Scratching the Itch

That bites! Those two words mean a flea infestation is already underway. And nearly 20 percent of respondents to PCT’s annual State of the Flea Control Market survey, which is sponsored by Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences, say the pressure is on. In some regions, these bloodsuckers are going to present more of a problem for clients this year compared to past seasons. Though, a majority expect the same flea pressure.

“Mostly, people call when they are getting bit and they say, all of a sudden, their house exploded with fleas — and typically you’ll see this in the distal part of extremities: from the knees down, and elbows down to the hands,” said Chad Highley, president of Environmental Pest Control in Lawton, Okla. “It’s not like a mosquito or bed bug that will bite anywhere that is exposed.”

Don’t necessarily point fingers at the canine and feline family members as the cause of the problem.

“We have had several flea calls in places that do not have their own pets,” Highley said. “We’ll find that they have nice harborage for squirrels, raccoons, possums and rodents — or the fleas are next door and they travel.”

While cat and dog fleas are most common — representing 88 and 56 percent of fleas identified on clients’ properties — there is definitely a wildlife connection. “We have clients with cats who never go outdoors and the fleas are coming in from squirrels or inadvertently carried by clients, and the issue manifests and they can’t figure out why,” said Dennis Mastrolia, owner, Dennis the Mennis Pest Elimination Experts, Lynn, Mass.

Indeed, flea demand is often related to “a call from the wild.”

“We’re seeing an influx of commercial customers call and mostly because they are lacking wildlife control or exclusion,” said Camille Landry, owner of FullScope Pest Control near Houston. “We’ll go out to service for fleas and the technicians see droppings. We try to inform them that this pest and wildlife, unfortunately, go hand in hand. We need to do exclusion and then we can control the secondary problem, fleas.”

Overall, fleas are a fairly small part of PMPs’ service mix. According to the survey, 91 percent of respondents provide flea control and 77 percent of those offer it as a stand-alone service, while 15 percent integrate it into a general pest control package. Forty-two percent say flea control is 1 to 2 percent of total revenue, with 21 percent estimating it at 3 to 4 percent, and 18 percent of participants figuring fleas account for 5 to 7 percent of business income.

In the past three years, 56 percent of PMPs said the percentage of revenue generated from flea control at their location remained the same. It increased for 21 percent, and decreased for 20 percent.

“Our flea work is no more than 2 percent,” said Doug Foster, president, Burt’s Termite & Pest Control, Columbus, Ind. “It has increased a little bit, but it’s certainly not a hockey stick. It’s almost like watching the stock market. It’s going up a few percentage points every year.”

Foster noticed an uptick during the pandemic. “I’ve been talking to other pest management professionals about that, and we’re thinking that when people were working from home, more of them were getting pets,” he said.

Of PMPs surveyed, 19 percent see an increase in the incidence of flea infestations, and 21 percent see a decrease. There’s no change for 55 percent of respondents.

While not a huge part of the business, flea work is an essential service. “It’s not significant,” Highley said. “But it’s one of those things that we do have a specialized plan for, so whenever someone calls in with a flea problem, we can propose a solution — and anything else we find on the property once the technician gets there, we can recommend and upsell additional services as needed.”