I Am an Exterminator!

Pest Control Technology Editor's note: Rich Kozlovich, a 30-year veteran of the pest management industry, recently provided the following response to the article, "Why I Hate the Word Exterminator," which appeared in the June issue of PCT magazine. 

By Rich Kozlovich

Okay....first of all this is over ten years old, and I've been retired for about four years, and love it.  My week now consists of six Saturdays and a Sunday.  It's a good thing my computer tracks the week, otherwise, I'd be lost.  However, I know there are still pest control people who saunter in to read stuff in Nuf Ced, so, I thought I should publish this "Blast From the Past", as this is like all truths, it's timeless, but truth must be refreshed regularly since misfits work unendingly to twist, pervert, and subtly alter "truth" with clever verbiage, misleading clever verbiage.  So, here it is!

I am not a pest control operator. I am not a pest management professional. I am not an entomological consultant. I am an exterminator and I am proud of who and what I am and what I do! And I am proud to be called an exterminator. Exterminators have been manning the walls in the war for public health for centuries; telling the world by our actions that as long as we man the walls no one will harm them on our watch.

As Robert Sullivan said in his book, Rats, "exterminators are the hunters that keep the tribe healthy." He worked very closely with exterminators in New York City and clearly admired them. He didn't care what they were called.

Terms mean things. Terms give impressions. Using PCO, PMP, entomological consultant or whatever else we want to use to shine up our image is smart marketing. I use "pest management" in my company name, so I have no objection to the marketing aspect of the business. All of this linguist magic may give the impression of a higher degree of professionalism than "exterminator" does. I have no problem with this as long as we as an industry never stop believing in our hearts and minds that we were exterminators yesterday, we are exterminators today and we will be exterminators tomorrow. And we absolutely should never be embarrassed by that; we need to be proud of it! When I go to a meeting of one of the associations that isn't part of the pest control industry I tell them clearly and proudly that I am an exterminator! Try it some time. You may be surprised at the reception you get.

What constitutes a professional? What they call themselves or what they do? Do we, as individual exterminators, need gilded terms to feel we are something special? Do we feel that being called an exterminator diminishes who we are? It would appear that is the impression for some in our industry.

Many of us remember Mike Royko, the famous syndicated columnist out of Chicago. Many years ago, he had some personal experience with the pest control industry and he wrote an article about this experience and about a guy who just killed bugs! That was what they hired him for and that is what they wanted. No fancy names, no fancy treatments, no fancy policies. The "blond" — as he referred to his wife — tried that approach and it didn't work. He hired the guy around the corner who just killed bugs. He was called an exterminator! If he were alive today and we could ask him who he thought the professional was, what do you think Royko would say?

A couple of years ago I wrote an article titled, "Let Me Tell You About Mike Royko," and cited this in my article. Mike's son sent me an e-mail saying that he normally never responds to articles about his father but he said his dad would have loved this one. Royko never lost sight of what became known as "Royko's People" — the guy on the street that faces reality everyday and has no need for blurring reality to bolster and appease weak egos.

We have slowly accepted this idea of changing what we call ourselves over the last 25 years or so and thus laid the groundwork for changing what we do. We accept the idea that we are not supposed to kill bugs, but control them with "green" pest control or Integrated Pest Management — neither of which exists in structural pest control. I will happily debate anyone in the world over that statement.

Is it any wonder we have fallen under the illusion that what we have been doing since the 1850s is something to be ashamed of? We have lost sight of who and what we are. Is it any wonder that we strive so diligently to be found acceptable to regulators and environmental activists in order to be patted on our little heads like little children with token acceptance because we are so unsure of ourselves that we are prepared to jump on whatever bandwagon is the latest philosophical flavor of the day? The fact of the matter is that no matter what we call ourselves the jokes about killing roaches with pointy toes shoes will always be there. Get over it, run with it, and laugh…it's funny. Take what you do seriously but stop taking yourself so seriously. Remember, they won't be reading your resume at your funeral.

Who Really Are the Life Savers?

By Rich Kozlovich (Originally published 6/22/10)

Man's method of survival – transforming nature to meet his needs – must be defended against environmentalism's attack. - Onkar Ghate.

The spraying of pesticides is not needed because they don’t work! How many times have we heard one of the green activists spout this kind of nonsense?

Chikungunya fever is a crippling mosquito transmitted disease that was rapidly spreading on islands of the Indian Ocean. As of February 4, 2006 the French island of Reunion had 50,000 cases of this viral disease with 15,000 in the previous week.

So, what did the local officials do? Did they call Greenpeace to ask their advice and get some financing to help with this growing health problem? Perhaps they contacted Earth Liberation Front, The Sierra Club, Earth Wildlife Federation or Friends of the Earth? Maybe they called the the first head of EPA, Bill Ruckelshaus, the man who banned DDT; or his friends at Environmental Defense (formerly Environmental Defense Fund) and ask them what should be done?

Wait! I just had a thought.  These groups collectively claim that their anti-pesticide positions are based on a concern for human health.  If so, how many of these environmental groups contacted them? They seem to have all the answers. Why weren’t they on the scene helping to eliminate this problem with some Integrated Pest Management scheme or some natural remedy such as garlic and bay leaves?

The reason they aren’t called by those who actually have the responsibility to solve problems; and the reason Greenies don’t call them is because Greenies are only good at finding fault. They are terrible at finding solutions! Especially solutions that eventually they themselves will find fault with at some later date; which is an important point, since all of their solutions seem to cause a lot more problems than they solve.

