Mosquito control: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering mosquito control

Mosquito control is most effective when source reduction comes first and treatment follows. Your value is in finding the breeding sites and resting spots, treating them with the right product and helping the customer remove the standing water they control.

What customers ask

  • How long will the treatment last?
  • Is it safe for my dog and my vegetable garden?
  • Will you hurt my fish or my bees?
  • Where are the mosquitoes coming from?
  • Do I still need to do anything?
  • Can you treat the neighbor's yard too?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask where the customer gets bitten, when, and what water and shade the yard has, then plan the walk-through.
  • Walk the yard with the customer and point out every breeding site and resting spot you find, including the ones they did not know about.
  • Put the treated areas, the breeding sites and what happens to each one, the products by name, the label wait times and the repeat schedule in the written quote.
  • Show the customer the standing water sources they control, and give them a written list of what to empty or clean each week.
  • Explain why you do not treat the vegetable beds or the pond in the same way, and show the label for the product you use near them.
  • Set the repeat treatment dates before you leave, and explain what the customer should report between visits.

What to put on your profile

  • Your license information shown where your area requires it, with the products and methods you are licensed to use
  • Photos of common breeding sites found on residential properties, shown without identifying customers
  • The seasonal program options you offer and the timing for each
  • Your approach for ponds, gardens and pets, described in plain terms

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Send a repeat treatment reminder with the date and the steps the customer should take first
  • Offer a check of the water features and gutters at the start of the season
  • Give the customer a short prevention guide covering standing water, shade and pet bowls

Licenses and permits

Mosquito treatment with pesticides for pay is commonly licensed in many areas, and water-body treatment may have separate rules. Check with your state or local licensing agency before you offer the service, and confirm that each product you use is covered by the license you hold.

Questions

Do I need a license to spray mosquitoes for customers?

Pesticide use for pay is commonly licensed in many areas, and treating ponds or water bodies can have separate rules. Check with your state or local licensing agency before you take the work.

How do I explain to a customer that they must remove standing water?

Show them the breeding sites on the walk-through, and explain that treatment works best when the water sources are cut down. Give them a written list of what to empty and how often.

What do I do if a neighbor's yard is the source?

Explain that mosquitoes can fly in from nearby properties, and suggest the customer talk to the neighbor. Note the limits of your treatment in the quote, so the customer knows what it covers.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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