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Commercial Drone License

Interested in using a drone, or more technically “small unmanned aircraft systems” (sUAS), for your wildlife control business? Then you will need to

Drone (sUAS)
Drone (sUAS) flying over a remote area.

obtain a commercial drone license. The Federal Aviation Administration requires individuals who wish to use drones (sUAS) as part of a business need to obtain a commercial drone license, also known as I recently passed the test and thought I would explain the process.

Steps in the Commercial Drone License

First, you must register your drone with the FAA whether you are a hobby or commercial flyer. Cost is five dollars and is good for a couple of year. To register, go to https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/register_drone/
Second, to obtain your commercial drone license you must follow the requirements contained in Part 107 Rules. The following link https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/ contains links to the Part 107 Rules and links to the steps to becoming licensed.

Studying for the Commercial Drone License

The key issue for you as a wildlife control operator (WCO) is preparing for the 107 test. Having just passed the test on August 7, I can tell you that preparation is key. The test is 60 multiple choice questions (3 possible answers per question). You have two hours to finish. Cost is 150 dollars.
In addition to the study materials provided by the FAA, you should consider taking the time to view the following YouTube training video https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=27&v=6_ucCKFJUCU. I found this one to be helpful. There are other free videos available as well. I suspect they will be helpful but I warn you that the FAA keeps changing the test over time. Consider when the video was created and don’t assume that everything this or that video says will be true for answering your test.

I signed up for a prep course, RemotePilot101.com. I found it helpful, not only in studying for the commercial drone license, but also for reviewing points that should be followed when I begin flying. But as valuable as RemotePilot101 was for me, I had several questions that I was not prepared for. Fortunately, you only need a 70% score to pass, so you can miss a few.

Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC (WCC) has not received any financial incentives to mention brand-name products in this blog post. 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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Scalability

What is Scalability?

Scalability is term that refers to the ability of a business to make more revenue without working more hours. For example, a bar tender is not a scalable job because in order to make more money the bar tender must work more hours. In contrast, a book author is a scalable job because selling more books does not require the author to work more. He simply needs to expand sales through wholesalers or through direct online sales.

Image showing growth through a line drawing
Scalability describes how easy it is to grow your business.

The Challenge of Scalability

The challenge for most service businesses, like wildlife control operators (WCO), is how do you make more money? You can’t make more time, so you either have to charge more money for your services or become more efficient in your business by reducing service times and costs or both. The typical way to expand in a service business is to hire more workers. But hiring workers brings its own challenges and headaches. You may think, at this point, that WCO businesses lack scalability.

Ideas for Scalability

But is that true? Is there a way to scale your WCO business? I am not sure WCO work is scalable in the way that product sales would be scalable. But I do think that WCOs can scale their companies in other ways. Let me provide a few ideas.

  • Offer additional services. Consider renting and/or selling traps. Here you have the clients do the work for you. This can be done with jobs that are low expertise and low profit such as ground trapping animals. Just be sure that your insurance and contracts are designed to handle the added risk.
  • Collaborate with other WCOs. Through collaboration, your business can work with competitors to handle jobs neither of you could resolve on your own.
  • Franchise. Sure establishing a franchise for your business is not easy. But it is a way to expand your business by multiplying yourself through the work of others.
  • Can you think of other options?
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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Vertebrate Pest Handbook 2nd Ed

Vertebrate Pest Handbook 2nd Edition

Vertebrate Pest Handbook, 2nd ed, by Dr. Austin M. Frishman
Vertebrate Pest Handbook, 2nd ed, by Dr. Austin M. Frishman

After being out of print for some time, Dr. Austin M. Frishman’s classic, Vertebrate Pest Handbook 2nd ed is now available as a reprint.

Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC publishing decided to make the second edition available because even though the book was published in 1999 and some of the information, such as some of the tips for rodenticide use are no longer appropriate due to changes in regulations and standards of practice, the Vertebrate Pest Handbook 2nd ed still contains a lot of information that technicians will find helpful.

Dr. Frishman smartly wrote The Vertebrate Pest Handbook 2nd ed in an easy to read question and answer format allowing readers to absorb a vast amount of information via bite-sized chunks. This text is perfect for companies looking for easy to create quizzes to test technician knowledge.

Book Contents

This 200-plus page book is broken down into the following chapters:

  1. Rodents in general
  2. Norway rats
  3. Roof rats
  4. House mice
  5. Rodent diseases
  6. Non-commensal rodents
  7. Pest vertebrates other than rodents
  8. Non-toxic rodent control methods
  9. Rodenticides
  10. References for training

The book is complete. While there are some font issues due to challenges with the scanning process, none affect readability. To reduce costs, the photos were converted to black and white.

