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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.

 

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5 Tips to Maximize Industry Training Conferences

Training Conferences are Expensive

Let’s face it. Training conferences are expensive both in time and fees. But while training is expensive so is ignorance, so ignoring training conferences is not a very good option. The answer is to make the training conference have the biggest impact for your business. Here are five tips that you should follow when attending any industry training event.

Tip #1. Bring Business Cards to Training Events

NWCOA Wildlife Expo Training Conference
Keith Markun (Left) presenting at NWCOA’s Wildlife Expo Training Conference.

This tip should be a no-brainer. Part of the benefit of training events lies in the connections you make when you are there. Make sure you have enough business cards to pass out. Let me also add that the cards must contain all your contact information, including business address, phone number and e-mail. Bring enough to be able to hand out liberally. I suggest a 100 cards minimum.

Tip #2. Bring a Notebook & Pen to Training Conferences

Research on learning has shown that note taking engages the mind in a way that improves retention. This fact explains why most attendees can’t remember what they were taught at a conference. In addition, good notes act as a storehouse of information for future reference. The fact is Google searches don’t answer everything and what it does answer isn’t always correct.

Tip #3. Bring Questions to Trainers

Attend the training conference with the goal to focus on key areas of interest. Review the conference schedule and topics. What specific talks and topics will help you resolve the biggest challenges facing your business? Attend those presentations that you have marked as important to your company’s goals.

Tip #4. Bring Your Curiosity to Seminars

While getting answers to your questions is important, it is also important to attend classes/presentations outside of your areas of interest. Why? Because thinking outside the box is the only way you will force yourself to grow and to think about things differently. I am not suggesting that you load up on classes dealing with subjects that you have no particular interest in. But you should attend a couple. This is particularly true for topics you “think” you have a handle on. Too often pest control operators and wildlife control operators think that they don’t need to attend a class because they already “know” it. But sometimes we think we have a good grasp of the fundamentals only to learn later that we in fact don’t. See an interesting article on this topic by Ulrik Juul Christensen. 2017. “How to Teach Employees Skills They Don’t Know They Lack.” Harvard Business Review. Sept. 29.

Tip #5. Bring Your Generosity to Attendees

If you are learning, take the time to share your knowledge too. Don’t be an intellectual scrooge. Share your insights and experience with others in the industry that aren’t as experienced or as knowledgeable as you. Keep in mind that our industry is pretty small. We need to help each other because in the end all we really have is each other.

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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AVMA Guidelines

The AVMA guidelines refer to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) publication entitled, AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition (AVMA.org). The AVMA Guidelines are the result of work performed by the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia. This working committee reads the scientific literature and uses 14-point criteria to establish the best practices for killing animals in the least painful/stressful way possible. The panel periodically updates the standards every few years. Previous standards were published in 1986, 1993, 2000, 2011, and 2013.

Euthanasia Standard

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

Since the AVMA guidelines are considered by researchers, animal activists, and the public to constitute the platinum standard for euthanasia, many wildlife control operators (WCO) state that they and their respective companies follow AVMA guidelines when euthanizing animals. But is this in fact true?

Does Your WCO Follow AVMA Guidelines?

I suggest that many WCOs do not follow the AVMA guidelines, at least not as the AVMA has presented them. The issue lies in a lack of awareness of what the AVMA guidelines actually are. For instance, the AVMA says that euthanasia (good death) must be done for the benefit of the animal AND in a manner that is free of suffering. Clearly, WCOs are not killing animals for their benefit. Thus, by AVMA standards, WCOs are not following the standard. What WCOs should say is that they use the techniques approved by the AVMA euthanasia panel. That would be far more accurate or should I say, likely.

Bottom Line

If your WCO says he/she follows AVMA guidelines for animal euthanasia, be aware that the WCO likely does not understand exactly what the AVMA standards for euthanasia are. Instead, interpret the WCO’s comment as referring to the technique(s) used to kill the animal.

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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