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Pest control industry data

Original analysis of public records: inspection results, payroll data, pesticide use reports and complaint logs, with the method shown.

Articles

Tradesman carrying toolboxes up the driveway of a Californian stucco houseOriginal data

Pest Control per Home Varies Sevenfold Across California Counties

California counties ranged from 2.77 structural pest control applications per housing unit (Fresno) to 0.40 (San Francisco) in 2023. Growth since 2016.

October 5, 2026Warehouse aisles of racking stacked with pallets of boxes, a worker walking between themOriginal data

Three Companies Supply Nearly Half of California’s Pest Control Products

BASF led California structural pest control applications in 2023 (18.5%); Control Solutions rose from 4.9% to 14.1% on bifenthrin. Data 2016-2023.

October 5, 2026Landscaper in a high-visibility vest mowing a commercial lawn beside an office buildingOriginal data

What Landscape Crews Spray: Glyphosate Leads California’s Totals

California landscape crews made 1.8M pesticide applications in 2023. Glyphosate was 31% of pounds; rodent baits about 1 in 5 applications.

October 5, 2026Worker pushing a hand truck of boxes across a loading dockOriginal data

Pest Control, Not Farming, Applies 87 Percent of California’s Rat Poison

Structural pest control made 87.4% of California rodenticide bait applications in 2023; agriculture 0.1%. It also applied 97% of restricted SGAR use.

October 5, 2026Hydrologist lowering a probe into a groundwater well head in a farm fieldOriginal data

Neonicotinoids Are in More Than One in Four Groundwater Samples

Clothianidin was found in 28.6% of US groundwater well samples since 2015, imidacloprid 12.9%; fipronil 1.3%. Highest levels well below health limits.

October 5, 2026Barn owl perched on a fence post in a sunlit meadowOriginal data

California Cut Second-Generation Rodenticide Use by 85 Percent. Wildlife Exposure Barely Moved

California cut structural second-generation rodenticide use 85% after 2021, but 68.7% of tested wildlife still carried residues in 2024; 39 of 41 mountain lions.

October 5, 2026Mother lifting a toddler away from an open low cupboard in a family kitchenOriginal data

Boric Acid Poison Calls Rose 69 Percent in a Decade

Boric acid exposures to US poison centers rose 69% from 2014 to 2024, 90% in children 5 and under. Pyrethroids lead at 18,057.

October 5, 2026Call centre agent wearing a headset typing at a deskRats and mice

Rat Poison Calls to Poison Centers Fell 22 Percent in a Decade

US poison centers recorded 8,452 rodenticide exposures in 2024, down 22% from 2014. Anticoagulant cases fell 66%; bromethalin nearly tripled.

October 5, 2026Field worker in a high-visibility vest sampling marsh water with a long-handled dipperOriginal data

California Mosquito Control: Larvicides Dominate, Naled Up 63 Percent

Larvicides were 77.5% of California public health pesticide applications in 2023; aerial naled rose 63% to 106,621 lb. County and ingredient data.

October 4, 2026City worker in a high-visibility vest clearing leaves from a storm drainOriginal data

California’s Fipronil Is 99.7 Percent Pest Control, and It Reaches Streams

Structural pest control is 99.7% of reported fipronil use in California. Fipronil was detected in 16.9% of 2,489 California stream samples.

October 4, 2026Gloved hands drilling a small hole into a concrete patio edge beside a house wallTermites

Tenting Fell, and the Alternatives Did Not Replace It

California fumigations fell by 24,092 from 2016 to 2023; termite baits quadrupled, but borates, orange oil and termite-only liquids did not grow.

October 4, 2026Scientist pipetting water samples into small glass vials at a laboratory benchOriginal data

Insecticides in US Streams Rarely Come Alone

Of 14,675 US stream samples tested for 4 neonicotinoids, 26.1% held two or more. One sample held 10 pest control insecticides.

October 4, 2026