One thing all the business gurus say is to have a web site, get on Facebook, Linkedin, Google Plus, Twitter etc. etc. etc. Honestly, there just seems to be too many of these things and it just seems they all get watered down by each other. Each new ‘networking’ site that comes along can be frustrating to learn, clog your in box and if you don’t give it constant attention, your exposure can be next to nil. With that, the small pest control operator or Mom & Pop slink back in the shadows with an all but dormant website (if they even have one) and simply vow to work harder at what they’re already doing- (like 12 hour days are not enough) and maybe that site that costs them $400 bucks a year to maintain may one day pay for itself. There’s got to be a better answer.

I must admit, I’m not a guru but one of the most simple, direct and cost efficient ways of stepping forth on positive ground is quite simply, a blog. That’s right, a blog. Now a blog is a web site but not all web sites are blogs. Simply put, a company site or page is usually a static page that stays the same day in and day out. A good company web site is an awesome thing- BUT- a blog on the other hand, is like a diary, a snap shot in time which most people find so much easier to connect with and therefore, perhaps easier to say YES to your service. No one say’s it has to be perfect or that it needs to cost thousands of dollars but a blog really can be an effective and simple way to communicate with current and potential customers.

I’ve taken the liberty of picking 3 pest control operators to show you their blogs and what they do so perhaps you can glean a few ideas for yourself. All 3 of these gentlemen have both blog and websites, (smart people) plus you can find them on the facebooks and Twitters of the world but each uses some very powerful tools in which to showcase just who they are and why a client would benefit by choosing them. We as pest control operators might do just as well to see what we could learn from their approaches.

I’m Human Hear Me Roar

My first example is special because he is literally ‘brand new’ to the blogging world. Barry Simpson of Harwich England operates Tendering Pest Control Services and except for his own blog admission that he’s only been around for a short while, you would assume his company started the same year King George VI was corinated. There are no ‘bell and whistles’ on Barry’s blog but within minutes of reading it you find yourself hitting the favorite button. To me, the reason is that Barry presents himself as a human being with a wife, family (do dogs count?), a sense of humor and oh yeah, years of experience and he also owns a pest control company. Barry’s style is direct but very easy to entreat which is something so many bloggers tend to miss. It seems that if the information isn’t put out in some exact and scientific manner, it loses validity. Well, I’m here to say I’m not much of a mole control guy but just reading his quick story on a mole service he did- I (and any prospective client) am convinced he’s an expert on the things and I’d hire him for the work as well as a laugh. Lesson learned = You’re a human and humans like humans, blog like a human.

An Expert Who Cares

Our next example is a guy who is very good at stealth marketing. Without flashing banners or BUY IT NOW buttons Keith Birkemeyer’s blog has a way of shouting from the roof tops- “Professional Here“. Like so many pros in our industry we all get certificates etc. and that’s great. Keith however has a few that aren’t so easy to attain– but at the same time not so easy to find on his blog (humble or shy, I’m not sure). But find them you do as you peruse around and at the very least, subliminally, you know you’re dealing with a legitimate pro. There’s his Associate Certified Entomologist banner he shrunk down and put to the side, a Quality Pro badge here and there, his picture with the word “verified” and a check mark, a quick reference to his speaking engagements he’s done around the world as well as a few local news reports where they’ve cited him as the expert in their story. Now as I said, none of these jump out at you in any braggadocios way but you can’t help but notice. Plus his articles are mostly either humorous or helpful and that really stands out for a customer whose considering a professional service. Lesson learned =People remember those who care- put a little care in your blog

Use What You’ve paid For

The last example is more on the web page end rather than just the blog. Scott McGrath has done an excellent job of ‘re-promoting’ what he’s already paid to have put out there for advertising. Scott has some of the most hilarious radio commercials I’ve ever heard but without his site, I might never have known they, or even he, was around. Over time, many a pest control company small or large plays around with the idea of a TV commercial or radio spot. We have the thing done and run it for awhile only to finally let it gather dust as a CD in the closet. A pest control blog/website keeps these advertising gems alive and well and available 24 hours a day. True, you might only get 10 hits a month and even less views but it costs you nothing once you have them there and who knows just who, will be looking and decide on your company because of your online advertisement. Lesson Learned = A paid for shot at advertising is a terrible thing to waste.

