“With a couple weeks of warm weather in a row, everyone is going to have flea and tick explosions,” said Arthur Wright on a rainy March afternoon. Wright, who operates Advanced Pest Control Services with his father-in-law Gary Maley, was braced for the resurgence of fleas, ticks, ants,  bees, termites and other pests that thrive in our semi-tropical heat and humidity.

The company advocates integrated pest management, a holistic method of controlling infestations.  It begins with assessing the situation and coming up with an action plan before treating.  It includes making sure everything is kept clean, that entry holes are blocked, and that a family’s dogs and cats are on pills that ward off fleas and ticks.

“In this climate, you have to spend more time and be more aggressive,” Wright said.  For example, those fleas and ticks are among the tougher pests to control.  “When a stray cat jumps into your treated yard, guess what? You have fleas again.”  Squirrels, possums and coyotes also bring in fleas, which have a 14-21 day growth cycle and sometimes require a second treatment to get under control.

Advanced Pest Control, in business since 1999, works with 12-16 customers a day. “We built our business so we can spend extra time with a client, about 45 minutes or better,” Wright said.  “We’re a little more expensive, because we take more time and do it right.”

The company does not establish long-term contracts with its customers.  “Our contract is that we did a good job for you last time, so you will want us to come back.  Our business is built 100% on referrals. Our biggest thing is quality of service,” Wright said. “We get questions on ‘How often do I need to do this?’  We know the treatments for fleas, ants, roaches and spiders last three months, so we call you in three months to keep up the maintenance.  We build our schedule around the customers’ schedule.”

Advanced Pest Control currently has an 80:20 residential-commercial mix.  “We’re looking to expand the commercial side of it this year to have a better mix.  On rainy days, commercial accounts are still serviceable, when residential ones  are not.”

Growth regulators are a big part of chemical pest treatments and are very effective on tougher pests, such as German cockroaches and ticks, Wright said.  “Growth regulators are considered a safer product and can be used in restaurants. They are effective for about seven months and keep bugs from reproducing and growing.”

Reviewing the lists of pests, Wright noted that termite colonies congregate around moisture.  Locally, subterranean termites account for nine out of 10 termite infestations and do not require tenting of the building.  Advanced Pest Control is a proponent of non-repellent chemicals for termites.  These allow insects to move through the chemical and carry it down to the nest colony where it eventually kills them all.  In contrast, bugs will go around a repellent barrier, because they only need a gap of 1/32 inch, he said.

To read more of this story by Eileen Mattei, read the April 2015 edition of VBR under the “Current & Past Issues” tab on this website, or pick up a copy on news stands.