A client calls in August complaining about bees all over the dumpster; a restaurant is haunted by bees intimidating patrons on the patio; or a technician is bragging about a large bee nest they’ve removed from the eaves of a house. Sound familiar? The only problem with these examples is that rarely are they actually bees! Stinging insects like yellow jackets and paper wasps aren’t technically bees, but who cares? Sure, it makes for correct entomology, but there are more layers to this honeycomb than that! For instance, there’s a safety aspect to this taxonomic mix-up — it can mean the difference between a no-hassle nest treatment and sharing a bee suit veil with a stranger (a very small, but very angry, stranger). Hopefully this has gotten the attention of anyone who has mistakenly used the term “bee” when referring to any stinging insect…

SAFETY FIRST. Let me back up a minute. When working with stinging insects, one essential piece of personal protective equip-ment (PPE) is a bee suit. It’s shocking to me how many technicians are working with yellow jackets and honey bees without one. With safety becoming ever more important to our clients and injuries becoming ever more expensive for pest management companies, it’s a no brainer. Buy your technicians bee suits if they are working with large colonies of stinging insects — it’ll be the best $100 spent on safety. Period. Bee suits are effective; they can make one feel almost invincible when treating stinging insects. As all bystanders flee in fear, the bee suit-clad PMP can stand his ground against a ferocious colony’s assault. Remember the dragon from The Hobbit, named Smaug, who could totally annihilate a city without fear of retribution? Yeah, it’s like that. Of course, the target insects that we are called on to decimate are not all the same size…and just like Smaug you may find there is a chink in your armor that a flying arrow can penetrate! Beekeepers are very conscious of the size of honey bees. They use terms like “queen ex-cluder” and refer to “bee space,” which are related to the size of honey bees. Bee keepers are great at finding materials that keep out honey bees. After all, what else would one need to keep out of a bee suit?

There are different styles of bee suits available — some have a hooded veil built onto the suit and others have a separate veil that slides over a brimmed hat. If your bee suit has grommets or ventilation eyelets in the hat, they are often 0.5 cm open-ings, just the perfect size to keep out angry worker bees while still maximizing air flow.

Mark Vanderwerp

One of the smallest, and also most common, yellow jackets that we deal with in the Midwest is called Vespula maculifrons, the Eastern yellow jacket. They are not the same size as a honey bee and have been known to sneak right through those bee suit grommets and dispense a little payback to the unsuspecting applicator!

Unfortunately, after some swelling, you might not be the same size! So, what is a PMP to do about it? Here are a few tips for getting your bee suit yellow jacket ready:

• Snip out pieces of window screen and use hot glue or liquid nails to affix them inside the bee suit over any large ventilation openings.
• Wear sturdy socks that can be pulled up to your calf when working with stinging insects.
• Duct tape, while not professional looking, can be a great tool to wrap around the ankles or to put over the suit’s zipper closures to ensure you have a tight seal.
• Tyvek arm sleeves work great to fill a gap between the bee suit sleeve and gloves, which sometimes opens when reaching above your head to treat or remove a nest.

If you find yourself cursing all beekeepers and their no-room-for-error suit designs after a yellow jacket has penetrated your armor, be thankful that you aren’t wearing a suit optimized for keeping out bumble bees — and that the animal envenomating you is fairly small!

SMART CHOICES. There is growing concern over bee populations today. Be wise in what you treat. Many solitary bee species are non-aggressive and often don’t warrant control. While honey bees are not an endangered species, and we are absolutely legally able to manage them — many times it doesn’t make sense from a PR or risk analysis standpoint to do so. Reach out to a beekeeper or hobbyist to remove the bees intact, when possible. (In regions with Africanized honey bees, this likely won’t apply.) If there isn’t such a resource readily available in your area, consider filling this need. Honey bee cutouts and swarm captures can be rewarding and profitable, not to mention the honey tastes fantastic when it hasn’t been treated with insecticidal dust!

The author is manager of education and training at Rose Pest Solutions, Troy, Mich.

Copesan is an alliance of pest management companies with locations throughout North America. To learn more, visit www.copesan.com.

