Archive for the ‘Pest Questions’ Category

Mar 18, 2012 – What To Do With All The Junk

QUESTION:

Will subterranean termites ever make kickholes?

ANSWER:

The word kick hole is pretty much reserved for drywood termites, and it refers to the tiny opening the worker termites create for the purpose of cleaning house. Periodically they decide their colony has too much junk in it, essentially their fecal pellets, and they need to make room for themselves. So, a hole is drilled to the outside world, all those fecal pellets are pushed out, and the hole is sealed closed again. This is a fortunate habit, as it is just about our only means for detecting the presence of these termites in a structure. The fecal pellets are very hard and dry and will fall straight down from that kick hole to land on whatever surface is below. On a hard surface they will bounce a bit, but over time little pyramids of the pellets will accumulate. 

Drywood termites dispose of their pellets in this manner because they have already squeezed out all the water they possibly can, so now the pellets are just waste material. Subterranean termites live in a much damper environment, and constantly replace their body and environmental moisture with return trips to the soil. They do not create fecal “pellets”, as it were, but instead will use their fecal material as part of the cement that holds all that mud tubing together. With abundant moisture their fecal matter is pretty wet, so they use it as some of the glue when constructing mud tubes. I once visited a home with a termite inspector where a previous company’s inspector had mis-identified some fecal pellets as “subterranean termite fecal pellets”, which of course do not exist. It turned out the material was fecal pellets of Indian Meal Moth, but this improper ID created some problems between the homeowner and the two companies involved. 
So, subs definitely do drill out of the wood periodically to forage or to move over open surfaces, creating the mud tubes as they go so they can remain hidden and maintain the humidity they need in their colonies, but they do not dispose of waste materials in this manner. Likewise, dampwood termites create large fecal pellets similar to those of drywoods, but they store those pellets in extra chambers in the colony. Their pellets are larger, softer, and wetter than a drywood’s, and would not be easily rejected from the colony. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 20, 2012

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Mar 19, 2012 – Still Getting In?

QUESTION:

I have a client with an ongoing problem with roof rats inside their building. We know we have closed up all openings, but somewhere they are still getting in. I am wondering if there may be a pipe from the sewer that is open somewhere in the walls and do you know of a way to locate that without destroying all the walls? We have found two pipes so far that they were coming in on and sealed those. There is no crawl space under the building. Thank you for your help.

ANSWER:

It would probably be useful to take yet another slow walk around this building (a house?) to see if there are any more openings that you may have missed. The inspection needs to be from ground level to the roof and up on the roof itself, as rats are such excellent climbers that going vertically is not terribly challenging to them. Perhaps there are some openings around soffits or vent screens, around and under flashing on the roof, or simply through the roofing materials themselves depending on the kind of roof they have. Some of these new concrete tiles can leave decent sized gaps, as can Spanish tiles, and all the Roof Rat needs is that 1/2 inch wide gap to squeeze on in. Finding all potential entry points is a serious challenge, and overlooking one or two that the rats then find would not be unusual. 

From the anecdotes and stories we read occasionally about rats making their way up from sewers and into toilets, using the pipes as their pathway, this could be another route. This would be something a plumber might have to be called in for, and they do have the tools for snaking a camera into pipes to check on the integrity of those lines. This is done commonly to check for broken pipes under slabs or for outdoor pipes where tree roots may have invaded. Since this building is on a slab I would think that a break in any pipe within the walls that is bad enough for a rat to squeeze through would also be creating some sort of serious water leak at that point, and there might be evidence of this on the walls or ceiling. But, if you suspect it and the customer is willing to pay for it the services of a plumber would be the route to go. It just seems to me, from my blind perspective here, that an overlooked outside entry point would be more likely and less costly to check on. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 19, 2012

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Mar 16, 2012 – How Important Is ID?

