Doctor Austin Frishman

I was at a seminar this past week at Univar USA where Doc Frishman was giving a talk about roaches, bedbugs, and everything in between. It's truly a pleasure to attend his seminars because I always learn something new and because he is such an icon in the pest control industry. He cares a great deal for the pest control technicians and for this industry and it comes across so strongly in his talks. It's so nice to be part of an industry that, as large as it is, feels closely knit.

Pest Control Company Research

Whether you are looking to hire a pest control company to eliminate ants, bed bugs, or termites, how can you determine which company is the best one to do the job? This is really important when considering an exterminating company to come into your home to take care of a problem such as termites or bed bugs or bees. You need to know what's the difference between Orkin or Terminix . You need to know if customers liked Western Pest Services or Truly Nolan and why? Where can you find this information?
To begin with you can use old reliable, Google. Google searches are fantastic when it comes to compiling information about any topic these days. Then there are other services like Angie's List that rates and gives reports on companies from people who actually used them. Angie's list has a small fee, but it worth it to get an unbiased opinion about a company. The last way to research a company goes back to the beginning of time. Word of mouth. Ask around and see what other peoples thoughts are about certain companies. People are not afraid to tell you their opinions, and if they had a good experience they will see that company to you themselves, and if they had a bad experience they will make you wish you never even thought of them in the first place. SO when researching a pest control company be sure to get all the facts before you sign that check. It can save you aggravation and money.

Abell Pest Control Ontario Canada

http://www.abellgroup.com/

This post is reminiscent of my other blog called Critique My Blog where I critiqued other peoples blogs who submit them to me for review. As I was reviewing my stats section I noticed a referral from Abell's website and curiously clicked over to see how it was placed in content. I was pleased to find my link placed under an excerpt from my pest control blog in Abell's site. As I explored their site further I was impressed to see what an integrated and well planned site Abell had. All this brings me to the points I am trying to make with this post. My first point is to thank Abell for the link into Pest Control Information and Facts and my second point is to bring awareness to the importance of a well thought out web site for a pest control business. The pest control industry as a whole has been fighting to put a professional face on the industry and has done an awesome job in my opinion and websites like Abell's is a perfect example of how a great interactive website can help with this endeavor. Nice job.

The Big Boys of Pest Control

There are some household names out there with regards to pest control. These are usually large companies with branches and employees all over the country and in some cases the world. Here is a list of some of these big companies of the pest control industry.

1. Orkin pest Control-the parent company of Orkin is Rollins. Orkin recently bought out Western Pest Control a over a year ago adding to it's 1.7 million customers. This company boasts 7500 employees and made over 858 million dollars last year. Not too shabby.


2. Terminix-Parent company is Servicemaster and has been a household name forever!


3. JC Ehrlich-bought out over a year ago by Rentokil making it a worldwide company overnight.


4. Truly Nolan-all I can say is mouse ears!


5. Cooper Pest Control-A gem in South Jersey with two brilliant brothers.


6. Hoffman's exterminating-another South Jersey gem lead by Bill Hoffman.

Starting a pest control business

Are you an entrepreneur and looking to start your own pest control business? It's a wonderful business to go into and very helpful to alot of people. You can become a hero to alot of people when you save that little old lady from the mouse that ran under her sink! You begin with researching the laws in your state as the pest control business is regulated by your state's department of agriculture. Then I would highly recommend consulting a lawyer and an accountant, but if you are starting on a shoe string you can get away with a good computer accounting program. You state's website will point you in the right direction as far as setting up your business. If you are already a pest control technician with your own license then your next step is to register your business with a BU number or whatever your state's equivalent is. Then it is time to get insurance. Wiseburger and Brown are two pest control insurance providers to look into, but there are others. If you are completely new then you would have to go to the state and take your core and category tests to get your license, then the BU number and insurance. I wouldn't recommend going into the pest control business cold turkey as there is a lot to learn to be a successful technician. The next step is advertising. You will also want to get some service slips and other stationary like business cards as well. There is alot to think about when going into your own pest control business, but with hard work and some luck it can be very rewarding.

