PMPs share 2018 service plans

By and large, our survey finds, PMPs plan to stick with the services they currently offer.

Here’s something nearly all pest management professionals (PMPs) can agree on: Customers hate ants.

A whopping 99 percent of PMPs say they currently offer ant management services. No matter what ant species is prevalent, customers don’t want them around.

For many who offer general pest management services, ants, cockroaches and rodents comprise the majority of work for residential and commercial customers. Although bed bugs and termites round out the list, these pests appear farther down the list.

Photo: ©iStock.com/ThomasVogel

On the move

Spiders are creeping up as a service more and more customers demand. Of those asked, 97 percent say spider management is currently on their roster of pest management services.

Fleas and ticks are becoming more of a problem in many parts of the country, so it’s no surprise that they appear at the top of the list, too. Sizeable deer and rodent populations, residential developments encroaching into tick habitats, and pet owners who now know a tick when they see one are just a few of the reasons why these pest management services are on the rise.

PMPs also currently manage occasional invaders and stinging insects, which take precedence over bed bugs. That’s not to say bed bugs are not a problem for customers; it’s just that other pests are becoming more prevalent.

More than half of those asked currently offer services to manage flies, stored product pests, termites and other wood-destroying insects and organisms (WDI/WDO), and mosquitoes.

Looking ahead

What’s on tap for 2018? A lot of the same, apparently. Just 41 percent of responding PMPs say they will add services to their current lineup next year.

Mosquito management comes out on top as the planned new service mentioned most. Customers will continue to turn to PMPs to help alleviate their public health concerns.

Source: Pest Management Professional Magazine

You can reach Managing Editor Diane Sofranec at dsofranec@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3793.