[My Biggest Mistake]

In the motel industry, a roach on the floor means a reputation is on the line. The sight of their hard shells and parallel streaks of color — heck, the mere thought of a roach — can make guests cringe, leaving owners to scurry for a solution.

So when a well-respected motel owner in Charleston, S.C., called to see if I could eliminate German cockroaches infesting his 75-room motel, I understood the seriousness of his situation. As he explained the problem, I sensed his frustration: Some people lived at the motel! Roaches had been there for weeks! Another pest control company’s process just wasn’t working!

I asked him to describe the company’s treatment regimen. The other firm had applied a low-pressure insecticide inside and outside of the motel’s problematic rooms, focusing mainly on baseboards, corners, and cracks and crevices.

That’s a good start, I thought.

But it’s difficult to get rid of German cockroaches with just one tactic. One tiny egg capsule on a suitcase, and bang, six months later, a motel can have a huge infestation. The pests are only about 1 centimeter long, so they sneak deep into the recesses of walls. They can survive on virtually anything — soap, toothpaste, even each other’s wings or excretions from adults — so unless they leave their harborage sites, surface sprays may not always be effective. This resilient species would easily out-survive humans after a nuclear blast. So, simply applying insecticide to baseboards isn’t likely going to solve the problem.

But the motel owner asked me to apply the same method the previous firm tried, just with a different product or a stronger dose of the same insecticide.

As the owner of a two-person pest control company, C-MAC Pest Control (located in Walterboro, S.C.), I aim to please. We’ve all heard the saying a hundred times: "The customer is always right." An influential business owner was giving me direction, and this was a new client relationship I wanted to keep.

My biggest mistake was going along with his recommended course of action without pushing harder for him to adopt a different approach. I should have recommended less insecticide, given him more insight.

Here’s what I should have explained to him: German roaches represent a significant control challenge because of their high reproductive potential, which can lead to insecticide resistance issues. To eliminate them, we needed to attack them from all corners with an Integrated Pest Management approach.

Instead, here’s what we did for two months: I applied a pyrethroid insecticide in a wettable powder formulation as a spot treatment, applying it to dresser drawers and several other areas. As I feared, the problem persisted, especially in larger rooms. The motel owner eventually turned to me and said, "Look, I’m at a loss. What can we do?"

"Let’s start by attacking their surroundings," I said. These pests are scavengers that prefer starches, sugar, grease and meats. This was important because many of the hotel’s rooms weren’t being cleaned thoroughly. We watched as maids spent only a couple minutes cleaning each room. Some trash was left behind beds. Some sinks weren’t wiped down.

The motel owner accompanied me as I went room by room, bleaching floors and counters, vacuuming carpets, sealing cracks, applying gel baits and spraying again. We weren’t just bombing anymore. We were attacking the enemy on all fronts.

The motel hasn’t had a roach problem since.

I’ve learned from this experience. The customer should always be respected, but they’re not always right. Our business is based on information, not inclination, and our value as pest control professionals is expertise. I need to deliver that to clients from the get-go.

The motel owner was so thrilled with the job that he recommended C-MAC Pest Control to many area companies. Eight are now clients, including a restaurant, a retail shop and another motel.

This job reminded me that what’s "right" is getting the job done in the most efficient, economical way possible. Aiming to please is admirable; aiming to correct is profitable.

—As told to Darin Painter