In December, a rodent academy designed for pest management professionals will be held in Dallas. It will run from December 13 to 15 and is hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Only the first 50 participants who sign up will be able to attend the training course, according to a Texas A&M press release.
The course costs $300 per participant.
Graduates will leave the course with knowledge of how to efficiently manage pests and how they behave, according to the AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist for Dallas, Janet Hurley. The course will also help graduates understand what causes an infestation and how to communicate with the public when needed.
“The goal of the Texas Rodent Academy is to provide a highly focused and standardized approach to managing rodent populations through integrated pest management,” Hurley said in the press release.
The three-day course will be held in the Water and Land Resource Building of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. Each day will feature hands-on activities for students.
“I’m really looking forward to this year’s academy as we will have more hands-on demonstrations than in years past,” Hurley shared in the press release. “Unique Pest Management out of Virginia will be joining us with their working dogs to demonstrate how you can use dogs to help with large rodent populations.”
Students who pass a final test will be given a certificate on the final day. The press release states three Texas Department of Agriculture structural pest control credits are also available upon completion of the course.
Guest speakers will also contribute to the educational event.
“Two of our guest speakers, known as the Twin Home Experts on YouTube, will discuss how they went from plumbers to rat hunters. They will also share how you can up your social media profile so you can reach more customers on a variety of platforms,” Hurley said.
Other speakers include Tim Madere, a rodent specialist, and Claudia Riegel. Both are from the City of New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, Rodent Control Board.
Additional contributors to the Rodent Academy are Scott and Angie Mullaney, the directors of animal services for Unique Pest Management in Richmond, Virginia; Ed Dolshun, the technical director for Catchmaster in Warwick, New York; and Emory Matts, the regional sales supervisor for Rentokil North America.
Topics discussed will include outdoor learning, in addition to classroom learning, according to the press release.
Classroom topics include:
- Health significance of rodents.
- Biology and behavior of rodents.
- Overview of integrated pest management.
- Exterior bait boxes – what, where, and how?
- Alternative tools and techniques for rat control.
Topics covered outdoors include:
- Site-specific inspections — what to look for.
- Bait station, snap traps, exclusion.
- Remote sensing, snap trap races, the exclusion for small and large areas.
- Using dogs for management and control.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urges participants in the course to be properly dressed for outdoor instruction.
The academy will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 13 and 14, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on December 15.