Pest Management Professional, July 2015
L ike two prizefighters in their prime pest management professionals PMPs and bed bugs continue to square off According to our 2015 Bed Bug Management Survey for many these battles royale are more intense now than a decade ago when bed bugs first returned to the Land of Opportunity with a vengeance From 2005 to 2010 it ramped up slowly says Rodney Mills owner of Columbia S C based Mills Termite Pest Control By 2010 we were receiving just a few calls a month from folks dealing with bed bug infestations Now we field several bed bug calls a day some days 10 15 20 or more calls Its almost an epidemic in our area Mills says bed bug management accounted for less than 5 percent of his companys 2010 revenue He projects the service will generate more than onethird of his revenue this year Its mushrooming so rapidly I sometimes consider focusing solely on bed bugs he says The problem is two thirds of our callers say they cant afford our bed bug management services Another thing I kick around is What if I offered financing and allowed all these prospects to spread out payments Mills is winning every bed bug battle now thanks to more time in the ring and advancing control technologies I have zero callbacks on bed bug jobs he says Sweetening the deal bed bug work allows me to reduce windshield time saving fuel and vehicle wear and tear and increase treatment sales and margins Calls Up CallbaCks Down Three years ago Leavenworth Pest Control had a nasty bed bug callback rate partly because the company battled just four bed bug infestations that year and partly because of an annoying anomaly In 2013 we had eight callbacks on one bed bug job says Brad Willms owner of the Leavenworth Wash based company It was at a cabin We finally figured it out It wasnt a bed bug job It was a bat bug job Trends in bed bug pressure control tools pricing and more By Marty whitforD Publisher and Editorial Director BB4 July 2015 Pest Management Professional mypmp net Photo istock com LjuPco 2015 Bed Bug ManageMent Survey 2 2015 Bed Bug Management Survey
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