Courtesy Eco Haven
By Paul Post
Jake Dorsey goes where the problems are, which, depending on the time of year, can be anything from bats, squirrels and mice to ticks, bees and carpenter ants.
His Hudson Falls-based Eco Haven Pest Control business, founded just over a year ago, already has clients from Kingston to Lake Placid and from western Vermont to the Mohawk Valley.
Eco Haven uses pesticides and chemicals to battle bugs and critters only when absolutely necessary, as opposed to area-wide applications.
“If there’s no target, why are you shooting?” said Dorsey, a 27-year-old entrepreneur.
The goal is to provide permanent solutions instead of repeat annual treatments.
To exclude insects and tiny rodents, for example, Eco Haven installs small metal barriers the same color as a home’s siding to keep them from getting inside.
For bat control, the company allows bats to exit safely and prevents re-entry without trapping them inside. Once out, all access points are sealed, and guano removal is recommended, if present, to prevent health concerns.
He previously worked for other firms in the industry before launching on his own. Dorsey emphasizes eco-friendly solutions because he understands the public’s growing concern about environmental safety.
“Nobody wants a guy to show up and use chemicals that can be harsh to them or their pet,” he said. “The main reason I got into pest control is it allows me to help people. Anything from bats, mice and squirrels to bed bugs or carpenter ants in a house adds a great deal of emotional stress.”
He has two full-time employees, both fully trained and licensed technicians.
Most of Eco Haven’s work is residential, although it also has a number of commercial clients.
“We’ve done everything from getting bats out of local historic buildings to getting squirrels out of log cabins built on stilts with no foundation on Lake George, and modern homes in Clifton Park,” Dorsey said.
“Pest control as an industry is kind of cyclical,” he said. “You roll into spring and you get the early bat calls, carpenter ants, and you start to see termite swarms coming up now. By the middle of summer, it’s almost entirely stinging insects, bees and wasp nests; they’re all over the place.”
“When it gets colder, you get your fall invaders — Asian lady beetles, box elders and stink bugs. There’s also an influx of squirrels and mice getting into people’s houses because it’s cold out and warm inside. You’re almost doing something different every month. When one goes away, another comes after it.”
“Business has expanded a lot faster than I thought it would by just being honest, doing exactly what I said I’m going to do and getting the job done right,” he said. “We figure out what’s going on with your house and we fix it. There’s a solution to every problem if you know what you’re looking at.”