Au Natural

Natural armadillo control. Cobweb elimination. Gopher treatment. Snake repellents. Think these sound like a bunch of snake oil? Well, you couldn't be further from the truth.

Constantly challenged by how to expand business, PCOs across the country are finding that specialized, add-on services provide healthy profit margins. Opportunities to expand beyond the traditional are growing, especially as more and more customers move into rural subdivisions, where run-ins with country critters are commonplace, and customer chemophobia remains a concern.

Many firms, such as Environmental Specialists, Inc. (ESI) of Ocala, Fla., are adding alternative pest control treatments to their repertoire, with successful results. According to vice-president Jim Stine, ESI's growth jumped 20% last year in the area of cobweb elimination. Stine uses an all-natural, biodegradable cobweb eliminator manufactured by Dr. T's Nature Products Company, Pelham, Ga.

The non-toxic repellent is preventing cobwebs at many of Ocala's most prestigious horse farms. "When you're breeding million-dollar horses, the barns must be kept clean," Stine says. Pressure-washing away spider webs ruins expensive stall bedding and creates a major mess, he points out, and pesticide use around horses should be avoided. Dr. T's Cobweb Eliminator is environmentally safe, and lasts up to a year in the enclosed barns. Outside, where it's exposed to rain and sun, the repellent is applied quarterly.

Stine also uses Dr. T's Cobweb Eliminator in homes to prevent spider webs in ceiling corners, and outdoors as part of ESI's quarterly service program. For house exteriors in poor condition, pressure washing is sold as an add-on service. Customer reaction to the service has been "fantastic," according to Stine, resulting in increased business and numerous customer referrals. "A lot of pest control companies say there's nothing you can do for spiders, but there is. You just need to take the time and have the right product."

SNAKE(S) IN THE GRASS. Perhaps the most interesting — and at first, seemingly questionable — natural repellent PCOs are succeeding with is Dr. T's Snake-A-Way. The product, which consists primarily of napthalene and sulfur, is the EPA's only approved snake repellent.

But, seriously speaking, how big of a pest problem are snakes, most of which are harmless? The answer: if you have a customer who is terrified of snakes, it's a huge problem. In fact, snakes are among the most frequently reported animal calls received by PCOs, and that trend is likely to continue as builders encroach on the snake's natural habitat.

Snake-A-Way isn't used only to alleviate the fears of frightened suburbanites, however. It also has been shipped to 23 foreign countries and all four branches of the military, according to company founder Dr. James Tennyson. During Operation Desert Storm, U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia used the biodegradable repellent around tanks and field facilities, under which sand vipers crawled to stay warm and then bit soldiers when disturbed. Snake-A-Way also has been sent to war-torn Bosnia.

On the home front, Bill Church, CEO of Getem Pest Control, Norfolk, Va., has used the product with homeowners who have snake problems near swampy areas. Norfolk abuts the Great Dismal Swamp and features vast tidal waters that serve as excellent habitat for the reptiles. "We primarily want to satisfy customers," Church says. "That's how our business grows best. Anytime there's a problem, we want to take care of it."

"In springtime, we have customers who have to have it," declares Karen Bittinger of Three Star Services, Cumberland, Md. "Snakes are pretty bad" in Cumberland, a rural farming community in western Maryland. Three Star came to the rescue when construction of a new Lowe's department store on a mountain caused a snake infestation for the business at the mountain's base. Snake-A-Way also was used to rid a field of snakes near the local fire department, and of a pesky snake that kept visiting the ladies' room in a city building.

For the past four years, Three Star has offered snake control as a yearly service to rid buildings of copperheads, black snakes and garter snakes. Word-of-mouth and advertising has helped the company make money in this new area, says Bittinger. "I think a lot of people weren't aware anything existed to repel a snake. We've received a great response from customers."

Suzanne Graham, owner of American Pest Control Management of Port Charlotte, Fla., agrees. She's received no call backs with Snake-A-Way, which offers "peace of mind for homeowners." Snake control is part of the company's annual service, and a relatively inexpensive add-on for their customers. She recalls a customer who told one of the company's technicians she wasn't interested in the service. But later, after seeing a snake on her property, the customer chased down an American Pest Control truck working in the area to request having the treatment done.

OTHER ADD-ON SERVICES. Besides snake and cobweb control, Dr. T's Nature Products Company offers repellents for rats and mice, bats, squirrels, rabbits, armadillos and anything that burrows, such as moles, voles, ground hogs, gophers and prairie dogs.

How do these natural repellents work? Most affect a pest's sense of smell, inhibiting the animal's sensory perception. With snakes, for instance, the repellent "shuts the lights off," says Dr. T's sales manager, Jim Springer. "It doesn't kill them. It's like us walking through a room with the lights shut off: We don't want to be there." Its bird and bat repellent causes the pest's heart rate and metabolism to speed up to uncomfortable levels, prompting it to find a more comfortable location. The only exception is its armadillo control product, which the animal consumes and then experiences digestive problems.

AN INTRIGUING HISTORY. James Tennyson, 54, began developing repellents because he was bored with his chosen profession — pharmacology — and had experienced snake and vertebrate pest problems firsthand. Armed with a knowledge of chemistry, he began developing repellents in his spare time, focusing much of his effort on snakes. After several years of trial-and-error field work, Snake-A-Way was granted an EPA registration in 1990. "I always realized a need was out there for repellents," he says. "People don't want to kill organisms all the time. That has been our objective as a company, making repellents more non-toxic and biodegradable.

"We don't consider a pest a pest until it invades your immediate environment," he adds. "All organisms fill an important part in nature, so we don't want to kill them. We simply keep them away so they're not a pest to us. But pests have changed. The armadillo has migrated as far north as Virginia. They (can) tear a yard up overnight. They're becoming a nuisance where they weren't a nuisance in the past."

Repellents are particularly effective when combined with mechanical exclusion, such as blocking entry holes into structures, keeping lawns cut and removing woodpiles close to homes. Along with granular formulations and baits, repellents are an excellent addition to a PCO's integrated pest management arsenal.

At first, Tennyson says his products drew considerable suspicion, but that ended soon after PCOs began using them successfully. "I got a skeptical response at first. I don't think pest control operators realized the potential of the products. Now everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon."

As add-on services, specialty treatments offer pest control professionals significant profit potential. Tennyson, for instance, suggests offering yearly snake control for $150. Four pounds of Snake-A-Way costs about $20, covers 15 linear feet, and takes about 30 minutes to apply. Some PCOs are even applying it to the entire lawn as part of their turf management program.

Add-ons bring value to the service, and also address customers' needs. "Specialty items are a definite plus for all PCOs. Add-on sales: That's where you make money," says American's Suzanne Graham.