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» INSIDE: Exclusive Market ResearchForecasting the Coming Flea SeasonTips for Preventing Callbacks

State of the

FLEA MARKET

Five Strategies for Successful Flea ControlAn Opportunity to UpsellMarketing Flea Services

Sponsored by

I n the 1980s — before the advent of insect growth regulators (IGRs) and pet-targeted products — flea control was a significant revenue generator for pest management professionals, even if achiev-ing success wasn’t always easy.

Last year, it accounted for 3 percent of overall revenue — or about $3,000 — for the typical flea control service provider, according to the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Market survey.

In follow-up interviews, some PMPs said the type of flea work they perform has shifted. At Innovative Pest Management in Brookeville, Md., most flea jobs are tied to feral cats, raccoons and squirrels getting into structures; residents may or may not have pets, said Dr. Richard Kramer, the company’s president.

Rats cause half of the flea infestations treated by Bryan Nichols, operations man-ager of Advanced Maintenance and Pest Solutions in Chicago. Every week he pulls 30 to 40 rats out of a million-dollar home in the city. Flea control is “an easy one to sell people at that point,” he said.

PMPs still do plenty of pet-related flea work. They get called to handle “the most difficult flea control challenges” as pet own-ers and veterinarians eliminate the “easy” problems with pet-targeted products, wrote Dr. Nancy Hinkle, a flea expert at the Uni-versity of Georgia, in an email. University of Florida flea expert Dr. Faith Oi agreed. “Oftentimes when the PMP shows up, the infestation is at its height,” she said.

Resistance to flea control products (both professional and veterinary) and

Flea control makes up a small but important — and some say growing — part of pest management.

State of the

FLEA MARKET

STEADY AS IT GOES

ABOUT THIS REPORTThe PCT 2016 State of the Flea Mar-ket survey was sponsored by Zoëcon and compiled by Readex Research, a privately held research firm based in Stillwater, Minn.

A sample of 3,434 owners/operators of pest control businesses was selected randomly from the PCT database. Data was collected from 337 respondents — a 10 percent response rate — via an online survey from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8, 2016. The margin of error for percentages based on 337 usable responses is plus or minus 5.2 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. Charts may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

State of the Flea Market 2 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences

State of the

FLEA MARKET

ADVERTORIAL


higher wildlife and rodent pressure may be causing a bump in flea work, said some PMPs. According to the PCT survey, 33 percent of respondents saw an increase in the number of flea infestations last year over 2014. Thirty-six percent (compared to 29 percent in PCT’s 2014 survey) said revenue generated from flea control services rose in the past three years.

Edward Gibbs, owner of Paragon Pest Control in greater Tampa, is one of them.

WHO RESPONDED?Nearly all — 91 percent — of the 337 pest management company owners and operators who completed this survey offer flea control services to their customers. Those who don’t mainly said the market was too small (31 percent), customers didn’t have flea issues (28 percent) or that they simply weren’t interested in providing this service (24 percent).

Most respondents — 45 percent — operate businesses in the South, followed by the Midwest (23 percent), West (18 percent) and Northeast (12 percent).

COMPANIES OFFERING FLEA CONTROL SERVICES

Number of respondents: 337

Number of respondents: 337

91%YES

12%

18% 45%

23%

9%NO

“For the past three years, our flea and tick revenue has been up a lot,” he said.

Rick Balowski, who opened a Truly Nolen franchise in New Holland, Pa., in 2013, also cited a jump for his growing company. He said flea work was off to an early start this year and accounts for about 10 percent of his revenue.

At Gunter Pest Management in Kansas City, Mo., technicians performed 75 flea control jobs out of 15,000 jobs total last

year, so “it’s not a very big percent” of rev-enue but that’s more than the 57 jobs they did in 2014, said President Jay Besheer. This “could be an uptick” but “one year is not a trend,” he cautioned.

Still, it’s an important service pest man-agement professionals have to offer, said Besheer. Fleas are one of the industry’s main pests; not offering flea control is “like saying you do everything but ants,” he pointed out.

