To serve as the voice of the pest control industry, protecting the livelihood of pest management professionals while fostering education, promoting professionalism, raising ethical standards, enhancing environmental stewardship, improving public health and quality of life.
By Mark L. Hendrickson, Wingra Group
That’s how Mark McCloskey describes his work and that of his 12 colleagues in Wisconsin who are responsible for conducting non-agricultural observations of pesticide applications. “Over the years, we have become regarded by the industry as more of a resource than a policing agency,” says McCloskey, an Environmental Enforcement Specialist (EES) with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “We do not have citation authority, we don’t have sirens or guns. Our biggest weapons are paper and a pen.” Paper, pen and a respectful conversation will generally bring a violator into compliance. It’s when individuals or firms ignore the educational opportunities that have been provided, that more heavy-handed compliance measures are taken.
McCloskey says a typical observation goes something like the following scenario. When a DATCP EES observes a pest control vehicle parked for an application, they will watch the structural application, perhaps four or five car lengths behind the pest control truck. They will eventually approach the applicator and announce who they are, and will provide credentials with a photo ID. At that point, the DATCP investigator will ask for the pesticide applicator’s certification and license. Once those items are presented, DATCP will ask the applicator what product has been applied, confirm the rate of application and the pest they are going after. “We want to confirm that it’s the correct product in that setting,” says McCloskey.
Red flags that McCloskey and his colleagues look for in this stage include an answer such as, “I’m really not sure”, when a technician is asked what they are applying and what the application rate is. A big fear while conducting such visits is discovering an unlicensed, uncertified applicator working for a firm. Or, someone with a training permit working on their own, when the law requires a mentor — who must be a certified, licensed applicator — to be with them on site.
The field visit, which can last from 10 to 20 minutes, also includes a review of the technician’s application record. This is a comprehensive record of what the technician has done for a customer, and it must include the start and stop time, date, complete name and license number of the applicator, name and phone number of the firm, product name and EPA registration number of each pesticide used, rate of application, specific location of the application, and any precautions or other such language that must be shared with the homeowner.
The most common violations regarding the application record include:
- the specific location may not be accurate, or include enough detail
- start and stop times may not be recorded
- rate of application is missing.
“Pest control firms know we are out there, and we expect voluntary compliance from them,” he explains. McCloskey says that 99.9% of the pest control firms in Wisconsin perform in a reputable fashion and want to do a good job. “We regulate and we educate,” McCloskey adds. “If we do a good job educating people, we get voluntary compliance and we don’t have a need for heavy-handed enforcement. During a field visit, the technician may feel like they’re being inspected, but it is really a good time for us to conduct education because we’re in this together.” At the end of the visit, McCloskey leaves his business card with the applicator and asks them to share the experience with their manager and other applicators in the firm.
For more information, contact McCloskey at mark.mccloskey@wisconsin.gov
While we’re still fine tuning the agenda for our annual conference, we will be having two panel discussions on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 16, 17, 2010. Tuesday’s panel topic is “What Separates Leaders from the Rest of the Pack,” and Wednesday’s panel is “Almost Everything You Could Ever Want to Know About Winning the War Against Bed Bugs and Other Pests.” We need to hear from you, and want to make sure your questions are addressed. Please send your questions via email to heymark@uwalumni.com.