Sponsored by State of the» INSIDE: Exclusive Market Research Forecasting the Coming Flea Season Tips for Preventing Callbacks Five Strategies for Successful Flea Control An Opportunity to Upsell Marketing Flea Services
State of the STEADY AS IT GOES Flea control makes up a small but important and some say growing part of pest management. ABOUT THIS REPORT The PCT 2016 State of the Flea Market survey was sponsored by Zoecon 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. In 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 achieving 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 Control 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 manager 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 owners and veterinarians eliminate the easy problems with pet-targeted products, wrote Dr. Nancy Hinkle, a flea expert at the University 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 State of the Flea Market 2 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
ADVERTORIAL State of the 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. 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 revenue 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 management 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. 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 CONTROL SERVICES 9 YES 9% NO Number of respondents: 337 WHERE RESPONDENTS ARE LOCATED 23% 12% 18% 45% Number of respondents: 337 State of the Flea Market 3 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
State of the PERCENTAGE OF OVERALL SERVICE REVENUE GENERATED FROM CONTROL 30% or more 20% - 29% 15% - 19% 10% - 14% 8% - 9% 2% 6% 5% ADVERTORIAL 13% Decreased OVER THE PAST YEAR, INCIDENCES OF INFESTATIONS HAVE: 52% Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 2% Cannot compare; not involved a year ago Remained the same 33% Increase 5% - 7% 13% 3% - 4% 20% - 2% 48% None 3% 2% Median 3% Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE GENERATED FROM CONTROL SERVICES HAS: Increased Remained the same Decreased Cannot compare; not involved three years 2% 5% 12% 36% Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 45% FORECAST: SOME EXPECT 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 Control 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. COMPARED TO 2015, THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTROL REVENUE IN 2016 WILL: 3% Decrease 56% Remain the same 4 Increase Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 State of the Flea Market 4 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
ADVERTORIAL State of the FIVE STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL CONTROL Finding the source, mechanical controls and an adulticide-igr combo are the foundation of successful flea control but take time, report PMPs. Flea control regimens vary but pest management 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 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 protective, camouflaged cocoons is the most difficult 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: Identify the Pest PMPs and veterinarians have done such a good job 1 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 suppression 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. Find The Source More than half 2 of PMPs practice source reduction and sanitation as part of their flea treatment programs, found the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Control Market survey. Learning where pets hang out is a most critical 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. SERVICE PROTOCOLS USED IN CONTROL PROGRAMS General use insecticides Insect growth regulators Vacuuming (prep) Outdoor treatments Veterinary treatment of pets Source reduction/sanitation Exclusion Other 6% 14% Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 Respondents could choose multiple answers Kramer had a job where a client refused to let technicians in the master bedroom. After multiple visits without gaining control, 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. 52% 63% 68% 74% 96% 94% State of the Flea Market 5 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
State of the ADVERTORIAL Treat Outdoors Because cat fleas 3 fall from infested wildlife, feral animals 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 treatment in their flea control program; others offer it as an add-on service. Prepare the Site Before performing indoor treatments, 74 percent 4 of PMPs prepare the site by vacuuming, according to the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Control 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 management 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 COMMUNICATION According to the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Control 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. Callbacks 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 sustainable 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 CONTROL SERVICE 30% or more 20% - 29% 6% 6% 10% - 19% 10% 5% - 9% 16% - 4% 42% None 19% Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 State of the Flea Market 6 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
ADVERTORIAL State of the flea development, how the pests get into the carpet, and the benefits of vacuuming with a beater brush. Treat the Interior Nearly all PMPs 5 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 25b product, to kill fleas through desiccation. 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 MANAGEMENT In 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. SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE HAS DOCUMENTED CASES OF RESISTANCE TO OLD CHEMISTRIES. 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 increasing 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 Control 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 rotate 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 doit-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 S? 2% 54% No 44% Yes Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 State of the Flea Market 7 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
State of the ADVERTORIAL Flea control gives PMPs a chance to leverage quarterly service and add-ons. OPPORTUNITY TO UPSELL Some 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 addon 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. State of the Flea Market 8 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
ADVERTORIAL State of the When Rick Balowski of Truly Nolen sells one-time flea control clients on his Four Seasons service, he provides that first quarterly 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 addon 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 control job was $196, reported PMPs in the PCT 2016 State of the Flea Control Markey survey. Take My Word. Professionals who promote their flea control programs most often emphasize service guarantees (43 percent), certified technician (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 management professioanls said online reviews and word-of-mouth generate most of their new flea jobs. PRICE FOR A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL CONTROL SERVICE KEY ELEMENTS OF ING CONTROL SERVICES $500 or more $400 - $499 $300 - $399 $250 - $299 $200 - $249 $150 - $199 $100 - $149 2% 6% Average: $196 12% 15% 24% 33% Service guarantee Certified technicians Excellent control Free inspection Benefits of treating preventively Eco-friendly products Low prices Pet protection Other Do not feature flea control services in marketing efforts 18% 15% 15% 12% 28% 43% 37% 36% 35% less than $100 7% Number of respondents who provide flea control services: 308 Note: Respondents could choose multiple answers Number of respondents who provide residential flea control services: 308 State of the Flea Market 9 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
ADVERTORIAL Zoëcon s Flea-Control Lineup is a PMP s Dream, AND A S WORST NIGHTMARE Flea control is a key segment of professional 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 lineup 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 recently 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 noticed within the home, but they typically begin outside. PMP s can offer an integrated solution by treating the surrounding yards, 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. State of the Flea Market 10 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences
ADVERTORIAL 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 All Purpose Insecticide 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. tions are complete, PMPs can help reduce today s pest management professional callbacks and increase customer satisfaction be equipped with a complete arsenal of by educating them on the necessary steps solutions to treat for the pests in all necessary application settings. To learn more they can take following treatment with Zoëcon s complimentary leave-behind about Zoëcon s comprehensive lineup of brochure. flea-control solutions and download the With the potential for growth provided free leave-behind brochure, visit www. by flea-control services, it is essential that Zoecon.com. State of the Flea Market 11 Zoëcon/Central Life Sciences