Pestworld Magazine Focusing on the Business of Pest Management
Project to educate consumers about the destructive nature of termites and the importance of working with a professional
The Tiny Termite House, a first-of-its-kind, groundbreaking study and video production by the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), which serves as the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), has revealed the destructive nature of termites like never before. PPMA funded this project with the goal of educating consumers about the dangers of termites and helping them understand the importance of working with a licensed pest control professional.
“We conducted this project to help support the industry and visually tell the story of how critical it is to work with a professional to give our greatest investments a termite check. PPMA would like to thank all of our generous investor companies who made the Tiny Termite House possible,” said Cindy Mannes, executive director of PPMA. “We know that education about termite infestations is key because these pests can destroy a home without anyone ever knowing they are there. The Tiny Termite House is visual proof that termites literally eat homes from the inside out despite the structures looking normal to the naked eye.”
About the Tiny Termite House
PPMA partnered with New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control to conduct the research and production aspects of the project. The team designed a miniature, two-story dream home that included many of the same features found in a life-size home, such as insulation, plumbing and electricity — and even added a moisture source to create the ultimate termite paradise. Like many American homes, the house was constructed on a cement slab; however, there was one big difference — this house was fully equipped with cameras throughout to study the termites progress from introduction to decimation.
More than half a million voracious subterranean termites were introduced into the soil surrounding the home. The Tiny Termite team began documenting and observing their behaviors and the incredible damage they leave in their wake. Despite being a tiny, model home, the termites behaved and attacked the house in the same way they destroy life size homes — finding vulnerabilities in the structure and leaving minimal clues about their presence. “There were mud tubes present, but nothing that would indicate the intensity of the infestation — that hundreds of thousands of termites were living between the cement slab and sub flooring of the home,” added Mannes.
PPMA has launched robust consumer media relations and social media campaigns around the results of this project with the message of termite prevention and partnering with a licensed pest control professional front and center.
Some of the high-resolution footage and photography will be made available to PPMA investors via Mainframe, a subscription service to PPMA’s digital marketing agency. Companies can use these compelling visuals in their own marketing programs in the coming weeks. For more information about PPMA or to subscribe to Mainframe, please visit http://www.NPMApestworld.org/PPMA.
About the Professional Pest Management Alliance
The PPMA was founded in 1997 to defend, protect and grow the pest management industry. As the voice of the professional pest management industry, PPMA continues to proactively provide the public with information on the value of professional pest management through its media relations, public service announcement, advertising and online communications programs it conducts on behalf of the National Pest Management Association. For more information, please visit PPMAMainframe.org or NPMAPestWorld.org/PPMA.
About the National Pest Management Association
The NPMA, a non-profit organization with more than 5,500 members, was established in 1933 to support the pest management industry’s commitment to the protection of public health, food and property from the diseases and dangers of pests. For more information, visit PestWorld.org or follow @PestWorld on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.