exterminator

Today's pest control professional has been through the ringer when it comes to terms of endearment. The bug man, the spray jockey, the smelly bucket, the verminator, the "Orkin Man" (even if he or she didn't work for Orkin). One thing I find is that residential customers are very loyal to their exterminator, whether it be to take care of bed bugs or water bugs, they love their monthly visit from the verminator. If you stumble by this blog or visit often, what is your opinion of the Pest control person and do you have a favorite company and technician and why?

Is bigger any better when choosing an exterminator?

Are the major league players like Terminix or Orkin any better than your neighborhood pest control company? Not really in many cases. A one man operation often times will provide a better service because he values your business more than the bigger company. You can build a better relationship with a one man operation because you will see the same technician each time which might not be the case with a large corporate company. Large corporations might have a better response time but they might also be more expensive and require a more rigid contract basis. Many small companies won't require you to sign a contract and are a little less expensive. Bigger isn't always better in many cases and I think the pest control industry is a perfect example of this. You are paying extra for the big guy's fleet of trucks, their gas, their overhead, their advertising, their chemical cost. The small guy usually gets business by word of mouth, has one truck on the road and services a smaller and tighter territory. As always you should check with your local Better Business Bureau and ask your neighbors who they use when choosing a pest control company, but I'd take a close look at your neighborhood guy the next time you are in the market.

Hire a Pro or Do It Yourself?

Hiring a Pro versus doing it yourself.

I get the question sometimes about my thoughts on do it yourself pest control as opposed to simply hiring a professional. My answer is simple. If you enjoy doing it yourself and you think you have the resources and knowledge to tackle a particular pest problem then go for it. There are some problems I'd leave to the experts though and they would be termites and bees. Termite control can be very tricky and although there are DIY kits you can get from maybe Home Depot or Lowes I wouldn't recommend them. You are dealing with probably your biggest investment and termite work is involved and not as straight forward as killing a roach. Also you will be given a warranty in most cases and sometimes the pest control company will even warranty any new damage that might occur from termites. I'd bite the bullet and pay for a Pro in this case...it's true that termite jobs are expensive, but they are worth the money if done by a pro.

Next topic is bees. Unless you are just spraying down a little paper wasp nest then I'd leave it alone for the pest control guy to do. Personally I'd even leave the little paper wasp nest alone. First of all bees and wasps and hornets can become very aggressive and there is strength in numbers and in most cases they will have you out numbered! There is usually always bees or wasps "watching" the nest or they might be out foraging for food and upon return you can get knocked on your butt pretty quickly. While on the subject of bees it is important to say here to never...ever...seal a hole that bees are going into, especially if they are entering an outside wall void of your home. They will find a way out and it is usually through the inside of your house. So bees are a definite "call the Pro" situation. I guess in parts of the country other than the Northeast you have to be careful of fire ants and scorpions and snakes...all of the above...call a pro.

HIRING A PROFESSIONAL

Hiring a good exterminator is just as important as choosing the right doctor. You have to feel comfortable with the person who will be coming into your home on a monthly basis and you have to have trust in the person that he or she is treating your home safely and properly. There are a zillion pest control companies out there. They are big and small, some with many technicians and some are one man operations. My suggestion is to look in the phone book and pick ten companies and then google each company. Look at their web site, check out the better business bureau and then ask around, because word of mouth is still the advertisement. Call and see how the receptionist sounds and how they treat you on the phone. Are they courteous right from the start? Does the technician call you right back or are you waiting all day for a call? If there is a salesperson that seeds to come out then how is that persons mannerism and professional appearance. Is that person pushy just trying to make a sale or is he or she truly concerned about your problem. Narrow it down to 3 companies then make a choice.