TACOMA, Wash. – Sprague Pest Solutions announced Lawrence ("Larry") Treleven and Alfred ("Alfie") Treleven III, third- generation co-owners of Sprague, have been awarded the National Pest Management Association's (NPMA) Pinnacle Award. This award is NPMA's most coveted and prestigious accolade, honoring an individual who has contributed - not only to the success of the association - but to the industry over a lifetime or career.

Larry Treleven, a founding member of NPMA, has been a driving force in the pest management industry for decades. His achievements include the 1991 Crown Leadership award from PCT Magazine and presidency of NPMA in 1995. Larry received NPMA's State Policy Affairs Representative of the Year award and recently marked his 50th year in the pest control industry in 2021. He currently serves as an essential member of NPMA's Public Policy committee.

Alfie Treleven III, another key figure in the industry, has been recognized for his contributions as a founding member of NPMA's Pest Management Foundation, his 13-year tenure as chairman of Copesan services, leadership roles in Washington Pest Management Association (WSPMA) and his service on the NPMA Board of Directors and the Pest Management Foundation Board of Trustees in 2010. He is currently serving on the board of PestSure.

"This year, the Pinnacle Award is shared among two incredible industry leaders who happen to be leaders at Sprague. Larry and Alfie have played pivotal roles in shaping our company's legacy for a combined 90+ years and have made significant contributions to our industry. The NPMA Pinnacle Award is a testament to their leadership, innovation, enduring commitment, and passion for pest management" said President Sprague Ross Treleven.

IPMA has expressed our strong support for H.R. 7266, a bill to amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to prohibit the local regulation of pesticide use, introduced by Representative Rodney Davis. We support science-based regulations, and H.R. 7266 ensures that oversight of pesticides is based on scientific expertise at the state and federal level.

Letter of Support to Congress on HR 7266.pdf

Visit the ISDA website to get updates on rules and regulations.

As we enter the warmer part of the year with increased outdoor work activity, OSHA has launched a Falls and Heat Campaign to assist employers and employees in learning about the various ways and means to prevent falls and heat injuries. OSHA has developed and provided electronic products and resources for your use.

Falls Prevention  Heat Illness Prevention

VIEW THE IDAHO POLLINATOR PROTECTION PLAN

Idaho State Department of Agriculture

Prepared by: Division of Agricultural Resources and Division of Plant Industries

Recently, a number of businesses asked the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) if there was anything that we could do to assist their potential employees pass the certification examinations. While the ISDA and University of Idaho (UI) Cooperative Extension have programs to help employees gain the knowledge to pass these examinations, we cannot ensure that all the applicators we train will pass the certification examination. In our experience, the employees that receive the most assistance from their employers are much more prepared to pass the certification examinations than the ones that receive minimal or no help from their employers.

How the employer assists their employees in preparing for and taking the certification examination is important in determining if the employee will pass the certification tests. The following is a list of things employers can do to help their employees with the Idaho Pesticide Applicator examination.

1. Make sure that the employee has all of the correct study materials. Although this may seem simple, many times employees don’t have the study manuals prior to testing, or sometimes have the wrong study manuals or materials. It is very easy to determine if you have the correct study manuals for your employees by reading the Pesticide Licensing Guide provided by ISDA. It is located as a printable file HERE or simply go to the Pesticide Applicator Certification and Licensing page for ISDA and click on the appropriate quick-link on the page. This document will explain each licensing category and will have a list of the study materials needed for each category. There is also an ordering form included in this document that can be used to order the materials from ISDA.
2. Provide adequate time for the employee to prepare for the examination. The certification examinations from ISDA are not easy examinations to pass. They require adequate study to learn the terms, principles, methods, and calculations for pesticide application and pesticide safety. For those employees that are familiar with application and safety, they will have an easier time studying for the examinations. Most of the people taking the examinations have not had any experience in the pest control industry and need the assistance of an instructor, tutor or mentor to help them pass the test. A little assistance to help them get started in their studies with pesticide law, application and safety will give them more focus. In addition, a short introduction to the materials, how they should study and available study aids will greatly improve their chances to pass the examination.
3. Use the practice exams in the manuals to prepare for the actual examination. Many of the applicators use the practice exams at the end of the chapters or the manuals to help them prepare for the exams, but the employers can also use these exams to quiz the employees prior to the examination to determine if they have studied enough to take the examination.
4. Try to determine if your employee has studied adequately before letting them test. Allowing people to test without adequate knowledge normally confuses the test taker and generally is not helpful for them to learn the subject. Adequate and focused study prior to taking the examination is far more productive that having an employee take the examination numerous times in the hope they will pass.

It is really helpful to start training new employees with basic information such as common terminology, laws, and understanding the principles of pest control. Once the employee has an adequate knowledge of these items, you can move on to label comprehension, application math, and pest identification. In preparing employees to take the examination make sure that the employees are well versed in pest control and identification, label comprehension and application math as these are the types of questions that are most often missed.

The UI Cooperative Extension and ISDA provide pre-licensing training at various places throughout Idaho. Employees may take advantage of the training which takes place over three days and normally has a separate testing session. There are other ways to provide training to employees in cooperation with the ISDA and UI by being a training sponsor or by coordinating with ISDA and UI for separate training classes. While these normally will need at least 60 days to set up, an employer can use this as a way to provide additional training for their employees that will be applying pesticides.

Passing the pesticide applicator certification examinations needs to be a joint effort between the business and the employee. While waiting for those potential employees that have already passed the examinations is an option, it is the exception these days as most young potential employees are not instructed on how to study and pass this higher level of examination. Because additional supervision or mentoring is necessary, the employer or business needs to provide this added education so that their employees can obtain their applicator licenses.

READ THE UPDATE HERE

IPMA (formerly ECA of Idaho) comments and response to the NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council) proposed request to the EPA the ban all uses of herbicide 2, 4-D.