Occasional Invaders
Greeting + “How To” S.O.P.
- Park truck on curb/street in front of customers home
- Open Pest Pac, click Time In
- Grab a pair of booties(don’t put on yet)
- Walk up to front door by using the sidewalk(do not walk in yard)
- Ring doorbell and step back so customer has room to open the door
- Introduce yourself with “Either Good Morning or Good Afternoon, I’m “your name” with Environmental Pest Management”, all while making eye contact with customer and give a firm hand shake
- Ask customer if you can enter their home, once they say yes place booties on right before you step into the home
- Ask customer about their pest issue, let them express their concerns, once they are done say “I can certainly help take care of your pest issues”
- Start asking probing questions such as where do you see the activity, how long have you been dealing with the issue, have you had the issue in the past, have you used any of your own products, how many are you seeing, etc.
- Once you have enough information with the pest issue you are dealing with, ask if you can start your inspection of the inside of their home. Start with the areas of concern first, move to other areas of the house for preventive measures (basement, kitchen, bathrooms, interior garage, entry points). Once the interior inspection is completed, move to the exterior (remember to remove booties before going outside)
Occasional Invaders Inspection
- Occasional Invaders are classified as insects and other arthropods that sporadically enter structures, sometimes in large numbers. They invade structures when conditions indoors are better than outdoor conditions, & can also be forced into unit from weather conditions
- Examples of occasional invaders are but not limited to centipedes, millipedes, pill-bugs, spiders, beetles “except carpet beetles”, stink bugs, earwigs, etc.
- Visual Inspection; technician should inspect water sources in kitchen, bathroom, exterior walls in living room, bedrooms & possible entry points around window frames & doorway thresholds. basement technician will also need to inspect basement area for occasional pest activity as well. Inspection should also focus on any conditions around home that are leading to pest problem. Meaning any type of water, sanitation or exclusion work that may need fixed to eliminate pest problem will need to be documented by technician. Document by reporting to home owner & reporting this information into pest pac
- Let customer know all findings of your inspection. Come up with a treatment plan that customer is comfortable with. Give customer a rough time frame of how long it’ll take to get rid of the pest issue. Let customer know you the price of the treatment and that you’ll be collecting payment once the treatment is completed.
Occasional Invaders SOP
- Formulate treatment plan; After pest identification form a treatment plan to eliminate occasional pest activity. Occasional invaders can be controlled with chemical residual sprays, dust insecticides, & granular insecticides labeled for type of pest. EPM preferred method of treatment for occasional pest activity is with chemical residual spray. If no pest activity is noticed at time of service, technician should still spray residual around areas of concern or possible pest entry areas as preventive service
- Once treatment plan is formed technician, Ask customer if they have any pets and or children, if so explain both will need to stay away from all chemical for 3 hours or until dry
- Technician will spray residual chemical at areas of pest activity. Spraying baseboards in bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, basement, doorway thresholds, & window frames.
- If technician feels its necessary to use dust or granular insecticides they are to be placed in cracks & crevices around treatment area. Never place dust or granules in open areas where people or pets can access.
- Following the completion of treatment, Service notes with home owner would include areas where chemicals were applied in home. Also any recommendations technician may have to help eliminate occasional invaders
- Return to truck, complete Pest Pac. Always placing all service information into Pest Pac notes
- Press completed service on Pest Pac, head to next stop on schedule
Occasional Invaders Exterior Perimeter Power Spray S.O.P.
- The first step in a residential exterior service is a thorough inspection, and cobweb cleaning of the exterior of the structure. These can both be completed at the same time.
- Start by extending the Webster and cleaning cobwebs from the top of the structure downwards.
- Areas with heavy web activity normally include any areas facing water sources/wooded areas, plumbing and electrical lines, down spouts, overhangs, around door and window frames, and corners of walls.
- While cleaning cobwebs. Complete a thorough inspection. This should include looking for things like rodent entry points, conducive conditions for certain insects, and possible repair advice for structural issues that may cause a pest problem.
- After completing the inspection and cobweb cleaning, the next step is to begin to power spray.
- Begin by pulling enough hose out to reach around the entire structure.
- Make note not to damage any path lighting or stored items in the yard when pulling the hose around the house.
- Next, put on your PPE, start the engine, and turn the nozzle of the spray gun to a pin stream setting. Pin stream spray the area where the foundation meets the soil line. This will ensure the chemical bleeds down and in between this area. This should be done around the entire structure.
- The next step is to use the same pin stream setting to treat the soffits, eaves, facia boards, overhangs, door and window frames, and any other areas on the structure that may harbor pests.
- Make sure not to treat around any open doors or windows. You may also request the homeowner shut these before beginning.
- **Do your best not to get overspray on windows.
- The last spray setting used will be a fan spray. Start by adjusting the nozzle and making a slow fanning motion 3ft up from the soil and 3 ft out from the structure. (The footage may change depending on the insecticide. Always refer to the label for limits to the area that may be sprayed.) -It is important to lightly saturate the soil/mulch when on a fan setting.
- Some insecticides allow you to treat foliage or fan spray paved areas. Please refer to the specific label for these guidelines.
- The last step is to clean and pack up. Start by reeling in the hose. Next, Make sure you haven’t left any chemical or tools lying around. Check to ensure all gates are shut. And lastly check in with the homeowner for any final remarks.