A few times a year we get a call from a new customer that goes something like this:

Customer: “HELP ME! I HAVE LITTLE BLACK BUGS ALL OVER THE HOUSE. THEY ARE TERRIBLE!!! I NEED SOMEONE OUT HERE TODAY. I DON’T CARE WHAT IT COSTS.”

Me: “I would love to help you. What types of bugs are you dealing with?”

Customer: “(insert type of bug here but usually something very small like fleas, mites, or bed bugs. Also, insert some horrible story about how they are digging into their skin or what this guy told us today.) “THEY LOOK LIKE LITTLE STRINGS AND THEY ARE CRAWLING INTO MY BUTTHOLE AND DESTROYING MY INTESTINES.

This is a very sad event that we have to sometimes deal with in this industry. Low quality companies with poor ethics will take advantage of these people. They will show up and identify that there are no bugs, charge a massive price, and perform a low quality. It would be easy to play into these people’s fears and charge a large recurring bill for an issue entirely made up in their head.

The challenge with these folks is that they really believe they have an active infestation and worry and worry and worry for no reason at all.

A very common tactic people suffering from delusional infestation will use is to catch the “bugs” they are seeing in a bag to show us. Typically, this is just lint or crumbs that their mind is tricking them into believing is a real issue.

Not much research has been done on this small subset of people so there aren’t a lot of resources. Here’s how we have decided to handle this:

We tell them that we are licensed pest control professionals and we are trained to kill bugs. We are not, however, certified entomologists so we cannot always identify what they are seeing. We encourage them to take their bag of catching to the local Department of Agriculture Extension Office where an entomologist can identify the bugs.

This takes the pressure off of us and frames the Ag office as “true professionals that they can trust.” The Ag office will carefully look at the items brought in and tactfully recommend them to a mental health professional. This is the best case scenario. Sometimes they still will not listen. Sometimes they scratch and itch themselves so much they develop rashes or sores and a doctor will prescribe them medication for “bug bites” which further plays into their fears.

These are customers that are truthfully very difficult to work with. I wish they would all just take the mental health help tha tthey need but they do not usually believe that is what they need.

They will often use our service for general pest control needs for spiders, ants, and common bugs but when we can’t get rid of the “dust mites” that they have in their closet, they leave us a bad review. It’s a lose lose scenario and it’s not fair to anyone.

Remember, if you want to start a business, you better be prepared to handle the good, the bad, and the ugly.