Ethics And Pest Control

Having spent a great deal of time working directly with customers over the past year, I have heard many horror stories about our industry, including false reporting of infestations, unnecessary treatments and abandonment of customers following inappropriate treatment. It makes me wonder how rampant these occurrences are. I am still trying to cling to the belief that there are only a few bad apples in the barrel. However, their actions leave enduring impressions with our customers.

Recently, the NPCA launched a major industry awareness campaign targeting consumers, an effort that should be applauded. However, it is notable that this campaign originally was proposed more than five years ago. At that time, the industry lacked commitment and enthusiasm, and there were no motivating issues — or were there? While the recent FTC investigation has turned a few heads, it has not resulted in significant change.

NUMEROUS EXAMPLES. There are many examples of situations that reflect unfavorably on this industry’s professionalism. Last year, for instance, I was called by a homeowner who had been experiencing a chronic fly problem. Thousands of small flies were emerging daily in her basement over a period of weeks. Prior to my involvement, a pest control company was called; without having identified the flies or the source of the problem, the technician promptly applied a pyrethrin aerosol. As one might suspect, the customer called back two days later because thousands of flies had returned.

The pest control company, which had already received payment, told the customer there was nothing more they could do. They didn’t offer to further investigate the problem.

Proper identification of the fly (sphaerocerid, or small dung fly) would have provided the company the information needed to resolve the problem. Instead of acting professionally, the company abandoned the customer and left her to try to find another solution.

After having been informed that this problem could involve a sub-slab sewer break, the customer engaged the services of a plumber who found a sub-slab break in the drain line which lead from the kitchen sink to the main sewer. Once the drain line was repaired and the accumulated waste removed, the fly problem disappeared.

Another case of misidentification I encountered recently was a situation in which odorous house ants were identified as carpenter ants. Give me a break! If a company cannot properly distinguish between these two ants, it’s time to find a new line of work. Yes, misidentifications can and do occur, but I wonder if this misidentification had a hidden agenda, i.e., an expensive and protracted period of treatment for the “carpenter ant” problem. The company’s lack of professionalism cost them the account.

Last fall I was contacted by a homeowner who lived near the Chesapeake Bay. She wanted a second opinion regarding a recommendation to treat her house for powderpost beetles and old house borers. The original company told the customer they had an infestation of old house borers and powderpost beetles and proposed to treat the exposed wood in the crawlspace with a borate solution and replace the vapor barrier. The cost for these treatments would be approximately $3000.

It’s difficult for me to believe that companies exist that intentionally misinform customers. However, after having crawled the entire crawlspace and checking every joist and beam, I found no signs of powderpost beetles or old house borers. In fact, the only pests I found in the crawlspace were camel crickets.

Had the company taken the time to perform a proper investigation, it would have found that wood moisture content within the crawlspace was relatively high (i.e. 14% to 20%). And had the pest control company proposed to replace the vapor barrier, treat the wood with a borate (to prevent decay fungi) and install power vents, I would have applauded their proposal as well as their professionalism.

ACCORDING TO THE LABEL? Now to the incident that prompted me to write this article. I’m in the process of selling my house and relocating locally within Maryland. In Maryland, as well as most other states, the buyer requests the wood destroying insect inspection (WDI). At the hour appointed for the inspection, the inspector arrived at my house neatly attired and armed with the proper tools. After having inquired about my knowledge of termites within the house (of course, there were none), he proceeded with the inspection.

He pulled the insulation back, thumped and probed, and even went into areas most inspectors would have considered inaccessible. After almost an hour of thorough inspection of the house inside and out, he concluded there was no evidence of infestation, past or present. After having made this determination, he informed me he could not, according to his company’s policy, issue a WDI report unless the company treated the house. While this may increase the company’s comfort level in issuing the report, what does it say about their professionalism and the technician’s competence? A lot.

I question not only the ethics of this type of service but, more importantly, whether such a treatment is a violation of the label. With the changes in the current termiticide labels, I’m not certain that this type of application is permissible, particularly if the house was pretreated at some point previously. The current termite labels as well as the PR Notice on termiticide labeling clearly state that termiticide retreatments are not permitted unless there is evidence of active infestation or the soil barrier has been disturbed. Other factors should have been considered before this recommendation was made, i.e., my house was “pretreated” when it was built 11 years ago; it has a poured concrete foundation; 50 percent of the sill area is visible; and there is no soil-wood contact.

We are professionals who are paid for our professional opinions and services. We have an obligation to provide that service without insisting that a customer pay for something that is not warranted by the inspection.

We must strive to preserve the integrity and professionalism of our industry. These virtues must be instilled in our technicians, managers, salespeople and owners as they deal with customers. In my opinion, this is the best industry awareness campaign we could ever hope to conduct.

Dr. Richard Kramer is president of Innovative Pest Management, 18100 Darnell Drive, Olney MD 20832, 301/570-7138.