Jump Starting the Flea Control Market

Although the flea control market has declined during the past few years, the means of gaining back what you’ve lost and even increasing your overall share has been under your nose for quite some time. By employing a 3-Zone Defense strategy, you can show the customer who’s number one when it comes to flea control.

During the past few years, we’ve seen a decline in the flea control market. But has it actually declined? Perhaps it has somewhat, but the decrease doesn’t have to be thought of as permanent. Intense marketing of products applied by veterinarians or homeowners, the effectiveness of the IGRs and natural decline in flea populations have all taken a toll on the flea control market. But the market still exists, and it’s out there waiting for you to get it back.

FLEA CONTROL IS BIG BUSINESS. In 1997, the PCO industry did about $350 million in flea control work. This represented only 4% of the total dollars spent by pet owners on flea control and flea related problems — that’s nearly $9 billion dollars! Included were treatments for flea dermatitis, secondary skin irritations and flea allergy dermatitis. Nearly half of this total — $4 billion — was spent by the pet owners on do-it-yourself products.

More than half of all U.S. households have pets. Of these, about 70% of the dogs and 55% of the cats have or will have fleas. Simply put, flea control is, and will be a major concern of a large group of your current and potential customers. What can you do to capture a larger portion of the flea market? You can show the customer that you are the flea control expert.

For effective control you must educate, justify and inform. Showing the customer that you are the flea control expert is necessary if you are to take the market back from the veterinarian. Convincing them that you can provide the most effective and thorough flea control involves answering three basic questions:

1. What are fleas and why should I worry about them?

Most pet owners are aware of fleas and know what a nuisance they can be. Many, however, are not aware of fleas’ potential for causing medical problems. In addition, few are aware of fleas’ life cycle and the importance of knowing it. They think the fleas on their pet are the only ones they need to worry about. Their vet deals solely with the pet and often promotes that misconception. Only the adult stage of the flea feeds on blood and is the only stage that will be found on the pet — and only about 5% of the flea population is in the adult stage at any given time.

It’s essential that you make your customer (or potential customer) aware that treating their pet is imperative; however, it is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to controlling the entire flea population in and around their home.

Sidebar: GOALS OF A FLEA MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

• EDUCATE — The customer must be informed of the nature of flea populations and why it is important to use a 3-Zone Flea Defense.
  
  
• JUSTIFY — You must show the customer that you are the most important member of the flea control team.
  
  
• INFORM — The customer’s cooperation is essential for your program to be effective. You must tell them what they need to do to prepare.

  2. Aren’t fleas just on my pet?

  The pet owner usually becomes aware of a flea problem when they notice their pet scratching. Sometimes they may see a flea jump on themselves or their child, or they may even find flea larvae in pet bedding or furniture. What they don’t see, however, is the hundreds and perhaps thousands of additional fleas that are developing in and around their home.

  An effective flea management program involves a 3-Zone Defense. Information available from industry experts points to one very important conclusion: An effective flea management program must address all three zones. This means treating and providing control measures outdoors, indoors and on the pet itself. Overlooking any one of these zones will only provide limited, temporary relief. Ignoring any part of the 3-part flea zone will most likely result in numerous callbacks, flea control failure and customer dissatisfaction.

  OUTDOORS. Those areas that provide shaded, moist soil are ideal for flea development and survival. These may include dog houses and runs, inside garages, under trees and shrubs, any areas of the lawn that are shaded throughout the day and under porches. In addition, fleas will also live on a variety of wild animals including opossums, raccoons, squirrels and any stray cats or dogs that may be entering or living on the property. Treatment of outside areas that may be harboring flea populations is essential for complete, effective control.

  INDOORS. Flea eggs fall from pets anywhere they sleep, lie or walk. This may include bedding, carpets, under furniture and even in the furniture itself. When the eggs hatch, the larvae avoid the light and move deep into carpets, cracks and crevices in the floor, behind the baseboards, inside the pet’s bedding and any other place where they are protected. There they feed on organic debris such as pet dander and adult flea feces that fall off the pet and lodge in these areas. Indoors, living quarters (including floors, carpets, bedding and cracks and crevices), basements, crawl spaces and attics should be included in a total flea control program. Remember, only the adult fleas feed on the pet; and once they begin feeding, they do not jump off unless forced to.

