Hate Pests?  Join the Crowd!

Pest Industry Survey Asks “What's Bugging America?”

 

June 1, 2002 - Washington, D.C. - Tolerance may be a virtue, but not one that's widely shared by Americans when it comes to dealing with pests.  That's the finding of a new consumer survey recently released by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and timed to coincide with the recognition of June as National Pest Management Month.

 

"People simply hate pests and with good reason.  Pests carry disease; they cause damage to homes and buildings, plus, they can be a real nuisance," says Jim Dye, Border Pest Control. "This new national consumer survey demonstrates just how strongly people react to pests and gives us a chance to remind consumers that the best place to turn for help is the pest management professional who is trained and certified to not only correctly identify pests but also use the most effective means to eliminate them."

 

According to the national survey, more than 90% of those questioned acknowledged that they would be "bothered a lot" by the presence of cockroaches, ticks, fleas, termites, rats or mice in their homes.  Cockroaches were cited as the most bothersome by 96% of respondents, followed by ticks or fleas (95%), then termites, rats and mice, all registering a healthy 94% among consumers who find them a problem.

 

Seven out of 10 Americans correctly identified termites as the most damaging pest to homes and buildings.  Not surprisingly, given the destructive nature of termites, they also led the list of pests that would prompt consumers to turn to a pest management professional for help in ridding their homes of the troublesome pests - 87% would seek professional help with termites compared to only 10% who would try to handle the problem themselves.

 

With the warm temperatures well upon us, pest management professionals have been busily servicing homes and business throughout Southern New Mexico for termites, ants, roaches, spiders and mice, which represent the majority of calls professionals are receiving this year.

 

Roper Starch Worldwide conducted the random telephone survey of 1,000 adults in the U.S. for NPMA in early April.  For more information about pests and pest management, contact the New Mexico Pest Management Association at 1-800-819-2711, their website at www.nmpma.org or visit National Pest Mgmt Association's website, www.pestworld.org.