WHERE RESPONDENTS ARE LOCATED


ADVERTORIALState of the

FLEA MARKET

FORECAST: SOME EXPECT FLEA REVENUE TO RISE Forty-one percent of PMPs expect flea control revenue to increase this year over last, according to the PCT 2016 State

of the Flea Market survey. That’s up from 36 percent in PCT’s 2014 survey.

Still, most respondents (56 percent) believe flea revenue will remain constant. Fleas will continue to be a “smaller,

steady segment of the market. We’ll always be treating them,” said Jay Besheer, Gunter Pest Management.

Dr. Richard Kramer of Innovative Pest Management said flea control will “remain where it is, pretty flat,” and at his

company, services will mainly involve incidents of cat flea-carrying nuisance wildlife.

Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308

COMPARED TO 2015, THE PERCENTAGE OF FLEA CONTROL REVENUE IN 2016 WILL:

56%Remain the

same

3%Decrease

1%No answer

41%Increase

PERCENTAGE OF OVERALL SERVICE REVENUE GENERATED FROM FLEA CONTROL

30% or more

20% - 29%

15% - 19%

10% - 14%

8% - 9%

5% - 7%

3% - 4%

1% - 2%

None

No answer

1%

1%

2%

6%

5%

13%

20%36%

45%

12%

5%

2%

48%

3%

2%

Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308

OVER THE PAST YEAR, INCIDENCES OF FLEA INFESTATIONS HAVE: 52%

Remained the same

13%Decreased

2%Cannot compare; not involved a year ago

1%No answer

33%Increased

IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE GENERATED FROM FLEA CONTROL SERVICES HAS:

Increased

Remained the same

Decreased

Cannot compare; not involved three years

No answer

Number of respondents who

provide flea control services: 308

Median:

3%

State of the

FLEA MARKET


ADVERTORIAL

96%

94%

74%

68%

63%

52%

14%

6%

1%

Finding the source, mechanical controls and an adulticide-IGR combo are the foundation of successful flea control but take time, report PMPs.

FIVE STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL FLEA CONTROL

F lea control regimens vary but pest man-agement professionals agree on one thing: Successful control takes time.Because a flea problem may be entrenched

by the time a PMP gets called, achieving control can be a “long-term proposition” requiring multiple visits, said Dr. Faith Oi, University of Florida.

Clay Thelen, owner of TheLens New Pest Solutions in Henderson, Nev., said a typical job takes up to two hours. “You just can’t apply any product and pray for the best; you have to be very thorough and figure out where the activity is coming from,” he said.

Getting rid of flea pupae with their protec-tive, camouflaged cocoons is the most diffi-cult part of this job and requires a follow-up visit in nearly every case, said Dr. Richard Kramer of Innovative Pest Management.

Experts and PMPs cited five strategies for success:

1 Identify the Pest — PMPs and vet-erinarians have done such a good job

controlling fleas that many people don’t know what a flea looks like, said Dr. Nancy Hinkle, University of Georgia, in an email. “We get all sorts of little insects submitted as putative ‘fleas.’ So ensure that your technicians always get samples and confirm that the target pest is, indeed, fleas before initiating a flea sup-pression program,” she advised.

This also reduces the risk of taking on customers who have delusory parasitosis, an untenable situation that involves trying to solve an unsolvable problem, said Hinkle.

2 Find the Source — More than half of PMPs practice source reduction

and sanitation as part of their flea treatment programs, found the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Market survey.

Learning where pets hang out is a “most crit-ical element because that’s where you’re going to find the larvae developing,” said Kramer. These places aren’t always easy to find, which makes customer cooperation essential.

Kramer had a job where a client refused to let technicians in the master bedroom. After multiple visits without gaining con-trol, Kramer got into the room to find an infested dog bed with flea pupae and larvae “so abundant that with my failing, aged eyes I could still see them.” Taking care of the cushion eliminated the problem, but control could have been achieved much earlier, he recalled.

Thelen starts his inspection outside, looking for signs of wildlife and rodents entering the structure or of critters resting under bushes and decks, to identify the source of the fleas.

SERVICE PROTOCOLS USED IN FLEA CONTROL PROGRAMS

Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308Respondents could choose multiple answers.