QUESTION:

I just completed an inspection for what a customer suspected to be a bed bug infestation. They were correct, and I did find a modest bed bug infestation. However, I located an even larger population of what looks very much like varied carpet beetle with one exception. They are not so hairy. Most of them were dead, and they were located in fabric folds of an upholstered sofa. If it is not a varied carpet beetle what else could it be?

ANSWER:

From just this description I will avoid making a positive I.D. for you on what you found, and the reason is the obvious difference in importance between bed bugs and most other structural pest bugs. I have in the past seen carpet beetle larvae misidentified as bed bugs and homes treated based on this mis-identification. Making the proper ID is terribly important, which is clearly the reason you are making this effort with some bugs that you are not certain on. The shed exoskeleton of a bed bug does look very much like the shed skin of a carpet beetle larva at first glance, but magnifying either of them shows the differences. Carpet beetle larvae and their molted skins have long hairs all over them, whereas bed bugs are essentially hairless. 

What you have found within the folds of this sofa could be carpet beetle larvae or they could be something else, but it really will take a visual look to know for sure. I suggest gathering some specimens and examining them under good magnification, comparing them with images in some of our reference materials such as the Pest ID resource on PestWeb. You might take them by a local university extension office or department of agriculture to see if they have a qualified person who can help with the ID. 
I would think it is possible to find shed skins of either bed bugs or carpet beetle larvae hidden in protected areas like this. Molting is a precarious moment for the insect, so they prefer to do it in seclusion where they are not exposed to outside dangers. These two groups of insects would be my best guesses for what you describe, but which one it is will need a closer look or a visual ID. Even with “bed” bugs we still must keep in mind that there are a couple of other species that may be in structures. These are swallow bugs and bat bugs, and the bat bugs look very, very similar to the Common Bed Bug. However, the host animals are generally different, so it still pays to spend a few minutes looking at the physical traits that distinguish each kind to be sure you know how to proceed. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 18, 2012

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Mar 17, 2012 – Flies, Gnats, and Moisture

QUESTION:

I have an office building that has Phorid Flies and Fungus Gnats hovering at the entrance (outside). There is a lot of landscaping around the entrance but no grass. There is no evidence anywhere else around the building. We’ve tried a number of products but can’t seem to get them under control. What else can I do to solve the problem and will drying out the landscaping help?
Thanks.

ANSWER:

Let’s appreciate, first of all, that the flies seem all to be on the outside. These kinds of flies in number indoors suggest a breeding source inside that at best may be hard to find and at worst could represent some serious plumbing problems. This time of year when the weather begins to get warmer is when all of those living creatures outdoors that have survived the winter begin to get active again and do what they are meant to do – grow, breed, and create more of their own kind. Phorids and fungus gnats are certainly common insects outdoors, and they still breed in their early stages in the same kinds of micro-environments as they will inside – damp places where their foods of fungus, molds, algae, and other decaying plant material are available. 

A dry environment is quite unacceptable to these flies, so if there is anything you can do to help eliminate wet areas outside it will be helpful in reducing the flies. If there are layers of thatch in the lawns this could be a breeding area, as is a thick layer of wet mulch over the soil. We love to cover dirt with other materials here in California, but this does tend to keep the soil damp and if it is leaves or bark that we use for that cover it also provides the food ingredients for the fly larvae. Exactly why the flies are choosing the entrance door for their hangout is hard to say, other than it may be a covered, shaded alcove that attracts them for a resting spot. Perhaps it also signals a source in that immediate area where the flies are breeding and the adult flies are emerging from. Fungus gnats are not particularly strong fliers, so they would look for resting places where there is not much wind. 
If the presence of these adult flies is particularly annoying to the employees or their clients at this building you could do some things to help reduce their numbers. You might apply a residual insecticide to the walls within that entry way, but this should be considered only as temporary relief. Fly problems are nearly always best approached by source management and eliminating the conditions that are creating the flies to begin with. Do an inspection of the exterior to note in writing all those things that should be addressed. If low areas allow water to settle they can be filled. If irrigation is excessive or sprinklers are not functioning properly that can be fixed. Any accumulations of plant debris should be removed. Anything that can be done to reduce standing moisture and remove food resources will help stop the production of the adult flies. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 17, 2012

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Mar 14, 2012 – Enemies of Ants

QUESTION:

What insect lays or injects eggs into ants?

