What’s Behind Customer Motivation?

What motivates customers to buy mosquito control? In interviews, PMPs said clients mainly want to spend time outdoors without being attacked by the pests.

“When they’ve got mosquitoes buzzing them, they want to get that taken care of so they can enjoy their patios. It’s mostly just because they’re a nuisance,” said Adam Woodard, J&J Exterminating.

Vic Palermo, Ultra Safe Pest Management, agreed. “It’s a very short summer around here, so people want to maximize that time in the yard or around the pool.”

Owners of single-family homes in suburban settings tended to be Palermo’s typical mosquito customers. According to the 2024 PCT State of the Mosquito Control Market survey, most PMPs — 97 percent — said their locations provided mosquito control services to residential accounts.

For Backwoods Pest Control in Spokane, Wash., typical mosquito customers live near bodies of water or own acreage. They want mosquito populations on their property reduced, but they don’t want conventional pesticide applied to every inch of the property to achieve this, said owner Brian Gibson.

As a result, the company has a control program that relies heavily on the use of mosquito traps and less frequent or no applications of adulticide. The approach proved successful at a horse farm, where the client didn’t want expensive horses potentially eating grass treated with a residual pesticide.

“I’m really finding in my market, being able to offer a safe alternative, we’re finding a better outcome,” said Gibson.

In other markets, such as Phoenix, Ariz., fear of mosquito-borne disease motivates people to sign up for service.

“There are specific neighborhoods where the impetus is going to be a concern for mosquito-borne diseases. A good amount of our clientele does reflect that population,” said Denis Logan, Mosquito Joe of North Phoenix.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, about 100 human cases of West Nile virus are reported each year in the state, except for in 2021 when 1,710 cases were reported.

This outbreak, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, really heightened awareness and concern about mosquito-borne illness, explained Logan.

According to the PCT survey, 62 percent of PMPs said they believe their customers understand the risks of mosquito-borne disease.

For some pest control companies, the challenge isn’t the customer’s motivation; it’s making them aware that the company offers mosquito control service.

Woodard said he has some customers who use J&J Exterminating for quarterly pest control but have hired mosquito-only companies for mosquito control.

When asked why, “the customer will say, ‘Well I didn’t know you all offered that,’” he said. Woodard urged PMPs to boost awareness of the service with existing customers to keep this revenue from walking out the door. An even bigger risk: potentially losing quarterly pest control to a competitor who offers both services.

This is a key reason why Ultra Safe Pest Management began offering mosquito control in the first place. About 80 percent of its mosquito customers also use the company’s pest, termite or wildlife service, said Palermo.

The top three most effective ways to promote mosquito services, according to the PCT survey, were word of mouth (67 percent), online promotions (49 percent) and service vehicle decals (31 percent). Most pest control company locations — 41 percent — began marketing their mosquito control services in March.

In follow-up interviews, some PMPs said they offered the first mosquito treatment for free or at a discounted price as using paid digital and traditional advertising is expensive and doesn’t always work.

“It’s very hard to compete advertising-wise with the stand-alone mosquito companies,” said Palermo.

“That’s all they have to focus on is advertising for mosquitoes. They can save their money all year round, just to spend it all in these warm months. It’s hard to compete with that if you’re a full-service pest and wildlife company and you’re trying to advertise all the above,” he said.