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Author Topic: Be afraid, be very afraid...  (Read 11955 times)

Offline David McLeod

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #40 on: November 02, 2010, 08:22:01 pm »
Let me please clarify my position. I am specifically addressing NWCO and PCO operations and not beekeepers. By bent I am probably one of if not the most conservative anti regulation members of this board but let me regale you with a couple of bat stories and the current state of the industry in my state to let you see where I am coming from.

Scene 1
Tuscaloosa, AL
I was performing a bat exclusion (the process of removal of bats and sealing of the structure to prevent reentry by the bats) on a three story queen anne that had been subdivided into apartments when I happened to glance next door and realized that the neighboring queen anne had a far worse infestation (entry staining is very obvious to a bat professional). Always looking for more opportunities to help people (and make a living) I made the time to walk over and introduce myself. As I was already on site I graciously offered the homeowner a free inspection to determine exactly what was going on with the bats and to offer a quote plus warranty to exclude the bats. I was told that I was free to look and could leave a quote but that it couldn't be done. When I had to ask specifically just what couldn't be done I was told that one could not exclude a bat and in fact it had been tried twice before and obviously the bats were still there. Well being glib of toungue I informed the lady of the house that if I couldn't do it I wouldn't be standing on her front step, what did she take me for (how little did I know at that moment). Well I gave her my most professional of inspections and determined that she had the full monte of all three of the big three- big browns, freetails and little browns- residing in her attic in numbers enough to skeer off the faint of heart. The home was also a three story beast with all the issues inherent in a hundred year old home. Entry points numbered eleven and upon submitting my quote I was told the full story of just which floors of the home belonged to the bats and the accomadations the homeowners had came to just to coexist with their unwelcome houseguests. It seems that the third floor belonged to the bats in toto. A truce had been drawn up where the second floor was joint custody, humans during daylight hours only, and the first floor could remain with the humans as long as they barricaded themselves in at night so as not to bother the bats. As to the ability to actually change this armistice in favor of the humans I was again told that it was a mission impossible as two other fine gentleman had tried and failed to the total tune of twice of what I had just submitted, per attempt!
Well we parted ways with my suggestion to please observe my work in progress on the adjacent lot and if indeed my claims were true then to be expecting an influx of bat in laws. But more to the point that if the bat in laws were unable to go home then to please call me. Ninety days later I recieved the call.
Georgia Wildlife Services,Inc
Georgia's Full Service Wildlife Solution
Atlanta (678) 572-8269 Macon (478) 227-4497
www.atlantawildliferemoval.net
georgiawildlifeservices@gmail.com

Offline David McLeod

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #41 on: November 02, 2010, 08:45:50 pm »
continued

So once called I immediately scheduled and began the process. Now while my inspection had been thorough the fine details became exposed as I went inch by inch over the structure sealing every crack, gap or crevice that could ever possibly offer safe haven for chiroptera. Special note; this lovely old home fully lived up to the old bat excluder's adage that one has never fully done batwork until one has to hang off of a house by his toes just like a bat. Well it turns out that part of the work had already been done for me. The first and lower half of the second had some of the most beautiful caulk work as it seems that the first guy on scene attempted to exclude the bats living in the attic of a three story home with a sixteen foot ladder! For the record, the highest point on the home also required the installation of a bat valve (the device that allows the bats to exit without reentering) and to facilitate this I had to park my full size pickup in the neighbor's drive, empty the contents of the bed, remove the camper shell and ladder rack just for the opportunity to lift my forty foot extension ladder into the bed and raise it to it's fullest extent and then climb one rung past "do not stand" and use the full reach of my six foot two frame. By the by installing a valve nessesitates two trips, one to install and another to remove and close after the bats have relocated.
So the first guy was accounted for. The whereabouts of the second fellow was still an unkown until I went inside to seal off that funny looking three foot square hole in the ceiling sheetrock of the third floor. That one puzzled me so I had to ask. "Oh, that's the hole the second guy cut so he could toss something in the attic to scare the bats". And he charged you how much? Flip a coin here, laugh or cry.