No one disputes that termites damage homes to the tune of billions of dollars every year, that rodents contaminate billions of pounds of food or that insects around the world kill millions of people and cost untold sums for the medical and control treatments. With all our great advancements, these numbers are still staggering and it almost seems as if we are, at best, just treading enough to keep our head above water. We certainly can’t say we’re winning can we?

Well that question is one to ponder but there is another silent killer in our industry that is also a devastating force but gets very little attention. No, billions of dollars aren’t lost, structures aren’t weakened nor are lives physically harmed. But these infestations are persistent and unless you are vigilant to spot them and then do something about them, the effect can be very devastating to you and your pest control company.

Insidious Inspector Infestation

The infestation of which I speak is that of competitors inspectors (salesman) who’ve honed in on your account and now have made it their mission to have this client, all to themselves. Almost all inspector infestations go unnoticed at first but left unchecked, your customer can become overrun with their implanted thoughts and notions of superior service or better prices. Once that level is reached, corrective treatments is about your only chance to save the account but it is almost always an uphill climb. If only you could have seen this insidious inspector invasion, maybe you could have done something to remind your client just what a faithful and great service company you’ve been.

Brain Science & Rocket Surgery

Have you ever lost a client like this? Sure, we all have but what gets me is that when I look back on so many of these lost customers- there were clues, evidence and outright neon signs pointing to the fact that… MY CUSTOMER IS GETTING BIDS FROM OTHER COMPANIES! Now I’m not the smartest knife in the box…? but after almost 3 decades of perfect 20/20 hindsight vision, I can with all confidence report to you the 5 most common signs of inspector infestation so that hopefully, you can avoid these pitfalls.

#1- Finding a competitors flyer on the door when you walk up is one of the earliest signs. Although it doesn’t mean they’ve spoken with anyone you at least know the vermin was in the neighborhood. I’d make sure THAT day’s service, was just a little extra special.

#2- Finding a sticky board under the sink that isn’t yours. This means the rat has been inside your account and been given permission to look around. It also means they’ll be back to check the sticky and that’s when the sales pitch will come. Having bugs on the trap wouldn’t be good. This is when I poke around a bit to make sure I’m not missing anything and then ‘tactfully’ ask if my service is lacking in some way? I’ve buried my head in the sand a few times at this point only to pull out and see- I didn’t have a client anymore. (time to speak up)

#3 – Seeing another companies contracts on the counter. I’m constantly amazed that my clients do this and then act surprised that I saw it. I guess them leaving my check next to the piles of papers my competitors left wasn’t much of a clue huh? This usually is a client getting prices on termite or lawn. When I tell them I do that work too, they give me a blank stare as if they couldn’t possibly imagine the bug killer they’ve had for years would kill all those other bugs but not the termites that they’re about to lay out over a thousand dollars for. Again, time to speak up but first I get the first aid kit- because I just bit my lip so hard trying not to scream I need to stop the bleeding. This is one situation that is completely MY FAULT 98% of the time. Even after all these years, I’ve (and you) got to do a better job at telling people all that I do and then keep reminding them.

#4- When my client suddenly gets a rise in his/her pest IQ and starts using words not normal for someone outside of the industry. It’s usually questions about ‘service frequency’, residual life or the specific names of products used. When they ask “Do you use Demand CS outside because it doesn’t degrade so quickly?” That’s usually a clue they’ve been talking to someone else. Round this time I’ll pour on the knowledge a little bit thick if you know what I mean. Most salesman aren’t really smart about bugs, just sales- so after 5 minutes of any reasonable tech talk you’ll long surpass that sneaky sales weasels puddle of information and all should be right with the world again. Just keep an eye out for a contract or brochure, price trumps knowledge in too many cases so be ready to ‘speak up’ and make sure there isn’t something you can do to nip this infestation in the bud should it continue.

#5- Seeing a competitors truck backing out the drive way as I’m pulling up. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had this happen and talk about a range of emotions. Just on the walk to the door I go from being angry, to apologetic, puzzled, sad, unsure and then finally kinda stunned as my client opens the door to let me in.

Now, if I’ve done my job right she just smiles and says, “My silly husband let him give us a termite estimate last week and he forgot his measurer, I told him you’re the only bug man we need and he wasn’t happy when I told him no.” But, if I didn’t pay attention to the signs and act accordingly, it almost always means I’ve lost another account, lost due to a severe and neglected inspector infestation.

