Here at Insight we rely on our amazing team of technicians to meet customer needs! We want you to get to know some of our specialists who go from home to home applying our products and addressing specific customer concerns. This month’s tech highlight is Robert Gallardo. He services areas in Northern Washington, specifically Arlington. In Robert’s free time he enjoys spending quality time with his kids. They enjoy spending time outdoors catching bugs together. Sometimes he needs a break from bugs though and will kick back and play a video game or two.
He also enjoys exploring the outdoors. Specifically he likes the mountain loop near North Granite Falls. The small town of Granite Falls is also home to Robert’s favorite pizza place, Omega Pizza!
Robert has been a technician with Insight for just over two years. He was introduced to the profession by his neighbor Mattew Bier, who is a technician manager in the Northern area of Washington. Robert has loved working with our team and hasn’t looked back since joining us in 2019!
“Everything!” was Robert’s immediate response. He appreciates how genuine the company is, “I’ve never worked with a company that takes care of their employees so openly and honestly.” He went on to talk about the people he works with, “It’s been a great experience. I get along with everyone, both fellow technicians and office administration.”
Robert explained that “pest issues change with the seasons.” In the current Fall season Robert says that he is still seeing “some ants, new evidence of carpenter ants, and yellow jacket queens. Mice and rats are trying to find food and fat for the winter. Orb weavers (spiders) are getting larger as they end their life cycle.” He went on to explain that “many insects are getting ready to ‘overwinter.’” Similar to hibernation, overwintering means that insects’ growth and development halts for a time as they conserve energy to survive the winter.
Robert specifically mentioned that “mosquitoes and beetle larvae will overwinter and then hatch in the Spring.” These larvae encasings protect the inside insect from outside influences. Robert explained that this is why customers who are fighting fleas have to vacuum so frequently. The intense vibration encourages the fleas to hatch and then come into contact with our products that will eliminate them.
Robert says that “it’s important to have pest control for preventative reasons.” Specifically, “giant house spiders will be mating during the winter.” A warm home or sheltered garage is an ideal shelter for these large arachnids.
Rats and mice seek shelter from rain and snow during the winter. This will often result in them invading homes and crawl spaces. Robert says that the “garage is an access point to the crawl space.” An open garage door – while bringing in groceries or doing yard maintenance – can make for an easy entrance to the home.
Robert’s response to this question is both unique and insightful. He says that “communication is everything.” Pest control can take time and multiple applications to fully affect bugs and critters. Technicians are only at a home for a short amount of time when compared to how much time you as the customer are home. Communication between customers, technicians and office staff is essential to eliminate the pest issue.
Robert makes it a priority to contact customers, either before or after service, whenever possible. Sometimes he does this through a phone call if customers just want an outdoor treatment while at work, if they’re home he makes sure to have a conversation in person. Robert points out that “when customers begin getting pest control they begin to notice more pests. Similar to an individual who just bought a red car, they all of a sudden notice all the red cars on the road. The number of red cars on the road didn’t change, but they began noticing all the red cars because they are looking for them. Pests are similar. If a technician mentions treating for ants, all of a sudden customers may begin noticing ants after the treatment.” This is why Robert makes it a priority to build positive relationships with the customers, so that they can contact him when they begin noticing pest issues.
Robert says to “winterize the crawlspace, insulate vents, ensure walls in the crawlspace or garage are not broken or cracked. Look for tunnels in crawl spaces or access points in the garage that rodents can use to enter the home. Set up insect monitors in the home and strategically place rodent traps behind the furnace and water heater.”
Insight is here for you! If you don’t want to go down into your crawl space to prepare for winter then give us a call! We will send a qualified technician, like Robert, to check your crawl space and address your pest concerns. Check out our What’s the Deal with Wolf Spiders post to better understand these arachnids and why they end up in your home.