Long to short here, that was over five years ago and to this date the home is still bat free. Last I heard the two gentlemen are still in the game.
Georgia Wildlife Services,Inc
Georgia's Full Service Wildlife Solution
Atlanta (678) 572-8269 Macon (478) 227-4497
www.atlantawildliferemoval.net
georgiawildlifeservices@gmail.com

Offline David McLeod

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #42 on: November 02, 2010, 09:02:43 pm »
Scene 2

Rex, GA
This one is a little more recent and performed for a retired home builder well versed in construction, sales and materials. He built this home stick by stick and is nobody's patsy.
But before I proceed, let me give you the background on which bat work is performed in Georgia, or that is was performed until our beknighted Department of Natural Resources gave free reign to bat killers. We still have on the books laws that provide for absolute protection to all members of the Chiroptera (bat) family and in oder to protect the young bat pups during the time they are to young to fly we have/had what we referred to as the "blackout period" where no bat is to be excluded from a home (save for the single adult without offspring) without prior approval from the state. To obtain this approval one must first determine the species of bat, the number of bats, the sex of the bats, the location of the bats, the activity of the bats and then report the same on a state provided form. By the law and the rules we NWCOs play by this form is an absolute must or it was at the time this incident occurred. The state has since surrendered to those unwilling to play by even the simplest of rules and has abolished even the simplest of reporting prior to evicting and orphaning of bats even though the blanket protection remains on the books.
Well back to the story, this nice gentleman was referred to me by his pest control service of twenty years and it was only upon there suggestion that I was the best man for the job that he even agreed to pay my fee just to come out and give him a quote. In this business you learn quickly to not only pre qualify your clients but to also get paid to burn gas if your a straight shooter, there are ways to offset this but my pillow is awful soft and I sleep well.
Georgia Wildlife Services,Inc
Georgia's Full Service Wildlife Solution
Atlanta (678) 572-8269 Macon (478) 227-4497
www.atlantawildliferemoval.net
georgiawildlifeservices@gmail.com

Offline David McLeod

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #43 on: November 02, 2010, 09:17:50 pm »
continued

This actually turned out to be one of the simplest of jobs with only two entry points, six foot section on each side of the chimney that had detached from the gable end of the home. The only other areas of concern was a loose ridge vent and some minor cleanup of guano in the attic. All in all it was a very pleasant inspection with a small quote in the mid three figures plus a two year warranty. My client wished to sleep on it and get back to me, which is more than fair. He must have slept well because he called to confirm the very next AM.
Upon arrival to perform the work I learned the rest of the story. Not five minutes after my departure the "free estimate" guy showed up for the second opinion. Well he immediately got to work on chiseling the old man. He measured the home and added some, found gaps on all four walls and suggested some roofing as well. When asked to come inside to observe the bats in the attic he declined and never set foot in the home any further than the kitchen table to deliver his quote which was over THREE TIMES mine.
Now I had walked my client through the process and had identified the bats for him and explained the paperwork process through the state so he knew one or the other of us was lying to him. Guess who. Now the rub of it all is that the "free estimate" guy is one of the larger outfits in the area and does far more work than my one man band can do, not only that but he is a PCO as well. I wonder how many times a year he gets to pull this off on the unknowing and unsuspecting buying public. It boggles the mind.
By the by, this outfit evidently has very little regard for the laws of this state and it's ability to enforce them. Just last year they had the temerity to post to their corporate website photographs of five seperate incidents of the use of an illegal device for wildlife capture in theis state. That's five major violations of wildlife law yet this wildlife control company is still in business to this day.
Georgia Wildlife Services,Inc
Georgia's Full Service Wildlife Solution
Atlanta (678) 572-8269 Macon (478) 227-4497
www.atlantawildliferemoval.net
georgiawildlifeservices@gmail.com

