PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS: Answers To Your Toughest Pest Questions

Q. I heard you give a presentation about ants at a recent industry meeting and have some additional questions. You said that pest management companies should be "managing" the properties of the clients. What did you mean and how do we sell such a concept to our customers? (R.H., Del.)

A. I can’t answer all the ramifications of that question in this column. But simply put, as pest management professionals, we know about pests and what attracts them to a property. Most, if not all, insect infestations come from the outside of the structure.

In addition, we have been put in an interesting position the last few years to protect people from exposure to vectors of Lyme disease, West Nile virus and hantavirus.

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Simply put, we know why the pests are there and how they can get in, and we also know how to monitor for them and keep them away (or at least reduce populations so that the threat is minimized — notice that I did not say eliminated).

My belief is that pest management companies can offer these services and get more for them by managing the property, advising the homeowner about conducive conditions leading to possible infestations and even offering a service that eliminates or reduces the condition.

This also means having well-trained technicians with continuous communication with the customer. In my estimation, such service is the next level of pest control. Ours is a service-oriented industry dedicated to alleviating people’s problems — not just applying pesticides.

The author is president of George Rambo Consulting Services, Herndon, Va. Fax questions to him at 703/709-9637 or via e-mail at grambo@pctonline.com.