There are plenty of things that are synonymous with summer, including barbecues, bonfires, and swimming pools, just to name a few. Another common outdoor element that’s tied to summer is an unwelcome one: the arrival of mosquitos.
The unfortunate truth is that for most of the United States, mosquitos are a common element in the summer landscape. As a pest control company, you know that in addition to irritating buzzing and itchy bites, mosquitos are also common carriers of disease. As a result, mosquitos are a pest that causes plenty of trouble for your customers even if they aren’t finding their way indoors.
Communicating with your customers to make them aware of the risks mosquitos pose and how you can help them handle the problem is a great opportunity to bring in more business and leave your customers satisfied.
What Causes Mosquitoes to Swarm?
Like just about every other pest, mosquitos are interested in two things: feeding and breeding. When an environment satisfies these needs, you can count on an increase in the mosquito population. What’s more, mosquitos aren’t likely to die out or move on from an area if they find that it meets their needs and will instead become a mosquito swarm.
There are some elements that homeowners can control when it comes to deterring mosquitoes, and some that they can’t. Overarching weather patterns, for instance, are out of anyone’s control. Hot, damp weather is exactly what mosquitos love and, unfortunately, those are conditions that meteorologists are already expecting for the coming summer.
The reason that damp weather promotes mosquito swarms is that mosquitoes require standing water to breed. This is a widely known fact and, as such, many homeowners make an effort to pour out any water that they notice has accumulated in locations such as garbage cans, old tires, or various lawn and garden equipment.
There is a growing concern, though, that recent and ongoing attempts to stay indoors and self-isolate during COVID-19 can have the unintentional result of providing great breeding grounds for mosquito populations. Without humans deliberately upturning sources of stagnant water, mosquitos can find a perfect opportunity to lay and hatch their eggs. Even with human interference, a hot, wet summer can afford the pests this same opportunity; most mosquito eggs hatch within two days, so even small pools and puddles of water can lead to spikes in mosquito swarms.
Market Your Mosquito Services to Attract New Customers
Even if you look past the potential that mosquitoes have for spreading disease, they remain one of the biggest annoyances for many homeowners during the summer months. Interestingly enough, though, many potential customers don’t reach out for pest control when it comes to mosquitoes because they’re mistakenly under the impression that there’s nothing to be done about the problem.
Many people, including some of your existing customers who rely on you for routine, preventative pest control in their homes, simply do their best to endure the outdoors by using bug spray, citronella candles, and other repellents. Even when these methods are moderately effective, though, many will still find that their yards—which should be their own outdoor refuge—are home to more mosquitoes than they’d like.
Some homeowners might take the initiative to call a local pest control service or to perform a web search for potential solutions, but many won’t know about their options unless they manage to get the information in front of them. So, what are the best ways to do exactly that?
- Email Campaigns: By using email to reach your potential customers, you’re able to put the relevant information about mosquito treatments right in front of them. Using PestPac, it’s easy to not only reach prospects with this info but also target your current customers who aren’t signed up for mosquito treatments.
- Social Media: Possibly the quickest way to reach a wide audience, a quick post about the threat that mosquitos pose and how your company can help may be all it takes to have potential customers reaching out to you to schedule mosquito treatments.
- On-Site Upselling: Your technicians are the face of your company, and they should be comfortable communicating with your customers about the range of other services you provide. Train your technicians to bring up other services when appropriate, including mosquito treatment options.
By informing prospects and customers of the risk of mosquito swarms, the dangers that mosquitoes pose as disease carriers, and how easily you can eliminate the problem for them, you stand to bring in a surge of new business and satisfy both new and existing customers by helping them reclaim their yards and the summer fun that comes with them. Quite simply, many of your customers may be eager to pounce on your mosquito treatment services but don’t even know that the option exists.
Potential customers will also be thrilled when you tell them that your methods for mosquito control also help to inhibit flea and tick populations. The result is an inviting yard that’s comfortable and safe for homeowners, their guests, and their pets. For your pest control company, this is the perfect opportunity to expand the services you provide for your existing customers to bring in new customers, and introduce them to the peace of mind that comes with trusting your company.