J.F. Oakes

J.F. Oakes is marketing its new XLure Ready To Use (R.T.U.) Rice Weevil Trap. The trap contains a pheromone lure for rice weevils and a food attractant to attract other stored product beetles. The attractant is food grade, making this trap free of pesticides. The XLure Rice Weevil Trap has been specially designed for early detection of infestations and more timely control, saving money on costly damage, the manufacturer says. The trap is for use in all stages of food processing, storage and distribution facilities.

Liphatech

Liphatech’s Generation bait family has expanded to include its newest offering: Mini Blocks in a 4-pound bag. Generation is still available in the multiple formulations of mini blocks, pellet place packs and paraffinized pellets. Mini blocks are now available in either a 4-pound bag (sold in a 16-pound case of four bags) or a 16-pound pail. Generation gives PMPs the performance of difethialone, the newest second-generation anticoagulant available, in a cost-effective, compact size, Liphatech reports.

Liphatech’s easy-to-carry 4-pound bag provides a convenient option when space is limited and portability is important, the company adds. With a reseable top and durable, water-resistant construction, the bait stays dry. The full label is printed directly on the bag.

Rockwell Labs

Rockwell Labs says its EcoVia WH Stinging Insect Killer jet aerosol, a new FIFRA 25(b) exempt and research-based botanical insecticide, is now available. EcoVia WH aerosol delivers fast knockdown of wasps, yellow jackets and hornets, the company says. Its foaming jet spray reaches up to 18 feet to ensure thorough coverage of the nest and it is also effective on spiders. Like other FIFRA 25(b) products, there are no notification requirements (PMPs should verify with state regulations), and no pyrethroid application restrictions. Since it is a water-based formula, it will not leave behind an oily residue. EcoVia WH is available in a 16-ounce can.

Executive Pest Control Products

Executive Pest Control Products of Sanger, Texas, announced the release of its newly updated website www.execpcp.com. “The website is now more user-friendly and simple to navigate,” said President Kurt Rank. The site features printable product flyers in English and Spanish, as well as a listing of its distributor network. The new website was designed by Razoreye Web Design.

North America has three types of vultures: The California condor was barely saved from extinction. The turkey vulture is the most familiar and it is found all throughout the United States. Now, the black vulture is moving northward from South America and the southern U.S., and its population has exploded in numbers during the last 10 years. They are coming to a site near you!

I have worked with bird roosts that had more than 2 million starlings, 1 million grackles and sites with more than 100,000 pigeons, but these birds are a whole new dimension in the world of avian management. First, they fall under the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. If you are going to do anything other than structural modification or harassment, you will need a Form 37 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the state in which the problem exists noting that the depredation permit is necessary. The Form 37 must accompany the federal application to receive a depredation permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

WHY THEY ARE A PROBLEM. The urea from roosting vultures can shut down equipment, as well as eat the paint off walls and vehicles. It is so acidic, that over time it can even corrode metal in hand rails and rubber-coated wiring. Some buildings and parking garages are also having problems with vultures pulling the rubber seals from around windows and the windshield wipers off vehicles. I didn’t even discuss the smell. (Scratch and Sniff sticker not included in this article!) The wingspan of a vulture is around 6 feet. When roosting around electrical units, such as electrical sub-stations, this can cause electrical shutdowns and is one of the main reasons for cell phone tower failure. Maintenance costs are in the hundreds of millions of dollars in the U.S. alone. I have developed a system being used on cell phone towers and it repels quite nicely, so far. I have said that during the last 40 years everything will succeed and everything will fail depending on the circumstances.

KEY VULTURE CHARACTERISTICS. Textbooks state that the black vulture is not as sensitive to smell as its counterpart, the turkey vulture, which is almost always found in the same roost. It is noted that the turkey vulture has one of the largest olfactory bulbs (a part of the brain that helps control smell). That should make it more adept in locating carrion than the black vulture, which has a much smaller olfactory bulb. The theory is that the black vulture simply follows the turkey vulture to locate and aggressively take the turkey vultures’ find of carrion. I, on the other hand, am questioning this theory due to the research I have been doing during the last 10 years with both birds. I have buried carrion in the ground, leaving the carcass largely invisible and also placed carrion in plastic trash bags so that no portion could be seen. Half of the time, the black vultures will still show up before the turkey vultures. It reminds me of the early 1980s when I was studying computer programming. The computers at that time were the size of a small car. Now, your cell phone has more capabilities than the larger computers did back then. So, I question this theory that bigger is more efficient. But don’t tell this to turkey vultures. I don’t want to get involved in that discussion.

