Pest Control Companies Impacted By Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Pest control companies said like everything else right now, their business is not typical for this time of the year.

The type of calls are different right now because more people are in their homes and in their yards.

Arrow Exterminators said they usually get a lot of calls about bed bugs, but because people aren't going out as much right now, they're not bringing bed bugs back to their home so those calls are down while others are up. 

Sam Dowell with Mosquito Joe's of Tulsa said the busy season for outdoor pest control usually hits late May, but it's happening now and it's not because of the weather. 

“I think that’s due to the fact that the kids are out of school, people are working from home, and as they’re working from home the weather has been nice so they’re outside. They’re in their yards and when you get in your yard mosquitoes are bad this time of year, and this is when their eggs are hatching" said Dowell.

Dowell said they're treating for mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks outside.

Business Development Director of Arrow Exterminators Farrah Fulps said they're getting calls about bugs inside the home. 

“The pests don’t know any different. They don’t know what COVID is. They don’t care. So, it’s business as usual for the pests. This time of year we have termites become more active. We have ants with all of the wet weather that we’ve had. And with it warming up you’re going to see more and more pests coming in. They really don’t discriminate," said Fulps.

Fulps said they have seen a decrease in commercial calls with so many business closed right now and some people who are working and teaching from home are postponing their regular annual appointments to have the inside sprayed.

Fulps said even if you don't want to have a technician inside your house, she recommends still having someone spray around the outside to keep the pests from getting inside.