Tag: vip pest control

VIP Pest Control owner Vicki Hutto wants her customers to know that they are “Very Important People.”

“We work for you,” Vicki says. That’s why, for example, you’ll always talk with a live person when you call VIP’s office.  “We give our customers personal attention. No two people are alike, and no two houses are alike.”

For the past 11 years (it was established in 2006), VIP Pest Control has served Wesley Chapel and the surrounding areas of Pasco and Hillsborough counties, keeping homes and businesses free from insects — including termites, mosquitoes, ants, roaches, bed bugs and more — with treatments that include both traditional chemical and kid-friendly and pet-friendly organic options. VIP also handles problems with nuisance animals such as rodents and snakes.

Same-day service is often available, especially if you have a serious issue that needs immediate attention. “If you call us in the morning,” says Vicki, “we can usually work you in that day.”

She and her team emphasize the importance of taking care of the families and pets in the homes they treat. They always are aware that pets and kids spend time on the floor, so they use pet-friendly and child-friendly treatments. That’s why VIP technicians offer many organic options, and Vicki says you won’t be charged a premium for using those organic products.

Prior to launching VIP Pest Control, Vicki worked for Orkin and says she was the first female termite inspector in the entire company. She was inducted into the Orkin National President’s Club three years in a row, a prestigious honor given to the top three percent of sales producers nationwide. She also worked at two smaller pest control companies.

Vicki says she’s proud that every review on the company’s Facebook page rates VIP Pest Control as 5 stars. Vicki wants all of her customers to feel like Anisa Jivanjee, who writes, “Just got my house treated by VIP’s Vaughn and Vernon. I am so impressed by their detailed treatment of nook and crannies, attic and perimeter of the house. Plus, I got a very courteous explanation of what they were doing. Can’t talk enough about Lilly, who is always so patient, respectful and thorough whenever I call. I love VIP Pest Control!”

Termite Tips & Treatments

Vicki says the most important thing you should get from reading this article is this: Every homeowner in Florida should get a termite inspection every year. You should have a company that will inspect your home and guarantee they will treat and get rid of any termites that move into your home with a termite bond.

She says the bond is similar to an insurance policy. If it expires and you get termites, you’re no longer covered, so it’s important to renew annually.

While a sure sign of termites is a visible swarm of the bugs, you can have termites even if you don’t see that telltale swarm.

“A common misconception is that when that swarm is gone and you no longer see bugs, you no longer have a problem,” says Vicki. “That’s not true. They’re still there, and you have no idea how fast they can destroy a house. They only swarm once a year, but they eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Vicki explains there are two kinds of termites that typically affect houses in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area — drywood and subterranean termites — and VIP Pest Control can treat both. While many companies often treat drywood termites by spot treating (which Vicki says doesn’t work) or tenting (which is expensive, causes an enormous inconvenience and can often cause damage to your home), VIP Pest Control uses a fogging method that treats the entire house and leaves a residual product in the wall to discourage the termites from coming back.

“Tenting a house means you have to move yourself, your kids, your pets, even your plants out of your home for several days, and the tent itself is heavy and can break roof tiles and ruin shrubs and sprinklers,” Vicki says. “Then, your house is filled with an odorless, colorless gas that can kill you, and then they take the tent off and you move right back in.”

She says her system is not going to damage your house, and that she’s been using it for three years, with great results.

VIP Pest Control also offers a preventive treatment in the walls of your home that can keep it from getting termites, and also will act as a fire retardant and protect against mold.

“It costs 10 cents on the dollar to prevent instead of treating (termites),” she says. “It’s affordable and can save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run.”

Rodent Control

“If you see signs of rodents, such as droppings, or hear noises, call us right away,” says Vicki. “Rodents can be dangerous, because they can chew through wires and actually set your whole house on fire.”

She says it’s important to not only eradicate the pests, but also to close the holes that allowed them to come in to your home, so they can’t get back in.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are a nuisance and very difficult to eradicate. While bed bugs have a reputation for being transmitted via hotels, Vicki says you should be concerned about them even if you don’t travel.

“Anytime someone’s stuff is touching someone else’s stuff — such as backpacks at school — that’s an opportunity for bed bugs to be transmitted,” explains Vicki.

So, if you see black spots in a bed — a telltale sign of bed bugs — be sure to call an expert. You also can check VIPPestControlLLC.com for a wealth of information. Vicki notes that, while they can be difficult to find and eradicate, the experts at VIP can help you get rid of bed bugs with minimal headaches.

Other Pests

You should also call a pro if you see ants or roaches. “We see it all the time,” she says. “People tell me they get a can and spray the bugs. All that does is cause them to scatter, so that by the time we come out, your problem is three times worse — and in three different places.”

While palmetto bugs are big and ugly, they’re not harmful like German roaches, which carry many diseases. Vicki says that one female German roach will have 50 babies every 28 days, so if you see one roach, that probably means you have 50 more behind your walls.

VIP Pest Control also treats lawns for mosquitoes, and can provide a one-time treatment to keep your yard mosquito-free for an event, such as a wedding or party.

Woman-Owned

Vicki says that being a woman-owned business also sets her apart in the pest control industry and helps her to better relate to many of her customers.