I’ve never been accused of having a bland imagination. No ones ever said my conclusions or correlations were so obvious that they could see them coming from a mile away. I’m not sure if that’s a real good thing or not but one thing I can say, that at least when it comes to pest control, it seems the mind pictures I conjure up are things most folks agree with – well at least thats what I figure they mean when they don’t ask me to repeat myself. hmmmm.

This ‘revelation’ sorta surfaced in my mind recently when I was, shall we say?, verbally accosted by a woman who saw me treating a home. I guess she had some basic knowledge of different kinds of pest control because she flat out told me that since I wasn’t baiting or using natural sprays, I was poisoning her and everyone in the house. Now this wasn’t my customer, just a guest at a home where I was called out for service so all I could do was smile and continue my work. She didn’t let up of course but eventually went outside where I guess, I could no longer take years off her life with my sprays of death. (probably for a cigarette) This woman and really, anyone in life who wishes to be so ignorant and hostile is barely worth my time but I couldn’t help but chuckle and have what the home owner said was a big Ol ‘sh*% eating grin’ on my face as I handed her the bill and she asked me why?

Affected Early In Life I Guess

She had watched as her house guest berated me and tried to step in but neither of us could get much of anything said and besides, she said I made a lot of sense so if the lady wouldn’t listen to me, what was she going to listen to? I told her the way she attacked me reminded me of a day some 40 years ago in elementary school where a buddy and I were having a, eh-hm, contest in the bathroom. We were trying to see who could step the farthest away from the urinal and still hit our target and that’s when the principle came around the corner. Boy was he mad and you never saw two kids waddle faster to get back up to the wall. You’d of thought that we had started WWII the way this guy got so angry. Our mom’s were called down, reports were written and in the end a big ta do, all over a little pin stream. (anybody need me to repeat anything?;)

Is It All Out Poisoning?

Look, I’m only gonna tackle one side of this issue since it seems to be the one thing that triggers this type of reaction. For over a hundred years I’d say the hand pump sprayer has been the face of the pest control industry. No one ever mistakes it for some other kind of tool and besides maybe your truck itself, nothing else conjures up such heinous visions of death, deformity, disease and the dismantling of mother earth quite like it. I mean, for a one gallon sprayer, that thing is pretty powerful wouldn’t you say?

Now I know in the old days it may have taken a whole ounce or more mixed with a gallon of water to have a mix ready to spray. Yea, a whole ounce. Don’t get me wrong I realize these were a different class of chemicals and according to some, these set our world on a irreversible path of destruction. Such destruction has never come and now most credit pest control at least in part for our non 3rd world status but I digress. But have you ever stopped to think that not even this WHOLE OUNCE, that we mixed with water would ever go into just one home? Shoot, on my route we treat almost all of our homes with hand pump sprays and there are days when I might only use 1/2 of a tank full on 10 to 15 homes. Is that scorched earth? And now in this, the most modern days of pest control- (approx; 20 years past those ancient Neanderthal times) it no longer takes even that full ounce to fill up your sprayer of doom. Most concentrates are down to 6 ml (that’s milliliters) or less- still in that 1 gallon of water. To boot, most actually target only the intended pest and its biology which a human does not even remotely share. ( I will say that lady who attacked did seem to have an exoskeleton though) So again, what crazy carnage have I wrought today? How many children must die before someone stops me from indiscriminately hosing down this planet with untold amounts of vicious, nonselective man made chemicals?

Even Bickering Amongst Ourselves

I don’t know if you’re political at all but it seems to me that our politicians are somewhat cannibalistic of late and mostly, it’s the Republican party. Those guy’s/gals will throw members of their own party under the bus if it furthers their cause even just for that day. This so reminds me of the pest control industry because rather than having a colleague who is strictly green tout the virtues of pest control and the great strides we’ve made. Most (I said “MOST-not all”) call into question the use of liquid sprays from a hand held sprayer. Is there something in that 6 ml’s that I’m missing? Does it leach out of that crack or crevice in the night only to cause harm to humans without me being the wiser?

