As a pest control operator, people call you after there’s already been a problem. Whether it’s ants in the kitchen, bats in the attic, or a raccoon in the chimney, your job is to come and deal with a critter after it’s already made its presence known.
Of course, you charge money for this service: the service or removing a pest problem.
But what if you could make some additional money by offering to prevent a pest problem before it even starts? Well, you can. It’s called wildlife exclusion. And if you’re already a licensed, practicing pest control operator, you’re in the unique position of being able to offer wildlife exclusion to your customers.
At HY-C, we manufacture a dynamic and comprehensive line of wildlife control solutions under our HY-GUARD EXCLUSION brand. And in this guide, we want to cover 5 of those solutions that pest control operators can easily add to their toolkit and start offering to their customers.
By the time you’re finished here, you’ll know each one of these 5 wildlife control devices and how to use them. We’ll also provide some additional resources to help you understand how to use, install, and maintain these products.
1. Chimney Caps
What you’ll need to install them:
- A ladder
- A screwdriver
Chimney caps are a no-brainer for pest control operators. Anyone who has a masonry chimney needs to have a chimney cap. If one of your customers doesn’t have a chimney cap, explain to them that any number of animals or insects can easily use an open chimney flue to get directly into their home. It’s probably one of the easiest add-on sales you’ll come across.
In many cases, a customer may also need to have their chimney cap replaced, either because it’s damaged, rusty, or has been chewed through by local wildlife.
If you want to start offering chimney caps, you’ll need to understand which metal to use in which situations, which mesh size you should use in your state, what size cap your customer needs, and, of course, how to install one. The resources below can help you get started.
Additional chimney cap resources:
- Chimney cap size guide
- Chimney cap mesh sizes guide
- Chimney cap metals guide
- How to install a chimney cap
2. Foundation Vent Covers
What you’ll need to install them:
- A drill
- 4 to 8 fasteners
Not all homes have foundation or crawl space vents. But if you’re servicing a home that does, offering to install a foundation vent cover is easy.
Most foundation vents come with basic bug screen or aluminum louvers. Critters can easily chew right through those, though. Proper after-market foundation vent covers are made from tamper-proof galvanized steel. They’ll keep wildlife out and last season after season.
HY-GUARD EXCLUSION foundation vent covers come in two varieties. The standard covers are made with typical wildlife exclusion mesh. We also offer a premium option built with InsectArmor — an additional layer of 1.6 mm steel mesh designed to keep out bugs.
With two options available, you’ll be able to offer your customers choices. The screens themselves are fabricated in a few sizes and will cover around 90% to 95% of the foundation vents you’re likely to come across.
Finally, the covers themselves are ultra-thin. You’ll be able to store plenty on your truck as an additional sales opportunity without having to sacrifice much space.
Additional foundation vent cover resources:
Discover HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Foundation Vent Covers
3. Soffit Vent Covers
What you’ll need to install them:
- A ladder
- A drill
- 4 to 6 fasteners
Many new homes don’t have soffit vents in the traditional sense. Instead, they use perforations that promote ventilation while keeping out insects and animals.
If you service older homes, though, you’ll be more likely to come across vent openings in the soffit. If these vents are uncovered or if the current covers are old or damaged, that’s the perfect opportunity to offer to add new soffit vent covers.
Like our foundation vent covers, HY-GUARD EXCLUSION soffit vent covers are available with galvanized steel mesh or with additional InsectArmor, allowing you to offer both a standard and a premium option.
With 4” x 16”, 8” x 16”, and 4” x 50” sizes available, they’re made to fit virtually any soffit vent on your customers’ homes.
Additional soffit vent cover resources:
Discover HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Soffit Vent Covers
4. Roof Vent Guards
What you need to install them:
- A ladder
- A drill
- 4 to 8 fasteners
Roof vents are an integral part of virtually every roof, and the vast majority of them are completely uncovered. Sure, the roof vents themselves come with basic coverage, but just about any animal out there can simply paw or chew their way right past them.
Once you explain to your customers just how vulnerable their roof vents are, you’ll be able to offer them a solution: roof vent guards. Made from galvanized steel, these guards offer an exceptional level of protection. Plus, their design is architecturally pleasing, looking right at home on any roof.
With ten different sizes available starting as small as 7” x 7” and coming in as large as 30” x 30”, the collection is designed to cover any roof vent you’re likely to find.
Most sizes come with a ⅝” mesh that will keep out most critters, though some smaller animals (like mice) may still be able to get past. For the best in protection, we also offer a tight ¼” mesh that will exclude everything down to stink bugs, cicadas, bees, and wasps.
Finally, in addition to galvanized steel, HY-GUARD EXCLUSION also offers a line of stainless steel roof vent guards. They provide the very best both in terms of wildlife exclusion and resistance to rain, wind, snow, and long-term weathering.
Roof vent guards are an easy add-on sale because they offer the most in terms of options. The more choices your customer has, the more involved they’ll feel in the decision-making process — and the more likely they’ll be to buy.
Additional roof vent guard resources:
Discover HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Roof Vent Guards
5. Bathroom and Dryer Vent Covers
What you’ll need to install them:
- A ladder (if the vent is high enough off the ground)
- A drill
- 3 to 6 fasteners
Dryer vents are a hot spot for bird’s nests and meddling from a number of other critters. Like most vents, the plastic louvered or hood-style covers installed on most homes just don’t cut it in terms of wildlife exclusion.
Instead, explain to your customers that a bolt-on dryer vent cover is the best, most clear-cut way to keep critters from getting into their dryer vent.
These covers are designed to be easily removable, offering quick access to the vent for cleaning. They’re available both in steel and plastic, once again to provide your customers with options.
If you’re covering a bathroom vent, you’ll need something a bit more robust to withstand rusting due to the warm, moist exhaust. In this case, you can offer a Universal VentGuard.
These feature a design similar to the roof vent guards above. Their ⅝” mesh will keep out any critter likely to get near it, and their white powder coat finish offers an additional layer of weather protection. Installing them is as simple as adding a few fasteners with a drill.
Additional dryer vent cover resources:
Discover HY-GUARD EXCLUSION Dryer Vent Covers
How Do You Start Offering Wildlife Exclusion Products?
At this point, you should have a good sense of which wildlife exclusion solutions you can start using as a pest control operator. Maybe you’re even starting to imagine who you’ll try to sell them to or what your sales pitch may sound like.
But where can you get these devices to start offering them to your customers, anyway?
At HY-C, we manufacture these products, but we don’t sell them directly to technicians. Instead, we partner with industry-leading distributors and retailers who we rely on to handle the logistics of getting our products in the hands of those who actually use and install them.
So, get in touch with your current supplier. It’s likely that they carry at least a portion of our offering. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, get in touch with our wildlife control products expert Joe Hayman at jhayman@hy-c.com. He’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
After you build up your selection of products, you’ll be ready to start offering wildlife exclusion solutions to your existing base of customers to increase your average ticket size and grow your company’s revenue.