ANSWER:

The insect that you may be thinking of is a tiny fly in the family Phoridae. We deal with phorid flies all the time, as nuisance flies that breed inside structures wherever they can find wet, decaying organic material, such as in a filthy drain or under a slab where plumbing has broken. But, consistent with the amazing diversity of the insect world, some species of Phorid flies are parasites on other insects, and several species pick on the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA). 

The female flies hover over active, above ground RIFA until they decide on a specific victim, and then the fly darts down and in a fraction of a second she uses here harpoon-like ovipositor to jam an egg into the ant. This momentarily stuns the ant, but it recovers and joins its group. The larva of the fly then develops for about 10 days in the thorax of the ant, which still is active in its colony, and then the fly larva moves into the ant’s head, kills the ant, and causes its head to fall off. The ant’s head is such a hard capsule that the fly pupa within is protected. Now that the ant is dead and in pieces other ant workers in the colony will remove it and toss it outside on the garbage heap, where the fly within is able to emerge as the adult fly without being exposed to ants within the colony. 
RIFA workers are well aware of these phorid flies, and when ants above ground detect the flies hovering over them it disrupts their normal foraging behavior so badly that they may pile on top of one another to escape the flies. This in turn may reduce the amount of food being returned to the RIFA colony and ultimately weaken that colony substantially. Phorid flies are being released as part of a biological control program for RIFA. While they do impact RIFA colonies the flies are not at this time considered to be so effective that they will eradicate or even substantially reduce the numbers of the ants. 
Another parasite of ants was recently discovered in tropical rainforests in Central and South America, and this is a nematode that manages to infect many species of ants. The effect on the ant that has the nematodes living inside is to develop an enlarged and bright red abdomen, which appears to resemble a ripe fruit. This resemblance then appears to attract birds that feed on the ants in the belief they are eating fruit. The nematodes are later excreted in the feces of the birds and once again ingested by ants that feed on the materials in the bird feces. This remarkable cycle of parasite, and, bird, and ant again was only recognized in 2005, so once again we find there is so much still to be discovered in the insect world. 
In North America we also know of many different kinds of insects that feed on the larvae of ants, but in a very sneaky way. They manage to live within the ant colony itself, somehow giving off pheromones that cause the ants to believe that this predator within is just one of their own, and the predator is not harmed and even may be fed by worker ants. Some of these predatory insects include tiny butterfly larvae and various kinds of beetles. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 16, 2012

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Mar 15, 2012 – One Group of Many Kinds

QUESTION:

What is a carpet beetle as opposed to the Varied carpet beetle?

ANSWER:

Carpet beetles are a group of small beetles in the family Dermestidae, and the ones that we call “carpet” beetles are usually in the genus Anthrenus. Within this genus there are a few species that have been given specific common names, and among these are the Varied and the Furniture carpet beetles. So, the Varied Carpet Beetle is just one species in this group, and the Latin name for it is Anthrenus verbasci. It is distinguished from the similar Furniture carpet beetle by taking a very close look at the back end where the wing covers come together. On the Varied the two wings join in a smooth transition whereas on the Furniture there is a small indented area at that junction, which we call a “V-shaped” notch. 

