Owners Column:  

An Editorial

BY Mark H. Sanders

"Standing Guard For The Consumer "

Since I started my professional career in pest control back in 1994  there has been many changes in the pest control industry. Not only the good news of positive growth for pest control companies and more efficient products and safer procedures, but there also seems to be a down side as well. To the homeowner, pest elimination and control is near the top of their list of things to do to keep their living environment safe and dollar wise smart for the future of the structure they live in. Individuals that are seeking out a pest control service should consider many options toward this regard. There are companies that will charge you more due to your income status, the part of town you live in, the job you may have and so fourth. In other words, they may have the mind set of "certain conditions apply". Is it because that they look impressive in their add? Yes, that certainly could be part of it. What about the size of the company? If it is a large national based outfit chances are it's going to be more expensive. Just because the service company is big are they the more knowing of their field? No, I don't think so. I think that they are a success by the think tanks and the talking heads of the advertising department of their business. So many small business get the short end just because they are just that, small and even solo operated. I feel that the mistakes made by the consumer are a combination of haste and lack of faith for the most part. Granted, there are consumers that would try to do it themselves rather than hire a large company but on the whole the balance is disappointing. I had received a call recently from a individual who's occupation was a physician specialized in the field of interventional radiology. She had hired a pest control service to get rid of a rat problem. She told me that they supplied treatment and left her a bill of $500.00 and a 30 day warranty. The time that a rodent treatment becomes effective in most cases is  is about two weeks so in essence, she actually got about a two week warranty. To be quite honest I wondered if this could have been a real call but I guess stranger things happen. Well, that was five months ago and rats have returned. I told her I was a very small business but made it plain that I was a beekeeper, and snake-handler. In other words, specialized and that rodent treatments were of great ease in comparison. I told her that I would charge $150.00 and give her a 90 day warranty. She declined. As much as my heart goes out to her for choosing the wrong company in the past, at the same time I was amazed that she veered slightly, if any at all, off the dimly lit path she choose five months previous. Haste and lack of faith. You would think that the price offered would be enough but the ingredients missing in her decision making process may very well cost her another negative experience. This is just one of probably a hundred times that this scenario has taken place since I started my pest control business in October of 1994.

In contrast, consumers that have chosen Nature King Pest Mgmt. usually always remain. This is due to being fair, honest, and knowing the product you sell. If there is a time that the service treatment does not prove itself successful, and the warranty has lapsed, there must have been a mistake in my judgment along the way in my procedures at that time of initial treatment. It's been known that I will do it again at no charge or even just charge for the fuel burned to get to the location. And sometimes when I don't charge at these times I still receive a tip for my efforts. That alone is gratifying and I know that the consumer will remember that and pass along my name to another customer. Of course, these situations don't happen everyday. Sometimes there are sanitation issues and suggestions to the homeowner that might have prevented a re-infestation that was simply not acted upon. But, like the rodent kingdom, the cycle continues and the pest control industry grows to combat these pest. That is good news but there also is a down side. Thank you for your time. I am Mark Sanders and I am "Standing Guard For The Consumer"

                         "Sophie" 1996-2008

We Lost Sophie August 25, 2008. She was not just a good pet and a ray of light but an angel. She seemed to present her self as a diversion upon an armed robbery incident in our own front yard back in 2003. Because of her love and protection for me I was able to run away. The intruders did shoot at me but missed. My chances would have been more on the slim side if she was not with me at the time. She now lives in my heart.

Below are few snapshots of the young "Nature Nerd".

       Mark selling fishing worms he raised. His first Business venture.

Reverse Side

One of our services we provide is to locate dead animals in attics and crawl spaces. Looks like Mark got started rather early here.   

Rather  blurry picture but Mark is letting a bug of some sort crawl up his arm. That was then and this is now. Looks like things haven't changed much.

" Bed Bugs Are Back"

Yes Bed Bugs are back and its simply "Bedlam"! Due to the human migratory nature of global travel that has been on the increase, Bed Bugs have hitched a ride with people from travelers from Mexico and even from overseas. The problem has become so severe that their are new products out there that are being developed just to combat this present plague alone. Nature King Pest Mgmt. received a call from one of our quarterly customers that resides in one of the most upscale of communities to let us know that they are having a Bed Bug infestation. These bugs were picked up at a hotel from business trip traveling and brought back in the luggage. They noticed all the classic symptoms, little bites, blood on the sheets, itching. Upon visual inspection we found where the bed bugs were hiding in between feedings. We implemented a bed bug strike. Treating all areas that could cavity a bug we took look. That infestation was controlled...killed dead. Like it or not, the big guns have to come in. That involves knowledge of this pest as well as the application of the proper and best way applied insecticide. Sometimes a big infestation involves little pesticide application concern, but sometimes just the opposite. Big guns is just knowing the best way for success.

What is a Pest? Is it something that is noticed just once and a while? A mild worry for a mild problem. Or is it something that is more serious. A German Cockroach infestation...perhaps? One egg case has 38 to 48 bright eyed wonders just waiting to be resistant to most all types of commercial pesticides. Is there a way to do a pest control treatment  for this type of cockroach successfully at one visit from the exterminator? Yes. Is there a business that needs a German Cockroach Clean out? Yes! One treatment price will be better then paying for years?

German Cockroach

Yes!...And this way can save you money and certain frustration. I have a product that will end the generation of the German Cockroach in your home or place of business. If this product is applied once a year there will be no more   German Cockroaches. Please call at 214-827-0090 today and set an appointment.

Springtails (Collembola)

We have been getting some calls from many of our customers about these little tiny grey bugy, flea, gnat, things that seem to be all over the windowsills and around the sinks and stuff. I would tell that customer that maybe they should just clean up the place a little. No, I am just kidding now...Springtails appear all the time in all conditions in front of all at sometime. Its just that they may have appeared to you and you are one of the ones that has never seen these things...Ever!!. Well, this is the Springtail. Lights Please...They love Light. They have been used to it since the Devonian period. I don't know how many of you out there listen or heard of the musical group Devo....but this doesn't have anything to do with that. The popular name of this primitive group of insect refers to their aimless leaping which involves a forked device which is doubled up under the body when at rest. And then when something freaks 'em out, you, the vacuum or the climate conditions,.. they bolt and usually head towards light like the windowsills. Our lady customers are usually the ones that are disturbed more so about these pest being that they are the ones that are more involved in the housekeeping duties. They feed principally on decomposing plant matter or tiny areas that have micro life that is dead or dying. They are also a biting insect and some customers have had irritation or flea bite like symptoms associated with the infestation. The occurrence of this insect is of such a  high number that they are one of the most important of all insects for breaking down and returning such matter back to the soil...thus enriching it. Rarely longer than 1/5 in. most Springtails are light to drably gray. Having been around some 400 million years, the collembola may think he's welcomed anywhere. When our customers call us about their new bug break-out, we tell them first and foremost that the probability of eradication is with nothing more then washing certain areas down with a common household bleach. I suggest no more than one part water for each part bleach. Surface clean and repeat. This being done twice a day for two to three days should decease sightings. Nature King Pest Mgmt. suggest this method strongly to the home owner. If chemical application is necessary only a well trained professional that has experience in insecticides and Springtail infestation like Nature King Pest Mgmt. should perform treatment activity. If this sounds like what you have experienced please give us a call to control this aged agitator. 

Coming soon: Easy ways to get rid of fruit flies!