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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — This Sunday on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” Ty Pennington and crew will install a mosquito control misting system for the first time since the show began in 2003. The show is scheduled to run Sunday at 6:00 p.m. CST
Family and house locations for upcoming shows are carefully guarded secrets to save the element of surprise for the cameras, only the local homebuilder in charge of the project and a few other suppliers have any advance notice. Fortunately, the builder in charge of this Minnetonka, Minn project—TJB Homes Inc. of Blaine — knew they’d need protection from the state bird (yes, the Minnesota mosquito) so their crew of 200 contractors could work around the clock in late-August.
Enter Mosquito Squad and MGK Savvy entrepreneurs and owners of the Mosquito Squad franchise in the Twin Cities, Russ Jundt and Tom Olson, had worked before with Tom Budzynski, owner of his family-owned TJB Homes—installing and servicing misting systems to control mosquitoes. One thing led to another, and Mosquito Squad™ contacted McLaughlin Gormley King (MGK) to seek their participation by supplying their misting product Riptide Waterbased Pyrethrin ULV. So they joined forces and immediately set off to donate both their time and products to help protect the workers of this worthy community cause.
“Initially, we were only asked to apply barrier mosquito protection around the home site and the TV production staging/lodging/food tent areas, which was no small task since it comprised about three square blocks and was bordered by a wetland,” Jundt says. Onslaught Microencapsulated Insecticide—also an MGK product — was tank mixed with microencapsulated pyrethrum and applied as a barrier spray prior to the start of the work. Other pest control services were needed as the work and filming continued. “We were called in three separate times to take care of some yellow jacket wasps,” Jundt says.
Olson and Jundt still had bigger plans, so Jundt — with his quick entrepreneurial mind and gift of gab—discovered the appropriate person from ABC who might listen to his misting system pitch. “I explained to them about how our state bird, the mosquito, likes to keep Minnesotans indoors after dusk in the summertime unless you protect yourself or the backyard.
“We explained how the system is set up, featuring strategically placed nozzles every 15 feet around the perimeter of an outdoor area that you desire to be mosquito-free. Then we set the self-contained automatic system to spray at night when mosquitoes are most active,” he says.
At this point, Olson and Jundt could see the ABC folks getting excited about the possibilities, especially since they had designed an “extreme” backyard complete with outdoor kitchen, deck, hot tub, waterfall and even a volleyball court.
“Then we told them about the insect control product we use, Riptide from MGK, and how its active ingredient (natural pyrethrins) is a botanical extract from a chrysanthemum-like flower—and they really liked that, too. Plus, with the house one block from a big marshy area, they could grasp how this system fit perfectly into their landscape creation—and they bought the idea. So we donated one complete misting system and installation, plus free maintenance for one year,” Jundt says. Kevin Caskey, business director for MGK, truly enjoyed partnering with Mosquito Squad on this project. MGK donated a year’s worth of Riptide to help keep the family mosquito-free so they can enjoy their amazing outdoor landscaping. “Working with Tom and Russ to bring some joy to a family that has been through some tough times has been very rewarding. And the opportunity to gain national exposure explaining the homeowner benefits of mosquito misting systems and our product Riptide was an added bonus,” he says.
Olson and Jundt and crew were busy installing the misting system while the camera crew taped some of the outdoor segments. Jundt couldn’t resist the opportunity to pitch the system they were installing—“hoping for those 15 seconds of fame,” said Olson. “It’ll be interesting to see if we make the final cut and appear on the show,” he said.
But possible TV time really didn’t hold a candle to the amazing on-site experience of watching and helping a new home and outdoor landscape appear where the old house stood just six days before. All for the benefit of creating something that could bring such joy to the Swenson-Lee family—after all their hardships and the doubling of their family size.