Or even easier…HALF A BILLION DOLLARS!@!#!

Okay….so maybe I inflated the damage.. Maybe it’s only 1%…like $50 million dollars. That’s a lot of bread to go around to a lot of workers…..ouch! Bad pun there.

Oh Oh Oh…..we have alternatives….

Hmmmm, some DE pixie dust, one old organophosphate, and ….

Oh, well…eliminate the risks…ignore the benefits.

That’s a mighty big number to ignore.

Changing Your Customers’ Expectations…there is no “Silver Bullet”

Posted on September 21, 2015 by roberts

I had a new customer in last week, a start up company actually, that was facing a tough problem with a roach cleanout. Huge populations.

The property manager wanted them gone…now (the roaches, not the PCO’s). A simple matter of coming in and spraying and killing everything! Sure…

Not….

So here’s the situation:

Apartment building with about 20 units, major problem in the garbage room of course. Germans, no Orientals (c’mon I’m talking roaches, not being culturally ignorant).

Years of grease and gunk. Walls cracked. Multiple vents, pipes and utilities providing openings in and out, and blind entry points to who knows where.

Old dumpsters, bad service.

Bags torn and stacked, or just thrown in the corner.

Luckily no garbage chutes to throw in the mix.

This customer, for whatever reasons, still believed that pest control is a matter of spraying, dusting, fogging with some miracle cure (As Seen on TV) that will alleviate the immediate problem.

But also keep it from occurring again…forever.

But we all know differently…there is no simple, single solution. We just don’t have those types of products (and seriously really never did) that act as a one-time do-all fix.

So the obvious…and most of you reading know this…

The problem here boiled down to the same problem I’ve dealt with on 90% of my recommendations…and on just about every insect pest going.

Food

Shelter (habitat)

Water (moisture) – most, not all

That should be the first thing you point out to your customer, and drill it into their insect infested brains, that unless they change those 3 factors, they can forget about their expectations of being insect free. And to change those factors takes time or money or both.

Holds true for Pharoah Ants, Carpenter Ants, cockroaches….BED BUGS!

Even holds true for Mother-in-Laws, adult children returning home, wayward cousins and your daughter’s newest boyfriend.

If your gonna feed them steak frites, install a 65” flat screen TV and a beer fridge, then provide for all their creature comforts, why would they ever leave?

And in this case, the new PCO nailed it right on the head…

There was no way they could alleviate the problem, up to the customer’s expectation level, without either changing that expectation…

Or providing a more involved…and costly….solution.

The solution?

Get rid of all the loose garbage.

Get new dumpsters or clean the old ones.

Steam off the grease and grime.

Dust or fog (aerosols in some areas, Actisol in others), then seal all crack and crevices.

Fix the leaky pipes, and door seals.

And in this case they re-painted all surfaces after sealing.

Then an application of Demand CS or Dragnet, which will be followed up in 3 weeks with a baiting program.

End result…better control. Still not perfect, but close.

So the simple lesson here…the customer expected more than could be delivered, but at the price they were willing to pay.

Wasn’t going to happen. No way, nada, zippo…

Here’s the real Expectation:

If you don’t eliminate Food, Water and Shelter…you can EXPECT the problem never be solved.

Simple.

But you need to be up front with your customers, find out what they expect, and then let them know what it will take to meet those customer needs. Either more time or money or both.

Now getting your customers to pay for the extra service….that’s your problem!

My thoughts on Pest Trends, Global Warming and Donald Trump…

Posted on September 14, 2015 by roberts

For those in the Pest Industry, was this a banner year for any-one? The customers I have chatted with are all busy, happy with the last 6 weeks, but not overwhelmed by any means.

No major ant swarms, spotty at most, but no big 2 – 3 week “excitement” in May with a secondary swarm this summer. Termites were frozen to death. Wasps and bees…need lotsa heat and it’s coming later and lasting for 3 – 4 weeks.

And look at bed bug pressure. An indoor pest, but highly subject to warmer weather increasing populations. They haven’t been as troublesome.

Good year overall, but is the new “norm” just good?

Maybe it’s me and getting older, but the weather patterns are shifting, and playing a major factor in the insect pest populations we are dealing with.

They’re becoming more unpredictable really.

Record colds this winter, down to – 40C (yes that’s a minus…I can’t convert to Fahrenheit, but it was friggin’ cold).

Record highs in the West this summer. Drought and forest fires.

No rain (or too much rain)

First real sign of Summer? About the first of August.

When did the Seasons decide to shift gears and time frames?

When I was a kid I was taught 4 seasons, about 3 months each, with corresponding weather patterns.

Remember “April showers…” Now April ice storms.

Or “knee high corn by the 4^th of July”? If you got the crop in the wet ground.

“Dog days of Summer”? One dog, two days.

“Winter’s icy grip” That’s the only truism in the bunch.

After 30 some years of dealing with insect pests, whether in Ag or Professional Pest, the change in the climate is real and evident in the insects we deal with. I could probably look at hundreds of scientific measurements to confirm, but climatic change is in effect more than we realize, and is impacting pest pressures.

I’m not a scientist…well maybe a little….just an old man getting older who hates the cold weather.

But you can sense the shift…ever so slight…and the shift is real.

What can I say about Mr. Trump? Although he is providing unsettling food for thought in an otherwise unsettled world. Kinda like eating 2 chimichangas and a dozen hot poppers on top of three burrito supremes. Mr. Donald hates Mexican….but he will belch up some tidbit that puts everyone back on their butt.

Something to look forward to…especially when we’re stuck with Harper and Trudeau…and who’s that other guy????

Maybe some global shake up, led by an unpredictable US leader, will be a good wake up call and is needed to bring some sanity and level-headedness back to the world. Read the paper or watch the news… the world is getting crazier by the minute.

Someone has got to unite the “average man” and tell the fringes of the world…the far right and farther left…that it’s time to get real.

And if it takes blowing up a couple of countries Donald’s the man.

No BS…just push the button and C’ya!

But really, who’s political campaign is more exciting, the Canadians or the Americans? C’mon, give the Americans the prize for entertainment factor.

Still not a lot of bugs…

Rantless in Toronto…

Posted on September 10, 2015 by roberts

Rantless in Toronto…

I have been remiss in my duties of ranting and raving.

In trying to determine why (or actually come up with a lame excuse) it kinda boils down to three reasons:

– A couple of the things I could have really gotten my teeth into were sensitive….like starting a debate on politics or religion…or simply calling someone an outright fool. Rocking the boat is one thing, sinking it entirely different. Just because I’m fat don’t mean I float! (I know about the grammar and will take liberties)

– It’s been a fairly quiet summer in the Pest Control side of things. Sure I can expand my realm and explain my thoughts on gun control, ISIS, Canadian health care, or stem cell research. But we’re here to focus on Pest Control. Who knows though??? Maybe I’ll have to branch out.

– I’ve really felt like a spotted dog run over on a dusty Kansas farm road.

The first two are fairly explanatory.

The last? Just a fight on age old has been waging for the last few years and it starts to wear a person down. When your body aches it’s hard to be tongue in cheek, light hearted.

The only reason I have my tongue in cheek anymore is to bite down in anticipation of the next shot or drawing of blood. My doctor’s lab tech should be changing tires at NASCAR.

And I’m light-headed…not hearted.

So there’s my lame excuses.

But on a personal note not of interest to anyone, I did happen to have a somewhat successful “procedure” done on my ticker to help fix things up. If you’ve ever suffered from atrial fibrillation and need more info feel free to ask!

But expect more from me in the near future.

As Johann the pianist said to his audience…

“I’m BACH” (that even hurts me)