Osh Doorn, one of the Okanagan-based technicians for Pest Detective, poses with his truck in Kelowna’s City Park. To inquire about Pest Detective’s services, call 250-860-2867.

(LARRY FISHER / iNFOnews.ca)

Chris Frederick and his Pest Detective team can’t cure the coronavirus, but they can take care of all the Okanagan’s pests — ranging from ants and spiders to rodents and wildlife to dreaded bed bugs.

With local technicians serving the entire valley — from Vernon in the north to Osoyoos in the south and everywhere in between, including Kelowna and Penticton — Pest Detective is well equipped to control any critters and rid unwanted guests.

“We are taking a lot of calls and one thing we’ve learned, throughout COVID, is people do not want to live with pests — and now that they have been home even more, they want less pests around,” said Frederick, the president and franchise owner for Pest Detective, which expanded to the Okanagan five years ago but has been established in the Lower Mainland for nearly 30 years.

“We are defenders of everyone’s home and business environments and their health,” he added. “Many pests, including rodents, they move viruses around and they spread bacteria. We help control that and eliminate the spread of certain bacteria and diseases. So it really does tie in with COVID in a lot of ways.”

Pest control has been deemed an essential service and Pest Detective’s technicians — around 30 in total, including experienced experts based in Kelowna, Peachland and Oliver — have been staying relatively busy during this ongoing pandemic. And the growing demand has Frederick optimistic about their operations in the Okanagan — believing the future should be bright for the local crew, headed up by Osh Doorn.

“The goal now is to be as big as we are in other areas. There is no reason why we can’t be,” said Frederick. “Osh is the face of Kelowna. He is a young guy, he trained here for quite a while, so he knows where it all started and he knows a lot of the core technicians in the Lower Mainland, so now it’s up to him and some other guys to keep building it up there. We could easily have 10 (technicians) in that area.”

Frederick, who got his start in the field alongside his brother back in 1986, saw an opportunity in Osoyoos where his family had been spending their summer holidays. Work followed him from the Lower Mainland — as word of mouth spread that he performed pest control — and eventually his brand was in tow. It was also a benefit that many friends and customers in other areas relocated to the Okanagan and kept calling Frederick to be their pest control provider, which helped Pest Detective get established faster.

“With the business we’re in, you just can’t get away,” he said with a laugh. “People would ask ‘what do you do?’ I’d tell them and they would say ‘can you check out my ants? Can you check out my wasp nests? We’ve got a skunk here.’ I did it because I have always loved doing the work and helping people where I can, but I was back in the field again for eight hours on my holiday in 40-degree weather sometimes. So it was kind of a realization that there is more expansion potential than just the Lower Mainland. The Okanagan seemed to be a fit.

Twenty members of the Pest Detective team pose with their mascot Petey. To inquire about Pest Detective’s services, call 250-860-2867.

(SUBMITTED / iNFOnews.ca)

“Osoyoos and Oliver, we actually have a lot of business there because I had those connections and we had become part of that community,” he continued. “We’ve been around a long time (in the Lower Mainland) and built up the clientele, so hopefully that will happen in the Okanagan now as well, but it does take time.”

Time and effort, which includes getting involved in community activities to make their presence known. Frederick has certainly been active on that front, sponsoring the Osoyoos Coyotes hockey club and deploying their mascot — Petey the Pest Detective — in various parades.

“Last year, we went in the Half Corked Marathon in Oliver. We donned the logo and went as the Pest Detective dodgeball team, so that was really fun and it got recognition too,” said Frederick. “We’re trying to do all the same things we did to be successful down here (in the Lower Mainland) — hire local people and do our part to support the communities that we serve. It’s been steady growth in the Okanagan and we’re going to continue to grow it that way.

“Who knows, maybe we can sponsor some local hockey, slo-pitch or sports teams once they are back in full swing.”

As for the work stuff, summers in the Okanagan bring about a variety of ants and plenty of wasps and hornets — though hopefully not any of those so-called murder hornets.

“They’re interesting and a lot of people are talking about them, but we’ve only had a couple calls about them and they were in Nanaimo on the Island. We haven’t had any issues, but we would have a way of dealing with them too,” said Frederick in a confident tone that comes from his level of experience. He has come a long way since dubbing himself the Pest Detective after watching Jim Carrey’s hit movie — Ace Ventura: Pet Detective — that debuted in 1994. By 1997, Frederick had his trademark and business was booming.

“The evolution was bug man to businessman,” said Frederick, who has a bachelor of science in biology and entomology. “I started in the field for a long time, so I have the technical experience, and it just kind of evolved. I’m more of the operations guy now, dealing with marketing, training, hiring, and all that stuff — a little bit of everything.”

For more information on the services provided by Pest Detective, visit their website at pestdetective.com — pestdetective.com/locations/kelowna-pest-control/ — or call 250-860-2867 for a free quote. Frederick, Doorn and the rest of their staff would be happy to help assess and diagnose pest problems, treating them quickly and thoroughly while advising how to reduce the chance of recurrence.

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News from © iNFOTEL MULTIMEDIA, 2020