Pest Management Professional, April 2014

after hours A life in pursuit Bryan Palens work life has covered everything from fishing for Maryland blue crabs to now controlling pests and helping feral animals Dan Jacobs Contributor I t wasnt quite Deadliest Catch but Bryan Palens days as on the Chesapeake Bay as a crab fisherman were far more difficult than his days are now hunting pests There arent too many creatures that pest management professionals PMPs come into regular contact with that can be classified as deadly Sure there are challenges and moments of danger but usually the most lethal part of the profession typically involves the technician killing bugs and rodents Palen now spends his days as a termite technician for Activ Pest Solutions Lewes Del but before joining the industry he spent his days laying pots crab traps near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge We used to pull 400 to 500 pots a day he recalls It gets pretty rough out there with 5 to 8 ft swells Palen was searching for Maryland blue crabs which are smaller than the king crabs hunted on the popular Discovery Channel TV show Deadliest Catch A good haul would be 30 to 40 bushels with about 50 crabs per bushel Life in peril PMPs have their own worries but usually theyre not concerned about losing their lives Not so on a crabbing ship I went overboard a couple of times Palen admits I got hit in the head a couple of times If you dont have your sea feet its hard to stabilize When youre younger you can shake it off easier When youre almost 50 years old thats a little too much Palen grew up near the Chesapeake Bay and wanted to spend time on the water He spent time as crabber from the age of 18 until his late 20s But as he aged Palen recognized crabbing wasnt going to be his future Crabbing meant getting up at 3 30 a m and working until about 2 p m or 3 p m and then taking the crabs to market All that meant 12 to 14 hour work days Since Palen wasnt getting any younger he decided to look for a new line of work I had a friend involved in the pest management industry he says It comes natural to me While Palen makes a living as a PMP he hasnt completely giving up his first love He and his wife Bonnie live near the Indian River where Palen sinks 4x4 ft crab pots during the summer when he feels a need for fresh crab Of course hes only allowed one bushel a day When hes not crabbing or killing pests Palen and his wife run a non profit animal rescue group called Feral Friends of Millsboro Del PMP PMP Bryan Palen crab fishes for fun You can reach Jacobs a Cleveland based freelance writer editor at jacobs3927@ gmail com PMP Books Marketing Matters The Ultimate Reference Guide to Making the Most of your Marketing Money ORDER ONLINE www mypmp net shop A V A I L A B L E N O W What PMPs are saying about The Bed Bug Combat Manual Bed Bug Bible Professionals should be required to read this book cover to cover Follow it step by step and you will be far ahead of your competition Bernard A C E This is the right book published at the right time by the right person Austin M Frishman Ph D B C E Order Today from PMP Books at mypmp net 98 April 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net