LOCATION IS KEY. What attracts huge numbers of vultures to buildings or manufacturing sites and cell phone towers? Location. Oil and gas refineries are becoming a favorite roosting place for vultures because they are built and designed to attract vultures. Refineries have high areas for roosts usually near fresh water or they have large fresh water pools for fire monitors. Also, oil and gas refined at the plant site release the same gasses that are released by a decomposing body: methane, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methanethiol. These are just a few of the many gasses that are by-products of the refining process. To oil executives, these aromas mean money. To the vulture, it smells like a giant smorgasbord. Many times, while climbing through a large vulture roost near an oil rig, I can’t help but notice the contented smiles of hundreds of these birds who are obviously thinking to themselves: ‘Does life get any better than this?’

Shooting is viable at some sites, such as food sites, dumps, etc., but not on oil and gas facilities. Shock track on certain sites where there are ledges can work if the entire ledge is covered and no space is left for them to stand comfortably. Spark-producing products, such as shock track, cannot be used at a refinery since they would blow up and level the refinery. That will strain the relationship you have with your customers. 

High tensile wire has been tried, but the birds were observed using the wire as a hand-hold, if you may, by folding a wing over the wire to help stabilize themselves in high winds. And the higher you go, the windier it gets. Structural modification works well, but it must have a 90° slant or the vultures will use it as a couch. Methyl anthranilate has been tried, but these birds stick their heads in dead bodies and love it. So, they just tuck their heads under their wings and go to sleep.

AN IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE. Vulture management is an adventure, but we have to be balanced in our efforts. Many people feel they are just a “bunch of buzzards” that create havoc and few would miss them. The fact is vultures are a genuine spoke in the ecosystem’s wheel. They have a place in our universe, and we are aware of what happened to the California Condor.

The author is president of A-Mark Pest & Bird Management, with offices in Baytown, Texas and Rockville, Ind. Contact him at pmarkham@gie.net.

When starting a business, it’s important to think about the endgame. If your goal is to eventually sell the company, surely different decisions will be made than if you intend to operate it in perpetuity. The bird control market offers unique opportunities with interesting challenges for both paths.

Today, traditional pest control companies are being sold for multiples of annual revenues. An auditor measures the value of the pest control business relative to the security of cash flow associated with recurring revenue pest control accounts, be it residential or commercial. Add that to any real estate, owned vehicles and equipment, materials on hand, perhaps a brand value in a particular market, and so begins the negotiations for a sale.

The best measure of value of a bird control operation, however, would only include the physical assets mentioned previously plus the value of current contracts on hand minus projected expenses to complete the work and a discount for the risk associated with the job. Whereas bird control has the potential to be a lucrative current and future business opportunity, one cannot attach a premium due to its uncertainty.

Unfortunately and realistically, structural/construction-style bird control has little to no future value. There is little assurance of repeat business in the bird control realm. Once the job is done, if all goes according to plan, there is no more problem for that client.

Also, based on the value of these construction-style bird control projects, monies typically come from capital budgets where there is higher scrutiny of expense or requirements for low-bid pricing from multiple suppliers. Therefore, the statistical likelihood of repeat business is diminished.

It can be argued that maintenance contracts or service agreements are an add-on for recurring revenue, but these agreements are tough to sell. Customers don’t want to hear that their new expensive remedy for birds is going to have additional long-term costs of operation. Salespeople are reluctant to even mention that’s the case for fear of losing the upfront sale.

DOES BIRD CONTROL FIT? Stability of pest control accounts versus the uncertainty of landing projects, additional overhead marketing and managerial expenses, and risk factors associated with operating a bird control operation means that this market niche is not for everyone.

Small companies struggle to compete against the resources of established players and national juggernauts whose branding and marketing resources permeate through local markets. On the flip side, even the largest of companies in our industry struggle with applying scale to bird control work. They struggle with employee retention and ensuring quality assurance to clients through scattered branches and non-core territories.

