The Wire: Pest Control News in Plain English

2026-10-06 · Regulation New Executive Order Targets Ticks and Mosquitoes: 90% Fewer Invasive Mosquitoes on Federal Land in D.C. by 2028 Executive Order 14433, signed September 29, 2026, orders a D.C. campaign to cut invasive mosquitoes 90% and ticks 50% by 2028, asks EPA to speed up registration of new tick and mosquito control tools, and funds prize competitions. What it does, what it doesn't, and what still protects your yard.
2026-06-03 · Public Health West Nile Season Is Starting Early in 2026 — Positive Mosquitoes Found in Six States Before June Colorado confirmed its first human West Nile case of 2026 in early June, while Michigan, Texas, and Illinois reported infected mosquitoes in late May. Why the season started early and what actually protects you.
2026-05-30 · Invasive Species Spotted Lanternfly Feeds on 103 Known Plants — and 56 of Them Grow in North America A 2020 review by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and NatureCITE scientists counted 103 plants the spotted lanternfly feeds on worldwide, 56 of them in North America. What the wider host range means for the bug's spread and your yard.
2026-05-26 · Industry Another Family Pest Company Sells to a PE-Backed Roll-Up — Here's What That Means for Customers A 50-year-old Tucson pest control company was acquired by a private-equity-backed national platform in May 2026. It's a small deal that perfectly illustrates the consolidation reshaping who services your home.
2026-05-22 · Industry Big Agrochemical Is Reshuffling — and Betting on Biologicals and RNA Sprays Over Old-School Chemicals May 2026 brought a wave of agrochemical deals — a $252M FMC divestiture, a BASF biologicals acquisition, and new RNA-based pest products from Bayer and Syngenta. Here's what the shift toward biologicals means for consumers.
2026-05-19 · Industry The PCT Top 100 Turns 25: What the Industry's Biggest List Says About Your Local Exterminator Pest Control Technology released its 25th annual Top 100 ranking of the largest U.S. pest control firms. Here's what a quarter-century of consolidation means for the company that services your home.
2026-05-12 · Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Nymphs Are Hatching on Long Island — Here's What's Happening Right Now Cornell Cooperative Extension reports the degree-day threshold for spotted lanternfly hatch has been crossed in eastern Long Island. What the 1st instar looks like and what it means for the season.
2026-05-12 · Outbreak CDC Issues Hantavirus Advisory After Cruise Ship Outbreak: What Homeowners Should Take From It The CDC's HAN advisory on the MV Hondius Andes virus cluster is a cruise-ship story. The reason it should change how you think about rodents at home is not.
2026-05-05 · Industry Orkin's 2026 Mosquito Cities List: LA Stays #1, But the Real Story Is the Midwest Los Angeles tops Orkin's 2026 list for the sixth year. The more interesting movement is in the Midwest, where Milwaukee jumped 15 spots and three new cities entered the top 50.
2026-05-05 · Public Health CDC: Tick-Bite ER Visits Highest for the Season Since 2017 — What to Do CDC's Tick Bite Tracker showed weekly ER visits for tick bites in spring 2026 were the highest for this time of year since 2017 in every region but the South Central U.S. Here's what to do.
2026-05-01 · Regulation EPA Releases Draft Fungicide Strategy: What's In It and What Happens Next EPA opened a 60-day comment window on its draft Fungicide Strategy, which applies endangered-species mitigation to roughly 41 million acres of treated U.S. cropland. The neutral summary for non-specialists.
2026-04-30 · Regulation The Farm Bill Just Passed the House — Without the Pesticide Preemption Sections. Here's Why That Matters H.R. 7567 cleared the House 224–200, but a bipartisan 280–142 vote first stripped Sections 10205, 10206, and 10207. Those provisions would have preempted state pesticide laws and changed product liability. The opinionated take.

Every post is written by the PCB News Desk, reviewed by Derek Giordano, Licensed PCO (Florida, 2005–2008), and links its primary sources.