As more pest control technology becomes available to the pest management industry, we see how much it can benefit various businesses. Anything that can help our technicians and customers with pest monitoring also helps us. But, we want to make sure companies don’t get complacent and use these monitors to replace what pest control technicians do – because they are not designed for it and simply can’t do it. Assessing and weighing the pros and cons of this technology will allow you to make more informed decisions about using these monitors.
The Pros:
Remote pest monitoring allows technicians the opportunity to spend more time investigating pest risks instead of checking empty traps. This means using pest technology gives them more time for actual IPM strategies and finding the source of a pest rather than simply where the pest is at that moment. In addition to freeing up the technicians, instant alerts and quicker response times are a reality with remote monitors. This is integral in highly regulated industries that face regular audits like food processing and pharmaceutical. With trap notification abilities, the technicians can maximize the time they spend at your business to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of your pest management program. These are all good things but make sure you’re using a pest control company that combines remote monitors with Integrated Pest Management techniques and strategies. Anyone that tells you remote monitors are enough is kidding you.
The Cons:
Peace of mind is a good thing but not when it creates complacency. A false sense of security can comes with these monitors causing businesses to turn a blind eye to their pest control or try to use a pest monitoring system as a replacement for professional pest control services. While they can provide simple cost savings by removing
cost from wasted time, as described above, they should be thought of as a more efficient way of utilizing investment dollars in pest prevention rather than cost savings. Reaching out to your pest control company every time the monitor goes off can increase fees, reducing the cost savings the systems can bring with them. Make sure the monitors you’re having installed at your business can speak directly to the pest control company so you aren’t always on the hook for the notifications. New and evolving pest technology is making this more and more possible, so as long as the company you’re using is up to date on their technology knowledge, you should be good!
It’s important to remember to balance the pros and cons that remote monitors can bring with them. The advantages truly come when they are used as a supplement to pest control – not as a replacement. And you’ll want to use a pest control company that will truly partner with you to help balance the pros and cons so that you have an effective and more efficient system with value added dollars to your pest prevention pre-requisites. A company that uses Western’s ScanPro® service and technology that gives you instant access to your pest control information is even better.
Remote monitoring systems are by no means a silver bullet when it comes to pest control, but they can be a benefit in addition to a trained technician’s eye and as more advanced pest technology becomes available, the drawbacks could decrease. And they don’t even come close to the benefit of having an entomologist’s trained eye! Just remember – pro as an addition, con as a replacement… but it’s all about how remote monitoring systems are implemented to really maximize their benefits.