What The Customer Hears Can Cost You

Posted on April 11, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Do anything long enough and you can almost go on an auto pilot mode and things just always seem to go as expected. You’ve got your little system that works for you and methods that work well on the pests of your area. You can get pretty comfortable in a route with smiling happy people that have no problems but the curve balls always seem to come with new customers or even those that have been around awhile that suddenly have an outbreak of pests. Now you have to communicate and explain to clients just what you’re doing and in most cases- WHY– it won’t work over night. This in my experience is where problems come in and all the obvious answers in the world just don’t seem to help.
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Posted in In my opinion, The Business Of Pest Control | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Termite Fallout In Your Bomb Shelter

Posted on April 9, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

If you want to make a termite treater mad- sell a full drill termite job on a home that has a bomb shelter. The two foot thick walls and reinforced concrete make for a lovely morning and afternoon and evening 🙂 I was never on any of the techs Christmas card lists anyway and promising work inside one of these rooms definitely didn’t help.

In Florida our water table is pretty high but oddly enough I’ve found several shelters. In the north east where I worked for years they were more common place. Originally these protective rooms were for nuclear fallout during the cold war and many homes at the time were built with the room designed right in them. Those weren’t so bad and were not often any contributing factor to a home and it’s termites. Most of the problems were with rooms that were ‘retro-fitted’ after the the home was built and the worst was those built by the homeowners themselves.
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4 Cool Insect Videos

Posted on April 7, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Insect videos are fascinating to watch and you can learn so much about the tiny civilizations that we walk by every single day but never take the time to bend down and look. In today’s world we’re much more sophisticated but even 50 years ago mankind was enthralled with the world of insects and captured their activity, amazing feats and uncovered amazing secrets we might never have known without taking the time to point a camera and letting insects display what goes on in their wonderful world.
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The Dangerous Myth Of Mothballs

Posted on March 30, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

When you think of mothballs do you associate them with pesticides or more of a harmless home remedy that gets rid of just about any unwanted creature you could imagine? I’m thinking most of you feel this pearly white marble or flaked product must be as harmless as dishwashing soap because I see it used in some of the craziest ways. From whole boxes dumped into fireplaces to keep the chimney pest free, to hundreds of little white marbles encircling a house to stop unwanted snakes. What duct tape is to the husband who insists on fixing any household item on his own, mothballs are to that same DIY who has ANY kind of pest control issue.

Mothballs are a pesticide no ifs, ands or buts! Naphthalene is an active ingredient that is commonly used in mothballs and paradichlorobenzene is the other. Both are used in high concentrations in the making of mothball products. Let’s take a minute and see what these chemicals are;
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The Formosan ‘aka’ Super Termite

Posted on March 26, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Did you know there are an estimated 4000 different species of termites world wide. Different ones have adapted to life in their area of the world and each can pose a real problem due to their different preferences, abilities or places they choose to live. Some live exclusively above ground and need very little moisture while others depend on high moisture content and to get it will build their nest very close to a water supply like boat docks. Fortunately these specialized insects stay for the most part in their neck of the woods but over time their swarms or our commerce can take them to new areas and such is the case with the formosan termite also known as the ‘super termite.’ Be sure to check out the video below of what I found.
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The Termite Pretreat Post Test

Posted on March 23, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

The housing boom was great wasn’t it? In my town during that time we tripped over new customers almost everyday. New homes and communities sprouted up where cows and horses once happily grazed. Older homes got major up grades, palatial estates were suddenly the norm of those with even modest incomes and the art of house flipping caught on like the beanie baby craze. Builders, realtors and any business sector that had anything to do with housing thrived and grew with ease. People hardly argued over the price of things and almost as a matter of pride they seemed like they wanted to spend more.

This mini golden era wasn’t lost on the pest control industry either. Besides all the new pest control work, wdo/wdi inspectors did very well and pretreat work practically built 3 companies just in my small town alone. Literally a $0 dollar start up got up to and sold for a cool 1 million just five years after opening their doors almost all on pretreats. (just about the time their warranties ran out, hmmm- but I digress)
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The Cobbler Has Holes In His Shoes-The Pest Man Has No Clothes

Posted on March 18, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Ever here that old saying? I kind of made up the second part. What about the contractors wife whose house is 1/2 built? Just the other day I was in my annual CEU class and heard a statistic that really floored me. The speaker wouldn’t identify the company but they were one of the big players in the Northeast for bed bug control. He said that 80% of the bed bug technicians had bedbug infestations in their home! AHHHHHHH!
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The Three Faces Of A Termite Salesman

Posted on March 16, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Mrs. Emory sits in her kitchen anxiously awaiting the first of three pest control representatives she called. She’s anxious because in her living room are tens of thousands of swarming bugs. She has no idea of what they are or how they got in. What started with just a few moth like creatures fluttering about the front window quickly turned into the room filling up an endless mass of wings and tiny creatures that seem to have no end.

