With almost 6,000 pest management professionals in its network, there’s almost certainly another NPMA member who’s faced the challenges you’re facing. Been there. Done that.

NPMA’s Mentor Match program was designed to help you find those professionals and get great advice that will keep you sharp, current and (last but not least) ahead of the pack.

Check out a brief video on how to get started with Mentor Match!

Women of Excellence Award
NPMA is now accepting nominations for the annual Women of Excellence Award, sponsored by Target Specialty Products. This award is open to women across the pest management industry - pest control companies, manufacturers, research organizations, etc. - who demonstrate outstanding leadership and have made notable contributions to the development and growth of the profession, their business, and other women in the industry. Click here for more information and to nominate a candidate. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m. ET on Aug. 29, 2017.

Young Entrepreneur Award
Do you know a young entrepreneur in the pest management industry? NPMA is currently accepting nominations for the annual Young Entrepreneur Award, presented by Rentokil-Steritech, recognizing young entrepreneurs working in the professional pest management industry who have helped create or develop an industry business and/or those who have stewarded a meaningful industry concept to fruition. Click here for more information and to nominate a candidate. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m. ET on Aug. 29, 2017.

A new research article is available: Updated Reported Distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the United States, 1995–2016Updated Reported Distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the United States, 1995–2016

A recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the presence of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus in a total of 165 new U.S. counties. Both mosquito species are potential vectors of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses in the U.S. Tracking the distribution and spread of these dangerous mosquitoes is essential to guiding management efforts which can limit the spread of mosquito-borne disease.

The survey confirmed Ae. aegypti in 38 new counties, primarily in Texas, and Ae. albopictus in 127 new counties, mostly in Kansas, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. Although none of the new counties were in previously unreported states, this surveillance has identified new areas of interest for enhanced surveillance in many states including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Texas and Florida. 

This article was published in the journal of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

Aftermath Exterminating
American Hitech Pest Control
Bradway's Bug Police Control
Falconer Pest Control & Industrial Cleaning
Kendah Pest Control, LLC
MCA Pest Control
Safari Pest Control LLC

The following companies earned QualityPro Accreditation this week: 

• Checkmate Pest Management of Brooklyn, NY is now QualityPro Accredited
• 1st Defense Termite & Pest Control, Inc. of Powhatan, VA is now QualityPro Accredited

European Starling

National Fit Testing Service offers you an easy economical way to achieve OSHA compliance. At your convenience, National Fit Testing Service's technicians come to your site and perform Qualitative or Quantitative fit testing of your employees in accordance with OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR 1910.134. 

Help protect your valued employees health and well-being as well as comply with OSHA regulations, by scheduling your respirator fit testing and training session. Contact Linda Lane for special NPMA member pricing today! 

Don’t miss the next presentation of NPMA’s technical webinar series live on Wednesday, August 30th at 2:00pm EST – Fly Management in the 21st Century.

So many pest fly species, so little time to talk about all them! In this webinar, Judy Black, Rentokil Steritech’s Vice President of Technical Services, discusses what actions our industry can take to prevent both large and small flies from becoming issues in our client’s facilities. While the primary focus of this webinar will be on commercial properties, this session will also highlight flies as pests of residences, and will conclude with a candid look into what the future of fly control might look like 5 or 10 years from now.

To register for this webinar, click here.

In case you missed them, the following previously held NPMA webinars are available online:
• Mosquito Control, PMP’s and Public Health
• Overwintering Pests: A Tale of Home Invasion

To view other NPMA OnDemand webinars, please click here.

News4Jax
Florida health officials added another 12 reported cases of the Zika virus during the past week, including the first sexually transmitted case in 2017, according to information posted on the state Department of Health website.

Phys.org
As the summer travel season kicks into high gear, Penn State researchers have found a potential solution to those unwanted guests that can turn a relaxing vacation into a skin-crawling nightmare.

NBC New York
Residents of a Long Island town want their local leaders to take action against a growing rat problem.

US News & World Report
It may be small, but an insect known as the charcoal seed bug has started to get under the skin of people visiting and living in Palm Springs. Dozens and sometimes hundreds of the sunflower seed-sized insects are swarming sites throughout the desert city, gathering on ledges outside coffee shops, flocking to bright lights at night and clinging to the crevices of windows.

Switch and Shift
To many executives, involving rank-and-file workers in business strategy is a strange concept. Isn’t business strategy better left to those trained in it? Can’t the VP of operations provide all the insights a regular employee could — and then some?

McKinsey & Company
Lean management creates enormous value, but improvement that’s truly continuous is often elusive. Innovation in fields such as digital and IT make it more urgent, achievable, and human.

Fast Company
These days, leaders are coached to be sensitive, empathetic, and concerned with others’ feelings–all worthy, important attributes that a great boss (or anyone with a shred of emotional intelligence) needs to possess. So with the best of intentions we go out of our way to be nice and collegial–and wind up overdoing the mea culpas.

Forbes
As an organization grows, you grow with it. The leadership behaviors, the way you communicated and made decisions that got you to where you are will no longer apply to get you to where you want to be. The competitive environment changes. Customer demand changes. The team around you changes. You change. If you’re not adapting with the environment then you’re fighting against it.

Inc.
People are weird, complicated creatures. That fact can make managing social life tricky if you haven't studied up on the quirks of human psychology. But the reverse is also true. By learning a few simply psychological truths about how our minds work, you can give yourself a huge leg up when it comes to succeeding at work, finding love, and getting what you want in life. And mastering basic psychological hacks will also give you a big advantage over most people, who navigate the world on instinct and emotion alone.

CNBC
When it feels like there aren't enough hours in a day to get your work done, it's natural to try rushing through everything. But the truth is, this habit is wreaking havoc on your image and your office, says leadership development expert Jeff Black. 

PBS
Tick season is in full swing, and with it comes Lyme disease. More than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease, a bacteria spread by a family of hard-bodied ticks such as the deer tick, are reported to the Centers for Disease Control every year, though two recent studies put the actual number of cases closer to 300,000.

Benzinga
With the summer travel season in high gear, the country's largest pest control company is warning about an unwelcome visitor that could affect locals and tourists.

Forbes
A common issue for entrepreneurs is finding, attracting, and retaining millennials, now the biggest generation in the workforce. Companies have to learn how to hire and keep millennials because they don’t really have another choice.