General use insecticides

Insect growth regulators

Vacuuming (prep)

Outdoor treatments

Veterinary treatment of pets

Source reduction/sanitation

Exclusion

Other

No answer



FLEA MARKET

3 Treat Outdoors — Because cat fleas fall from infested wildlife, feral an-

imals and other pets that wander through customers’ yards, many PMPs — 68 percent according to the PCT survey — perform outdoor treatments.

If you only treat the inside of the house and the pet, “you’re going to continue to have flea activity once that product on the animal wears off,” said Thelen.

Outdoor treatments may encompass the entire yard or concentrate on shaded areas

under decks, shrubs and trees, and dog runs and houses. Some PMPs include this treat-ment in their flea control program; others offer it as an add-on service.

4 Prepare the Site — Before perform-ing indoor treatments, 74 percent

of PMPs prepare the site by vacuuming, according to the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Market survey.

Bryan Nichols of Advanced Maintenance and Pest Solutions offers whole-house HEPA

vacuuming for an additional charge. Most PMPs ask clients to perform this task, along with other chores like clearing floors of clutter. More than 60 percent of pest man-agement professionals request that pets be treated for fleas by the vet as part of their service, found the survey.

Customers usually are compliant as “they’re the ones getting bit up” and want the problem solved, said Rick Balowski of Truly Nolen. Still, gaining full cooperation requires explaining the different stages of

RETREATS: REDUCE CALLBACKS WITH COMMUNICATIONAccording to the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Market survey, the typical

pest management professional had a 4 percent callback rate for flea

control services.

In follow-up interviews, respondents said strict site preparation

requirements and thorough treatments kept this number low. Call-

backs usually occur, they said, because of re-infestations (not failure

of the treatment), unusually severe infestations or clients’ failure to

follow prep guidelines.

Good customer communication can help reduce callbacks, said

Dr. Faith Oi, University of Florida. She suggested PMPs explain the

flea life cycle and the signs of infestation, like flea dirt, as well as the

rationale for your questions. For instance, “I’m asking you about the

treatment history for your pet and home because I want to devise a

strategy that will avoid insecticide resistance and develop a sustain-

able flea control program.” Explain what you are going to do, how

treatment is not an overnight solution, and their role in solving the

problem, such as having pets treated by a vet, washing pet bedding,

and preventing wildlife and other pets from entering the property.


TYPICAL CALLBACK RATE FOR FLEA CONTROL SERVICE

30% or more

20% - 29%

10% - 19%

5% - 9%

1% - 4%

None

No answer

6%

6%

10%

16%

42%

19%

1%

State of the

FLEA MARKET


ADVERTORIAL

flea development, how the pests get into the carpet, and the benefits of vacuuming with a beater brush.

5 Treat the Interior — Nearly all PMPs use general-use insecticides and IGRs

— 96 and 94 percent, respectively — in their flea control programs, found the PCT survey.

“It is absolutely essential that you use an IGR,” which interrupts the flea life cycle by preventing eggs from hatching and larvae

from developing into pupae, said Kramer. “If you stop them from getting into the pupal stage, you’ve won half the battle,” he said.

The primary flea treatment regimen for 87 percent of PMPs is using a combination of general use insecticides and insect growth regulators, found the survey.

Nichols also uses silica gel, an EPA exempt 25(b) product, to kill fleas through desicca-tion. You can apply it to carpets where pets lay “and not have to worry about your dog or your cat grooming themselves and ingesting

dangerous products,” he said.“People seem to be much less accepting

of broadcast treatments inside their homes, which forces PMPs to look at different, but effective, alternatives such as vacuuming and steam,” said Oi.

And if your flea treatment isn’t working, try something else, Oi advised. “You may be dealing with a resistant population. You may be dealing with a homeowner who’s not compliant. We have to be effective in spite of those challenges,” she said.

RESISTANCE: RISK IS REAL, YET LESS THAN HALF PRACTICE RESISTANCE MANAGEMENTIn follow-up interviews, some pest management professionals

expressed concern that fleas may be developing resistance to

control products.

It’s happened before. Scientific literature has documented cases

of flea resistance to old chemistries, said Dr. Faith Oi, University of

Florida. Pests like cockroaches, bed bugs and fleas “will develop

pesticide resistance over time and we’ve known that since the

days of DDT,” she said.

