To Whom It May Concern,

I am John Reid, Vice-President of Accel Pest & Termite Control and the current President of the Virginia Pest Management Association (VPMA).

I am writing in full support of VPMA’s Petition for Rulemaking requesting that the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services create a new certification category or subcategory for commercial applicators who perform non–area-wide (backyard) public health pest control, and adjust the related training and examination requirements to accurately reflect the work being performed.

There is a clear distinction between area-wide mosquito management programs and localized backyard treatments. The current Category 8 exam contains content focused on large-scale public health operations that does not apply to many technicians conducting residential mosquito control. This creates unnecessary barriers and discourages participation in certification.

Adopting this petition will not only promote safer and more effective pesticide use, but will also serve the best interests of the Board of Agriculture by encouraging greater compliance among businesses and expanding the number of properly trained pest management professionals. Many companies currently operate outside of full compliance, and some technicians forgo certification due to the impractical nature of much of the existing content. A category that aligns with real-world applications will bring more professionals into the system, benefiting both public health and environmental protection.

From personal experience, I’ve seen technicians lose motivation and often forgo further professional development due to the excessive difficulty and limited relevance of the current Category 8 content and test.

I respectfully urge the Board to approve this petition.

Sincerely,

John Reid

Vice President - Accel Pest & Termite Control

President - Virginia Pest Management Association