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Interviews

Do you like to talk about what you do? Do you give interviews? Do you run a business that serves the pest control or wildlife control industry? Are you are marketer, supplier, consultant, manufacturer,

Stephen M. Vantassel hosts a segment entitled “Living the Wildlife” on the Pest Geek Podcast.
Stephen M. Vantassel hosts a segment entitled “Living the Wildlife” on the Pest Geek Podcast.

trainer or business services supplier? Would you like to reach the pest control and wildlife control businesses in a cost-effective way?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you will want to be interviewed by Stephen M. Vantassel one of the speakers for the Pest Geek Podcast. Stephen hosts, Living the Wildlife on the Pest Geek Podcast. Pest Geek Podcast is the largest and fastest growing podcast for pest control professionals. If you want to reach out to this audience, then drop Stephen M. Vantassel an e-mail at wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Stephen would love to hear from you. Provide details on your company and the services it provides and how it would help the wildlife control and pest control industry. Be sure to include a website URL,  brochures, a brief one paragraph bio about yourself and how you can be reached.

Interviews are done using Zoom or Skype. If Stephen thinks your product or service would be helpful or of interest to our audience, he will schedule a time for the interview. If not, then he will let you know that too.

So if you want to be interviewed on the Pest Geek Podcast, contact Stephen today.

 

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Free Information

Free information. Who doesn’t love the sound of free be it free stuff, free service or free information. Politicians love to use the word free even though everyone should know that the government never does anything for free. But is information ever really free?

Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd Ed. Cover by Stephen M. Vantassel
Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd Ed. Cover by Stephen M. Vantassel

Is There Free Information?

I once had an argument with a wildlife control operator (WCO) who claimed that the information I provided is available for free. Therefore, if I understood him correctly, by charging for the information I was in effect ripping people off. I snidely responded to him by saying, and I paraphrase, “Information is free if you have the time to look, have access to the right resources, find the right relevant resources, correctly understand those resources and apply the information to found in those resources, then yes, information is free.”

Need for Context

My point is simply just because you have access to Google does not mean that you have access to the right information or that your internet search has revealed the right information. Lots of information on Google or the net, is simply wrong or more frequently out of balance or context. Google searches frequently don’t provide context for information, not because there is something wrong with the search but because people rarely read enough to understand how the information fits into the bigger picture.

You may have heard the phrase, “A little knowledge is dangerous.” It’s a true statement because when you only have a little information, you often think you know more than you actually do and that arrogance can lead to some very dangerous conclusions.

Consultation Fees

When you pay for a consultation with Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC you are paying for

  • Access to information you likely don’t have available
  • Ability to synthesize information in an understandable and usable way
  • Time to search and acquire information which allows you to spend your time in more profitable activities

Bottom Line

Can you search for information on your own? Certainly. My books and articles are available, many for no additional cost, to those wishing to read them. The internet also has lots of information both good and bad if you want to take the time to surf. But if you have better things to do with your time, then perhaps a consult with Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC is worth the price for you.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Staying Healthy at Training Conferences

Training conferences are awesome. You get to rub shoulders with industry leaders, colleagues while learning about your chosen profession. But training conferences are also a time where you are exposed to illness. Like it or not, conferences are an infectious stew. They often occur during the winter months where people are cooped up and sharing germs. If you attend events unprepared, you are likely to go home sick yourself. So how do you go about staying healthy while protecting yourself from getting sick?

Staying Healthy

Picture of hands being washed in a sink.
Handwashing is essential in avoiding illness.
  1. Wash your hands.  Many germs are passed by our hands to our face. Keep your hands clean and you will go a long way to preventing exposure to the nasties that make you sick. Wash thoroughly and use a towel to open the door as you exit.
  2.  Keep your hands away from your face. You can’t always get to a sink to wash your hands, but you can keep your hands away from your face. Germs want to get their way into your nose and eyes so be particularly careful about picking or rubbing your nose and rubbing your eyes.
  3. Stay hydrated. Hotel air is dry. Dry air means dry respiratory tract. Dry respiratory track means your protective mucous is vulnerable to invasion. Stay hydrated. One benefit is that you will need to go to the bathroom more where you can wash your hands.
  4.  Eat well. Nutrition matters. It may not be the time to start your diet but you know how to make good choices versus bad ones. Enjoy yourself, but be sure to think about vitamins.
  5.  Get some rest. Lots of late nights drinking and partying, I mean networking, with colleagues should be done in moderation. Keep in mind that you aren’t twenty anymore.

