Treatment Options are Key

With both subterranean and drywood termites in Phoenix, “you’ve got to change your toolbelt” to address the pest at hand, said Bill Trott, Bill’s Pest & Termite Control. The same is true in South Florida, where 11 pest termite species are active and it’s not uncommon to find “multiple species of termites in one home,” said Jaime Vasquez, Matador Pest Control.

Most often, companies offered termite renewals or re-inspections for an annual fee, reported 88 percent of PMPs in the PCT survey. This accounted for 18.3 percent of 2021 termite control revenue on average.

In addition, 87 percent of companies offered post-construction termite control services, and 74 percent provided pre-construction treatments. Among those not offering pretreats, 41 percent said they were not interested in serving this market segment.

Vasquez will perform pre-construction treatments for customers who add onto their homes, but not for builders, who he said tend to “nickel and dime” on price. The average cost of a pretreat job in 2021 declined to $587 from $629 in 2020, found the survey.

Most companies (59 percent) offered both bait and liquid termiticides as part of their termite control service. The primary method of control was liquids only (42 percent), closely followed by both baits and liquids (38 percent).

Black Diamond Pest Control offers bait, liquid and a mix of both so residential customers can choose the program that works best for them. “It’s incumbent upon us to explain to the customer the benefits and pitfalls of each option,” said Brandon Tarrant.

Baiting systems helped retain customers because the stations are visible: Literally, “you can see the value there” compared to an invisible liquid termiticide in the ground, he said. “We do more preventive treatments now than we ever have,” mostly using bait systems, he added.

More than one third (34 percent) of PMPs said perimeter termite treatments were an attractive option for homeowners during the pandemic. National Exterminating, however, won’t do perimeter-only treatments. It prefers to drill dirt-filled porches, hollow block and slab foundations. “We’re going to get the chemical where it needs to be to get that eight to 10 years of effectiveness,” said Scott Monds.

Switching to a more expensive chemistry four years ago was “a game-changer” for the company, which reduced reservices, increased customer satisfaction and allowed technicians to respond faster to new customer calls, he said.

The average callback rate for termite control services in 2021 was 1.7 percent. The average customer retention rate over the past five years was 78.5 percent.