Today, scientists are looking for targets (genes) for insecticide

resistance in fleas and are finding some in fleas they’ve recovered

from the field, “so, there is the possibility of resistance out in the

field,” said Oi.

Relying on broadcast spraying could exacerbate the problem.

“That’s a lot of insecticide to be putting out and we may be in-

creasing the pressure for resistance in doing that,” Oi said.

People also are “self-treating like nobody’s business,” whether

for fleas or bed bugs and this ends up “making the pesticide less

effective over time,” said Bryan Nichols, Advanced Maintenance

and Pest Solutions.

Still, less than half of PMPs practice resistance management

in their flea control programs, found the PCT 2016 State of the

Flea Market survey.

Oi urged professionals to use more mechanical methods of

control, such as washing pets and bedding, vacuuming and steam

cleaning, as well as rotating the use of chemical products.

APP MAKES ROTATING PRODUCTS EASIER The free Mode of Action smartphone app from the Insecticide

Resistance Action Committee (www.irac-online.org) can help

PMPs rotate products.

“By rotating the products we use — using products from different

chemical families over time so that successive pest generations

are not exposed to the same chemical challenge — we can delay

resistance development,” explained Dr. Nancy Hinkle, University

of Georgia, in an email. “Unfortunately we do not currently have

many options.”

Edward Gibbs of Paragon Pest Control asks customers what do-

it-yourself products they’ve used and for how long so he doesn’t

apply the same active ingredient. Rick Balowski of Truly Nolen

urges pet owners with flea problems to rotate pet products that

aren’t working after several years of use.


DOES YOUR LOCATION PRACTICE RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT FOR FLEAS?

44%Yes

2%No answer

54%No

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE HAS DOCUMENTED CASES OF FLEA

RESISTANCE TO OLD CHEMISTRIES.



FLEA MARKET

S ome pest management professionals roll flea control into their preventive service programs. If fleas become a problem between visits, there’s no charge.

For others, flea control is strictly an add-on service. “I never include it with regular service because the home treatments (for fleas) are so much more thorough,” said Paragon Pest Control’s Edward Gibbs, who converts about half of his one-time flea jobs to contract service.

OPPORTUNITY TO UPSELL

Flea control gives PMPs a chance to leverage quarterly service and add-ons.

State of the

FLEA MARKET


ADVERTORIAL

$500 or more

$400 - $499

$300 - $399

$250 - $299

$200 - $249

$150 - $199

$100 - $149

less than $100

No answer

When Rick Balowski of Truly Nolen sells one-time flea control clients on his Four Seasons service, he provides that first quar-terly service for free. Existing Four Seasons customers get a significant discount on flea treatments.

“IPM-savvy PMPs will find ways to upsell or add on a service,” such as flea monitoring or prevention programs, said Dr. Faith Oi, University of Florida. Consider contacting customers with previous flea problems to offer a preventive service based on IGRs, suggested Dr. Nancy Hinkle, University of Georgia. Some PMPs said they’ve have had success offering a combined flea-and-tick suppression program.

Bryan Nichols of Advanced Maintenance

and Pest Solutions offers a menu of add-on services to complement his standard structural flea treatment, which costs about $200. Depending on the infestation level and customer needs, he’ll provide whole-house HEPA vacuuming for $100 and treat the outdoor space for $75.

“The idea is to not come back” to retreat, explained Nichols. Doing “the extra stuff is what’s going to get you to that point,” he said.

The average price of a residential flea con-trol job was $196, reported pest management professionals in the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Market survey.

Take My Word. Professionals who promote their flea control programs most often

emphasize service guarantees (43 percent), certified technicians (37 percent), excellent control (36 percent) and free inspections (28 percent), according to the PCT survey.

“One of the big selling features that I think separates me from the other guys is I give a longer guarantee,” said Balowski, who offers a 90-day warranty. “I think that makes the customer feel comfortable knowing I’m there to solve the problem to the end,” he said.

Gibbs provides a 45-day guarantee that he’ll extend if necessary “because I want to know I’ve gotten rid of their problem.”

In follow-up interviews, pest manage-ment professioanls said online reviews and word-of-mouth generate most of their new flea jobs.

Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308Note: Respondents could choose multiple answers.