Bottom line

Following these steps doesn’t guarantee you won’t get sick. But you will certainly improve the odds.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Repair Warranties

Consumers love warranties. Warranties give us a sense of security, that the contractor or manufacturer is going to stand behind their work or product. Increasingly, more WCOs (wildlife control operators) are offering warranties for their work. One of the more common warranties are repair warranties. I think this is a good development. It shows a maturation in the wildlife control industry. But how do you know the repair warranties being offered by WCOs are real versus a warranty scam?

Signing a contract
Understand the contract before you sign. Image by Pixabay

There is a joke in the WCO industry called the Tail Light Warranty. The Tail Light Warranty is, “Maam, my work is warranted as long as you can see the tail lights of my truck.” Funny but only in a sad sort of way. The purpose of this blog post is to help you avoid this kind of warranty and its siblings.

Repair Warranties

One industry practice is to warranty a repair against animal reinvasion. Sounds good right? But did you really understand the warranty? Often it will say that the warranty is only for the actual spot. If the squirrel chews a hole 2 inches to the left of the repair, it’s a new charge because the warranty didn’t cover that area. Now, I don’t think this kind of repair warranty is a scam. After all, the warranty is not for the entire soffit but for the spot that was repaired. But I do understand why a customer would feel misled or perhaps even deceived with a false sense of security.

Key Question to Ask

So before you have the WCO make the repair, ask him how secure the material is on both sides of the repair. In other words, how likely is it that an animal will simply move over two inches and gnaw a new hole (that isn’t warrantied) there? Ask if there are ways to harden the house to make it harder for an animal to access the structure to gnaw in the first place. Often, trimming tree branches, removing food sources etc. can help reduce the attractiveness of your structure to animals. Why are these questions important? Because if one animal entered your home, it is more likely that others will.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Mouse Proofing Material

Mouse Proofing

Mouse proofing your home or business is an essential element to keeping mice out of buildings, or at least reducing their access.

Steel wool placed in a gap that is showing rust.
Steel wool placed in a gap that is showing rust.

But too many people use inadequate products, such as steel wool, or use products improperly, such as expanding foam. While, steel wool is mouse proof in that mice cannot gnaw through steel (it’s too hard), its not a good material because steel rusts as is shown in the image at the right. Can steel wool be used as a temporary fix? Sure! But if you don’t change it out, it will rust and there may be some staining that accompanies the rust. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Hole in expanding foam that was gnawed through by mice.
Hole in expanding foam that was gnawed through by mice.

 

 

Expanding foam, though great at filling gaps, inexpensive and easy to use, is not rodent proof (image at the left). Mice can easily gnaw through the foam making it ineffective at mouse proofing. Should foam never be used? Not at all. If you have a large void that is needs to be filled then expanding foam is a great material to accomplish this in many instances. Just make sure that you protect the foam with something solid to prevent mice from gaining access to the foam. Use aluminum flashing, wood, steel, anything solid that is difficult or impossible for mice to gnaw through. Likewise, make sure that the foam is protected from sunlight as sunlight radiation will degrade the foam.

Effective Mouse Proofing Material

So what should you use to prevent mice (Mus musculus) from entering your home or structure? While there are a couple of products on the market, I will mention one that you may not have heard about. It is called Xcluder. Xcluder material looks like steel wood but it isn’t. It is actually made of stainless steel shards embedded into a nylon cloth. Wear gloves (it contains sharp shards remember?) and use paramedic shears to cut it. Then use a flat head screw driver to wedge it into place. Works great around pipe gaps (click for a tool to identify mouse gaps), and other cracks and crevices that can be exploited by mice. Finish the job by sealing the mouse proofing fabric with a quality sealant.

Bottom Line

When performing mouse exclusion, use the right rodent proof materials for effective and long-lasting results.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

 

About Stephen M. Vantassel

Stephen M. Vantassel, MNI, CNI, CWCP, ACP, ACE Stephen M. Vantassel's Bio Stephen M. Vantassel is the Vertebrate Pest Specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture (2015-present). Formerly, Stephen M. Vantassel was the Program Coordinator of Distance Education-Wildlife Damage Management for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources from 2004-2014. Stephen filled … Learn More

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