Business: Men in Black Pest Control Services, Inc.
Address: 1700 Park St., Suite 203, Naperville.
Phone/Web Site: (630) 901-3261 and mibpestcontrol.com
Owner: Jason Gibbons, of Woodrige. His daughter, Lauren Hicks, 26, of Downers Grove, is president/CEO.
Years in business? Eight.
What does your business do? “We are a general pest control company. We service residential and commercial locations for ants, spiders, silverfish, centipedes, earwigs, as well as mice. There’s a lot that we do,” Hicks said.
Anything else? “Outside of general pest control, we also cover termites and inspect for WDI, wood-destroying insects, for home mortgages. We also provide exclusion services, the sealing of homes against rodents.”
How do you exclude? “We seal up all the potential entry points underneath siding, around utility lines, sometimes the soffit area. Anything the size of a quarter, mice can squeeze their bodies through … Air conditioning lines are some of the biggest areas they come through.”
Is there a problem here? “Naperville is one of heaviest populated areas when it comes to mice. Most of it was farmland. Some of it still is, and they’re just doing development. There’s a dense population.”
Is there a busy season? “The busy time is spring through fall. But (pests) winter in houses to survive the cold. Usually in January, you’ll see the ants. They’re waking up for spring, but it’s still too cold outside … Spiders are prevalent in fall. Every insect has a season they’re worse in. Right now, it’s ants … Wasps have picked up because of warmer weather.”
How did you get into this business? “My dad started the business to ensure – I’m one of six kids – that we had a home when we started to pay our college bills as we figured out our career path. He didn’t expect this to grow like it did … Three months in, we were having a barbecue. It was around nine at night. He got a call, said ‘I can’t do this’ and tossed the phone to me. Ever since, I’ve been in the business … My three sisters are in the business.”
Do you like the job? “I love what I do … You never grow up wanting to work in pest control … But once you get in it, we get to work with different people every single day and we get to help people.”
Any interesting stories? “One woman woke up and found a mouse cuddling with her baby in the crib. This is in a normal suburban house. Pests really don’t care if you live in a multi-million-dollar home, or you’re in a small condo. Bugs are going to come. Rodents are going to come.”
What attracts them? “Garbage is huge. Another thing, especially for insects, is overgrown trees and bushes up against the house. Storing firewood against the house is one of the worst things you can do …And there are those small entry points.”
What have you learned? “You learn insects and rodents are so fascinating and have different traits. Ants have started adapting to the baits we use. They’ll have two nests with two queens. They’ll quarantine when the bait enters one nest so it doesn’t spread … Rats, if one sees one caught in a trap, the adult rat will know to not go near that thing.”
How has the coronavirus pandemic impacted your business? “It’s definitely slowed down, especially on the commercial side with the majority of businesses having to shut down … Our sales guys can’t go knock on doors, but it’s been okay because we’ve taken our resources and been volunteering for Meals on Wheels and grocery deliveries … We are still getting residential calls.”
What about “murder hornets” that kill bees? “I’m not super concerned about them yet. They’ve popped up periodically in the past. I really hope they don’t take hold … You will never find Men in Black killing bees. We’ll call a beekeeper to relocate them and save them.”
What’s the best part of having a business in Naperville? “The community. We know so many great people. We’ve done sponsorships with the Naperville Jaycees … We love the area.”
Any negatives? “I don’t think there are any negatives. There are challenges trying to be a mom and wife on top of running the company. Just because the business hours are over doesn’t mean my job stops.”
What misconceptions do people have? “That pests are only around when you’re dirty.”
Did your dad name the business for the “Men in Black” movie? “Nothing to do with it. He literally wanted to wear a black shirt for work.”
What advice would you give someone starting a business? “It’s not easy. Be willing to put in the hours and the work. It is the most rewarding thing you will ever do.”
