Google’s proposed “Debug” program has put mosquito control back in the news in California and Florida. If the plan is approved, the company would release up to 32 million sterile male mosquitoes in an effort to reduce invasive mosquito populations tied to disease transmission.
For Mosquito Squad Plus franchise owners in these areas, the headlines point to a problem they see in customers’ yards every day. Mosquitoes are still disrupting outdoor life, and homeowners are still looking for help they can get now.
The fact that one of the world's largest technology companies is willing to invest significant resources into mosquito mitigation speaks to the scale of the issue in states like California and Florida, where mosquito populations continue to affect quality of life and, in some cases, public health. Even if Google's proposal ultimately moves forward, there is still a need for professional pest control, now and in the future.
“Homeowners are looking for help right now,” Emma Grace Crumbley, an entomologist with Mosquito Squad Plus said. “They want to use their yards, let their kids play outside and feel comfortable with the products being used around their homes. That is why we offer both our EPA-registered Barrier Treatment and Mosquito Squad Plus Essential Botanical Insecticide, a plant-based option made with essential oils and no synthetic insecticides.”
For Kim Welch, who owns a Mosquito Squad territory in Orange County, California, the opportunity emerged from firsthand experience during the uncertainty of 2020.
“My husband called a mosquito company and found someone in Long Beach,” Welch said. “They were about 35 miles from us, but they wouldn't serve Orange County. We thought, 'Wow, that's three and a half million people in this county, and they wouldn't come out to see us.' We started looking into the opportunity because we saw a need that definitely wasn't being filled. A lot of the great Authority Brands businesses address consistent needs. Getting into something that wasn't going to disappear, that wasn't a fad, was important to us. We felt like there was staying power, and we had the market to support it.”
That sense of permanence also appealed to Jay Blecker, a Los Angeles-area franchise owner who had previously built and sold another company before searching for a business that offered both flexibility and long-term relevance.
“I moved out to the Valley and, for the first time, realized there were actually mosquitoes in Los Angeles,” Blecker said. “I never even knew we had mosquitoes until one day my kids refused to go outside while I was barbecuing. They said, ‘No, we’re just going to get eaten up.’ I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s got to be some way to get rid of this.’ I did a bunch of research, came across Mosquito Squad from Chicago and realized there was a way for us to bring this to Los Angeles. I bought a franchise, and from there, it’s been an incredible ride.”
Over time, the work took on an even deeper meaning.
“This was the first business that affected who I am as a person,” Blecker said. “About a year and a half after I started the business, my mom’s spouse passed away from West Nile. It seemed crazy. For me, that changed part of how we go about things for our customers because, at the end of the day, what you’re doing can have an impact the customer may never even know about. But you know it, and that delivers a lot to you as a person. It’s like food for the soul.”
The timeline for Google’s mosquito program is still unclear, including whether it will receive approval and how quickly it could be rolled out. For now, homeowners in California and Florida are still dealing with the same backyard frustrations that led Welch and Blecker to Mosquito Squad Plus in the first place.
For franchise owners, the headlines surrounding Debug may ultimately reinforce a simple reality. Even as researchers experiment with new technologies and public conversations evolve around mosquito mitigation, the underlying need has not disappeared. People still want to spend time outside without constantly swatting at pests. They still want to protect their families and reclaim their yards.
And in markets where mosquitoes have become part of daily life, that demand shows few signs of going away.
For information on franchising with Mosquito Squad Plus, please visit https://1851franchise.com/mosquito-squad.
Mosquito Squad Plus
SPONSORED
As Google explores new ways to combat mosquitoes, Mosquito Squad Plus franchisees say homeowners in California and Florida still need solutions now.
Google’s proposed “Debug” program has put mosquito control back in the news in California and Florida. If the plan is approved, the company would release up to 32 million sterile male mosquitoes in an effort to reduce invasive mosquito populations tied to disease transmission.
For Mosquito Squad Plus franchise owners in these areas, the headlines point to a problem they see in customers’ yards every day. Mosquitoes are still disrupting outdoor life, and homeowners are still looking for help they can get now.
The fact that one of the world's largest technology companies is willing to invest significant resources into mosquito mitigation speaks to the scale of the issue in states like California and Florida, where mosquito populations continue to affect quality of life and, in some cases, public health. Even if Google's proposal ultimately moves forward, there is still a need for professional pest control, now and in the future.
“Homeowners are looking for help right now,” Emma Grace Crumbley, an entomologist with Mosquito Squad Plus said. “They want to use their yards, let their kids play outside and feel comfortable with the products being used around their homes. That is why we offer both our EPA-registered Barrier Treatment and Mosquito Squad Plus Essential Botanical Insecticide, a plant-based option made with essential oils and no synthetic insecticides.”
For Kim Welch, who owns a Mosquito Squad territory in Orange County, California, the opportunity emerged from firsthand experience during the uncertainty of 2020.
“My husband called a mosquito company and found someone in Long Beach,” Welch said. “They were about 35 miles from us, but they wouldn't serve Orange County. We thought, 'Wow, that's three and a half million people in this county, and they wouldn't come out to see us.' We started looking into the opportunity because we saw a need that definitely wasn't being filled. A lot of the great Authority Brands businesses address consistent needs. Getting into something that wasn't going to disappear, that wasn't a fad, was important to us. We felt like there was staying power, and we had the market to support it.”
That sense of permanence also appealed to Jay Blecker, a Los Angeles-area franchise owner who had previously built and sold another company before searching for a business that offered both flexibility and long-term relevance.
“I moved out to the Valley and, for the first time, realized there were actually mosquitoes in Los Angeles,” Blecker said. “I never even knew we had mosquitoes until one day my kids refused to go outside while I was barbecuing. They said, ‘No, we’re just going to get eaten up.’ I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s got to be some way to get rid of this.’ I did a bunch of research, came across Mosquito Squad from Chicago and realized there was a way for us to bring this to Los Angeles. I bought a franchise, and from there, it’s been an incredible ride.”
Over time, the work took on an even deeper meaning.
“This was the first business that affected who I am as a person,” Blecker said. “About a year and a half after I started the business, my mom’s spouse passed away from West Nile. It seemed crazy. For me, that changed part of how we go about things for our customers because, at the end of the day, what you’re doing can have an impact the customer may never even know about. But you know it, and that delivers a lot to you as a person. It’s like food for the soul.”
The timeline for Google’s mosquito program is still unclear, including whether it will receive approval and how quickly it could be rolled out. For now, homeowners in California and Florida are still dealing with the same backyard frustrations that led Welch and Blecker to Mosquito Squad Plus in the first place.
For franchise owners, the headlines surrounding Debug may ultimately reinforce a simple reality. Even as researchers experiment with new technologies and public conversations evolve around mosquito mitigation, the underlying need has not disappeared. People still want to spend time outside without constantly swatting at pests. They still want to protect their families and reclaim their yards.
And in markets where mosquitoes have become part of daily life, that demand shows few signs of going away.
For information on franchising with Mosquito Squad Plus, please visit https://1851franchise.com/mosquito-squad.
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