Details
March 12, 2026
8:15AM - 5:00PM
VPMA Master Technician Series: Pest Ants
Cost: One Pest: VPMA Member $230/Non-member $305 Both Pests: VPMA Member$438 /Non-member $588
Location TBD: tentatively in Charlottesville
Master Technician Program
Cost: One Pest: VPMA Member $230/Non-member $305 Both Pests: VPMA Member$438 /Non-member $588
Recertification credits have been applied for in 7a and 60 in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington DC, and West Virginia.
Program Description
The Master Technician Series provides technicians with in-depth, hands-on training using state-of-the art microscopes to learn about biology and identification, plus covers treatment, products and best practices for each pest group. The series of 8 workshops investigate the following major pest groups - Ants, Bed bugs, Blood-feeding Arthropods, Termites, Occasional Invaders, Cockroaches, Rodents and Flies.
At the completion of each workshop, participants will receive a certificate designating them as a VPMA Master in the specific pest group they have attended. Once a technician has mastered four of the pest groups, special recognition will be made at the final workshop designating them as a Master Technician.
Pest Ants Workshop
The lead trainer for this training event is Dr. Dini Miller, VT.
The first half of the workshop will walk through the biology, behavior and identification of Virginia’s pest ant species, including Red Imported Fire ants. Each participant will use a reference collection of specimens, a species identification guide, and a taxonomic key to identify pest ant species by their physical characteristics.
Afternoon sessions will provide technicians with hands-on training in ant monitoring, and baiting, as well other general indoor and outdoor ant control methods and products. Perimeter treatments calculating the amount of material needed to treat a structure, safety, PPE, and timing your application.
Come and learn why ants are the number one pest in the United States and get this species under your Master Technician belt!
