Theatre Antoine

Some PCOs are beginning to view the chemically sensitive consumer market segment as a potential gold mine rather than a land mine.

They are out there: a definite segment of consumers who are opposed to the use of chemicals in their homes. Some PCOs write these consumers off: Such customers are perceived to represent too much risk or would probably never consider hiring a professional pest control operator. Other professionals, on the other hand, see the group as a segment of the market that is there to be tapped.

Of course, the market segmentation is not exactly as distinct as it appears. Customers have wide ranges of attitudes when it comes to pesticide use in their homes. Some are simply concerned and want more information, while others are adamantly against it. And these customer perceptions can change, subtly or drastically, at any time.

Peter Sandman, a Newton, Mass.-based consultant specializing in risk communication, offers plenty of wisdom for PCOs attempting to market services to unsure customers. His biggest piece of advice to PCOs is to not reassure people who are alarmed.

"The only situation where the pest control company is a loser," explains Sandman, "is when the company persuades a reluctant customer to get a treatment that they are upset about later."

ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVES. Out of customers' desires and needs for chemically free solutions has grown a wide-ranging list of alternatives, some of which require a paradigm shift from the traditional line of thinking to understand or appreciate.

One example of a company with a new way of thinking and working is Praxis of Allegan, Mich. Praxis is not a pest control company in the traditional sense, yet some of what the company does overlaps with what pest control companies typically handle. The company offers not integrated pest management to the pest control market, but "integrated biological cybernetic control" to a marginal niche market. It operates using natural controls and on the idea that certain specific nonpathological, beneficial organisms can be selected to control specific pest insects.

In addition to work in forestry, aquaculture, and agriculture, the company sells site-specific custom-made biological control tool kits, or Bio-Tool Kits, for all kinds of pest programs. The company also employs habitat modification and exclusion methods.

Much of what is sold by Praxis is actually a mailing of Bio-Tool Kits that customers can release themselves because they are self-applicating. Past customers include school systems, greenhouses, institutions, hospitals, laboratories, shelters, farms and restaurants across the country. Although most of Praxis' work is limited to North America, the nine-year-old firm is also receiving calls from potential customers in Egypt, Israel, Costa Rica, Japan and England.

TECHNOLOGICAL ALTERNATIVES. Within the traditional pest control community, many professionals have tackled the problems of chemically sensitive customers by employing alternative control techniques.

Dave Crowninshield, for example, is a pest control operator whose firm, Hydrex Pest Control, Petaluma, Calif., offers a modern alternative in addition to the more traditional methods. Crowninshield is president and general manager of the North Bay-area franchise, which is one of about 25 companies nationwide offering volumetric heat treatments to rid structures of pests. The method is recognized by the California Department of Consumer Affairs as one of only two effective means of controlling drywood termites with regard to whole structure treatment.

The technology of controlling insects by the volumetric application of heat has been patented by Isothermics/Thermal Pest Eradication Associates (TPE) of Orange, Calif. The method is currently being used primarily as an alternative to structural fumigation for control of drywood termites and other wood-destroying pests.

TPE's heat treatment process utilizes some of the same ideas as fumigation, wherein sections of a structure are (or the whole structure is) tarped or cordoned off. Then, using propane heaters, the temperature within the covered area is raised to a level of between 145°F and 160°F, and held there for several hours. The actual treatment usually takes less than a day, and, says Crowninshield, heat treatments cost up to a third less than fumigation for drywood termite and beetle control.

"This type of treatment is just starting to take off within the industry," said Crowninshield. "It is a viable alternative to structural fumigation."

Crowninshield, who has been in the industry for more than 22 years, was also recently named technical service director for TPE. His appointment was based on his knowledge of the industry, of construction, and of the technology of heat application. The Hydrex franchise he manages not only sells a full range of pest control services, but also offers structural repair services.

This spring, a homeowner located in the New England area sought Crownin shield's help to develop a "dream team" of professionals who could treat his home without the use of chemicals. The customer, who was adamantly against the use of insecticides, had learned of TPE's heated air treatment method and thought it might be used to control the carpenter ant and other insect infestations in his home.

Mike Linford, president of TPE, had referred the customer to Crowninshield, who accepted the job and assembled a crew consisting of himself, a biologist, and four individuals from Your Way Fumigation of Menifee, Calif.

The customer then flew the team from California to his New England home and had most of the equipment and supplies shipped there as well.

Before the job, Crowninshield checked with the local regulatory agencies and found that because the team was performing a nonchemical application, no licensing would be required. The heat treatment was to be performed on the exterior of the building to exterminate insects that had induced them to move inside.

For the treatment, the crew covered the structure with thermal drapes and used six propane heaters to raise the temperature of the air between the exterior of the building and the tarps. An ambient temperature of about 145°F was maintained for several hours, Crowninshield said. The temperature inside the home never exceeded 85°F, although interior walls reached temperatures as high as 130°F. Still, people were able to comfortably occupy the structure during the treatment.

