Class of 2019
Mueller, a 1975 Purdue University entomology graduate, founded Insects Limited in 1982 with a focus on researching, testing, developing, manufacturing and distributing pheromones and trapping systems for insects in a global marketplace. Before the U.S. methyl bromide phaseout began in 2005, Mueller and his team worked tirelessly to find alternatives, so that food commodities could be protected for public health. This now-retired businessman, entomologist and Eagle Scout spent his career looking at ways to provide successful pest management and prevention with fewer chemicals.
Fumigants, pheromones and pest control stewardship
David Mueller has long given back to the industry that has helped support his two stored product pest businesses
The first “account inspection” for David Mueller, BCE, happened in 1961, when he was about 8 years old. His father, Albert, was a flour miller in their hometown of Evansville, Ind. He took his son in a grain elevator’s man lift up 220 feet to the top — and 58 years later, Mueller remembers it clearly.
“The view was amazing. It was a little scary, too,” he recalls. “There was a minor league baseball team ball park about a mile away. I remember seeing the ball field from the top.”
Growing up, Mueller spent many a Saturday morning with his dad to check on the mill. It was Albert who first introduced him to structural fumigations, too. But Mueller didn’t have insects on his mind when he started college at Purdue University in nearby West Lafayette, Ind., in 1971. His major went from biology to environmental science, after he found the former’s classes hard to get into when competing with pre-med, pre-dental and pre-veterinary students. Mueller notes that with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) having been founded in 1970, he was in the right place at the right time: Among his required classes for his new major was ENTN 300.
“ENTN 300 was the class that introduced me to entomology,” he says. “I liked the professor and the class sizes were small. I was never a ’bug collector,’ but entomology is a type of zoology and biology. It just felt good.”
Mueller’s exposure to the entomology department led to a lasting professional and mentoring relationship with then-department head (and fellow PMP Hall of Famer, Class of 1997) Dr. John Osmun.
“My father asked me to visit Dr. Osmun because he had heard him speak to his flour millers’ group. Dr. Osmun had spoken to them about the EPA and the new pesticide education training programs, and Dad wanted me to find out more,” Mueller recalls.
In 1976, Dr. Osmun asked Mueller, an incoming senior, for resumes to pass around while he was at an industry meeting in Florida.
“Soon after he returned, I received two calls to interview for a job — six months before I graduated,” Mueller marvels. “He always found time to stop on the steps of Entomology Hall and talk to me. He loved Purdue, and he loved his students. I feel privileged to be one of them.”
‘EDUCATE, NOT REGULATE’
As Mueller took a position with Phostoxin Sales immediately after graduation, Dr. Osmun’s words often ran through his mind: “Let’s educate rather than regulate.”
“Many pesticides would have gone away if Dr. Osmun would not have offered an educational approach to certification of restricted-use pesticides in the U.S.,” Mueller points out, referencing Dr. Osmun’s two years in Washington, D.C., assisting the launch of the EPA.
When Mueller founded Insects Limited, a pheromone research, development and manufacturing company, in 1981, at age 25, his motto was “Start with the insect first.” Education was a large component of both it and sister company Fumigation Service & Supply (FSS) in 1983.
Beginning in 1993, Mueller and his Insect Limited and FSS teams began organizing biennial Fumigants & Pheromones conferences. From the onset, Mueller wanted to make “Sharing though Education” a global experience so professionals could be exposed to new ideas and processes. In May 2020, the 14th edition will take place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
“I have had the privilege to see firsthand that what works in a developed country may not work in a developing country,” Mueller says. “The insect biology is the common ground everywhere.”
Mueller extends his educational initiatives to funding scholarships, too — Insects Limited and FSS have awarded more than $250,000 in scholarships in the past 35 years. But Mueller also is quick to praise the benefits of real-world experience. Years of field work, he says, has taught him that “our job is not just to kill insect pests, but to reduce customer complaints. One of the best days in my career was when I took a clipboard, pencil and flashlight in a food warehouse and spent several hours looking high and low. The result of that inspection showed that we were doing the right things to reduce customer complaints.”
In early 2019, Mueller retired to spend more time with his wife, Mary Beth. He knows his businesses are in good hands with sons Pete, president of FSS, and Tom, VP of Insects Limited, at the helm — and Pat Kelley and Jeff Waggoner as part of the leadership team. Daughter Francie Mueller Hinrichsen followed in his entrepreneurial footsteps by creating Simply Integrated, a social media and human resources firm that counts both companies on its client roster.
Mueller says he has told his children — and colleagues — that “pest management is a broad and complicated field. I have always approached my place in this field like the insects do: Find a niche and fill it. If you do, you will survive.”
Quotes from fellow industry members
“Dave’s contributions to Pi Chi Omega for nearly 30 years demonstrate his commitment to education, personal growth and to being a steward for our industry. The most recent and impactful example would be his work and financial contributions in creating the $2,000 annual Alain VanRyckeghem scholarship for perpetuity. Dave leads by example, and is an inspiration to us all.”
—Dale Baker, President, Pi Chi Omega
“Dave Mueller is a man you want on your team! He follows through, never seems discouraged by possible road blocks, and does so with good humor and a smile. He is passionate in his love of the industry and leaders that have acted as mentors to him. This recognition is well deserved.”
—Judy Dold, Rose Pest Solutions and PMP Hall of Fame Class of 2002
