Selling Point

There’s nothing more frustrating than getting this call from a mosquito customer: “You guys were out here an hour ago and I just got bit.”

Unfortunately, this call happens more often than pest management professionals (PMPs) would like. And it takes a lot of effort to reset customer expectations and keep them happy afterwards, while also explaining that it takes time to kill mosquitoes, that the service doesn’t eliminate every mosquito but reduces the population and that wind can blow the pests in from elsewhere.

CLEAR MESSAGING.

Cases like these are why it’s so important to set clear expectations upfront for mosquito control and to reinforce the same messaging consistently, often and through different channels. You can’t assume customers heard or understood your spiel the first, second or even third time you gave it.

It’s also essential to teach customers how to prevent mosquitoes on their property. “We’re big on educating our customers,” said Matt Summers, president, Atlus Pest Solutions, Huntsville, Ala.

His technicians show clients how to eliminate standing water and modify landscaping to reduce mosquito-breeding sites. “That’s a huge portion of what we do: teach our customers and explain to them,” he said. Client cooperation is key to achieving successful control. He said he explains to customers that, “You need to do your part. These are the things we need from you.”

Customers who buy mosquito services tend to be good ones. “It’s usually higher- end customers that are looking for this service, and those customers are usually the ones that want to keep you around for the long haul,” said Dallas Whitt, owner, Critical Hit Pest Management, Shawnee, Okla.

Starting off with agreed-upon expectations leads to satisfied customers, according to Whitt, and it’s the foundation for a long-term, lucrative relationship.

“You can get them on a reoccurring service,” he said. “You can get them on a monthly billing cycle to where they’re automatically paying you, and you don’t have to worry about chasing that money. They’re willing to spend more.”

However, that’s not going to happen if customers anticipate zero mosquitoes after treatment. “It just doesn’t work that way,” said Whitt.

Even a custom service plan can’t completely eliminate the pests.

In Jacksonville, Fla., where mosquitoes are a year-round problem caused by several species, Trad’s Pest Control designs individual service plans based on conducive conditions found on the property during inspection. Treatment typically involves adulticide application with a mister-blower every 30 to 60 days and the use of traps.

Even so, customers may still have run ins with mosquitoes. “Explaining suppression is the goal, we cannot kill every mosquito in the neighborhood,” said Denise Trad-Wartan, company CEO.

As a courtesy, technicians at Victory Pest Control in Myrtle Beach, S.C., help customers manage contributing factors that lead to mosquito problems.

“If it’s in the scope of what we can do, we’ll go ahead and help them,” said Ryan Ewalt, general manager.

An example would be dumping a kiddie pool where a dog gets washed. “We’re not going to charge. If it’s something that will take us a few minutes, it’s no big deal to help them out. And that’ll just save us money in the long run, from a callback” perspective, Ewalt said.

When these jobs involve more than tipping containers, such as cleaning gutters or installing downspout diverters, Ultra Pest Control, Huntington, W. Va., offers to help for a fee.

“If it’s something that we can correct, we give the customer an estimate for us to correct it. If it’s something that they can correct, they correct it,” said Greg Stephens, owner, Ultra Pest Control.

Getting customers to actively take part in mosquito prevention is core to integrated pest management (IPM). “IPM is very important and getting customer buy-in can be difficult,” Trad-Wartan said.

ADVERTISING. The 2025 PCT State of the Mosquito Control Market survey, which appeared in May PCT, found that the most effective ways to advertise mosquito control services were word-of-mouth (66%), online (56%) and email marketing (34%).

Sponsored by MGK, the survey was conducted Feb. 4-19, 2025, by Readex Research, an independent market research company based in Stillwater, Minn.

In-person selling should not be overlooked, said PMPs in follow-up interviews. “If you’re just relying on your website, Facebook ad or Google ad, your growth is not going to be there,” said Ultra Pest Control’s Stephens. “Talking to people in person is a basic that a lot of people seem to forget.”

It’s a timely issue to discuss, especially when technicians are being bitten while doing other services on the property. “Why would you not bring that up to the customer?” Stephens said.

Social media advertising and yard signs (cited by 22%) generated new customers for Ultra Pest Control. Getting people to experience the benefits of mosquito control first hand played a role, too.

Stephens has an influential customer who continues to host a mommy play group, even though her children are grown, because her yard doesn’t have mosquitoes. The other moms experience an outdoor environment with fewer mosquitoes. “We end up picking up a few other parents,” as a result, he said.

Whitt runs Google ads touting Critical Hit’s mosquito service. But, he said, these ads only generate about a quarter of new mosquito control customers.

Instead, existing customers are his biggest opportunity. “The majority of the customers, 75% of them, it’s me actively engaging them in the conversation, saying, ‘Hey, I can take care of mosquitoes. Would you like to talk about that?” Whitt said.

Starting these conversations is his priority in February and March. March is when mosquito marketing efforts kicked off at most (41%) service locations, according to the PCT survey.

“We need to be having these conversations actively with every single customer that we engage with,” said Whitt. He tells customers, “We’re in Oklahoma and mosquitoes are going to be out April through October. There’s something we can do to make sure that you and your family can enjoy your backyard again in the summer months.”

When talking directly to customers, it’s easier to sell them on bundled services that include mosquito control, said Brent Marshall, who manages Lakeshore Pest Control in Grand Haven, Mich.

“We’re already there spraying your house for spiders and ants and all that, so we can do an add on,” he said, adding that customers typically pay less for mosquito control this way “because we’re there already.”

Victory Pest Control created a phone recording for customers waiting on hold that helped get the word out about mosquito services.

“They’re on hold anyway, so might as well give a little advertisement,” said Ewalt. “Some people don’t even realize that we offer that service, and then they hear about it and the next thing you know, they’re signing up.”

The company’s website also promotes mosquito control. “When they go to the website to pay their invoice, they see we offer that service as well,” Ewalt said.

PMPs said service vehicle decals (27%) and door hangers or cloverleafing (22%) were other impactful marketing tools.

The author is a PCT frequent contributor.