It’s monday morning. You get a call from one of your customers at the grocery store that a bird is flying around in the product department. They must remove it before they are fined by the health department. You have to make a decision.
The way I see it, you have to make one of three decisions. Do you tell the customer that it is not a covered pest and let them find someone, use a subcontractor, or do the work “in-house”? Of course, grocery stores aren’t the only place birds can be a pest inside. Other types of buildings that pest birds can be “housed” in include warehouses, factories, and airport terminals. Any building with enough space for the pest bird to meet all of its physical needs (food, water, and shelter) is a primary goal.
© urfinguss | iStock
WHAT TO DO? Let’s dive a little into the pros and cons of each of these decisions you might make:
Saying No Not doing the bird watching work and just focusing on “general pest control” may be the easiest option, but it may not be the best option. You may be leaving your bum open to a competitor who understands the term “Vogel-only customer”. Your customer will now need to call another company that may be doing the same general pest control as you are. Your customer will most likely tell you, “I just need a quote for the bird labor, I’m happy with my current supplier for everything else.” If your competitor is smart, they will say, “OK, that’s fine. Do you mind if I check in with you every few months to make sure you’re still happy with your current provider? ”
You can already see where this is going. The only exception to this option is when you receive a call about a bird of prey. All pest birds that we as pest control professionals deal with are birds of prey unless we are also an expert on birds of prey such as hawks, hawks, owls and eagles. Birds of prey are outside the wheelhouses of most PCOs, including myself. If the bird is a raptor in your client’s location, it is best to refer them to a specialist with whom you should already be in a relationship.
Subbing it off. Working with a subcontractor is the best option if you are unable to do the work effectively yourself. Of course, I recommend that you work with someone you trust and don’t (or won’t offer) the same services to your client. Try to have pre-set prices and expectations with both your customers and the subcontractor before you get that call on Monday morning.
Make sure your customer understands the importance of calling you right away before the pest birds establish themselves in their facility. To allow for the occasional “bird got out of itself” scenario, establish reasonable expectation for the response and wait a few days before reacting. It is a good idea not to exceed the preset cost to minimize wasted time on approvals. This type of job is specialized and is usually done by someone with different skills and personality than a route technician. Take into account travel time and costs, especially for remote locations. This is not route work, this is not a covered pest. Someone with very specific skills and equipment has to travel to the place for a one-off job.
Do it yourself. Keeping the work “in house” is obviously the preferred option, but not at the cost of affecting your relationship with your customer as your company cannot resolve the pest control in a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost. As with all other special services, e.g. B. bed bugs or mosquitoes, you can’t just get into the bird service without bringing your team up to date with the right training and equipment.
Performing bird work is the next level specialization as pest birds add multiple levels of complexity including legal protection, mobility, intelligence, and my favorite, what I refer to as “bird yin / yang.” Then someone says, “I love the birds, but I hate their poop.” Birds are the pest you throw back the most in public when you have questions like “Why do you need to get rid of the birds?” What are you going to do with the birds? How do you sleep at night “The people who love the birds that are a pest are usually not the same ones who have to clean up and manage the risks associated with their droppings. If you are going to do this type of job, make sure you know what for Get involved and how you will perform them.
Birds in grocery stores are of particular concern as their droppings end up on feed. Are you ready to offer your customers bird protection in addition to general pest control services?
YOU ACCEPT IT. So let’s say you proceed with either of the latter two options. Whether you are subcontracting or doing it yourself, you still need to know how to manage the relationship with the customer and know enough about the work to be able to speak intelligently to both the subcontractor and the customer.
You will also need to train your team to deal with the “Bird Yin / Yang” problems. Some species of birds are not protected and may need to be euthanized. You will be surprised how many technicians have no problem shipping a rat, but you will resist the thought of doing the same to a pigeon. Not only do you need to train, you also need to train your team.
The difference between training and education is understanding the “why”. Make sure everyone understands the risks associated with these pest birds in your customers’ locations, especially those where food is handled. Also, never lie to your direct customer contact about the details of your solutions. What they tell their employees and customers is their business. Therefore, only discuss the details of your solution with your customer contact and pass everyone else on to them.
It’s also a good idea to have a number of questions that your team members can ask the customer when they call you to remove pest birds from a building. Here are a few:
‘Baby talk
One of my favorite problems with Bird Yin / Yang is when someone in our industry calls a young bird in a nest a “baby bird”. Shall we say “baby cockroach” or “nymph”? As with invertebrate pests, use proper slang language. PMPs should use words like nestling, young bird, young, or even teenage. Oh, and please don’t call the parents “mom and dad” either.
- Who can we call before we arrive to perform the service and what is their direct mobile number? This saves a lot of heartache as most of this work is done outside of regular business hours.
- Do you know the bird species and roughly how many birds are in the building? If not, can you send me a picture or describe the bird? While most birds are protected, those that typically get into buildings are not.
- Train your team on proper identification and legal protection.
- How long have the birds been in the building and what has been tried to get them out?
What time of day and where are the birds most active?
One of the most effective solutions to removing unprotected pest birds from a building is a highly skilled technician using a special air rifle. However, it is also one of the most controversial solutions. Make sure this option is legal in your area and that the customer has given written approval. When you use this option, you make sure that everyone involved knows the details of your service and at the same time as few people as possible. When I say everyone I mean the manager, store security, and especially the local police.
Make a habit of calling the local police emergency number at least an hour before arriving at the location. Tell them who you are, what you will do and where. Do this even if your service is just inside. Someone may see you through a window and mistake you for doing bad things. I promise you that you will not want to be on the wrong side in this confrontation. In telling as few people as possible, make sure that only people within the site who need to know what you are doing know what you are doing.
Other effective solutions for removing pest birds from inside a building are fog nets and special bait traps. I find a lot of polarity when it comes to fog nets; PCOs either love them or hate them. The people they often “hate” just need the right training. They’re pretty easy to use and very effective once you know a few basics. When it comes to catching, you need to consider what is readily available and what the bird is looking for. For example, should you bait with nesting material or food?
FINAL THOUGHTS. Any indoor pest removal service performed by you or your subcontractor should include an inspection and report so that you can inform the customer of the favorable conditions that led to pest bird entry in the first place. As with most other pests, open doors are a large but also damaged dock door and seals. Storing pallets or other equipment near doors is also problematic when it comes to pest intrusion. Add value to your bird removal services by letting the customer know the reasons they need the service in the first place.