Now Mrs. Emory is a seasoned citizen and has seen her share of life’s surprises but even the most grizzled person can quickly become unsettled when a swarm of winged six legged insects suddenly takes over everything and you are helpless to stop them.The house has been checked each year for awhile but her husband handled everything to do with the home and she was at a loss of what to do. Having been on her own now for just about a year it was at a times like this she really missed having her husband there to help her in terrible situations like this. “Is it termites? Am I losing my home? How did this happen?” are just a few thoughts that race through her mind. Although extremely worried she remembered how her husband insisted on at least three estimates whenever they had work done at their home. She made five calls but only three companies could come out that day- she hopes she can make the right decision.
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Posted in Choosing a pest control company | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Pesticides In The Home- 20 Years After Treatment?

Posted on March 14, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Have you ever used the Ask The Bug Doctor feature to this web site? Many people do every month not only from America but around the world. However; Where does the Bug Doctor go when he has a question? Hopefully it doesn’t shock you that I need help from time to time on identifying insects, chemical questions or just some keen insight from the many pros I’ve come to know from around the web. One such source I have is Mr. Pest Control who is a pest control expert that fields pest control professionals questions. The following is a burning query I had which was way over my pay grade but I thought might interest you. I’ve not changed anything and have provided the links you’ll need if you decide to look at the materials yourself.
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The Hollow Mansions On 39th part two

Posted on March 11, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

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 story of her experiences around the world. But there was always a sadness, a lonely empty void that in her broken english she couldn’t explain or I couldn’t understand. She never talked of family much and love was something I imagine had escaped her all her life or maybe she just shut out. It was never more obvious then when we walked up the stairs to treat the upper floors of her large and impressive home. With each step upwards her fond recollections and vivid memories grew colder and quiet. By the time we’d reach the hall and it’s many doors the only sound was that of our hollow foot steps on the once polished and well traveled floors.

This is part two of a true tales from the route and that of a fine but very sad woman who I still think of almost 30 years later. To read part one and catch up on some details please follow this link. To hear the conclusion and find out why one account still sticks with me to this day….. read on.
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High Priced & Useless Termite Tools- Listening & Sniffing Device

Posted on March 9, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Continuing with our series on expensive termite tools that may not be worth all what you pay for, I want to share with you two more. As with the others in my tool box I don’t completely discount these nor am I trying to dissuade you from having them. It’s just an honest look at a few weapons against termites that you’ll see advertised as fool proof detection miracles that truthfully, are anything but.
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For The Place Whereon Thou Standest Is Holy Ground

Posted on March 8, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Let me ask you a serious question- Do you respect your customers home? I mean if you broke something would you insist on paying for it-would you even speak up? Do you burn through the place with little or no regard as to how, where or why you are treating? Does this clients home mean anything whatsoever to you or is it just another account which needs to be put in your rear view mirror quickly so you can get done with your day and get to what’s most important- YOU.

Hey I don’t mean to be rude here but there is something I see in pest control all the time which not only raises my eyebrow but can quickly (I mean QUICKLY) infuriate your customer and at times can completely discredit you, your service and your company and there is just about zero you can do about it once it’s taken place. How do I know about this? I’ve gotten the calls and each time I do I want to just jump through my skin.
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High Priced Useless Termite Detection Tools-Moisture Meter

Posted on March 7, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

In my little sleepy town there is a myth that is being perpetuated just about everyday. Now thankfully it isn’t catching on like wild fire and it seems to only have one source but it has been the reason for many needless termite jobs and worried nights for home owners. The way this tool is used to promote this cheap sale is down right criminal in my book. The so called professional tells worried homeowners that termites need moisture and once they get above ground they will actually bring up this moisture into the wall voids so they can exploit the area and spend more time doing damage. So far nothing nefarious because this is all true. However, our seasoned pest control veteran then proceeds to claim that termites are the only reason there would be moisture in the wall and that if his little device beeps at all-it’s treatment time no ifs ands or buts. Of course his machine does its job and somewhere along a wall it beeps to high heaven and he walks out with a $1000 or more sale. Thing is, I’ve been called in on 2 of these situations by homeowners and couldn’t get my meters needle to even move let alone have it beep when I inspected the same area. Tsk Tsk, I’d love to see this guy get his but not only do the wheels of justice turn slowly-they also need a big push to just get started so he’s been free to do this for quite some time.
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Posted in Tools of the trade | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

High Priced Useless Termite Tools?

Posted on March 2, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

What would you say would be the perfect termite inspection tool? Of course it would have to be 100% right? No false positives, never a possibility of something else that triggered it- inexpensive is a given and it would have to be durable. Well that’s a pretty good start but I ask you. Is there any ONE TOOL that fits this bill?
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The Forgotten Termite Bait Station

Posted on March 1, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Are you contemplating the installation of a termite bait system for your home? If so that’s great & I truly hope it works out for you. There are many great aspects to this type of approach and it’s pretty easy to find all those on line or I’m sure your local termite inspector who sells a certain system will be happy to fill you in.

This article is not about its virtues nor is it a comparison of termite bait verses termite liquid. I merely want to point out a huge downfall of ANY system and its one that the manufacturer has little or no control over. This one flaw has been addressed and new technology does make it harder to fudge but where there is a ‘lack’ of will-there is a way.
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