6 pros weigh in on offering wildlife control

Before you make the commitment to offer wildlife control services, consider how you will handle the following business and operations issues these wildlife control professionals have experienced.

1. Profitability. “One of our concerns is the profitability of this service. Our technicians are required to check and bait traps daily. This takes them away from other, more profitable work.”
— Chris Snyder, Quest Termite & Pest Control

2. Technologies. “Our biggest concern is to stay in tune with advancements in techniques, technology and equipment. We are always looking for the things that can make us more efficient, ethical and humane. Our business model is heavily reliant on remote monitoring, for example.”
— Chris Lunn, Wyoming Wildlife & Pest Solutions

3. Training. “Animal control work is not easy, and if it is not done correctly, it will create massive callback problems and bad reviews not to mention lost customers. If you enter residential wildlife control, take the time to get trained and certified. And expand that training to your inspection and service departments.”
— Rusty Markland, PestNow

4. Standard operating procedures (SOPs). “We have implemented wildlife SOPs in our company, and they work pretty well at covering our bases. We draw graphs of structures, and take photos of any areas that need to be exclusion and/or control solutions. My brother Jason, a contractor by trade, is big on finding better, smarter ways to work, and that starts by getting trained professionals to do the work. You can’t just throw a guy in a truck and expect him to succeed on his own.”
— Jimmy Arnold, Peachtree Services

5. Logistics. “After-hours calls are ‘always’ an emergency, and they can be a financial strain on your business model.”
— Shane McCoy, Wil-Kil Pest Control

6. Safety. “Insurance can be an issue. Anytime we’ve gone to a wildlife convention, we find out about someone who has fallen and gotten seriously hurt, or even died. To increase our safety levels, we use ropes and harnesses. Wildlife work is a young person’s game. There comes a point when the body can’t take it. I’m 38 and my techs are in their 20s. Once they age out, we usually switch them to pest control routes — but as we’re growing, we’re able to give them a long-term career in wildlife as supervisors and trainers.”
— Jared Miller, Varment Guard