Dugan’s Pest Control ticks all the boxes for home, industry, and agriculture
By George Berkheimer
Living in a rural area can pose some unique challenges when it comes to sharing the environment with the insects and animals that also find it just as attractive as humans.
Dugan’s Pest Control has been helping homeowners, businesses and agricultural operations deal with problem infestations since 2011.
“I’ve been in the business for more than 30 years and got my start working for the state government,” said Jeff Dugan, whose one-man operation sometimes relies on friends and family for larger jobs. “I’m licensed for every category of pest recognized by the state of Pennsylvania, which is something that sets me apart from other pest control services. There’s nothing I can’t deal with from a licensing perspective.”
Dugan served as a vector control specialist supervisor for the Pennsylvania Department of Military Affairs for 15 years and spent five years as an Agronomics Product Inspector for the state Department of Agriculture overseeing ten counties.
“I acquired Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration credentials during that time, so I know the government rules and regulations, which is something that the businesses, restaurants and agricultural operations that hire me really appreciate,” he said. “They’re not just hiring me to do pest control, I’m also ensuring that whatever service I provide keeps them out of trouble and in compliance with all the details they’re not aware of that could trip them up.”
Regulation compliant
There are more than 20 categories of pests in Pennsylvania, with habitats ranging from households to roadsides, rights of way, wooded areas, industrial sites, ponds, streambanks, and cropland.
“Most of my work is dealing with German cockroaches and bedbugs, but I’m frequently called on for other insects, weeds, rodents, fungus, lice, ticks, fleas, pretty much anything you can think of,” he said.
Dugan said he keeps current with tools, products and vector approaches through credit courses provided through the Penn State Extension and is also licensed to teach chemical companies and other customers how to monitor for pests and perform in-house control.
His primary territory focuses on Bedford and Blair Counties, but also extends into Somerset, Fulton, and Cambria Counties.
“Most of my work comes through word of mouth referrals,” Dugan said.
While many of the pests he deals with are year-round problems, there is also a seasonal aspect to pest control, he noted.
“Homeowners deal with bees, spider, and Japanese beetles in the spring, summer and fall, but rodents are active year-round,” he said.
And while pests can be a nuisance to homeowners, they frequently constitute an economic concern to agricultural customers who can lose a significant amount of income from crop damage or destruction, something that threatens their own livelihood and the income of their employees.
“I do a lot of work for dairy farms, beef farms, and some of the larger orchard operations in Bedford County,” Dugan said.
Pest control is also a major concern for places of public accommodation and institutions, like Everett Public Schools, day care centers, and the Bedford County Courthouse and its sub-buildings. Important human services providers like area food banks also rely on Dugan’s Pest Control to ensure that they can continue to meet the needs of vulnerable customers who rely on them for stability.
Real estate agencies represent another big customer in the private sector that require Dugan’s services.
“Bardell Realty is really good to me,” he said.
Old fashioned values
When it comes to operating his business, “I believe in old-fashioned customer service,” Dugan said. “My customers become my friends, that’s the way I was raised. I feel extremely fortunate that the community itself embraces me, not just with pest control but, with other roles I fill here.”
Dugan has served on the Claysburg-Kimmel School Board, Bedford County’s Penn State Extension board of directors, and is currently a Kimmel Township supervisor.
Despite his intimate knowledge of all the bugs in the environmental system, Dugan prefers spending time outdoors as much as possible.
“I love farming and working on the family farm, playing sports and ATV riding,” he said.
Returning to Bedford County after spending decades away in government service wasn’t a hard decision.
“Family is my number one passion, and I can’t think of a better place to live with my wife Dawn, sons Cody and Justin, and my granddaughter Riley.,” he said. “We love the community, the terrain, and the beauty of Bedford County. There’s nowhere else like it, and we feel safe here.”