Purchases who register their purchase with Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC are eligible for a 20% discount on the revised edition (commensal rodent edition) when ordered within 30 days of notification. Publication of the commensal rodent control edition is planned for 2020.

Orders

At $12.25 plus shipping and handling, this 200 plus page book is priced to sell. Copies are available at http://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-vantassel/vertebrate-pest-handbook/paperback/product-24165050.html

For bulk orders, contact Stephen M. Vantassel via the e-mail below.

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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Cage Trapping in Hot Weather

Readers of my blog know that cage trapping (frequently mischaracterized as “live trapping”) is not as humane as is often claimed or believed. Animals caught in cage traps can suffer in a variety of ways. In this blog, I want to discuss cage trapping in hot weather.

Why Cage Trapping in Hot Weather is Cruel

When cage trapping in hot weather, trappers need to remember a few things. First, furred animals exposed to direct sunlight can bake. To

Cage trap covered on the top and sides with cardboard. Ends are left open for air circulation. Photo: Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Cage trap covered on the top and sides with cardboard. Ends are left open for air circulation. Photo: Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

help understand what an animal is going through, put on a winter coat and go out side and sit in the sun on a summer day. I doubt you would want to keep the coat on for very long. Animals, however, don’t have a choice. Second, some of the animals being caught will be nocturnal. Skunks, for example, are not typically moving around during the day. So nocturnal animals can suffer in two ways, being exposed to daylight (means their vulnerable) along with the heat exposure. Daytime animals, like squirrels, also feel vulnerable when caught in a cage trap because they can’t run an hide. They are trapped in full view of the variety of predators that may be lurking about.

How to Manage Cage Trapping in Hot Weather

Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can employ to make cage trapping in hot weather more humane. First, consider trap location.

Being Kind to Animal Pests, 2nd ed.
Being Kind to Animal Pests, 2nd ed.

Will this spot be exposed to the sun all day? Could you move it to a location where it gets shade? Don’t discount shade. It means a lot. Second, cover half of the length of your cage trap with a cloth or stiff cardboard. This boxed area gives the animal a place to hide and obtain shade if needed. The animal will be able to move to the shaded area if it wishes or out into the exposed portion of the cage; thereby self-regulating. Third, in extremely hot areas, such as roof tops, or the south, trappers may wish to provide animals a source of moisture. Water bottles can work but so do slices of apple or other water rich foods. Last, but not least, check the traps at appropriate times. Nocturnal animal traps ideally should be checked in the morning. Diurnal animals before dark. It’s never wrong to check more than once a day. But that is for another blog.

To learn other tips for humane cage trapping, purchase, Being Kind to Animal Pests 2nd ed.

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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White-nose Fungus in California

White-nose fungus, also called White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), is a fungal disease that is killing bats in the United States and Canada. The fungus, whose scientific name is Pseudogymnoascus destructans or Pd for short, is naturally found in Europe. But European bats have developed resistance to the fungus. Unfortunately, the white-nose fungus found its way to North America and has been killing bats since its discovery near Albany, NY in 2006.

Map marking the spread of white-nose fungus across the U.S.
2019 Map marking the spread of white-nose fungus across the U.S. Image. WhiteNoseSyndrom.org

How White-nose Fungus Kills

The fungus kills bats by attacking their skin which then irritates them and causes their hibernation to be disrupted. While that may not seem like a big deal it is for bats. Bats simply don’t have a lot of fat to spare. So every time they wake up, they consume precious calories needed to carry them through the winter. If they wake up to often, they essentially starve to death.

Scientists have been following the spread of white-nose fungus across the U.S. starting in the East. Biologists were hopeful that the Rocky Mountains may provide a barrier to the spread of white-nose fungus. But it was found in Washington state. And now with this recent announcement, has now been found in California.

We must be clear, that the full syndrome has not been found in California. Scientists have only found the presence of the fungus on bats. While it is likely that the presence will turn into the deadly syndrome, it is possible that the bats won’t develop the full disease. Time will tell.

Bottom Line

In the meantime, it is essential that wildlife control operators use proper bat exclusion techniques to reduce the chances that their activities will spread the fungus to other bats. Consumers will need to demand that their wildlife control operators follow recognized protocols established by the White-Nose Syndrome group. At minimum, this means that one-way doors, also known as bat valves, are cleaned with 10% bleach or Lysol after each use. Other safe practices can be found at Whitenose Syndrome.org or by taking NWCOA’s Bat Standards Training.

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

Stephen M. Vantassel MNI, CNI, CWCP, ACE Bio Stephen M. Vantassel is the Vertebrate Pest Specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture (2015-present). Formerly, he 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 the position vacated by Dallas Virchow, who … Learn More

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