You can also tell the larvae apart very easily, and the larvae of all of these beetles are similar in appearance with their bodies densely covered with long brown hairs. On the Varied the back end (posterior) is much wider than the front, while on the Furniture the front end is much wider. On the Varied there also are several tufts of lighter colored hairs at the back end, and when the larvae is disturbed or poked it raises those tufts into the air a bit. Whether this is meant to just make it look a little larger or whether it results in the larvae giving off some bad odor I am not sure, but clearly it is a defensive behavior. 
It’s not all that important to identify the exact species of carpet beetle, since all of the Anthrenus feed on pretty much the same things. However, what they feed on varies considerably, and it may be animal materials or grain-based foods, such as dry pet foods or baked materials. The animal materials may be feathers, hair or hair products (wool, felt), or dead insect accumulations in the window sills. These beetles are part of Mother Nature’s recycling crew. By the way, they do not feed only on “carpets”, and in fact with wool carpets rare these days it is equally unlikely that a carpet is the source of the problem in a  home. Your inspection needs to determine what the source of the beetles is and that source must be eliminated or dealt with before you spray any insecticides. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 15, 2012

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Mar 12, 2012 – Are Doctors Entomologists?

QUESTION:

I was contacted today by a PMP asking if I’ve heard of a Dirt Mite and if so how to treat them. I suggested he collect a sample of the bug to properly identify what he’s needing to treat, however his customer’s doctor diagnosed the problem as Dirt Mites. Do Dirt Mites exist and if so what is the best method for treatment?


ANSWER:

Forgive my ever-growing cynicism Connie, but doctors appear to be the last people we want to take advice from on the topic of arthropods or pest management. They may be very knowledgeable on the topic of medicine but they really don’t have much knowledge on mites, bed bugs, spiders, and most other pest bugs, and I have seen horrid misidentifications by them on crab lice, scabies, and other lice. It would be unlikely that most doctors could look at a mite and properly identify it, much less provide a useful I.D. based upon the patient’s description of symptoms or other circumstances in their home. 

Without a doubt there are many species of mites that live in soil, but I suspect what this doctor was referring to was Dust Mites, and to call them “dirt” mites is very inaccurate. Without knowing what problems this person had that the doctor blamed on mites I would be unable to offer any suggestions as to what kinds of arthropods could be causing them. Dust mites really cause only one human health problem, and that is allergies and possible asthmatic symptoms. The various bits of materials associated with the mites – shed skins, feces – can trigger allergic responses in sensitive people. 
Treatment has almost nothing to do with pesticides or the PMP. Dust mites are most common in areas of high humidity, and in many dry areas of the country are almost non-existent. The internet is filled with websites that offer absolute horror stories about the unbelievable abundance of these mites in homes, mattresses, and pillows, and that is also my take on these website – NOT to be believed. If you read them carefully most are trying to sell something to unwary people, including one website that actually tries to sell an ultrasonic repelling device to rid the house of dust mites. Well, considering the fact that dust mites are microscopic and move hardly at all, it is unlikely that they would be able to scurry on out of the house even if these fraudulent devices actually repelled them. 
You can find a great deal of information on dealing with dust mites on university websites, which I believe will be responsible and factual places to look. Lowering humidity in the home is much of the control, along with very thorough cleaning and the use of a HEPA-filtered vacuum. But, it also would be, as you suggest, highly important to get an accurate identification of whatever may be present in this home, and if it is mites try to find someone who is qualified for the ID. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 14, 2012

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Mar 13, 2012 – Come By And We’ll Keep A Light On For Ya

QUESTION:

I am in East Texas and my customers are complaining of an extremely heavy infestation of mosquito hawks. While I know they are harmless they are driving people crazy and I do not know what to tell them about controlling this nuisance. If we use pyrethroids to spray patio walls, window frames, patios, etc., will it do any good. There are no standing water places in any of the yards that we know of.

