PCOs Report Dramatic Increase in Ant Business

Eighty-six percent of PCOs responding to a recent PCT fax survey reported an increase in their ant business in 1998, reflecting a trend that started several years ago and appears to be growing. Only 10% of survey respondents said their ant business was flat for the year, with an additional 2% reporting a decrease in ant-related service calls.

The results of the survey are consistent with the observations of PCOs who participated in a roundtable discussion co-sponsored by PCT magazine and American Cyanamid at last year’s NPCA Convention in Nashville, Tenn.

"Ants are becoming a large part of my business," said Bob Kunst, president of Fischer Environmental Services, Mandeville, La. "I’ve been working in the Southeast for 25 years and this is the best ant season we’ve had and it continues to grow on an annual basis, particularly carpenter ants."

Although the ant species generating service calls may differ from region to region, Doug Seeman, technical director of University Termite and Pest Control, Tucson, Ariz., agrees that ants are a growing profit center for PCOs. "Right now, the ants we’re having the most problems with are crazy ants," he said. "They’re taking over southern Arizona."

Crazy ants are also a problem in the Lone Star State, says Bobby Jenkins, president of ABC Pest Control, Austin, Texas. "It’s amazing how in just the last two years, all of a sudden crazy ants are everywhere," he said. "It’s a pest we really didn’t have a problem with until recently."

And ants aren’t only a problem in the deep South. Bill Kolbe, training director of Western Industries, Inc., Parsippanny, N.J., said carpenter ants are an important part of his company’s business. "In the Northeast, we do lots of carpenter ant work. We have offices in certain areas that will do more carpenter ant work than termite work," he said, "so it’s a real big pest for us."

WHAT PCOs WANT. Despite the dramatic increase in ant-related service calls, PCOs are frustrated by the control challenges posed by this bothersome pest, particularly its finicky eating habits and the lack of products designed for the individual dietary needs and behavioral characteristics of specific ant species.

In addition, with the trend towards perimeter treatments, PCOs are urging manufacturers to develop ant control products that provide long-term residual control on the outside of structures under a wide range of environmental conditions. "We need a 90-day residual with the products we use because the only time we treat on the inside of the building is when we’re stopping the initial infestation," said Steve Scherzinger, president of Scherzinger Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio. "All of our other work is performed on the outside of the building, so we need something that’s going to hold up under adverse environmental conditions."

"What we need is a liquid bait that will stick around when temperatures reach 110°F," added Seeman. "The second thing we need is a bait that is attractive to a number of ant species. We need to be able to put out the bait, but change the attractant because crazy ants and other species can change what they’re eating every hour."

Bert Putterman, manager of Arizona Exterminating Co., Phoenix, Ariz., agrees. "You can treat an area and in an hour you don’t see any crazy ants, but three hours later there are 1,000 ants in the area. It’s amazing!"

Dr. Michael Potter, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky, said a liquid insecticide that could provide long-term residual control on the perimeter of buildings would be particularly attractive to PCOs involved in ant work. "It takes more time, effort and training to inspect and surgically bait the perimeter," he said. "I would think a large percentage of the industry would still like to be able to spray the foundation 3 feet up and 3 feet out and the ants wouldn’t come back for 45 days. Simpler is often better if you can get there. I suspect that there are a number of companies out there that are looking for such a product."

"I would want that as part of an overall strategy," ABC’s Jenkins said, "but you’re still going to need to treat those outside focal points with baits to solve the problem."

Like others participating in the roundtable discussion, Jenkins said most of his company’s work is done on the outside of structures, reflecting an industry trend nationally. "Approximately 95% of our work is done outside, but we still go inside because we want to conduct a thorough inspection so the homeowner feels that their entire living environment is being examined and proper application is being made wherever possible. So we’re big with zone monitors and flashlights, but there’s not a lot of actual application going on inside except in specific hot spots. We still think homeowners like to see us visually inspecting the inside of the home."

CONCLUSION. Clearly, ant control is becoming a growing part of the pest control industry’s business and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The volatile nature of the termite market and weakness in the flea market has forced PCOs to look elsewhere to shore up their bottom line. While cockroach control remains a mainstay of the pest control industry, ant control services are clearly driving much of the industry’s growth, prompting more and more PCOs to focus their sales and marketing efforts on this segment of the industry.