Catchmaster Pestimonial - Ideal Pest Control
Dallas-based pest control company drives recurring revenue and expands eco-friendly service offerings with the Ovi-CatchTM AGO Mosquito Trap.
The "Aha" Moment
As a 35-year veteran of the pest control industry, Greg Miller, technical director of Ideal Pest Control, has seen it all. “I’ve been doing this a long time so nothing really surprises me anymore,” he says. Yet every now and again, Miller does encounter something truly unique, whether it be an invasive species he’s never seen before or a game-changing product that allows him to enhance his Dallas-based company’s service offerings. Miller experienced just such an “Aha!” moment recently while servicing a local zoo for mosquitoes, which were plaguing the park’s animals and patrons alike. Unlike other commercial accounts, however, Ideal Pest Control didn’t have a lot of control options at its disposal due to the sensitive nature of facility. “The main concern in the account was the possible spread of West Nile Virus, which is carried by the Culex mosquito, and the client wanted something with less impact chemically because in zoos you can’t perform traditional pesticide treatments in many areas like you can in a lot of accounts,” he says.
Catchmaster Expertise
Fortunately, Miller has had a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Robert Stocker, national accounts manager for AP&G, manufacturer of the popular Catchmaster® line of pest control products. When Miller informed Stocker of the mosquito problems Ideal Pest Control was experiencing in the highly-complex commercial account, the veteran account manager thought he could help. After all, AP&G recently began to expand its product offerings outside of its rodent control portfolio, recruiting Dr. Stan Cope, former president of the American Mosquito Control Association, to lead its R&D efforts and field-testing of mosquito products. “Mosquitoes were becoming a serious problem throughout the zoo and we were concerned about the potential threat of West Nile Virus in the avian area, so we were looking for a product that would control Culex mosquitoes,” Miller says. “And ideally we were hoping for a non-chemical solution.” Stocker suggested that Ideal consider installing a number of Catchmaster® Ovi-Catch
TM AGO Mosquito Traps around the avian habitats at the zoo, as well as in other high-traffic areas of the park like the rhinoceros exhibit. The trap features a specially formulated adhesive designed to catch female mosquitoes during the breeding cycle, dramatically reducing populations and lowering the risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Easy-to-use and highly effective, the Ovi-Catch AGO Mosquito Trap is ideal for Integrated Pest Management programs in sensitive accounts like zoos, daycare centers, and health care facilities because it is non-toxic and environmentally safe. In fact, the pesticide-free solution has proven so successful in testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency uses Catchmaster® AGO Trap Replacement Glue Boards in numerous mosquito monitoring and population reduction programs throughout the United States.
How it Works
Technicians simply fill the 5-gallon container with 2.5 gallons of water and add a small amount of organic matter (i.e., hay) to the water. A glue board is then installed to the interior of the capture chamber, sticky side facing inward. The glue board features an innovative adhesive that has been specially formulated for mosquito applications. It is UV- and moisture-resistant, providing enhanced control under a variety of environmental conditions. After the lid is snapped on, the trap is placed in the treatment zone. For best results, place the trap in cool, shaded areas with little or no wind. “Once placed, female mosquitoes are attracted to the trap by its appearance and the odors emanating from the device from the decaying organic matter,” observes Dr. Cope. “When mosquitoes enter the trap through the capture chamber lid, they get stuck on the glue board and eventually die, preventing hatching of up to 150 eggs per female.” Miller said Ideal Pest Control installed several traps in the avian area of the zoo to test the efficacy of the device before investing in a park-wide program. When the traps began immediately capturing large numbers of mosquitoes, Miller knew he was on the right track. “What we discovered was the nastier the water, the better,” he said. “We’re learning as we go and our technicians are excited about the benefits offered by the traps and the additional business they’re generating.”
Bottom-line Benefits
And it’s not just a one-time sale, according to Miller. “Once the traps are installed, PMPs can charge a monthly service fee to change out the glue boards and provide an ongoing assessment of the property,” he says. “It fits nicely into our industry’s recurring revenue model, adding to the value of our business.” Even better, once Miller determined the Ovi-Catch AGO Mosquito Trap was a viable control option for the zoo, Ideal Pest Control installed 48 of them throughout the park, resulting in an immediate reduction in mosquito populations. “Zoo management was very happy with the results of our control efforts,” he says. “We now have installed 150 of the traps throughout the zoo and they’ve been working great.” In fact, Miller was so impressed by the performance of the traps that he decided to extend the product offering to Ideal’s residential customers throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which has been victimized by West Nile Virus outbreaks in the past.
Finding the Right Niche
“We’ve found a good niche for the Ovi-Catch traps in our residential accounts because homeowners are concerned about mosquito-borne illnesses and are becoming more and more sensitive to chemical use around their children and pets,” he says. “It offers an effective ‘green’ option for mosquito control,” a message that resonates with families with young children, he says. “The traps have really added to our revenue base and they require little maintenance once placed. It’s an easy sell to homeowners.” In fact, Miller says, every one of Ideal’s technicians now has an Ovi-Catch trap in their service vehicle to show customers in the event they express concerns about mosquitoes in and around their home. “The techs are already at their customers’ homes, so it’s easy to pull one of the traps out of their vehicle and show the customer how it works,” Miller says. “We only started placing them around customers’ homes in July of last year and we’ve already placed hundreds of them throughout our service area. It’s been a nice revenue-generator for us and our technicians love selling the service.”
Putting it All Together
Learn more about the Ovi-Catch™ mosquito trap here:
https://catchmasterpro.com/product/ovi-catch-ago-mosquito-trap/ Learn more about Ideal Pest Control here:
http://www.idealpartners.com/commercial/pest-control