I don’t know & I’ve probably said enough. But long gone are the days when I’m gonna feel ashamed for using a hand held pump sprayer. No longer will I let someone associate my choice of a perfectly good and accepted tool with some evil rendering of a barbaric technique. When you compare exposures, applications, amounts, costs, versatility, risks and over all safety- the hand pump sprayer is everything any green product is and probably more. So I’ll continue using pin stream pest control and I trust my approach won’t leave you seeing red.

I tell this story because I literally just got off the phone with my friend, the colleague who I wrote about in part one. That ‘franchise from hell’ was 20 years ago and we both went through a lot over the years since then. We reminisced about those old times as we often do and as usual our conversation came around to what we call, “the $100 dollar days.” You see our journey was far from over once we left the, eh-em, opportunity of a lifetime. With our own tiny amoeba companies launched, we watched as all of our once fellow entrepreneurs disappeared. Some simply faded away while many others demise was painful to witness. Struggling mightily to stay afloat over the next few years, we were wary of all the new start ups that came out of nowhere year after year. Much like our franchise friends however, almost all of them quickly vanished with no real sign or trace they had ever even existed.

Although my buddy and I ultimately chose different paths, early on we both struggled while implementing any new idea that, #1 we could afford and, #2 sounded like it might have even a spark of hope. There was however, one thing we both had but it wasn’t very obvious to either of us way back then. You see, we used to speak on the phone all the time about each others business and how things were going. We spoke about equipment, treatment strategies, how to grow etc. If it was business related, we discussed it. Looking back, there was one such conversation that probably was and still is more important than any other we’ve ever had.

The Hundred Dollar Plan

For some reason and I don’t know who was the one to suggest it- we had set a goal of working, selling, finding or even begging for $100 dollars worth of business per day. Ok, I am joking about the begging part-but only 1/2 way, remember, times were tough starting out. But for whatever reason we chose that $100 dollar mark and that number dominated our thoughts and decisions for many years. No matter what we devised or what idea we acted on, it all was to reach the goal of the $100 dollar day.

Our phone conversations were a great way of going back and forth about what worked and what didn’t. It also gave a sense of accountability and more importantly, a person to vent to. That in and of itself can sometimes be worth its weight in gold. So many of those phone calls were just the same exact words time after time but it didn’t really matter. Yes frustration so often ruled the day but at least if one of us had a decent day, then somehow that counted for us both. We always ended up however, with the reaffirmation of the goal to reach the $100 dollar day.

One Hundred Different Ways

Door knocking, flea market booths, realtors, builders, rewards for referrals, etc. etc. etc. What ever it took, we were game and although we failed more than anything else, we counted each stride forward as a victory. I was terrible with door knocking but there were days my counter part hit his $100 by noon with it. My forte was commercial work which was slow but paid off when the regular service came around on my schedule. He did lawns, I HATED lawns and still do to this day. I had a small night route, served 4 counties and loved terrible german roach jobs. He barely leaves his side of town and turned down most nasty roach jobs where he said there was a lot to do but little money to make so why do it? Come to think of it, that may have been pretty wise.

Now two decades later we chuckle about some of the things we did and still wonder why some of our ‘killer’ ideas never paid off. We still have goals, but at least for me, I’ve changed my outlook from setting number goals to setting activity ones. Numbers (or at least the pursuit of them) can come with negative baggage but activity goals produce a healthy bottom line while promoting good business ethics. But regardless, goals in any start up is KEY and being accountable to those goals and what it takes to succeed is the lock. What my friend and I didn’t realize so long ago, is that we were operating this most fundamental principle and in so doing we both were able to put these two crucial items together. No, we weren’t record setting fortune 500’s and no, you couldn’t call either of us “large companies” today. But here we are, THANKFUL to be where we are and I credit so much of this opened door to the hundred dollar days.

Have you ever walked to and from school with bare feet, in the snow, uphill?- BOTH WAYS? Now I realize this can be an over used analogy to describe a not so piece of cake period of time in someone’s life but this does describe my time when I started my pest control business some 20 years ago. Staying true to this theme, there were days, weeks, months and years where it seemed I was all alone on a snowy white road with nothing but large waves of snow drifts in front of me that constantly grew with the ice cold and unforgiving winds. One after another with no way around and a sky so whited out, there wasn’t even a horizon to offer a glimmer of hope.

