Record number of new ACEs

The ESA certification programs have been quite high profile recently. With exhibits at the Bed Bug Summit in Las Vegas, NV and then again at PestWorld in Boston, MA many new applications for both ACE and BCE have been received and processed.  This is an exciting time for ESA as we're seeing tremendous growth in awareness and certificants.

And November was through the roof.

Fueled in large part by the successful ACE Prep courses offered simultaneously in Knoxville, TN and Griffin, GA, November 16th, 2012 set a new high-water mark for the most pest management professionals to earn their ACE certification on the same day.  Congratulations to our newest ACEs. On the list below, all but Bill Melville earned their ACE on Nov. 16, 2012:

1. Bill Melville, Orkin (Mississauga, ON Canada)*
2. Shaun Reeves, Reeves Pest Control (Culleoka, TN)
3. Betty Hilger, Orkin (Bloomington, IN)
4. Kevin Mills, OPC Pest Control (Louisville, KY)
5. Donald Partin, OPC Pest Control (Shepherdsville, KY)
6. Jay Connors, Terminix (Orlando, FL)
7. Aaron Veal, Russell's Pest Control (Knoxville, TN)
8. Patrick Hickman, OPC Pest Control (Louisville, KY)
9. Wayne Hammond, Ecolab Pest Elimination (Charlotte, NC)
10. Brett Partin, OPC Pest Control (Louisville, KY)
11. Gene Hilger, Orkin (Bloomington, IN)
12. Dan Cassidy, The Bug Man (Murfreesboro, TN)
13. Aron Thomas, Advanced Services for Pest Control (Augusta, GA)
14. Ron Schwalb, Nisus Corporation (Rockford, TN)
15. Nathan Frushour, Preventive Pest Control (Albuquerque, NM)
16. Charles Gates, Skyline Pest Solutions (McDonough, GA)
17. Robert Teal, Terminix (St Augustine, FL)
18. Timothy Sherrer, Expest Exterminating (Snellville, GA)
19. William Keesee, BB Pest Control (Lincoln Park, MI)
20. Tim Jackson, Ace Exterminating (Clarksville, TN)
21. Michael Spry, Precision Services Management (Valley Grove, WV)
22. Peter Schonemann, Russ Pest Control (Winterville, NC)
23. Chad Cain, Webster Exterminators (McDonough, GA)
24. David Mante, Homak Exterminating (Norcross, GA)
25. Jim Orr, Univar (Soddy Daisy, TN)

*  Mr Melville actually tested one day earlier than the rest on this list. One of the current requirements for ACE certification is that you are licensed in at least one of the 50 United States. ESA does allow non-US residents to take the exam, but they must hold a US license. Watch for future blog posts on this topic in the near future.

Additionally, we had two professionals test and pass their BCE exams in November. Congratulations to Allison Taisey of the Northeastern IPM Center (who was also one of our speakers for Under the Lens) and Kyle Jordan of BASF.

Under the Lens and ACE Prep Course a great success

Dr Mike Merchant, BCE (TAMU) and others during the Q&A session

On November 14, 2012 the Entomological Society of America (ESA) hosted a first-of-a-kind for the Society – a series of scientific presentations designed for the practicing pest management professional. Topics ranged from an Entomology 101 conversation to important changes in pyrethroid label changes to servicing multi-family low-income housing.

The post-meeting feedback was immediate and unanimous: this was a worthwhile endeavor and ESA should consider repeating this course in the coming years.  

On Thursday the 15th, many of the same attendees (and some new ones) participated in an ACE Prep Course. For 8 solid hours participants listened to the experts talk about entomological aspects of pest management and prepared to sit the following morning for the ACE exam. While we're still running numbers on the results, it seems that over 20 new ACEs will be minted as a result of this course. Watch for another post in the days to come with the names of our new ACEs.  Our congratulations to all who participated!

North Carolina offers CEUs for "Under the Lens"

The state of North Carolina will grant CEUs for PMPs to attend the Entomological Society of America's training day, "Under the Lens: The Science of Urban Pest Management".

The day will consist of 8 sessions including breakfast and lunch. Attendees should expect fast-paced education. We're going to cram two days of learning into a single day, since we know how busy most PMPs are and understand how a day away from the office is a day's lost wages.

The following day ESA is offering an ACE Prep Course for those who are seeking certification as an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). This program, which has been featured in PCT and other industry publications, is rapidly becoming the mark of a true professional in this industry.

Click here for the PDF of the registration form for Under the Lens.

Just announced -- Georgia approves CEUs for ESA's Under the Lens course.

The state of Georgia will grant CEUs for PMPs to attend the Entomological Society of America's training day, "Under the Lens: The Science of Urban Pest Management".

