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SmartMoney Magazine by Ken Bensinger (Author Archive)
10 Things Your Exterminator Won't Tell You
1. "I love global warming!"
Experts agree, it's a great time to be in the pest-control business. Tighter restrictions on pesticides, changing weather patterns and the emergence of treatment-resistant insects and regional epidemics have converged, creating a perfect storm for exterminators in many parts of the country. And it's spraying the business with cash: According to the National Pest Management Association, bug zapping has grown into a $6.7 billion industry, up 28% since 2000.Two issues in particular seem to be driving growth, according to Austin Frishman, an entomologist and industry consultant. Recent temperature increases seem to allow pests to thrive in an ever-extending geographical area, Frishman says. Case in point: fire ants as far north as Virginia. Even more important, he says, are the movement and migration of people: Travelers can bring new kinds of pests into the country, while population shifts have trended toward the Sunbelt states and other areas where insects thrive. The number of pest-control firms is now over 19,000, up more than 7% since 2000, and is expected to continue to rise. "There's a lot of business opportunity," Frishman says.
2. "Bedbugs are back — and I have no idea how to treat them."
last summer Ellyn Sullivan awoke to find itchy welts all over her skin. Her doctor was mystified, but with some online research, the Brooklyn, N.Y., publishing assistant discovered to her horror that she had bedbugs. "I didn't even know they existed anymore," she says. Indeed, the fabled bloodsuckers are making a comeback. In New York City, bedbug complaints from renters more than doubled in fiscal 2006, to 4,638, and according to the National Pest Management Association, nationwide complaints rose 71% from 2000 to 2005.Among household pests, bedbugs are particularly insidious. They can test your sanity — "I felt like they were all over me all the time," Sullivan says — and they're extremely difficult to get rid of. "There's nothing tougher than bedbugs," says Phil Cooper of Cooper Pest Solutions in Lawrenceville, N.J. "And very few [exterminators] know how, or are willing, to do it right." Proper treatment isn't cheap — up to $500 a room — and often requires multiple visits. But lowballing the job isn't recommended. "With sleep on the line," Cooper says, be prepared to "pay through the nose."
3. "You can't sue me — my contract's ironclad."
When Elizabeth Allen of Ponta Vedra Beach, Fla., discovered that termites had seriously damaged her house despite a lifetime guarantee from Orkin, she wanted to sue. The contract was supposed to cover repairs, but the damage was so extensive that the house had to be bulldozed. What's worse, litigation was out of the question, thanks to a clause in the contract limiting her to binding arbitration; Allen did get a cash award (which she can't disclose) but feels the process didn't favor her. "It was brutal," Allen says. "I felt I couldn't have justice." (Orkin says this litigation "is not indicative of the way Orkin does business.")Termites are responsible for an estimated $5 billion in property loss per year, so being aware of your legal rights before signing with a pest-control firm is key. When cases do go to court, as was the case for Allen's neighbor, Collier Black, the damages can be huge: He walked away with $4.6 million. "There's a reason these companies go to such lengths to avoid lawsuits," says Pennsylvania entomologist Thomas Parker, who has consulted on nearly 550 disputes between clients and pest-control providers.
4. "Either I'm not using enough juice for the job..."
The pesticide industry has come a long way since Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" led to the ban on DDT in 1972, and the industry is creating new products all the time. Problem is, they aren't cheap. Thanks to strict regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture, it now costs roughly $100 million to develop a new pesticide, according to Frishman. And while most exterminators buy and use the right stuff for the job, some have been known to skimp once a contract's been signed. A classic example: termite pretreatment for homes under construction, says Steven Dwinell, president of the Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials. "It might cost 40 cents per square foot to treat a foundation," he says, "but the contractor offers five cents. Whoever wins that bid isn't using pure juice."In some cases exterminators have been known to mix milk into white-colored pesticides, like that used to treat termites; in others they might use a different product than promised. The best defense is to pick a reputable service: Ask for references, and interview a few firms before hiring one.
5. "...or else I'm using waaay too much."
In 1996 the Trimpers of Rotterdam, N.Y., had their house treated twice for termites — only to suffer serious health problems later. "They used enough pesticide for a warehouse," says Bruce Trimper, who blames his and his wife's ills — including two miscarriages, chronic headaches and fevers, and fatigue — on fumes that lingered in their house for a year and were so strong that friends found it unbearable to visit. The Trimpers took legal action against Terminix and received an undisclosed cash settlement: "We got some money, but now our health is wrecked forever." (Terminix wouldn't comment on the case but said it works "diligently to meet the needs of our customers and provide them with the best service and protection available.")Pesticides are "highly dangerous poisons" that have been linked with everything from autism to memory loss, says Kaye Kilburn, a toxicologist specializing in chemical exposure. Don't rely only on an exterminator's word about their safety; do your own research. One great resource: the National Pesticide Information Center (1-800-858-7378), which answers specific questions about everything from rat poison to mosquito spraying.
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Order Reprintshttp://nopests.com/blog/10-things-your-exterminator-won%E2%80%99t-tell-you-our-side/
1. We do not 'love' global warming. You have us confused with Al Gore.
2. '..very few (exterminators) know how or are willing to do it right..' Mr. Cooper you must not be worried about your reputation among PCO's in your area. Or was this comment taken out of context, and are you currently writing your own 'nasty' letter to Mr. Bensinger?
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