Six Questions with ASC
What services do you provide?
I remove bees from homes, structures, trees and any other thing they decide to build their hive in. I use only pyrethrin dust that is pet and human friendly as well as safe for the environment. I offer a full one year guaranty on all removals.
What is the history of your company?
I started the business is 2002 and it has grown tremendously in a very short time. I am on many animal control and fire fighters list of who to call for bee problems.
What is your experience?
I worked for another service based in Houston for 3 years before bringing my business to Austin and Central Texas. I have beekeeping as well as construction experience. Both of which are important in doing a quality job without the fear of reinfestation.
What would consumers say about their experience?
Most feel my prices are fair, but all are happy with my response time and quality of work. Most thouroughly enjoy gaining a little insight from me as they tend to ask alot of questions. The family clientel really enjoy letting their kids see something up close and personal that they may only see pictures of and read about. Alot of times the bees are africanized and very aggressive which makes for quite a show.
How is your company different than others?
The main difference between me and the other guys is the removal and one year guaranty. Pest control companies prefer to just spray and walk away. The problem with that is that the hive can contain upwards of 80 lbs of honey and nearly 80,000 bees. First off bees build a cubic foot of hive very quickly, typically in the first month. Within a year they are more that 3 cubic feet big and contain nearly 100 pounds of honeycomb. The first poblem being that they typically only give a 30 day guaranty because the chemical they use only last 30 days. Bees build quite an intricate hive and the chance that they have a safe haven for the queen to retreat to means that in a month they will re-emerge and the quaranty period is over. The second problem with that is if they do manage to kill the hive do you want all that honey and dead bee mess in your walls or soffit. Considering the amount of pest 80 lbs of honey is going to attract I am guessing noone wants to exchange bees for rodents, roaches and ants. Not to mention the honey will release from the hive once the bees are not taking care of it and it will drip onto whatever it is in. The removal is messy don't get me wrong, but the left behind hive does considerable more damage. Mold is another huge factor these days and a dead hive will leave a mess as well as alot of mold and debris.
What is one mistake you’ve made in your business and how did you rectify the mistake?
I have had several call-backs on tree jobs but never on a home. The trees can be tricky sometimes because removal is not typically possible. I have been back to several trees over the years simply because they find new ways out of the tree since all I can do is try to trap them in. My guaranty extends to trees and I am willing to return to any job after a one week period to give them the chance to truly utilize the new opening and show me what I need to know to try and trap them again. Once I had a racoon remove my trapping foam and I had to do it again with a better wrap. I am willing to do what it takes to prevent call-backs but they are inevitable because nature is unpredictable.
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