The day will consist of 8 sessions including breakfast and lunch. Attendees should expect fast-paced education. We're going to cram two days of learning into a single day, since we know how busy most PMPs are and understand how a day away from the office is a day's lost wages.

The following day ESA is offering an ACE Prep Course for those who are seeking certification as an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). This program, which has been featured in PCT and other industry publications, is rapidly becoming the mark of a true professional in this industry.

Click here for the PDF of the registration form for Under the Lens.

Certification is like an umbrella

I just came back from a great week in Boston at NPMA's PestWorld. Shows like this are great for me as a way to get to know some of the names I see on ACE and BCE applications that come across my desk every week.

Working at the booth on the exhibit floor, so many people would come up to me and say "I'm a BCE (or ACE) and it's the best thing I've ever done for my business development" (or something like that). But what I found was that so few people actually had put their ACE or BCE moniker on their badges for the PestWorld show.

Earning your Certification is a tremendous professional achievement and I would encourage you to shout this from the highest mountaintops. ESA can help you promote your certification by sending you copies of logos, helping you to draft a press release to announce your certification, and more, but you have to do some of this yourself. Follow these simple tips to get the most professional marketing mileage out of your BCE or ACE:

• Whenever you are interviewed by the media, whether the trade press or not, be sure to let the reporter know that you are a Board or Associate Certified Entomologist
• Any conference you register for, be sure to put your certification beside your name (e.g., "Mrs. Jane Doe, ACE") 
• Put the BCE or ACE logo on your work vehicle, your store window, your uniforms, your business card, your advertisements, your website .... and so on. Anywhere that you are promoting your business is an appropriate place to tell people that you are certified.
• Ask ESA for help if you need it. My email is cstelzig [at] entocert [dot] org.

Certification is a bit like an umbrella. An umbrella is something you can carry with you daily and (at least if you have one of the small collapsible ones) it can provide a sense of security and nobody even knows that you have it. But an umbrella, much like your certification, only works if you use it. 

Take some time and review your materials. See if you're using your certification to its fullest advantage. And if not, email me and I'll help you out.

Under the Lens - Earlybird deadline is today

ESA's annual meeting has been known for literally decades as a source of great entomological training. There are dozens of symposia (almost 100 this year) and many of these focus on structural pest management. The Medical Urban and Veterinary Entomology Section (MUVE) has these Symposia planned:


• A Celebration of the Life and Scientific Contributions of Carl Jones
• Advances in Spatial Analysis of Global Disease Vectoring Arthropods
• Bed Bug Research: Catching Up With The Global Bed Bug Resurgence
• Highlights of Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology
• If the Epi Triad is Host, Pathogen and Environment, Where Are the Vectors?
• Military Entomology: A Partner in Global Public Health
• The Return of Insurmountable Opportunities: More Novel Statistics for Entomologists

But even beyond the ESA meeting itself, the new educational program, Under the Lens, is a day of great information for anyone in the structural pest management industry. This is a new program offered by ESA. Attendees who add this meeting on to their ESA meeting experience get a tremendous discount.

The following day is the ACE Prep Course. A person does not need to be an ACE applicant to take this class, though most are. ACE certification is rapidly becoming the certification standard for the pest management professional.

Registration can be completed online if you have an ESA username and password. Or click here for the PDF form and fax it in to 410-741-3784. But hurry ... earlybird registration pricing ends today, October 15th. After that you can still register, but the rates go up.

CEU filing season is here

For 70-some of BCEs who are fully certified by the Entomological Society of America, the tri-annual Professional Maintenance and Certification Report (PM&C) is coming due in another few weeks. This report unnecessarily strikes fear into the hearts of some otherwise very rational and intelligent men and women. Why? Because they do not keep up with documenting their CEUs earned until the report comes due. Just like any job, if you chip away a little bit at a time the workload is ever so much more manageable.  Here are some practical suggestions for easing the CEU documentation process:

1) If you are comfortable with Excel, use that version of the report. Formulas allow your CEUs entered to auto-flow to the cover sheet so that you can always have a quick snapshot as to where you stand on your CEU totals.

2) Keep a file folder with a ledger sheet in an easily-accessible location so that you may document any 'easy to forget' CEUs, like reading an article or a book related to your career or giving a talk to the public.  Lots of BCEs only focus on the big ticket items like attending meetings or giving presentations, but there are dozens of ways to earn CEUs.

3) Set a reminder for the 30th of every month in your Outlook calendar to remind you to update your CEUs earned for the month.

Emails go out today to all BCEs as to when their next PM&C report is due. Don't let a bookkeeping problem put your certification in jeopardy. Document monthly to simplify the PM&C reporting process.