Technically Speaking

One thing that continues to amaze me is that only a few pest management companies pay attention to the details. I’m not talking about getting the bid right, complying with regulations or filling out your service ticket correctly. As professionals it is our job to solve the customer’s pest problems — not just kill pests.

I find many companies are content solving the customer’s problem by applying product and in some cases, throwing around some traps. As they head out the door, check in hand, the technician can be heard saying, “Call us if you have any more problems.” Of course, additional charges may (and usually do) apply.

This practice is not only unprofessional and a disservice to your customer, but it is a missed opportunity to resolve the pest problem indefinitely. More importantly it is an opportunity to make a lot more money providing the necessary service.

Most pest management professionals are familiar with the pest triangle of life (food, harborage and water) and know that if we eliminate one or more of these elements we significantly impact the pest’s ability to survive. Furthermore, IPM stresses the management of these resources as the first line of attack for most pest problems.

Typically, most companies’ approach to managing these resources is to ask the customer to correct contributing factors. Even when customers are provided well intended instructions and fact sheets, there are three potential customer outcomes (in increasing order of likelihood):
• They’ll do what needs to be done.
• They’ll attempt to do what needs to be done.
• They won’t do a thing because it’s your job to kill their bugs.

ON THE EXTERIOR. Most pests we encounter originate on the exterior of the structure and there are many things we can do to minimize their entry into structures and eliminate their harborage sites (the pests controlled by such actions are noted in parentheses):
• Install door sweeps (mice and arthropods).
• Install weep vent material (wasp nests and crawling arthropods).
• Caulk/seal expansion joints (mice, crawling arthropods and ant nests).
• Seal around pipe, wire and other wall penetrations (wasp nests and crawling arthropods).
• Caulk around roof flashing (bats and wasp nests).
• Foam pipe openings on chain link and other fencing materials (wasp nests).
• Install wire mesh behind intake vents, under tree guards and in planter boxes (mouse/rat nesting and entry).
• Caulk/seal around windows and doors (crawling arthropods).
• Change exterior lighting to yellow bug lights (flying insects).
• Install chimney caps (raccoons, opossums, birds).
• Replace animal resistant vents or screen off vents (birds and small animals).

ON THE INTERIOR. Likewise indoors there are many things pest management professionals can do to eliminate pest problems:
• Steam clean in commercial kitchens to remove accumulated residues (rats, mice and cockroaches).
• Clean trash compactors, trash rooms and trash chutes (mice and cockroaches).
• Clean drains with brushes, bio-cleaners and/or steam (drain, hump-backed and other small flies).
• Seal cracks and crevices used as cockroach harborages (caution: some sealing can create additional harborages and making it more difficult to inspect and treat).
• Seal wall penetrations (rats, mice and cockroaches).
• Seal around base cabinet pipe chases, gas line, dishwasher drain hoses, wires and other penetrations (rats, mice and cockroaches).
• Seal base cabinet voids at the top, corners and joints of the kick plate (cockroaches, mice and rats).
• Put flashing around ceiling penetrations (rats and insects).
• Inspect abandoned and rubber cap “sealed” drain lines and stack pipes because rats frequently chew through them. Replace rubber cap with hard plastic or metal cap.
• Screen or use copper Stuff-It in unused drains (cockroaches).

This in no way is intended to be a comprehensive list of add-on services we can provide as pest management service companies to help mitigate pests in our accounts. Most of these services don’t require any technical knowledge or skill and can be performed with very little training. The success of this type of work demands a working knowledge of pest habits and a great deal of attention to detail.

The author is president of Innovative Pest Management, Brookeville, Md. He can be reached at 301/570-3900 or via e-mail at rkramer@giemedia.com.