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For more than 50 years, Florida A&M University (FAMU), through the Entomology Program in the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences in cooperation with the Division of Continuing Education, has hosted the annual W.L. Peters Annual Field Day and Workshop in Entomology. As the longest-running continuing education program at FAMU, the event has become a trusted resource for pest management professionals (PMPs) across the southeastern United States.
Each year, the program provides practical, research-based training on current pest management issues while helping participants earn the continuing education units (CEUs) required to maintain their pesticide applicator licenses. Today, participants can earn CEUs for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The workshop traces its origins to the mid-1970s, when the vision of creating an educational program for the pest management industry first took shape. According to Dr. Bill Peters’ widow, Janice Peters, the late Dr. Vladimir Landa of the Czech Academy of Sciences inspired the idea of developing an event that would bring universities and the pest management industry together while delivering practical, science-based information to professionals.
From the beginning, the workshop served as a gathering place for students, pest management professionals (PMPs), researchers, industry leaders, vendors and representatives from government agencies. Much like a professional conference, the event combines educational presentations, networking opportunities and exhibits showcasing the latest products and technologies. With strong support from sponsors, vendors and organizations such as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), the workshop has steadily grown into one of the Southeast’s premier educational events for the pest management industry.
The program owes much of its development to Ruben Capelouto, a Tallahassee PMP who began teaching urban entomology and structural pest control courses at FAMU in 1970 as an adjunct instructor and later as a professor. Dr. Peters was instrumental in bringing Capelouto to the university, where he introduced students to both the scientific and entrepreneurial aspects of entomology.
Recognizing the need for professional education and diversity within the pest management industry, Capelouto organized meetings of industry representatives in 1978 and 1979 that ultimately led to the establishment of the Annual Field Day and Workshop in Entomology in 1980.
The first full Field Day event was held in 1980. Presentations by Robert Clements and Dr. John Mulrennan Jr. emphasized community service and insect collections while helping establish the foundation for what later became Florida’s recertification program for PMPs. Before statewide recertification requirements were fully implemented, individual programs focused on specific topics.
The fourth Field Day highlighted wood-destroying insects (WDI), the fifth focused on rodent management, and the sixth program in 1983 addressed turf pests. In that same year, the workshop moved to the Donald L Tucker Civic Center, in Tallahassee, Fla., where it continued to be held until 2016, moving to Tallahassee State College (TSC) (then known as Tallahassee Community College) the next year. Since then, the meeting has been organized at TSC. Before 1991, the meetings were held in February. In 1991, the meeting date shifted from February to November, resulting in two workshops being conducted that year.
Following Capelouto’s passing in 1980, the Ruben Capelouto Scholarship Fund was established in his honor. The scholarship continues to support undergraduate and graduate entomology students at Florida A&M University, reflecting his lasting commitment to education and the future of the pest management profession.
“Field Day has impacted lives,” says John Dukes III, founder of Dr. Buggs Exterminators Inc. in Gainesville, Fla. Not only was he one of the first award winners in the program, but since 1987 has been chair of the event’s advisory committee. “People meet each other and build relationships. It’s become much more than a venue to obtain CEUs. It has developed organically into an organization that provides unique opportunities for networking, personal growth and intentional learning.”
The program has regularly attracted between 250 and 300 PMPs annually. Although attendance declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, participation has steadily rebounded. Since its inception, multiple individuals have received education or continuing education credits through the program. The majority of attendees have come from small businesses, while the remaining participants represent commercial and public facilities.
“I have had the privilege of attending over 40 Annual Entomology Field Days since the first event,” says Dennis Justice, founder of Assured Audit Pest Prevention in Tucson, Ariz. “The courses provide valuable practical information that can easily be implemented in one’s business. My fondest memories include seeing Dr. Peters in his Hawaiian print shirts and admiring the spectacular insect artwork created by Jan Peters.”
Charles Dixon, a long-time attendee and industry leader, first attended the workshop in 2001, shortly after earning his Florida operator’s license. Encouraged by another PMP from his town of Thomasville, Ga., Dixon soon realized that FAMU Field Day provided one of the most economical ways to earn CEUs for multiple states.
“The classes and labs have always had engaging and knowledgeable instructors,” Dixon adds. “Every year, I returned to my business with new knowledge and ideas to implement. Over the years, I developed friendships with many attendees, and those conversations were just as valuable as the classroom learning. Every year, I look forward to seeing old friends and continuing to learn.”
Special recognition is due to Janice Peters, who co-founded the event, and FAMU Entomology Program Chair Dr. Lambert Kanga, whose leadership has become closely intertwined with the workshop’s history.
When asked how she managed so many successful Field Days, Peters replies simply, “I don’t know — it just happened.”
Dr. Kanga adds, “This workshop is more than CEUs; it is a tradition of collaboration, innovation and professional growth that continues to benefit our industry.”
The 50th annual W.L. Peters Field Day and Workshop in Entomology will take place on Nov. 4-5, 2026. To register, visit TinyURL.com/39fm4zd2.
FAMU Assistant Entomology Professor Dr. Sharma is the director of the W.L. Peters Annual Field Day and Workshop in Entomology. She can be reached at anamika.sharma@famu.edu.
If you have programs or events you think could inspire fellow PMPs, please send a writeup and photos to pmpeditor@northcoastmedia.net.
