Finally, I Get My OK To Kill!

As of this week, I'm no longer a criminal!! That's always great news! The Arizona Senate and now the House Commererce Committee approved the bill this week.

I've been having to kill on the sly. Not always a comfortable position to be in. All this killing is done in day time hours with plenty of people around to watch and report. Some of those people are *undercover* of course, so you just never knew. Also, I wouldn't even have to do the actual killing to get busted, just a word on a flyer could get me in trouble. While I'm good at my craft, I always had to keep an eye out. But, now I can kill to my heart's content.

But, one agency is still not happy with my new found freedom. They still have concerns that I might do them harm. I'm getting a very small amount of *their piece of the pie* is all it comes down too really. I've seen the harm that they've done with all their hours of practice and licenses.

I'm talking about weed killing. Yes, up until this week it was against the law for me to spray a weed with weed killer. The Pest Control industry has been busting people for spraying weeds, if you were spraying a weed not in your yard. Say your elderly Mom needed a weed sprayed in her yard and you went over to her house and sprayed it.......*law breaker*!! The fine was $2,500 per offense.

Being in the landscape industry, this is just plain silliness. Products that are sold at the local Home Depot or other home improvement center that any 12 year old could buy was illegal to apply in a yard that wasn't yours.

Bob Hartley, vice prez of Truely Nolen Pest Control is still concerned that I'll do harm to your yard, because I haven't been *trained* in the use of weed control and have the proper license from the Pest Control Commission. That I'll spray your bush and kill it along with the weed. Well, I have a friend who last Spring had her lawn sprayed for weeds by a professional pest control company and not only did they kill her weeds, but her grass and three bushes. One year later, her lawn is still dead and newly planted plants still die. *Roundup does its job of killing vey well and if misused, it will devastate a yard,* Hartley says. True, but the products do have very good instructions and hazards listed. So.......... It real boils down to a tiny bit of money that the pest control companies might lose to people like me.