Are Trappers Unfairly Limited?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

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 from the seemingly harmless like not having proper paperwork but go all the way up to things like performing pest control without a license. Penalties also vary and can be as mild as a warning letter or as final as a cease and desist order. There is however a violation that has come to my attention a few more times lately than I remember in the past & it involves our friends the trappers. That is unlicensed pest control operations and my question is. Can there be exceptions to the rule and is this even fair?
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Termites In My Brick House? No Way

Posted on September 15, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

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 wasting my time -to- Ha! Go ahead and try, you won’t find any termites here.” Of course I’ve seen that look change so many times from confidence to disbelief and finally shock when they hear what the cost will be to treat this, their impenetrable home.
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Should Terminix Do A Class Action Suit Against Its Employees?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

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 with the part of this industry I admire the most, – the tech. Since lawyers, legal speak and errant websites abound it was difficult finding hard facts so I’m afraid all I can offer is my opinion. Based on what I know from my 27 years in the industry, owning a company and having been in the SAME shoes those techs involed in this are, let’s just say- If you are a California Terminix employee you may not enjoy this article – OR (& I hope this is the case) you will set me straight on some things as you see it that I could not find or know. Either way I welcome yours or anyones opinion on this subject who has the same or another view.
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Ironies & Oddities And The Veterans Of Pest Control

Posted on September 8, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

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 makes me say wow. A good portion of these ironies & oddities are negative in nature I’m sad to say. The irony of a God Fearing person who quotes scripture to me one day and skips out on the bill the next, a tongue lashing from a pregnant woman who says I’m killing her baby and then steps outside to smoke a cigarette, to the number of customers that leave windows and doors open to the world and become very upset when they find a bug inside. That is a part I’m not real fond of but since there seems to be little I can do about it, I think I’d rather spend my time on the not so negative for a change.
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Advice From Two Seasoned Pest Pros To You Who Are Just Starting Out

Posted on September 6, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

I try very hard not to reinvent the wheel which means I’ll take advice from anybody who has a successful track record. Small operators or techs who have been around for awhile are some of the wells of knowledge I go to most often and I’m rarely disappointed. No, they’re not multi national or even million dollar gurus but who better to have in your foxhole when the odds are against you? There have been two local leaders in my pest control community that have made it possible for me to be writing this at all to you today. Two gentlemen that who probably haven’t given me much of a thought over the years but who I owe a great deal of gratitude. Two, who are shining examples of the professional whose made it through the woods and who you should listen to when you are just starting out.
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Posted in The Business Of Pest Control | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

The Tornado Of Pests In Your Bathroom & How They Gain Access

Posted on September 2, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

In case of bad weather it’s a common practice to seek shelter in the bathroom of your home. I’m sure there are several good reasons and it must work because so many of the news reports I’ve seen are where folks survived violent storms tucked away in this small room. Often the scene is that most of the home is blown away but the bathroom remained somewhat in tact as the people recall their harrowing ordeal and how they were kept safe by this one purpose room of the home.
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How Much Pest Control Do You Let Your Customers Do?

Posted on August 31, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Recently on a trip to the Pacific Northwest I was reminded of a service that I thought had gone by the wayside and I just took for granted that it was now my lifelong task. I pulled into a gas station and before I could unbuckle my seat belt there was a man at my window peering in at me. I was of course startled and he obviously wanted something from me so I nervously rolled down the window not sure what he would say.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out I wasn’t being car jacked & all he wanted was to pump my gas but still it raised some questions. At first I still wanted to pump my own gas thinking this guy was gonna charge me extra. I thought about going to another station but he told me it was the law in Oregon and when I saw another car also being serviced by an attendant- I relaxed and let him do his job but still I had questions and as always- they came back to pest control. (it must’ve been the fumes)
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Pest Control In Alaska

Posted on August 29, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

What’s the one place if asked you’d say pest control really isn’t needed? Well, if you’re like me you might say that Alaska with it’s harsh conditions would be a place where a bug truck would never go but you’d be wrong. (I was right there with you so don’t feel bad) I mean, sub freezing temperatures for months at a time-endless dark nights and never a day where you have zero snow. When I did pest control in Baltimore we looked forward to the first frost because it would put the bug population down like no sprayer ever could but to have it be such a constant factor? Seems to me it would put any bug business out of business in short order. Truth is, pest control is alive and well and a much needed service. Recently I had a chance to interview an influential leader of the State and I was amazed at just how much pest control there is in this frozen land. Kenneth Perry is the General Manager of Alaska’s oldest pest control company and I thank him for taking time out to answer a few questions. I have a new prospective and admiration for our tech brethren and the job they do- Pest Control On Top Of The World
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Posted in Choosing a pest control company | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Two Winters Too Cold For a Jacket-Winter # 1

