We are back with the “Ten Questions with a Pro” series! Every other month, I interview a “pro” to find out what they do, how they do it, and how it helps pest control efforts. Today, we are talking with the phenomenal Dr. Faith Oi from the University of Florida.
1. Give us the quick version of what you do?
I put out fires and enthusiastically share the importance of pest management with science/evidence- based information.
Me: Science is cool!
2. What got you into this, how did you get into pest control?
I was looking for an undergraduate college major at the University of Hawai’i and landed my first job in the termite lab in the Entomology Department (washing a lot of glassware! and taking data on simple experiments) which also happened to be the lab where Dr. Nan-Yao Su completed his Ph.D. I was Dr. Su’s first Ph.D. student at the University of Florida. He calls me “prototype A.”
Me: You were the first and the best I’m sure!
3. What’s one thing you wish people would know or understand better when it comes to pest
control?
Doing pest management sustainably and successfully is complex.
Me: what?!?! You mean it’s NOT easy? I’m stunned. (insert sarcastic roll of the eyes here…)
4. What do you think the biggest challenge for pest control companies is right now?
The never-ending: Developing and maintaining a well-trained workforce—which seems to have been exacerbated by the desire to work remotely or work from home.
Me: I agree. As you said in the last question, this isn’t always an easy job with easy answers. Most of us in this field got here sort of accidentally. It would be great to get more people to see what a cool world pest control is.
5. What changes do you predict in the next 5-10 years?
I’ve been giving presentations on how to future-proof our industry. Future-proofing is not new but can be defined as: Designing and changing programs to adapt to technological and situational changes.
Pest management will become increasingly more important as demographics change; however, the resources that support the industry will diminish proportionately to the need. The industry will bear the brunt of invasive species management in the built environment but the two “AIs”—active ingredients and artificial intelligence will provide opportunities for solutions to those who know what questions to ask (i.e., think about problems and solutions differently).
Me: I think pest control is one of those jobs that will never be replaced by AI, but we can certainly use it to our advantage in many ways.
6. You work with the extension department, explain that like you would to a five year old.
We translate research and make it usable and fun!
Me: which is SO important. Pest control professionals need to hear about research so they can do their jobs better, with better results, and faster results for customers
7. What do you think people get wrong about extension?
Where to start? We are the least understood part of university systems, too. I have heard many times “I pay your salary so you shouldn’t charge for your programs.” The reality is that many Extension specialists must find funding for their salaries (i.e., grant funded) and program operations so programs must charge a fee to cover costs. Part of this is because there are no federal or state lines for structural pest management. We are the least financially supported in wages, salaries, and operations.
Me: My spouse works for the government so I always joke that I pay their salary. It’s a really great point (that not many really know) that structural pest control is a relatively small world. Agriculture gets all the love and we need some of that on our side.
Faith: Agriculture is still super important. It’s that the needs in both ag and urban have grown, but resources have not increased commensurate with growth.
8. Pest control is affected by how you do it. What are your tips for effective pest control?
At its heart, pest control is a people business and relationships are important. We have strong evidence that customers will be more accepting of pest control methods if you have a good relationship with them.
Make time to learn about the pests and effective methods of control as much as learning how to run the business. From a technical standpoint: Identification is key. I would suggest making a reference collection of the dozen more common pests in your area and use it to train new technicians. Seeing pictures in a book or powerpoint is not the same as learning their characteristics from specimens or learning behavior in the field.
Product selection, product combinations, and product rotations continue to be important in effective management and resistance mitigation.
Evaluation and follow up helps with customer retention.
Me: of course I’m biased because I do a huge amount of training, but that’s the foundation we build up from. If you don’t know the difference between a rat and a mouse, you will likely treat the problem wrong. Then the customer gets upset because you can’t solve their problem. That communication piece with customers is also key, especially since many services are done when the customer isn’t home.
9. What new “stuff” are you working on that we can look forward to?
I have been interested in the factors that increase pest management effectiveness. More to come on this!
Me: I’m so excited!!!
10. If you were any of our pest species, what would you be and why?
A termite, of course! Cryptobiotic social insect!
Me: makes perfect sense.
11. Any last words?
The pest management industry has been wonderful to me and my family: welcoming and never boring! I have learned so much in my career—more than entomology—because of the industry and feel blessed to have developed many friendships over the years. Looking forward to greater things to come!
Me: awww….
If you want to learn more about Dr. Faith Oi, follow her here:
Who’s going to be next on our “10 Questions with a Pro” series? You are just going to have to keep reading to find out. You know that we send a newsletter every week so you can get the blog post and more great info delivered to your inbox, right? You can reach me anytime (well, maybe not anytime) to help with your pest problems.
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