Rearview, June 2000

Traverse City, Mich.— Critter Control, a nationwide franchise chain of 100 offices specializing in wildlife damage control, was recently ranked #251 (of 500) in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 21st Annual Franchise list. This year’s ranking is 98 places higher than last year’s ranking of #349.

According to the magazine, the most important features in getting ranked on the list include financial strength and stability and the company’s growth rate and size.

The magazine also considers the number of years a company has been in business, the length of time it’s been franchising, start-up costs, litigation history, percentage of terminations and whether the selected company provides financing.

Many Texans Have Felt The "Sting" Of Fire Ants, Poll Reports

Austin, Texas — Seventy-nine percent of Texans have been stung by fire ants and a majority of residents have treated for them in the past year, according to a recent Scripps Howard Texas Poll. Twenty percent of Texans have never been stung by fire ants and 44 percent have not treated for them in the past year.

West Texans are least likely to have been stung by fire ants (61 percent) compared with 90 percent in central Texas. In other regions, 89 percent of those polled in eastern Texas had been stung, as had 78 percent in southern Texas and 72 percent in northern Texas.

Among those who treated for fire ants, 51 percent treated four or more times, 16 percent treated three times, 18 percent treated twice and 11 percent treated once. Older Texans appear more likely to treat for fire ants. For example, 37 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds have treated for fire ants in the past year, compared with 58 percent of those 60 and older.

Meanwhile, 58 percent of Texans say fire-ant insecticide pollution is not serious in their community, compared with 17 percent who say it is and 25 percent who don’t know.