The Benefits of Having a Certified Entomologist In-House

No matter how good your team may be, it always helps to have a ringer. For JP Pest Services, that secret weapon is our resident entomologist and Director of Training, Dr. Gary.

Dr. Gary has been helping us win at the pest control game for more than 20 years. In fact, there’s hardly an aspect of our business that Dr. Gary doesn’t have a hand in. His research, training programs and innovations have helped propel not just JP but the pest control industry as a whole.

And yet, we still don’t feel he gets the recognition that he deserves. So, where did our resident teacher, innovator and mentor come from? Let us introduce you to Dr. Gary Nielson.

An Unsung Hero’s Origin Story

Around the turn of the millennium, early in his career as an academic, Dr. Gary found himself at a crossroads: He loved his teaching job as a visiting lecturer at Dartmouth College in Hanover, but he and his wife had a burgeoning family of three children and found themselves longing for a change of scenery. They found it in the quiet rural town of Temple, New Hampshire. There was only one problem: Where would he teach?

Pivoting Toward Pest Control

While pondering this dilemma, a want ad caught Dr. Gary’s eye: JP Pest Services was hiring for a seasonal pest management position. It was at least worth a shot.

As it turned out, his new gig wasn’t all that different from his old one. For a commercial company, JP Pest Services impressed Dr. Gary with its great respect for nature and focus on education – values that aligned with his principles as well. It was a match.

A Season of Faith’s Perfection

Twenty-plus years later, that seasonal job has turned into a lifelong career. From its humble beginnings, Dr. Gary’s role at JP has expanded into three key areas:

• Director in Training: Everyone who works for JP – even our office staff – must graduate from Dr. Gary’s comprehensive training and educational program, where they learn responsible pest management and JP’s standards of care and professionalism.
• Research: Entomology – aka, the science of insects, which underscores the pest control business – is a vast, growing field in which new information, ideas and techniques are constantly surfacing. Not only has Dr. Gary continued to publish new and exciting research in entomology, but he actively keeps abreast of the latest developments so he can relay the best contemporary products and methods to JP’s professional and administrative staff.
• Innovation: After two decades at JP, Dr. Gary continues to invent new methods of pest management, which are tested and taught to our service staff to use themselves. This means that some of the methods that you see used at your own home or business are trademarked as the “JP Way”, and that you won’t see them used by anyone else but us!

The Star, Behind-the-Scenes

Although few of our clients ever meet Dr. Gary in person, his work is part of what makes each and every one of them satisfied, loyal JP Pest Services customers. For those who do reach out to him – to identify a particularly tricky pest, for example – he exudes the very same principles that drew him to JP in the first place.

Speaking of mysteries – whether your sample needs to be escalated to a “doctor’s call” or not, we’re always happy to identify pests for our clients and neighbors alike. All we ask is for either a physical sample (live is best, or at least don’t squish it!), or a clear, up-close photo of the specimen. Either way, just allow us a clear view of your insect and we’ll be happy to get you the answer, free of charge.

Perplexed by a pest problem? Let Dr. Gary help solve the mystery. Send a photo or sample by clicking here.