As they stack up successes with green products and services, PMPs are becoming more comfortable using them in diverse locations and circumstances. “Using a less toxic product to achieve results similar to those of a traditional pesticide is nothing new to us at California Pest Management; we have always provided green services and practiced real-world IPM for our clients,” says Jim Harmon. “Over the years, we have expanded and evolved what we offer to include more environmentally friendly products. For example, we now offer sanitizing services using green products.”
Understanding what will work for particular pests in particular circumstances is key. “The products we use may be labeled for ants, bed bugs, roaches, spiders or flying insects on the label, but there’s more to take into account,” says Matt Livingston of Remedy Pest Control. “Some products break down more quickly in sunlight or with exposure to water or other outdoor elements. In those cases, if a customer has a substantial infestation, they might not be a candidate for a botanical application until we get control. So we may use a pyrethroid-based product for knockdown and then use the green product for maintenance.”
Warren Remmey of Spider Man Pest Control agrees. “North of San Antonio, customers can have tremendous scorpion issues. When they call and tell us they’ve had 25 scorpions in the past three days...we apply a synthetic pyrethroid the right way in the right place and eliminate the food source (spiders and crickets). Once those scorpions back off and we gain control, we can switch to the botanical and do a fine job with it.”