“Most times when we visit a home, it’s the woman who is there to meet with us,” she says.  Vicki says she is always looking to hire female technicians to join her company, too.

VIP Pest Control specializes in working with homeowners associations, townhome and condo associations, too, “because you will get what your neighbor has,” she says.

VIP Pest Control is located at 119 Flagship Dr. in Lutz. It is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Now through September, get 30-percent off any regularly priced termite treatment. For a free quote, or for more information, visit VIPPestControlLLC.com or call (813) 234-8888.

On Thanksgiving night, when Meadow Pointe resident Vicki Hutto has her yard set up for Christmas and flips the switch to light the decorations for the first time this season, not only will her lawn be ornamented with reindeer and snowmen, but also with a white sparkle that is reminiscent of northern winters. She’ll have a dusting of “snow” on her lawn, thanks to a service now being offered by her company, VIP Pest Control.

Vicki is both the owner and operator of VIP Pest Control, which is celebrating its tenth year in business in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and surrounding areas in Pasco and Hillsborough counties. While the company’s specialty is keeping homes, businesses and lawns free from nuisance animals and insects (including termites, mosquitoes, ants, roaches, bed bugs and more), Vicki has developed a creative way to help those who have been dreaming of a white Christmas experience it here in Florida.

The VIP Pest Control lawn care technicians will actually paint your lawn white, providing the perfect backdrop for seasonal decorations. “We even figured out a way to make it sparkle, if you want,” says Vicki.

Vicki recalls an elderly customer who wanted snow in her yard, like she had up north, “and she sang Christmas songs from her wheelchair while she watched her lawn being painted,” she says. Vicki tells of another customer who wanted to propose marriage with a white Christmas backdrop. Now, Vicki is offering a way to make that happen, too.

“We use an organic paint that is kid- and pet-friendly,” she explains. “Dogs can play on it and kids can sit on it for pictures.”

How does it work? “We spray the lawn three times, so that all sides of each blade of grass are completely covered. It won’t rub off, wash off, or wear off, but it is removed after about three grass clippings.” She says that since grass is dormant in the winter, that usually takes about three months.

Especially for northerners who may miss the white beauty of winter, but not the cold, Vicki says, “Here’s your white Christmas.”

For videos that show the treatment being applied, and the results of one home’s snow application, visit VIPPestControlLLC.com/snow.

Green Lawns, Too!

Year-’round, the team at VIP Pest Control works to keep lawns pest-free, which helps them stay green and healthy. In the winter, when grass is dormant, you may have brown patches that take time to correct. VIP Pest Control offers a service to paint your lawn green until the brown patches grow back healthy. If your homeowners association requires you to have a green lawn, call VIP Pest Control to learn about painting it green for the winter.

Like all of VIP Pest Control’s treatments, the green lawn treatment also is environmentally friendly and can be used on lawns where both pets and kids play.

In Your Home…

This is the time of year when VIP Pest Control gets many calls about roaches and rodents, especially as people get boxes out of their attics with holiday decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“If you see signs of rodents (such as droppings or noises), call us right away,” says Vicki. “Rodents can be dangerous, because they can chew through wires and actually set your whole house on fire.”

Vicki says people often see roaches, especially palmetto bugs, which like to live in cardboard, and German roaches, which can be transported into your home as eggs on boxes delivered by shipping companies.

“German roaches are the ones that will make you sick,” she says. “They’re much smaller than the big palmetto bugs, but they carry diseases.”

And, while termites don’t typically swarm in winter, Vicki says that all Floridians need to be aware that both drywood and subterranean termites can cause damage to your home year-’round. With the drywood termites, sometimes people get a “false swarm.” When you turn on your heat, termites may think it’s swarm season and fly out of the walls of your home to mate. There’s nothing “false” about what they do to your home behind those walls, though.

“When that swarm is gone and you no longer see them, you still have termites,” Vicki explains. “They eat the wood of your home 24 hours a day, and there’s nothing you can do to get rid of them yourself. You really have to call a professional.”

When a VIP Pest Control technician comes out to your home to inspect for termites, they’ll help you determine what conditions in and around your house might lead to termites. For example, termites have easy access to your home when you have mulch up against your house, tree branches or plants that touch your house, or wood-to-ground contact. Hutto says you can help keep termites away from your home by reducing these “conducive conditions.”

When Vicki established VIP in 2006, she says it was her goal to provide a higher level of customer service than other local companies. She says she chose to name her business “VIP” to indicate that to her, customers are, “Very Important People.”

That’s why, for example, you’ll always talk with a live person when you call VIP’s office.  “We give our customers personal attention,” explains Vicki. “No two people are alike, and no two houses are alike.”

Same-day service is often available, especially if you have a serious issue that needs immediate attention. “If you call us in the morning,” says Vicki, “we can usually work you in that day.”

One of the company’s VIP customers is April Saland, who called Vicki when she discovered flying insects in her home.

“VIP came right out and told me I had subterranean termites,” says Saland. “It was a horrible issue, but Vicki held my hand and walked me through the process. She was awesome, and made us comfortable knowing she could save our home.”

VIP Pest Control is located at 119 Flagship Dr., in Lutz. It is open Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. For info, visit VIPPestControlLLC.com or call 234-8888. Also, check out VIP Pest Control on Episode 1 of WCNT-tv on YouTube.