Offline David McLeod

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #44 on: November 02, 2010, 09:35:16 pm »
Now I have gone way off topic, this is still a beekeeping forum right? But this is to make my point about those in my industry and the allied pest control industry since they are the ones originally reffered to in this thread. Honeybee removal is easy money for those of us with access to chemicals and/or the foolishness to bring em out alive. Please note I do not refer to bee keepers and the like because as a group I do not see a problem within the beek community. It's my opinion that the ladies of the nectar are astute judges of character and those with moral flaws don't last long among the bees.
So my point is that the regulation should be of those without a true interest in the well being of the bees and the humans that interact with them. And here are the scary facts of just what it takes to be a NWCO in this state.
-Obtain a commercial trapping license $30 (this is a fur harvesters license available over the counter)
-Pass a one page questionaire to obtain a Nuisance Wildlife Permit FREE

That's it! And neither is required to remove honeybees unless chemicals are used and then you must meet the Department of Ags structural pest control requirements. At least the PCOs require a DCO license (2 years experience under a DCO and a $40 test, though it is strenuous on the insects), company registration $25, and proof of $50,000 insurance or bond.
Georgia Wildlife Services,Inc
Georgia's Full Service Wildlife Solution
Atlanta (678) 572-8269 Macon (478) 227-4497
www.atlantawildliferemoval.net
georgiawildlifeservices@gmail.com

Offline David McLeod

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #45 on: November 02, 2010, 09:53:25 pm »
BTW, just last night I learned that one of the older and largest (and unethical) NWCO/PCO outfits in the southeast (they do bees) was just bought by ORKIN.

My point is that there are crooks and theives in these industries without regard for the well being of the public and the bees or wildlife. How does that get changed without regulation?
Georgia Wildlife Services,Inc
Georgia's Full Service Wildlife Solution
Atlanta (678) 572-8269 Macon (478) 227-4497
www.atlantawildliferemoval.net
georgiawildlifeservices@gmail.com

Offline tecumseh

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #46 on: November 03, 2010, 08:05:32 am »
David writes:
My point is that there are crooks and theives in these industries without regard for the well being of the public and the bees or wildlife. How does that get changed without regulation?

tecumseh:
a most excellent question david.

to broaden this singular question just a bit....I suspect there are theives and crooks in a lot of various industries, so what is to limit these people from preying on the public without some kind of regulation?

i'm kind of feeling badly about all those poor homeless bats.

 
I am 'the panther that passes in the night'... tecumseh.

Offline Tommyt

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #47 on: November 03, 2010, 12:18:44 pm »
BTW, just last night I learned that one of the older and largest (and unethical) NWCO/PCO outfits in the southeast (they do bees) was just bought by ORKIN.

My point is that there are crooks and theives in these industries without regard for the well being of the public and the bees or wildlife. How does that get changed without regulation?

 Dave how bout you invite a Local TV station to watch and Film you doing a cut out or  start and finish of a trap out ? ?
Show them how the Bees for the most part are Not Mean But to throw caution that from time to time there are some who are Protecting there home and Honey.
If you do this you will bring Light to your Company and The Bad Guys all in one interview ??
"Not everything found on the internet is accurate"
Abraham Lincoln

Offline David McLeod

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #48 on: November 03, 2010, 03:43:21 pm »
Tommy, for one I tend to avoid cameras of any type, not that I have anything to hide but that I just do not seek that type of publicity. I'm more of a printed media type of guy. Besides the TV types like drama and in spite of the fact that I regularly handle wild and potentially dangerous wildlife the truth is that if you do it right it's rather boring.
Georgia Wildlife Services,Inc
Georgia's Full Service Wildlife Solution
Atlanta (678) 572-8269 Macon (478) 227-4497
www.atlantawildliferemoval.net
georgiawildlifeservices@gmail.com

bigbearomaha

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Re: Be afraid, be very afraid...
« Reply #49 on: November 20, 2010, 09:13:56 pm »
I'm the same way.   I don't get in front of cameras either.  mostly because they break though.  The first couple a times didn't bother me at first.  but after the 3 or 4 hundredth camera breaking, one tends to start taking it a bit personal.

heh.

Big Bear