Thumbnail image for Handling A HUGE Yellow Jacket Nest

Handling A HUGE Yellow Jacket Nest

Not to brag or anything but in almost 27 years of pest control I’ve only been stung by ‘stinging pests’ 6 or 7 times. Of those times 2 were by bees, one by a bald faced hornet (MAN DID THAT HURT) and the rest were yellow jackets. One of those times I was excavating an [...]

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Thumbnail image for A Commercial Sales Strategy You Can’t Live With Or Without

A Commercial Sales Strategy You Can’t Live With Or Without

It was the beginning of a new new month in the dead of winter and my first day as a commercial representative. I sat in my same desk as I always had but today I wore an suit tie. The ‘boys’ were a bit perplexed and were wondering what I was up to, they cracked [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Oz Effect In Pest control

The Oz Effect In Pest control

An intelligence test sometimes shows a man how smart he would have been not to have taken it. Laurence J. Peter I think sometimes we put to much stock into really smart people. We think just because ‘they’ said it, they surely have considered all the options, weighed the pros and cons and we have [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Common House Spider

The Common House Spider

Common house spiders (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) are also known as American house spider or more commonly as just a ‘house’ spider. While there are many spiders you can find inside a home, many of those may or may not always want to be there. This arachnid actually prefers to live near to or in a humans [...]

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IPM Aka

In the early days of what we might call “modern pest control”, thoroughness of coverage was the key. The average flea job took an entire gallon of mix (usually Ficam W). Any less and the boss would frown at your lack of efficiency and you were all but guaranteed an unscheduled retreat. Termite work was [...]

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Thumbnail image for Scorpion Killer

Scorpion Killer

When you think of scorpion facts I believe most people think there are just one, maybe two kinds of scorpions in the world, always located in a desert and that the scorpions sting is absolutely deadly bar none. Actually there are many different species of scorpions in the world (about 2000) and only one group [...]

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Thumbnail image for Sand Bags, Shell Games And Successful Pest Control Sales

Sand Bags, Shell Games And Successful Pest Control Sales

Pest control sales can be a pretty sweet gig when things are rolling. Nobody questions you about your daily activity, the boss is fairly happy to see you and as long as numbers are adding up in the positive realm you can just about come and go as you please. Have a day or two [...]

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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 Many Aspects Of The Termite Booster Shot

The Many Aspects Of The Termite Booster Shot

Booster- a happy sounding word that was no doubt coined to inspire confidence or give a ray of hope when customers were looking for success in the face of failure. As long as there’s been termite work there has always been the booster. The booster was really just a retreat that in some cases was [...]

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Thumbnail image for Paper Or Plastic – German Roaches & The Brown Bag Effect

Paper Or Plastic – German Roaches & The Brown Bag Effect

Those of us who’ve been around for awhile can tell you that the phrase “paper or plastic” was one of the most welcome sayings in pest controls history. At least when it comes to german roaches that is. ‘Recyclable’ brown paper bags were the mainstay of carting groceries for years and these semi durable cartons [...]

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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 Are Trappers Unfairly Limited?

Are Trappers Unfairly Limited?

Every three months the licensed pest control firms in Florida get a report from the state listing all the violations and those who committed them for that quarter. It’s a public list and one that I hope I’m never on. Many of the infractions seem ticky tacky but I understand rules are rules. Violations range [...]

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Thumbnail image for Termites In My Brick House? No Way

Termites In My Brick House? No Way

It’s a phrase that’s been repeated thousands of times throughout my career. “You won’t find any termites in my home! My house is made out of bricks!” I hear this most often from over confident homeowners who are selling their homes. They greet me at the door with a look that’s a cross between ‘You’re [...]

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Thumbnail image for Should Terminix Do A Class Action Suit Against Its Employees?

Should Terminix Do A Class Action Suit Against Its Employees?

Since I received this story from a loyal reader I have tried diligently to figure out some in’s and outs so that this article would be fair and unbiased. To be honest, I haven’t found much of anything that supports my initial belief and inclination which was to rag on the ‘mega corp’ while siding [...]

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Thumbnail image for Ironies & Oddities And The Veterans Of Pest Control

Ironies & Oddities And The Veterans Of Pest Control

Do any job long enough and you’re bound to see some really off the wall things somewhere down the line. I’ve been doing pest control for 27 years and hardly a day goes by where I don’t do a double take at something that gets me scratching my head or just drops my jaw and [...]

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