BUGS Flashcards
What do Carpenter Ants look like?
Carpenter ants are usually larger ants. That being said, many smaller ants are simply baby carpenter ants. Carpenter ants have a fat butt, so any time you see ANY sized ant with a fat butt, you can tell the customer it is a carpenter ant with confidence
Where do Carpenter Ants live?
They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. However, they can also be around dry wood. They cut “galleries” into the wood grain to provide passageways for movement from section to section of the nest. Certain parts of a house, such as around and under windows, roof eaves, decks and porches, are more likely to be infested by carpenter ants because these areas are most vulnerable to moisture and shade. Most species of carpenter ants will forage at night. So if you see them in broad daylight, there is a problem there. You can use this in your pitch if you see even ONE carpenter ant, or none at all. Tell them they are nocturnal, and that there are over half a million ants in one colony, the majority of which are 5-7 feet below the surface of the ground.
Sometimes moisture can cause the same damage as carptenter ants, or at least it is difficult to tell the difference. But usually, it is carpenter ants unless they have a leak they already know about in that particular area
Capenter ants are included in our service, no extra charge. And they are HUGE in Ohio!
What about Carpenter Bees?
Their name comes from the fact that nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers.
Carpenter bees make nests by tunneling into wood, vibrating their bodies as they rasp their mandibles against the wood, each nest having a single entrance which may have many adjacent tunnels. They do not eat the wood they simply reuse it to make more intricate tunnels.
They can do a LOT of damage over time, and they are also extremely annoying
Carpenter Bees are NOT included or guaranteed in our standard service. This was a problem last summer because reps told customers they WERE guaranteed, and these reps had more cancels than they wanted. If there are only 2-3 holes and they are easy to reach, we will treat them as a favor while we’re there. But we don’t guarantee them because they can burrow into any wood at any time around the home. It’s impossible to stop them completely. Also, you can tell the customer that if we treat those couple holes for free real quick, the customer will need to plug the holes with puddy and paint over them. If the customer doesn’t do this, our product will only last so long. That’s why we don’t guarantee them in any way.
Termites vs flying ants
What about Termites?
Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests.
Owing to their wood-eating habits, many termite species can do great damage to unprotected buildings and other wooden structures. Their habit of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are severely damaged and exhibit surface changes. Once termites have entered a building, they do not limit themselves to wood; they also damage paper,carpets, and other cellulosic materials. Particles taken from soft plastics, plaster, rubber, and sealants such assilicone rubber and acrylics are often employed in construction.
They share a close relationship with cockroaches and are very territorial.
For right now, we do NOT treat termites at all. We never will include termite treatments in our “standard” package you sell, but right now we won’t even treat them as a separate service. But we DO have a free termite inspection whenever they’d like, just to make sure they don’t have them, included in their qtrly service agreement. You’ll tell the customer that they need to call and schedule the termite inspection, and usually it’s best around the hottest times of year because this when they’re most active. You can just use this as ammo in your pitch, but termites are very rare in the neighborhoods we sell in.
Termites do over 5 billion dollars worth of property damage each year!
