CLEVELAND – Many PCOs have found tick control to be a growth market in recent years.
PCT recently asked our readers: In the past five years, have tick control services become a more or less significant portion of your business? Twenty-nine percent responded that tick control services are a more significant portion of their business compared to five years ago, while another 37 percent said they have experienced no change.
One of the prime tick locations in the U.S. is Connecticut, which is home to a number of tick species.
“I’ve found that offering tick and mosquito (services) is the easiest way to grow your business,” said Emilio Polce, owner of EcoChoice Termite and Pest Control, Manchester, Conn. Polce used to “farm out” this work before bringing it in-house six years ago. EcoChoice’s tick control program includes using backpack sprayers to treat the woodline and shrubs.
Polce attributes the rise in tick business to milder winters. “We’re not seeing the deep freezes that kill of ticks,” said Polce, who added that EcoChoice even received a tick control service request in February.
Also in Connecticut is Millette Pest Control, Waterbury, Conn., and sales manager Heather Millette said the company tick control services are more significant now than they were five years ago. “Everyone wants to protect the yard and the family from Lyme disease,” she said.
Millette said growth in this segment comes from word-of-mouth referrals and marketing to existing customers.
Another area with high tick populations is the upper Midwest. Dr. Mohammed El Damir, technical and training director of Adams Pest Control, Medina, Minn., said tick control services have been “more significant” in the company’s service area during the last five years.
“Warmer winter temperatures and early springs have led to increased tick populations,” El Damir said. “With more resources available, ticks have greater opportunities for feeding, while the milder winters provide them with additional chances to survive.
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