Callback Cures: Dial in your service game

Callbacks eat into profit margins, strain schedules and can even do a number on client trust. The good news is that many of them are preventable if you’re willing to invest a little time in evaluating your service routine, product testing and application protocols.

It may feel like an unnecessary investment to double-check your pest ID, revisit your product choices and service notes, or take one more walkthrough of the same property. But the reason for the revisit may be because something was overlooked the first time.

Understand pest biology

Pest biology is the primary driver of service protocols, and even closely related species may have wildly different food and harborage preferences that will alter your control approach. Having absolute confidence in what you’re treating for ensures that your plan of attack is the right one.

Successful product rotations

When was the last time you rotated your products based on their modes of action? It’s not uncommon for pest populations, particularly cockroaches and flies, to develop resistance to active ingredients. If you’re consistently relying on products with active ingredients that use the same mode of action, you may be selecting for resistance without even realizing it.

It’s critical to implement a product rotation schedule that incorporates different modes of action. If you don’t already have one, your manufacturer and distributor reps, as well as the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee’s mode of action classification tool (online at IRAC-online.org/mode-of-action), are excellent resources to help with the process.

Read the label

Lastly, don’t skip the label, even if you consider yourself an expert on a given product. Application rates, mixing instructions, surface type, humidity and temperature can affect product efficacy. Where the product is being used also can have a notable impact on how the product should be applied to achieve the best results.

As you prepare for the busy season, take the time to review your service protocols, product inventory, usage and selection. A treatment built on certainty will always outperform one fueled by assumptions.