Overheard at the Control Solutions Inc. booth: PMPs sharing their strategies for choosing products that work

At the core of every service is the product the pest management professional (PMP) uses to eliminate the problem. PMPs conduct a thorough inspection and depend on the information provided to them by the clients, as well as the evidence they uncover at the scene. They rely on their expertise and observations to form a plan of action, and take appropriate steps to prepare for application. After administering treatment according to label, it’s up to the product’s formulation to do its job in controlling the infestation.

PMPs will need the right product in play to achieve control of an infestation. And finding products that will not only work against the target pest, but also be a good fit for their team and budget, is a continuous challenge.

That’s the common challenge PMPs worked through — together — at PestWorld in October 2018. “Even though we can have a hundred different companies here, we can get together to share ideas, help each other out and help the industry grow,” says Jason Payne, president of Payne Pest Management, a family-owned company with three offices in southern California.

More than 3,000 professionals gathered to attend 70 educational sessions and share ideas on the 100,000-square-foot exhibit floor. Control Solutions Inc. (CSI) caught up with a small sample at its booth to learn how they achieve control of the toughest pests by implementing the following strategies:

1. Set standards of proven success
2. Choose smart solutions for ant control
3. Leverage added benefits of top performers

Setting standards of proven success

For Payne, the decision to integrate a new product into Payne Pest Management’s arsenal requires careful consideration and testing.

“We’re always a little cautious about trying new products,” he says. His company began using CSI products consistently five years ago, after meeting with his sales rep, Rob Ives. “We were able to get some samples and try them in the field on some difficult accounts, and had some very good success with them.”

Payne Pest Management began using Taurus SC for its subterranean termite work after testing it on the field. Since making the switch, the company doesn’t receive any callbacks for termite treatments. Taurus SC not only proved itself in its effectiveness, but in its worth to the business, according to Payne. “We’ve been able to save a few dollars on it as well, so that money went straight to our bottom line, plus we were getting better results.”

Payne has since tested and adopted other CSI products, including Spectre PS Insecticide aerosol. Spectre features an easy-to-use actuator that gets the product to where pests hide, crawl and live — and does so effectively, he says.

His company, which services about 10,000 residential units at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in Oceanside, Calif., initially used the product only for the most difficult accounts on the base.

“The transfer of the materials from cockroaches has been working really well,” he says. “It’s a nonrepellent, with a contact kill and long residual. Now it’s our go-to product for cockroach control, not only at the military base but for all our accounts.”

Choosing smart solutions for ant control

As social insects that travel far for food, ants are effectively conquered when products’ active ingredients are transferred back with ants to their hidden harborages.

Danny Woodhouse, chief service officer for Sage Pest Control in North Carolina, says the right product to achieve this is Fuse Termiticide/Insecticide by CSI. The product utilizes CSI’s combination chemistry and combines two active ingredients — imidacloprid and fipronil — for continuous effectiveness.

“The transfer effect that it has on ants is amazing, and it helped us solve a lot of ant issues that we couldn’t get under control,” says Woodhouse, who also appreciates the product’s broad label.

Because the product is a nonrepellent, the insects are unaware that an application was made. As the exposed ants pick up the molecules on their exoskeletons, they transfer the molecules to the ones that have not been exposed.

Jeff Hargrave, ACE, owner and operator of Lafayette, La.-based Cajun Bug Exterminating, uses Fuse because the product’s transfer effect saves his company both time and money.

“Once the problem is under control, you don’t have the additional callbacks because the product is there, and the ants are continuing to get into it,” he says, adding that Cajun Bug Exterminating uses Fuse with success against a variety of labeled ants. “That the label allows you to use it where they trail has been wonderful. It’s really given me some great relief.”

Leverage added benefits of top performers

For David Moore, BCE, manager of technical services for Lynchburg, Va.-based Dodson Pest Elimination, a product is most valuable when it plays a specific role in a treatment plan. He uses Fuse to manage ant infestations as well, and because of the product’s “great knock-out,” he leverages it specifically for escalated accounts and to be proactive as infestations emerge.

“It’s good if you want to be proactive on an account that you know has issues,” says Moore. “If you get ahead of the problem, you don’t have to deal with an upset customer.”

Sage Pest Control’s Woodhouse also considers a product’s overall benefit to his pest management strategy and team. He’s planning to test ProFlex, CSI’s new microencapsulated concentrate containing lambda-cyhalothrin, novaluron and pyriproxyfen, against mosquitoes.

While Woodhouse looks forward to the products’ three modes of action, including a function as an insect growth regulator (IGR), he also appreciates that the product is engineered with two outdoor rates for ease-of-use, saving time and materials.

“It’ll help with the mixing for technicians, so they don’t have to think about mixing two products in one,” Woodhouse concludes.

To learn more about Control Solutions Inc. and its products, visit www.controlsolutionsinc.com.

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This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Control Solutions Inc. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The Pest Management Professional editorial staff did not create this content.