The crew also used borescopes before and after the treatment to identify nesting sites and to confirm that the treatment had been effective. During the treatment, a service technician remained inside the building, vacuuming up any insects that had managed to tunnel inside trying to escape the heat. Then these insects were put into vials and monitored. Almost all of the collected insects died within hours, Crowninshield said.

Post-treatment inspections of wall voids showed no live infestations. Crowninshield estimated that between 80% and 90% of the insects were trapped inside the walls, unable to escape.

Because the treatment left no residual, Crowninshield believes the infestation will eventually return, though probably not to the extent of the infestation before the treatment. He acknowledges there are situations when whole structure heat treatments cannot be used, and sometimes he uses this method in conjunction with an IPM program. But he believes the application has many uses in both general pest and wood-destroying insect control.

"Heat is very effective in the elimination of carpenter ants," Crowninshield said. "I plan to market the use of heat for carpenter ant control and also general pest control in the coming months."

 MAINSTREAM ALTERNATIVES. The use of heat treatments in pest control is not yet a mainstream alternative, and many PCOs are waiting for field test results in the general pest market. In the meantime, some have devised other ways to market their services to the segment of the market that is especially concerned about the use of pesticides. Peter Sandman points out that PCOs can best reach this market by allying with customers. This means recognizing their concerns and providing them with product literature such as labels and material safety data sheets as well as information produced by environmental agencies on proper pesticide use.

"It's good business not to want to talk people into something that they have a fear of," Sandman said. The worst thing a PCO can do, he added, is "pull rank," or embarrass the customer for being concerned in the first place. PCOs should make sure customers overcome their own concerns. By taking this stance with customers, PCOs will be able to ensure a greater level of psychological protection from risk, because the customer is not put under pressure to make a decision.

Sandman also suggests that pest control operators have customers talk to their physicians and to other local pest control companies to have questions answered. Or, if the customer's concerns are still not being addressed, the PCO may want to refer the customer to a firm that caters to the chemically sensitive segment of the market.

"If I were a PCO, particularly a traditional PCO who wanted to use the most effective treatment that was legal," Sandman said, "I would want to know another PCO in town who has a somewhat different attitude."

One pest control professional who has taken this concept a step further is Bobby Jenkins, president of ABC Pest Control, Austin, Texas. Jenkins and other officials at ABC realized they were missing a segment of the market, but they were not content to give up on those customers.

In 1991, Jenkins opened Chem-Free Pest Control, also in Austin. Now the two companies, which are run as separate organizations, cater to many of the same geographic service areas but to two distinct segments of the marketplace. ABC offers the more conventional pest control services, while Chem-Free utilizes specific, customized integrated pest management programs, along with some product ground rules.

"Chem-Free uses no organophosphates, no carbamates, and no pyrethroids inside structures," explained Jenkins. "The idea is we're using the least toxic products available." The vast majority of Chem-Free's services are sold by inspection only. "We give them a written report and make recommendations as to the treatment strategies," Jenkins said. "Additionally we give them labels and MSDS sheets of all the products and are available to answer any questions they have before we ever set up the treatment." Company representatives also recommend that customers consult with their physicians. "We generally can devise a program that can take into account their concerns," Jenkins said. "Ninety-five percent of the work can be done on the outside."

The company places emphasis on pre-inspections and on characterizing the extent and type of infestation, identifying conducive conditions, and using targeted treatments along with other long-term preventive measures for control. Furthermore, the company makes recommendations on what homeowners can do to minimize conducive conditions, such as trimming excess foliage or removing debris located along the perimeter of the foundation.

Like ABC, Chem-Free offers residential and commercial termite and pest control. "Sometimes it takes a little more time and persistence," Jenkins says of the Chem-Free service, "and it always takes more cooperation from the customer, be it residential or commercial." For termite control, for example, Chem-Free provides a spot treatment in the home to minimize the amount of product used while still solving the problem and offering a guarantee for the whole house.

Jenkins says Chem-Free's customers like the company's philosophy and are satisfied with the type of products and materials Chem-Free offers. "We've tried to position Chem-Free to be an alternative service for the person who wants this type of treatment strategy," Jenkins said. "People are willing to pay for inspection and for information. If we can deliver both of these in addition to solving pest problems, customers are going to have a service that they'll continue for a long time."

In some cases, customers who call ABC are referred to Chem-Free, Jenkins said, because they prefer a more organic approach. Jenkins acknowledges that sales at Chem-Free are growing faster than those at ABC. But the growth of Chem-Free has not had any impact on the growth of ABC, he says. "Chem-Free is attracting customers and reaching people who were not going to call ABC," he says. "The growth of ABC has been outstanding during the same time frame we've had Chem-Free."

FUTURE DIRECTIONS. Handling customer concerns about chemical use is certainly not as easy as it sounds, nor should it be. Even a pest control company with a spotless reputation and one that is well-versed in overcoming objections would be wise to spend extra time understanding customer anxieties about pesticide use. No one, of course, has all the answers, but as long as there are customers with specific concerns, there will be organizations and institutions dedicated to meeting them.

Lisa Josof is associate editor of Pest Control Technology magazine.