New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Taking a hard line on ticks
Many in Connecticut and the Northeast were alarmed by a federal study in May that documented a spike in diseases caused by ticks and insects. If the trajectory of a Weston startup is any indication, more than a few in southwestern Connecticut were startled into action.
With Bugs & Blades, Chris Zinkel aims to eradicate ticks and disease-carrying insects, and in time poison ivy — and in patches he believes are passed over by the crews of many pest-control companies roaming southwestern Connecticut.
Zinkel runs Bugs & Blades from a home office in Weston, launching the company this year after a career in digital marketing, most recently with a Fairfield digital marketing agency called Covalent Media Group. He said the idea to go into the pest eradication business was the result of he and a neighbor comparing notes this spring. Both had battled Lyme disease and noted what they felt were indiscriminate applications of their properties by tick-control companies.
Zinkel believes properties can be spared excessive spraying by misting with a more discerning eye — in effect, outsmarting insects by paying extra attention to hiding places such as the underbelly of plant and shrub leaves.
“We’re coming in and hitting a lot of the areas that the others don’t necessarily hit — they concentrate on the body (of properties) quite a bit,” Zinkel said. “It’s more the edges — the plantings, the rock walls, the woodpiles, the areas in the back.”
He said it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete an application on a standard-sized property. The company lists pricing ranging upward from $49 with variances depending on the property profile. Bugs & Blades offers organic and standard pest control solutions that are rated nontoxic.
In a May study, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reported a massive spike in diseases diagnosed as the result of bites by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas, to more than 96,000 cases in 2016 from under 60,000 the year previous. CDC’s recommendations include taking steps to control ticks and other insects on home properties.
Several months into Bugs & Blades’ first season on the job, Zinkel said he has expanded his aspirations from his target markets of Wilton, Westport and Weston to the larger southwestern Connecticut region, from Greenwich to Bridgeport and inland. The company also provides service for commercial properties. Information is at Bugsandblades.com or by calling 203-434-3279.
“The five-year (goal) would be that everybody knows us, everybody is utilizing us and everybody trusts us,” Zinkel said. “We would expand, but it would have to be under the right circumstances — making sure that we have the right (people) and understanding that they have the same ideals and values . ... It’s about accountability.”