I realize of course, this type of ‘start’ for budding pest control companies is not unique to me alone. In fact I saw others who began on that road about the time I did. A few plowed by me in their big fancy trucks and I envied them and wondered just how they could possibly accomplish this. Most however, were much like me and I was surprised that so many of them who started off hot were so soon frozen stiff by the unrelenting cold realities of the corporate world. A few plodded along as I did- also at a slow but steady pace, some, ahead of me, others drifted farther and farther behind. As the years went by and the long and dreary winter gave way to the hope of spring. Moving ahead became a little easier and I was shocked to find most of the big fancy trucks that once left me behind, were now rusted and abandoned on the side of the road. I had made it through one season but as I came to find out, there were still many stormy days ahead.

Front Row Seat

I’m sure most if not all of you have seen this type of scenario play out several times. You’re at a stop light and a ‘new’ bug truck you’ve never seen before pulls up along side. Or maybe at a Ceu class and you see a person you recognize that once worked for someone else but now has on a different shirt sporting their own brand new companies logo. You mark the new competition in your mind and go about your business. It might be months or even a year or two later when you realize, looking around you no longer see that cute little bug truck traipsing across your territory- that persons gone and it’s then you realize, they have been swallowed up by the harsh blizzards of business.

With the odds so against any new start up I thought for sure I had made one of the smartest moves in my career by buying into the safety of an established opportunity. I wasn’t alone and hundreds of techs and business wanna-be’s from across the state were lured into this ‘unique franchise’ as well. This was sold to all of us as an ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ that offered the easiest ways to pest control riches without the expense. We soon found out however, that we were truly on our own having to supply everything we needed out of our own pockets and somehow we were still stupid enough to pay this company for the privilege. Somehow I rose up to be the area manager of this ragged tagged bunch and it was quite the experience but it’s not something I have on my resume.

To say this franchise was different might be an understatement. We didn’t own any territories or have much in the way of corporate support like advertising or a big well known name. This was just a grand scheme where those who had desires but lacked a license could build a route using the one small certificate that hung in an office 250 miles away. For your fee of $2500 dollars you got a spill control bucket, two vehicle stickers and a hearty “atta boy” from the smooth and oh so believable owner. The idea took the state by storm and the company grew by leaps and bounds. The problem was that no one had any standard company issued vehicles or equipment. Pulling into our weekly meeting was like pulling in to a low budget used car lot. With no continuity of tools, we had no standard of service and problems soon followed and seemed to always plague what looked like on paper anyways, a rock star company.

Like I said, I rose up to be the manager of the North Florida Region-well, more like I was the only one dumb enough to say yes when asked after our Gainesville office was unceremoniously shut down and who knows what happened to the guy that was in charge. It was a fancy title but it came with more baggage than it did perks. The operation was always pretty loose but when the last ‘big dawg’ from HQ vacated the scene and the owner came by less and less, things started to go down hill fast. Now the meetings were at my home and I was responsible for teaching pest control, gathering paperwork and collection of money. The guys/gal were for the most part great but more and more meetings were just me and maybe one or two other techs. I barely heard from anyone but it was obvious they were still operating. The firm had always been in the gray area but now it was definitely over the line. It was as if these guys had too much freedom and began to run amuck throughout the state. I was getting calls from corporate to answer screaming customer complaints from people I had never heard of. Slick salesman in my branch were selling high dollar jobs and then never showing up once the checks cleared. More than once I put 100 miles on my truck just to appease a disgruntled client. I took on so much free work to fulfill the companies side of legally and binding signed contracts that I wondered if I’d ever get paid. The owner would just smile and say in his long drawn out southern accent, “I appreciate you and I’ll make it right, just you wait and see.” Somehow, I was stupid enough to fall for this every time even though I knew it wasn’t true.

With less and less support from the ‘mother ship’ and now the great State of Florida actively ‘peering’ into company activities, it wasn’t long before the meteoric rise of this once promising company began to fall apart. One by one the would be entrepreneurs jumped ship and so many crashed and burned. Some left for the safety of another company but others not willing to give up on the dream struck out truly on their own. As thousands of unhappy customers were left to dangle in the wind, dozens of new companies spawned off of this epic failure and as best I can tell, they simply repeated the process of collapse, albeit perhaps in a different way. Sadly, from those days, there are only two of us left.

