Stan Cope, PhD

You may know our Captain Stan Cope (aka the Mostquito Man) from our online content. Each month he publishes a new article covering everything mosquito. But how did Stan become such a mosquito management expert? Read on for some background on our Vice President of Technical Services.

Stan Cope - Educational Background

Stan was born and raised in Huntington, Indiana. He was graduated in 1976 from Swarthmore (PA) College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology. In 1980, he completed a Masters in Entomology at the University of Delaware, with emphasis on medical entomology. In 1988, Stan was awarded a PhD in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he focused on medical entomology, tropical medicine and infectious diseases.

Military Career

In 1988, Stan was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, where he served as a Medical Entomologist for the next 23+ years, retiring with the rank of Captain (same as a full-bird Colonel). He held a wide variety of assignments, conducting operational and research entomology in 18 countries. The pinnacle of his career in the Navy was serving as Director, Armed Forces Pest Management Board and Director, Defense Pest Management in Washington, DC, where he had responsibility for all aspects of pest management for the United States Department of Defense. He also directed a $5 million/year federal research program targeted at product development for arthropod control. In this capacity, Stan fostered numerous global industry agreements, resulting in licensing, production and availability of several new tools including traps, attractants, baits and spray equipment. Stan was awarded 24 ribbons and medals, including the Defense Superior Service Medal. He retired from the Navy on September 1, 2012 and joined Terminix International two weeks later as Manager and then Director, Entomology and Regulatory Services. Stan left Terminix in December of 2016 and joined Atlantic Paste and Glue (Catchmaster) in May of 2017.

Publications & Professional Stewardship

Dr. Cope has authored or co-authored over 80 scientific and technical publications. A highly sought-after speaker, he has delivered over 150 presentations at scientific, technical and certification meetings and has given numerous lectures to community groups, school children and civic organizations. He is a recognized expert on the history of medical entomology and yellow fever. From 2008-2012, Stan served as a Regional Director for the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) and was instrumental in launching AMCA’s Young Professionals group, designed to recruit a younger and more diverse membership interested in entomology, mosquito control and pest management. He was elected Vice President of AMCA in 2014 and served as President in 2015-16, during the Zika crisis. He also worked closely with Bayer to establish the Kelly Labell Travel Award, which funds a mosquito researcher, usually a student, to attend the AMCA annual meeting. Kelly’s young life was tragically cut short by Eastern equine encephalomyelitis. 

Catchmaster & Leadership

Since joining the pest control industry, Stan has become the ‘go to’ person for all things mosquitoes. Whether conducting site visits, providing field training or giving one of his highly popular lectures, he is always full of enthusiasm and passion for his subject. He has been a crusader to encourage private industry to increase its commitment to Integrated Mosquito Management. Additionally, Stan has developed a three-hour recertification class on mosquitoes, which he customizes depending on what audience and geographic region is targeted. And check out his highly successful blog, ‘Captain Stan The Mosquito Man’ on the Catchmaster PRO website. Stan has been very active in the National Pest Management Association. Besides giving several presentations at NPMA events, he has served on the Technical Committee as a member and correspondent, served on the Commercial Committee, and served on the Pest Management Foundation’s research advisory group. Also, he is a ‘Founding Father’, along with Marty Overline of Aardvark Pest Control, of NPMA’s PestVets Committee. Finally, Stan is a regular contributor to Pest Control Technology (PCT) magazine and has written some pieces for Pest Management Professional (PMP).

Personal

In his ‘spare time’, Stan enjoys gardening, Civil War history, book collecting, sports, reading and family time. Oh, and he also pitched three no-hitters in his baseball career; one in Little League, one in high school and one in college.

Stan Cope - Additional Resources

Get more great mosquito content from Stan here: https://catchmaster.myshopify.com/blogs/blog If you are a PMP and want help with your upcoming mosquito season, discover Catchmaster® mosquito management tools: https://catchmasterpro.com/collection/mosquito-management-tools/ Learn more about mosquitoes from the NPMA here: https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/mosquitoes/ Discover more efforts in mosquito management with the American Mosquito Control Association here: www.mosquito.org
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