Bug brothers join forces, eliminate pests

For three brothers, the war against pests is a constant and ongoing adventure.

Leo Vasquez, Robert Pullen and Mike Pullen all work together at Truly Nolen Pest Control in the Yuma area and make it their mission to help others live a life free of insects, spiders and rodents.

Leo, the eldest of the brothers, was the first to discover Truly Nolen.

"I started working for this company after working for Pep Boys for 12 years," Leo said. "I liked the company and the way it works, so I told Mike about it and brought him in. After that we brought Robert in."

Robert said it was the human interaction that attracted him to the job.

"This was a great job. You not only deal with the bugs but also with the customers ... That is what I really like, you know, talking with people and explaining stuff. That is the reason I stayed, because I like people."

Mike said he didn't plan on entering the field of pest control as a kid.

"I wanted to be a policeman, but I guess some things were not meant to be so I decided to come to Truly Nolen."

Leo said being brothers may actually help them work together, even when things get heated.

"Since we are related, instead of creating a big problem, we forget it. It is a lot easier for us, and we keep it professional."

The brothers said on average they treat about 40 houses or businesses each week.

"It depends on the route," Robert said. "We all run different routes and it depends on how many new customers we have coming in or having to return to a home to deal with specific problems."

The brothers said that during their many years as pest controllers, there have been some occasions where they have come face to face with some serious horror stories.

"You do run into some of those problems where there is an infestation of some kind because of roaches or mice," Mike said.

"Those people who call us want the problem solved, and sometimes we run into homes where the bugs pretty much took over. But with our treatment, we get them back on track and they are happy."

Mike said one of the worst infestations he came across was a home covered with ticks.

"There were so many, the wall itself was moving. There were millions of them. I was staring at it and I was thinking, 'Oh my God, how many ticks are there?' It was a real bad infestation and the health department had ordered a pest control company to come out and take care of the problem. It took us six months to eradicate them, but we took care of it."

Each brother said there are certain pests they hate dealing with. For Leo, that pest is bedbugs.

"Bedbugs are really hard to get rid of," Leo said. "They are like ticks on a dog, but prey on humans. Once they get a host and do their thing, they will hide around the bed. They multiply really, really quickly."

For Mike, it's the German roaches that get to him.

"German roaches are only a quarter of an inch and aren’t the big scary ones, but they can infest a home starting with a single capsule which has 30 to 35 eggs in it," Mike said. "Within a month, you can have hundreds in your home and you have to get in there and tackle it before the problem gets worse."

For Robert, the problem is with the flying variety.

"The ones I really don’t like are pigeons," Robert said. "They are so dirty. They are flying rats. They are very stubborn, and even when you install nets or spikes, they come back.

"They are always pooping all over the place and the smell is foul and it is dirty. Even if we clean every day, the pigeons will come back and poop on the same spot. I really don’t like them very much."

The brothers said this calling has become a career for them.

"I would like to stay here as long as I can," said Mike. "It's not just the bugs, it's all of the different things you do every day, and the excitement of finding different pests and figuring out how to beat them. It's fun to come up with plans, and it's different for every home. This is not a routine thing you would do and get bored."

The brothers work around chemicals every day, but said that because of state laws it is very safe.

"The chemicals are meant to kill pests, and it is so diluted that, for humans, it is hard to be poisoned unless you drink a gallon of it, and no one does that," Leo said. "It is really hard to get sick from it, but we do take a lot of care on how we do it."

Mike said the chemicals are too weak to have any detrimental effect on humans and animals.

"It is a real low toxicity to humans, dogs and cats. The stuff we use is just to kill the bugs. We are not trying to kill everything in the yard, and you won't find dead cats and birds. The chemicals are specific for the species we want to kill."

The brothers said it feels as if they are on the front lines in a never-ending war with pests.

"The insect population outnumbers the human population by far and we do reduce the population in certain homes," Robert said. "We keep doing our job, but sometimes it does feel like it is a never-ending battle.

Mike said he was worried about killing too many bugs at first.

"When I started with my trainer, I started asking what would happen if we killed all the bugs. But after years on the job, I have found they never give up. This is an ongoing war, and they just keep coming. It is a never-ending cycle. We can never kill all the bugs. We can just control them around humans."

The brothers said pests have a mind of their own, are calculating and are almost human.

"Bugs learn and become immune to certain chemicals," Leo said. "A bug is a living thing and is going to want to survive and is going to try its hardest to do that."

Leo said their jobs are very important because it is a health issue.

"If we didn't have any pest control, we would be in a heap of trouble. Pests carry disease, and crops would be ruined. The Black Plague started with rats and mice and almost killed half of Europe, so we do need pest control."

Leo said despite all of their work, the bugs will eventually get the upper hand.

"When I die, the bugs are going to eat me, so that is their payback. Right now I'm trying to get as many as I can, but when I croak, they are going to get me."