ANSWER:

These may be some of the most misunderstood of all insects. Somewhere somehow nearly all school children learned that these large Crane Flies in the family Tipulidae “eat mosquitoes”, and thus their popular names of mosquito hawks and skeeter eaters. The fact is that they do NOT eat mosquitoes or any other insect and most of the adults of the large species do not feed at all, having mouthparts that are not functional. They do, however, fly very well and are attracted to lights at night, often entering homes when the front door is opened and they sneak on in. This is probably the basis of control for these harmless and beneficial creatures – turn off the porch lights during the season when they are out and about, change the lights to yellow bulbs to attract less of them, or be careful to keep doors and windows closed. The occasional crane fly that gets into the house could be removed with a vacuum cleaner. 

I know people too who just get the heebie jeebies when they see these flies, which look like enormous mosquitoes. There is just something about bugs with legs that long that scares people, a testament to the rampant ignorance and intolerance so many people have about bugs. But, that is what keeps us in business I suppose. Yes, I believe you could spray over the walls where these insects gather at night by lights and kill many of the ones that rest on that surface. I just think this is an over-use of our toxic materials, and it’s really unnecessary to kill them. Spraying all over patios and decks would probably do a lot less than treating just the areas by lights where the flies will land and stay. Better perhaps would be to do your best to educate your customers not only to tolerate them but to appreciate them for their role in nature. Except for the European Crane Fly, which is in the upper Northwest of the U.S. only and which feeds on turf, the larvae of these insects are important decomposers in Nature. They feed on decaying plant materials and help with the recycling effort to return plant materials to the soil as nutrients. 
Preventing these flies may be impossible, other than to eliminate breeding sites on your customers’ properties. The larvae will be found in any moist situation where fallen leaves are available, including wooded areas, banks of waterways, and open fields and pastures. You would have not control over these areas and could not affect the larvae living there, nor should you. If your customers have compost piles or thick layers of mulch in their yards this could be turned or removed to dry out the soil below. Of course, the larvae of the crane flies, often called “leather jackets”, are part of the composting process. Anything they can do on their own property to eliminate piles of decaying material or old, rotting logs will reduce the larvae close to their homes. But, if they have natural areas around them the flies will be present and they will come if the lights are left on for them. 
This is generally a seasonal thing, with the adult flies most common in the early spring after the winter rains. I believe Texas has had a lot of rain this season, so this is going to produce a lot more of the conditions these flies need to develop in. Managing exterior lights and keeping doors closed is probably a much more environmentally responsible approach than trying to kill them all with insecticides, so hopefully you can convince many of your customers to go that direction. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 13, 2012

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Mar 13, 2012 – If It Can’t Stand The Heat, Stay Out Of Arizona

QUESTION:

Could you recommend an insecticide that I can mix in a spray tank which will hold up in the intense heat here in Arizona, and which would also be safe to use for the operator and around homes? I have tried many different products and have come up with mixed results. I am primarily targeting scorpions, earwigs, crickets and springtails. I understand that products with a low vapor pressure hold up better in the heat.

ANSWER:

It’s tough to offer choices that may not meet the expectations of the end user. If you are looking for an active ingredient or a formulation that is going to last the entire time between monthly or quarterly services then it is not likely to happen. Heat in particular is going to be the enemy of synthetic molecules, and the active ingredient exposed to the high AZ temperatures is going to break apart much more quickly than the same a.i. used in a cooler area. At a seminar a few years ago one of our respected university research consultants made the statement that to expect ANY pyrethroid active ingredient to hold up more than a couple of weeks is probably unrealistic. We do hear conflicting opinions on this from the manufacturers, who may promise months of residual from their products, but we need to balance that opinion with those from unbiased experts. 