KEY ELEMENTS OF MARKETING FLEA CONTROL SERVICES

43%

33%

24%

7%

15%

12%

6%

2%

1%37%

36%28%

18%15%15%

12%1%

35%

1%

Service guaranteeCertified technicians

Excellent controlFree inspection

Benefits of treating preventivelyEco-friendly products

Low pricesPet protection

OtherDo not feature flea control

services in marketing effortsNo answer

PRICE FOR A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL FLEA CONTROL SERVICE

Number of respondents who provide residential flea control services: 308

Average:

$196

1%


ADVERTORIAL

Zoëcon’s Flea-Control Lineup is a PMP’s Dream,

AND A FLEA’S WORST NIGHTMARE

According to survey results, 87% of PMPs utilize a combination

of general use insecticides and Insect Growth

Regulators…now PMPs can have the power of both with

the Precor 2625 Premise Spray.

Flea control is a key segment of pro-

fessional pest control, with one third

of survey respondents reporting

an increase in service requests in the past

year. For PMPs looking for the right mix of

products to address flea infestations, Zoëcon

Professional Products offers a complete line-

up of flea-control solutions and protocols

that are a PMP’s dream, and a flea’s worst

nightmare.

According to the survey results, 87% of

PMPs utilize a combination of general use

insecticides and Insect Growth Regulators

(IGRs) for the control of fleas. Now, PMPs

can have the power of both with the re-

cently introduced Precor® 2625 Premise

Spray from Zoëcon Professional Products.

The unique combination of insecticides,

including Etofenprox, kills mature fleas,

while Precor® Insect Growth Regulator (IGR)

controls the pre-adult fleas that make up

95% of the typical infestation for up to seven

months. This easy-to-use aerosol covers up

to 2,625 square feet with a 360-degree valve

allowing for multiple applications.

For non-aerosol application sites, PMPs

can employ the same one-two punch with

a tank mix of Precor® IGR Concentrate

and Zenprox® EC. For large indoor area

treatments, Precor® Plus Fogger prevents

infestations for up to seven months. Petcor®

Flea Spray can be directly applied to dogs

and cats to sterilize flea eggs for up to 63

days with a single application.

Flea infestations are generally first no-

ticed within the home, but they typically

begin outside. PMP’s can offer an integrated

solution by treating the surrounding yards,


ADVERTORIAL

tions are complete, PMPs can help reduce

callbacks and increase customer satisfaction

by educating them on the necessary steps

they can take following treatment with

Zoëcon’s complimentary leave-behind

brochure.

With the potential for growth provided

by flea-control services, it is essential that

today’s pest management professional

be equipped with a complete arsenal of

solutions to treat for the pests in all nec-

essary application settings. To learn more

about Zoëcon’s comprehensive lineup of

flea-control solutions and download the

free leave-behind brochure, visit www.

Zoecon.com.

decks and perimeters of a home. Mavrik®

Perimeter, a broad-spectrum pyrethroid,

offers immediate knockdown of multiple

pests, including fleas, without harming

ornamental plants or shrubbery. Its dried

residue is non-toxic to bees. Lambda 9.7

CS Insecticide is another versatile option

from Zoëcon approved for use on lawns

and landscaping.

Zoëcon is a leader in 25(b) products.

When it comes to treating in and around

a customer’s home, particularly near pets,

today’s homeowners continue to show

an interest in natural solution options. To

meet this growing demand, Zoëcon offers a

robust lineup of 25(b) products formulated

with plant essential oils for applications

inside and outside of the home. Essentria®

Broadcast General Use Aerosol provides

quick knockdown and kill of indoor pests,

and is approved for use on mattresses,

carpeting and furniture. For natural flea

treatments outside of the home, pest

management professionals can rely on

EcoPCO® WP-X Water Soluble Pouches

and Essentria® G Granule Insecticide for

perimeter and landscape applications.

Essentria ® Al l Purpose Insect ic ide

Concentrate offers a safe and effective

solution for fleas and a broad spectrum

of other pests in both indoor and outdoor

application settings.

Finally, when all of the product applica-

To learn more about Zoëcon’s lineup of flea-control solutions and download a free

leave-behind brochure, visit www.Zoecon.com.

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