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In my last job, I had to take “media training” and one of the first things I learned was never use the word “pesticide”. They recommended “treatment” or “product” or something else along those lines. Why? Why shouldn’t we say it? Mostly, it’s because people have a bad image of pesticides, and there is a negative reaction. The problem with that…pesticide is not a dirty word. It’s part of a well laid out integrated pest management plan. Anyone who’s had considerable pest issu

I'm in Orlando this week at PestWorld so I'm super excited to see what's new and get to talk to everyone. Which brings up an interesting point. Is there anything new? Aside from a few new invasive insects which aren't necessarily structural pests (spotted lanternfly, spotted lady beetles, etc.) our pests haven't changed much. So here's a quick rundown of some history on our common pests. Starting with one of my favorites: cigarette beetles. These go back to ancient Egyptian

The Black Plague ravaged Europe starting in the 1300s, with some estimates of 60% of the population being killed. It’s a great history...

I heard a new term yesterday, and I figured it was an internet hoax. You know what happens next: I had to investigate and look it up....

Because I am constantly researching pest control, I am always looking up information on pesticides. Sometimes I am looking for a specific...

I slept like crap last night. I overslept this morning (aka hit snooze too much). I’m going to be in the field most of tomorrow so I’m...

This episode marks my five year anniversary. That’s officially five years of weekly (ranting) writing about all things urban pest related...

It is apparently Tick Awareness week (May 4-10, 2025) , so be aware of ticks. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Ticks suck, literally...

I was giving a webinar on rodents last week and someone asked a brilliant question: what can you do when the pest problem is coming from...

I’m probably going to get some pushback from this, but I don’t like birds. I admit that birds of prey, like raptors and owls, are very...

My friend and I were having a conversation the other day about the disconnect that can happen between science and people in the field. It...

I wasn’t going to do it, but since it’s hit the headlines, and there’s been plenty of …. dubious info….let’s science this, pest control...