Pest Control Starts on the Outside

Pest control is a comprehensive approach that combines inspections, treatment methods, specialized products and an understanding of insect behavior. At its core, however, effective pest control is about preventing pests from gaining access in the first place.

Outdoors before indoors. Prevention vs. reaction. That’s where control truly starts. From fire ants to spiders to outdoor roaches, the battle for outdoor control of pests is a busy and never-ending one.

“You need to catch a pest before it gets in and do that on a consistent basis,” said Craig Keller, COO of Alabama’s Bohannon Services. “We have a huge number of customers who call for perimeter [services] — insects come from the outside unless you bring them in. It’s extremely effective catching them outside. If pests come inside, then customers have to schedule appointments.”

In addition to exploring the many opportunities outdoor pest control services offer, this first-ever PCT State of the Outdoors Market report discusses challenges, including weather, customers (expectations and communication) and the environment surrounding a home or building. And these challenges differ depending on location, from a residential subdivision to rural farms (with livestock) to lakefront housing and boat docks.

TAKING IT OUTDOORS.

Pest management professionals (PMPs) are committed to providing comprehensive service, with 93% of survey respondents offering both indoor and outdoor pest control. Only 1% reported providing indoor-only services.

Weather may play a role in regional service patterns — PMPs in western states had the highest percentage offering exterior-only treatments, while those in the South, Midwest and Northeast were far less likely to do so.

Outdoor pest control serves a wide range of clients. While 96% of PMPs serve residential customers and 89% handle commercial accounts, many also support other sectors. More than half surveyed provide services to government and school facilities and 40% serve institutional clients on a regular basis.

REVENUE INSIGHTS.

A strong indicator of the outdoor pest control market’s vitality is revenue breakdown by company. Survey participants offered insights into how much of their business is focused on outdoor services.

Only 4% of respondents reported earning 100% of their revenue from outdoor work. However, a significant portion — 36% — said that between 50% and 99% of their company’s billings are tied to outdoor pest control.

Not surprisingly, the South and West regions led in outdoor revenues, with more than 20% to 24% of companies in each region reporting that at least three-quarters or more of their income comes from outdoor services. Climate likely plays a major role in these figures.

By contrast, outdoor services are less emphasized in the Midwest. In fact, 28% of respondents there said that 4% or less of their revenue came from outdoor work — possibly due to colder winters that limit year-round outdoor activity, especially in cities like Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, where indoor pests such as bed bugs may be a greater focus.

One company seeing rapid growth in the outdoor space is Seek Pest Solutions, based in Camden, N.J. Co-founder Angel Ramos launched the business just a year ago with his partners. Seek is already generating six-figure annual revenues, with most of it coming from outdoor work — albeit the company handles indoor treatments as well.

Ramos credits the company's success to a focus on quality over quantity. “We take our time doing it — our service takes 30 to 45 minutes,” he said. Comparing it to his previous job, Ramos said, “They had a great model, but they stacked appointments. You had 30 minutes to do a house and be at the next one, doing 14-15 houses per day. [At Seek], maybe we won’t make as much profit initially, but we’ll provide a service that people will recommend. So far, so good — we’ve done pretty well with that.”

OUTDOOR ONLY.

While pest control firms often provide indoor services when needed or requested, 39% of accounts are outdoor-only, according to the survey. The western U.S. stands out, with 64% of companies in that region reporting that at least 30% of their accounts are outdoor-only — the highest percentage by region.

Jason Miller, training, fleet and project manager, Nozzle Nolen Pest Solutions, West Palm Beach, Fla., said his company thrives on outdoor pest control services, ranging from lawn and ornamental treatments to general household pests (GHP), termites, mosquitoes and rodents.

“Outdoor work is our primary source of revenue, and outdoor-only pest control is our most profitable service type,” Miller said. “We’re projecting 7.5% growth over the next year.”

In Texas, Dallas-based Gecko Pest Control is seeing steady growth, in line with industry averages of 8% to 10%. Owner Daren Horton, A.C.E., expects this momentum to continue as demand for outdoor services rises and operational efficiencies improve through the use of technology and online billing.

“We want to be the McDonald’s of pest control,” Horton said. “When I moved out here, our service was monthly. I transitioned it to a quarterly program.”

He emphasized that customers increasingly prefer the predictability of automated payments: “Our customers want something like a Netflix bill, so now 86% of our revenue is recurring.”

Horton added that switching from monthly to quarterly services has reduced overhead significantly.

“Going from 12 visits a year to four saves on vehicles, gas and other top-line costs. It’s a major shift that saves our customers money, too. They were paying $50 a month, and now we charge $90 per quarter.”

CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC.

Doug Foster, owner of Columbus, Ind.-based Burt’s Termite and Pest Control, said he is optimistic about 2025. He is with the other 62% of Midwest respondents who say they will generate more revenue performing outdoor work in 2025. Only the Northeast, with 64%, had a more positive response.

“I’m really optimistic,” said Foster. “Some base everything on who’s in the White House and stuff like that but I don’t. I’m very optimistic. I’ve done this a long time and I won’t call it recession-proof but it’s the most recession- resistant [business] I’ve ever seen. People won’t go very long without heat and you won’t live with bugs for very long either. We’ve been very blessed.”

Others throughout the country share Foster’s sentiment. More than one-third of respondents (36%) expect outdoor- only revenue to remain steady. Only 3% forecast a decrease.

“The outdoors is basically the first line of defense,” Foster said. “We want to set up a barrier. You can seal up entries with exclusion and protect a garage door seal, but we want to do things that will help with rodents but also roaches and ants and other things that would like to get inside.”