No buggin’ her

Ken Johnston
Editor

Bugs and pests beware; there is a new adversary in the area!
Nancy Miller of Morson has started a new business called Sunset Country Pest Control and she is fully armed to deal with just about any pest a homeowner or business person can think of.
Miller who became a landed immigrant last year said that she was looking for some kind of business that she could operate seasonally when some friends from Minnesota who are exterminators by trade suggested she look at the profession.
With some encouragement from her husband, Bob Miller, she began researching it. “I grew up on a farm and sprayed chemicals there so I was comfortable with the idea of doing it for a living.”
She began taking correspondence courses from the University of Guelph to get her operator’s license. Thinking that would be the hardest part of getting going she would later learn that the hardest part was actually getting the right insurance for the profession. It is a highly specialized insurance that had to be applied for two months ahead and runs from February to February. It is also the most expensive part of the business, trumping her equipment and chemicals by far.
Since it needs to be above 10°C (50°F) to spray most of the chemicals she uses, she could not really get rolling until May. She started on May 11th and has been fairly busy primarily spraying for ants and spiders so far.
Miller explained that ants, especially carpenter ants can be a real pest this time of year. “While carpenter ants do not eat wood they bore out tunnels in wood for their colonies which weaken the structural integrity of buildings.”
Spiders also cause problems, especially for resorts who have to hire staff to clean up the webs constantly. “That can add up quickly,” said Miller. Spiders can also bite people. Miller notes that the chemicals she uses are safe even around food preparation areas and are odorless.
Later in the summer she expects to be busy with spraying for Cluster Flies and Asian Beetles (Japanese Lady Bugs) to prevent infestations.
Miller is also qualified to spray for weeds on people’s property. She can do areas as big as one hectare and also do spot control areas like fence lines and building perimeters.
She will also deal with four legged pests like rodents and even bats.
The chemical she uses for insects is guaranteed to work for 90 days so an application in May or June will help home/business owners out for the balance of summer.
Weather is key in deciding if she can spray. So when a customer calls she will do an initial assessment as to what weapon(s) she will need to use to deal with the problem and then look for a good day to deal with the matter. She has four different sprayers including a 50 gal electric pump and a four gallon portable gas pump that she can take out to islands on the lake.
Miller is excited about her new profession and has found customers are all too eager for her to come and deal with their pest problems.