Posted on August 22, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

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 Account/Commercial sales to a tech without enough route work leaving me no choice but to knock doors in the dead of winter. Actually now that I think of it, with the timing of things it turned out to be two harsh cold winters that I spent almost begging for work. (ugh-this article just got more depressing for me to recall) This is the first terrible winter.
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Posted in In my opinion, Tales from the route | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Handyman Effect – I Named It You Solve It

Posted on August 20, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Jerry, I’ve got my plumber in today and he’s looking up under dishwashing rack and says you need to bait up there. It’s the worst he’s seen in awhile. Can you get out here today?

Hey Stu, my electrician said I have 30 or 40 thousand brown recluse up in the attic and you need to get out here NOW.

Keith, my handyman noticed sawdust where he’s working-what kind of termite damage guarantee do I have with you again?
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Posted in In my opinion | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Undercover Pest Control Stings-Have You Ever Been Set Up?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

I’m pretty sure I’m not any more paranoid then the next guy, you know, the one over there who’s been following my every move for the last hour. So I’m sure I just imagined all those times that the customer dropped that $10.00 bill behind the dryer or that folded up piece of cardboard really is to help keep the closet door shut and not alert anyone the doors been opened. I mean what would anybody have to gain by setting me up? They would never want me to get in any kind of trouble would they? Whenever this happens I never know if I’m just being insecure or if my client is suspicious of me for some reason. 9 times out of 10 when I hand them their money I found it’s almost always met with a chuckle as they exclaim “that darn husband of mine is always dropping money.” It’s then I realize they didn’t even think twice about anything nefarious. People by in large are trusting souls and I’m proud to say that all the pest control technicians I know, for the most part are also worthy of that trust.

After 27 years of pest control service I think I’ve had just about every scenario of this happen. I’ve found lost jewelry, wallets, papers, money and on and on. But I must say, I don’t believe I’ve ever been ‘set-up’ to test my integrity on physical items per se. I have however been set up without a doubt in major sting operations by crafty conniving clients who in their own conceits wanted me to fall for way more than $10 bucks.
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The Smokybrown Cockroach

Posted on August 16, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

The smokybrown roach gets its name from its uniform brown to mahogany color. This roach is also called a woods roach or water bug and very often confused with its cousin the American roach because of their similar size. Smokybrown roaches are very good fliers and although not considered quite the pest as some other roaches, populations still build up significantly where conditions are right. Moving inside an unsealed building is not a problem for this agile insect.
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Why Can’t You Kill The Nit Niche King?

Posted on August 13, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

There is a pest control job that I’m sure no mega pest control operation would ever consider adding to their resume regardless of the profit margin. That would be hand picking nits and lice out of a clients hair.Eeeccck! In fact, I don’t know any small operations that would be too eager to start a route of nit picking either. It’s a jungle out there in the pest control world but as weird as it is, this is about the only true niche I’ve seen that would guarantee you exclusivity in your town. If you follow the link you see there is at least one man who aims to take advantage of this obscure service. In reality, there are very few category edges the small operator can take advantage of to ward off the competition, especially the large pest control companies. So how do we survive?
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Rat Tales

Posted on August 11, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

By Jimmy Loulegend
Let me preface this with a bit of a qualifier: I loved the movie “The Secret of NIMH” when I was kid. I grew up thinking rats were relatively-benevolent, highly-intelligent creatures. That being said; I grew up in the suburbs. Rats weren’t a big problem on my cul-de-sac. But when I was 19, after a misguided plan to “take a year off school,” I got a job at a local bistro downtown washing dishes. I lived a couple blocks from the restaurant in a ramshackle rental property in a “transitional neighborhood.” I’m not sure what it was transitioning from or to, but I liked the idea of paying my own bills, and playing my music as loud as I wanted when I wanted. I know, that old chestnut, but those are mighty powerful motivators before hitting your third decade.
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Posted in Rats and Mice | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Is Your Smart Phone The Dumbest Thing For Your Pest Control Service?

Posted on August 9, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Does anybody remember just how we managed to get along before there were cell phones? Sifting through the trash on the floor boards of our bug trucks looking for .25 cents to use a pay phone. Planning our stops so we could swing into the local Quick Stop convenience store where there always seemed to be a phone booth. Some of us were even so bold as to actually ask the customer to use their home phone to call our next client or the office. How did we ever get by?
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Posted in In my opinion | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments