Pest Management Professional, May 2017

2017 Mosquito ManageMent suppleMent are higher and they are treated like a white glove account We are likely to increase the frequency of treatments if the product label will allow it Griffin Pest Solutions has found success with mosquito work as an upsell service to existing customers and a standalone service to new customers Pamela Blauvelt vice president of operations for the Kalamazoo Mich based firm notes cross trained technicians perform the monthly work We use the universal technician model for just about everything we do adds Blauvelt who also is vice president of the Michigan Pest Management Association Because of our geography and distance between customers it makes sense for us to do it that way In dense urban areas however it doesnt have the same importance because customers are closer together Some firms may opt to dedicate mosquito specialists because of the expense of mosquito management equipment and the extra training Brian Garrison COO of national franchisor Mosquito Joe based in Virginia Beach Va says residential service is his companys bread and butter but his team encourages franchisees to think outside the box and inside their communities There is so much opportunity from public pools with picnic areas to golf courses zoos and restaurant patios he says Educating consumErs The second biggest obstacle for mosquito service as ranked by PMP readers is competing against do it yourselfers DIYers The third biggest obstacle is customer education and by extension cooperation Charles Osborne MORE ONLINE Online at PMPPestTalk net Charles Osborne ACE discusses his time in the U S Army treating mosquitoes for Camp Victory in Iraq ACE president of Osborne Pest Management Colorado Springs Colo says even with extensive habitat modification its nearly impossible to provide complete mosquito control Were talking about a creature that flies and the wind blows them in he Continued on Page MM14 If theyre getting bitten during an outside treatment for example they know theres a mosquito problem Thomas says They explain to the customer what our company can do to help fight WNV To combat the pushback of We dont have mosquitoes from customers Thomas says the company rebranded its service as Pest Plus Were not just doing the perimeter of the home but also the perimeter of the yard and the foliage he explains noting that it has extra benefits We have had bad Argentine ant issues and this approach keeps them fleas and a lot of other pests from foraging further out It takes a little more product but that product put in the right place reduces callbacks and upset customers Mike Tullos vice president of Cramer Pest Control Fort Mill S C reports his firm has a similar program branded as Premier Plus We have been offering mosquito service for the past five years and find it is a reliable source of revenue if the treatments are done correctly Tullos adds We service for mosquitoes monthly even with the Premier Plus program being a quarterly service Instead of using universal techs Adams Pest Control has put two technicians specifically on monthly mosquito service Michael Tulp vice president of the Jupiter Fla based company says hed rather invest in intensive training Its like anything else If everyone does five or 10 mosquito jobs no ones an expert he says But if one guy does 50 hes an expert Ravi Sachdeva CEO and resident entomologist of American Pest Management Manhattan Kan says his team has expanded its mosquito service beyond special events to seasonround protection While thats brought in additional recurring revenue hes quick to point out that American hasnt left special events behind We market our mosquito service at bridal shows especially those with popular outdoor wedding venues he says We exhibit at several local shows and follow up with the venues involved with an e mail detailing our program Their expectations Pro TiPs Jeff Annis We train a lot about droplet size and how to control drift We ban using the machine if the wind is noticeable at all We also dont spray anything on flowering plants that are obviously used by pollinators We note this on the work order when we adjust our treatment methods so the customer knows we are looking to control drift or protect pollinators Bo ThomAs We have an in house creative team that does our commercials and you can see their work on YouTube at TeamBugStoppers One that got a lot of attention showed kids turning into zombies upon being bitten by mosquitoes We scheduled the ad to play during episodes of The Walking Dead since we figured theyd be the least offended by the concept Its been a big hit and brought in business ChArles oBsorne Customers have to realize that no matter what you do they can and will encounter mosquitoes These are flying insects We can reduce mosquito populations but were not pied pipers The average consumer is more educated and understands this thank goodness but communication is the biggest thing MM12 May 2017 Pest Management Professional mypmp net