[Guide to Bird Control and Wildlife Management] 5 Tips for Successful Wildlife Control

In recent years, many pest management professionals have considered expanding their services into wildlife control. At first glance, their reasoning seems flawless.

First, they already resolve problems for clients, so why not add wildlife control to become “full-service” pest control companies? Second, they consider wildlife control a young market with relatively light competition. And they might believe that adding wildlife control services is relatively easy and profitable. They think that PCOs, with a little additional training, can resolve wildlife problems while also servicing traditional pest control problems.

The evaluation made by PCOs, at least in regard to the first two arguments, is accurate. But wildlife control is not an easy add-on for pest control companies. The following tips and suggestions will help you avoid pitfalls inherent in adding wildlife control services to your company.

Tip #1: Look before you leap. As suggested above, wildlife control is neither easy nor wildly profitable. The days when wildlife management professionals (WMPs) were earning $400 to $500 for simple jobs are fast coming to a close due to rising competition. Generally speaking, wildlife control brings in about half the hourly rate of traditional pest control, not because WMPs charge less overall, but because wildlife control customers require twice as much time to service. So if a $225 cockroach job takes five hours, a $225 raccoon job takes 10.

Other drains on wildlife control profits are less obvious. First, wildlife control work is inherently dangerous. Not that traditional pest management is hazard-free, it is just that wildlife work is more dangerous. WMPs have to contend with biological hazards inherent in working with wildlife. Wildlife can spread diseases through vectors, such as fleas and ticks, and through urine, feces and bites as well. Second, much of WMP work involves the threats posed by falls and confined spaces. Third, wildlife control is an equipment-intensive service.

As a WMP, I envied the PCOs. My truck was loaded to the gills with traps, baits, carpentry equipment and ladders. Theirs, on the other hand, were relatively empty except for a single hand sprayer and gloves riding in their open-bed truck. PCOs looking to expand into wildlife control must evaluate whether they have the space to hold all the traps, ladders, euthanasia chambers, freezers (for carcasses), etc., that are required to run a quality wildlife control business.

Finally, perhaps the most overlooked cost of wildlife control is the weather. Pest control work typically is performed indoors. Snow, sleet and rain, are troublesome but only in so far as they impede traveling. Wildlife control, on the other hand, is typically performed outdoors. Traps, even on a roof buried in snow, still need to be checked.

I remember working in an ice storm, where I had to use my Leatherman multi-tool to break the ice on each rung of the ladder as I climbed. Not only was this dangerous for me, but it also slowed my progress. WMPs must watch the weather and be prepared to shut down traps before severe storms arrive. While that behavior is prudent, I trust the reader understands how such actions reduce profits through time lost by having to go back and reset traps.

Tip #2: Evaluate your resources. The decision of adding wildlife control should not be entered into lightly. I suggest using a decision grid to help you make a responsible decision for your company.

The bottom line is profitability. It would be foolish to expand into wildlife control if you didn’t have a reasonable level of expectation for profit. The first category to consider is your market. Generally speaking, your market is within 30 minutes of your home base. You have to determine if you have enough clients to begin with in relationship to available competition. But population figures are not enough. Prospective clients also have to have disposable income.

Competition, in moderation, actually is a good thing as it helps raise awareness that wildlife control services are available. (I suggest visiting the U.S. Census Bureau at www.census.gov to obtain a wide range of data about the residents in your market). Additionally, you might consider if you can provide better service or prices than your competition.

You’ll also need to determine where your company could fit into the market. Should you seek to provide a vast array of wildlife control services? Or is there a niche that needs to be filled, such as bat or coyote control? I encourage you to avoid the siren call of trying to do everything in wildlife control unless you have the qualified manpower to do the job right. It can be more profitable to connect with a wildlife control operator and subcontract him rather than doing all the work yourself.

I divide wildlife control work into three levels of service. Level 1, the easiest level, involves controlling ground animals such as moles, voles, woodchucks, pocket gophers, armadillos and skunks. No ladders are required for controlling these species, and they make up the easiest add-on for your company. Level 2 service companies control all the ground animals and move into the common climbing animals, such as tree squirrels, raccoons, beavers and small bird jobs. This level does require basic repair and exclusion work. The vast majority of work in wildlife damage control is done at the Level 2 stage. Level 3 includes all the work of Levels 1 and 2 but can stand alone as it centers on specialized control of birds, bats, coyotes and even deer. These jobs require significant man-hours, superb repair skills and involve significant risk to the workers. They also can be highly profitable.

The final issue is determining your assets. As mentioned earlier, wildlife work is very equipment intensive. Do you have the trucks, tools, traps, baits, space, etc., to do the job right without harming your pest control business? More importantly, do you have the right people for the job? Wildlife control professionals require a different skill set than pest control technicians. If you don’t have access to WMPs strong enough to carry and climb ladders all day, you know right away that your business won’t be able to compete at Level 2. You will then have to decide if you should enter Level 1.

