[Technically Speaking] Who Can Do It Better

With every passing day I’m more convinced pest management professionals can and should do it better. How many times have you and your technicians been frustrated in your efforts to have customers clean drains, remove debris and food residue from under counters, seal holes and have exclusion work done? Typically, as I and perhaps you have come to realize, this is an exercise in futility.

Despite the continued emphasis in our industry on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and pesticide risk reduction, many of us fail to capitalize and cash in on the lucrative area of source reduction and exclusion. Who better to perform this service than pest management professionals who regularly provide recommendations on what needs to be done, expecting the property owner, manager or other individual to accomplish the work?

Not surprisingly this rarely happens or it is not done to pest management standards and effectively nothing is accomplished. This results in finger pointing (who’s responsible for ongoing pest management problems), continuous written and verbal recommendations and frustrations, all for naught.

So why not do it ourselves? The upside of these services is that we provide customers long-term solutions to many of their pest problems. The downside – they may not need us as often and there may be no need for monthly pest control contracts.

SOME OPPORTUNITIES. There are many services we can offer our customers that will go a long way in resolving their pest management problems. For instance:

Flies: At the recent PCT Fly Summit in Atlanta, the major theme was fly control through breeding site elimination, e.g., drain cleaning, floor and equipment cleaning. There is a wide array of new bio-remediation products available to the industry, as well as equipment, such as foamers and scrubbers, to clean drains. Light trap installation and service is another service underutilized in our industry. Air curtains and other exclusion devices and services are other items frequently overlooked.

Cockroaches: Why continue to beat ourselves up over sanitation, clutter removal, caulking and sealing, when we can sell it to our customers? Almost 10 years ago the National Pest Management Association published a Technical Release on Caulks, Caulking and Sealing and it is still one of the best references available on this topic. It doesn’t take a lot of training to learn how to do a good caulking job that eliminates harborage and makes the technician’s life a little easier.

Rodents: Installing interior and exterior sealing materials, such as door sweeps, concrete, plaster, sheet metal and hardware cloth can easily be done by technicians. The advantage pest management technicians have is knowing where this needs to be done and how to adequately install the material. Trimming trees, bushes and ground covers to remove protected runs and harborage, and eliminate access to structures requires little equipment and is relatively easy to perform. Cleaning up rodent droppings and urine stains, while not a pleasant task, can be very profitable. Odor control for rodent smells and dead rodents is another add-on.

Birds: Bird management has been an area of significant expansion for our industry. The reason for this and an increase in requests for nuisance wildlife control is continued human encroachment into wildlife areas. Competition for resources (food and nesting areas) has forced these animals to take up residence in commercial and residential areas. Pins and wires, netting, spikes, frightening devices (lasers), feeding deterrents, etc., are products that can be easily used or installed. Permanent exclusion techniques can be used to eliminate potential nesting sites. Removal of nests, "dropping" clean-up and parasite control are other added value services.

Mosquitoes: This group of blood-feeding insects has generated a great deal of concern, particularly relating to West Nile virus. Breeding sites can be eliminated by cleaning gutters, removing water-collecting debris (e.g., tires), cleaning storm drains, and filling depressions or otherwise correcting drainage problems.

Most of this work is done as an adjunct to pest control services and typically does not require special permits, home improvement licenses, etc. However, depending on your locale, services may fall under specific local regulations.

CONCLUSION. Frequently I hear about companies that perform snow removal, install Christmas lights and a host of other non-pest related services. While I see nothing inherently wrong with these types of services, I wonder why companies don’t expand in the thing they know best — a full line of pest management services. In pest management, there is no doubt, if you want something done and done right do it yourself!

The author is technical director of American Pest Management, Takoma Park, Md. He can be reached at 301/891-2600 or rkramer@pctonline.com.