From the category archives:

Tales from the route

Thumbnail image for The Unknown Comic Of Bee Work

The Unknown Comic Of Bee Work

I’m not sure why but early in my career I was the one always called out for the biggest, nastiest bee jobs. Maybe it was because I wasn’t afraid of heights or perhaps I was just too stupid to realize the danger involved. In those days protective gear consisted of coveralls and maybe a bandanna [...]

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Thumbnail image for A Pest Tech in Shining Armor

A Pest Tech in Shining Armor

Like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie I pushed the door open ever so slowly with the only body part sticking out was my eye. The kitchen was clean and orderly with nothing out of place and no hairy beast pounced out of nowhere to confirm my worst fears. Tim was standing at the [...]

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Thumbnail image for Who Got Stuck With This Rat?

Who Got Stuck With This Rat?

Before the days of cell phones, computers and fancy sophisticated equipment the pest control industry seemed to get along just fine. Still, the trade marched on with every new innovation and some worked while others fell into obscurity. I must say, with just the advent of the simple beeper device our service did speed up [...]

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Thumbnail image for Two Winters Too Cold For a Jacket-Winter # 2

Two Winters Too Cold For a Jacket-Winter # 2

In an earlier article I wrote about the cold realities of the working world of pest control and two of the worst winters in my career. Actually I delivered #1 and only promised the 2nd. This is that story. Starting a new job is usually a good thing-fresh beginning, new start and a chance to [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Saddest Termite Job I Ever Sold & The Smile Of A Mad Man

The Saddest Termite Job I Ever Sold & The Smile Of A Mad Man

It’s amazing how I could go from a top salesman one month and find myself scraping bottom over the next 30 day stretch. My downward spiral in sales would be unacceptable anywhere else but might have been understandable in this case since I just had the rug pulled out from under my feet by a [...]

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Thumbnail image for Two Winters Too Cold For a Jacket-Winter # 1

Two Winters Too Cold For a Jacket-Winter # 1

At one point in my career I came within a whisker of quitting pest control altogether. What started out as such an adventure and my ‘high calling’ had suddenly turned into this free fall of one bad experience after another. In the space of just about a year and a half I went from National [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Hollow Mansions On 39th part two

The Hollow Mansions On 39th part two

As with any mega pest control company the service contract was monthly for a year whether you needed it or not. In this time I came to know Dr. Muriez a little better but there was always a line I could not cross. She looked forward to my visits and was always ready with another [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Hollow Mansions On 39th

The Hollow Mansions On 39th

Pulling into the brick driveway so beautifully outlined with mature green hedges and flowers at their feet it’s hard to imagine that just seconds ago I was on one of the busiest streets in Baltimore. I’m sure the builder didn’t envision this stately structure would have much more traffic than the occasional chauffeur driven Rolls [...]

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The Law And Order Of Termite Sales

A favorite show of mine is Law and Order. I’m amazed how they figure stuff out and are pit-bulls for the truth as the drama builds. The cops aren’t fooled by lying witnesses and the attorneys almost always get them to crack even though they try so hard to wriggle out of their cross examination. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Ode To Chrissy, Women In Pest Control

Ode To Chrissy, Women In Pest Control

I was fortunate in my career that for the first 3 months I did nothing but train. It wasn’t that this was standard protocol mind you, the branch that hired me just had some difficulty finding ‘just cause‘ to fire the man I was to replace. (political correctness run amuck you might say) So train [...]

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Thumbnail image for What’s The Grossest Thing You’ve Ever Seen In Pest Control?

What’s The Grossest Thing You’ve Ever Seen In Pest Control?

So my son and I were sitting around talking about things I’ve seen in my career. He’s worked with me a for awhile and on any normal day you can be treated to some really wild things. The conversation eventually turned to what was the GROSSEST thing I’ve ever seen and that kind of took [...]

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Thumbnail image for My big mouth and termite work from hell

My big mouth and termite work from hell

I’m a glutton for punishment and as a salesman I could never shut my mouth when it came to the words-”Ok we’ll do it”. Problem was, it wasn’t me being punished so much as the poor techs that had to go out and ‘deliver’ on MY PROMISES. As a tech myself I hated when salesman [...]

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Thumbnail image for My broken ankle, my unbreakable wife and my fragile business

My broken ankle, my unbreakable wife and my fragile business

Struggling to start a new business is tough in any economic climate. Do it when times are bad and the competition is out there clawing and climbing all over you just to get that all important client before you do. Do it when things are good and hesitant entrepreneurs suddenly lose their shyness and companies [...]

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Thumbnail image for Could you still do pest control if bugs were cute as puppies?

Could you still do pest control if bugs were cute as puppies?

Tonight I had my monthly night run and one stop was a large nursing home kitchen where I recently had to set out some mouse control stations. The ladies hated it the other day when I broke out the glue boards and snap traps. “So cute, don’t kill em” they all retorted with a sorrowful [...]

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Thumbnail image for The worst roach job I’ve ever seen Part 3 The Show is Canceled The Matrix was Betrayed

The worst roach job I’ve ever seen Part 3 The Show is Canceled The Matrix was Betrayed

I’m not one for taking breaks when I work cause I like to just get in and get the job done. I’m famous for woofing my lunch down on the road, working in the pouring rain and don’t even think about calling me during a job. Somehow in this case I decided to take a [...]

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