Part Two

The Australian roach is a relative of the American cockroach, with whom it shares a very close resemblance and is often confused one for another. Just like its cousin, the Australian cockroach prefers to live outside rather than indoors. They are very fond of warm temperatures, but in colder seasons they will look for shelter and warmer temperatures.

The Australian cockroach also shares the same running speed that the American cockroach does and is capable of flight. Although named Australian it is believed to be from Asia. This roach seems to prefer plant and vegetation materials for food but can eat much the same as the American roach. (decaying organic matter). This roach can be found in drier locations as long as water is present near by.

They are prolific breeders and complete their life cycle in about one year. Oothecas (egg capsules) hold up to 30 eggs of which only about 1/2 hatch. Eggs take about 40 days to hatch and nymphs reach maturity in about a year.

How They Travel

Speed on the ground helps this roach escape sprays and stomps from homeowners feet. Also able to fly this roach can migrate to newer locations in search of food or water. Being able to tolerate drier conditions this roach can survive hiding away in boxes or cargo and is quite often shipped to new locations. It is believed that the Australian roach was introduced not only to Australia, but North America as well via ships.

How Best To Identify Australian Roaches

A typical American roach adult can grow up to more than 1 1/2 inch, but the Australian roach can only grow up to about 1 1/4 inch. Reddish brown in color they have very long antenna and the same ‘eye’ pattern on their thorax. (just behind the head) The Australian roach is best identified however by yellow stripes on the sides of their thorax. American roaches do not have this marking.

Treatment And Elimination

Since this pest often enters wall voids through pipe lines, wood rotted siding or soffits, crawl spaces or other openings, dusting the voids is very beneficial. Delta, Drione, DE (diamataceous earth) and Boric acid are all very good choices with Delta being top of the list due to its resistance to moisture. Inside voids in basements, under sinks, where utility pipes enter, drop ceilings, in garages under shelves and behind storage and other voids will provide long lasting barriers. Exterior entry points such as cracks in foundation, base of siding, around doors and windows, voids around light fixtures and areas of wood decay or other gaps should be dusted thoroughly to stop this roach from entering. Note; Ready made store bought ‘bottle’ dusters are not as versatile as bulb, puff or bellow dusters and you should consider the purchase of a proper application tool.

Liquid sprays do a nice job for Australian roach control in cracks and crevices or as spot treatments where dusts are not desirable. (areas that are not a void or generally inaccessible) Demand CS, Suspend SC and Tempo work very well as residual barriers. Inside places to spray might include in dark areas where this roach may hide such as under refrigerators, under sinks or cabinets, baseboard cracks or gaps, doorway areas, behind furniture, exposed ceilings along walls in basements or near areas of moisture such as around but not in sump pumps. Outside areas may be around doors and windows, eaves and gutters, base of home and gaps, cracks or other entry points this roach may use.

Baits such as Niban are an excellent choice for control and can be used both inside and out. Attics, wall voids, garages, around sump pumps, under refrigerators or basement stairs or furnishings and in utility rooms to name a few are great places to bait. Outside baiting is best in mulched and landscaped areas, in, under and around sheds, under planters, splash blocks, wood piles, grills, idle cars or boats, railroad tie walls or other landscaped features.

Granule barriers work as well but are not as effective in heavy mulch but can be applied OUTDOORS in the same general areas as baits. Talstar PL granule or a generic brands are very effective for this application and pest. Label instructions need to be scrutinized carefully to see restrictions and safety precautions.

If I had only one piece of advice to give you on earwig control it would be just this;

Control the moisture and you will control the earwig. If I had a second nugget of truth to give, it would be to start this daunting task outside and you will go a LONG WAY to eliminating the earwig.

Earwigs simply love, need, require and actively seek out moisture on a daily basis in order to survive. When things get dry earwigs get on the move and so often this is under your door or through a unsealed crack and into your home. Many times earwigs are found in bathrooms or kitchens even if these areas are in the middle of your home and people wonder how it is they got so far. The desperate earwig is very adept at seeking out even the smallest hints of this life giving liquid so it really is no surprise for them to show up there. Sure you’ll occasionally have them in a dry hall or some other place but believe me they are intently searching out a moist place to rest and given enough time they will find it. Logically then, if you could keep the moisture levels so low that the earwig wouldn’t be happy or thrive you would see their populations diminish because those that wouldn’t die from the lack of it would move out to other areas that would support this absolute need.