I tend to believe that two formulations offer you the longest residual. One of these is granules, which release the active ingredient more slowly and may offer the active ingredient molecules some protection from the environmental conditions. The other formulation is the microencapsulated products, where the active ingredient is essentially contained within the microscopic porous capsules, and released more slowly to the environment or onto the bug. Being within the capsule helps to protect the a.i. from water as well, and you probably do get the extended residual, although now we may be talking about a couple of weeks longer. 
Microencapsulated formulations (we’ll abbreviate it CS) offer a number of other benefits that fit nicely into your ideal product. Again, they would be highly unlikely to last from one service to the next, but at least you get a longer residual. The kind of surface you apply insecticides to will also dramatically affect the ability of the product to kill the pests. Porous surfaces like wood or concrete may soak up your spray and keep it from contacting the passing bug. CS products may be more likely to have the capsules resting on the surface where they then latch onto the passing bug and are carried on the bug while the a.i. oozes out and through its exoskeleton. Ideally you apply the product (any product) directly into the harborage sites of the pest, giving you the longest contact time between bug and active ingredient. For fast-moving critters like scorpions you just may not get the contact time needed if all you do is spray around the foundation. 
As far as the question of safety to you and your customers, I firmly believe that any of the products currently on the market can be used with no risk to people or pets if they are used according to the label and you wear the appropriate safety equipment. We have moved away from the more toxic organophosphates and to the much less toxic pyrethroids and newer chemical families, and we are using these current products at much lower concentrations than we did the old materials. However, no matter what product you use, including all those natural plant-based products, if you do not follow the label directions and do not wear PPE and over-apply or apply to places not needed – now you create the scenario where problems may occur. I know that is talking around your question, but I believe it is the truth. Back to the microencapsulated products a moment – these formulations generally have a MUCH lower relative toxicity than the same active ingredient in a traditional liquid formulation, so they would again be a good choice in the area of “safety”. 
As far as the question on vapor pressure, this is a measure of how rapidly a substance converts to the vapor stage where it can drift away. The vapor pressure of our insecticides is pretty darned low, so volatility and loss to vapors would generally be a non-issue. The products that have a high vapor pressure are the fumigants, including vapona, although it’s vapor pressure is very low for a fumigant, and herbicides like 2,4-D, which definitely vaporize in hot weather and easily drift off-site. However, yes, products with the lowest vapor pressures are least likely to be lost as vapors during hot weather. 
All of these factors demonstrate the strong need for IPM for control of invading pests such as the ones you mention. Springtails rely on moisture, so discovering the moisture sources that support them and correcting that contributing condition will greatly reduce your reliance on insecticides. Scorpions, earwigs, and crickets are nocturnal, and hide all day under things on the soil. Removing these harborage opportunities reduces the populations of the bugs on the property, without having to spray in an effort to kill them all. A strong effort at exclusion (and you should charge the customer to provide this service) will keep these bugs out of the home, which is the primary goal, and again reduce the reliance on chemicals to do it all. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 13, 2012

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Mar 10, 2012 – It’s All About Perception

QUESTION:

Do homeowners know that most of our chemical products are available for sale on eBay, other online, and perhaps local stores? I think some people assume PMPs use extra strong chemicals that are not available to them, and the line between home improvement store stuff and ‘professional grade’ stuff is created in their minds. Do you think many pest control customers would be interested in doing their own pest control with a bottle of chemical and a little cheap spray tank? I have been thinking about what it is that is generally sold with a pest control service, and I believe the more into pest control I get the more I understand the value of knowing particular things about insect biology/habits, products, and other factors of pest control. How would you propose pitching pest control to someone who found out that the product(s) they thought were restricted to PMP buyers are available at a number of Do It Yourself Pest Control stores? I feel that some of my customers would strongly consider dropping my service as a PMP if they felt they could just buy a bottle of stuff and do it themselves without hiring a pro. I compare it to someone maintaining chemical balance & cleanliness in a swimming pool. Most the chemicals might be easy to get at a local pool store, but for some people it’s simply a luxury to have it taken care of by a hired professional company/firm. Why do you think more people don’t do pest control themselves? I know you have been in the pest control industry for a number of years and probably have been experienced as a technician, along with other areas of the industry such as the Univar Q&A section.


