Eviction Notice!

What Are We Missing?

This is the question Trenton Kinnebrew asked himself for several months while trying to squash a major mosquito problem at a client’s home in Cypress, Texas. The ¾-acre lot includes a backyard retreat with an inground swimming pool, artificial turf and putting green. But uninvited guests were interfering with the fun. “They couldn’t sit out at night without getting substantially bitten,” says Kinnebrew, owner of Freedom Mosquito — a business he and his wife started three years ago.

Kinnebrew’s charge: Permanently evict the mosquitoes. But the task required far more than typical treatments. “It took three months of going back, respraying, investigating the property to see what we were missing, and then we found some schematics of an old drain system covered up by artificial turf,” he says.

Literally “digging deeper” helped Kinnebrew identify hidden breeding grounds.

What Lies Beneath

The client located files from the previous homeowner, who had installed a series of French drains in the yard. “So, we cut back an area of the artificial turf and started treating it,” Kinnebrew says.

Ultimately, mosquitoes were still harboring in the drain’s ½-inch of water that sat in the catch basin. “We filled it with cement so it was flush with the opening of the pipe. That way, when the water hits, it goes right into the pipe and you eliminate the standing water,” he says.

The client covered the drain area with rocks and chose not to replace the artificial turf in that spot.

Still, mosquitoes were returning to the property in droves. “Every time they called back, we’d go out there that day or the next, so they were happy with the customer service and response time,” Kinnebrew says of leveling the frustration.

Heads Up

Kinnebrew looked down and dealt with the drains — and then he looked up. “We noticed shade pine needles sticking out of the gutters, so there had to be some standing water there,” he says. Since it doesn’t take much water to breed mosquitoes, the company thoroughly cleaned the gutters. “Ever since, we have had that under control,” he says.

The Brush Off

Aside from structural alterations like reconfiguring the French drain and cleanup like flushing out gutters (and alternative efforts like building a bat house!), Kinnebrew also tackled perimeter shrubs. “We treated the bushes up against the fence to create the best barrier possible,” he says. The company also treated the artificial turf.

Today, the property is serviced monthly for mosquitoes without callbacks. The customers can relax outdoors in the evening without getting eaten alive. “They key was being persistent and working with them,” Kinnebrew says.

Retreats into Referrals

Callbacks can actually create strong partnerships with clients, Kinnebrew says. “It’s an opportunity for us to stand behind our word and do what we say we are going to do as a company,” he adds.

While the situation was frustrating at first, constant communication and an IPM approach of identifying the root of the problem showed the client that Freedom Mosquito would do whatever it took to mitigate the issue.

“You have to stop and evaluate the situation,” Kinnebrew says of the process. “And, we have gotten several referrals based on our response and service.”