While general pest control, wildlife management or other chemical-based treatments have consistent (perhaps seasonal) cyclical cash flow, the bird control systems installations business is full of ebbs and flows more like a construction company, which calls into question the ability for large, stable businesses to apply long-term forecasting and apply established strategies for growth.

PLACE TO START. Product suppliers to this industry offer one-day classes teaching the basics of getting started in bird control. You can learn which product is right for various applications, perform hands-on product installations or assemblies, and receive tips on how to sell bird control work. At the end of the class you’ll be an “authorized” or “certified” installer of their products. You then add that moniker to your website and business cards and there you have it.

Unfortunately, too many people think that’s really all it takes, both on the service provider and on the client/buyer side. There are no real skills tests or experience checks used to “certify” anyone. Companies may be led to believe bird work is easy based on a one-day class, then wind up in a sea of professionals, often in over their heads trying to price or perform work, and unfortunately for the entire industry wind up devaluing quality work by underestimating either the amount of work involved or, equally important, the value of the job to the potential client.

YOU’RE IN BUSINESS. Performing your first job shouldn’t be that difficult if you are careful. Just recognize your capabilities and start small. Unless you have experienced personnel (be it from another industry or another PCO company) to take on the project, you should not start with anything complicated. There should be no boom lifts on streets of urban locales installing big netting or electric track jobs to begin.

Try to create a success story for your client and your company using one of the simpler remedies such as installing some bird spikes in an easy location like on window sills, a single ledge over a storefront or on a roof. Work with an existing client you have a relationship with so that there is room for forgiveness if a revision to the job is necessary later.

STAY SAFE. Fall protection and all other forms of PPE are essential. If the job should have a lift, get a lift. Ladders pose more of a safety risk and make a job take much longer. Ensure you and your workers have proper training.

Worker injuries and damage to property or equipment are not worth any cost savings. Your insurance will thank you for this mentality. Your customers will thank you for this mentality. Your employees will thank you for this mentality. It’s good for business and for your conscience as a manager or business owner.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT. When thinking about pricing a job, it’s important to move past the formula labor + materials + lifts = price.

Bird control work is riddled with unforeseen and often unacknowledged overhead expenses that are essential in providing the customer with what they are buying. Remember, they aren’t buying tools, materials, a lift rental and hours of labor. They are buying a result and expect a seamless experience in achieving it. You have to charge enough for the jobs you do to cover the unspoken line items that make your company capable of doing the job in the first place.

If the client understands the expertise, training and risk associated with performing bird control work and are unwilling to pay your price, then you can and probably should walk away. Sometimes the best jobs are the ones you don’t do.

LONG TERM. Making it work as a bird control company takes a lot more than just what comes from getting “certified.”

Ideally, a firm should have resources in place to tackle a job, including the finances to cover expenses for labor, materials and equipment while waiting to get paid. In the majority of cases, especially with commercial, institutional or governmental clients, purchase orders and contracts with terms of payment dictated by the client are the norm.

Bird control needs significant attention from a firm’s marketing efforts. Strategically, a company needs to demonstrate their quality and experience. To win over customers and develop a reputation, it takes a better presentation than just adding a single web page under your list of services with a few sentences about various pest bird species. While that may be good for your SEO, once people get to your site and are potentially making a five-figure purchase, they are going to need more information.

In my former life as part of a well-established bird control company and as part of my work with clients of various sizes around the country (both on the buyer side and as an installer), I’ve learned something important. Most bird jobs are only as good as the current project manager and the technicians on-site. The amount of experience planning and executing in this particular niche is likely the best indicator of a job being successful for the client and profitable for the company doing the work. Therefore, employee retention is essential to the long-term health of a bird control entity. It is much more difficult to hire and train someone to do bird work than pest control.

CONCLUSION. Bird control is here to stay as a segment of pest control due to its value to clients and the profitability for business owners. The associated challenges create an opportunity for quality firms to differentiate and excel.

Author’s note: Bird Control Advisory has launched a survey to assess the landscape of the bird control subset of the pest control industry. Please visit www.birdcontroladvisory.com/survey to participate.