Offering a mosquito treatment as an add-on to routine pest control services presents an opportunity for pest managers to make a little extra revenue during the summer months.
With the long, hot days of summer upon us, the Australian mosquito season is reaching its peak.
As urban pests, mosquitoes can cause significant headaches for commercial businesses and residents alike – not to mention the health risk they pose as carriers of diseases such as the Ross River virus, or dengue fever in the north of Australia. When the problem becomes too difficult to solve with a dose of citronella, customers start searching for an effective solution – they call their local professional pest manager.
The excellent revenue versus cost profile of mosquito treatments makes them a great addition to your service offering, with the potential to upsell the service to the homeowner while you are already on site doing other treatments. Adding a mosquito treatment to a general pest control package is a great way to take advantage of this seasonal demand and maximise your return per customer. It could even lead to ongoing work; a 2004 study by the University of Kentucky, in the US, found homeowners who experienced a 73% reduction in mosquito exposure through treatment were willing to pay for that service on a regular basis.
For managers of public spaces – for example, councils in charge of amenities and landscaped public areas – the need to eradicate mosquitoes is even greater. Pest managers who can offer high quality, long-lasting control are worth their weight in gold.
However, managing customers with close neighbours who don’t follow a mosquito management program can be challenging. Mosquitoes need standing water sources in which to lay their eggs when breeding. Because of this, it is always good to ask customers to discuss eliminating possible stagnant water sites with neighbours. This helps ensure they understand the scope of your treatment, not to mention possibly adding another client to your list.
One choice of insecticide on the market is Demand, Syngenta’s residual barrier insecticide spray, delivering long-lasting control against mosquitoes, flies, spiders and a wide range of other insects. Its versatility means it can be applied outdoors or indoors, to foliage, on ornamental plants and shrubs, on hard surfaces like outdoor furniture, under decks and in plant pots.
Demand Insecticide uses iCap technology to extend its residual effect. iCap packages Demand’s active ingredient, lambda-cyhalothrin, in dual-walled, multi-sized microcaps. When a surface is treated, more than 64,000 microcaps per square metre stick to the treated surface. As insects land, the microcaps attach to their waxy cuticles. The smaller microcaps release the active ingredient quickly, resulting in fast knockdown. The larger microcaps remain intact longer, releasing the active ingredient for up to 90 days. This is what gives Demand its long-lasting effect, minimising the potential for callbacks and retreatments. If used correctly, mosquitoes and other insect pests can be controlled with reapplication intervals of no more than ten weeks.
Its wide range of uses (that includes ornamental foliage) and long- lasting results make Demand an effective solution for the problem of mosquitoes. Customers will be able to enjoy spending time in their backyards this summer, while you enjoy the additional revenue that comes from adding a simple spray treatment to your usual service offering.
