NCPMA to hold virtual training for technicians

Registration is open for the first virtual edition of the North Carolina Pest Management Association’s (NCPMA’s) 2021 Pest Control Technician’s School. It will take place online Jan. 25-28, 2021, and features sessions designed to provide up to 14 continuing education credits (CEUs) for pest management professionals (PMPs), as well as four business-oriented sessions. Early-bird registration continues through Dec. 31, 2020. The published schedule is as follows:

Monday, Jan. 25, 2021

• 8:00 – 12:00    Board of Directors Meeting
• 1:00-2:30        General Membership Meeting and Awards
• 2:30-3:00        North Carolina State University Update and Graduate Student Award
• 3:30-4:30        Keynote Speaker – Steve Troxler
• 5:00-6:00        Virtual Reception for Owners and Managers

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021

Technical Sessions

• 7:30-8:00        Breakfast Breakout
• 8:00-8:55        P-Phase / Stored Product Insects /Tom Mueller, Insects Limited, Inc.
• 8:55-9:00        BREAK
• 9:00- 9:55       W-Phase / Termites/ Dr. Brittany Campbell, NPMA
• 9:55-10:00      BREAK
• 10:00-10:55    P-Phase / Human Parasites/ Heather King, Target Specialty Products
• 10:55-11:00    BREAK
• 11:00-11:55    W-Phase / Powder Post Beetles/ Dr. Dan Suiter, UGA Entomology

Management   Sessions

• 2:00-2:50        MGMT Session / Recruiting in today’s job market
• 2:50-3:00        BREAK
• 3:00-3:50        MGMT Round Table Discussion / Effects of COVID & PPP

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021

Technical Sessions

• 7:30-8 AM      Breakfast Breakout
• 8:00-8:55        P-Phase / Ants / Tommy Powell, MKG
• 8:55-9:00        BREAK
• 9:00-9:55        W-Phase / Rick Bell, Arrow
• 9:55-10:00      BREAK
• 10:00-10:55    P-Phase /Rodents/ John Murphy, Liphatech
• 10:55-11:00    BREAK
• 11:00-11:55    W-Phase / NCDA&CS Structural Division/ Richard Willis & Roger Bryan

Management Sessions

• 2:00-2:50        MGMT Session / Health Ins
• 2:50-3:00        BREAK
• 3:00-3:50        MGMT Session / Safety

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

Technical Sessions

• 7:30-8      Breakfast Breakout
• 8:00-8:55        NCSU Student W-Phase
• 8:55-9:00        BREAK
• 9:00-9:55        NCSU Student P-Phase
• 9:55-10:00      BREAK
• 10:00-10:55    O&T Phase / Turf feeding Caterpillars/ Dr. Terri Billeisen, NCSU
• 10:55-11:00    BREAK
• 11:00-11:55    O&T Phase / Fruit & Wood Ornamental Pathology/ Dr. Sara Villani, NCSU
• Noon-1:00       LUNCH
• 1:00-1:55        F-Phase / Fumigation (Not available for VA Credit)/ Pete Mueller, Fumigation Service & Supply
• 1:55-2:00        BREAK
• 2:00-2:55        F-Phase / Fumigation (Not available for VA credit)/ Ken Kendall, Ensystex

WDIR, Certified Applicator, Hands On School and ACE will not be offered as part of PCT this year. NCPMA is working on alternate dates and methods of instruction.

“We may not be meeting in person this year, but the 2021 PCT School will continue and will include the best of what North Carolina’s pest management professionals have come to expect from our winter school,” Committee Chair and NCPMA  President John Adkins said in a news release. “We are looking forward to continuing our more than 70-year history of bringing the best training and speakers to North Carolina’s pest management professionals.”