The Patton Termite & Pest Control team was thrilled to hear that Corteva, our Sentricon® provider, would be sending the Coroner’s Caddy to visit us in Wichita, Kansas. The Coroner’s Caddy is a hearse with a 7 foot dead termite on top. The Caddy, which is part of the “Deader Than Dead Tour”, is touring the US and stopping by a select few pest control companies this spring. The tour coincides with Termite Awareness week which is meant to raise awareness of the threat we face from termites. Not only is the Coroner’s Caddy iconic and eye catching, but it also symbolizes the defeat of the pesky termites that pose a threat to the structures that make up our community.
The Termite Threat in Kansas
Kansas is moderately to heavily infested with termites. In fact, there is an average of 7 to 8 colonies per acre! Not only that, but they can travel about the length of a football field to forage for food. Termites cover some significant ground in Kansas and that’s why raising awareness is so important.
Patton Termite & Pest Control is gearing up for termite season which usually strikes in early April in Wichita, Kansas. So, we were excited to have an opportunity to get the community involved in the termite discussion. Termites often come as a surprise to most people and are usually not noticed until the damage is already substantial. We don’t want serious damage to happen before people take action. That is why awareness and termite education is so important to us! We are all too familiar with termites threatening many of the important homes, structures, and landmarks that make up our city. Termite invasion even happened to the Museum of World Treasures, a cherished historic building in Wichita. That made the museum a perfect location to host the event because we are very familiar with the termite history here.
Patton Protects the Museum of World Treasures
Patton Termite & Pest Control has been protecting the Museum of World Treasures with the Sentricon® System since 2014. In 2014, we found active termites and termite damage in the basement of the museum. This finding was incredibly alarming to the director at the time. The building itself is a historic landmark, but there are also thousands of important historical artifacts housed in the museum. Termite damage to these precious items would have been devastating. So, Patton Termite & Pest Control installed the Sentricon System and the colony was eliminated in a matter of months with no loss of historical artifacts. New colonies have tried to move in afterwards, but they have not been a match for the Sentricon® System. This baiting system provides protection that is proven and allows for 24/7 monitoring, so we are always aware of the termite activity.
Supporting Local
At Patton Termite & Pest Control, we are proud to be locally owned and operated. We love working with the people and businesses that make up our community. So, it only seemed right that we had a local venue for the Coroner’s Caddy to stop by and local vendors too!
Blue Moon Caterers
Blue Moon Caterers provided the food for the event. We had a simple barbecue lunch that was a total hit. We are very thankful to Blue Moon Caterers for all the work they have done for us in the past and for the great food for our staff, customers, and community to enjoy at the event! Also, their staff is always courteous, prompt, and professional. We highly recommend them for all of your catering or event needs!
Love of Character
Love of Character is a local paper goods and party supply shop based here in Wichita. They took on the challenge of not only decorating our tables but also putting up a beautiful balloon garland at the front entrance of the museum. If you’ve ever seen the front of The Museum of World Treasures, you’d know this isn’t an easy task. Even from images you can see how extraordinary this feat was. The Love of Character team made it look easy and made our event very bright and friendly. They don’t just do balloons though, they have all kinds of fun party supplies and a very quaint event space!
Connie’s Cookies
Connie’s Cookies made these custom tombstone cookies that matched our theme perfectly. The cookies were all eaten up before the event was over so we don’t have to tell you how good they were. Patton Termite & Pest Control regularly uses Connie’s Cookies for company events and parties. The staff is awesome to work with on projects and the product is excellent every time.
Shire Graphics
Another fun aspect of the event was seeing all of our trucks lined up together in the plaza. Usually, our technicians are all over Wichita and surrounding areas and we don’t have them all in one place. It was nice to see Shire Graphic’s handiwork on display. They do a great job with our vehicle graphics and are a pleasure to work with. They, unfortunately, couldn’t attend the event but we are thankful for the hard work they have put in on our trucks.
Special Thanks to The Museum of World Treasures
We are extra thankful for the Museum of World Treasures and their team for helping us accomplish this event. Bonita, the Marketing Director, and Mike Noller, the Museum Director, were incredibly friendly and helpful. In fact, they aren’t new to hosting events and if you ever look at their event calendar, you’ll see all the fun occasions they host on a regular basis! We highly recommend attending them and visiting the museum if you have a chance!
Fun for the Whole Family
The most rewarding and exciting part of the whole event was the community response. We had a great turnout of people who were there for various reasons. Some were customers, some just love the museum, some were family and friends, and some just stumbled upon the event while it was happening and wanted to see what the Coroner’s Caddy was about! We had people of all ages enjoying the food, the museum, and learning about termites. Our staff also really loved spending time in the community as a company.
Overall, it was a very successful day and we are thankful for everyone who participated and everyone who helped make it happen. We are happy the Coroner’s Caddy could stop by Patton Termite & Pest Control on its tour. We look forward to hosting more community events in the future! To see more images from the event, visit our Facebook Album.
Additionally, if you’d like to get prepared for the upcoming termite season, please visit our termite page or give us a call and we can answer any questions you may have at 316-773-3825!