ANSWER:

Thank you for this question Christopher. Have you ever had one of those “Ah HAH!” moments when the little light in your head finally blinked on? Well, your comments just did that to me, and this is an nice addendum to a previous question this week. What is it that sets the licensed, trained professional apart from the DIY homeowner, and that is what we’ll discuss. First, yes, I am acutely aware that anyone can buy anything on the internet these days. The DIY pest control supplies vendors have access to every product, including all of those whose Labels state “for sale to and use by ONLY licensed professionals”, or some wording to that effect. Clearly this is a statement by the manufacturer that they do not want that product sold to untrained individuals who are unlikely to use it responsibly. But, the EPA has chosen not to enforce that wording as legally binding, so these products end up in the hands of homeowners. 

I can understand the desire of many people to do it themselves. My wife maintains our pool, and does a perfect job of testing the water and adding chemicals as needed to keep the proper pH and chlorine balance. I myself feel handy enough to do my own plumbing, electrical, and carpentry, and I would not want to see all of those products taken off the homeowner market and sold only to licensed professionals. In the same light many homeowners think they are perfectly suited to buying some pest control juice at the store and killing their own bugs themselves, and here is where my little light of understanding came on. Why is it that a homeowner would call YOU to do the pest control for him or her? One reason likely is that bugs are icky, and many people simply do not want to get anywhere near the bug. This is good news for us, with this lack of tolerance Americans have for creatures with more than 4 legs. 
But, the customer of a pest control service who watches the technician do nothing more than dump some chemical in his tank and walk around the house spraying the foundation and eaves just has to have the impression of “well, how tough could that be?” That technician has not established himself as anything more than The Spray Guy, and yet you and I and most people in our industry recognize that there is a LOT more to doing effective, responsible, and safe pest management than just spraying chemicals. It’s the old story of the man who charged $10,000 to repair a large computer system and then did nothing more than kick one corner of the equipment. When asked how he justified charging so much for just kicking it he responded that $5 was for the time it took to kick it and the other $9,995 was for knowing WHERE to kick it. 
Yes, I believe that many of your customers will be tempted to try it themselves if they believe that pesticides are the total answer and they don’t have to know anything else. But, if the technician is a true, educated professional he is going to set the expectations for that customer on the first visit and every visit thereafter. Part of the problem also is marketing by retail pesticide sellers, such as the use of “bug bombs” in a home. Advertising tells the homeowner that these aerosols are all they ever need, and we can help educate our customers to better understand why that isn’t so. 
How many of your customers are going to attend many hours of Continuing Education training every year, to learn how to identify the bugs, weeds, and rodents and to learn about their biology and habits and little facts of their behavior that are important to managing them properly? None will. You attend these training courses because YOU understand that knowing everything you can about The Common Bed Bug is necessary if you expect to eliminate it from a home. You learn to distinguish the “pest” organisms from those that are beneficial or insignificant, so that you avoid using excessive pesticide in an effort to kill all living creatures on the property. You spend the extra money on safety equipment because you are aware of the nature of the products you use and the need to avoid exposure. 
I believe this is your answer. When you first meet the customer spend time talking with him / her about what you plan to accomplish on their property to relieve them of a pest problem that is intolerable to them. You discuss contributing conditions because you know what brings the pest to the property and allows it to get into the home. You discuss the non-chemical options as well as the chemical. You discuss why you plan to use pesticides and why this is okay to do without posing a risk to anyone or anything. You offer the customer choices, such as Green Pest Management or the use of only Natural materials if that is what they want. You make it clear to them that applying pesticides is just one small part of what you do to provide safe and effective pest control. You might even toss in a gentle reminder to them of the hazards of living with those pests – rodents gnawing on electrical wires, mosquitoes spreading West Nile Virus, allergic responses to ladybugs, filth carried by flies and roaches. All of this shows your intimate knowledge of your occupation, and I believe they respond by wanting you to take care of things for them. 

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Pest QuestionsMarch 12, 2012

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