[Market Watch] PCO field reports from across the United States

J.P. McHale Pest Management

BUCHANAN, N.Y.

Renewal business is at an all time high for J.P. McHale Pest Management in Buchanan, N.Y., said Jim McHale, president. General business conditions in the area are also improving and the season has been better than last year because of cooler temperatures and more rain, he said.

"Last year we allocated a considerable amount of funding towards direct mail and telemarketing to obtain inspections in an effort to alert clients to a need," said McHale. "Clearly, it is less expensive to make a sale when the critters show themselves to the client."

The biggest residential pests this year were carpenter ants, rodents and wasps, he said. Commercially, flies were the biggest. McHale said there has also been some resistance to cockroach gel baits. J.P. McHale is the first company in the market area to offer a program that targets vectors of disease (e.g., Anopheles mosquitoes, deer ticks and rodents. , McHale said.

Massey Services, Inc.

Orlando, Fla.

Massey Services Inc. is expecting about a 15 percent revenue increase for the year, said Adam Jones, director, quality assurance. "I think business conditions are great," he said. "It’s been a great year."

Jones said this year has been better than 2003 for Massey Services, mostly due to internal adjustments that allowed the company to take advantage of more opportunities. Jones doesn’t think the business climate has changed that much, and he doesn’t think the economy affects the pest control industry as much because "We’re a necessity — not a luxury item," he said. "Especially in Florida."

Ants continue to be the biggest pest problem, as always, said Jones, although it does vary some by market. Most calls are about Argentine ants and ghost ants, but fire ants are always a significant issue.

In company-related news, Massey Services is on track to achieve and exceed a milestone they’ve been aiming for — "$50 million by ’05," as they call it.

Jones expects this final quarter to be about the same as the previous ones this year, he said. Both business and the market are strong right now, and it’s just a matter of who can win the business. "That’s going to make the biggest difference in the marketplace right now," said.