A milder winter across the country could mean an earlier start to the season for many of you.  In preparation, be sure to take advantage of the many resources Univar PP&S has to offer:

• Training & Education – Whether it is a calibration clinic, equipment “rodeos,” or training session on the latest surveillance techniques and control measures, now is the time to make sure your operation is prepared for the coming mosquito season.
  
• Technology – Access to product information (Labels & MSDS), online ordering and training are all available through UnivarPPS.com.  Be sure to update your mosquito mapping software.
  
• Product – Build your arsenal now for the coming season.  With an exceptional range of products, supplies, and equipment, Univar PP&S has the highest quality products from the best brands due to our strong vendor relationships.
  
• People – Treat us as an extension of your operation and count on our assistance, from making sure your product is delivered on time when you need it to answering your toughest vector questions.
  
  

Call us today at 800-609-9414 to see how we can help make you ready for the season!

Public awareness and education is critical to the success of your overall vector control efforts.  More and more districts leverage email as a cost-effective way to increase the frequency and diversity of their marketing messages. But, in today’s visual world, good design is a must. Whether you’re designing your own or using a template from a service provider, here’s what you need to create emails that look great and get results.

Put your logo in the same place each time. Build your brand with every marketing e-mail you send. Putting your logo in a consistent location allows the recipient to quickly identify that the email is from you every time you send one out.

Keep the preview pane in mind. Your subscribers may only see a portion of your email before deciding to open it and look at it in its entirety. Make sure your logo, as well as some enticing information about the email contents, can be seen in the preview pane.

Make your point clearly and quickly. The reality is that most people scan. They don’t give you much longer than a second to capture their attention. With every moment, a reader is determining if he or she will keep reading or abandon your email.

Limit the number of fonts you use. A good rule of thumb is to use a max of two fonts in your marketing emails. You may use one for the body and another for the headlines and subtitles. Use standard fonts like Arial, Times New Roman or Verdana for the greatest readability.

Conduct a Basic Survey with Landing Rate Count

Mosquito surveys are very important for the planning, operation, and evaluation of all mosquito control programs.  One of the easiest and cheapest surveys is Landing Rate Count (LRC).  This is calculated is by counting the number of mosquitoes that land on you within a one to five minute window while you are standing in a designated area.  The number of adult mosquitoes counted will give the mosquito control manager insight on the use of an adulticides product. It is important to educate all mosquito control district personnel to this easy and effective technique.  The LRC technique can be very useful when the general public calls about mosquito issues.

Head lice may not necessarily be "attracted" to people....we are simply where they live. The head louse is obtained only by close, personal contact with another infected person or that other person's clothing, which may have the lice on it. Head lice are permanent ectoparasites that do not hop on and off the host, but lay their eggs on the hairs and remain on the host throughout their lives. They must have some sensory capabilities for homing in on heat, but for most infested people, the lice were physically dislodged from one person and crawled onto the next available person. If dislodged from a human, the head louse dies within a day or two.

Preventive measures for head lice include inspecting clothing or materials such as pillows or blankets that may have been shared with another person outside the family. Anything considered suspicious of having lice on it can be placed in a hot dryer cycle or laundered.  

Because the lice die within just a day there is little need to go to extensive cleaning of cars, furniture, or other household items. Encourage children not to share hats or jackets with other students, a common form of transmission.  Infestations on school aged children are the primary means for introducing lice to a home. If a person's head were shaved, lice could not make their living there.  If the hair is cut very short, it facilitates the inspection for lice or their eggs (nits), which the female louse glues to the base of a hair. However, recommending that all the children in the family have their heads shaved would not be appropriate.

The control of head lice has NOTHING to do with a pest control professional, so you should not make pesticide applications in a home where someone insists it be done. Even if a customer tells you that their doctor told them to have the house "sprayed" or fogged - do not do it. You can provide them with good information but not with chemical controls.