Moisture Sources Outside

The best place to begin your moisture reduction is outside since this is where the earwig lives and breeds. The hard part of this is that is can be very difficult if not impossible to eradicate moisture sources outside. BUT! If you can make a dent in some or most of the list provided, you are well on your way to reducing your earwig population and that means- less earwigs (hopefully zero) inside. While not a complete list, this should give you a running start on places to check and possibly treat and stop the outside earwig, from ever coming in;

Earwigs can be found in;

A/C units especially drip lines — down spouts, under splash blocks & even gutters along the roof line themselves — window wells — leaf piles — welcome mats — under planters or deco items on stoops, porches or in landscaping — mulch — plantings — cracks in sidewalks or drives — flower boxes — toy boxes, sand boxes, play equipment — tall grass next to foundation or around base of any items listed here — deck drains in patio or pool decks — cracks and gaps in foundations — wood piles — mail boxes — under slabs — any debris or articles left on the ground — gardens — under stucco — in wood rot of door jambs or siding — flowers — in soil of planters — rail road tie & landscape timbers — in the ends of garden hoses — areas adjacent to standing water — under pet dishes — in rabbit cages — near squirrel & bird feeders — in crawl spaces under homes — under garbage cans — under and in wooden fencing — under patio stones — in & under dog houses — compost piles — carpets on patios — undisturbed debris — lawn ornaments — coiled hoses — gaps in pavers — under edges of Koi ponds — stored items next to home — under tarps — under above ground pools –under wooden decks — in pet doo –

If you’ve seen anything on this list and you have persistent earwigs, it may be well worth your time to investigate those areas and treat accordingly. While it’s true there are other factors in earwig control such as lighting, pest proofing and how to treat earwigs. Controlling the exterior moisture, goes farther than most give credit for, controlling the pincer beast.

24th

Dear Diary, 5:30 comes early but I can’t put off checking my live traps until the afternoon when my regular pest route is done. Who knew it was the law I had to check these things once every 24 hours? Why isn’t a squirrel classified a rodent? Their freakin RATS WITH BUSHY TAILS for Pete’s sake. Well it would be just my luck I’d leave one too long in a trap and be fined and end up with all sorts of legal bills like that company in New Jersey. All I’m trying to do is provide a needed service and make a few extra bucks but I didn’t think there was so much to this.

25th

Nothing- Again! Who said this critter was dumb as dirt?

I wish there was some sort of booklet or set of rules I could have found BEFORE I decided to get into this easy money gig. Maybe then I would’ve known I had to kill that Armadillo instead of taking it out to the forest. What were people thinking when they made up the rule about having to let the dang thing go on a ‘contiguous property line?’ Why don’t they just come right out and say kill the darn thing? I mean if I let him go in the same area, what good is that? Boy, my clients hate the idea of a 5 gallon bucket of water to solve the problem- eeegad! I don’t like it either!

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Are you kidding me? Empty-Really?

26th

Ok, an armadillo is one thing but a pea brained fuzzy rat is something else. I should have this thing bagged by now! This is the 4th time I’ve been by and that thing wants nothing to do with my trap. I know it’s just TV but they make it look like such a piece of cake. I’m beginning to suspect these “Critter” guys have more to em than most of us think.

And I thought I was the worlds SMARTEST trapper with my ingenious trap. Now what do I say to the home owner

A thing of beauty-if you don't count it's emptiness for 4 days

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27th

Squirrel exclusion of attic vent

Home made bat exclusion

28th

Dumber than me? Now what am I gonna do?

The pros make it look so easy and simple and the animals have no choice but to obey their direction as they

A real pros placement!

I think truth be told, trappers are a set of pros much like the bug men and, just like the insect gurus, the trapper has challenges and preconceived notions they must over come. The trapper has been around for many centuries and their service has been invaluable. From the seemingly simple squirrel in the attic to the extremely dangerous flocks of birds on a runway. The ‘critter getter’ protects mankind’s homes, livestock, businesses, foods and other assets against the ravaging and non-discriminate attacks. There is no mass assembly line approach for what they do and this is not a simple 2 step process that just anyone can duplicate. (set trap-catch critter) Instead, a successful trapper is the fruition of many years of training, trial and error and self education. On top of that- the trapper has to be a sharp business person because the competition, skilled or not, is fierce and out there, at every turn.