Tip #3: Advertise carefully. Unlike wildlife control, there aren’t any groups dedicated to protecting the rights of cockroaches and carpenter ants. PCOs can market their services with names and images glorifying the killing of bugs without receiving negative customer reactions. But the public is conflicted about wildlife. Some of your clients believe wildlife are in need of protection and will feel guilty about having to call you. Others view their wildlife as a pest and believe that any animal that trespasses on their property deserves the death penalty. To further add difficulties to the mix, sometimes clients will exhibit both of those attitudes in the same day. WMPs must recognize that the attitudes of their clients are likely to be inconsistent. Your technician should avoid using terms that suggest the animal will be killed. Under no circumstances should your technician lie to the client. In Massachusetts where I worked, translocation of wildlife was illegal. If an animal was taken from a property, the animal was to be euthanized. Sometimes my clients would ask, “What are you going to do with the animal?” If I sensed the client couldn’t handle the “truth” I would sometimes respond, “Do you really want to know?” Frequently clients would say, “No.” They didn’t want to know. Your technician must protect the emotional well-being and even the naiveté of the client.

Wildlife control expert Rob Erickson, who is publisher of Wildlife Control Technology Magazine, was absolutely correct when he recently observed the technician is there to do the dirty work because many times clients lack the stomach to do the job themselves. In effect, you, as the WMP, are selling mental and moral relief to the client.

You have to determine what your business is selling. What is your mission? Are you selling trap and remove services? Professional advice? Humane control services? Specialized expertise? Knowing what you are selling helps shape your advertising and company name choice. I suggest avoiding naming your wildlife control business with words that suggest animals are being harmed. The same goes with your advertising. Use vague terms such as solutions, removal, protection, eviction, control and management. Next, visit wildlife control Web sites and ask yourself, “What is this site selling?” and, “How does the site make me feel?” Then ask, “What do the people in my area want in a wildlife control service?” For example, if you live in a wealthy, upscale area, I would suspect that your clients want professional service that bespeaks comprehensive and humane control. These customers will value and pay for control methods that don’t directly kill the animal. They also will pay for preventative exclusion. Marketing ads must be clean, neat and graphically appealing, like a Target ad. Terms to use would include management, permanent resolution, harmony, specialized techniques, etc.

Less-affluent communities desire results at low cost. Focus your ads on short-term, cost-effective resolutions. They will be less offended by terms such as trapping, removal and eviction.

Tip #4: Maintain high standards. Animals are an emotional topic for people. During the busy season, your technicians will be under tremendous pressure to get the job done quickly. This pressure sets the stage for them to begin to take risks both legally and ethically. The law is the baseline. Under no circumstances should your technicians break the law. Sure, a Conibear trap over that den hole would get the trap-wise raccoon in short order. But if ground-set Conibears are illegal, don’t do it. Even if it is legal, it may not be wise in that particular situation. Technicians have to decide whether the risk-reward balance favors the use of the Conibear. For example, what is the risk of catching the neighbor’s cat or dog? Will someone see the dead raccoon? What if the raccoon takes a bad hit and begins thrashing around raising a ruckus at 2 a.m.? Just because setting the trap was legal, doesn’t mean it was wise.

I frequently remind people of a true story of a WMP who drowned a raccoon in front of people. In his state, drowning was perfectly legal and the killing of the raccoon was actually required. But that didn’t stop those witnesses from pressing cruelty charges. Six thousand dollars in legal fees later, the WMP got the charges dropped. But did he discover that obeying the law was no protection? Yes, he did. Do you think he lost money on that raccoon job? Yes, he did. The point is, your technicians must operate as if a video camera is recording their every move.

Tip #5: Find quality information. As webmaster for the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management (www.icwdm.org), I am reminded regularly how much bad wildlife control information has permeated the public’s mind. I have begun collecting this bad information under the heading of wildlife control quackery. You have heard the stories of people using crushed glass, gasoline, cat feces, Wrigley’s chewing gum, etc., in order to control moles. These control myths persist and sadly, some WMPs actually believe them.

WMPs can visit icwdm.org for research-based information on all aspects of wildlife control at no charge. It also provides technicians with training materials. WMPs also can access our Digital Commons, an online library, at digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm.

CONCLUSION. Wildlife damage control is not a simple field to enter. However, with smart planning and reasonable expectations, you can reduce the pitfalls that trouble so many newcomers to the field. Awareness of the tips provided here will go a long way to improving the chances of success in your company. 

Stephen Vantassel is webmaster of the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, ICWDM.org.