  THE PET. Once the adult flea emerges from its pupal case, it finds a suitable host, usually a pet, and begins to feed. Adult fleas can mate within hours of emerging and the female can lay 60 eggs per day, every day. Female fleas can live for several months, resulting in the possibility of thousands and thousands of offspring in a very short period. Once laid, the eggs fall off the pet and hatch wherever they land.

  Treatment of the pet, while essential, is not the total answer to control since as much as 95% of the fleas (eggs, larvae and pupae) are not on the pet. Killing all of the adults will provide only temporary relief.

  Currently, several product formulations are available on the market for treating the pet for a flea problem. These include dips, shampoos, sprays, monthly tablets, dusts (powders), collars and dab-ons or spot-ons. While many of the pet treatments con-tain pyrethrins, some include an IGR. Although most of the tablets, dab-ons and spot-ons are available to the pet owner only from their vet, a new product, Demize Spot-On from Paragon Professional Pest Control Products, is available to the PCO through distributors. It provides both a residual material and an IGR (Nylar) and compares well with the other products of this type.

  3. Why is the PCO important?

  To be effective in winning the war against fleas, it’s important to know the enemy. As a pest control professional, you know fleas better than anyone. You can determine what kind of fleas are present, and where they are located in the home and yard. Then you can develop an effective program that addresses all three zones. You know where to look, what to look for and what measures will be most effective for each specific situation.

  It’s imperative that you stress to the customer the importance of treating all three zones. Ignoring any one of these zones can result in frequent callbacks and less than satisfactory control. Thorough inspection outdoors and indoors will enable you to locate conditions conducive to a flea population. Sharing this information with the customer, or potential customer, establishes your value in their eyes. Unless they believe that you can take care of their flea problem, customers will attempt to do it themselves or with only the limited help of their veterinarian.

  The homeowner plays an important role in the success of a flea control program. Their vet may also be a member of the flea control team. But it’s you — the pest control professional — who is key. By educating the customer in the biology of the flea, you can justify the need for your service. You can then inform them of the steps necessary to prepare for the flea treatment.

  The flea control market is still there — you just need to go after it. During the past few years, the PCO flea control market has declined. This has been due do several fac-tors including a major emphasis on having veterinarians treat the pet. Rather than thinking of it as a lost cause, you should look at it as an opportunity to increase your business.

  A recent survey indicated that four out of 10 pet owners are concerned about flea problems. If you consider that more than half of all households have pets, that means that nearly one out of every four or five homes is concerned with fleas. If fleas aren’t present, sell preventative flea control. If fleas are present, develop and implement a 3-Zone Defense that identifies and manages the population outdoors, indoors and on the pet itself. Educate the customer in the biology of fleas.

  Tell the customer what medical problems fleas can cause. Explain the importance of a 3-Zone Defense and show pet owners the need for a total flea control program. Provide them with a product to treat the pet, but also make sure they know that the adult fleas on their pet are only the tip of the iceberg. Stress the importance of treating all areas that may harbor the infestation.

  Show them that when it comes to flea control, you’re top dog!

  Dr. Mark Lacey is the eastern technical services manager for Paragon Professional Pest Control Products.

  Sidebar:Factors Affecting the Flea Market

  A number of factors have impacted the flea control market in recent years including:

  • Convenience of owner- or veterinarian-applied products. Many on-pet flea control products are marketed either solely by the veterinarian, through pet groomers or directly to the pet owner. Such products account for about $750 million of the more than $2.5 billion spent for professional veterinary services to control fleas and flea-related problems including dermatitis and tapeworms.
    
    
  • Intense marketing of flea control products. The marketing effort for on-the-pet flea control products has been extensive. To their credit, the manufacturers of these products have conducted effective marketing strategies that have resulted in homeowners believing that treating the pet may be all that’s required.
    
    
  • PCO products are working better. The advent of insect growth regulators has ushered in a new era of flea control. Interrupting the flea’s life cycle prevents the larva from maturing into a reproducing adult.
    
    
  • Cyclic decline in flea populations. Like all natural populations, fleas appear to exhibit cyclic fluctuations. Simply put, over the course of time, total numbers will rise and fall naturally, regardless of the presence or absence of control measures. Fleas seem to have been in a “down cycle” the past few years.
    
    

  Because of the above four factors, many PCOs have assumed that the flea market is not worth going after. They have given up marketing efforts that would help to capture more of this still-large market. This is an attitude that needs to change if PCOs want to regain more of the flea control market. — Dr. Mark Lacey