Saving money in the Texas heat
Fendona CS helps BUGCO “get treatments right the first time”
In most cities in Texas, pests like mosquitoes can be a nuisance from early March all the way through the first cold snap. For BUGCO Pest Control, which services Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, Texas, this means ample opportunities to help customers feel more comfortable outdoors by ridding the area of pests. While this opportunity lends itself to a lot of business, Jeff Murrell, Operations Manager at BUGCO, knows that having the proper products can mean the difference between a happy customer and losing the company money.
“If I have a good product, we won’t have callbacks to worry about,” Murrell says. “When you go on a callback, you aren’t making any money. We make sure to get things right the first time.”
When BUGCO became a BASF customer a few years ago, Murrell was thrilled to have access to products that were backed by a good reputation for a effective knockdown. But it wasn’t just the knockdown rate that appealed to Murrell. BASF products, particularly Fendona CS, were able to stand up to the Texas heat, resulting in fewer callbacks.
“Our rep recommended we try Fendona CS, and our rep has always been good to us,” says Murrell. “When we first started using it, we noticed our exterior treatments were lasting longer and we were getting fewer callbacks. It was working perfectly.”
Four years later, Murrell is still pleased with the knockdown and durability of the controlled-release insecticide, which features the active ingredient of 3 percent alphacypermethrin. With the high temperature in the summer, Murrell relies on Fendona CS to keep callbacks low. Murrell is particularly pleased that Fendona CS doesn’t just protect from mosquitoes but provides full coverage for more than 60 labeled pests — and a residual of up to 90 days for fire ants.
“The No. 1 thing we look for in a product is that it actually works. We used to get a lot of different company reps coming in trying to present new items. We always told them the same thing: Bring us something that works, and we will try it,” says Murrell. “BASF brought in Fendona, and it did exactly what they said it would do. There are so many pests to use it against, I’d be here for a while just assessing it.”
In Murrell’s seven years at BUGCO, he has seen many difficult infestations and has been told even more ways to handle these problems — some of which have cost BUGCO big with retreatments. But Murrell says he is confident in all of the BASF products that BUGCO uses. He knows that no matter the problem his team may face, BASF can help with a solution.
“Once we started using Fendona CS and saw how far it actually goes and how little we have to use, it’s been a huge help for us,” says Murrell. “BASF has always had a very good line of products. There are so many different items out that help, BASF products work for us.”
With “patio season” starting up, Murrell says, BUGCO wants its customers to feel comfortable throwing backyard parties without having to worry about mosquitoes and other pests. Thanks to BASF and Fendona CS, he knows that one treatment will help make customers feel comfortable and be pest-free.
“When customers are having a little party and mosquitoes start bothering them, we can do a simple backpack fogging with Fendona CS. It has made a huge difference for us,” Murrel says.