Truth be told: This Animal Trapping Is hard!

A mans home is his castle or so the saying goes. With that mind picture, it’s easy to think of our fortress as impenetrable. After-all, a castle is built with thick stone walls, a moat that surrounds it and a huge draw bridge that when closed makes an unbreakable doorway.

The difference is, castles of old are made with real carved stones and huge guard towers to keep enemies at bay. Our modern day homes however, are truly just a facade that for the most part, look solid, but are really very porous when it comes to protection against termite entry and damage.

For the most part termite entry points on a home are caused by just 2 reasons.

#1- Over time homes settle, cracks develop, water pools in the 1/2 stopped up gutter etc. and termites take advantage of this wear and tear.

#2- We build them in. At times sloppy construction work leaves gaps, cracks or pathways where anything from a mouse to a roach can find its way in let alone the subterranean termite who only needs 1/64th of an inch and he can begin his assault on your castle.

One major default that allows termite entry has always been stuccos and veneers. The problem is that this thin skinned covering gives the termite protection from its enemies and allows them to go undetected by the homeowner and even the termite inspector sometimes for years. This is especially true when the stucco/veneer goes below soil grade or cement levels. When this happens, not only is it even easier for the light adverse blind termite to go above and below ground with ease, they’re also actually attracted to the area because of the moisture so often associated with the area. Once they latch on to an spot like this, serious damage is often the result because they have nothing impeding their feeding and may not be noticed until significant damage is done.

The following video is an example of stucco and veneers where a home has been treated but the termite were able to continue attacking and were obviously overlooked for quite some time.

28th

Dear Diary, this has been a really rough week. I thought this trapping thing would be such an easy add on to my business but here it is the end of the week and I’m exhausted. As if the the squirrels bats and raccoon I chased around this week wasn’t enough. The outrageous expectations of the homeowners caught me completely by surprise. Sure I’m use to people squawking over a few roaches but c’mon! Just today I spent 3 hours on a hot baking roof excluding squirrels by re-screening 4 antique attic fans. Of course this was after hearing my client complain that my next day response time wasn’t good enough. I then got the hour long ‘run down’ of every time she heard a noise, where she thought it was, where I should look and GOD FORBID DON’T KILL THE INNOCENT LITTLE THING! So I thought I constructed an ingenious way to trap her stubborn squirrel but she thought it should have worked in the first 5 minutes. This day just capped the week off- Man! I’m seriously wondering if I wanna go ahead with more of this next week. I guess I should have figured it wasn’t all glamourous and easy like it appears on all those reality shows; I should have known something was up with that first job this week that got the whole ball rolling. I knew that dead squirrel was trying to tell me something.

22nd

Dear diary, I’m so excited I finally got a trapping job! I’ve always wanted to make the easy money trappers make

Son of a *^% How am I suppose to get you if your don't come down

1 hour in an attic and this is the only entry point I find?

Ok-I'm sweating like a pig,-this ought to work- where's the exit?

Dear diary- I was up kinda late last night getting some pointers on the A&E channel but my favorite show must have been cancelled because I haven’t seen it on in awhile. I want to search the internet and see if I can get some really thick gloves. I didn’t realize sometimes you have to grab these animals. There was NO WAY I was

Yeah, I saw that episode too- C'mon Billy, jump on in here.

Well, I was impressed with myself anyway, but I sure got humbled a bit when I went back to my squirrel job. I took those granola bars right out of my own lunch and they didn’t even ‘sniff’ the trap. Another 30 minutes in that attic just to appease the nervous housewife and my BIG FAT MOUTH said I’ll be back again tomorrow just because I didn’t catch the darn thing yet. Can’t I just say one thing and quit volunteering myself for extra work? Oh well, I guess I need to come back anyway cuz my “exclusion work” was anything but! Who knew hardware cloth could be so tricky to put up? I guess it wouldn’t be so bad but that stuff is sharp- I scrathed the heck out of both of my hands and a wire went right under my finger nail! OUCCCCCH!!! That’s it I’m beat, no Billy or American Hoggers for me tonight. I’m going to bed- Hopefully the rest of my week will be much better. See you on the 24th.