INFORMATION

In a constantly-evolving industry like pest control, it’s crucial to stay on top of the latest emerging pest control industry trends to make it your most successful year yet! In this blog, we will explore the most important emerging pest control industry trends. 

1. Providing Eco-Friendly Solutions

As consumers develop a deeper interest in using eco-friendly solutions to reduce their carbon footprint, there’s a growing need for pest control businesses to offer green alternatives. Homeowners are searching for more sustainable solutions for their homes and many have already started making home improvements to become more eco-friendly. Worldwide sustainability efforts have vastly increased amid climate change and a broader knowledge about the dangers of pesticides. For all these reasons, many pest control businesses have begun offering environmentally conscious alternatives to their clients that are not only better for the planet, but safer for people and pets. 

People’s pets are becoming a more integral part of their everyday life and their purchases more than ever. During the Covid-19 pandemic, one in five American families adopted a pet. People see their pets as members of their family, and many owners spoil their pets with the best, and safest, pet products.

Pest control companies that are not eco-friendly use solutions that contain harsh chemical pesticides that are dangerous. Insecticides cause the greatest number of pesticide poisonings in the United States. According to the National Institute of Health, 30% of mosquito consumers are looking for a natural solution and this number grows annually. Eco-friendly pest control methods include a range of techniques such as:

• Chemical-free solutions made from natural-based pesticides
• Use of physical barriers such as screens, nets, and sealing of entry points to prevent pest entry into buildings and mitigating the lifecycle of the pest itself.
• Targeting and focusing on the specific type of pest, minimizing the risk to non-target species and reducing the environmental impact. 

2. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Integrated pest management is an effective, environmentally conscious approach to pest control. With IPM, you’ll use current information on the life cycles of pests as well as their interaction with the environment to manage pests in an eco-friendly way. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pests with the least possible hazard to people, pets, and the environment.

Effectively controlling pests has become highly valuable for customers and pest control businesses alike. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a pest control approach that is increasingly being used using a combination of techniques to manage pests. In particular, prevention is an essential aspect of IPM and involves removing or reducing the factors that attract pests. This can include eliminating food and water sources, sealing cracks and gaps, and reducing clutter and debris that can provide shelter for pests.

By reducing the factors that attract pests, pest control professionals can reduce the need for chemical pesticides. Preventative pest control contracts also potentially generate recurring revenue compared to one-off reactive pest control services. This is how you can implement IPM into your pest control business:

1. Set thresholds for necessary actions. For example, seeing one pest doesn’t necessarily mean treatment is needed.
2. Monitor and identify pests to determine the appropriate control decisions based on your action thresholds.
3. Take preventative measures in lawns and indoor spaces to prevent pests from becoming a threat or infestation.
4. Begin the necessary control methods. After monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control measures are necessary, and preventative methods are no longer a viable option, you’ll use IPM to evaluate the appropriate pest control method to maximize effectiveness while minimizing risk. 

3. Comprehensive Solutions 

More and more homeowners are looking for comprehensive pest control that effectively handles pest infestations from start to finish. Pest control companies that can offer customized pest control solutions provides more flexibility for clients. Instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, clients can choose a pest control solution that fits their needs and preferences.

4. Extreme Weather

Extreme heat in cities across the country made it more difficult for scrambling pest control brands to serve customers during unprecedented heat waves. Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies revealed that this summer was the Earth’s hottest since the recording of global temperatures. Warmer temperatures allow ticks and mosquitoes to be active for longer during the year. In addition to the heat, the influx in rain has made mosquitoes become more difficult to control, as these pests only need a bottle cap amount of water to breed.