What was left to do then? The island government activated the army to spray pesticides to kill the mosquitoes. When it is all said and done there is only one conclusion, one view that bears the weight of science, one action that can stand unashamedly in the spotlight of history and bear the weight of time. The extensive use of pesticides! Pesticides are needed and must be sprayed because pesticides work! Pesticides and pesticide applicators save lives. Let’s say this again. Pesticides and pesticide applicators save lives. Those societies that have flourished are societies that have been heavy pesticide users. This bodes well the question: who are the killers here; pesticide applicators or environmental activists?

When are we going to stop listening to these people? In England they complain that there are too many drugs on the market that have not been child tested. These are the same people that go ballistic when the thought of finding out what the impact pesticides actually have on children through passive testing. Passive testing means that they would just watch the health of children where pesticides are already being used in their homes. What’s wrong with that?

It doesn’t help them to attain their goal, which is to create havoc, not find out whether pesticides, drugs or anything else are safe for children. The most frightening thing for the activists would be that it would be discovered there was no negative health impact on children’s lives as a result of appropriate applications of pesticides. Worse yet, they fear it might show that their health is better than children in homes of the same socioeconomic group where pesticides are not used.

Why do they fear this? They fear it because they know it to be true. If these kinds of studies are allowed they will be out in the cold because nothing appeals to the emotions more than protecting children. Out go their claims of disaster. Out goes their influence in the media. Out goes their ability to sway an uninformed and gullible public. Out goes their influence with government officials. Worse yet, out goes their ability to scare the people, and along with that; out goes their income because funding will dry up. This leaves the worst case scenario for them. Now they would be faced with a real and legitimate disaster. They would actually have to go out and get a real job.

Many of their claims regarding pesticides and good health have been studied and have already been dismissed because these claims were shown to be junk science. Yet they continue to spew them out via the media. It is important that we know in our own minds that most of what we see on the news and read in the newspaper are lies. Not necessarily lies of commission, although they have been guilty of that also, but mostly lies of omission. They have the tendency to leave important information out.

We simply cannot blindly accept what we are told! We cannot blindly go along with the greenies! We cannot blindly follow those in leadership positions who tell us we have to go along with the greenies either. Their misanthropic history has shown that they have been the greatest source of preventable dystopia in the modern history of mankind. Let me repeat that so they you will know this isn’t a slip of the tongue. “Their misanthropic history has shown that they have been the greatest source of preventable dystopia in the modern history of mankind”. With the toll of death, sickness and misery they have exacted around the world, why should we believe anything they have to say regarding what constitutes good health for society?

History is clear as to the multiple benefits pesticides provide. History is also replete with tales of what happens when pesticides are withdrawn. This bodes well the questions; where is the moral compass of those who attack pesticides? Where is the moral compass of those within the industry who go along with the greenies? Pesticides and pesticide applicators are what save lives! Not greenie mysticism!

Comments will not be accepted that are rude, crude, stupid or smarmy. Nor will I allow ad hominem attacks or comments from anyone who is "Anonymous”.

Pretty Good! For a Bug Man!

By Rich Kozlovich

Many years ago I became friends with guy who was a manager of a chicken sandwich restaurant. This store was part of a very large franchise with quality people as their owners and managers. I never met one who wasn’t pleasant and well mannered.  I mention this to give impetus to what I am about to say.

A number of us were sitting in his dining room one morning having coffee, and solving the world’s problems, when I made some cogent observation that impressed him. He said to me; “Wow, that’s pretty good for a bug man”!

In turn I said, “Yeah; if I was any smarter I’d be a restaurateur”.

Was he deliberately being insulting? No, we were friends, but he just let slip his view of what I did for a living.  Not necessarily me, but my profession. We're just bug men.  How smart could we possibly be?   It is unfortunate that some people have such a low view of exterminators and I often wonder where this comes from. 

One of the things I've learned over the years - there's a lot of really sharp people in the pest control industry.  Not only are exterminators sharp, but exterminators are among the most adaptable group of people I've ever worked with.  The pest control industry of today is substantially different than the industry I came into 37 years ago.   The ability to adapt simply goes with the territory.  Products change, techniques change, regulations change, chemical companies and products disappear, and this is happening on a regular basis.  We have to adapt to those changes, and we do!

In Ohio a number of years ago they wanted to give teachers tests to see if they really were qualified to be teachers. I told one teacher at one of my accounts that I didn’t understand why they were so upset; after all, this test was geared to fifth graders. I went on to say that we (exterminators) had to study, take tests and then take continuing education classes in order to be allowed to  continue to do our work. She snorted and said; “That’s ridiculous! You could take anyone and tell them to mix this with that and then have them spray it around”. In other words….any stupid person could do what you do! I thought this was particularly ironic, since I mentioned this conversation to the Vice Principle in passing....and it turns out the Vice Principal thought she was an idiot.

Currently Paradigms and Demographics is getting over 30,000 hits a month and P&D peaked some years back at over 47,000, and from all over the world.    I know that's nothing compared to the big blogs.  I don't do sports and I don't do Hollywood unless it has something to do with social commentary or geopolitics, and I try to focus on those things that will draw serious readers and thinkers to my site.  No one is working in the background to promote my site, and I'm not aligned with any larger organization that makes P&D more accessible, so I'm pleased with the response.

P&D has only one staff member - me!  However, over the years I've had the privilege of making friends with a number of prominent scientists and writers who have allowed me to publish their work, and in some cases, they've published my work on their sites. 

Not bad….for a bug man! If I was any smarter I would be a _______ Oh well, you can fill in the blank.